MultiPage
Compaq Contura Aero Frequently Asked Questions
From: pwilk@socrates.berkeley.edu ()
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: Compaq Contura Aero Frequently Asked Questions
Followup-To: poster
Date: 11 Jun 1997 21:51:06 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Message-ID: <5nn6ka$774@agate.berkeley.edu>
Summary: This posting should be read by anybody posting the aero-l mailing
list or posting to comp.sys.laptops with a question concerning the
Compaq Aero.
Archive-name: pc-hardware-faq/laptops/compaq-aero
Posting-Frequency: Random
Last-modified: 1997/05/26
Version: 3.2
URL: http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/aero/aero.faq
------------------------------
Subject: Introduction
Compaq Contura Aero Frequently Asked Questions Version 3
Editors:
Philip Wilk (Version 3) Current
Ekkehard Rohwedder (Version 2.0)
Renee Roberts (Version 1.0)
To send submissions, corrections or deletions for this FAQ, please email
pwilk@reed.edu or post to the aero mailing list.
This document is to be freely distributed. Under _no_ circumstance should
a fee be charged for the procurement of this FAQ. It is the sole property
of everybody who has contributed (a whole bunch of way cool folks).
------------------------------
Subject: Short Contents
1 General
1.1 About this FAQ
1.2 Resources
1.3 Technical Data
1.4 User Opinions
1.5 Who's using an Aero
2 Hardware
2.1 Aero
2.2 Accessories
3 Software
3.1 Upgrades
3.2 Configuration
3.3 Operating Systems
------------------------------
Subject: Long Contents
1 General
1.1 About this FAQ
1.1.1 Where to find the FAQ
1.2 Resources
1.2.1 Internet
1.2.2 Mailing List
1.2.3 Companies that carry Aero supplies
1.3 Technical Data
1.3.1 Exploded View
1.3.2 System Unit
1.3.3 Passive Matrix Monochrome Display
1.3.4 Passive Matrix Color Display
1.3.5 Hard Drives
1.3.6 Internal Power Supply
1.3.7 Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Battery Pack
1.3.8 AC Adapter
1.3.9 Convenience Base
1.3.10 External Diskette Drive
1.3.11 Video Controller
1.4 User Opinions
1.4.1 Is the machine really that bad?
1.4.2 Opinions on Aero features (The Quick FAQs)
1.5 Who's using an Aero
2 Hardware
2.1 Aero
2.1.1 CPU
2.1.1.1 Is it upgradeable?
2.1.1.2 Is it FPU upgradeable?
2.1.2 Memory
2.1.2.1 How do you upgrade?
2.1.2.3 How much are memory upgrades?
2.1.3 How to disassemble the Aero
2.1.3.1 The tale of a journey inside.
2.1.4 Hard Drive
2.1.4.1 Partitions
2.1.4.2 Noisy 84Mb hard drives
2.1.4.3 Upgrading the hard drive
2.1.4.4 Hard Drive installation
2.1.4.4.1 Prequel to the step-by-step tutorial
2.1.4.4.2 A step-by-step tutorial
2.1.4.5 Installing the old drive in your desktop
2.1.4.6 Fixing the Master Boot Record
2.1.4.7 Aero harddrive upgrade list
2.1.4.8 External harddrive solutions
2.1.5 Screen
2.1.5.1 The pulsing backlight puzzle
2.1.5.2 Screen connection
2.1.5.3 What if my screen is unevenly backlit?
2.1.5.4 800x600x16 VGA mode
2.1.5.5 Special supported 256 color VGA modes
2.1.5.6 Special supported text modes?
2.1.5.7 Screen hinge problem (the darn "clutch")
2.1.5.8 Screen Disassembly
2.1.5.9 Backlight Replacement
2.1.6 Keyboard
2.1.6.1 Aero keyboard diagrams
2.1.7 Trackball
2.1.7.1 Replacement Trackball
2.1.7.2 Cleaning Trackball
2.1.7.3 Ballistic Mouse driver?
2.1.7.4 Trackball and left-handedness?
2.1.8 Battery
2.1.8.1 Battery sources
2.1.8.2 Memory effect in NiMH batteries
2.1.8.2.1 Conditioning the Battery without a conditioner
2.1.8.3 Battery Warning
2.1.8.4 Batteries discharging too quickly when suspended
2.1.8.5 Super-fast recharge? Charge indicators?
2.1.8.6 Windows 3.1 Battery Monitor
2.1.8.7 Battery Loose?
2.1.8.8 Please explain the aero battery
2.1.8.9 Recharging in the auto
2.1.9 Ports
2.1.9.1 Is the printer port an EPP port?
2.1.9.2 Mouse on serial port
2.1.9.3 PS/2 Mouse port
2.1.9.4 Serial Port (16550AF UART)
2.1.10 Speaker
2.1.11 CMOS
2.1.11.1 Replacing the CMOS Battery
2.2 Accessories
2.2.1 PCMCIA
2.2.1.1 Floppy Drive and BIOS support
2.2.2.2 Compaq-approved cards
2.2.2.3 PCMCIA type III cards?
2.2.2.4 PCMCIA modems (& FAX/Modems), reviews
2.2.2.5 PCMCIA FAX/Modems and Suspend/Resume
2.2.3 External Monitor
2.2.4 Sound
2.2.5 Ethernet Adapters
2.2.6 Expanders
2.2.6.1 Can I make my own expander?
2.2.6.2 Mobile Port Expander
2.2.6.3 Convenience Base
2.2.8 Case
2.2.9 SCSI
2.2.10 Other things
3 Software
3.1 Upgrades
3.1.1 Service Files
3.1.1.2 PCMCIA Drivers and Utilities
3.1.1.3 Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) Drivers
3.1.1.4 Windows Stuff
3.1.1.5 Utilities
3.1.1.6 Diagnostics and Portable Setup
3.1.1.7 Mouse Drivers
3.1.2 Softpaqs
3.1.2.1 Rundown on Softpaq installation procedure
3.1.2.2 ROMPaq versions
3.1.2.3 Install a Softpaq without using the floppy drive?
3.1.2.4 Determining the BIOS date
3.2 Configuration (see also appropriate operating system)
3.2.2 Power-Management
3.2.2.1 Problems when Power-up from standby
3.2.2.2 PCMCIA modems and Suspend/Resume crashing
3.2.2.3 Forcing hibernation
3.2.2.4 Spin down disk/disable powersaver when on AC power
3.2.2.5 Is there a disk sleep hotkey?
3.2.2.7 Windows vs. power management and the date problem
3.2.3 Networking/Linking
3.2.3.1 Questions about Lap2Desk and WinLink
3.2.3.2 WinLink problems
3.2.3.3 Network File System (NFS)
3.2.4 Diagnostics Partion
3.3 Operating Systems
3.3.1 MS-DOS
3.3.1.1 Standard CONFIG.SYS & AUTOEXEC.BAT
3.3.1.2 What is in CONFIG.SYS & AUTOEXEC.BAT?
3.3.1.3 Memory managers
3.3.1.4 Disk compression
3.3.2 Windows 3.1
3.3.2.1 Problems with WinFax Lite
3.3.2.2 Windows Video driver
3.3.2.3 Problems with Windows Speaker Driver
3.3.2.4 PCMCIA Stuff
3.3.2.5 Problems with Modems/Serial Devices
3.3.2.6 32 bit disk access or no?
3.3.2.7 Windows for Workgroups
3.3.3 Windows95
3.3.3.1 The path to '95 by copying setup to the aero
3.3.3.2 The path to '95 by installing via winlink
3.3.3.4 PCMCIA, the floppy drive, and getting it to work
3.3.3.5 Networking
3.3.3.6 Running Windows 95 and Windows 3.x
3.3.3.7 Repartioning
3.3.3.8 Contura Aero, EPP, and Parallel Port Zip Drive
3.3.4 Windows 97
3.3.5 Windows NT
3.3.6 Linux
3.3.6.1 Linux and the Aero
3.3.6.2 Recommended Kernel
3.3.6.3 Conserving memory
3.3.6.4 Installation without Floppy
3.3.6.5 X-configuration for color
3.3.6.6 X-configuration for mono
3.3.6.7 HD configs, Windows '95, and other musings
3.3.6.8 Parallel Port Zip Drives
3.3.6.9 Monkey Distribution
3.3.7 Other UNIX
3.3.8 OS/2
3.3.8.1 Can I run OS/2on the Aero?
3.3.8.2 OS/2 Installation Problems
3.3.8.3 OS/2 Warp in 4MB RAM?
3.3.8.4 Aero floppy under Warp?
3.3.8.5 PCMCIA supported under OS/2?
3.4 Original Compaq Software Disks
------------------------------
Subject: 1 General
------------------------------
Subject: 1.1 About this FAQ
This FAQ was compiled due to requests for various information that can best be
answered with a FAQ. It may help to reduce bandwidth for common questions and
problems relating to the Compaq Aero(tm). The authors are not affiliated with
Compaq Computer Corp, or any affiliate of theirs. We own Compaq Aeros,
and wish to help others with their questions regarding the Aero.
We hope to update this FAQ on a regular basis, but there are no guarantees.
This FAQ is actually a collaborative effort from many individuals on aero-l
whose questions and answers were incorporated. Although digestifying lots of
posts results in a less authoritative style for the FAQ, I believe it makes
for a more spellbinding reading (e.g. watching over somebody's shoulder as
they disassemble the Aero and upgrade the hard disk). Also, often there is
more than one possible answer, or the answer is not known (perhaps you know
it?).
Undoubtedly there are still many bugs, errors, or obscure things in this FAQ.
