CF28 Toughbook fixing

Hi everybody ! I'm new here, i bought a toughbook, a cf28, can anyone here help me fixing some trouble with this computer ?

The full part number is CF28PBJ12FE, is a pentium3 800Mhz computer, has a dvd rom unit installed and a PCMCIA slot, it has an antenna (from the lenght i can say that it should be accorded around a frequency of 800-1000Mhz).

It has touch screen and win2k installed (i'm planning to put in win XP for compatibility reasons), the battery is huge, 5.4Ah ! almost twice the capacity of a standard laptop battery and with the energy consumption of a pentium3 it will keep the pc on for about 5 hours (or more).

Now, the problem i have are:

1) a key on the keybord is fault, i mean it works but it has broken supports and moves a little, not a very big problem anyway.

2) A rubber cover, the one on the DC Supply is missing, not a big trouble, i'm not planning to wash my laptop.

3) I've no wirell this is a big problm for me, ca i put inside a wireless card, perhaps instead of a existing card ? What bus it use pci or pciE ?

4) The extending antenna... what's is use ? Can i use it for connecting to a wireless card ?

5) Yes i've a lot of problems i know hi hi, can i put in Win Xp ? this is the most important things for the moment, i have lots of programs running only under Xp, where can i find the driver for touch and other stuff (undex xp) ?

Really thanks for your patience and for helping too !

 

Ok i installed win XP now my touchscreen isn't working, how can i reactivate it ?

I tried to download the driver from panasonic-canada, but they doesn't seem to work, the installing procedure that i found on this site don't work, because i can reach the step 16, then i can't find the folder "mouse" but i find only the folder "touchpad" ?!?
Where am i making the mistake ?

this is the walktrought i used: http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/356620-toughbook-drivers-manuals-sources.html

 

#1- replacing the keyboard is probably the best option. They are pretty inexpensive for the standard grey ones- readily found on eBay or post in buy, sell, or trade section here on this forum. Make sure you are VERY careful with the lock for the ribbon cable as it is the one thing on a CF-28 that is fairly easy to break.

#2- Once again, not too expensive and can be obtained in same places as #1

#3 If there is a Wi-Fi card installed, it will be in an internal PCMCIA slot. (Not the two that are readily accessible but a third "hidden" slot.) You will have to remove the plastic cover on the front right corner to access it. The problem is that most aftermarket cards will not fit in this slot as there is almost no room past the end of the slot. The best option is to install a mini-PCI card and add an antennae if you want to keep all port doors closed. If not, use one of the two external PCMCIA slots for any number of available cards and remove the port door or just keep it open.

#4 Most of the antennaes on the CF-28 were from a RIM system that is pretty well obsolete. They can be hacked for use with Wi-Fi, but it is a pretty involved process. If the mast is longer (around 8 inches) it may be a lesser used external antennae for internal Wi-Fi. I have one of these and modified it for use with a mini-PCI Wi-FI card and it works very well.

#5 You already answered. Check out the installation steps for touchscreen drivers in CF-28 FAQ and see if that helps.

 

Thank you for the answer, i installed XP and installed also some drivers too, the video is going well, but the touchscreen is not recognised from the "device manager" i followed the procedure to install the driver on the "mouse and other pointer" but the mouse say to me that the driver is impossible to install ?!?

Say me that the xp driver is more recent than the panasonic driver and wont install, can you (or anyone other) post me the direct link to the driver, i also looked at modly's driver list but didn't found the one for me.

PS my system have 512Mb of ram and win XP SP2

PS2 can you list some wifi cards that surely works ?

 

Try this driver for the touchscreen, 28m2xpt1.zip

You can get it here: https://ftps.panasonic.com/

logon ID: User: drivers | Password: Toughbook32

 

Ok ifixed the touchscreen, i was missimg a point in the list he he, now it's working pretty nice ! Only need a calibration, now it's fully ready to start the next mods, i think that modem is now useless, at least at present day, so i think i will remove it, perhaps will just leave the rj45 card in position, i have to buy a wifi card.

Can someone list some surely-working cards ? I have read about engenius, but is a little high priced here (italy) so if i can have some alternatives i will fell better hi hi.
PS i can i know if i have a gps card inside my cf28 ?
And ps2 the RIM antenna... what is attached to it ? What is his function ?

