Messages

1

Cxx0 Hardware / C700 Boot Problem

« on: November 29, 2005, 02:15:28 pm »

Success!

Of course, I feel like an idiot!!

I started playing with my 4 batteries, and how they charged in my SL-5500.  I took the battery that registered the highest in the diagnostic screen (4.0 volts).  The battery I used yesterday, I must have mostly drained it with the diagnostics and stuff.

I also changed to my old Casio charger (5 volts, 1.6a).  My generic Rat Shack 5 volts 2 amp charger WORKS IN EVERY OTHER RESPECTS.

Anyway, the combination of fresher battery, different charger, NAND restore, and recycle power and VIOLA Flash screen.

I put the Cacko back in, and .....

I'm waiting for the final reboot....

Sucess!

Now I wait to see if the problem reoccurs.  I've been using this battery for over a year.  I'm going to change and cycle through my spares.  I've had a problem before with a calendar alarm and the PDA sitting with a dying dead battery.

Now for the restore.

Moral:


Fresh, fully charged battery.  BEST CHARGER YOU HAVE, Preferably and original.  It may have been the battery, but who knows?

I know alot more about my C700.  Maybe another year's use??

Thanks,

Stuart

SL-C700

2

Cxx0 Hardware / C700 Boot Problem

« on: November 29, 2005, 12:50:09 pm »

Hi,
Thanks for your reply.  I thought about the charging circuit.  I have 4 batteries (I have a SL-5500 as well and the external charger, I just have to remember where I put it). I understand how the Li battery charging system works harware-wise (+and - terminals, and the 3rd temperature sensor terminal to control charge rate...I'm an EE who's still learning Linux and this little PDA).  I understand that without a functional battery and charger, the system won't boot.  It does boot... but only to the command prompt via the D+B key sequence.  I'm assuming if the charging system was hosed, I wouldn't be able to do the D+B boot to the command line.  I could be wrong about that.

The my wall wart is functional, and it appears that the batteries are charging properly in the C700.  When I left work yesterday, I put a different EA-BL06 battery in the PDA and plugged the charger in.  The light came on, indicating it was charging.  I came in this morning and the light was off.  I then pulled the battery and left the PDA off, open, with the battery out for a few hours.  I'm going to try the sequence again.

The thing is, I can do the boot to command prompt (battery switch to lock, while holding the D+B keys down).  I can "LS" around the file system.  The cards aren't mounted, but their mount references are their.

I keep trying the sequence, with the same results (isn't that one sure sign of insanity, doing the same thing over and over expecting different results??).  Maybe my first battery was getting weak, affecting the flash restore process.  Maybe I have a flaky CF card that's corrupting the NAND or Recovery files.  I may try the recovery or NAND from SD (I can't remeber if I can even do it with an SD versus a CF card).  I have reformatted the CF card to FAT16 twice.  

I still end up with every diagnostic passing, exept the PRESET block checksum.  No bad blocks, all read/write sequences pass.  But, NO japanese Flash Menu.

I'm wondering if there is a manual, external, command promp way to do the ROM flash so I can bypass the flash menu.

Do you know if the sequence is important on the NAND Flash REstore versus the "Recovery" (C + D + battery lock and read the 9 files off the CF card)?  I was assuming the NAND Flash Restore was a deeper, more fundamental change over the "recovery" process.  I tried the sequence both ways, made no difference.

Any more suggestions?  I'm afraid of "wearing out" my flash RAM by the repeated erase/restore/erase etc.  Is this a valid concern for the memory on this PDA?  I've not researched it enough to know for sure.

Stuart
(still not giving up)

3

Cxx0 Hardware / C700 Boot Problem

« on: November 28, 2005, 09:25:19 pm »

Update 2.

I re-read the post related to mine.  

Am I doing things backwards?  Do I HAVE to run the recovery, THEN the NAND Restore?  Aren't the 9 file blocks in the recovery process the same as in the NAND Restore?

I don't know.  Again, I get no bad blocks anywhere, just the singel bad checksum when I run NAND SUM.  Oh, and I still don't get the Flash Menu to comeup.

Stuart

4

Cxx0 Hardware / C700 Boot Problem

« on: November 28, 2005, 09:00:51 pm »

Update.

I repeated the recovery steps, but no good.