You are welcome to send us your contributions/corrections or suggestions. The
usual disclaimer applies: the authors and contributors disavow any respon-
sibility for the information contained in this document. If following the
FAQ makes your Aero go up in smoke, do not blame us (but, if it makes for good
reading, tell us about it. Heck, tell us about it even when it was not caused
by the FAQ). You have been warned!
- Ekkehard Rohwedder
This FAQ was converted into HTML with txt2html, written by Seth Golub.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.1.1 Where to find the FAQ
You can find the FAQ at:
http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/aero_stuff.html
Because we are now an official FAQ (ie news.answers and comp.answers), You
can also find the FAQ at any Usenet FAQ archive such as <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu>.
It should be archived under:
pc-hardware-faq/laptops/compaq-aero
and at www.faq.org archive at the following URL:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/pc-hardware-faq/laptops/compaq-aero
------------------------------
Subject: 1.2 Resources
------------------------------
Subject: 1.2.1 Internet
For additional information, please consult the following:
WWW Sites:
<http://www.compaq.com> - the Compaq WWW site
<http://domen.uninett.no/~hta/linux/aero-faq.html> - information
about running Linux on the Aero.
<http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/aero_stuff.html> - Philip Wilk's WWW page
on the Aero with links to many avaliable resources.
<http://www.uni-passau.de/~gebhard/aero/aero.htm> - A Little Aero Page
Topical Usenet Newsgroups:
<news:comp.sys.laptops>, <news:comp.os.linux>,
<news:comp.os.ms-windows>, <news:comp.os.ms-dos>, and
<news:comp.os.os2>.
If you post to these groups, put the word "aero" somewhere in the
subject line so that it is easy for other aero owners to search
for topical posts. Avoid cross-posting.
You can also access the Aero Mailing List via newsgroup at
<news://news.aisb.org/aisb.lists.aero>.
FTP sites:
<ftp://ftp.compaq.com>.
<ftp://cs.utk.edu/pub/aero/> Archives of the old aero mailing
list.
Gopher/WAIS: [I don't know of any. If you do, let me know!]
------------------------------
Subject: 1.2.2 Mailing List
To receive the lastest info on the aero mailing list, please send mail to
majordomo@aisb.org with "info aero" as the body of the email message.
You can also access the mailing list as a unsenet newsgroup:
<news://news.aisb.org/aisb.lists.aero>.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.2.3 Companies that carry Aero supplies
Compaq Direct 1-800-888-6079.
Compaq Works 1-800-318-6919.
J&R Music World 1-800-221-8180
[C] WARNING, DO NOT DO BUISINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE!
Date: Sep 1996
Subject: Re: Looking for an Aero
>Barnett's Cptr Whse(NY,NY) has a package deal -
I bought my aero from these bastards, and the whole business was a nightmare.
I would strongly advise no member of the list to deal with this company-they
are the most dishonest, rude bunch you will meet. It's not just me either:
comp.sys.laptops has nothing good to say about them.
Go somewhere else.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.2.2.2 Does the Aero ship in a wrapper?
No!! I got two factory sealed units, and both just had the Aero sitting in
the foam supports.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3 Technical Data
The specifications below are from Compaq Computer Corp WWW Page
http://www.compaq.com.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS -- Publication Date: April 1995 Source Document:
Product Bulletin Document Number: 024A/0395
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.1 Exploded View
See <http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/aero_stuff.html> for diagrams.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.2 System Unit
Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth):
Contura Aero 4/25 1.5 x 10.25 x 7.5 inches
(3.8 x 26 x 19 cm)
Contura Aero 4/33c 1.7 x 10.25 x 7.5 inches
(4.3 x 26 x 19 cm)
Weight (Contura Aero 4/25):
Model 170 standard battery 3.5 lb (1.63 kg)
Model 170 extended life battery 4.0 lb (1.81 kg)
Weight (Contura Aero 4/33C):
Model 170 4.2 lb (1.9 kg)
Model 250
Power Requirements 10.8 V
Temperature Range:
Operating 50oF to 104oF (10oC to 40oC)
Nonoperating -4oF to 140oF (-20oC to 60oC)
Relative Humidity (noncondensing):
Operating 10% to 90%
Nonoperating 5% to 95%
Shock:
Operating 10G, 11 ms, half sine
Nonoperating 60G, 11 ms, half sine
Vibration:
Operating 0.25G, 5 - 500 Hz 1/2 octave/min
sweep 1 hour duration
Nonoperating 1G, 5 - 500 Hz, 1 hour duration
Maximum Altitude (unpressurized):
Operating 10,000 ft (3,658 m)
Nonoperating 30,000 ft (12,192 m)
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.3 Passive Matrix Monochrome Display
Dimensions (Height x Width) 4.82 x 6.42 inches
(12.24 x 16.32 cm)
Diagonal Size 8.03 inches (20.4 cm)
Mounting Internal
Display Type MSTN-Backlit LCD
Gray Scales 16 inch 640 x 480
64 inch 320 x 200
Brightness/Contrast Adjustable through keyboard
Maximum Pixel Resolution 640 x 480
Character Display 80 x 25
Horizontal Frequency 31.2 KHz (CRT mode); 32 KHz (LCD mode)
Vertical Frequency 125 Hz (60 VGA/70 CGA)
Display Inverter Board:
Operating Voltage (Backlight) +5.1 V, +9 V, +18.7 V
Operating Output Voltage 310 Vrms
Maximum Input Power 1.8 W
Maximum Output Power 1.25 Wrms
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.4 Passive Matrix Color Display
Dimensions (Height x Width) 4.74 x 6.32 inches
(12.05 x 16.1 cm)
Diagonal Size 7.75 inch (19.69 cm)
Mounting Internal
Display Type CSTN-Backlit LCD
Color Resolution 256 colors - low resolution
(320 x 200)
16 colors - high resolution
(640 x 480)
Brightness/Contrast Adjustable through keyboard
Maximum Pixel Resolution 640 x 480
Character Display 80 x 25
Horizontal Frequency 31.2 KHz (CRT mode) 32 KHz (LCD mode)
Vertical Frequency 125 Hz (70 VGA/70 CGA)
Display Inverter Board:
Operating Voltage (Backlight) +26 V, +34 V, +38 V
Maximum Input Power 2.8 W
Maximum Output Power (Backlight) 2.0 Wrms
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.5 Hard Drives
Hard drive specifications may vary slightly depending on vendor.
170 MB 250 MB
=================================
Formatted Capacity Per Drive 171.6 MB 256.0 MB
Drives Supported One One
Drive Height (with drive frame) 0.5 inch 0.5 inch
(12.7 mm) (12.7 mm)
Drive Size 2.5 x 0.5 inches 2.5 x 0.5 inches
(6.35 x 1.27 cm) (6.35 x 1.27 cm)
Drive Type 65 65
Transfer Rate:
Media 14.3 - 22.1 Mbits/sec 35.9 Mbits/sec
Interface 4 MB/sec 4 MB/sec
Seek Times (including settling):
Track-to-Track 7 ms 5.0 ms
Average 20 ms 17 ms
Maximum 28 ms 24.0 ms
Physical Configuration:
Cylinders 1440 1704
Heads 4 4
Sectors/Track 48 - 72 92 - 54
Bytes Per Sector 512 512
Logical Configuration:
Cylinders 873 723
Head 16 11
Sectors/Track 24 63
Bytes Per Sector 512 512
NOTE 1: Hard drive specifications may vary slightly depending on vendor.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.6 Internal Power Supply
Input Requirements:
Input Voltage 10.8 - 17.5 VDC
Standby 10.8 - 17.5 VDC
Power Output:
Steady State 10 W
Peak 17 W
VDC Output V01 (+5) V02 (+12) 60 0 mA V03 (+40)
Nominal Voltage 5.10 V 12.0 V 43.0 V
Continuous Current 1.25 A 60.0 mA 40.0 mA
Peak Current 3.0A 60.0 mA 40.0 mA
Regulation Tolerance +/- 3% +/- 5% +/- 5%
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.7 Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Battery Pack
Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth):
Standard .725 x 2.04 x 5.37 inches
(1.84 x 5.18 x 13.64 cm)
Extended Life .725 x 2.04 x 8.07 inches
(1.84 x 5.18 x 20.5 cm)
Weight:
Standard .696 lb (.316 kg)
Extended Life 1.09 lb (.494 kg)
Power Supply:
Nominal Voltage 10.8
Capacity 1500 mAh (standard)
2300 mAh (extended life)
Battery Life (NOTE 2):
Contura Aero 4/25 2.5 to 4 hours (standard)
Contura Aero 4/33 C 2.5 to 4 hours
Environmental Requirements:
Operating 50oF to 104oF (10oC to 40oC)
Nonoperating -4oF to 122oF (-20oC to 50oC)
NOTE 2: Battery life is based on an estimated typical use pattern of an
average user. Battery life will vary based on the configuration
of the computer and the usage pattern of the individual user. To
maximize battery life, Compaq recommends that power conservation
be set to high.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.8 AC Adapter
Dimensions (Height x
Width x Depth) 1.1 x 2.24 x 2.4 inches
(2.79 x 11.68 x 6.1 cm)
Weight (without cords) 6 oz (0.227 kg)
Voltage 17.5 - 20 volts, 1.4 amps
Power:
Minimum 17
Maximum 20
Minimum Charge Time 1.0 hour
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.9 Convenience Base
Dimensions (Height x
Width x Depth) 2.63 x 12.4 x 12.0 inches
(6.67 x 31.6 x 30.5 cm)
Weight 2.9 lb (1.32 kg)
Environmental Requirements:
Operating 50oF to 104oF (10oC to 40oC)
Nonoperating -7.6oF to 140oF (-20oC to 60oC)
Relative Humidity (noncondensing):
Operating 10% to 90%
Nonoperating 5% to 95%
Shock:
Operating 10 g, 11 ms, half sine
Nonoperating 60 g, 11 ms, half sine
Vibration:
Operating 0.25 g, 5 - 500 Hz/octave/min sweep
Nonoperating 1.00 g, 5 - 500 Hz/octave/min sweep
Maximum Unpressurized Altitude:
Operating 10,000 ft (3,658 m)
Nonoperating 40,000 ft (15,750 m)
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.10 External Diskette Drive
Dimensions (H x W x D):
Disk Drive 1.10 x 4.25 x 5.87 inches
(2.8 x 10.8 x 14.9 cm)
PCMCIA Interface Card .19 x 2.13 x 4.37 inches
(48 x 5.4 x 11.1 cm)
Diskette Size 3.5 inch (8.89 cm)
Weight 12.2 oz (340 g)
LED Indicator Green
Capacity Per Diskette 1.44 MB (720 KB)
I/O Space Configurations:
Primary 3FX
Secondary 37X
PCMCIA Interface Card Type II
Read/Write Heads 2
Voltage Requirement +5 Vdc
Environmental Requirements:
Operating 41oF to 113oF (5oC to 45oC)
Nonoperating -7.6oF to 140oF (-22oC to 60oC)
Relative Humidity (noncondensing):
Operating 10% to 90%
Nonoperating 5% to 90%
Shock:
Operating 8 G, 11 ms, half sine
Nonoperating 100 G, 11 ms, half sine
Vibration:
Operating 1.0 G, 5 - 500 Hz/octave/min sweep
Nonoperating 1.5 G, 5 - 500 Hz/octave/min sweep
Acoustic Noise 33 dBA
Maximum Unpressurized Altitude:
Operating 9,850 ft (3,077 m)
Nonoperating 50,000 ft (12,308m)
NOTE 1: Hard drive specifications may vary slightly depending on vendor.
