Simpad Didn't Last Long...

[tombraider]

Well,  the SIMpad seized up as it has many times...gets stuck and doesn't recognize any input from the stylus and I tried to reset it but nothing happened.  No checkerboard screen. Then I tried the two other HARD reset procedures in the manual and that didn't work.  So I'm looking at a completely dead SIMpad and I didn't even reflash it to anything!

The only thing that happens is the AC adapter light shows yellow but the on/off button does nothing - blank screen and none of the reset procedures do anything.

Any advice out there...help.

I had opened ubook at the time it seized up and tried to open a bitmap on my SanDisk connectplus card...it opened the bitmap but then seized up.

Help!  

[kurochka]

Well,  the SIMpad seized up as it has many times...gets stuck and doesn't recognize any input from the stylus and I tried to reset it but nothing happened.  No checkerboard screen. Then I tried the two other HARD reset procedures in the manual and that didn't work.  So I'm looking at a completely dead SIMpad and I didn't even reflash it to anything!

The only thing that happens is the AC adapter light shows yellow but the on/off button does nothing - blank screen and none of the reset procedures do anything.

Any advice out there...help.

I had opened ubook at the time it seized up and tried to open a bitmap on my SanDisk connectplus card...it opened the bitmap but then seized up.

Help! 
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=85922\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

It is hard to kill Simpad   .  After flashing and relfashing different images and the pad going "dead" I was always able to revive it.  Connect it to the PC through a serial cable and run a terminal connection.  Here is the excerpt from the FAQ.  Reset the Simpad and see what goes wrong. [The only exception is never install the old Siemens bootloader from the new hh.org bootloader - even then there is a way to revive the thing]

"When running Windows the easiest way to connect to the SIMpad is to use "Hyperterminal".
You can either follow the menu from the start-button or simply enter hypertrm.exe from Start->Run....
Hyperterminal will start-up asking details for a new connection.
•   enter an appropriate name for this new connection
•   choose a symbol and confirm with OK.
•   choose COM1 for the connection and confirm with OK.
•   Select 38400 Bits per second, 8 Data bits, None Parity and 1 Stop bits - confirm with OK. "

Note that this connection works for original bootloader.

[tombraider]

Well,  the SIMpad seized up as it has many times...gets stuck and doesn't recognize any input from the stylus and I tried to reset it but nothing happened.  No checkerboard screen. Then I tried the two other HARD reset procedures in the manual and that didn't work.  So I'm looking at a completely dead SIMpad and I didn't even reflash it to anything!

The only thing that happens is the AC adapter light shows yellow but the on/off button does nothing - blank screen and none of the reset procedures do anything.

Any advice out there...help.

I had opened ubook at the time it seized up and tried to open a bitmap on my SanDisk connectplus card...it opened the bitmap but then seized up.

Help! 
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=85922\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Thanks for the lifeline,  but I get nothing at the terminal - just a flashing cursor.  I tried setting it to hardware, none and xon/xoff and still nothing.  Pressed the reset button and nothing happens.  There's no green light and nothing on the screen ever.
Where is the FAQ you refer to??  Maybe I could try something else from the FAQ.
Many thanks.
It is hard to kill Simpad   .  After flashing and relfashing different images and the pad going "dead" I was always able to revive it.  Connect it to the PC through a serial cable and run a terminal connection.  Here is the excerpt from the FAQ.  Reset the Simpad and see what goes wrong. [The only exception is never install the old Siemens bootloader from the new hh.org bootloader - even then there is a way to revive the thing]

"When running Windows the easiest way to connect to the SIMpad is to use "Hyperterminal".
You can either follow the menu from the start-button or simply enter hypertrm.exe from Start->Run....
Hyperterminal will start-up asking details for a new connection.
•   enter an appropriate name for this new connection
•   choose a symbol and confirm with OK.
•   choose COM1 for the connection and confirm with OK.
•   Select 38400 Bits per second, 8 Data bits, None Parity and 1 Stop bits - confirm with OK. "

Note that this connection works for original bootloader.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=85943\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

[tombraider]

Well,  the SIMpad seized up as it has many times...gets stuck and doesn't recognize any input from the stylus and I tried to reset it but nothing happened.  No checkerboard screen. Then I tried the two other HARD reset procedures in the manual and that didn't work.  So I'm looking at a completely dead SIMpad and I didn't even reflash it to anything!

