I Just Received my New(ish) CF-18 & MAN...

mnem,
I take your point, and you are for sure correct. However, as regards the CF-18, all of the drivers for the CF-18 MK2 Touchscreen and Digitizer models are the same. My touch screen has all of the tablet functions working with the exception of the TIP which can be run in XP or so I'm told by some people who should know. Is it possible that Panasonic just built the CF-18 to not really need Tablet PC, or is the CF-18 not really a tablet in the true sense. I'm going to try to get the TIP to work on my touchscreen, I suspect if I take it to the boardroom I"ll want a digitizer for its superior hand writing recognition abilities. Thanks for the words of wisdom.
CAP
PS: Do they even let dragons in boardrooms? I thought they were reserved for morons, psychopaths, and mental defectives.

 

Yes, of course they do. They need something to scare management types with; any group of people daft enough to believe in "Clean Coal" can't be trusted to not kill themselves with a letter opener, much less not run our banks into perdition...

Hey... wait a minute...

mnem
*Makes mental note to fly by AIG *

 

Okay... I still have not installed the Hotkey Plus manager since it wasn;t on the Tablet SP 2 List... So I am installing it now... Perhaps I have already screwed the pooch on this install... I'd REALLY hate to reinstall. When/If I do... I think I will clone the drive quickly so I don't need to wait the 40 minutes for the install!

Well... I just installed the HKPM and it is still screwed up... No buttons working and when I rotate the screen it goes everywhere... No ryhme or reason. Sometimes it goes like it should (like I have it set)... When I switch to tablet mode and I tap the screen a little it automatically shifts to the next 45 degree screen change...

The digitzer is cool and I would like to try to download some apps... But for my personal one I'd like to have a touchscreen so I can actually use GPS... I would think GPS on a digitizer would be useless...

 

Do I still need to install the Panasonic Keyboard program or look for the tablet one? All the digitizer eyewash says something about the Tablet Somethingorother.... Not the Keyboard manager... The icons are different too.

 

Oh God... Your Not Actually Asking Us Are You?!!!

*runs In A Panic*

 

Uh... Yeah... Does any OTHER group know MORE about Toughbooks? (Besides the team at Heartland on stock stuff)

We have the most knowledgeable group of talented individuals that will inspire a whole generation of modders to come!

<Walks off hoping that line "inspired" someone to write down exactly what programs I need to install>

 

There is so many drivers and applications to deal with and different combinations to try that even if you get it up and running perfect you will have a hard time remembering how you did it

Not having the Tablet o/s is an extra complication

I saw the tablet restore disks for sale for the cf-18mk-2 on the UK eBay the other day They sold for £73.00
I was thinking at the time that it was an outrageous price
But if you are trying to get everything in working order it might be a bargain


Alex

 

Well... I'll be trying it all again tomorrow. If THAT doesn't work I may just give it to my wife as she never uses the tablet function anyway... I'll let her try it for a day or two and see. When I figure it out I'll make it right then. I really do think the digitizer is cool though... And it is dead on balls accurate... Talk about precision!

Hopefully I'll win the bid on another one I am looking at....

<Starts looking for an antedote for the "Toughbok Sickness">

 

there's no antedote for our sickness, except our screaming wives!

 

Rick,
I put this in the Aussie review a while ago but I will put it here as well. It is for getting the TIP (tablet input panel) to work with XP.
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_tabletpc2005.asp
There are a ton of descriptions on making the tablet "super toys" work in XP as well as Tablet PC on the net. Where are you finding drivers for the CF-18 Tablet? I looked on Panasonic.ca and the US site and the drivers are all listed for CF-18DHXXXX and CF-18DDXXXX as being the same drivers. If your digitizer is working, what else is different from the good install on your touchscreen model, other than the wacom driver? I know you may not know what worked, it is uber frustrating to have something finally work after you have been wrasseling with it for hours and not remember exactly what you did that worked.
I forget where you asked, but a flashing green battery light when on AC power means, "the battery, when in high temperature mode, is discharging to 80% of capacity, do not remove battery when in this state."
CAP
EDIT: The Panasonic.ca site does have tablet specific drivers, but only for MK1 machines. Could this have something to do with the fact that the most recent upgrade for Tablet 2005 is embedded in all versions of SP2?

 

Cap Rick is downloading the Tablet o/s drivers
Not the xp pro drivers, except for applications that the tablet downloads section omits


Alex

 

Alex,
I saw them, but they are only for MK1, no? Does this have something to do with the SP2 upgrade?
CAP
EDIT: OK, looked on US site and they are different drivers apparently.
They are the same drivers on the Panasonic.ca site. Could this get any more complicated?

 

Cap... Alex pointed me to the Panasonic.jp site... Yes... It couldn't be more complicated.

I am reformatting again... now... Again... now... Again....

