Toughbook N00b requesting advice

White *****

 

I dunno.
My old rubber backlight was white; but it had the xp type flag on the windows key
This keyboard glows greenish, but has the older 98/2k type windows flag on the windows key.

 

If you like red...the CF-52 Touchscreen is the epitome of red. Sports a standard KB with red led's on the screen bezel. Cycles the led's Off 1,2,3 on brightness. Also don't have the screen wide open when you fire it up. It has the same 1,000 nit TS as a CF-30 and your night vision will be impaired for a bit. CPU is 2.3+-. Slightly wider overall then a 30... and somewhat lighter.
I like the way the screen bezel locks around the bottom half when closed so dropping it or a blow from the side won't bother the hinges. Normally I run 30% on the screen and crank it up if back lit.( Light coming from behind that is).
This is a semi rugged model but you couldn't prove it by me. I did an accidental 16" drop test onto slate with the screen open. Cracked the flimsy smartcard reader door and shot the SD card across the room.
The stylus tucks away in a pocket in the screen. Easy to find in the dark. Uses the CF-19 stylus.
The problem is "they ain't for sale".(rare) I will buy another if I can find one. Another note: the screen bezel is wide (due to the CF-30 size panel) which does away with the flex you find in a standard CF-52.
Do I like 'em?
Oh yeah... the synaptics touchpad with edge scrolling. Carpal tunnel friendly.

Jeff...I just couldn't help myself

 

Jeff.....that was almost an erotic description.
I'm scared.

I started tearing down my old rubber KB. Which pins are for the backlight?
I want power this thing up and see where the LED's are. I took pics and will take more.
Also, I noticed my old KB (the one I'm tearing down) has 3 FFCs, and the one I just installed only has 2 FFCs (it does not have the 2 pin FFC, but still works as expected).

 

The LEDS are powered thru the 2 trace FFC.

 

the kb I'm on now doesn't have that 2 pin ffc and still lights up.
The one I"m tearing apart does have the 2 pin ffc, and sure enough, lights up a nice white! and really evenly.
I'll do some more sperimentin with pics, and make a new thread....

 

The 2 cable KB is an early version from a CF-28.

 

eh....it works and looks good, and was a good price.

is it not having the 3rd ffc a known problem or something (like it's going to draw too much power or something).
And I rather like the green ligth over the white. it's "softer" looking.

 

I don't know. I don't think Panasonic would have just added the extra FFC for no reason.

 

you guys been suprised! It has been discuss three years ago when the cf-29 is only a few on ebay.


ohlip

 

That's what we need you old timers for.

 

Well, I'm headed to pick up my "new" computer tonight. A Toughbook CF-28 I literally am paying nothing for...

I will post when I get my hands on it. It's not a bad looking computer, but it has a few issues. This will be my "starter model" I suspect..

 

I still love my 28, It surprised me how useful it still is for a 9 or so year old machine...

 

Well I picked it up last night not expecting much. I got it off a fellow ham by trading him some extra equipment I had no use for.

Long of the short is, it has no CD-Rom, it's missing. He included a nearly new external CD drive which I haven't messed with yet. Original Panasonic power supply. He claims the battery is junk but the computer sat on standby all night not plugged in and it still says it has like 85% battery left. There are basically two problems with it-
The screen is probably shot. It has a red tint to it when you power it on and then it seems like it warms up and clears up some but is sort of dull after that.

And it has XP but only a Windows 2000 COA on it. Not a huge deal, but more hassle than I wanted to deal with.

Like I said, this will be a "starter Toughbook" for me. I am happy with it, I'm just concerned the screen will bite the dust.

In addition to the external CD rom, it also came with a Buffalo wireless USB which is mostly useless. All the doors are there, one on the back for I think data or something has a hole drilled in it.

*edit*
Battery just went from 85% to zero in like .6 seconds, LOL.

 

Yeah, that's not unusual with these. The reddish color you're seeing is indeed the CCFL on its last legs; when they get like this, it turns into a "It could last a day, a week, or years" thing before it finally goes out completely. The "fuzziness" appears to me that you have a touchscreen model; the weak CCFL will exaggerate this. There is also the possibility that you have a well-abused screen protector or screen; this is best determined by careful inspection with the unit off.

You can replace the CCFL for about $15-20, but it is a process only SLIGHTLY less daunting than brain surgery for most.

Since you already have a good copy of XP on it, I'd recommend just creating a new User Account and deleting whatever old accounts are on there. It's a hassle to install Windoze on a CF-28 if it doesn't have the original optical drive, cuz they won't boot from anything USB. If you use it and find it crashes all the time, there's always time to nuke & pave later.

