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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.palmtops,comp.answers,news.answers
- Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kei.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in1.uu.net!news1.digital.com!decwrl!amd!netcomsv!uu4news.netcom.com!netcomsv!uu3news.netcom.com!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!rcochran
- From: rcochran@netcom.com (Richard Cochran)
- Subject: comp.sys.palmtops HP100LX Frequently Asked Questions
- Message-ID: <rcochranDKIs6q.Mzr@netcom.com>
- Followup-To: comp.sys.palmtops
- Summary: This posting describes the Hewlett-Packard 100LX Palmtop
- computer, a tiny PC-compatible machine with organizer
- software. This file is starting to address the HP 200LX,
- a new model palmtop which supersedes the HP 100LX.
- Reply-To: rcochran@netcom.com
- Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
- X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
- Date: Mon, 1 Jan 1996 20:41:40 GMT
- Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU
- Expires: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 00:00:00 GMT
- Lines: 1460
- Sender: rcochran@netcom8.netcom.com
- Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.sys.palmtops:36443 comp.answers:16193 news.answers:61196
-
- Archive-name: hp/palmtops-faq
- Posting-Frequency: monthly
- Last-modified: 96/01/01
-
- HP-100/200LX Frequently Asked Questions list.
-
- Editor: Richard Cochran rcochran@netcom.com
- This file is and always will be work in progress. Comments welcome.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 1. Contents
-
- 1. Contents
- 2. How to get this FAQ
- 3. Disclaimer
- 4. Basics -- What are these HP Palmtops, anyway?
- 5. 1MB vs. 2MB models
- 6. Hardware and physical characteristics
- 7. DOS compatibility
- 8. Built-in Software
- 9. Add-on software
- 10. Programming the 100/200LX
- 11. Modems & Telecommunications
- 12. Connectivity to desktop computers and other devices
- 13. PCMCIA Cards
- 14. Batteries, Battery life, AC adapters, etc.
- 15. Obscure undocumented tips, tricks, and trivia
- 16. Double-speed crystals
- 17. Common problems
- 18. For more info
- 19. HP's future plans
- 20. Public Domain
- 21. Acknowledgements
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 2. How to get this FAQ
-
- This file is posted to the Usenet groups comp.sys.palmtops,
- comp.answers, and news.answers monthly, near the middle (+/- 5 or so
- days) of the month. If this copy is much over a month old, a newer
- version probably exists. Since this document is crossposted to
- comp.answers and news.answers, it gets archived at lots of different
- ftp sites. Ask your sysop for info on your nearest news.answers
- archive, or if there is no nearby news.answers archive, use anonymous
- ftp and get
-
- <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/hp/palmtops-faq>
-
- If you have no access to anonymous ftp, send an email message to
- mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu, subject ignored, body containing
-
- send usenet/news.answers/hp/palmtops-faq
-
- World Wide Web users may be interested in the hypertext version
- of this FAQ. It's available from the server:
-
- <http://www.smartpages.com/faqs/>
-
- Look for the Usenet FAQ's. One way to get to this FAQ is to go
- through the index by usenet groups through comp, sys, and finally
- palmtops.
-
- The html version is automatically generated from the ASCII version,
- and thus contains exactly the same information.
-
-
- Any FAQ that is crossposted to news.answers can be retrieved by ftp,
- email, or WWW using similar techniques. So before posting "Can
- somebody send me the FAQ?" to ANY newsgroup, please browse the ftp
- archives on rtfm.mit.edu or your local news.answers archive. If you
- can't do this, then please follow the netiquette rule of always
- reading a group for at least a month before posting. If there's a
- FAQ, it'll probably show up.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 3. Disclaimer
-
- This file is the work of unpaid volunteers. It does not represent the
- official position of anybody, much less anybody's employer. It is
- likely to be filled with errors. Mentioning a product or business
- does not constitute any sort of endorsement. If you act on any
- information in this file, any damages you suffer are just your tough
- luck.
-
- This is not intended as a substitute for the 100/200LX manual. There
- are many more useful tidbits located in the manual than will ever be
- in this file, and the manual is likely to be more accurate.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 4. Basics -- What are these HP Palmtops, anyway?
-
- Q: What is the HP100LX?
- A: Depending on your point of view, it's either an IBM PC-XT stuffed
- into a very tiny case with some Personal Information Management (PIM)
- software and Lotus 1-2-3 built into ROM, or it's a high-end electronic
- organizer that also runs MS-DOS software.
-
- Q: What is the HP200LX?
- A: It's the successor to the 100LX. It's essentially a 100LX with
- cosmetic changes and the addition of Pocket Quicken, LapLink Remote,
- and some feature enhancements for the PIM applications in the ROM.
-
- Q: What is the HP1000CX?
- A: It is basically a 100LX/200LX, but without the PIM software in
- ROM. Its only built-in software is MS-DOS. Hardware is essentially
- identical to the 100LX/200LX. It was originally only available in
- lots of 50 or more, made to order by HP, but some places (Educalc, et
- al) currently sell individual ones. It's not targeted directly at
- the consumer market. HP seems to intend for third party
- manufacturers to bundle it with add-on hardware/software on a PCMCIA
- card for specialized applications. Contact HP directly for more info.
-
- Q: What's the difference between the 100LX and the 200LX?
- A: Pocket Quicken from Intuit has been added to the 200LX. This is a
- limited version of the Quicken financial management software sold for
- MS-DOS and Windows. It does not use the same file format as Quicken
- for DOS or Windows. but if you buy the 200LX connectivity kit, you
- can share data with the full DOS or Windows version of Quicken. (Like
- the 100LX, the 200LX can also run the full version of Quicken for DOS
- outright.)
-
- The DataComm application is faster in the 200LX. It can pretty much
- keep up with a 9600 or 14.4 modem. The painfully slow DataComm
- application was a notorious deficiency in the 100LX, so this is a
- welcome fix.
-
- The case has changed color. The keyboard layout has changed slightly,
- in order to give Pocket Quicken its own dedicated key. The labels on
- the keycaps have a slightly different, italic, look to them.
-
- The topcard (picture displayed when the machine is turned on, and the
- system manager is running, but no apps are yet activated) looks
- different.
-
- There is an extra megabyte of ROM (3M in the 200LX, vs 2M in the
- 100LX). This is how they managed to add the new built-in software
- to the 200LX without deleting any of the old 100LX features.
-
- There is a power-on password feature.
-
- Some extra goodies have been added to the d:\bin drive (in ROM).
- Hearts & Bones and Lair of the Squid are two games that are included.
- A hexadecimal calculator is also included.
-
- LapLink Remote has replaced the redirector for use with the
- connectivity pack.
-
- The appointment manager has a daily pop-up message reminding
- users of "to do's" and appointments.
-
- The on-line help has been improved.
-
- The phonebook can present phone and address details in
- "business-card" or the 100LX-style "form" format.
-
- Q: What is the same between the 100LX and the 200LX?
- A: Most things. Hardware is virtually identical, including size,
- batteries, AC adapter, serial port, PCMCIA port, display, keyboard
- (except very minor changes to keyboard layout, and cosmetic changes
- to the labels on the keycaps), processor, RAM, availability of 1MB
- and 2MB versions, etc. DOS compatibility is unchanged; both machines
- use MS-DOS 5.0 and CGA. Lotus is the same. All the same PIM apps
- are included, and they can share data between the 100LX and 200LX,
- but the 200LX versions have a few enhancements here and there.
-
- Most software written for the 100LX will run on the 200LX. All
- vanilla DOS software should run exactly the same. Most
- 100LX-specific software will probably run the same.
-
- Q: What's the difference between the HP-100/200LX and HP-95LX?
- A: The short answer is that the HP-100/200LX is faster, has better
- and more powerful software, much more MS-DOS compatibility (full CGA
- compatiblity), fully standard serial port with hardware handshaking,
- longer battery life, and has a PCMCIA Release 2.x slot.
-
- Q: Where's the best place to buy a 100/200LX? A RAM Card?