2: Battery life is based on an estimated typical use pattern of an
average user. Battery life will vary based on the configuration
of the computer and the usage pattern of the individual user. To
maximize battery life, Compaq recommends that power conservation
be set to high.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.3.11 Video Controller
From: Christian.Rausch@physik.tu-muenchen.de
according to compaq:
http://www.compaq.com/productinfo/notebooks/video_specs/videospecs.htm
the Aero uses a SMOS 8108 LCD controller from SMOS/Epson.
Searching in questlink's IC Index (http://www.questlink.com) revealed the
following:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPC 8108, S-MOS Systems, Inc.
Features
Low-power CMOS technology
Hardware VGA compatible
High performance 16-bit ISA support
One 256K x 16 self-refresh DRAM
Four-stage display pipeline
64 x 64 pixel hardware cursor
Two-terminal crystals support
Video BIOS, software driver and utility support
Five power-down modes
5 volt operation
QFP17-144 pin
Monochrome LCD panel interface, for sizes 320 x 200 to 640 x 480
On-chip 256 x 6 gray-scale look-up table 16 gray shades by frame
rate modulation Two programmable gray-scale weightings (RGB),
NTSC (30, 59, 11), and text (0, 100, 0) 64 gray shades by frame
rate modulation and dithering Vertical centering and expansion
for LCDs Full CRT support with '477 RAMDAC
Description
The SPC8108FOC is a versatile VGA graphics controller capable of
driving liquid crystal displays and analog CRT monitors. The
controller integrates all LCD interface, sequencing and gray shading
logic into one small form factor 144 pin package. With the addition of
an industry standard '477 type RAMDAC, the SPC8108FOC will also drive
a VGA fixed frequency or multifrequency monitor.
The target products for this device are price and power sensitive 80 x
86 microprocessor based subnotebooks or other specialized LCD systems
where a high quality 16 or 64 gray shade VGA image on a 320 x 200 to
640 x 480 LCD panel display are the major design criteria.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I do not know if this really is the controller inside the Aero, since
I haven't opened my Aero 4/25 yet (has anybody else looked at the LCD
controller's label ? Please, tell us what's written on it! Has
anybody seen the above mentioned '477 RAMDAC?).
The product brief above tells that the SPC8108 is a MONOCHROME LCD
controller, but according to Compaq it's also used on color Aeros! So,
maybe SMOS built a special version for Compaq, or Compaq uses some
tricks to use the SPC8108 for the color LCD screen.
If the Aero's controller is the SPC8108 above, or at least similar to
the SPC8108, then we're not lucky, because it seems to be restricted
to 256k video RAM, which is not enough for 640x480x256(colors).
The other 256k are used, according to Compaq, for the 'pop-up feature when
coming out of stand-by' and seem to be inaccessible by the LCD
controller.
cu Christian
BTW: Anybody out there who could get a datasheet of the SPC8108
(SMOS/Seiko/Epson) for us?
Dr. Christian Rausch
Fakultaet fuer Physik E21
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
James-Franck-Str.
D-85747 Garching, Germany
Tel. +49 89 289 12185
Fax +49 89 289 13776
email: crausch@physik.tu-muenchen.de
------------------------------
Subject: 1.4 User Opinions
Disclaimer: Do not expect unbiased opinions from Aero users!
------------------------------
Subject: 1.4.1 Is the machine really that bad?
[Q] Jeeez you guys are scaring me! I'm a new user of the Aero, so new I don't
even have the machine yet. But I'm seeing so many problems reported that I'm
getting worried. Is the machine really that bad!
[A] I think it is a great machine. I have had no problems with mine at all, I
don't think it can be beat for price/quality. Some of the problems that show up
here might be somewhat of the obscure variety. Most people do seem to be happy
with the machine overall.
[A] Overall, I am happy with my Aero and have generally had good experiences
with Compaq Tech Support. The two real problems I have had are that Warp
doesn't run perfectly (no PCMCIA or floppy support; the floppy problems make it
difficult to get Warp installed), and PCMCIA modem troubles under Windows.
While I would like to run Warp on my Aero, it is not critical that I do so.
There certainly exists some chance that Compaq will take care of these problems
eventually.
I have reasonable workarounds for the PCMCIA modem troubles I'm having; and
there are people who seem not to have any problems. I just don't like the fact
that my system doesn't work perfectly; I think the key is to not apply the June
8th BIOS update. The only other thing on my "wish list" is that I wish the Aero
supported more than 16 colors at 640x480. This really isn't critical or that
important to me though.
Those who consider themselves as having problems generally are more outspoken
than those who are content, and when you're trying to fight a problem it gets
very frustrating and it seems like the problem is much more important than it
really is. The real key to deciding whether or not to buy an Aero is how well
the machine fits you. If you don't like using your computer, you've wasted your
money regardless of what features it has over its competition. Find one and use
it for a while; when I was shopping for a subnotebook I first went out and sat
down with different machines. I found that the Aero keyboard suited me much
better than the Toshiba T3400, and I really liked the wrist rest (which the
Thinkpad 500 series lacks). So, I would still reccommend the Aero as a decent
subnotebook computer. It's not absolutely perfect; but what is?
[A] Yeah, it's so bad that I just bought my second one! :-) No, honestly, I
LOVE this thing. It's just that the couple of recent problem threads on this
list represent real problems.
Nobody posts: "Ooooo! I love the battery life" or "Wow - Check that great
keyboard layout" or "Only 4 pounds - How did I ever live with that old,
heavier, laptop" or "Man, was this a great price for such a nice system" or
"Isn't it great to have an integrated trackball instead of one of them
lame-brained dongle-pointer-dealies that are forever falling off or getting
caught on stuff or rubbing on the side of the chair you're sitting in?" See,
nobody complains when everything's coming their way. Relax - it's a GREAT
computer.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.4.2 Opinions on Aero features (The Quick FAQs)
[Q] What type of connectors does it have in the back? 1 serial, 1 parallel?
[A] It has a DB9 serial (COM1), DB25 parallel, and the "expansion" connector
for using the Convenience Base or Mobile Port Expander; the latter gives you
PS/2 mouse, keyboard, and VGA ports. The serial port has a 16550 UART.
[Q] If I buy additional RAM later (cheaper via 3rd party presumably) can I
install it myself without voiding the warranty? (I'm used to regular size PCs
and muck around inside them all the time).
[A] Adding memory won't void the warranty. The handbook even tells how to do
it.
[Q] How much battery life can I expect (main use word processing). How long to
recharge? Is there a separate power brick and recharger?
[A] Up to 4 hours maximum and 1 hour to recharge. You don't need a separate
recharger but you can buy one if you wish to recharge two batteries at once.
[A] I get two to three hours runtime on my 4/33 color machine using Windows.
Recharge time is about 1.5 hours; but that's also using the "extended" battery
which ships with the color Aeros. Of course, recharge time is longer if you're
using the machine; but you can use it while the battery is recharging. The AC
adapter is not your usual "wall-wart" brick. It's a block about 4.5" x 2.25" x
1.2" with an 18" cable to the plug which goes into the Aero. The other end has
a socket for the line cord that plugs into the wall. This unit serves as both
the battery charger and the AC adapter. Extras are available for $29 or so; I
bought a second one so I can have one at work and one at home. Note that the
battery must be recharged while within the Aero. The optional $99 Convenience
Base has a spot for recharging a second battery; without this you'd have to put
a spare battery into the Aero to recharge it.
[Q] What do you think about the ergonomic factors (e.g., screen size, keyboard
layout, trackball, etc?)
[A] Keyboard is great and silent. Screen size 8" is more than enough for
640x480 resolution screen. Think about it: on desktops people are using a 15"
screen with 1024x780.