 

Just finished the reformat and I loaded the first 4 things on the list... Wifi, INF, Video, Sound and modem. Then I stopped and cloned the drive. Just in case I need a quick "reinstallation" as was suggested (Good idea). I'll go ahead and try this one more time being VERY careful what order I do (I may change it this time to Digitizer first... Then hotkeys) and then will follow the link that Cap left in the OZ 28 thread. (Looks very interesting)

I'll keep you posted.

 

Well... Same boat... Nowhere...
I loaded the first 4 then Mouse, Digitizer, Hotkey Driver (XP Pro) which is the 1st unknown device in Device Manager (Tablet Buttons is the 2nd one)... Then Hotkey Settings (Tablet SP2), then Tablet Button Manager (Tablet SP2), then Tablet Buttons (Tablet SP2 using 2nd unknown device-install driver through Device Manager... Then Hotkey Appendix (Tablet SP2), then Display Rotation.... The display rotation button shows up in the system tray and will work at the 90 degree angles when clicked... but the automatic settings do not work no matter how you set them. Also the tablet button still do not function.

I have spent a good 20+ hours on this plus a good fifth of Jack working this three different ways to still end up in the same place. I don't think I am going to spend any more time putting the other stuff on as I doubt that will give me the button and screen rotation functionality that I need to get everything working.

I need to type out an email to Heartland for several things. I will include on the list a Recovery CD Set if they have any in stock. For the time being I will swap 18s with my wife. I'll ask her to try the digitizer and then use the old salesman's trick of asking her if she likes it while nodding my head up and down. Then I'll mod GPS into the other one... Plus whatever other goodies I can stuff in like maybe bluetooth. I really would like to build a switch like onirakkiss did so you can use the BT switch application... Very cool.

Anyway... I still have my parts email, another laptop to finish building then I need to snap picks and list three more laptops... Gotta run.

 

On the first page of the cf-18 buttons and drivers thread I explain the way to get everything working on the digitizer unit. You will not use any XP Pro drivers for the buttons on the front only the Tablet OS drivers. I had many problems with this but it will work if you follow the instructions i gave in the early posts of this thread. You cannot install any regular XP Pro drivers for the buttons or they will not work. You have to install the Tablet OS and use Tablet OS drivers.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=325093

It is the #7 post

-James

 

James,
Are/did you load the drivers onto a XP or Tablet OS install?
CAP

 

My load was for a Tablet OS only (digitizer model). The drivers for the buttons do not interchange if you have tablet OS.

Only use Tablet OS drivers on a Tablet OS.

If you have standard XP then you can follow Tomcats post and it will work. But use only XP Pro Drivers


-James

 

WOW! A lot of activity on the board tonight!

Actually... I ended up trying it 5 different ways to install. I tried Tomcat's method and it works flawlessly with the touchscreen model... But NOT the digitizer model. I was really looking for a way to install XP Pro ND get the digitizer and all the front buttons working. Do you know for a fact that you cannot do that? You MUST install the Tablet OS?

Well... I sent in a very long email today to Heartland getting price quotes on a bunch of different parts I need/might need. As well as parts for a few others. I asked if they had the Recovery Disks for sale for my model... So we'll see. I should know for sure tomorrow. But I'll be gone for most of the day... I have a custom bathroom tile job to do at the In-Law's house. I need to get started on it.

 

Just a thought, and you may have already tried this and I missed it. Have you tried to load it up as if it were not a digitizer and just put all of the XP drivers on it? All the reading I have done keeps referencing the fact that Tablet PC works with virtually all Windows programs because it is a "super set" added on top of XP SP2 and actually distributed only by upgrading to that release. No Tablet 2005 upgrade disk, just XP SP2. Since my first CF-18, loaded with invaluable help from Alex and Teo, works perfectly with all tablet functions except for the digitizer, and the digitizer is nothing but a touchpanel which has a different kind of finger pushing on it, ie electrical impulse in lieu of pressure, it seems to me that you may be doing yourself in trying to install the Tablet drivers. If you tried the complete "Alex/Teo" install and then messed with the touchscreen driver you might get it and you wouldn't have to keep redoing the install. We know through documentation I have posted a couple of times that the TIP will work on a non-tablet XP machine. The tablet functions might work in a different way than under the Tablet OS, but who cares, they work. If I am an idiot I'm sure someone will tell me, but as Alex says, "you're so close". Dare I say "there's more than one way to skin a cat"?
CAP
EDIT: I'm almost ready to buy one of these just to share your pain. After all, we talked you into this.

 

I thought about that... But I am getting really tired of installing and reinstalling and playing with this lone CF-28 especially since I have a ton of other stuff to do. This was supposed to be a sideline thing for me that turned into a frustrating "Main Event"... Well... It's going back in the log pile for now... If I can't get a Recovery Disk for it... I'll sell it... I don't want the digitizer anyway. That's that way I feel right now anyway. I have way too many other things that need my attention. Either that or I'll pull it back out after a while with a fresh look...