The Win2K COA indicates to me this is probably a Mk1; post us a full Model # and we can tell you a bit more about it, or you can go to the link in the Ultimate ToughBook Resource thread and check it out yourself with the Configurator. Remember to use Internet Exploder; the site doesn't work with browsers which are actually standards-compliant.

mnem
Welcome to the madness!

 

The screen is nearly flawless. No scratches or even smudges to see. Even the case of the computer is pretty clean.

Anyway, I was afraid fixing this was going to be pretty much impossible for me to do. I doubt it's worth sending away to fix it, but if anyone knows who might be willing to do it for a fee, let me know who and how much I'd be looking at.

The touchscreen works but needs calibrated. However, for some reason I cannot seem to locate the calibration utility on the computer. I've looked damn near everywhere and can't find it. Any ideas?

And finally, I'm about to pull my hair out with having the use of only one USB. My wireless plug goes into it, so that is annoying trying to use two USBs at once. Any ideas on how to install more without major surgery? Is there such a thing as a splitter?

 

you can use something like this (PCMCIA card with 2 USB2.0 ports).
2 Port USB 2.0 PCMCIA CardBus 480M Card Adapter For Laptop | eBay
It's inserted flush with the port (so you can close the cover), and it gives you 2 ports with 100mA per port, or 500mA if you use the included cable to get power from another port (a bit awkward).
Never used one, but it's and idea.

 

That's a good one with an NEC chipset and it sits flush.
It's also a good price. I think they were usually $7.99 or $8.99 when I got mine.
Even when not used, it's good to firm-up the palmrest on more fragile/flexible, non-TB laptops
There are other, non-NEC with 4-ports that protrude from the side of the laptop with two columns of two stacked ports.

 

Sweet! I'm going to buy one. Hopefully being an "international seller" wont cause any problems..hmmm..

 

at that price, it's safe to try either way. I would by 2, just in case it happens that one is DOA, or it could be used on another laptop.

I'm going to buy another version, with SATA+eSATA ports, for my CF-C1.
NEW AKE Inside hide PCMCIA to eSATA SATA Cardbus BC188 | eBay

 

be very carefull on buying those PCMCIA usb 2. Specially those coming from china knock offs. It may damage the whole system or maybe the controller.

Good Luck!

ohlip

 

remember, usb 2.0 is rated for 1000mah per port max.
x4 is a helluva lot a power to pump through that pcmcia.

many problems have been based off scenarios just like that.

 

in the specs they say it's 100mAh per port, so 2x100mAh, or 500mAhx2 if using the supplied cable to draw power from another laptop usb port.
So I think that card should be safe.

I remember issues with PCMCIA Analog/Digital TV Tuner cards, that require 1A to work, which seems a lot more than the maximum current supported by a CardBus port.
There are a lot of notebooks that cannot provide a stable continuous 1A current.

 

Ya, I have no clue what you guys are talking about.

I ordered one. We'll see if it works. If it doesn't, oh well.

Still looking for recommendations on who could fix this screen.

 

These cards are NOT safe; they are poorly designed with inadequate internal power protection and they can burn up your PCMCIA port, I know from experience.

Short version: The spec for PCMCIA allows 3.3v 400ma total current draw for the card, including what the card uses itself; it uses a tiny inverter to bring that 3.3v up to 5v.

The spec for USB calls for 500ma capacity, plus we have 2 ports. While theoretically that's plenty for a mouse or a flashcard, anything else is gonna push that inverter pretty hard, and they DO NOT have internal current overload protection on these things. That is, unless you count smoking the semiconductors and turn the thing into an internal hotplate as "protection."

That USP auxiliary power dongle IS NOT sufficient and they have very poor quality control; as in 2 of the 5 I bought were DOA and another had a dead port.

Point blank; it's not a matter of IF these cards will fail, but WHEN; and whether they damage your laptop in the process.

mnem
Wow. THAT was the short version.

 

To further elaborate on Mnem

The card is cheap crap and if it doesn't burn out first, then it can/will burn out your Toughbook.

Just out of curiousity, what do you need more/2.0 ports for, anyway?

 

It seems this subject comes up every few months. Wish I could find some of them old threads/posts where members burn up there PCMCIA port using them.

 

i'm convinced NOT to test my luck with one of these. I knew they were crappy Chinese cards , but not THAT crappy.

I'm sorry I brought it up.

I value my CardBus port, so for now, I'll only use it with a Compact Flash Adapter from Transcend, which has been working properly for a few years in another laptop.

I wanted to buy a different version, a eSATA/SATA Adapter, from the same manufacturer (model BC188), with a VIA 6421 SATA controller,
but I think I'll search for one made by a more responsible/reputable company.

 

Don't be . On here you can learn a lot from other members mistakes. Only way to find out is ask.

 

+1.
Besides, there are many subjects that need a fresh thread every once in a while becuase technology changes, updates are applied, and many other variables.
What didn't work before might work now and vice versa.
Take those HM160 drives: originally recommended in the FAQ from several years ago, and are recently now known to be incompatible.

