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Has anyone ever tried a USB wifi adapter like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=USB_Wifi_Adapter-_-33-166-116-_-Product
Some of them are smaller . Just using this one as an example.

 

I am going to guess no.The one I had also would not work with a usb wifi,only a pcmcia card.

 

Well crap...I know someone was going to try it but he never came back to let us know how it worked.

 

I tried them in a WIFI locked unit. They did not work.
A PCMCIA wifi does work.

 

Yepper,I had those 3 CF-30Mk3's from the US Navy about a year ago. That was the deal with them,I think Jeff has one of them maybe?

The card works fine but it's a little clumsy.

 

Can I not edit the bios in some way ?

 

Not that I am aware of.

 

EDIT....It's OK to talk about this as long as there is no password on the bios which there is none.

 

outside of swapping out the bios chips ... not a thing really .
and panasonic is not very friendly in this department .

hmmm ... my clock must be slow ... there was no posting after terry's when i started writing ...
must be that time continuum leak .

 

There is no password on the bios ?

 

Yes I new that yours had none but we have had other members that wanted to edit or update the bios only to find out they were trying to get into there locked bios which is against the forum rules.

 

Thanks for your reply,could I not flash it with a copy of a different CF-30 bios ?
Thanks Nick

 

"and therein lies the rub ..."
(apropos to the great bard)

when the custom bios features are selected by the company/entity requesting/purchasing the units , several "hard selected" choices can be permanently "burned into" the bios chip ...
in this case , it would be the ability to enable/disable the wireless function(s) .
the only fix for this is to swap out the custom bios chip with a "wide open" or (more or less) stock bios chip .

there are cases of a password being set in the bios and this will lock out access to certain areas/functions/features ...
this is found extensively on units that that were *conscripted* for military duty .

 

Would a EEprom flash bios programmer work ?

 

You could probably use a EEprom programmer.
I know when Panasonic does custom BIOS's they lock them out from being reflashed with standard BIOS's.
Do you need to remove the chip to use a programmer?
Unlocked CF 30's can be had for cheap in the US. Is it worth the trouble?
Buy a heavily damaged CF30 with a standard BIOS and try swapping the BIOS chips.

 

You don't need to take the chip out take a look at this item on eBay UK. 171381826934

 

I think you are mistaken. I think the chip does need to be removed. That is what those slots are for. To insert the legs of the chip into

 

Your right,what I should be looking for then is an In-circuit programmer

 

Found this one looks good Ebay uk item number 161727812514 which chip is it ?

 

Are they two separate chips?

 

The BIOS is separate from the EC.

 

Which do I need to flash and what do I put in its place ?

 

This seams to be a lot of money to spend on a 30MK2. I know I could pickup 2 or 3 of them for the price of that.

 

I now know what tools to buy:
eBay UK
182070995542
262449637294
Just need some instructions now ?

 

You are going to need to do some research on what to do and how to do it.

I never owned a eeprom flasher "yet"

My GUESS is that you use the same ***.rom file as you do with a bios update. You just use the eeprom flasher instead.

 

Do I flash the bios or the eeprom ?

 

Once again, I never used or owned an eeprom flasher.
You may need to explore a bit on your own.
Not many guys on this forum use eeprom flashers.

Pretty sure the BIOS chip is the eeprom.

 

Many thanks

 

How can I get hold of copy's of a bios for different models of the CF-19 and CF-30 ?

 

http://business.panasonic.com/support-computerstablets-downloads-searchdownloads

 

I have flashed firmware on other devices (not laptops) where the chip could not be unsoldered from the unit. There are "glomper clips" that can attach to SOIC package on the motherboard that contains the BIOS. You would need to work out the communications method and copy off a good BIOS from another laptop or use a BIOS package to push code back down to the chip.

Years ago, when that was my job I could accomplish such a feat in an hour or two on a system that I had no previous experience with. These days I lack the hardware and software tools to recreate it. The task would take me several days to scrounge together the pieces-parts and to work it all out. It is not outside the capabilities of an engineer or a talented technician to recreate the process.

At the worst, you could use solder-wick and some skill to remove the SOIC chip from the motherboard; Or use a hot-air system and tweezers. Then you could pop the chip in to a programmer and push a new BIOS on to the chip.

I have even done the same thing with FPGA devices, those are much more complicated than a simplistic BIOS memory device.

As has been said; this is not to break or bypass passwords. I would suggest that you go through the BIOS and copy down every value that is in there because you will need to build it back out after you replace the BIOS with a different version.

 

Hi.
I am a new on this forum.

I have 2 CF-30MK3 almost identical.

One working fine. (BIOS 3.01L23 Embedded 3.01L18)
One not have options: WLAN and Bluetooth on the BIOS. (BIOS 3.01L16 M22 Embedded 3.01L16)

Wifi and BT modules are physical installed

Any solutions?

 

what are the full model numbers ?

 

The M22 bios is the problem,I had 3 former US Navy units with the same bios and sad to say ,it is impossible to fix. A PCMCIA wifi card will work but usb wifi will not.

 

3.01L23

3.01L16 M22

The M22 indicates a custom BIOS. Wifi and BT are more than likely permanently disabled in the custom BIOS.

Does BT of wifi show up in BIOS?
Are they enabled?

 

Full model both is CF-30KTPAZPE

no1. Wifi and BT wisible on BIOS, can switch off or on
no2. WiFi and BT not wisible on BIOS

 

Here is a thread from another member in the UK with the same mode, same BIOS and same problem.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/new-to-the-forum.792304/

 

Is it possible to update the new BIOS?

 

Usually not with the custom BIOS. Panasonic has them locked out from updating.
PCMCIA wifi will work. Also if you do the pin 20 mod on the wifi card, it may work.

 

I try plug-in USB Bluetooth adapter and WI-Fi USB but not working (win7 x64)
When In try install driver manualy after reboot system not starting and give me phoenix error.
When unplug still have sphoenix error.
I decide to fresh installation Win7 x86 with plugged both usb (back).
Working fine.
Now I have wi-fi and bt

Wifi is EW-7811 UN edimax
BT unbranded similar size like EW-7811, £2 (**** shop)

Sorry for my poor english.

 

Excellent,good job.

 

I re read this and now I realize that you got the usb bluetooth and usb wifi to work.
Not the built in ones.

 

Hi everyone.
Using CF-30 mk2 since 2008.
Today suddenly WiFi connection was lost and then I realized that my WiFi onboard card simply vanished from Device manager (Win7x32).
Then I took the laptop home from my office for repair.
And at home this WiFi card again was present in Device manager.
What it could be? A "bad contact" issue?

 

I would just replace the card,they are cheap enough.

 

Could you tell me an exact name of this card? I'll try to find it somewhere...

Also, the original card is b/g only, can I replace it with b/g/n one?

 

An intel 5100 will work,same card used in the CF-52. I know I have a pile of them here...somewhere. HP ,Dell and Lenovo will not work.

 

As far as I know this Intel 5100 card is Draft N.
Will it work with an actual 802.11n router?

Also, is there any possibility to install 802.11ac card ???

 

802.11 ac card not doable until one mods the CF 30 heavily and BIOS approved. BIOS whitelist applies. Must be a Panasonic card. I now own a CF 30 MK 2 of my very own. I love my ToughBook, named SpazzBox. Spastic Proof or go home.

 

Update: My CF 30 is now running TrueOS (previously PC-BSD) a rolling release. 64 bit only. I love my CF 30 the more I use it.

 

Never heard of that OS before. Runs good??