- A: The answer changes too quickly to put into this FAQ. Netiquette
- suggestion: Read the newsgroup for a few days. If the question hasn't
- been asked recently, call around to your local stores, call the
- dealers on hpdealer.txt, and post a note listing the best deal you
- found, asking if anyone can beat it. In other words, do a little
- homework yourself before asking the net for help. Consider giving
- your local dealer a chance to try and match or beat a mail-order
- price.
-
- List price of the 200LX-2MB is $699 (U.S.), $50 less than the
- 100LX-2MB list. The 200LX-1MB lists at $549, the same as the
- 100LX-1MB. Of course, actual selling prices vary, and they change
- too quickly to report in this FAQ.
-
- When pricing memory cards, be aware that some manufacturers package
- disk compression software with their cards, and some of these may
- advertise a 5MB card with compression software as a "10 MB" card.
- (or "10 MB compressed", or "Up to 10MB", etc.) Quoted disk
- compression numbers tend to be optimistic, especially if you're
- storing executables or compressed files. Be sure you do an "apples
- to apples" price comparison between different vendors.
-
- Q: How can I upgrade my 100LX to a 200LX?
- A: You can't. However, it's reported that Edu-Calc is offering a
- $225 trade-in allowance for a 100LX, good toward a 200LX. This is
- presumably for a limited time only.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 5. 1MB vs. 2MB models
-
- Q: Is the 2MB model worth the extra money over the 1MB Model?
- A: The only difference is the extra Megabyte of internal "disk"
- storage on the C: drive. It may be cheaper to buy the 1MB model and
- invest the difference in a bigger PCMCIA flash or SRAM card. But if
- you want to keep the PCMCIA slot open for a PCMCIA modem or other
- device, you're stuck with internal storage only, and the extra
- megabyte may be worth the money.
-
- Q: Does the 2MB RAM HP-100/200LX have more system memory?
- A: No, both models HP-100/200LX are MS-DOS machines which are
- inherently limited to only 640KB of system RAM. But an EMS (not XMS
- or himem) driver has been written; see emm040e.lhz or emm100.exe
- on eddie.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 6. Hardware and physical characteristics
-
- Q: How big is a 100/200LX?
- A: Approx 16cm x 8.5cm x 2.5cm (6.25" x 3.3" x 1") closed, or about
- the size of a checkbook, only thicker. It has a clamshell-style case.
-
- Q: So tiny! Can I touch-type on it? Is the screen too small to read?
- A: Touch typing is quite a trick. The keys are much closer together
- than normal adult human fingers. But the keys have a positive click
- feel. Some people adapt quite well to them, others despise the
- 100/200LX keyboard.
-
- The screen is very sharp and contrasty, but your eyes might not be.
- Try before you buy, especially if you have trouble reading fine print
- in dim light. The print is quite small in 25x80 mode, but you can
- use special key combinations to zoom and pan around, displaying only
- a portion of the screen, magnified, on the 100/200LX physical screen.
- The screen is not backlighted, and is easiest to read in bright light.
-
- Q: Where can I get a carrying case for a 100/200LX?
- A: For a cheap padded case, look for one designed for a pocket 35mm
- camera, game machine, personal stereo, or calculator. For a fancy
- executive-style leather case, see ads in the Palmtop Paper, Edu-Calc,
- etc.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 7. DOS compatibility
-
- Q: Will it run <Random MS-DOS Software Package>?
- A: The 100/200LX will run just about anything that will run on an IBM
- PC-XT with a CGA monitor. To give you an idea of its compatibility,
- here's a partial output listing from MSD.EXE, Microsoft's diagnostic
- tool. This was run on a 1MB 100LX.
-
- Computer: Phoenix/Phoenix, 80186
- Memory: 636K
- Video: CGA
- OS Version: MS-DOS 5.00
- COM Ports: 1
-
- BIOS Manufacturer: Phoenix
- BIOS Version: Version 1.04 A
- ROM BIOS Ver 2.14
- BIOS Category: IBM PC/XT
- Processor: 80186
- Math Coprocessor: None
- Keyboard: Non-Enhanced
- Bus Type: ISA/XT/Classic Bus
- DMA Controller: Yes
- Cascaded IRQ: Yes
- BIOS Data Segment: None
-
- Video Adapter Type: CGA
- Display Type: CGA Monitor
- VESA Support Installed: No
-
- Operating System: MS-DOS 5.00
- Internal Revision: 00
- DOS Located in: ROM
-
- COM1: COM2: COM3: COM4:
- ----- ----- ----- -----
- Port Address 03F8H N/A N/A N/A
- UART Chip Used 8250
-
-
- Q: Can I run Quicken for DOS on it?
- A: Yes, users have reported success with DOS-based Quicken through
- version 8 (most recent Quicken version available as of this writing).
- Recent versions may require more memory than is available under the
- system manager, but it's easy enough to exit the system manager and
- run Quicken directly from the DOS prompt. The "disable filer" trick
- may allow you to squeeze even the latest Quicken in under the system
- manager.
-
- Some kind of extra storage (flash or SRAM card) will undoubtedly be
- necessary for recent versions of Quicken, especially for the 1MB
- 100/200LX.
-
- Of course, Pocket Quicken is built in to the 200LX, and it's
- available separately from Intuit for the 100LX. It's system-manager
- compliant, but some users still may prefer the full feature set of
- DOS Quicken.
-
- Q: Can I run 4DOS on it?
- A: Yes, but the advantages mostly occur outside the system manager.
- For swapping, usage of the EMS driver emm100.exe is recommended.
- Unfortunately, if you call DOS from the system manager, it will be
- the hard-wired d:\dos\command.com.
-
- Q: Can it do Windows?
- A: Sorry, try an Omnibook or another larger laptop. Windows 3.1
- requires a 286 or better. Windows 3.0 is barely possible, but the
- 100/200LX doesn't really have the speed, processor architecture,
- display, or memory to make it a very practical Windows machine.
- Forget Windows 95.
-
- Q: Why don't Intersvr, LapLink, Procomm, etc. work?
- A: They do work, but not under the system manager, unless you use the
- trick described below. The System Manager slows down the serial
- port. It can also interfere with console I/O. If you're having
- trouble running something under the System Manager, try exiting
- completely (Menu-Application-Terminate all) and run the program from
- raw DOS.
-
- If the program runs under raw DOS, you can probably get it to run
- under the system manager by putting an inverted exclamation point
- (keystroke Fn-Filer) into the comments field of the Application
- Manager. This effectively disables the System Manager and prevents
- switching to another application while the current application is
- running.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 8. Built-in Software
-
- Q: What software is built into the 100/200LX ROM?
- A: MS-DOS 5.0, Lotus 1-2-3 release 2.4, an appointment manager
- (capable of waking the 100/200LX up and sounding an alarm or running
- a program even when the machine is turned off), a calculator (similar
- to HP19B, capable of algebraic or RPN), a text editor, a phone book,
- a stopwatch/alarm clock, a world time database, a terminal emulator
- (but the 100LX version is too slow to use above 1200 baud, you'll
- want a different communications program for a fast modem), a general
- purpose database, a note taker, a file manager, a keyboard macro
- editor, and cc:Mail. Note that, although MS-DOS 5.0 is built into
- ROM, not all of the external commands (e.g QBASIC.EXE, EDIT.COM,
- ANSI.SYS) are included. These may be copied from a PC running MS-DOS
- 5.0 (Caution: copying parts of DOS is probably illegal and/or a
- violation of your license agreement unless you buy a DOS license for
- your 100/200LX).
-
- The 200LX contains Pocket Quicken and LapLink Remote, in addition to
- the above.
-
- Q: Does anybody actually use cc:Mail on the 100/200LX?
- A: Very few have posted to comp.sys.palmtops claiming to use it.
- cc:Mail on the 100/200LX requires that you have access to a full
- cc:Mail Post Office set up for dial-up access, and those don't seem
- to be very common, at least among usenet denizens.