[A] I like them. Screen size is just fine for me. The DOS text-mode font seems
fine; better than some laptops I've seen. I like the keyboard more than any
other subnote I've used, and the trackball is fine. However, these are all very
subjective things and what works for me may not work for you.
[Q] Are you happy with tech support?
[A] Yes, they are very friendly and helpful. But don't expect to get an answer
if your question is too technical :( Well, this is a problem of almost all
vendors.
[A] Reasonably so -- overall they seem quite good. I think the problem I had
with one fellow was just that particular person -- I wish I'd thought to write
down his name and such so I could see that he gets additional training. As Ali
mentioned, too technical a question will probably stump 'em. If the front-line
person can't help you make SURE that you get them to bump your case to the 2nd
level support people.
[A] No, they are idiots. They will tell you to install the wrong drivers and
screw you up even worse. Then when you call them back and get somebody else,
they tell you a different story that never fixes things. After you try this
a few time you finally get somebody that knows what they are doing. You are
better off with the aero mailing list.
[Q] Sorry to be asking so many questions.
[A] No problem -- feel free to ask all you want. It's better to know what
you're plunking down hundreds of dollars for than to find out later.
Asking the owners of a particular computer is a good way to learn all the stuff
you usually don't find out 'til you've had one for a while. However, make sure
you realize that you're probably not going to hear anything overly critical
here. Someone who seriously dislikes the Aero is most likely not going to be
subscribed to the list.
What you're doing is the equivalent of walking into an espresso bar and asking
for peoples opinions on coffee; you'll generally get positive responses,
perhaps with some mild criticism. You're not going to find a coffee hater in
such a place.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.5 Who's using an Aero
[C] Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 21:45:15 -0600
Reply-To: adavie@geocities.com
Subject: Media appearances of Aero
I noticed that one of the characters of Fox's "Living Single" show (the
character played by Queen Latifah) uses an Aero. I think this is my
first television sighting (other than the Aero commercials) of our
little friend, but i don't watch much t.v. outside of the Simpsons...
Has the Aero appeared in any movies or other t.v. shows?
[C] From: mccann@ms.com
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 09:08:05 -0400
Subject: Media appearances of Aero
It's hardly Hollywood, but I have noticed that the
facilities engineers use Aeros in the modern office building
where I work. It looks like they plug them into something
to take environmental readings (office air quality,
humidity, temperature).
Andy
------------------------------
Subject: 2 Hardware
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1 Aero
The aero has an ISA bus.
[C] Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 20:59:32 +0200
From: Arnaud Hubert <hubert@worldnet.fr>
Subject: Aero's serial number
Hi fellow Aeronauts,
I finally got back my Aero 10 days after taking it to maintenance for
having broken of the pins of the PCMCIA connector (I inserted the PCMCIA
SCSI card upside down, God I'm stupid).
The guy there explained to me what the serial number means:
Mine is 7435HMR40135:
7 is the factory unit.
4 is the year ('94).
35 is the week of manufacturing (the 35th of 94).
The rest is meaningless.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.1 CPU
Intel inside!
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.1.1 Is it upgradeable?
There has been some talk about doing one of those "Make it a 586" upgrade
deals. As of yet, nobody has even *tried* to upgrade the processor for lack
of a good method. -Philip Wilk
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.1.2 Is it FPU upgradeable?
I am using Q386 3.65, a math accelerator and coprocessor emulator for
386SX and higher machines. (Copyright Quickware) It works nice. (e.g. with
Mathematica) You should be able to find it on any SIMTEL mirror in the
directory mathcopr. The name of the newest version seems to be q87_371.zip. I
do not think that there is any possibility to plug in a real coprocessor.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.2 Memory
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.2.1 How do you upgrade?
Both the online help and the printed docs tell you how to do it. The Aero
can be expanded to 8, 12, or 20 meg of RAM. Going to 20 meg requires a 16 meg
module, Compaq doesn't sell one. In any case, third party memory seems to be
a lot cheaper than Compaq memory, and I've seen nothing in the docs which
claims that using 3rd party memory affects the warranty in any way. Note
that there's only space for one memory module. If you buy a 4M module (for 8M
total), and later want to go to 12 or 20 meg, you must replace the 4M module.
[C] Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 10:55:04 -0800
From: "Gerry M." <gdm@hkstar.com>
Subject: Re: Memory port cover
The memory slot cover does not usually break!!! It looks like it's going to
when you try to pry it with a screw driver but it shouldn't. Take your time
and do it slowly. Its supposed to be make from very flexible plastic at
least thats what the Compaq rep told me. I managed to open the slot by
using a wide flat head screw driver and a coin. You twist the screw driver
slowly assisted by the coin. Refer to the diagram below...
-----------------
| |
| |
Screw Driver---> || <== |
here | |
| |
--------\/-------
Coin Here
[C] From: Philip Wilk
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 1996 16:24:04 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: sp1992 warning
I almost had a cardiac arrest last night. I purchased my 16Mb memory module
and installed it but my aero only recognized 16Mb. So I proceeded to install
sp1992 not noticing that it was a *patch* for sp1487. I was running a 6/94
bios (hey, if its not broke don't fix it). Sp1992 got rather confused,
attempted to install itself and then crashed. When I rebooted, it kept on
getting memory configuration errors. *Moment of panic*. My aero will not
start up. I kept on choosing the save-config option and after a couple times
through of recognizing/not recognizing the 20Mb of memory; it finally
booted. I quickly installed the full ROM upgrade sp1487 and since then have
not had any problems. *whew*
Somebody prolly already noticed this, but I thought I would mention this to
others. The 20Mb of memory for $150 is fantastic! Only six months ago it was
a grand ... The memory will breathe new life into my machine.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.2.3 How much are memory upgrades?
[C] Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 12:53:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Elizabeth Yip <elyip@WOLFENET.com>
I upgraded the memory to 20M ($119 at Components Direct (888)426-6799,
Sales Rep.: Nicholas).
[C] From: Temp Berdan <temp@mail.org>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 1997 10:51:33 -0800
Subject: 16 mb ram board update
Hiyah,
I'm a 4/25 owner (read: frequent delays/crashes). Just a quick update on
the Southland Micro. ram source. When I called their number, I was
referred to Components Direct (a reseller for Viking memory). Phone:
888-426-6766. Sales rep.: Nicholas @ ext 2345. He originally quoted me
$154 for the 16mb plugin. I told him that was higher than what I had seen
on the Aero mailing list. He went off line and came back and tried to sell
me a closeout price on the 8 mb plugin for $45.00 (US). I told him I
wanted 16 mb and a deal was made for $109 plus $16 for UPS red. Here by 10
am next morning). It didn't arrive. Called Nicholas back and he
immediately conferenced in his Viking memory rep(wholesale only) and he
said it had gone out that very morning via FedEx. Even supplied me with
tracking number (I'm now in AZ "boonies" and was concerned about it
getting delivered here). Sure enough, it arrived following afternoon.
VArrrRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMmmmmmm!!!!!!! Thanks to whom ever posted the
information on this honest and fine source.
"Tis a good one.
Temp Berdan
Santa Barbara
Vacationing in No. AZ
[C] Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 09:32:46 -0800
From: "Randy, Evelyn & Mark" <leemania@pacbell.net>
I just ordered a 16M memory module from Impediment Incorporated, 541
Plain St., Marshfiedl, MA 02050-2713. Kathleen Leu at
kathy@impediment.com is the person that handles portable memory sales.
She quoted $75 for an 8M module (PN: KTC-AERO8) and $135 for a 16M
module (PN: KTC-AERO16). S&H came to $10.
There's another outfit in El Segundo, CA called En Pointe Tech. Call
Gentry Richardson ar (310) 725-5248 for ordering. Their quotes were as
follows: 4M $65, 8M $85, 16M $135.
Another source is Ariston Technologies - (714) 846-7676, 16892 Bolsa
Chica Street, Suite 204, Huntington Beach, California. Their quotes: 4M
$52, 8M $84, 16M $149.
Memory Plus, Inc.46 East Main Street Westboro, MA 01581 TO ORDER, CALL:
(800)388-7587 or (508)366-2240 FAX: (508)366-7344 Internet Address:
parts@memoryplus.com. Their latest quotes: $60, $90, and $169 resp.
McGlen Micro, Inc. 17748 Skypark Circle Suite 252 Irvine, CA 92614, USA
Sales, Customer Support: (714)851-8078 (800)899-8849 Fax: (714)851-0251
Their quotes: $52, $84, and $149
Found these folks by search engine on computer memory and calling.
There's lots more available.
Evelyn
[C] From: <mccann@morgan.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 17:49:51 -0400
FYI, I just bought a 16mb RAM module over the phone from
Southland Micro <http://www.southlandmicro.com/>.
The price was $128 plus $9.50 shipping (it's to be delivered
Monday, so I can't speak to quality; others on this list say
they work, though). Not bad, considering Southland was
quoting $150 last week.
Southland's number is 1-800-255-4200, and I spoke to Kay
(who handles new accounts).
The 16mb RAM part number is: SMC 16MB-AERO. They also sell
8mb and 4mb, I think.
Best,
Andy
[C] From sylvains@francomedia.qc.ca ("Sylvain Soulieres"), on 8/19/96
For those of you who are looking for a cheap 16 MB RAM upgrade module for
their Compaq Aero, I just ordered one from "Southland Micro Systems". I
should receive it by the end of the week... At that time, I will post a
final status on the module...
Note that their WEB site specified a price of U$ 215 for the module (P/N
"SMC 16MB-AERO"), but I just talked to Nadia from sales (phone extension
160), and their current price is U$ 150 + shipping + insurance charges !!!