 

I found these cards inside my cf28 the first is from under the HDD and is external sided, i really don't know what is it, here are some shots

This is the HDD hole, the yellow empty slot is where i took the card



This, well i think this is the modem card, it's written on the underside that it have a RJ11 connector, so i think there is little margin for error.


And final, under the battery, after peeling up the black plastic foil, i foundthis card, it have a SIM slot soldered on it, and the connector go to the front panel, where there is a wireless switch on button and some leds indicator with a phone drawed on, i think this is a GPRS can it be ? When i purchased the computer the man said that it have a GPRS so i think that is possible it is.



What do you think about these photos ? And what's the first card ? It have only one connector (coaxial cable)

 

The Conexant Card is a HCF WinModem; it connects to a phone jack on the side of the Toughbook.

The FireLink card is a Mini-PCI High-speed USB controller; I believe it is dedicated to the GPRS WWAN in the last photo and connects via the thinner uFL coaxial cable. It would be nifty if one could break that out into standard USB data; one of the sore spots for CF-28 hackers always was the SINGLE USB port. I believe this is still only 12Mbps though; but it makes one think.

mnem
Whodat sayDat?

 

I disassembled the right sided plastic panel, the Firelink card wich have a miniusb controller onboard and a tiny uFL coax, well this small cable is only 3 or 4 cm in lenght, and hava a reserved place on the plastic side panel, like a little plastic square of about 1cmx1.5cm, i think that is a kind of antenna, perhaps for bluetooth, however this card is NOT connected with the "SIM-holder" card.

And i have under device management 3 UGX unknown devices, tought ? Is it a bluetooth transceiver ? I thinked this because i read somewher that UGX unknown, often is a bluetooth device, so what do you think ?

Anyway, going OT, i bought from germany a wireless card, i don't know well the chipset, but i know that have a minipci socket, and the price was good (only 3€ including shipping wow). Also bounght a 2x USB2 PCMCIA to put in the right slot, it's a non-protruding device so i can close the cover with it still connected, i wonder about leaving it everytime on.
Thank you anyway for your tips

 

No problem.

I think the UGX devices are related to the Firelink Card or the GPRS MODEM and its daughterboard (The one with the SIM slot in it); they do connect to each other via the big flat ribbon cable and/or a socket under the GPRS MODEM Module. To my knowledge, Bluetooth wasn't offered as an option on the CF-28 and yours looks OEM from what I've seen, but I suppose it's possible it was offered outside the US.

Make sure your new wireless card is a Mini-PCI, NOT Mini-PCIe; they are different and will not fit no matter how big a shoehorn you use to pry them in.

Do yourself a favor; read the Cf-28 & CF-29 FAQs posted in the "Ultimate ToughBook Resource" thread stickied to the top of the forum, and all of the CF-28 related threads listed there in their entirety. You'll also want to read the "Built-in Wireless Advanced Mods" thread in it's entirety. The CF-29 threads also have a lot of information that is relevant to the CF-28, but you can go nuts trying to sift it all out of the CF-29 specific stuff, so just be patient.

And this thread will also be relevant to you: http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/549127-ake-usb-pcmcia.html

AND... if you look at the top of the list in the Resource Thread Sticky, you'll find Azrial's link to use Google to search the forum rather than the built-in search tool; I promise, it is MUCH less frustrating. Just type in your search string after the text already in the Google search dialog box and hit enter.

mnem
Welcome to the nutfarm!

 

Thank you, the wifi card i have ordered is miniPCI, not miniPCIe i expressed asked before i bought the module, however is there any chance that the firelink card was mounted aftermarket ? I ask this bacause the computer is not new, but used, i bought it by a stock seller from belgium, it has a nice yellow cover, it seem a jurassic park style item hi hi.

And i have disassembled it today to control it, the card (firelink) havn't any flat cable connected, just the pci bus and one uFL coaxial cable, going to the right plastic panel with a (presumably) antenna, this i s the reason for what i tought at bluetooth, i tought about someone has installed it aftermarket, or just for this series, but these are just guesses.