-
- There is a program to allow you to use the cc:Mail software to
- read/write Unix mail using uqwk(1) on the unix host. Look for
- qualx13.zip on eddie.mit.edu (last seen in the /pub/hp95lx/inbound
- directory, but probably soon to be moved). Free registration for
- personal use.
-
- Q: What is the system manager?
- A: It's the core software under which all of the PIM applications
- run. It allows multitasking (suspending one application to run
- another), keyboard macros, data transfer via a clipboard, and other
- nifty stuff. The alarm clock and appointment manager will only wake
- up if the system manager is active. Certain 3rd party applications
- (*.EXM files) are "System Manager Compliant". Applications which are
- not system manager compliant can still be run, either by exiting the
- system manager entirely, or by opening up a DOS shell under the
- system manager.
-
- Q: How can I transfer data to/from the database manager?
- A: Read the manual on the smart clip feature, or use the gdbio
- software (C source code included) available on eddie to import/export
- in comma delimited format.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 9. Add-on software
-
- Q: What's some good software?
- A: The HP-100/200LX is an almost completely compatible MS-DOS machine.
- Just about any MS-DOS software will work if it: fits in available
- drive space, needs only what MS-DOS system RAM is available, needs
- only CGA graphics, and runs in Intel x86 real mode.
-
- Some HP-100LX specific software is at the URLs:
- <ftp://eddie.mit.edu/distrib/hp95lx/hp100LX>
- <ftp://ftp.cc.monash.edu.au/pub/palmtop>
-
- Q: What is 100Buddy?
- A: It's a shareware program available on eddie which lets you do lots
- of neat tricks, including make the filer automatically start an
- application based on a file's extension (e.g. click a .wk1 file to
- start 1-2-3), get a shifted value of a character by simply
- double-clicking the character, get battery voltage displayed in a
- status bar in the filer screen, reprogram the blue application keys,
- add password protection to the 100LX (registered users only), display
- the world-time map with nighttime areas shaded (also registered users
- only), and lots of other shortcuts and tricks.
-
- Q: Is there a 200Buddy?
- A: Yes, it was released around the first of 1995. It's available on
- eddie.mit.edu in the /pub/hp95lx/NEW directory. It will probably be
- moved into the 100lx directory structure shortly, so you may have to
- look around for it. It is also available on the CompuServe HPHAND
- forum. Note that the filename is 100buddy.zip; the same version
- works on both the 100LX and the 200LX.
-
- Q: What is VR?
- A: Vertical Reader, a shareware program available on eddie for
- reading ASCII text files while holding the 100/200LX with the hinge
- vertical, like a book. VR has several attractive fonts available,
- and allows searching for regular expressions. This shareware may be
- registered by merely sending a postcard to the author, or by donating
- $10.00 to Project Gutenberg, an organization which makes
- public-domain documents and literature freely available in ASCII text
- form.
-
- If you register VR via postcard, note that the author's address has
- changed. The correct postal address as of February '95 is:
-
- Gilles Kohl,
- Hagsfelder Allee 16
- D-76131 Karlsruhe
- GERMANY
-
-
- Q: Can I use the 100/200LX as a remote control for my TV, VCR, stereo?
- A: The shareware program REMCOM, originally developed for the HP95LX,
- works on the 100/200LX and turns it into a universal learning remote
- control, using the infrared port. RC is a similar program which is
- also reported to work. There may be other such programs developed
- for the 95LX which work on the 100/200LX. Unfortunately, the
- 100/200LX has a fairly weak IR transmitter (weaker than the 95LX), so
- the range may be only a meter or two, less than the typical distance
- from couch to TV.
-
- Q: Can I use the 100/200LX as a phone dialer?
- A: The HP95LX had a D/A converter that could drive the speaker and
- produce touch tones fairly easily; sadly, this feature was dropped in
- the 100/200LX. That converter is instead used to monitor battery
- charging.
-
- However, there is a program, called ATDT, which uses some fancy
- tricks to get touch tones out of a standard PC-AT. It does work on
- the 100/200LX, and it's available on eddie.mit.edu in the
- hp95lx/unknown directory (ATDT01.ZIP). It is not integrated with the
- phone book application, it requires the video mode be set up
- different from standard (see the readme), and, depending on the phone
- you use it with, the 100/200LX speaker may not produce sufficient
- volume to reliably dial.
-
- There is also a program called TT available, with source code, on
- eddie.mit.edu. TT comes ready-to-use, but if you have a C compiler
- and know how to use it, you can modify TT and integrate it into other
- programs. Like ATDT, TT suffers from the limitations of the volume
- output from the 100/200LX speaker, and your success with it depends
- on your patience, the sensitivity of your telephone's microphone, and
- the placement of the 100/200LX speaker near the microphone.
-
- Q: Is there an EMS driver?
- A: Yes, EMM100.EE, available on eddie. It uses a paging file on C:
- and supports EMS 4.0 almost completely. There is a 200LX version
- in preparation; to avoid problems with Lotus 1-2-3 using EMS, copy
- D:\BIN\200.COM to C:\100.COM and call 100 to start the system manager
- as an intermediate solution.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 10. Programming the 100/200LX
-
- Q: What programming languages are available?
- A: Anything that'll run on a PC-XT, including various flavors of C,
- C++, Pascal, Basic, etc. QBASIC.EXE is not included, but will run if
- it's copied from a MS-DOS 5.0 machine.
-
- There are several ways to write "programs" with software in the
- 100/200LX ROM, depending on your definition of a program. You have
- the keyboard macro application, Lotus 1-2-3, the calculator's solver
- application (finds roots of equations, among other things), DEBUG.EXE
- (from DOS), and the DOS batch file interpreter. The calculator's
- solver application can be used with Lotus to "backsolve", that is,
- adjust the value of one independent cell of a spreadsheet to produce
- a desired result in another, calculated, cell.
-
- Q: How can I get information on programming the internals of the HP?
- A: The palmtop Developer's Guide is being distributed by Thaddeus
- Computing (publishers of the Palmtop Paper). Price is $79.00 US,
- plus $5.00 shipping inside US, $12.00 shipping outside US. It
- contains full documentation on the internals of the HP Palmtops,
- plus software for developing system-manager compliant applications.
- You'll need to supply your own compiler and/or assembler (MSC 6.00AX
- and/or MASM 5.1 are recommended). Order from Thaddeus Computing,
- 57 E. Broadway, Fairfield, IA 52556 (800) 809-5603, (515) 472-1875,
- 75300.2443@compuserve.com
-
- For those who don't want to purchase the full developer's kit, there
- is a library called PAL (Palmtop Application Library) which is a
- collection of C language functions that provide DOS programs with the
- look & feel of HP100/200LX built-in applications. It provides
- graphics functions, support for windows, menus, dialog boxes, etc.
- It is free, and available on the HPHAND forum on CompuServe, as well
- as ftp.monash.edu.au, eddie.mit.edu, and butler.sidewinder.com.
-
- Many of the HP's interrupts are documented in the interrupt list,
- maintained by Ralf Brown, available at
- <ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/msdos/info/interNNx.zip> and elsewhere.
-
- Of course, if you only want to program the HP as a DOS machine,
- without accessing any of the palmtop's unique features, there are
- plenty of widely available books giving details on DOS programming.
-
- If you need the file formats for the built-in applications, gdbio (on
- eddie) has C source code which should provide a good starting point.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 11. Modems & Telecommunications
-
- Q: What's a good modem?
- A: Just about any pocket modem or PCMCIA modem. A full-sized
- external modem will work fine too, but of course it's not as
- portable. Specific features such as size, modulations and protocols
- supported, cellular phone support, power drain, and others vary
- considerably.
-
- Q: Should I get a PCMCIA modem or an external one?
- A: Advantages to PCMCIA -- Cleaner cable setup, uses same power
- supply as HP100/200, smaller overall package. Advantages to external
- -- allows use of RAM card and modem simultaneously, doesn't drain
- HP100/200 batteries.
-
- While a pocket modem typically draws power from a battery or from an
- AC power supply, a PCMCIA modem draws all power from the palmtop.
