Topics

1

General Discussion / Bye Zaurus And Be Well.

« on: February 15, 2005, 06:20:09 pm »

Well, I'm done!...  at last, I had to take a decision and I made it... I sold out my Z5500 and think that it is now in better hands that mine, because its new owner is a Systema administrator who works on linux.

I have to say that it was a little sad choice, because I was a strong believer of the Zaurus and its potential, but, I had to say that the device evolved to a very specific profile of owners because the kind of software and the somewhat dark tricks knowledge required to could use it.

I'm still believe in linux and for desktop use I continue with it, but for the more common user uses like Effective PIM, mail management and sync for users that dont work all the time on a desktop or dont have permanent quality internet connections, fair and easy linux sync of mail and pims, and software for other uses than systems administration or related, and by the way for people who wants to use something that dont came from M$, IMHO the real option may be a palm (T3 in my case...)

I had to say that I really like and appreciate the kind of nice, clear and polite help and manners on the forums of people like Lardman, that always have patience and will to help new users that didnt have knowledge deep of linux, on other hand like an user that came from outside linux, and who remember some replies to other users, I would like to say that If we beleive in linux as a choice for the real world, we have to have patience to teach and share the knowledge, but if somebody didnt believe in that kind of patience may be better to restrict the bad mood replies that makes angry and dissapointed the new users that want to believe in alternatives to the empires and who spend their money in buy a zaurus and hopes that they could use it well.

Anyway, I have to say that my time around a Zaurus was somewaht funny with some bither moments sometimes, but this is the way that the life is... I'm may consider again Zaurus in the future but that may be when I could see a good common user support and easy of use.

all in all, Thank you very much for all the help and advices that I received, and hope that Zaurus could stay rising well and could be a better and real choice for the common users around the world.

Again, Thanks you very very much to all the friends around here and best regards!

Xaser

2

Costa Rica / Hola! La Zaurus Es Pura Vida! :)

« on: January 12, 2005, 09:16:03 am »

Hola!

Si estas leyendo este mensaje, puede ser que vivas en Costa Rica y que tengas o pienses hacerte de una Zaurus.... En mi caso yo compre la mia, hace como 3 años, una Z5500, que me ha acompañado desde entonces y en este tiempo le he tomado un gran cariño, a pesar de que ha veces me las ha hecho como todo chunche eléctronico suele hacer...

Si te interesa, con gusto podre ofrecer los comentarios, experiencias o consejo en lo que pueda ayudar y ademas, siempre es bueno saber si alguien mas en la zona donde vives usa una de estas pequeñas maravillas.  

Pura vida y que lo pases de lo mejor!  

Xaser

3

5x00 Hardware / Unbricking Z5500, Battery Discharge & Service Menu

« on: January 11, 2005, 02:25:00 pm »

Hi!
 Please excuse the long messague but hope that it could helps other people...

I'm really happy by now, because I could unbrick my Z5500 after some long digging on the forums and reading mixed symptoms on diferent models of Z's

I had a very messy case, because I brick my Z5500 after test a self-made battery pack of 4 AA NiMH batteries that in the first try I connected inverted to my Z5500, and then it works fine after I check it and correct (only maintin the wrong connection
for few seconds that takes to me to recheck all...) and after that I forgot my Z by 2 days on my cars with the  battery almost at minimun...so when I Triying to charge again it didnt wake up, and with the previous facts I started to conclude that my Z was lost...so like I believ that I didnt had nothig to loose....

So, the only good signal that I got was that after some reset and hard reset, was that I got the yellow led on like if my Z could be charging but it didnt... so I check the forums and read the mixed info and after check the good info at http://www.tekprosystems.com/zaurus/internals.htm I conclude that is not a hardware fault...(by the way Im not afraid to use soldering iron on small devices...Im electrical engineer and lost the fear long long time ago when I started to made Ram upgrades on my Amiga 1000 and doing lots of them for earn some money, by piggybacking and soldering ram chips over the chip soldered on the main board...  )

