CF30 AT&T to Verizon Swap

I currently have a 30 with an AT&T EU860D installed. Going by an earlier question I asked, I ordered and installed a Sierra Wireless MC5725 to make the switch to EVDO. Well, I cant get the 30 to recognize it. I only swapped out the cards and not the sled. Been trying different combinations of dip switch settings on the sled as well. The pic of dip switches floating around on here is for the CF-19 only.....I say that because my sled has no diagram whatsoever of pin settings. Any suggestions? I put the EU860D back and it works fine. Thanks.

JR

 

Is it recognized in the BIOS?

Did you install the Verizon software as opposed to the AT&T software?

 

When you say recognized in the BIOS, I only see an enable/disable WWAN option in the BIOS. And I installed the VZ software....but even at that, it doesn't show up in device manager at all. And if I didn't mention it before, its an MK2.

 

Are you 100% sure that the modem is compatible? Some of the MK5 modems and CF-30 modems won't work in the MK4 and earlier models.

 

Are we on the same page? I have an MK2 CF-30........not a 29.

 

DUH... Brain fart.... Still... Was the modem made for the CF-30? Some of them are only interchangeable between certain models. I would think that if it came out of a CF-30 it should work... But if it came out of a CF-29 MK4, it may fit but not work.

 

Lol, no problem. I really don't know. I had posted earlier that I needed to swap out and asked on here.....the answer I got was the MC5725 which I bought from Ebay. Like I said, I currently have the EU860D card. Any ideas on how to make sure it is the right card or an alternative?

 

The switch settings for the CF-19 and CF-30 are the same. The switches on the CF-30 sled are "upside down". Get a magnifying glass to correctly identify the "on-off" settings.

Try using the software from Sierra's website.

Glen

 

I've tried the dip switch settings that way as well. The issue of issues is, though, is that it doesn't show up in device manager nor do I get a wireless status light. It's like the laptop doesn't recognize the existence of the card. I've gotta get that before I get to the software issue. Switching back to the EU860D works just fine though. How can I be sure which EVDO card works for a MK2 CF30?

 

The card may not show up because there are no drivers installed. Make sure WWAN is enabled in the BIOS. The Sierra software will(should) install the drivers and connection manager. I haven't installed an EVDO card like this but, I have installed a Sierra HSDPA card like this.

Glen

Try this from Panasonic:

ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/toughbook/downloads/WWAN/Software/VZAccess-6.2.2.zip

 

Well, I wished that worked as all of the above were done.

 

Sierra points you to the Verizon website for drivers. The MC5725 card is also used in the AirCard 595U USB modem.

Not sure if you tried this.

On this page VZAccess Manager

Verizon shows software version 7.2.1 (2420b) for the 595U.

Also shows software version 7.2.9 (2470a) for the embedded MC5725 in a Toughbook.

Glen

 

Thanks for the info. I re-downloaded the links you provided and still no dice. I just find it strange that at the hardware layer, the pc doesn't recognize the new card. If I pop the old one back in and reboot, it at least detects it.

 

Did you remove the battery and power supply while you swapped the cards? Also, try resetting the BIOS to default value after swapping the cards and replacing the battery.

Glen

 

Yes, and I did reset the BIOS to default...and I'd reflash the BIOS if I could find it...

 

Have you considered that you may have a bad card or one that is locked to certain mfg's equipment.?

 

I have.......I just can't find a definitive answer if this particular one SHOULD work, or if I need to go another route. It was advertised as unlocked. Doesn't mean much, just saying.

 

"unlocked" just means it can be used with different carriers The lock I am talking about is more like BIOS lock or "whitelisted" So it can only be used on Dell's or IBM for example.

 

How do I know?

 

You really can't tell but most of these cheap cards on Ebay are either IBM or Dell and most of them are whitelisted to the specific mfg's. The best thing would be to buy one from panasonic. It will cost more but it will be guaranteed to work and save your hairline.

You may try to tape off pin 20 on the card sometimes this works to get around this issue.

 

I suppose we'll leave it at that then. I do appreciate all of the assistance.

J

 

In case you missed it:

iPhone jailbreaking (and all cell phone unlocking) made legal

Owners of iPhones and other smartphones are one step closer toward taking complete control of their gadgets, thanks to a new government ruling Monday on the practice of "jailbreaking."

Jailbreaking — the practice of unlocking a phone (and particularly an iPhone) so it can be used on another network and/or run other applications than those approved by Apple — has technically been illegal for years. Most jailbroken phones are used on the U.S. T-Mobile network or on overseas carriers, or are used to run applications that Apple refuses to sell, such as Safari ad-blocking apps, alternate keyboard layouts, or programs that change the interface to the iPhone's SMS system and the way its icons are laid out.

While technically illegal, no one has been sued or prosecuted for the practice. (Apple does seriously frown on the practice, and jailbreaking your phone will still void your warranty.) It’s estimated that more than a million iPhone owners have jailbroken their handsets.