I downloaded 2 different NAND files for the C700.  One was named original, one was named original 1.5, whatever that implies (I think the "original is version 1.2??).

I ran the various NAND diagnostics.  They all passed, no bad blocks, RAM was good.

I ran the NAND restore from my CF card.  Restoration completed satisfactorily.

I ran the NAND SUM diagnostic.  I get a bad check-sum for the PRESETS memory block.  

I tried the other version.  I get different numbers, but the PRESETS memory glock still gave me a NG (no good??).

I even tried to redo the "recovery" exercise ((C+D)) after the NAND restore to see if I could overwrite the PRESETS file.  The files updated, but the NAND SUM gave me no check sums for the individual files, even though the total checksum was OK.

All the other memory diagnostics run OK.  I can still (D+ to the Linux command prompt.

I ran the NAND Erase from the other diagnostics menu, then repeated the NAND restore.  No change.

I finally ran the NAND AGE program which seemed to overwrite all the NAND areas with "ones".  Then I ran the NAND restore again.  I still get the PRESET block checksum error.  The "M" column says OK.

I still have the same original problem.  I can't get the flash menu to come up so I can reflash the ROM.  It just won't come up.  

Is there another C700 NAND file other than the 1.2 or 1.5??

Even though all the other diagnostics but NAND SUM finish with no errors, does this mean I have doomed flash ROM/RAM and my C700 is finally dead?

Any other ideas?

Stuart

5

Cxx0 Hardware / C700 Boot Problem

« on: November 28, 2005, 05:42:56 pm »

I've had my C700 since March 2003.  After 12 months of returns to Japan, it  was finally fixed in Summer 2004.  Worked since util now.

I run Cacko 1.21, a 256mb CF, and a 512mb SD.  Last week, went to turn on after it sat for 5 days.  No turn on.  Soft and Hard resets failed.  I tried to get to Japanese Flash menu.  Won't go.

I got into Service menu (D+M) ok.  I'm afraid of all the NAND stuff, it's not obvious which is a real diagnostic and which will kill the RAM/ROM/FLASH.

I have flashed a new ROM and I have done the emergency restore (C+D with CF card files).  No go.  I can still get the service menu, but no luck on the Flash menu.

I can get the Boot to Command prompt. and can "cd" around  the file system.

Should I try a NAND restore from a virgin JP NAND file on the CF Card?  Then restore my CACKO ROM?  Will the NAND restore give me back the Flash Menu?

My C700 was great after my 3 returns to Japan (none cost me) for the final fix.  I  want to get another 6 months out of it.

Stuart

6

Sharp ROMs / Lost Sync W/cacko1.22

« on: April 19, 2005, 07:03:01 pm »

I'm Syncing with Windows 2k, with Outlook.  The intellesync is: 3.2E, which came with the ROM3.1 upgrade for the SL-5500.  I used the Japanese USB drives from the C700 CD.  Still works well.

Stu
SL-C700 CACKO 1.22

I'd like to try 1.22A, but when I run it, it crashes, saying it wants to do an update.  I can't get to the web easily with my C700.  Is there a way to installs from the Feed without having the web available for feed IPKG updates?

7

Sharp ROMs / Lost Sync W/cacko1.22

« on: April 11, 2005, 08:45:37 pm »

Well, I had to resort to a kludge fix.  I re-flashed Cacko 1.22.  NO good.  I re-installed Intellesync on the W2k box.   That did it.  I don't know what got out of whack.

Stu

Now if I could get stand-alone installations to work, without having to rely on the net feed (I usually don't have my Z on-line directly).

8

Sharp ROMs / Lost Sync W/cacko1.22

« on: April 07, 2005, 04:33:29 pm »

Hi,
I hope this is the right forum.  If not, please move.

I have a C700.  Flashed Cacko 1.22 in February.  Everything was working fine until I played with IRDA and tried to xfer a contact to my son's Palm (last week).  I absolutely need the sync to Outlook.

After that, my C700 won't sync with W2k / Outlook.  It use to work just fine.
I checked for corrupt PST files on W2k box.  Everything fine.  The comms manager seems to work.  The Filex Xfer works.  The samba disk connection works (I can see the C700 from W2k and xfer files.