- Most PCMCIA modems are designed to work on larger machines with
- plenty of battery power so most modems also consume as much or more
- power than the HP-100/200LX. This drain can occur whether the modem
- is in use or not, consequently battery life is much shorter, as
- little as 15 minutes. Use of an AC adapter is usually recommended.
-
- Since there's only one PCMCIA slot, it can either hold a modem or a
- SRAM/Flash card, but not both (but see next question). So a PCMCIA
- modem can only transfer data to and from the internal RAM drive of
- the machine.
-
- Q: How can I get a both a modem and flash card into one PCMCIA slot?
- A: There are two companies which make combination modem/flash cards,
- which combine a modem and a flash card into a single PCMCIA card. The
- vendors are Smart Modular Technologies (510 623-1251)
- <smartts1@aol.com>, and EXP Computers (800 EXP-6922). The cards are
- specifically designed for the HP palmtop computers. Both cards are
- reviewed in the Jan/Feb 1995 Palmtop Paper.
-
- Q: What cable do I use for an external modem?
- A: The HP cable will work, but you'll have to use a gender
- changer/null modem adapter. See the description of the connectivity
- pack elsewhere in this FAQ. Or you can make your own cable.
-
- Q: Why is my modem so slow?
- A: The System Manager slows down the serial port. The DataComm
- application is even slower, at least on the 100LX. Together they are
- really slow. The solution is to not use either, although using any
- other communications software under the System Manager is better than
- using DataComm. MS-Kermit (various version from 60KB to 300KB),
- Procomm, Telix, and others are reported to work. See the
- minimal-software-list for details.
-
- Interestingly enough, the built-in DataComm application seems to be
- reasonably fast when doing file transfer, it's only when used
- as a terminal that it becomes painfully slow.
-
- The 200LX does not suffer from the slow screen update bug on the
- built-in DataComm application.
-
- Q: How can I read Usenet and mail offline with the 100/200LX?
- A: There's almost nothing special about the 100/200LX in this regard;
- it's just like any other DOS PC. Check out the newsgroup
- alt.usenet.offline-reader. Their FAQ may be found at
-
- <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/alt.usenet.offline-reader>
-
- If you want to ask questions over there (AFTER reading their FAQ),
- just tell them that your HP is an IBM PC-XT compatible running DOS
- 5.0 with CGA.
-
- People have reported success using a UQWK/YARN combination to transfer
- mail and news via SOUP.
-
- The one area where the 100/200LX is unique is that it has cc:Mail in
- ROM. There is a program to allow you to use the cc:Mail software to
- read/write Unix mail using uqwk(1) on the unix host. Look for
- qualx13.zip on eddie.mit.edu (last seen in the /pub/hp95lx/inbound
- directory, but probably soon to be moved). Free registration for
- personal use.
-
- Q: What's a good fax program?
- A: There are several good fax programs available that will run on
- MS-DOS with CGA. Your modem may have come with one. Users have
- reported success with the following, but there are probably more.
-
- 1. SSFAXER: Shareware on eddie.mit.edu. Must register in order to
- receive faxes
- 2. BGFAX: Available at
- <ftp://ftp.csn.net/Computech>
- 3. There's a free demo package from TurboPower software that contains
- a small toolkit for sending and receiving faxes. Can send faxes from
- PCX, TIF, TXT formats. But fax viewer software only supports VGA, hence
- viewer won't run on palmtop. This package is actually a demo of
- their Pascal/C++ communications toolkit. Available at
- <ftp://rainbow.rmii.com/pub2/turbopower/faxdemo.exe>
- 4. ACEFAX contact info unknown.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 12. Connectivity to desktop computers and other devices
-
- Q: How do I connect the 100/200LX to a desktop PC?
- A: For the 100LX, HP sells the connectivity pack, (HP F1021A) which
- comes with a serial cable, (HP F1015A) a package of various adapters
- for different serial connections, (HP F1023A) and software for the
- PC. The PC software includes versions of the 100LX PIM software (but
- no Lotus 1-2-3, sorry). The filer applications let you transfer
- files back and forth, and the redirector program lets you use one
- machine's disk drive from the other machine (but it's slow).
-
- A similar connectivity pack is available for the 200LX (F1021B,
- w/English docs, F1021C with multilingual docs). The 200LX
- connectivity pack includes software to integrate Pocket Quicken with
- Quicken for DOS or Windows, in addition to updated versions of the
- software in the 100LX connectivity pack.
-
- A "software-only" version of the 200LX connectivity pack is also
- available, for those users who already have cables and such from
- a 100LX.
-
- Q: What if I don't want to buy the connectivity pack?
- A: If you don't want to buy the connectivity pack, you may connect
- the palmtop and desktop with a serial cable and use your choice of
- DOS connectivity software. The interlnk/intersvr programs that come
- with DOS 6 work fine. One way to start is to transfer intersvr.exe
- to the palmtop using the built-in telecom application on the palmtop
- and any terminal emulator on the desktop. The Kermit file transfer
- protocol works well enough. Then install interlnk on the desktop
- according to the documentation, and run intersvr on the palmtop. Now
- you can access the palmtop's drives from the desktop.
-
- 200LX users may take advantage of the built-in LapLink Remote
- software in the HP's ROM. A brief sketch of how to do this is:
-
- 1. Add the following line to your Palmtop's AUTOEXEC.BAT before
- sysmgr is started.
- CALL D:\BIN\LLRAS.BAT
- Then reboot your palmtop.
-
- 2. Copy the following files from D:\BIN on the 200LX to a directory
- on the PC (use the built-in datacomm application and a terminal
- emulator, or any other method you choose).
- LLRA.BAT
- LLRA1.EXE
- LLRA2.EXE
- LLRA3.EXE
- LLRA4.EXE
- TSI.INI
-
- 3. Edit the TSI.INI file on your PC as follows:
- In [general], change ComputerName= to something else (eg desktop)
- In [Redirector], change Enabled= to Yes.
-
- 4. Edit the LLRA.BAT file on your PC, changing all file paths from
- D:\BIN to the PC directory you copied them to in step 2.
-
- 5. With the PC and palmtop connected via serial cable, enter the
- AppMgr on the palmtop and start the LapLink Remote Access program.
-
- 6. On the PC, change to the directory where you copied the LapLink
- files, and type "LLRA". In a few seconds you should hear beeps
- from both the PC and palmtop indicating that a connection has
- been made.
-
- 7. On the PC, type "LLRA /M" to display the drive mapping.
-
- 8. To Unload LapLink from the PC, type "LLRA /U".
-
- Q: Where can I get just the HP-100/200LX serial cable without the
- Connectivity Kit?
- A: EduCALC, etc. HP sells it as part no. F1015A. The same cable is
- used for HP's calculators (it comes with an adapter to fit their
- serial connector), so check the calculator section of a well-equipped
- store if you don't see the cable near the HP100/200LX display.
-
- Q: Where do I get an adapter to use HP's serial cable with a modem,
- serial printer, Sun workstation, etc.?
- A: HP sells a connector/adapter kit (HP F1023A). The HP serial cable
- ends in a female DE9 connection with a null modem, so it's ready to
- plug directly into the standard DE9 serial connector found on most
- desktop PC's. The adapter kit contains four adapters, which make
- the COMBINATION of HP serial cable + adapter look like:
- 0) female DE9 with null modem (stock cable with no adapter)
- 1) male DB25 with null modem (for serial printer)
- 2) male DB25 without null modem (for modem or other devices)
- 3) female DB25 with null modem (for PC with DB25 serial port)
- 4) male DE9 without null modem (for modem or anything else you'd
- plug into your desktop's DE9 port).
-
- Try the serial printer adapter to connect to a Sun workstation's DB25
- port. Some other unix workstations are reported to use
- MacIntosh-style serial ports, and the MacIntosh serial cable will
- work with these. Similar adapters should be available at any well
- equipped computer/electronics store, or you can build your own. The
- adapter kit comes with the connectivity pack.
-
- Q: Where can I get a compatible serial port connector?