Here are the coordinates :
Vendor : Southland Micro Systems
Location : Irvine, California 92618
Web site : www.southlandmicro.com
Phone : (800) 255-4200 or (714) 380-1958
You should also note that they offer an unconditionnal lifetime warranty on
their modules.
[C] Sylvain had no problem with his memory from Southland, so I went and bought
me 16 Mb for the same price. Works great! - Philip Wilk
[C] From: <Paynecd@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 1996 22:43:06 -0400
If anyone is looking for 16MB memory upgrades for their Aero, WorldWide
Memory is selling a Transcend version for $205. I installed it and it works
fine. Comes with a lifetime warranty. Phone number is 800-666-6117. They
advertise in the back of Computer Shopper.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.3 How to disassemble the Aero
BE CAREFUL, boys and girls. If you get frustrated, STOP! Go do something else
for a while and then come back to it. One little slip-up will result in very
costly repair bills. Warning aside, there is nothing magical inside consumer
electronics. Everything is very modular and replacible if you can find the
part. Have fun, and don't break anything. - Philip
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.3.1 The tale of a journey inside
Note: this was the first story ever on an Aero disassembly. We now know better
and will not disassemble that one screw in the back that holds the Aero display
together.
[ this one is a bit wordy; but I felt it should go out to everyone on the list
rather than languish on an ftp site -- lrj ]
Just for the record, this was all in a dream. It is not true. I would never do
something as silly as opening up my Aero 4/33c, because that would void the
warranty or let the smoke out or something. Would I do that? Of course not!
cough If anyone were to consider opening up their machine, remember that if you
break anything it's YOUR fault. This is NOT a trivial thing like opening up a
desktop's case. If you're not (a) willing to accept the consequences of
something breaking and (b) confident in your ability, then STOP HERE. Do not
continue.
AT ALL TIMES REMEMBER TO GO SLOW. IF SOMETHING ISN'T WORKING OUT, RELAX;
EXAMINE IT AND THINK ABOUT HOW IT OUGHT TO GO. IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO TAKE YOUR
TIME THAN TO BREAK SOMETHING.
As a first step, shut down windows and turn off the power. I mean the actual
Fn+StandbyButton power-off sequence. Remove the battery. Find a nice flat table
and put something soft on it; make sure you follow proper electrostatic
discharge procedures. I reccommend a wrist-strap.
Remove all the screws from the bottom of the case, and the two from the back of
the right-hand side. (the two on the right-side back anchor that side of the
display, so be ready for it to become a little floppy :) THERE ARE NO HIDDEN
SCREWS. Happily, Compaq did not hide any under stickers or anything. I used a
flat-blade screwdriver, but the appropriate Torx driver would be best.
Now you have to remove the plastic from the top; the stuff surrounding the
keyboard. It's a snap-down setup, and to disengage the clips you have to push
in on the top half while sorta pulling out on the bottom, while lifting the
top. Yah, one of those three-hand jobs.
ALSO: the speaker is one of those 3/4" piezo thingies that lives in front of
the trackball. Make sure it doesn't get smooshed or jammed into something when
you're popping the case.
There's one clip right next to where the battery cover goes, on the front side
of the machine. It's a good one to examine and get a feel for how it works. The
next one is in the middle of the front, right where the display locks down.
The nasty one is on the right side between the back and the trackball buttons.
I finally got it by having the display up at 90 degrees, with the whole machine
sitting on it's left side. I inserted the corner of a credit card between the
top/bottom case halves from the back to put lifting pressure on the clip as I
pressed/pulled/etc. BE GENTLE HERE THOUGH, there's definite breakage potential
if you just force it.
Next, there are a set a small tabs which hold the back of the top down. You can
see the line running under the display. Just kind of gently lift, wiggle,
lever, etc. 'til they pop out.
Now for the real fun; seperating the "top" from the display. I haven't figured
a good way to do it; as you lift the top over the hinges, it hits the bottom of
the display. Carefully applied flexing and bending (never too much) was the
only way I got the thing off of there. Just be careful and look it over a bit.
At this point, your machine should still work. I figured I'd try mine out, so I
plugged in the AC adapter and powered it up. :) I of course powered it down and
unplugged it before continueing. :)
Next thing is to remove the keyboard. You'll find one screw in the middle below
the spacebar and three smaller ones across the top. That's it. Remove 'em, tip
the back of the keybd up and push backwards 'til it disengages from the metal
tab in the bottom right (closest to you). Watch the two ribbon cables under it.
To disengage the cables, lay the keybd upside down over the battery
compartment. You'll see a couple slider things on the two cable slots on the
motherboard. Pull the sliders towards you; now the cables will come out easily
and you can set the keybd aside.
In order to remove the hard disk, you must first pull out the flat cable
running across the drive, which goes to the trackball and buttons. Small
needlenose pliers are good for this if you're very gentle and go slowly.
One the cable's off, slide the hard disk to the right until it disengages from
the connector. Tilt the back upwards 'til it clears the motherboard and lift it
out. Voila! :) You could take the "carrier" off the existing drive and put it
on another 2.5" drive if you wished.
Reassembling the machine is pretty much the reverse of what I've described.
When reinstalling the hard drive, make sure that one "tab" on the carrier lines
up with the screwhole so it'll get locked down when you put the screws back in.
When you put the keyboard back on, make sure to engage that metal tab at the
bottom-right.
I would suggest checking the machine out before putting the plastic lid back
on; after the keybd's back on, plug it in/turn it on and make sure everything
still works. Then turn it of, put the top back on, and button it up.
In summary, it looks like the hard drive is user-replaceable if you have the
confidence and ability to go in there and do it. It is probably not something
which Joe Consumer should try. I've broken a lot of plastic tabs over the years
as I learned how to finesse these things. :)
Put it this way; when it comes time to put in a 400-500M disk sometime next
year, I will be talking to the local service shop (which sells Compaq) to see
how much it'd cost to have them do the work. I am not sure that I won't break a
plastic tab or something next time.
Remember, this is all a dream. Nothing here is true. cough
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4 Hard Drive
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.1 Partitions
[Q] Does anyone have any information on the little (2mb) partition which the
Aero boots from if you hold down the 'F10' key to run setup during boot? Is
there a FAT filesystem hidden there somewhere?
[A] The machine actually comes with two DOS partitions: the main one that you
see, and a tiny (2M) one which runs the setup utilities. You almost certainly
want to keep the latter around forever. As for the main DOS partition, it
contains lots of otherwise unavailable documentation about how your machine
works, and some setup utilities that do things that the setup partition can't
do.
In particular, the utility to control whether the PCMCIA slot remains powered
during suspend seems only to be available in Windows, and at least a few of us
configured our machine to leave power on in the slot and are now regretting
that choice (because it uses up power during suspend).
[A] it has DOS 6.2 on it, and it has
config.sys/autoexec.bat files that run the setup program for the aero. You
install it by using the setup program, which you can transfer onto a 1.44MB
disk if you have the PCMCIA floppy drive. That's what I've done, seeing as I
don't run DOS or Windows but would like to be able to setup my machine without
a 2MB partition sitting on my drive doing nothing 99.99% of the time ...
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.2 Noisy 84Mb hard drives
[Q] My 4/25's 84mb hard drive is very noisy when it reads and writes, but works
just fine. A friend of mine has a 4/25 with the 170mb drive, and it seems to
work like a whisper. Does anyone know if this is just a characteristic of the
84mb drive?
[A] Unfortunately yes. I claimed Compaq for that and they replaced my HD to
another 84MB and the new one was even worse.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.3 Upgrading the hard drive
[Q]From: DOUGLAS KOCHER [SMTP:DKOCHER@EXODUS.VALPO.EDU]
Subject: fdisk and Partition Magic only see the first 500 MB or so.
Aeronauts--Help, please, with this one. Many of you have reported installing
drives of various manufacturers greater than 540 MB, even > 1G, _without_
having to resort to Disk Mangler to overcome that barrier.
I had a Toshiba MK 1924FCV 540 MB that I needed to replace as it was full.
This is a _dog_ of a drive, so I was eager to do so.
I have it replaced with a Maxtor MobileMax 1.35G drive, but guess what?
Even with the latest Compaq bios, and even though the bios sees all 1.35G,
both fdisk and Partition Magic only see the first 500 MB or so.
What gives? BTW, the diagnostic partition installed perfectly. The drive,
based on its interactions with the diag. partition, is much quicker and
quieter than the Toshiba it replaced.
[A] From: John David Steffes <steffes@web.cc.cst.cmich.edu>
Subject: RE: fdisk and Partition Magic only see the first 500 MB or so.
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 12:23:39 -0500
First wipe all fdisk stuff off. NO Diag Partition no MSDOS/windows Partition
NOTHING!. Then Boot with first Diag disk in. and set the drive up under the
setup there is a disk icon under that there is advanced under that there is
another tab which specifies which operating system. Click if DOS/WINDOWS
click Other. Then exit and let the machine reboot. Then go back and reset
the tab to DOS/WINDOWS this feature is what turn on LBA translation which is
what ONTRACK Overlay manager does. I also want you to know you must be on the
latest and greatest BIOS and DIAG utilities other wise things may not work.
JDS
PS Just a suggestion I am not liable for anything that may go wrong from
following these directions.