When I run the sync, the W2k status screen "sees" the zaurus and "reads" files from the c700.  Then it quits.  Nothing gets updated to the c700.  I tried deleting all records from the c700 and forcing a 1-way import to the c700. No dice.  Just reads the z and quits.  No errors on the W2kbox.

When the Sync beeps on the PClink screen on the C700, I get the comms status screen, then a "reloading......" then a quit back to the pclink screen.  No update to the c700.  I tried to reset the pclink sync status, but it does nothing.  The W2k sync sees the reset.

I know there is a chance the problem is the outlook on my W2k box, but I've done what I know has worked in the past to deal with PSR corruption.  Unless I get an answer here, I'm going to dump my C700 and reflash off the CF card again.

Should I go ahead and do the 1.22a fix?

Stu
SL-C700 CAcko 1.22

9

Cxx0 Hardware / Socket Ea2912-325 10/100 Card Works

« on: February 17, 2005, 02:56:25 pm »

Hi/
I just inherited a new Socket Wired 10/100 CF Ethernet Card/ model EA2912-325.  Buddy down the hall bought the wrong card for his ipaq.

I'm writing this on my SL-C700 with 1.22 Cacko connected via my net at work on Netfront.

I didn't find this card on any "it works with a CXXX" so I was a little worried it wouldn' work.  I went in and added the appropriate TCP/IP and DNS stuff in the NET applet.  Initially/ the Zaurus locked up.  I had to do a reset/reboot.  Came up fine and immediately connected when I told it to.  We have static IP at work/ so I can't verify DHCP.  I'll try at home tonight.

So/ another verified usable WIRED CF ethernet card.

Stu
Zaurus SL-C700 (Dynamism/ 3/2003)
Cacko 1.22
Socket EA2912-325 CF 10/100
Ambicom WL-1100C-CF

Zaurus SL-5500
Cacko 2.4.18

10

Sharp ROMs / Cacko Rom 1.22 Is Available!

« on: February 10, 2005, 02:12:14 pm »

Hi,

I really love the 1.22 ROM.  It makes my Dynamism C700 about what I had originally hoped for when I got the unit in March 2003.

Can you tell me if reflashing with a larger root partition size might help me?  I too have some applications that seem to install properly, but when you start them, the icon just stays frozen, like its trying to start.  I don't have my SL-C700 with me, so I can't give you the spefic apps, but this happens with 5 or 6 programs I downloaded and tried to get running.

Also, kino2 just doens't seem to work right.  It starts up, takes forever to get to the file list, and when I start playing an mp3 file, it takes about 15 seconds to start playing, usually well into the begining of the song.  Then the song is "choppy" for about 5 seconds, then finally settles out and plays.  The play bar and time run time of song are never right either.  They always seem to come up with 1:03 minutes, no matter that the song I'm playing is 9 minutes long.  The progress bar gets to the end and stays there, and the progress minutes counts correctly, but you end up with 1:03 of song, and the running play time increments to the proper value.  I can live with the bar thing, but the slow start / choppiness is bothersome.

Here's a dumb question.  Could any of these problems be related to the fact that I have an original SL-C700, the first of the CXXX series?  Since it has the smallest amount of maximum RAM/ROM, could this be an issue?  Does the 1.22 ROM "work better" on the later units with more RAM/ROM?

I use my C700 as an mp3 player every couple of weeks when I travel to Albuquerque.  The old Sharp ROM mplayer worked fine for my needs.  The kino2 just doens't work well enough for me.

If I can't fix the underlying problem, is there a quicker less capable mp3 player you guys can recommend?  I don't need video, just mp3 audio.  If this post is in the wrong place, I appologize, feel free to put it in the right place.

Thanks,  

Stu
(yes, another Stu!)

11

Cxx0 Hardware / Damaged C700 Power Inverted

« on: February 10, 2005, 11:53:14 am »

Hi,
Not all of the charging circuit is in the Zaurus.  Half of it is actually INSIDE the BL-0X battery.  There is a current regulator and a temperature sensor in the battery on a tiny circuit card just under the 3 battery contacts (ever notice the +, the - and the unlabled contact??).  The reason these little high-powered batteries can be charged so quickly is that the charger circuit measures actual bettery cell temperature and controls the current into the battery to keep the temperature below some setpoint to prevent damage.