- A: EduCALC sells a cable with the appropriate connector at one end and
- bare wires at the other. For those who want to make a cable from
- scratch a contact and part numbers follow.
-
- Digi-Key Corporation
- 701 Brooks Ave. South
- P.O. Box 677
- Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677
- 800-344-4539 800-DIGI-KEY
- 218-681-6674
- 218-681-3380 fax
- $25.00 minimum order or $5.00 handling charge
-
- part# H2004-ND Hirose Electric Co., A3B series 10-pin dual-row, 2mm
- connector (HP 100/200LX)
- part# H9999-ND Hirose Electric Co., socket terminals, quantity 100
- part# H2013-ND Hirose Electric Co., A4B series 4-pin, single-row, 2mm
- connector (HP-48, HP-95LX)
-
- If you already have the HP cable, it comes with an adapter to plug the
- 10-pin connector into a 4-pin HP95 or HP48. One clever use of this
- adapter is use it as a mold to make a "bump" on Digi-Key 10-pin
- connector using 5-minute epoxy. This "bump" is not essential, but it
- may help prevent you from inserting the 10-pin connector
- upside-down.
-
- Q: How can I connect the 100/200LX to an Apple MacIntosh?
- A: HP sells a serial cable to connect the 100/200LX directly to a Mac;
- it's part #F1016A. This handles the physical link, reducing the
- problem to "How can I get a Mac to talk to a PC across a serial link?"
-
- DataViz (1-800-733-0030) is a company which makes a product called
- MacLink Plus/HP Palmtop, which handles file transfers, and converts
- the HP100/200LX application's files (memo, database, phonebook, etc.) to
- popular Mac formats (Excel, MacWrite, Word, etc.). One current
- shortcoming is that the "Notes" section of the 100/200LX
- Database/Phonebook programs is not supported in the Filemaker
- translation. But this is reportedly being worked on.
-
- MacLink Plus works with all the HP Palmtops (95/100/200). It
- includes the serial cable. File translations include:
-
- Memo to: MacWrite, MacWrite II, MS Word 4 & 5.x, MS Works, Mac WP
- 2&3, WriteNow 2, RTF.
-
- Appt book to: Excel 2,3,4, Lotus WKS, MS Works SS 2,3, SYLK, Comma
- Separated, Tab Separated, Tab Text
-
- Phone book to: Address Book Plus, Dynodex 2,3, Excel 2,3,4, Filemaker
- Pro, Lotus WKS, SYLK, Comma Separated, Tab Separated, Tab Text
-
- Database to: FileMaker Pro, MS Works DB 2,3
-
- Palmtop Lotus to: Excel 2,3,4, Lotus WKS, Ms Works SS 2,3, SYLK,
- Comma separateed, Tab Seeparated, Tab Text.
-
-
- Among other places, it's available directly from DataViz or from
- MacWarehouse (1-800-255-6227).
-
- The best answers to generic PC/Mac connectivity are probably found
- outside this newsgroup (anyone know where?), but here's a shot at
- some alternatives:
-
- Most any terminal program on the 100/200LX (including the built-in
- DataComm) will handle simple file transfers via kermit, xmodem, etc.
-
- MacLink Plus/PC is a commercial package made by DataViz which is
- intended for use on any IBM-Compatible, and is reported to work on
- the 100/200LX, and allow easy file transfer. But see above for a
- customized HP version that supports the HP apps.
-
- Q: How fast is the highest speed for serial port?
- A: For a vanilla 100/200LX, the maximum speed for the internal UART
- (8250 serial port controller implemented in the 100/200LX) is
- 19200bps. With a buffered UART, (NS16550, implemented in many PCMCIA
- modems) speeds up to 115200bps work fine. Note: this does not mean
- that 100/200LX can actually send data at 115200bps. It means that
- palmtop can RECEIVE data at 115200bps, without lossage. For a
- 100/200LX with double-speed crystal, 38400bps seems to be the maximum
- speed with the internal UART.
-
- Your milage may vary depending on the communication software you are
- using. Try using communication software with a very good interrupt
- handler implementation. If you can read Japanese, you may want to try
- siam available at:
- <ftp://ftp.iij.ad.jp/pub/msdos-j/siam/>
- <ftp://ftp.foretune.co.jp/pub/tools/siam/>
-
- Also, as described above, do not forget to quit system manager
- completely.
-
-
- Q: Intersvr complains about the E: drive when I start it. What can I
- do?
- A: This is a stacker/interlink incompatibility. You could stop using
- stacker, but a less drastic solution is to get a copy of SUBST.EXE
- from a PC with MS-DOS 5.0 and include the statement
- "SUBST E: A:\somedir" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. "somedir" refers to any
- existing directory on your A: drive.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 13. PCMCIA Cards
-
- Q: What's the difference between flash memory and SRAM?
- A: SRAM is fast, expensive, requires battery back-up, doesn't take
- much power to use. Flash memory is cheaper per megabyte, available in
- larger sizes, will hold data forever without power, very slow for
- writing (on the order of the speed of a floppy disk), requires
- significant power for writing, and will eventually wear out when
- written to many times (though some flash cards have a lifetime
- guarantee, and nobody has yet posted that their flash card wore out).
-
- Both technologies have plenty of satisfied users.
-
- Q: Will <Random PCMCIA Card> work in a 100/200LX?
- A: Best answer: ask the vendor, and be sure you're allowed to return
- it if it doesn't work. Most vendors will know if their cards are
- compatible with a machine as common as the 100/200LX.
-
- Longer answer: The 100/200LX PCMCIA slot is PCMCIA 2.0 compatible,
- and able to accept type I or type II cards. It supplies 5 or 12
- volts. It can only supply 150mA, so it has trouble with certain
- cards which attempt to draw high current. Most modems, SRAM cards,
- and ATA (Sundisk-style) flash cards work fine. Most ethernet
- adapters and GPS receivers draw too much current to work. Intel-style
- flash cards (like the Newton uses) are not supported, but see next
- question.
-
- Common confusion: PCMCIA _Type_ is always listed in roman numerals,
- and refers _only_ to the thickness of the card. PCMCIA _Release_ is
- listed in arabic numerals, and refers to the version of the interface
- specification.
-
- If a card draws too much current to work in the 100/200LX, using the
- AC adapter won't help.
-
- Q: How can I use a Newton flash card in a 100/200LX?
- A: This is not for the squeamish. HP does not support Intel-style
- flash cards on the 100/200LX, so if you have any problems making it
- work, you're pretty much out of luck.
-
- However, some users have reported varying degrees of success with
- them. They require that you obtain MS-FLASH.SYS for normal use, and
- MEMCARD.EXE is required to format the card. These files are NOT
- public domain, and not available at any ftp site. Some people have
- reportedly pirated them from an Omnibook (probably illegal). If
- anyone knows of an official way of obtaining up-to-date versions of
- these files, please tell the editor.
-
- At least one user has reported that there is some incompatibility
- between the system manager (or at least the database apps) and
- MS-FLASH.SYS, such that the flash card could only be used in raw DOS
- mode outside of the system manager. Other users have reported that
- continually writing and moving files around on the card slowly
- consumes small amounts of disk space, which can only be recovered by
- backing the card up, reformatting, and restoring.
-
- Note that this entire discussion is about Newton flash cards, not
- Newton SRAM cards. Several posters have been able to use Newton SRAM
- cards without difficulty.
-
- Q: How can I use a PCMCIA ethernet adapter?
- A: Most ethernet adapters draw more power than the palmtop can
- provide. An exception is a card made by Silicom Connectivity
- Solutions (800 474-5426 or 206 882-7995) which was designed with the
- palmtops in mind.
-
- The Socket Communications and Xircom ethernet adapters are reported
- to come close to working, though there are problems getting the
- supplied drivers to work on the 100/200LX.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 14. Batteries, Battery life, AC adapters, etc.
-
- Q: What batteries does it use? How long do they last?
- A: The 100/200LX uses 2 standard AA cells, either Alkaline or NiCad.