So I point to the info of
http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php...Service%20Menus

http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php...%20not%20charge

but it HAVE some diferences to make it on a Z5500 specialty...
1) Follow all the recharging battery instructions on that pages. They are clear and Good.
2)The service menu on a Z5500  (and apparently also on a Z5000, but I didnt have one...)
i reached by this:
2a)remove battery on Z5500 and charging it externally.
2b)without battery push reset button for 20 seconds...
2c)put battery on place BUT DONT PUT THE BATTERY COVER AND DONT FLIP THE Battery switch lever
(maintain it at replace battery position) and connect the zaurus charger properly
2d)PUSH at the same time the keys D and P on keyboard and reset pushbutton inside battery bay.
2e)aftera second or two... tadaaa...appears the service menu and in the option 3 of the screen 1
you could move between option with cursor key on slide keyboard and select option with OK key, for
cancel and option or exit, use the DEL key(without use SHIFT key, only push that key...)
2f)Follow carefully the info on the page for battery CX00 for resetting the volatge level.
2g)Exit the service menu by simple push again the reset button.
2h)wait 30 seconds and then restart your Z5500 (and may be Z5000).

and some other info that at least I conclude of this:

1) Use of a battery pack that is selfmade but very well checked polarity of the connector and by use of 4 AA batteries NIMH dont damage your Z5500 and even the Zcould resist a short
time (few seconds...)  of inverse voltage batteries pack, but this is a suppose that you could take if you have troubles and it is made for few seconds.

2)You WILL HAVE A VERY HIGH CHANCE of fry your Z5500 if you connect it while you start your car because the diferent car adapter have diferent quality protecting overvoltage circuitry for diferent brand of adapters/cell adpater modified/other brands computers adapters/cheap adapters, so AVOID start your car whit you Z connected...

Im sure by now that all the bricked Zs by dischargin and may be some of the brickeds by flashig are because that bug.

I decided to made this post because the usefull info is really mixed on the forums and didnt found one post that puts the things really clear for my Z5500, so part on my revival was by guessing following the info for the other models but without knowing If  I could made the things worst.

Anyway please excuse this post if it botther,but I wrote it with the hope that may be it help somebody else...

Have a nice day!  

Xaser

4

Site Suggestions, Requests, and Updates / Costa Rica ZUG

« on: August 21, 2004, 11:18:38 pm »

Hello!
I would like to ask if may be posible to register a Costa Rica ZUG.

thank you and best regards!  

5

General Discussion / Remote control of Digital cameras with a Z! :)

« on: August 18, 2004, 12:45:35 am »

Hi!
Since a some so-so long time, Im have the photography like one of my interest, and by the way, since some time ago, I wonder about if I could use my Z to control in a extense way a digital camera.  For now, I have a maybe good camera, but as all the models on the recent years models, it is usb, and by the way, the almost full control over the operation is almost imposible. But some time ago the serial port cameras, had very GOOD controlling options, and I start to thinking about looking for an alternative to use it from my Z5500.

Well, By now, I had two weeks of triying and fighting, and after many frustating hours, now Im stucked, so I would like to ask if someone could help me.

By now, I manage to obtain that a good shell utility named photopc, and made it runs on Z (please note,That I said manage to obtain, so Im a electromechanical  engineer who works in buildings systems design, so, Im not a developer and  I didnt made it, but is freely usable as far as the ususal debian terms, so of course, the program was made for a good developer some years ago....)

By now I installed it on my Z5500, and tested and it runs and even reports the help lines in shell.  By the way it shows all the behavoir like if it could not open the Z serial port.  well the other part is that Im like the extreme posibilities, so, I want that the remote control be serial WIRELESS by means of a aircable serial that I have.

well, this is the point, I didnt have a standard serial cable, and dint want to buy one only because to test if the bug are on the serial opening port from the shell command or in the config of the aircable wireless serial. (beleive me I really tried all the posible things on the serial port, in fact, I could send/receive text between my Z and my desktop with minicom (however, I couldn made qtopia/intellisync works... buts that's another tale...), so I by now have a the wireless serial part working.)