 

Hello... my name is Rick, and I'm a ToughBookAholic... ToughBooks are still using me, but I'm looking for a little help...

mnem
*Offers TB a snort from the GLORY *SnickerSnort* that is Vista*

 

/////// Run away..... //////// Run away...../////// Vista is coming... Vista is coming.

Heh heh heh... Looks like my wife like the digitizer model! I told her that I wouldn't load those pesky drivers for those front buttons... I didn't want her to hit them accidentally you know.

By the way... I want to buy another CF-18 (1.2GHz) touchscreen and the only ones available are either in Australia or have been bought from there and are in MI..... What's the story!?


<Toughbook holds his shoulder to the door to make sure that Vista doesn't make it inside>

 

Well I would highly recommend the mk-5 touchscreen model ,that’s the N model not the K,
I do have brand new “what we don’t talk about anymore here” disks for that model to make it easier for installing windows
I say that as you seem to be having some software problems lately

Alex

 

Okay... I just happened to find an old Tablet 2005 CD install disk. I was able to use it to install Tablet onto the CF-1.. The COA key on the bottom of the laptop worked like a charm!

So I go to the Panasonic.JP website to download all the drivers for Win Tablet SP 2 OS and install those... Pretty much in the same order that Alex pioneered with the XP Pro version and the touchscreen model. Here's what's what....

STILL NO front buttons! I have NOT installed the Wacom driver for the digitizer pen as Tablet seems to pick it up automatically... On boot up and shut down I notice that there is a big keyboard that flashes on the screen like it is waiting for input. On the start-up it covers over the WELCOME sign for the entire time it is on the screen... Then goes into XP normally. When I shut it down. During shutdown or restart... AS soon as the icons disappear the keyboard pops up... then goes away... Then pops back up again appearing over top of the Windoze is shutting down screen.

But I must say... I am now VERY impressed with the digitizer. The pen is so clean and detailed it makes a touchscreen look like a 5 year old compared to a professional calligrapher with the digitizer. (Poor analogy but you get my point.) Tablet adds A LOT of functionality with the keyboard/writing pad, etc.... But I would like to have it pop up with the button... I couldn't sell it without the buttons working.

I'm not sure if this is one of those, "You have to install drivers in the correct order" or not... But for THIS I'd be willing to play around some more.

I'm going to do some reading of Zippy's link he posted a few posts up and see if anything there helps... I'll keep y'all posted...

 

Zippy-Man... HEAVY props to you! I have EVERYTHING WORKING NOW!!!!

I just had to go back into the Tablet Buttons Driver and click on the standard.bat and all tghe front buttons work. I'll post detailed instructions tomorrow... I need to get some sleep now. I'll hit this first thing in the morning!

Thanks Zippy! It ALL works like a charm now! WHOOHOOO

 

Thats good now we know that it is best to install tablet o/s on the digitizer
I agree that the screen looks good on these
Not having the touchscreen panel in front creates a brighter screen

Alex

 

Hey TB, take a look at the post I just put in the ebay/others deals. Could you use another 07? How about two?

 

You have PM...

 

Silver... Thanks for the link but I have no need for those for anything other than curiousity... I don't have one now but wouldn't mind one some day if I could get one at a steal price.

Well... I feel like a shmuck... I'm thinking I probably should have listened to Zippy-Man about the standard.bat file in the Button Manager folder. I think it might have worked under XP Pro!

I had the exact same issues with the Tablet OS that I did with the XP Pro OS... It wasn't until I clicked on the .bat file he spoke of that the front buttons started working. Anyone want to try it? I finally got mine working and don't really have time for one more installation of an OS... SP3 is installing right now.

I do kind of like tablet over XP Pro though... Just for tablet useage...

 

Glad to hear you got it working that GREAT!!!

I love the digitizer as it has so many more little features that i just seem to use so often. Now it is nice just to be able to use your finger every once an a while but i guess that is the trade off.

I went to vista on my cf-19 just because the tablet features are even better than XP. It reads writing better and you can teach it your style of writing as well they added pen flicks and a few other things.

And i totally agree with you on the tablet mode. Having a touchscreen is very limited as to what you can do easily.

-James

 

Wel... I just modded GPS into the Digitized CF-18 that I just bought with some pretty good results. I ordered a stock side mount GPS cover and used a patch antenna along with our favorite EM-408. The weather is kind of cold and crappy so I didn't go outside to test it... But I get 7 satellites inside my family room. A pretty good signal but not quite as good as the Sarantel... But still better than the stock unit I would think. I used some old black gasket material to make a seal between the cover and the case and cut it out with an x-acto knife. I doubled up the gasket and that pushed it out just far enough to hold the patch antenna almost horizontal. You can tell where it picks up one more satellite on the side the antenna is mounted but overall I am VERY happy with the installation.

EDIT: It's tracking satellites now! Inside my house... You gotta love it!

 

How much did they get you for on the GPS antenna cover?