- It also uses a miniature lithium "button" battery for memory backup
- when the main batteries fail. Battery lifetime varies a lot, based
- on how much you use the machine, what kind of PCMCIA card you use,
- how much you use the serial and IR ports, how good your batteries
- are, etc. As a rough guess, several users have reported needing to
- recharge their NiCad's approximately once a week, when running it a
- few hours a day with a flash card. Users have reported in excess of
- a month of regular usage from fresh lithium AA cells, down to an hour
- or less with a power-sucking PCMCIA modem and NiCads. The HP manual
- claims that "for typical use without the AC adapter, fresh Alkaline
- batteries should last from 2 to 8 weeks. Rechargable batteries ...
- will get less life ..." (p A-2 of 100LX manual).
-
- Although the manual only recommends alkaline or NiCads, users have
- reported success with lithium AA cells. Lithium cells have a much
- longer shelf life and running life than alkalines. Setting the
- machine up for alkalines works for lithiums. Others have cautioned
- that inserting lithium cells backwards can permanently damage the
- machine, and the discharge curve for lithiums is very steep, leaving
- little time between the first "low battery" warning and completely
- dead batteries.
-
- The 100/200LX can charge installed NiCads by simply plugging in an AC
- adapter and selecting the option from the setup application. No
- separate charger is needed.
-
- Rechargable alkaline or NiMH batteries can be used, just like regular
- alkalines. However, to charge them, you must take them out of the
- 100/200LX and put them in a charger specially designed for
- rechargable alkalines or NiMH batteries.
-
- Q: Why won't my NiCad batteries hold a charge anymore?
- A: You probably use the AC adapter most of the time, and have NiCad
- charging enabled. There's plenty of mythology, folklore, and an
- occasional fact or two regarding NiCad "memory effect", which won't
- be repeated here. Suffice it to say that you can damage NiCad
- batteries by repeatedly overcharging them when they're already
- charged. The 100/200LX has two charge rates: for the first 6 hours
- after the adapter is plugged in, the batteries charge at a high rate
- (100mA), then charging switches to a low-current "trickle charge"
- (45mA). Each time you plug in the adapter the cycle repeats. If you
- plug the machine in each day at work, and again when you get home,
- you can kill the batteries fairly quickly.
-
- Simple way to avoid trouble: if your NiCads have a full charge or
- close to it, and you want to use the AC adapter, then disable
- charging. A slightly less conservative approach is to use 100Buddy
- or the shareware batset program to limit the fast charge time to one
- minute, since trickle charging isn't likely to damage the batteries
- as quickly.
-
- Q: What kind of AC adapter does the 100/200LX use?
- A: CAUTION: It's different from the 95LX! The 100/200LX uses 12VDC,
- negative tip, up to 750mA, approx 5.5mm OD barrel-type connector.
-
- HP recommends their part no F1011A, which is about the size of a
- credit card, except that it's an inch (2.5 cm) thick, with fold-away
- AC prongs. It will take any input voltage from 100 to 240 Volts, at
- 50/60 Hz, an advantage for world travellers.
-
- Radio Shack Cat no 273-1652B seems to work, and is probably cheaper.
- It's only rated at 500mA, so there may be problems when using with
- high-current PCMCIA cards. It appears to work ok with flash cards
- while charging NiCad's, though, and current measurements indicate
- that the 100/200LX draws much less than 500mA with this adapter even
- when writing to a flash card, charging NiCads, and using the serial
- port simultaneously.
-
- Other compatible adapters are certainly available from various
- sources. The 100/200LX does not include an adapter in the box.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 15. Obscure undocumented tips, tricks, and trivia
-
- Q: What is xine?
- A: It is a built-in file compression program (D:\BIN\XINE.COM). To
- use, type "XINE infile outfile". If infile isn't compressed, xine
- will compress it to outfile. If infile is compressed, xine will
- expand it to outfile. CAUTION: Don't specify infile and outfile
- as the same name, or you'll lose your data. Xine is not documented,
- although it appears in all versions of the 100/200LX (including
- non-English versions).
-
- Q: What is pushkeys?
- A: Pushkeys is a program to run keyboard macros from a DOS batch
- file. It's in D:\BIN, but it has its hidden file bit set, so you must
- use "dir /a:h" to see it. Run it once with the /i argument, and it
- installs itself as a TSR. Run it again with the name of a .MAC file,
- and it run the 10 macros in sequence. Pushkeys is not documented,
- and may be missing from some non US-English versions of the
- 100/200LX. It does appear in the European-English 100LX, however.
- International users who don't have it built-in may be able to get a
- copy from the Palmtop Paper.
-
- Q: What is hexcalc?
- A: It's a programmer's calculator that supports hex, octal, binary,
- and decimal. It's System manager compliant, and included in the
- 200LX ROM, but not automatically included in the system manager menu.
-
- Q: What is ICN200LX.COM?
- A: It's a simple icon editor in the 200LX ROM.
-
- Q: What are the special characters I can use in the comments field of
- the Application Manager?
- A: An inverted question mark (keystroke Fn-3) inhibits the "Press any
- key to exit from DOS ..." message after finishing the application.
-
- An inverted exclamation point (keystroke Fn-Filer) disables the
- system manager and prevents switching to another application while
- the current application is running, giving the application total
- control of the console and serial port. This is needed to make
- certain DOS programs (intersvr, terminal emulators, etc.) work
- properly.
-
- Neither special character is documented in early versions of the
- 100LX manual, though both appear in the 200LX manual and in later
- editions of the 100LX manual (they work the same on both machines).
-
- Q: How can I customize the fields in the phone book? (e.g. add an
- e-mail address)
- A: Close the phone book, open the database manager, select file/open
- and open the phone.pdb file (the file formats are the same for the
- database manager and phone book, only the extension is changed). Now
- use file/modify database to add/subtract/move fields to your heart's
- content, quit the database manager, and use the phone book.
-
- Be aware that certain other software which reads phone book files
- expects the fields to be "vanilla", so don't use this trick (or at
- least back up your data and test it first) if you plan to transfer
- your phone book data to such software. The "Xlate/Merge" feature
- of the connectivity pack is one program which wants the files to be
- vanilla.
-
- Q: How can I get the filer to run a program based on a file's type?
- A: On the 100LX, get 100Buddy. On the 200LX, you can create the
- file c:\_dat\filer.ini, containing file extensions and commands to
- run, as shown in this example:
-
- [Launcher]
- ICN=D:\BIN\ICN200.EXE %
- ZIP=A:\BIN\PKUNZIP.EXE %
-
- When you select a file and press ENTER, if the selected file has the
- extention ".ICN" the icon editor on drive D: is started and the file
- name (the `%' is replaced by the name of the selected file) is given
- as argument. If the selected file has the extention ".ZIP" it is
- automatically unzipped (assuming PKUNZIP lives on a:\bin).
-
- Q: What's the "disable filer" trick?
- A: As shipped by HP, the application manager always keeps the filer in
- memory, consuming approx 58K of RAM. This is so that, if you run out
- of disk space while using an application, you can enter filer, delete
- some files, and save your work. The "disable filer" trick allows you
- to completely terminate the filer, and recover that 58K of RAM. This
- is undocumented, unsupported, and nobody at HP has recommended it,
- although several users have reported success with it. Nevertheless,
- please back up your disk before trying this. To disable the filer, do
- the following:
-
- 1) Activate the application manager (press {More}).
- 2) Move the filer to the first position, using F7.
- 3) Close the application manager.
- 4) Start DOS (cntl-123), and type the following:
- debug c:\_dat\appmgr.dat
- e 10a 01
- w
- q
- 5) Start the application manager and move the filer back to its
- original position, if desired.
-
- Now, you can close the filer by first opening it, highlighting it in
- the application manager and pressing F6, or by menu/application/close
- all. The filer's quit command will behave as before, just putting
- the filer to sleep, not recovering the RAM. If the filer is asleep,
- the application manager CANNOT close it. The filer must be open
- (awake) for the application manager to close it. If the filer has
- been completely terminated (not just put to sleep), it will take two
- presses of the filer key to open it up again.
