CF-18DHB22KA - What options available?

I just recently bought a used Panasonic CF-18DHB22KA in fantastic condition on Ebay used by one of the large sampling laboratories in Australia.

I have trawled through this Panasonic thread + used the search option but could not find anything regarding optional extras that can be installed in this CF-18 touchscreen model.

I am interested in the following upgrade:

* Bluetooth
* GPS
* 3G/UMTS/HSDPA broadband
* Backlit keyboard

Is this model even upgradable in any way? Your comments / suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers

Terry

 

You need more reading. All of the aforementioned options are possible and its done already except the WWAN hack. You may choose OEM or aftermarket. Search a bet more and you will find it somewhere.


ohlip

 

Hi Ohlip - are you saying nobody has done the WWAN hack or it is just not possible? i.e. no PCI-E spare slot, no sim slot, etc.

I will keep looking for the mods for other CF-18 versions.

Cheers

 

well gonsped. after working with the local law inforcment.. not only did they have the backlit keyboards, but they also had hspda/3g modems installed in their cf18s and gps... interestingly enough i would be interested in a clearer walkthrough for the gps / bluetooth mods

 

For upgrades I would recommend using the two internal PC-Card slots. When the laptop fails its easy to swap the card to another laptop. Been there...

I believe the standard Panasonic CF-18 WWAN module only supports slow GPRS and the standard Bluetooth is only Bluetooth 1.0

I have used a Sierra 850 for HSPDA. Its very easy to connect to the internal antenna. You just need to fix a cable. No drilling is required to go from the PCMCIA bay to the internal antenna connector.

As for Bluetooth; a cheap Chinese AKE bluetooth card does a great job. Its Bluetooth 2.0 so you can use it with stereo headsets. You can improve it by connecting the antenna to the CF-18 internal Bluetooth antenna cable. You can combine this with a Bluetooth GPS mouse if needed.

Michael

 

milbru - does my CF-18 model accept mini PCI-E cards? I have a spare Sierra M8785 card but there has to be a sim card slot somewhere else or it won't work.

 

Nobody are interested coz those OEM WWAN are already obsolete. The connector on the sled of cf-18 is not the type that you expect(not PCIE) its a propietary connector from panasonic. The best that you can do is to use PCMCIA slot


ohlip

 

The CF-18DHB22KA model was specifically prepared for Telstra.

It comes with a factory installed EVDO modem.

 

I bought my MK2 CF18 from a local source (in Melbourne - 'notebookpro' off EBay) and it came with wi-fi already installed (Intel 2200 series card) and has a touchscreen (not that i use the system in tablet mode for anything - yet).

It doesn't have GPS though I have seen a Sierra modem card for CF18's about and might see if that can have an EM408 fitted to replace the sierra modem module.

I have a Billiontion PCMCIA bluetooth card which I've figured out how to use and it works well to get files to/from my Nokia phone. It requires the PCMCIA bay door to be open when fitted as the little blue bump stops the door being closed.

I haven't bothered trying to work on internal HSDPA/UMTS and just use an external Huawei e169 3G modem with the 'MWconn' software to run connections to the (spl)internet. The amount of power that the e169 uses (it gets quite hot) might be an issue to consider too if you wanted to go with some sort of PCMCIA-based internal solution for 3G mobile connectivity.

I think there is some sort of other wireless network hardware in the machine as the wireless lights on the front do strange things now and then which bear no resemblance to what the internal Intel 2200 wi-fi is doing when I'm at home and use the wi-fi to link to my main router. I haven't worked out what it is yet but I think all the Mk2's being flogged on Ebay Oz are ex-Telstra units.

I too asked about backlit kbd's for CF18's but apparently they are very difficult to use. I have a backlist rubberised kbd fitted to my CF28 and that's fine but the CF18's are a fair bit smaller.

Craig.

 

That button controls the EVDO modem card.

All of the CF-18DHB22KA machines have the modem installed. It was a special build for Telstra.

They also have a dedicated headset port on the far right corner (the EVDO modem supports a voice channel, so you can use the headset for voice calls).

 

I have one of these models . . Does the EVDO modem have a sim card slot somewhere - can I use my own 3G sim card ?

Do I need drivers for the EVDO device? - It does show in the bios, just not sure what its all about

 

Sorry... No SIM cards on these. They are internal modems tied to a specific carrier... In Australia I believe. You CAN swap the modem out... Or have it done...

 

Thanks for the tip ! . . . this is a great forum - so glad I found you guys

I think Toughbook users get the job done ! . . . just seems to be a common theme

 

Does anyone have any Idea's . . . or spares hanging around ! . . would like to fit something internal rather than having a 3G USB stick sticking out of the machine
(would be for use in London / Euro)

 

You must have a HSDPA card
Most likely an internal Panasonic modem is not available

The newest Panasonic models have a gobi modem that allows for multi-carrier use
Your cf-18 is older ,and the data standards are changing quickly
The built-in modem that I used six years ago in my cf-29 might not even work today with the new network

The only item that you have built-in that’s useable is your built-in antennas ,I think they will work , that is if the frequency is correct for your system

The way I would go about it is to fit the usb modem inside hooked up to a usb source

That source can be taken from one of you two existing usb outlets
Or maybe from your cable that runs to your built-in modem, I’m not sure on that as I would need to look at the pin outputs to see if there is usb there

The last thing would be to interface the modem to the built-in wwan antennas

I think there will be enough room inside

Do you feel comfortable doing this type of work

Its not that easy ,even if you get some input from some of the modders here




Alex

 

Thanks again for the info . . Ok . . I'll have a re-think once i've seen inside ! - I'll start simple with just a wifi swap out first

I'm soo addicted to my toughbook already

 

Yet I cannot find any mention of it in Device Manager on my 18DHB22KA CF18, even though the Intel 2200 wifi card does show up. The network LED's on the front panel definitely seem to behave independently of any activity involving the Intel wi-fi card.

