Was thinking about getting into programming for the Elan Via pads, subbing out to an Elan dealer. I already have a Via!Tools programmer. Any idea of what a fair rate would be without experience? What about later with experience? I'm just looking for a flat hourly rate just for the programming portion.

Thanks,
CJ

I have been programming an Elan systems for the last couple of weeks (Z system with an SC-4 serial controller, 880 video switchers, 4 Vias, cameras, all the bells and whistles). It took me a solid three days to understand the "nuances" of Elan programming (i.e. the serial commands for video switching if you have an SC-4, switching between video and graphics modes, camera sequences, etc.) I was a computer programmer for years with a degree in engineering, so I would consider my learning curve to be shorter than a beginner. My point is this, once learned the systems are relatively straight forward. I would charge $20-30 an hour as a beginner, and $40-50 an hour as an expert. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the input. I seem to have similar experience as you. I have a BS in civil engineering and was one class away from a minor in computer science. I have experience in programming a wide variety of languages and have been programming a Pronto since the beginning. I'm just looking to do this on my spare time (probably weekends). I was thinking of experimenting for a little while on my own Via panel, offering to program one install for free and then go from there.