-
- Q: How do I prevent the 100/200LX from powering down while on batteries?
- A: There are several utility programs to do this, but the following
- procedure will create a short assembler program that should do the
- trick. Warning: back up your machine before running this, as a
- typing error might wreak all sorts of havoc.
-
- The computer says: You type:
-
- A:\JUNK> debug
- - a 100
- 1970:0100 mov ah,46
- 1970:0102 mov bx,0000
- 1970:0105 int 15
- 1970:0107 int 20
- 1970:0109
- - r cx
- CX 0000
- : 9
- - n timeout.com
- - w
- Writing 00009 bytes
- - quit
-
- A:\JUNK>
-
-
- Now, you've just created a short program, called timeout.com, that you
- can run to inhibit the automatic time-out feature. Re-booting will
- restore the default timeout limit, or you can create a corresponding
- "timein.com" program, by following the above procedure except change
- the second mov statement to "mov bx,0c9a", and change the n statement
- to "n timein.com". The number after the "mov bx," is a hexadecimal
- integer equal to 18 times the number of seconds desired for automatic
- power-down. 0433 corresponds to 1 minute, 0c9a means 3 minutes, 14ff
- means 5 minutes, 3efd means 15 minutes, etc.
-
- Again, back up your machine before running either of these programs,
- until you're confident the programs work correctly.
-
- Q: How can I get owner info and date/time on a custom topcard?
- A: Name the file "TOPCARD.PCX" and put it in the \_SYS or \_DAT
- directory on the A: or C: drive. There may be other directory names
- which work, but most random directory and/or filenames will not
- display the owner info and date/time.
-
- Q: How do I get the keyboard self-test diagnostics to work?
- A: Press each key, in order, starting at the top left, going across,
- and finally ending up at the bottom right. For further explanation
- of the self-test sequences, see the manual.
-
- Q: What are the various ROM revisions?
- A: (incomplete list of bugfixes/features, need
- help here)
-
- The ROM versions are listed here with the earliest known serial number
- prefix containing that ROM. For example, the SG342 by 100LX ROM
- version 1.04a means that it was introduced around the 42nd week of
- 1993. There may be a few weeks' time when the two different ROM
- versions were being manufactured simultaneously. See the description
- of what's encoded in the serial number, below, for more details on
- decoding the serial numbers. E-mail the editor if you have an earlier
- serial number with a given ROM version.
-
- ***100LX ROM VERSIONS***
- Ver. Ser.# Comments
- 1.01a SG3?? Original version. Some were eproms
- 1.02a SG325 Infected by the HEU bug
- 1.03a SG336 HEU (sHift kEy bUg) fixed, speed up for carry-forward todos.
- 1.04a SG342 Last ROM version prior to 2MB Model. Does not need
- FS.COM that comes on the CPACK disk for the redirector.
- 1.05a SG351 Added support for 2MB
- 1.06a SG412 Final 100LX version. Some cc:Mail bugs fixed. Found on
- latest 2MB units, and on some 1MB models.
-
- At least one user reported a dramatic (2x) speedup in the calendar
- app monthly view when updating from 1.02a to 1.04a.
-
- ***200LX ROM VERSIONS***
- Ver. Ser.#
- 1.00a SG425
- 1.01a SG430
- 1.02a SG448
-
-
- Q: How do I determine which ROM version I have?
- A: Reboot the machine (cntl-alt-del) and watch the screen.
-
- Q: What is the Shift Key Bug (HEU)?
- A: It is a bug that occurs on 100LX ROM versions 1.02a or less.
- Occasionally, the key that is pressed after the shift key is ignored
- and the next key pressed is capitalized. If you try to write "Shift
- Key Bug" it becomes "Hift Ey Ug". This problem is intermittent and
- not all users observe it.
-
- Q: What information is encoded in the serial number?
- A: The week it was manufactured. A serial number is of the form:
-
- SGywwnnnnn
-
- Where y is the last digit of the year of manufacture, ww is the week
- of manufacture, and nnnnn is the individual serial number. Thus
- SG45101234 is the 1234th unit manufactured in the 51st week of 1994.
- The "SG" is the country of origin (apparently all are manufactured in
- Singapore).
-
- It seems a similar scheme is used for many HP calculators.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 16. Double-speed crystals
-
- Q: What is the "double-speed crystal technique?"
- A: It is a hardware-modification technique which makes a 100/200LX
- faster by swapping crystal oscillator with a faster (usually
- double-speed) crystal. It requires:
-
- - faster crystal
- - soldering tools
- - torx screwdriver
- - And most importantly your courage and soldering skills
-
- WARNING: Do this at your own risk!
-
- Q: If I swap the crystal, what happen to my warranty?
-
- A: Doing this will void your wararanty. If you are well-trained in
- soldering, you can replace the original crystal before sending it to a
- service center. Of course they may notice the difference in solder,
- and then your warranty will become void.
-
- Q: What happens if I replace the crystal?
- A: Short answer: Your palmtop will run faster!
-
- Long answer:
-
- There are many troubles that arise with the speed-up. The speedup
- will cause the clock will go faster and serial communication port will
- not be able to sync to other machines, Also, if you use 100%-faster
- crystal, the LCD screen will become unreadable, or some noise will
- appear on the screen, and battery voltage detection go unstable.
-
- In order to fix these problems, you will need a software driver to
- tailor your palmtop to the new frequency rate. There are several
- drivers available on the Internet. Here are rough description for
- those drivers. For details, refer to document comes with the drivers:
-
- - turbo.zip (by Robert S.Williams, on eddie.mit.edu and other places)
- Fixes: clockspeed
- Problems remaining: LCD/battery voltage
- This program is not made to avoid the problems listed above.
- Why does it work? It is almost coincidence.
- - clockup.sys (by Jun-ichiro Itoh, on ftp.csl.sony.co.jp)
- Fixes: clockspeed/LCD
- Problems remaining: battery voltage
- URL: ftp://ftp.csl.sony.co.jp/pub/HPLX/misc/
- It supports crystals with non-exact frequency too. (see below)
- - clkup31m.sys (by K.Terasaki & K.Mitsuya)
- Fixes: clockspeed/LCD/battery voltage
- Problems remaining: (maybe nothing)
- The required driver is product of NIFTY-Serve (CI$ in Japan)
- FMODEM forum, and they are sold in Japan, or can be downloaded
- from FMODEM forum. It seems that it is NOT a free software.
- It is now exported to Germany and some other countries,
- reportedly.
-
- There are also application-specific troubles that arise related to
- timing. For example, you cannot use REMCOM data (learning
- remote-control software) that was recorded on a vanilla 100/200LX.
- Speeded-up palmtops will need to learn the remote-control signal by
- themselves. Also, TT.EXE, a program for generating DTMF tone with the
- internal speaker, will generate incorrect tones. (because it generates
- a sinewave by doing loops, instead of using timer chips)
-
- NOTE: The above mentioned crystals should oscillate with "fundamental
- mode", i.e. at exact frequencies mentioned above. Usually crystals
- made for above 20 or 30MHz operate with "3rd overtone mode" and those
- crystals won't make your HPLX any faster. It is highly likely that
- you'd end up with a slower unit at about 2/3 of the original speed.
- So, never try to use such crystals for replacement.
-
- Q: What kind of crystal should I use?
- A:The Hornet chip, which controls the low-level hardware of 100/200LX,
- allows some specific CPU clock speeds only:
- 10.738636MHz 15.836773MHz 21.477272MHz 31.673550MHz
- The original crystal of 100/200LX is 15.836773MHz, therefore you
- should use a 21.477272MHz(35% speedup) or 31.673550MHz (100% speedup)
- crystal.
-
- Unfortunately, these frequencies are not very common for ready-made
- crystals. Also, the crystal must fit into a very small space inside
- your palmtop. Therefore, you should order a special crystal unit with
- a small case and one of the above frequencies.