The only thing that happens is the AC adapter light shows yellow but the on/off button does nothing - blank screen and none of the reset procedures do anything.

Any advice out there...help.

I had opened ubook at the time it seized up and tried to open a bitmap on my SanDisk connectplus card...it opened the bitmap but then seized up.

Help! 
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=85922\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

"Buddify" from Ebay is sending me a replacement - the last working one he has.  So I'm very happy and will promise to try not to break the second one.

I now know that the Simpad cannot directly read bitmap files - they have  to be "translated" into a Win CE format.  I was trying to open a bitmap in ubook from on the storage card.   It may have been merely coincidence that it broke then but now I know to never transfer anything to Win CE directly from the the storage card - it has to go through Active Sync in order to be translated if necessary.

[kurochka]

"Buddify" from Ebay is sending me a replacement - the last working one he has.  So I'm very happy and will promise to try not to break the second one.

I now know that the Simpad cannot directly read bitmap files - they have  to be "translated" into a Win CE format.  I was trying to open a bitmap in ubook from on the storage card.   It may have been merely coincidence that it broke then but now I know to never transfer anything to Win CE directly from the the storage card - it has to go through Active Sync in order to be translated if necessary.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=86065\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

This is very nice of Buddify!

[tombraider]

"Buddify" from Ebay is sending me a replacement - the last working one he has.  So I'm very happy and will promise to try not to break the second one.

I now know that the Simpad cannot directly read bitmap files - they have  to be "translated" into a Win CE format.  I was trying to open a bitmap in ubook from on the storage card.   It may have been merely coincidence that it broke then but now I know to never transfer anything to Win CE directly from the the storage card - it has to go through Active Sync in order to be translated if necessary.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=86065\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

This is very nice of Buddify!
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=86318\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

It sure is...and I am VERY grateful.  Especially since I had already left him feedback!  

[Jyrki76]

Hello all,
I bought simpad sl4 month ago and it is been used a lot since that. Yesterday i found it dead  . Problem is that it will not turn on (green light is off). There is no communication in serial port. I try all reset method, but no luck.
Last couple days kids had use it a lot for surfing with wlan card. And could be possible that battery has went quite hot. If i plug charger yellow light will go on. After a ~hour it turn off (maybe because battery full??). So at least battery charging is working. Battery voltage was 8,3V (with no load), yes i opened it and same time i also clean all button contacts. But they were clean and no dirt/dust..

So is there any known HW or battey problems that could cause this?

[Japio]

Hi,

I also have a 'dead' Simpad SL4.
This happened after I loaded Opie 0.8.x, with new bootloaders an all, but wasn't satisfied with the screen response and keyboard, so I reloaded WinCE4.1.

This worked a few days, untill I was browsing a site with some Java pages, and I thought, maybe I have to give it more working memory.
So I opened control panel and Storage control, and moved the slider.
At that point, the simpad freezed, nothing happened anymore.
The image was still displayed, but no reaction to screen taps, and none of the buttons responded.
The only only thing I was able to do, was to bush the back reset button, after it went off.
No it will not do anything anymore, it is completely dead.

I am trying to prepare it for JTAG load, but the instructions are not clear to me.
For the JTAG software, it says donwload it and COMPILE it.
This compile, I have no clue where and how I can do this.
I have already installed CYGWIN, but what comes next....

Can someone help me with this, or supply me with a runningn version of JTAG for Windows/DOS running.

Much appreciated.

Regards,
Jaap

[Japio]

Hi,

I found some maybe interresting info regarding JTAG, software and bootloaders on the Keith+Koep FTP site.

This is the link to it: ftp://www.keith-koep.com/


Jaap

[mike.w]

That's interesting.  I've always assumed that there was a jtag program ready when I needed it.

I have already installed CYGWIN, but what comes next....

Do you have the various developer tools installed like gcc, make, etc?