Craig.

 

Craig

The switch and lights on the front is used to enable the wwan wireless only (the cellular modem)
It has no effect on your 802.11 wi-fi
That is controlled by software in some models, and in the cf-19 there is a switch under the pcmcia cover

One possible reason that you don’t see either the sierra wireless sb555 or the siemens mc45 gprs wwan modem listed is that it might be disabled in the bios

I pulled my modem out of my mk-2 so I am unable to check and see if it will show up in the bios
I am making way for a built-in gps




Alex

 

Hi Craig,

I have the same model . . the modem does show in the bios . . but like you, nothing in device manager or control panel / modems . . my friend has four of these, none show up in his either

Regards
Charlotte

 

Charlotte

Is it listed separately from the wi-fi in the bios?
If you enable it in the bios + on the front switch, have a look in the bios under com ports
Report back on what you find there, as I think it will show up as a com, not a network device

Alex

 

Hi Alex,

Yes . . under the advanced tab, below the serial port config there is a 'Wireless Modem' option this can be set as 'Auto' 'Disable' 'Enable' - If you seclect 'Enable' the modem settings can be selected manually - something like ' Port 1 I/O IRQ: [3E8/IRQ7] ' & Power SYNC with PC:

I understand these Modems are useless here in London UK so I will probably just pull it out . . maybe fit something else if I can find anything for UK market

Regards

Charlotte

 

And under the same tab the wi-fi shows up as well
And I checked on the original modem for you area
It would be 50 timee slower than you 3G card


Alex

 

The wireless modem in the 18DHB22KA isn't plug & play so it won't show up in the device manager automatically. Maybe this EVDO driver works?

http://www.panasonic.com.au/support/downloads/search_results.cfm?productID=3920&productCategoryID=81&formSubmitted=yes

The original wireless EU modem for the Mk2 is a Siemens MC45. Its GSM/GPRS only. The Mk4 & 5 use the Siemens MC75. This one also supports Edge. Anyway they are both terribly slow.

Michiel

 

Thanks Michiel,

I found a Siemens MC45 on ebay for £56 . . bit expensive for the speed . . will probably get a USB stick

 

You can get that modem for even less, But the wireless companies are updating and changing their standards continually

Chances are you would be very limited where you could use it ,and even if you can hook up to the network today ,its very likely that it would be unusable shortly

What you need is a usb jack breakout from your motherboard to connect a usb model
If you buy one make sure it has an antenna output jack , as it can be easily interfaced to your built-in antenna

Alex

 

If you are handy enough of soldering. You can hack the usb stick modem by using the internal usb provided on Cn(16) and then use the existing antena.

ohlip

 

Thanks Tomcat & Ohlip . . not sure I'm handy enough . . or if I could pull it off using my cheap 18w soldering iron ! . . but I'm certainly going to take a look around inside when I get the chance.

 

Okay... Just so we're all in the same page.... Does anyone have the software installed? How about going into Control Panel and installing the modem? (The software will tell you how to do it.)

The software is available HERE!

 

I tried the software . . no modem . . just took control of the wifi card - maybe i did something wrong . .

 

Don't worry about that modem
I will not work unless activated with a service provider in your area,and its not the correct type


Alex

 

Should have been a private message. Just ignore...sorry...

 

Mibru... I fixed it... Thanks!

Tomcat... Are you 100% sure... I've found you can't even talk to a service provider without having the modem installed! (So my customers have said.) If it is the SB555 Watcher type... You must install the program and then install it to the two proper COM ports. One of the old Panny techs said each MK# and model had its specific COM port numbers... So you may need to experiment.

But it must be seen in the BIOS first then turned on in order to install. Now the ones from OZ I would think (Unless you were in OZ) wouldn't work anywhere else... regardless if your BIOS sees it OR you have the software installed... However... I have had a few Verizon modems (We've discussed this before) where the prior owner was still paying for the service and the modem was still able to connect on their dime. This usually on lasts a few days or weeks at best. But it was a good way to test them!

 

No I was just saying that it is a waste of time to mess with that old modem
Its just as outdated in my mind as the rim was in the cf-25,27 and 28 models

I had a sb555 and used it for two years in my cf-29, but in this day of 3G its just too slow


Alex

 

the australia cf-18 mkII's had a cdma modem installed. i dont know about in the usa, but over in australia, the cdma network has been shut down. and, cdma modems dont have sim cards, so you would need to get the modem factory reprogrammed