So, I would like to ask, if somebody could help with test of the arragement.... the things that must be need are a Z (  ), a standard Z serial cable,  a digital camera  with its serial cable,  and  some sort of gender changer for coupling right the Z serial cable with the camera's serial cable.

If someone could help me with the tests, I send him the software that I already obtain in Z usable form.

I put on the below a list of camera models that could be used in that way.

Please excuse the long messague, but, may be better put detailed info about the whole thing.

Best regards and thanks for any help

P.D.
Supported camera models include: Agfa  ePhoto 780, ePhoto 780C, ePhoto 1280 and ePhoto 1680; Epson  PhotoPC "classic" / CP-100, PhotoPC 500 / CP-200, PhotoPC 550, PhotoPC 600 / CP-500, PhotoPC 650 PhotoPC 750Z and PhotoPC 3000Z; Nikon  CoolPix 700, CoolPix 800, CoolPix 900S, CoolPix 900, CoolPix E950, CoolPix 950 and CoolPix 990; Olympus  D-220L, D-320L, D-340L, D-340R, D-360L, C-400L, C-400Z, D-400 Zoom, C-410L, D-450 Zoom, D-490Z, D-500L, D-600L, D-600 Zoom, C-820L, C-830L, C-840L, C-860L, C-900 Zoom, C-1000L, C-1400L, C-2000, C-2020, C-2100UZ and C-3030 Zoom; Polaroid  PDC-640; Toshiba  PDR-2; Sanyo-Fisher  FVD-V1; and Sanyo  VPC-G1, VPC-G200, VPC-G200EX, VPC-G210 and DSC-X300. Not all of the above-listed cameras support all of the features of the software, although the software's basic photo download and erase functions have been reported to work with all the above listed camera models. Thank you very much

6

General Discussion / Help/Advice in new bluettoth phone with Z5500

« on: July 07, 2004, 02:16:06 pm »

Hi!

After see the working GPRS on my country, on the SE T610 of a friend, Im really impressed so, I would like to use bluetooth to enable my Z5500 to use all-time internet with a gsm bluetooth cell phone.

well, at first, after some digging I ordered the Z module of the AIRCABLE co. for use it with the cell phone.

Then, I start looking for a good bluetooth cell phone option to use, so, after some days research, by the cost (in my country, the phone is sell separartely and is not gifted as part of the service suscription...  ), I ended with 2 choices, that I REALLY want some advice, because, in the past I suffer some screws when I tried to invest my hard earned money in some mobile solutions  ... , so, If somebody could advice, I really appreciate that...

Im thinking to choose in Sony Ericsson T68i (good local price and offers me it with the comunican accesory, all for US$159 and 1 year guarantee) and Sony Ericsson T610 (really expensive local price, around US$274.... in my country, the new cell phones are quite expensive to buy and as said the cell provider dont made offers with it, and sadly no store offers none of the models used...)

well, with all the previous mess, I would ask the following.

1) As far I understand, both off the phones could connect by bluetooth with a Z5500 with an aircbale module. Im right or there are issues with it.

2) If the connection could be made, the gprs service could be used as a permanetly connection by my Z5500 (in my country, by now the GPRS is FREE!!!, all the time... may be the only good thing that I have with my gsm service ) .

3) Im clear that T68i is a quite old model, but I found that the price of the T610 option is some High.... I may think in spend this High price, if I could hear a good reason, about the hardware or connection issues that the T610 may be really fine over T68i.... any comments/advice...

4) I really want that the new phone could connect with a linux box really fine, and I was please to found that this sites have nice developments for the T68i:

a)MyT68: http://www.thai.net/gnulinuxt68i/default.htm
b)K68: http://k68.sourceforge.net/
c)MyT68X: http://www.thai.net/cocoaosx/MyT68X.html
(I dont use Mac but may be some friends do...)

Somebody around here may be experiment with these packages.... May be the MyT68 could be translated to an IPK package for use in Z5500 (the developer put the sources available.)

5) May the T610 could use/connect with the packages that I noted in quetions 4?....

Please excuse the long messague, but I would like to be clear in the doubts....

Thanx to all for the patience and attention.... any help would be very welcome.

Best Regards!