General questions and problems with CF-27, need help

I just bought second hand toughbook cf-27 and althought it was primarily being sale for spare parts and I didn't have any idea what really is a toughbook, I still bought it because it just looked and felt so incredibly sturdy and cool... besides the word 'toughbook' said it all to me! The price was only 10 euros (~$15) so I bought it without really caring about is it working or not because I did have a 'sense' that it would be worth much more than just 10 euros even if it would not be working

Then after a few sites and searching google, I quickly realized what sort of laptop I am dealing with... and got very excited with this incredible bargain! After reading articles about CF-27 being one of the most rugged, surviving burning car and saw videos where having car driving on it without internal damage... I realized that it is very unlikely that it would be broken

Anyway, I noticed that there is missing the main parts: Hard drive caddy, battery pack, AC adapter and empty MP (neither floppy or optical drive inside). The power connection is pretty rare standard and I couldn't find anything else, so finally I bough universal laptop adapter with proper connection. It really worked! At first I didn't know it already have internal 64 mb RAM and so I bought and installed 64 RAM card so it surprised me seeing in the bios setup that it have 128 RAM totally.

Funny thing that I only later realized that it features touch screen! Awesome!!!

But then realized another issue with power connection; It's damaged. I found that the metal clip protecting power connector was missing and so it was damaged badly and the plastic surrounding the 2-pins is half missing which of course leads to very unstable loose connection. Just a little motion and the connection cutted out having power down immediately...



So I need to replace the DC jack from my unit! But how? I was able to remove screws and separate screen and pop up the upper 'plate' , BUT...

just right at the corner where is the power connection, there is something keeping that part stuck. I cannot remove it from that corner... in fact I can raise the corner but then there is something spot, near the lcd screws that I cannot lift at all and I cannot see any other screws to remove, so what I should do now??? I removed screws from the back connection (where are for example, usb, paraller, serial...) but realized it didn't help at all...

damn... and I was almost there... now I need really some help. I have no idea what is there keeping the plate still and sure, I don't want to damage my unit so I will not rip it off. I read many times how people can open this thing up so what's wrong with my unit???


Anyway, about the general question about cf-27 model:

1. They say it's (one of..?) the most rugged model in the whole toughbook series? But how it can be if it's so old model?

2. They say cf-27 is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof. But I found that the keyboard is not waterproof rubber like in other models so how much it really can resist water and dust? Also in waterproof model the water runs away from the bottom hole... does cf-27 feature this same?

3. I read one toughbook story where said one engineer guy had car burning along with cf-27 but after the 1000 celsius fire and high pressured water the firemen used... the toughbook still booted windows without problems when some guy tested the "destroyed" toughbook just for fun! Is this just a story or not? I am wondering because I know the solderings will all melt within that high temperature so is it possible at all to survive such a fire or is cf-27 really fireproof too or how it is constructed to resist that much??? (article from toughbookuniverse)

4. Since there is neither floppy and cd-rom drive in MP, how could I install operating system? I saw there is cable to connect internal floppy drive to parallel port but it seemed to be panasonic's own special cable so is it the only compatible cable working with cf-27 or could I use any other similar laptop floppy->parallel cable as there is so huge amount of them in second hand shop? Is MP compatible with other drives? The lack of cd-rom drive makes me wondering how could I install win98? (no need for winXP)

5. Is the Caddy system only way to connect hard drive (internally or externally)? I have IDE to USB converter but since cf-27 can't boot from USB, it's useless.

6. Since I own SCSI stuff to have compatible storage and fast file transfer between new and old computers using JAZ drives, is there any way to install SCSI to the laptop?

 

Hi CF27User,

Could you tell us where you are from as it can help us to point you in to the right place for parts. I have one that work from what I can rember but it is only around 200Mhz and I should also have a hard disk caddy and cable for it.

I was given it a few years back as part payment but I did not have them time to mess with it then I got the toughbook fever and bough a CF-M34 then I bought a CF-28.

So if you are in Ireland I will send it to you for free or any other county for the price of postage.

Tony

 

I'm from Finland and so is my unit (scandinavian keyboard). Within EU it's relatively cheap to ship items so I really appreciate if you could do that because these parts tend to cost very much. Toughbooks are anyway pretty rare in Finland as this is the very first (fully rugged) toughbook I have seen in second hand shop (didn't I tell you that this was my very first touch with toughbooks?)

Yeah, if I remember correctly, you have Mark one with 266 Mhz and the second mark is 300Mhz which I have.

 

CF27User,

PM me your address and I will try and send to you before end of this week, if not it will be monday next week.

yes this mark 1

I just rembered how I was given this cf27 a friend asked me to swap the bottom of this laptop with a mark 3.

so the bottom of this one is of a mark3 and it still works


Tony

 

Damn, it seems that I need to have 13 posts before being able to use PMs. I added my email / msn account to my profile so with it you can contact me. I couldn't see your email so...

 

CF27User

I have sent you an e-mail.

Tony

I mite be able to get you a battery. It mite not hold a good charge but it will be start. If do I will send it on with the laptop

 

Thank you very much!

The battery is very big help because of this unstable power connection so it will keep power on at least that time until i can manage to adjust adapter better.

 

CF27User

just to anwer your e-mail on the gel pads.

The hrad drive caddy is complet in clouding the scews. I fitted a dead hard disk in to it so you cand see how the hard disk goes in. I am at work and this is only way I can anwer you at the moment. when I get home I will have a look to see if I have the battery that I was going to replace the cells in for a friend. He has bought a new battery for his cf-27.

 

Still needs answers to my questions!!!

 

Hi CF27User

You will have to connect the 2.5" hard disk to your desktop or laptop and make it dos bootable. when you get it booting dos. If you have a copy of windows 98 copy the win98 folder on to the hard disk. run setup from the win98 folder when it boot up in dos in the toughbook.

 

Sorry but I have already solved that problem: I use IDE to USB adapter in my WinXP and install win98 to laptop hard drive thru the adapter and then put it back to toughbook.

so easy

 

CF27User,

I had to reread your first post.

To answer you last question (6) there was a card that when into the PCMCIA slots on the side of a laptop that would let you use scsi. It would be the only way I can think of that you could use do add scsi to the toughbook.