-- Ed. Note: For those of you who wonder why you can not get much more than
500 Mb of HD on your Aero: The BIOS when running DOS or windows 3.x can
only recognize 1024 cylinders. This usually works out to about 502 or 512 Mb
depending on the rest of the hard drive parameters. You can get around this
by using either a special driver or a utility. If your hard drive needs this,
then one then contact the distributor or you can use the previously described
method for gaining full access. It is interesting to note that LINUX is not
limited in this way. - Philip
-- Ed. Note: The harddrive can be no thicker than 12.7 mm. - Philip
[A] I would like to share my success in swapping out the original 170 MB disk
for a 353 MB disk in my 4/33C. I just carefully took the Aero apart (take care
with the clip on the right side), pulled the Seagate ST9190AG drive from its
carrier, put in the new one, and put it all back together (and fixed a slightly
erratic graphics cable along the way). I was mighty impressed with the
technology in there.
Now for the setup. I had made a floppy version of the Setup and Diags
partitions ahead of time and proceeded to use these to set up the
cylinders/heads/sectors and run a full diags sweep of the disk. I made three
partitions on the new drive -- 50M for DOS, 30 MB for shared swap and the
remaining 273 MB for Linux. I didn't make the diags partition; I'll just use
the floppies again if I ever need something from the there again some day.
So, it can be done. I was a little hesitant at first after calling Laptop
Solutions in Houston because they tried to tell me the BIOS wouldn't support
different sized drives without their proprietary changes. Well, maybe there are
cases where their changes are needed but I've not found them yet.
The drive is a Toshiba 1824FCV (682 cyl, 16 heads, 63 sectors); I just
reprogrammed the drive type 65 entries with these values. Only down side is
that it seems to spin up a bit slower than the old drive. But I'm convinced the
battery life is better, at least a little. The noise is distinctly different
too; maybe a little lower pitched but still as loud.
Warranty? Well, yes, compaq tech support told me what I did voids the
warranty.He said my only option, if I need service, is to put back the old
drive and tryto convince them the problem is not related to the change. I'm not
worried about it but it might be a factor for some.
[A] I can second Elwood's story. I have had the Toshiba disk in my Aero for
about 2 weeks now. Its great to have 330 MB of disk. Also, I think Elwood is
correct, in that the battery lasts longer with the Toshiba disk. Seems to draw
less power.
The difficulties I had in doing the exchange were much the same as Elwood
related. Namely the clip on the right hand side next to the mouse buttons. In
addition, I could not get the cable unplugged that feeds the trackball, mouse
buttons and speaker. So, it was easy enough to unscrew the track ball assembly.
The speaker, buttons and trackball could then be lifted out of the way while
still plugged in. Also, Ali, your instructions to me on not removing the lower
screw supporting the screen were correct. It is not necessary and helps keep
the assembly stable while trying to pry the cover off!
The Toshiba drive cost about $400 with tax. I bought it from Micro Sense in San
Diego, CA. (Micro Sense's Phone number is 1-800-544-4252.) They were very
helpful in telling me that the drive would work in the Aero without any BIOS
mods. They also told me I could put in a bigger capacity drive, but I would
need some BIOS mods to do that.
[Q] After saving the automatically recognized drive parameters, how did you get
FDISK to run on the PCMCIA FDD? I thought the PCMCIA drive needed drivers
loaded before it was recognized or is that something that's built into the BIOS
already?
[A] Yes. The FDD runs out of the BIOS. You can boot from it with nothing on the
hard disk. This assumes you have a current COMPAQ BIOS too. Very old ones did
not support the FDD correctly.
A word of warning. When I took apart the case it took me 2 1/2 hours. I was
very careful. I stopped twice during the process because of frustration.
However, once the top of the machine is off, then removing the old disk is not
a big deal. You move the drive holder from one driver to the other. Push the
new drive into place on the connector.
You can then power up the machine and test it to make sure the disk works.
(Have a boot floppy with FDISK.) If you have done it correctly, you will see
lots of disk space. Putting the cover on only took 10 minutes. The hard part is
prying the cover over the screen support rods. Also, do NOT remove the bottom
screw as seen from the back of the Aero which supports the screen. The screen
is really loose if you do this and as Ali told me, you can tear the flexible
cable that goes to the screen!
As has been said before, this is not for the faint of heart. If you take your
time, walk away from it if you get frustrated, and do not force anything very
hard you should be OK. The most difficult part is the clip near the mouse
buttons. If you do not have the original case disassembly instructions, I can
resend them.
[Q] Which brand(s) and model(s) can replace the 84Mb and 170Mb drive in the
Aero 4/25...anyone know if the drives are higher than the drives sitting in the
4/33c or is the height difference merely the colour screen as opposed to the
mono screen?
[A] Correct. The height difference is in the screen and not in the base. The
Toshiba MK1824FCV was an exact fit at 12.5mm. The Toshiba has 335MB on it. It
should also work in the 4/33c. The drive in the color model is the same size as
in mono. They're both 2,5" slim IDEs.
[C] From: "Steve Sims" <SimsS@Infi.Net>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 06:44:30 -0400
> From: Erik A Hansen <hansen_e@cmr.fsu.edu>
>
> Anyone deal with Drive Outlet Center?
> They have Toshiba notebook drives:
> 540MB TOHDDNB540 $199
> 810MB TOHDDNB810 $239
I've dealt with them on some SCSI stuff. They we somebody I'd buy again
from.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.4 Hard Drive Installation
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.4.1 Prequel to the step-by-step tutorial
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997 19:09:12 -0600 (CST)
From: DOUGLAS KOCHER <DKOCHER@EXODUS.VALPO.EDU>
Subject: Installing MobileMax: A How-To
It looks like a number of aeronauts are about to embark on installing a Maxtor
MobileMax 1.3G drive in their Aeros. I have had one in mine for about two
months; here are my installation tips:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DISCLAIMER: I'm not responsible for the consequences of your following these
suggestions. They worked for me, but I have changed out many a notebook
hard drive. If you think what follows is beyond your skill level, get someone
to do it for you. And regardless, ANY disassembly of the Aero presents even
an experienced person many opportunities to ruin the computer inadvertently.
In addition, the following procedure will surely void any warranty you have
on your Aero.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Make sure you ground yourself when dismantling the Aero, and especially when
touching the hard drive. Wear a wrist strap that is grounded, or repeatedly
touch a well-grounded object during dismantling and reassembly.
1. Make sure you have the latest ROM upgrade installed on your Aero. Check
the Aero FAQ for where to get it if you're not sure.
2. Be sure you have Compaq Setup Disk 1, SP2054, and Compaq Diagnostics Disk
2, SP2373. These versions appear necessary to allow all 1.3G of the disk to be
seen during fdisk and format (there may be an earlier version that works, but I
_know_ these do. Check the Aero FAQ for locations if you don't have them.
Make sure the disks work by running them before proceeding further.
3. Familiarize yourself with the disassembly procedure outlined in the FAQ for
replacing the HD. DISCONNECT ALL EXTERNAL POWER AND REMOVE BATTERY BEFORE
PROCEEDING.
- note: The harddrive replacement tutorial should be the section
following this primer. (Subject: 2.1.4.4.2 A step-by-step
tutorial) - PW
4. Do _not_ remove the lower of the two screws on back of the Aero next to the
external power supply jack. As the FAQ notes, it isn't necessary and will
greatly increase the chances you'll damage the video ribbon cable or other
parts of the display.
5. I recommend removing the bezel surrounding the screen, as it makes removal
of the upper case half of the Aero much easier. See the FAQ for details on how
to do this. Work slowly and carefully, and don't force anything. Then, remove
the upper case half--again, see the FAQ (as there is no point in my repeating
all of that here).
6. Once the upper case half is removed, unscrew the small screws securing the
keyboard, and fold it over toward you. Do not disconnect the keyboard as it
isn't necessary. Be very careful not to stress the keyboard ribbon cable.
Just let the keyboard lie flat in front of the Aero.
7. Remove the long screw securing the drive carrier to the Aero. Do not try
to disconnect the ribbon cable which runs across the top of the drive and then
makes a right angle turn towards the trackball. It is very easy to damage.
Instead, unscrew the trackball housing. Before lifting the assembly up, pay
particular notice to how the purple trackball buttons fit in the side casing,
as you'll need to put them back exactly that way. Now, lift the trackball
assembly, purple button assembly, and ribbon cable, all attached together,
and lay them over on the left side of the Aero. The drive can now be
accessed for easy removal.
8. Carefully grasp the drive and pull it straight back, then lift it by the
back, up and out. MAKE SURE YOU ARE GROUNDED. DO NOT TOUCH THE UNDERSIDE OF
THE DRIVE OR ANY OF ITS CONNECTORS. Handle the drive by its sides only.
9. Notice how the drive carrier is screwed to the old drive. Unscrew it and
attach it in the same way to the MobileMax. GROUND YOURSELF WHEN TOUCHING
THE MOBILEMAX; HANDLE IT ONLY BY ITS SIDES. Put the old drive in the
MobileMax's static bag for safekeeping. Check with DALCO for inexpensive
adapters to let you use your old 2.5" drive in a desktop (see the FAQ for
parts numbers and phone).
10. Place the MobileMax with carrier properly attached in the Aero, and slide
it firmly forward until it stops. Replace the long carrier screw.
Reassemble the trackball/purple buttons asssembly. Be sure those buttons
go back in the right way, or you'll mash their connector when you replace the
upper case half.
11. Check to make sure the keyboard cable did not pull out of its connectors,
and that the video cable is also firmly attached. Place the keyboard back
in its location and attach the small screws. Do not replace the upper case
half and bezel until you see if the drive works--otherwise you'll just have to
tear into it all over again.
12. Insert the floppy drive card into the PCMCIA slot.
13. Put Setup Disk 1 into the drive (SP2054).
14. Apply external power (DON'T use the battery--it could fail during this
critical setup) and turn on the Aero. It will boot from the Setup floppy
if you have properly copied to the disk. You should hear the MobileMax power
up. It has a strange, two-stage spinup that sounds something like a car
shifting up through gears (at least, after it is installed properly).