Now, we have a fresh thread reinforcing the fact that those usb pcmcia cards are risky at best.

 

I promise, I never inhaled while smoking those semiconductors!

 

Well that sucks. Is there a better quality card for the slot I can buy? I need at least two ports. I need to run wireless internet (as this has no wireless except thru the Buffalo card) and I need to use a USB cable to program my radios, the whole reason I wanted one to begin with.

 

Why do u need external usb wifi? Does it not have internal wifi?

Next best solution is usb hub.

 

Um...I dont know. How do I figure that out...

 

riddle me this: what is "the buffolo card" that you referred to?

You can check the bios to see if the wifi is recognised (installed) as well as device manager (right click my computer>manage>device manager>network adapters
That section will list all those items you have installed for networking.

I have a 29, and am not sure about a 28 (check the FAQ?), but here's my 2cents (based on 29's)
If you do not have a wifi network card listed there, you can pick up a wireless mini-pci (NOT pci-e) card. The senao 8602 series is quite nice (there is 400mw (8602+) and 600mw (8602+s) versions). They will run between $30 and $90. There are several threads here concerning those cards.
A cheaper (but crappy compared to one of the senao's) alternative is a INtel proset card (OEM from panny). I have a few of those, and will be glad to sell you one for almost nothing. PM me if you're interested (go for the senao! it's worth it). Make sure the 28 has a mini-pci slot.

 

All 28s have a Mini-PCI slot. 2 of 'em. Under the HDD. The 28 FAQ & the Resource Thread Stickies have all the technical details organized into easy-to-find links.

mnem
It's RIGHT THERE!

 

The specs for CF-C1 list this for PC Card:
PC Card Slot: Type II x 1 slot (CardBus support, allowable current 3.3 V: 400 mA, 5 V: 400 mA)
I'm not sure if CF-28's cardbus slot is any different.

So it seems it doesn't need an inverter, but it's still below what a single USB port needs (5V, 500mAh).

Anyways, a WiFi Mini-PCI adapter is a better idea than having a dongle on a dodgy cardbus usb adapter.

 

I'll tear into it when I get home. Not sure how much I wanna throw into this thing with the screen being the way it is.

The "buffalo card" is just a little wireless thumb (WLI-UC-GNM) that goes into the one USB slot I have.

Buffalo rolls out three budget Wireless-N devices

 

It seems it has a Ralink RT3070V chipset (at least it's not Realtek), and 500mW transmit power.

 

CF-28PTJGZDM is my model number. Nothing in the bios about wifi devices or device manager. So....

 

$5 and I'll ship you an Intel 2200, or whatever. it's.....wifi.
doesn't get much cheaper than that. pm me if interested.

 

PM sent.

You guys have been very helpful. I know dealing with "n00bs" is a PITA (I've got thousands of posts on car and firearm boards, I've dealt with them too) but I appreciate everyone's patience. Everyone in this thread has been a class act.

 

Repping interestingfellow for doing kadetklapp a good turn.
That's 50+% less than you'll find a 2200 not including shipping.

 

Well, I tried to rep but it didn't work.

 

All done

 

Kadet.... Please let me know if you need any fixer upper parts for your new CF-28... I have like 10 doors for each side... Enough rubber feet to shoe 20 laptops... Just a ton of CF-28 parts... I shipped Springfield like 10 hulks a few years ago when I started with the CF-29s... But I have a ton of stuff left over. Just let me know what you need. (Except a screen!)

 

Well I need a battery and I need a CD rom.

Was there anything such as an SD card slot for these?

 

The OEM batterys are getting harder to find and many end up buying china ones. When you say cd-rom you mean the complete media bay cd-rom ? They also fit the CF-29 too ...check this out, they will not last long at this price Panasonic Toughbook CF-27 CF-28 CF-29 CD-ROM Drive # CF-VCD271 | eBay .My guess Rick uses these when he builds / sells his Ultimate CF-29 Toughbooks
No SD card slot for these but http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pcs-4-1-SD...ory_Card_Readers_Adapters&hash=item33722c968d

 

Also on the pcmcia sd card slots make sure it is one that can read higher than 2gb. I think it's the 32bit card bus slot one you need for the SDHC cards. Then if you are running xp you will also need two registery patches to see the larger cards.

 

Complete media bay. As for the PCMIA adapter for the SD card, would it be correct to assume these will cause the same potential problems for the computer as using the china-made PCMIA/USB cards?

As for using XP, I suspect it's not properly registered, so I may be screwed there. It's got a Windows 2000 COA on it but a sticker that says "Designed for Windows XP." My guess is without a proper COA I'm out of luck on installing hardware, something I haven't thought of.