Try another battery too.  I got my first Zaurus (SL-5500) around Christmas 2002 for $25, and that's all that was wrong  (that and I had to re-flash the ROM).  I still have it.

My SL-C700 (got it March 2003) had a couple of nasty problems that took 3 trips over 18 months to Japan (warranty from Dynamism) to finally fix (intermittant bad ROM chip), but my work paid for several batteries.  I have since had a second (out of 5) BL-06 batteries go "bad".  A bad or flaky battery can give cause the unit to not work at all, cause flaky symptoms, or even cause the need to reflash.  The second battery, which had died / shorted? gave my 5500 fits.   It origianlly tried to work, then the charge lite would go on for 4 seconds and go off, then blink.  I had to reflash the ROM off the CF card to get it to work again.

Stu

12

Cxx0 Hardware / AC adapter doesn\'t give an SL-C760 a full charge in the USA

« on: February 10, 2005, 11:37:01 am »

One other thing to consider.  The power input to ALL the Zaurus's is finicky, both low voltage AND HIGH Voltage.  I tried a few other regulated power supplies that I had, around 4 to 6 volts.

The 5 volts works best.  the "4.5 volt" high output (2 amps) supply worked well.  The nominal 6volt supply I had wouldn't work.  A charger output of greater-than 5.5 volts will prevent charging just like less than 4.5 volts.  

The zaurus, especially the SL-CXXX versions take a lot of power to run, and to charge a near dead battery.  A simple Walmart 500 millamp charger won't cut it.  It may charge the battery only (with unit off), but probably won't allow the zaurus to run and charge the battery.

I noticed that the charger that came with my SL-C700 (tiny) will run and apparently charge my older smaller battery, but the charge light never goes out (indicating the charge completion) unless I turn the unit off for awhile.  My old Casio Cassiopiea charger (also 4.5 to 5 volts) but 2.0 amps (2000milliamps). Runs and charges my battery, but the charge eventually finishes (light goes out), even while running.  These newer little tiny chargers aren't the el-cheapo transformer / regulator type supplies, they are what is know as a "switching" supply.  The end result is the physical size is much smaller than the older type of the same power rating.  

Be careful.  I have heard horror stories of ruining Zauruses with sub-standard generic chargers and/or using the universal types and getting the polarity wrong.  Also, don't use the cheaper "unregulated" 12v car adapters to charge in your car, especially while starting the car.

Stu

13

Sharp ROMs / Cacko Feeds

« on: February 01, 2005, 05:36:04 pm »

Hi,
I did download some maps, unpackaged them, and placed them into the correct subdirectly as specified in the docs.  I still get the same error.  The application frame comes up, but the error screen pops up, and when I answer the popup, the application quits.

I'm also having some ipkg issues.  I tried to install an alternate mapping program (jmap), and I can't get the uipkg applet to recognize it.  When I run the ipkg applet manually, it has errors (same type of problem the first year of the C700, when many 5500 ipkg's wouldnt work).


Stu

14

Sharp ROMs / Cacko Feeds

« on: January 24, 2005, 08:17:00 pm »

Hi,
I have a specific application question.  I've tried to install the zroadmap.  It installs, but when I start it up, I get an error (can't open trip file), and the application just quits.  Any ideas?

Stu
SL-C700 with 1.22 Cacko ROM

Me wants Ruby
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Ditto.
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15

Sharp ROMs / No Usb Network Tab In Network Cacko 1.22

« on: January 24, 2005, 08:11:37 pm »

I think you misunderstood my post, or maybe not.  Instead of saying what I think I don't have, here is what I want.  I want browser access to the web via the USB link through my desktop PC.

I use to be able to connect to the Web via my desktop PC (WIN2K) via the USB sync cable.  I had to set something up for the browser to "see" the web and connect.  I thought it was via the "networks" applet (not the PC link / SAMBA applet).  My syncing and card access from the PC to the zaurus work fine via the USB/SAMBA/PClink connection.  Just no browser.

I do have a second port in my office (we are forced to use static IP addresses) that I use to use with a Socket cabled ethernet adapter.  I guess I'll just have to go back to that.  I was trying to save wear and tear on the CF port.

Stu

They are talking about the "PC Link" app in the Settings tab.  Run the PC Link app it should start to make sense.
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