 

I meant that the GPRS MODEM connected to the daughterboard via the ribbon cable, sorry about the confusion.

I'm really not sure about this card now; I've tried a search on every number I could see on it and NOTHING. It definitely does have a USB controller on it; that's what the FireLink is. The second chip DOES appear to be an RF chip of some sort due to the tin can on it, but I can't find ANYTHING on that part either.

It is entirely possible that it's a third-party product, or a that it's a product which was only offered by Panasonic in Europe (as suggested by the GPRS MODEM). This could be a Bluetooth as you suggest, or it could be any of a dozen other types of product.

As an experiment, I'd suggest trying any Alps Bluetooth driver & see if it comes up; this was a promising first hit from my Google search, as it is from approximately the right year for your Toughbook:

Sony eSupport - VGN-A130B - Drivers & Software

or these:

Alps Bluetooth Device - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Downloads

Alps Bluetooth USB Adapter - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Downloads

Service Pack 2 included a BIG bundle of updated Bluetooth drivers; their stacks are pretty limited in functionality, but at least you would know for sure if it were to work afterwards. You SHOULD have SP2 installed anyways if you're going to surf the WWW just for safety's sake.

List of Bluetooth radio drivers that are included in Windows XP SP2

Good luck,

mnem
I ate blueberries. Now I have bluetooths...

 

It seem to definitely be a bluetooth card, i found some people having the same problem in a german forum, but the driver are unfindable, i sent a mail to the seller of my laptop (he sell a stock) to ask if he can send me a copy of the driver (the laptop were originally using win2k, i hope that it will works) waiting for an answer... On the other way i can make space in the cf28 throwing away this card...

 

And pherhaps using his antenna and cable to mount the wifi card... mhhh the frequency should be approx the same, tought ?

 

I contacted the seller and he told me that he did not know that the bluetooth module was mounted on board and he also thanked me for having said.
I will wait for the arrival of wifi module to be able to mount instead of the bluetooth module and try it, i will report here my experience after, i hope it goes well.

PS CF18-19 keyboard are compatible with CF28 ? If yes, have i to control if mine is a sigle or dual ribbon connector keyboard ?
Because i've found a cheap rubber backlit KB for cf18 here in europe.

 

NO, they are different sized keyboards.

 

Ok i found a good cf28 italian keyboard, almost perfect, for about 20€ - 22€, it's a good price ? And most important, is it compatible with my cf28 ? What i have to check to be sure that it will fit the computer requirements ? I read somewhere that there is differents type of keyboard with differents conncting ribbons, is it true ? My have two connector, i checked today, and the computer is a Mark2 (800Mhz 512MB 30GB).

Little OT since i discovered the speed of my GPRS modem i understood that i will never use it, 7kb/s isn't very attractive today, so can i replace this unit with a GPS receiver (if i find one) ?

 

I found a gps unit where i live but it will sell soon, so i need to know what to ask at the guy ? Should i ask for the computer where it was mounted on ?

 

You really need to read the Stickies, especially the CF-28 FAQ. You will save yourself a lot of time and money. There is quite a bit more than just sticking a GPS on your RIM board to get a working GPS. I'm not trying to be mean, but your posts make it obvious that you really will benefit from a half hour spent reading the stickies.
CAP

 

and here it is http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/210510-cf-28-f-q-read-me-before-posting.html

When I got my first 29 I spent at least 2 weeks reading and was worth it

 

Yes, i think you are right, i read the guide stikyed but just a fast reading, i will go into that more later, however i had succes installing the wifi card, i bought a very cheap (3€ with shipping) card from ebay, is a XG-602MB from Z-com, i spent about 2 days looking for the right driver on google, without succes, then i were forced to buy the driver from a site of driver selling (about 2€ well, a beer less for a wifi card, now it's fully working, with excellent signal about 5meter from the rooter with 2 walls between.

For antenna i used, as i planned before, the ex-bluetooth antenna, that was already installed in the right plastic cover, maybe on day i will install also the AUX antenna, perhaps in the left side. Thank you to everybody for helping.

PS Now a europen-style keyboard is coming soon ! I think that i can make a photographic guide for exchanging it, do you think may be helpfull ?