W3J + Toshiba Bluetooth Stack + Bitpim + Phone Connection

Hi all,

So tonight's project was connecting an LG VX8300 to my W3J and from there into BitPim so I could play around with some of the more complex settings and manage files through bluetooth. The first task, getting the laptop and phone connected, proved to be easy - simply put the phone in discoverable mode and ask the stack to find it. A few steps later and they're connected. Phase two was BitPim. Loading it, the program could not auto-detect the phone. Fine then - I manually registered the correct COM port, model, etc. I asked it to import the address book with no luck. Every time I attempt to connect, I get the following message:

Code:

See the help for troubleshooting tips
3:43:18.296 COM40: Opening port COM40, 115200 baud, timeout 3.000000, hardwareflow 0, softwareflow 0
3:43:21.687 COM40: Open of comm port suceeded
3:43:21.687 LG-VX8300: Attempting to contact phone
3:43:21.687 LG-VX8300: Retrieving fundamental phone information
3:43:21.687 LG-VX8300: Phone serial number
3:43:24.703 COM40: Timed out - flushing and trying again
3:43:27.717 COM40: Timed out waiting for 7e, requested bytes 1  - 0 bytes read
3:43:27.921 COM40: Changed port speed to 38400
3:43:31.437 COM40: Timed out - flushing and trying again
3:43:34.453 COM40: Timed out waiting for 7e, requested bytes 1  - 0 bytes read
3:43:34.640 COM40: Changed port speed to 115200
3:43:38.155 COM40: Timed out - flushing and trying again
3:43:41.171 COM40: Timed out waiting for 7e, requested bytes 1  - 0 bytes read
3:43:44.467 COM40: Changed port speed to 115200
3:43:48.265 COM40: Changed port speed to 19200
3:43:52.078 COM40: Changed port speed to 230400
3:43:58.733 COM40: Timed out - flushing and trying again
3:44:01.733 COM40: Timed out waiting for 7e, requested bytes 1  - 0 bytes read
3:44:01.937 COM40: Changed port speed to 38400
3:44:05.453 COM40: Timed out - flushing and trying again
3:44:08.453 COM40: Timed out waiting for 7e, requested bytes 1  - 0 bytes read
3:44:08.655 COM40: Changed port speed to 115200
3:44:12.171 COM40: Timed out - flushing and trying again
3:44:15.187 COM40: Timed out waiting for 7e, requested bytes 1  - 0 bytes read
3:44:15.250 Error: Device needs attention - LG-VX8300 on COM40
LG-VX8300 on COM40: The phone is not responding while transitioning mode from none to brew.

See the help for troubleshooting tips

Now, this could be because I'm using the Toshiba stack (yes, I went to the Toshiba site and downloaded the most recent version) but I can't think of a good reason why it would stop it. I would use XP's default stack but it didn't detect the bluetooth adapter. So anyway... that's where I'm stuck. Has anybody gotten the W3J's bluetooth to connect properly with a phone through BitPim?

Thanks!
~ Brett

 

I'm not sure if it would affect it either, but if you want to try the MS stack you just need to do some .inf file editing. A poster over at the NBF described it in the following post;

http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=156277

 

I just don't have it in me to start hacking around in more programs/files which aren't intended to do something I want them to. If I can't get the Toshiba stack to work I'll buy the cable I need I guess.

~ Brett

 

Did you try the WIDCOMM stack ?

Cheers.

 

Hmm, not yet. For some reason I assumed the adapter wouldn't be compatible since it isn't with the Windows stack but I guess if all else fails, I'll give it a try.

Thanks,
~ Brett

 

Update: the Widcomm (now Broadcom) stack won't detect the adapter. I'm assuming it's made by Toshiba and in all their wisdom, they didn't let anybody else make drivers for it.

Edit: The Toshiba stack tells me the adapter is made by Cambridge Silicon Radio.

~ Brett

 

Are you sure that is the correct COM port number that is being assigned by the Bluetooth stack?

 

98% sure. I just reinstalled the stack and I'm gonna retry everything tonight. I just found a very cryptic option and I can't figure out what it does (see below). Since every time I pair a phone, the stack wants to make it a modem and I don't think I want it to, this option may be the key... but I can't figure out what it means. It's options like this that really make me angry.

​

What am I enabling? Discovering the device class?

~ Brett

 

I don't have a Bluetooth adapter or devices, I'm just good at googling

I would agree, you don't want the phone to be a modem. Since Bluetooth devices actively transmit their classes when you make them available for discovery, that might indicate that they key is actually somewhere in a phone setting which switches between using Bluetooth to use the phone as a modem and using Bluetooth to actually access the information ON the phone.

At least, that's my techie intuition, never having handled either piece of equipment.

From the 8300 manual, page 84:
"The VX8300 is compatible with devices that support the Bluetooth® headset (HSP), hands-free (HFP), serial port (SPP), dial-up networking (DUN), and object push (OPP) profile(s).*"

You probably want to pair with the device and use the serial port protocol, and detecting it as a modem is using the dial-up protocol.

This thread seems to confirm that:
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?fm=m&ff=905&fi=949513

 

Got it - Steps to use the W3J (or essentially any computer with the Toshiba Bluetooth stack) to connect to a phone using BitPim:

1. Download drivers from manufacturer/provider's disc/website (in my case, the Verizon's LG VX8300 driver can be found at http://www.vzam.net/vcastmusic/Step2.aspx). Do not install the Vstore or whatever they call it by canceling its installation in the beginning (unless you want it).
2. Bring phone near computer and place into discoverable mode
3. Use the Toshiba Bluetooth Manager to initiate a new connection
4. **IMPORTANT** DO NOT SELECT THE RECOMMENDED "EXPRESS MODE". Instead use custom mode. Select the Serial Connection and let the pairing process finish.
5. Open BitPim
6. Let the automatic connection run and fail (since you're using a bluetooth connection)
7. Open the settings dialog and use the Find Phone Wizard and select the COM port listed in the properties window for the serial connection in the bluetooth manager
8. BitPim is now fully configured and should work. (or at least as much as it's able to with your model )

Hope this helps someone else!

~ Brett

 

Excellent. 'Express'... He he he...