Apple fought hard against the legalization, arguing that jailbreaking was a form of copyright violation. The FCC disagreed, saying that jailbreaking merely enhanced the inter-operability of the phone, and was thus legitimate under fair-use rules.

The upshot is that now anyone can jailbreak or otherwise unlock any cell phone without fear of legal penalties, whether you want to install unsupported applications or switch to another cellular carrier. Cell phone companies are of course still free to make it difficult for you to do this — and your warranty will probably still be voided if you do — but at least you won’t be fined or imprisoned if you jailbreak a handset.

In addition to the jailbreaking exemption, the FCC announced a few other rules that have less sweeping applicability but are still significant:

• Professors, students and documentary filmmakers are now allowed, for “noncommercial” purposes, to break the copy protection measures on DVDs to be used in classroom or other not-for-profit environments. This doesn’t quite go so far as to grant you and me the right to copy a DVD so we can watch it in two rooms of the house, but it’s now only one step away.

• As was the topic in the GE ruling I wrote about, the FCC allows computer owners to bypass dongles (hardware devices used in conjunction with software to guarantee the correct owner is behind the keyboard) if they are no longer in operation and can’t be replaced. Dongles are rarities in consumer technology products now, but industrial users are probably thrilled about this, as many go missing and are now impossible to obtain.

• Finally, people are now free to circumvent protection measures on video games — but, strangely, only to investigate and correct security flaws in those games. (Another oddity: Other computer software is not part of this ruling, just video games.)
-30-

 

I would look for a Verizon 595U usb modem and take the card out of that. The card will not be locked to any computer manufacturer. Currently, there are only Sprint 595U modems on EBay. I have had success with the AT&T 575U which has an MC8775 card in it. I have installed MC8775s in CF-29 Mk5 HSDPA sleds, a CF-30 HSDPA 3.6 sled and a CF-19.

Another possibility is that the CF-30 HSDPA 3.6 sled just will not work with an EVDO card.

Glen

 

I had a question about a few of them I sold. Before the guy would buy it... He wanted me to check the serial numbers with Verizon. Since I have Verizon as my cell phone carrier... I called and they said it was fine. Apparently Verizon will "lock" these to the original purchaser. Unless THEY unlock it... You may well have a "working" modem... But you just can't activate it.

BUT... This still shouldn't explain why you can't see it.

I see several sellers on eBay listing CF-29/CF-30 "Verizon World Modems Sleds"... But I think IIRC that we have had discussions here before that modems from a CF-29 MK2 or 3 may not work in a CF-30 as it is too old and doesn't jive with the supplied software for the CF-30... Or likewise... The CF-29 (If the modem was made for a CF-30)...

I THINK it has been discussed here that CF-29 MK4 and below all work together... But if you need an MK5 modem to work in a CF-30. If you try a CF-29 MK2 modem in a CF30... nothing... Likewise with a CF-30 modem in a MK4 or prior.

I may be whistling out of my butt... But you may try to install CF-29 software onto your CF-30 just to see if you can get it to install and recognize it. Otherwise.... I'd return it with an explanation that not all modems are swappable and point the seller to this forum.

Just my .02....

 

Eh, I'll just eat the $18.00 I still find it strange that my sled has the 4 dip switches which makes me believe it is for more than one type of card. I've had my dealer asking as well but haven't heard back. I'm just trying to get some more mileage out of it. We switched carriers and got a batch of MK3's in with GOBI's but this one is near and dear to me, decked out, and has nothing wrong with it. Either way, if I figure something out, I will surely post it here.

 

Yes... Please do... I believe we have a lot of information here... But also alot of speculation... Part of it may be me (to be totally honest) but this is bits and pieces trying to rememeber over the years.

 

Would providing some parts pics from some of our current models help out?

 

I have not looked, but you may need to update your bois. Your computer can't find it if the bois needs updated to work with that model of card.

Sorry yes bios

 

Do you mean Bios? I was really confused. Update my bois!

 

Yes... He meant to update your BIOS... But I am not sure if there are any MK2 BIOS updates.... I'll check...

EDIT: I do not see a BIOS update for the MK2...

 

There is a BIOS update for the Mk2 to update to a GOBI 1000 WWAN. I found it on the Panasonic.ca site and another obscure Panasonic site that I can't find anymore.

https://panasonic.ca/PDP/Software/cf30f_mk2_bios_v200l15.iso

Now the strange thing about this update is that the bootable CD would tell me that it was not for my machine, a CF-30 Mk2. My original BIOS and EC were both L11. This updates the BIOS to L15 and the EC to L14. I had to copy the files to a floppy and use a bootable floppy to update.

There is also a BIOS only update, L15, on the Panasonic.ca site but, that alone will not let the GOBI 1000 work.

You should update the BIOS first, the EC second, and set the switches in the sled to 1&2 on, 3&4 off.

Glen

 

There is 3 or 4 bios update cf-30 mk2.

www.panasonic.ca

 

Hmmmm... I need to add those to my favs.... The USA site doesn't have them... I wonder why?