15. Follow the directions on the screen.
NOTE: After you fdisk and format the drive, you will not have 1.3G, but
something less (1280MB or therabouts). This is NORMAL; you're not being
cheated by Maxtor--it has to do with how formatted disk space is calculated.
So many people freak out when they see the "missing" MB's. Don't worry!
If you find that you cannot get fdisk to recognize more than 500 MB or so, it
is almost certainly because (a) you do not have the latest ROM upgrade and/or
(b) you don't have the proper Setup/Diagnostic disks. Get the right ones and
things should work.
16. Replace the upper case half and screen bezel, and enjoy that fast little
drive.
Finally, you don't need Disk Mangler or any other dynamic disk overlay program
to use the full capacity of this drive. It just isn't needed, and will add
many complications. Don't use it! The Aero's latest ROM bios fully supports
the capacity of this drive.
Douglas Kocher
dkocher@exodus.valpo.edu
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.4.2 A step-by-step tutorial
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 95 00:27:44 EDT
From: Bill Flynn <billf@gandalf.engr.sgi.com>
with modifications by Philip Wilk
I just upgraded my Aero 4/33c's hard drive from 170mb to 720mb. This process
was remarkably simple. The new drive is an IBM DBOA2720, 12mm 13ms. It was $699
from Micro Sense, CA (800)544-4252. I run Linux and the X Window system on this
and maintain a small dos partition for maintenance tasks not accesible to
PC-UNIX (essentially, a 640k PROM ;-<). I summarize the process below.
These is a procedure that I followed to replace my drive. Use at your own risk.
Replacing your own hardware may likely interfere with your Compaq warranty. I
can not be responsible for any damages incurred should you set out on this
course.
Before removing drive
1. Go into Compaq setup by pressing F10 on bootup when the cursor goes to
the upper right corner of the screen.
2. Select the option to "Create a Diagnostics Diskette". From here feed the
required diskettes and then feel safe that you will be able to restore
this neat little setup partition. NOTE: The setup partition must be the
fist partition on the hard drive so it must be installed before making any
other partitions!
3. Go into "Computer Setup", then into "Storage", then "Configure Fixed Disk
Drives". Write down the all information under "Fixed Disk Drive
Information".
4. Back up any data you need to secondary media ;*)
Drive installation
1. I strongly suggest using a grounding strap. These should be available
from local electronics or hobby shops, if you dont have on already.
2. Carefully disassemble the Aero. There are 4 screws on the bottom, and two
in the rear. All the screws to be removed are black.
!!!!Note!!!!
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 17:05:05 -0500 (CDT)
From: Peter Barrette <barrette@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
I would like to make a correction in the HDD replacement instructions.
Step 2 has the user removing both of the rear screws. Only removal of the
top screw is neccessary while removing both can create difficulty in
handling the screen.
3. There is a "shell" surrounding the keyboard which snaps apart in the
front. Be careful not to scratch the case if prying this with a sharp
object. This peice is somewhat difficult to remove from the hinges of the
display. BE CAREFUL with the ribbon connecting the LCD display to the
internal assembly.
4. The system board and hard drive are located under the keyboard. Unscrew
this again being careful with the ribbon cables connecting the keyboard to
the system board. The keyboard can be laid toward the front, out of the
way.
5. The hard drive can now be accessed. It slides away from the system board(
to the right). Once disconnected, it can be lifted out. Lift it out front
first or the screws on the back may put too much pressure on one of the
circuit boards. There is a vertical tab on the disk mount which has to
clear the ridge across the front of the aluminum system board mount.
6. My IBM drive came with one jumper installed. Without this jumper, the
system didn't recognize the drive at all. I left it off as the 170mb
Segate had pins in the same position non-jumpered. I suspect this has to
do with the IDE master/slave stuff. (my drive expertise is more with SCSI
drives on UNIX workstations and servers).
7. If you are using the IBM DBOA2720, it's drive parameters should be on the
drive label. Mine are as follows: Type: 65
Cylinders: 1400
Heads: 16
Sectors: 63
ECC: 4
Capacity resulting from above = 722.0 MBytes
1400cyls * 16heads * 63sectors/track * 512k blocks = 722534400bytes
8. Switch the drive bracket to the new drive.
9. The installation is the reverse of removal keeping in mind the following
points:
AGAIN, BE CAREFUL WITH THE RIBBON CABLES. Be sure they are all fully seated in
the sockets. When I put mine back together, the display cable was not fully
seated and upon power on, the screen went blue with BRIGHT yellow lines. I then
reseated the cable and when the system came up, the yellow lines were etched
into the display. Fortunately, these gradually went away by the next day. The
display was only up for about 5 seconds like this. I suspect much more may have
fried it so again, please be careful.
Use caution reassembling the "shell" surrounding the keyboard.
The first time the system is booted, it will notice the drive and ask for
confirmation before updating the CMOS drive parameters. Allow this.
Reinstalling setup Boot system the first time from the "setup" diskette. It
will notice that the new hard disk has no diagnostics partition, and suggest
that you create one. Select the option to do so.
Good Luck.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.5 Installing the old drive in your desktop
[C] Date: Mon, 02 Jun 1997 12:51:51 +0200
From: Markus Gebhard <gebhard@fmi.uni-passau.de>
The 2,5"-drive connector has 44pins, this is 4 more than the AT-Bus. They
can be connected by using an adaptor.
I first thought they were counted one row down and the other row up, but
as I found out the standard way is like this:
1 o o 2
3 o o 4
. . . .
. . . .
39 o o 40
so the pin table has to be:
44pin: 40pin:
1 - 40 1 - 40
41, 42 +5V (red)
43 GND (black)
44 N.C. / Jumper??
[C] Phil--I wrote the little part in the FAQ. I don't know the pinouts, but
there are really cheap alternatives to what was in the FAQ available now:
DALCO 1-800-445-5342
48760 2.5 adapter cable w/PS connector $9.50
48755 2.5 hard drive adapter w/PS connector 5.75
50960 2.5 drive ribbon cable 4.85
If your time is worth anything, these prices should discourage you from
making your own cable!
48760 is 48755 with a 12" standard IDE cable. 48755 is just the
adapter, to which you would attach an ordinary IDE ribbon cable leading from
your 3.5" drive to the adapter.
Yes, PS means a power supply connector (the kind that would plug into a
standard computer power supply lead. Only two wires are attached, of course
(for +5V plus neg.).
Doug Kocher
dkocher@exodus.valpo.edu
[C] From: Douglas Kocher - dkocher@exodus.valpo.edu
An adapter for attaching a 2.5" notebook hard drive to a regular desktop's
IDE cable is available for $14.95 + COD charges from DD&TT Enterprise, Inc.,
5680 Rickenbacker Rd., Bell, CA 90201. Their phone number is 213-780-0099.
They will not ship on charge cards, only CODs, which adds about another
$9.00 to the overall price via UPS.
The part # is DT-1958.
The adapter includes an aluminum carrier that allows you to screw the 2.5"
drive onto the carrier, which will then fit into a regular 3.5" drive bay.
My adapter worked flawlessly on an 84MB Quantum HD that I took out of my
Compaq Aero when I upgraded to a 540 MB HD.
NOTE: this adapter also plugs into the right four pins on the 2.5" drive,
which may pose a problem if the drive needs to be jumpered (you can add jumper
pins to the DT-1958 if you don't mind soldering--look closely at the diagram
that accompanies the adapter).
Another source for an adapter, which does not cover the right four pins and
thus allows you to use existing jumpers on the 2.5" drive if needed, is sold
by:
PS Solutions, Inc.
1800 N. Glenville Dr.
Richardson, TX 75081
214-783-6996
214-783-6997 (fax)
I paid $15.00 per adapter for two, plus $3.76 shipping. The part number is
PCB 2.5-3.5-I
Unlike the DT-1958, no carrier is provided for the 2.5" drive to fit in a
3.5" bay.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.6 Fixing the Master Boot Record
From: Philip Wilk
Date: 30 June 1996
So you diddled with your master boot record huh? A good way to futz things
up is to use LILO followed by another program that tries to "fix" things.
The problem will that your second program will get awefully confused by LILO
and to punish you for straying from the Microsoft Path, will make your
computer unbootable.
To fix things, type "fdisk /MBR" from DOS, where MBR stands for master boot
record. This will fix everything, or at least it did for me. Thank you Ryan
Davis for letting me know about this. -Philip
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.4.7 Aero harddrive upgrade list
-- wow! talk about a complete resource! thanks Christian.
The current list can be found at:
http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/aero/aerohard.txt
Aero harddisk upgrade list Ver. 1.9: (June 9, 1997)
This list is intended as an aid for Aero users who want to upgrade
their harddisks in choosing the right one (of course, without any
guarantees).
Note that only 2.5 '' IDE or EIDE harddisks with heights of less
than 12.7 mm fit into the Aero.
Read also http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/aero/aero_drive_install.txt
before upgrading your Aero. It helped me a lot.
Please send any comments on (hopefully) successful (or unsuccessful) harddisk
upgrades to Christian Rausch (crausch@physik.tu-muenchen.de).
I will add them to this list as soon as possible.
If you have time, then please check the performance of your harddisk
with cthdben.exe from the German c't magazine. It can be obtained via ftp
(ftp://ftp.ix.de/pub/ct/pci/cthdben.zip) and reports the weighted
average and the minimum/maximum transfer rate of your harddisk. Note that
you should use plain MSDOS
(no emm386 loaded, no smartdrv or other caches loaded) and
your disk should be as unfragmented as possible to get meaningful
results. It would be best to run this program right after
installation of your new disk. Please tell me the min/max and avg
transfer rates of your disk then. I will add them to this list also.