-
- Reportedly a small tolerance in frequency seems acceptable, but causes
- some small problems with the clock speed. A report says that the
- clock will go 1% faster with 32.000MHz crystal, though this will be
- corrected when you shut palmtop's the power off. 32.000MHz is 102%
- speedup, therefore there's 1% tolerance in a double-speed
- crystal. (32.000000/31.673550 = 1.01) Reportedly there are some
- ready-made crystals fit into a 100/200LX, that have a 32.000MHz
- frequency.
-
- Q: Where can I purchase a faster crystal for my 100/200LX?
-
- A: No answer is provided in this document. See above. Your local parts
- shop may have an appropriate ready-made crystal for your palmtop.
-
- Q: What happens to the battery life if I use faster crystal?
-
- Your battery life will be shortened, but many people report this as
- being a negligible difference.
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 17. Common problems
-
- Q: Why can't I unzip this file?
- A: This isn't really a 100/200LX question, but it's been asked
- frequently enough. PKZIP works the same on the 100/200LX as on any
- other MS-DOS machine. Chances are you don't have your file transfer
- software set up in binary mode. If you're absolutely positive that
- the file was transferred in binary every step of the way, then maybe
- you have an old version of PKZIP. 2.04g is the most recent as of
- this writing.
-
- Q: I can't turn it off while it's charging the batteries!
- A: That's right. It needs to be awake to monitor and regulate the
- charging rate. LCD screens don't suffer "burn-in" from continuous use
- (think about LCD watches), so it's really nothing to worry about.
-
- Q: Help! My machine is stuck! What do I do?
- A: The manual's "Getting Started" chapter contains some suggestions.
- Try the following, listed in order from least likely to destoy data
- to most likely.
-
- 1. Reboot with cntl-alt-del. If the machine starts to boot, but freezes
- up during the boot process, you have a problem with something in your
- config.sys and/or autoexec.bat. Boot from the D: drive (press alt
- during boot for menu) and use the memo editor to remove the offending
- line(s) from the startup files.
- 2. Press cntl-shift-on. Cntl-shift-on will ask if you want to destroy
- your C: drive, so be careful. It will also alter battery settings
- from the setup application (if you were using NiCads, for example).
- 3. Replace your AA batteries with fresh ones and try again. Replacing
- batteries while the machine is hung up may destroy the data on
- your C: drive.
- 4. Remove PCMCIA card and all batteries, including backup battery,
- from the 100/200LX (but if you have a SRAM card, leave its battery
- installed while the card is out of the 100/200LX!). Let the machine
- sit without power for awhile, and reinstall fresh AA batteries
- BEFORE replacing the backup battery. This will, of course,
- erase your C drive, reset the clock, and in general make the
- 100/200LX forget everything you ever taught it. Data on the
- PCMCIA card should survive this process, unless you have a SRAM
- card with a dead battery. But there's no guarantee that your
- PCMCIA card wasn't already trashed by whatever crashed your system.
- 5. If none of this works, your machine may need service. Try running
- diagnostics by pressing esc-on, and following the menu if one comes
- up. Follow the instructions in the manual for obtaining service.
-
- Any time any MS-DOS machine crashes hard enough to require a reboot,
- it's a good idea to run chkdsk on all drives, to clean up the file
- systems and recover any clusters that may have been lost.
-
- Q: How do I fix a loose hinge? A loose latch?
- A: First, call HP and see if you can get them to fix it, preferably
- at no charge under warranty. Both the hinge and the latch problem
- seem to be somewhat common after a year or so of use. Posters have
- generally had very good results with HP's express exchange service in
- dealing with these under warranty. If your unit is currently under
- warranty, you may be able to extend it by two years by paying a fee.
- Contact your country's HP branch for details (see the manual).
-
- To fix the hinge yourself, pull off the left end cap (it should come
- straight off using no tools harsher than a fingernail), and insert a
- rubber band in the vertical slot under the cap. Trim off excess and
- replace cap. You probably just voided any warranty you may have had.
- Be careful not to get the hinge too tight, or else it may break after
- repeated use.
-
- To fix a loose latch yourself, you can stuff something compressible
- behind the latch. Posters have suggested rubber bands, surgical
- tubing, packaging foam, and other similar materials.
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 18. For more info
-
- Q: Where should I read and post articles concerning the HP-100/200LX?
- A: The Usenet newsgroup comp.sys.palmtops. The comp.sys.handhelds
- group is for calculators, not palmtops. The commercial services
- include Compuserve HPHAND, America OnLine PDA section.
-
- If your question concerns using DOS on the 100/200LX, perhaps one of
- the comp.os.msdos.* groups might be appropriate. Just tell them the
- 100/200LX behaves like a PC-XT with CGA and 640K, running DOS 5.0.
-
- Q: Where is palmtop info on the Web?
- A: Try the HP100/200LX site at
-
- <http://www.tech.net/technotes/hplx/>
-
- Q: What's the Palmtop Paper?
- A: It's a newsletter, published 6 times a year, that covers the HP
- palmtop computers. It's filled with tricks and tips, stories of how
- people use their palmtops, and ads for all kinds of accessories and
- software. Contact Thaddeus Computing at P.O. Box 869, Fairfield, IA
- 52556 (515) 472-6330, FAX:(515) 572-1879
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 19. HP's future plans
-
- Q: What are HP's plans for future palmtops?
- A: HP is introducing a new GEOS-based PDA/Palmtop called the OmniGo
- (formerly known by its codename, Jedi). It is scheduled for
- availability on or around Oct. 15, or about the same time as this
- edition of the FAQ is being written. Read comp.sys.palmtops for more
- details, because as this is being written. very little reliable
- information is available, but a flood of information should be
- quickly forthcoming on comp.sys.palmtops.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 20. Public Domain
-
- This file is in the public domain, which means you can basically do
- with it what you wish (though you can't legally claim you wrote it).
- If you post or distribute it, the editor prefers that you keep it
- unaltered in its entirety. If you extract excerpts from it, the
- editor would appreciate a credit to "The Usenet comp.sys.palmtops
- HP100/200LX FAQ".
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Subject: 21. Acknowledgements
-
- Special recognition to Anthony Stieber <anthony@csd4.csd.uwm.edu> for
- maintaining the 95LX FAQ and for starting this document. Special
- recognition to David McLauchlan <davemac@adam.com.au> for being a
- 200LX consultant, since the editor only has access to a 100LX.
-
- Also recognition to all the folks who have shared info via
- comp.sys.palmtops.
-
- The following people have contributed to this FAQ by e-mailing
- information to the editor:
-
- Jim Breen <jwb@rdt.monash.edu.au>
- Dan Buckler <buckler@netcom.com>
- Sylvan Butler <sylvan@hpbs2024.boi.hp.com>
- Tony Clark <tclark@wv.mentorg.com>
- Andreas Garzotto <garzotto@swssai.uu.ch>
- Andrew Gryc <andyg@hpcvrb.cv.hp.com>
- Jun-ichiro Itoh <itojun@csl.sony.co.jp>
- Sheryl Katz <slkatz@netcom.com>
- Wee-Meng Lee <leewm@hpsgm2.sgp.hp.com>
- Wolfgang Lierz <wolfgang.lierz@gmd.de>
- Rob Logan <rob@ct.picker.com>
- J. Marot-Lassauzaie <n1epobtl@ibmmail.com>
- Phillip Nichols <pnichols@bbs.gatecom.com>
- Clark Ochikubo <cgochiku@uci.edu>
- Stephen Panarelli <jep@ulinfo.unl.edu>
- John Seymour <johns@cix.compulink.co.uk>
- H. Shrikumar <shri@cs.umass.edu>
- Edmundo Silva <matsilva@zeus.ci.ua.pt>
- Charles Stroom <charles@yc.estec.esa.nl>
- Peter van der Landen <landen@cir.frg.eur.nl>
- Stefan Wolfrum <wolfrum@uran.informatik.uni-bonn.de>
- Narutoshi Yoneda <yoneda@adm.nsc.nikko.co.jp>
-
-