[Japio]

I do not have a linux box to experiment with, but found SAJTAG.exe and JT111016.exe together with DOS4GW.exe, which can be used under dos.

However, after making the cable as described in the JTAG doc, with the only difference that I do not have 200 ohm resisters, but 220 ohm, I di not succeed in making a proper connection to the SIMPAD.

When I run SAJTAG, it will first check for the StrongARM IDcode, but this reports back a '0', which is the same when I do not connect the Simpad to the printerport.

So I think I have a problem with either the cable or the Simpad itself.


Does this dos jtag expect the proper Keith+Koep cable? I do have the schematics, but this requires more work.

Does anybody have any experience with the JTAG utility?


Much obliged.

Jaap

[tombraider]

I do not have a linux box to experiment with, but found SAJTAG.exe and JT111016.exe together with DOS4GW.exe, which can be used under dos.

However, after making the cable as described in the JTAG doc, with the only difference that I do not have 200 ohm resisters, but 220 ohm, I di not succeed in making a proper connection to the SIMPAD.

When I run SAJTAG, it will first check for the StrongARM IDcode, but this reports back a '0', which is the same when I do not connect the Simpad to the printerport.

So I think I have a problem with either the cable or the Simpad itself.


Does this dos jtag expect the proper Keith+Koep cable? I do have the schematics, but this requires more work.

Does anybody have any experience with the JTAG utility?


Much obliged.

Jaap
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=89710\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

I got my replacement SIMpad which works fine...I really think the first one I had had a defect,  but here is a FAR OUT solution you could try.  I accidentally started to reflash my Collie with no power adapter attached and then had no orange light at all.  I followed these directions exactly quoted below from a post to this forum and it resurrected my Zaurus.  You could try it with the SIMpad since you have nothing to lose:

I learned the hard way that running "shutdown -h now" on a 6000 might not be a good move at this stage in the game. I couldn't get the Z to start up again. No orange light would come on when I plugged it in either. I did the following to get it to work:
 
 1. Unplug the Zaurus.
 2. Take the big battery out of the back.
 3. Keep the backup battery switch on.
 4. Short the terminals that were connecting to the battery with a penny.
 5. Poke the Z with a couple of reset button bushings.
 6. Pack battery back in and secure it with the two switches.
 7. Plug it back in. If the orange light comes on, you're golden.

Good luck.  Let me know if it works.  

[mike.w]

I had to update my old version of Cygwin.  If you install CVS, it seems to require an update or install of the majority of the development tools.  I don't know if this is overkill for compiling jtag---to install CVS.  Installing only CVS, updated everything else for me automatically.

The newer jtag does not compile right.  You have to use 0.4.  The jtag Readme file was very helpful; however, I would have worded step 3 something like this:
Run: ./configure --with-include=PATH-TO-OPENWINCE

There is one thing I do not understand.  I have compiled jtag several times and each time the executable is different.  Checksums and file comparisons are not the same.

If any one wants my jtag, I can post it.

[Japio]

Hi,

after trying again to use the dos jtag on an older PC (486) with negative results (jtag failed with error '0' instead of ffff), we managed to get a compiled version of JTAG 0.4 on a linux PC and gor connected to the simpad.
All commands worked (after installing printer to get the printerport to work) and when starting the flash command it actually seemed to erase the flash.
However, somewhere in the 2nd block it failed with a wrong verify, this was tried twice, then given up, so we never got to actually load the botloader.

All hope was gone, so I was putting the simpad back to gether again.
I connected the serialcable to the PC and hit reset, and guess what, magically the bootloader message eppeared again.
Disconnected the serial, and started as normal, and we had the checkerboard, followed by the normal greetings, and we were back in business.

So I never lost the bootloader?

Why did it not run in the first place (I tried it so many times)?

No clue as to what happened to brick the simpad, and also no clue as to what fixed it; it's all a mistery to me.

Anyway, my Simpad is working again, I gained a lot of experience on the hardware side of it, and I will keep on looking for the best suitable OS for it (would like to have WinCE 4.2, but I am not going to spend so much money for it). Hope that sometime a good working Linux can replace the 4.1 wince.

Thanks for all the support.

Cheers,
Jaap