NEW: The cthdben harddisk benchmark program is now also available from
<http://www.uni-passau.de/~gebhard/aero/ftp/cthdben.zip>
together with an English translation from Markus Gebhard!
Christian
*******************************************************************************
Quantum GLS85A, 84 MB
(Compaq's original Aero 4/25 drive)
cthdben transfer rate:
weighted average = 623 kb/sec,
max. 1058 kB/sec
(measured by Christian Rausch <crausch@physik.tu-muenchen.de>)
Quantum Daytona 256, 721 cyl., 11 heads, 63 sectors
(Compaq's original 4/33c harddrive)
cthdben transfer rate:
weighted average = 873.7 kB/sec,
max. 1420.3 kB/sec
(measured by Markus Gebhard <gebhard@fmi.uni-passau.de>)
Toshiba MK1824FCV, 353 MB, 682 cyls., 16 heads, 63 sectors
(remarks see aero.faq)
IBM DBOA2720, 720 MB, 12mm, 13ms, 1400 cyls., 16 heads, 63 sectors
(upgraded by Bill Flynn <billf@gandalf.engr.sgi.com>,
Peter Barrette <barrette@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>, see aero.faq and
Bob Geer <bgeer@xmission.com>)
Remark:
According to Bill and Bob, this drive needs a master/slave jumper:
the master jumper goes on the pin-pair nearest controller connection pins.
Toshiba MK1926FCV, 814 MB
(upgraded by Philip Lim <plim@uclink.berkeley.edu>
and Bob Dyas <dyas@ukraine.corp.mot.com>)
Western Digital WDAL2540, 540 MB
(upgraded by Kevin Stock <KStock@auspex.com>)
cthdben transfer rate:
weighted average = 602.2 kb/sec,
max. 887.8 kB/sec
(measured by Kevin Stock <KStock@auspex.com>)
IBM DMCA 21440, 1.44 GB, 12.5mm, 700 cyls., 64 heads, 63 sectors
(upgraded by Denis Cheong <dcheong@student.ecel.uwa.edu.au>
and Markus Gebhard <gebhard@fmi.uni-passau.de>)
cthdben transfer rate:
min. 38.9 kb/sec,
weighted average = 1062.6 kb/sec,
max. 1804.5 kB/sec.
(measured by Markus Gebhard <gebhard@fmi.uni-passau.de>)
Conner 340 MB
(upgraded by Denis Cheong <dcheong@student.ecel.uwa.edu.au>)
Seagate 170 MB
(upgraded by Denis Cheong <dcheong@student.ecel.uwa.edu.au>)
Toshiba MK1001MAV, 1 GB, 2098 cyls., 16 heads, 63 sectors
(upgraded by Christian Rausch <crausch@physik.tu-muenchen.de>)
cthdben transfer rate:
weighted average = 1055.4 kb/sec,
max. 1666.7 kB/sec
(measured by Christian Rausch <crausch@physik.tu-muenchen.de>)
Toshiba MK1002MAV, 1083 MB
(upgraded by Werner Kuehnert <kue@zerberus.hai.siemens.co.at>)
Toshiba MK1301MAV, 1.3 GB, 2633 cyls., 16 heads, 63 sectors
(upgraded by Thomas Ott <Thomas.Ott@rz.ruhr-uni-bochum.de>
and Guillo Kleinlein <geklein%pegasus@unser.com.ar>)
cthdben transfer rate:
weighted average = 995.5 kb/sec,
max. 1652.7 kB/sec.
(measured by Thomas Ott <Thomas.Ott@rz.ruhr-uni-bochum.de>)
Toshiba MK1003MAV, 1083 MB, 2098 cyls., 16 heads, 63 sectors
(upgraded by Dieter Collischon <collisch@ld3330tn.esa.nbg.scn.de>)
cthdben transfer rate:
weighted average = 1118,3 kB/sec,
max. 1803.3 kB/sec.
(measured by Dieter Collischon <collisch@ld3330tn.esa.nbg.scn.de>)
Toshiba MK2103MAV, 2.1 GB
(upgraded by Javier Hernandez <fjherna@ctv.es>)
cthdben transfer rate:
min = 40.8 kB/sec
weighted average = 998.2 kB/sec
max = 1617.3 kB/sec
(measured by Javier Hernandez <fjherna@ctv.es>)
Quantum Europa 540AT, 518 MB
(upgraded by Peter Barrette <pbarrette@hotmail.com>
or <ia91166@medicare1.iasd.usa.com>)
cthdben transfer rate:
min = 32.3 kB/sec
weighted average = 885.4 kB/sec
max = 1541.6 kB/sec
(measured by Peter Barrette <pbarrette@hotmail.com>
or <ia91166@medicare1.iasd.usa.com>)
QUANTUM EUROPA540A, 540 MB, 12.5 mm, 14 ms, 3800 rpm, 85 KB Cache
cyl/hd/sec:1179/15/60, BIOS translation: 588/30/60
PWR: Standby 0.5 W, Idle 1.1 W, Read 2.3 W
(upgraded by Karl-Heinz Wietzke <wietzke@physik.uni-paderborn.de>)
cthdben transfer rate:
min 34.4 kb/sec
weighted average = 1074.5 kb/sec
max. 1712.1 kb/sec
(measured at the end of the first 240 MB Partition)
(measured by Karl- Heinz Wietzke
<wietzke@physik.uni-paderborn.de>)
------------------------------
2.1.4.8 External harddrive solutions
[C] Philip Wilk, 06-Feb-97
There are several companies out there that sell kits to convert 2.5" or
3.5" harddrives into external harddrives. This can be either by PCMCIA or
Parallel. I think the best best company is H45 Techonologies, this is the
one I use. I do not think it will work with LINUX. They can be
found at http://www.h45.com/ or 1-800-220-6346. You can also order from
PC-Connection. Right now the parallel kit is $98 and the PCMCIA kit is
$98, but the the PCMCIA kit requires an additional $100 PCMCIA card from
this company. They have drivers for Win 3.1 and Win 95, and possibly
others.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5 Screen
The Compaq aero sports 512kb of display memory and a Tseng chipset, but the
aero reserves half of this memory for Other Stuff. This leave you with only
256kb of display RAM for display purposes. What is this Other Stuff? Hmmm,
I am not sure but I think it has to do with those little pop up windows you
get when you use the Fn key. Some people think it has to do with standby.
- Philip
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.1 The pulsing backlight puzzle
[Q] Has anyone noticed that, when running on AC with a fully charged battery
pack inside, the backlight gets noticeably brighter and dimmer at three second
intervals for about a minute every hour or so? I've got a 4/33C with the
extended life NiMH battery, and thought it might have something to do with the
battery being "topped off" when already full. The symptoms disappear when
running on AC without the battery pack, with the battery alone, or while the
battery is charging.
[A] I have the same problem and I do like you when it appears, I disconnect the
power supply or put away the battery.
[A] I experienced the problem under the MS-DOS 6.2 which came with the system.
I was watching it for a while last night; 70 pulses, each lasting about 1
second, for a period of 4 minutes, every hour--like clockwork. Business Depot
exchanged the unit today.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.2 Screen connection
[C] From: <GStew@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 08:34:39 -0400
... try pressing firmly on the ramp on the
case just above the F3 and F4 keys. If this causes the display to light, then
the contacts on the cable from the screen to the motherboard are dirty...
[Q] My 2 month-old Aero 4/25 monochrome recently developed a "loose connection"
in the wiring between the screen and the CPU so that the screen blanks out when
the clamshell hinge is opened...and the screen works only after you open it
almost fully and then slowly, carefully bring it back to about 110 degrees. The
backlighting still works. I just get a bright, blank screen. I've called
Compaq's product support here in Canada, and they've told me that the "tape
that holds down the ribbon that goes to the screen probably became unseated
within the hinge," and they would fix it under warranty. Has anyone else had
this problem?
[A] Yes. When I opened the case of Aero that ribbon-like cable slipped off the
hinge. I doubt whether it ever was properly seated. Ask them to replace it with
a longer cable if they have one. The original one is definitely too short.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.3 What if my screen is unevenly backlit?
[A] The first one I got had a real uneven screen with a "swirling vortex" of
darkness in the upper left. I returned it for this, and the replacement is MUCH
better. I think that the assemblers used their fingers a lot on the screen when
they assembled them. If you get a nice soft wide FLAT object and rub it across
the screen you can smooth this out somewhat. If you poke your finger on the
screen it will mush out the "LIQUID" in the LCD, and make the screen lighter at
that point. You can use this to your advantage to "even" out the liquid a
little bit. Mine was really spotty from the assemblers fingers, but looks MUCH
better now.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.4 800x600x16 VGA mode
As of yet there is no driver avaliable that provides this mode for an
external monitor, but there is a healthy amount of speculation out there that
it is possible. The aero's built in screen does not have the physical
capacity for such a mode. - Philip
[Q] The on-line documentation states that there is a video driver available for
the Aero which will support 800x600x16 windows video on an external monitor on
the Aero subnotebooks. This video mode would require ... (800x600)pixels x .5
bytes/pixel= 240k video ram (4 bits required per pixel for 16 color depth).
The Aero has 256k of video RAM. This should be doable according to the math. It
is also mentioned in the on-line docs under the section which deals with
"External VGA Monitor connection", but Compaq tech support has disavowed any
knowledge of this driver. When I point their tech support to the mention of it
in the on-line docs, they just say it must have been a mistake. I think they
just did not get it out the door, and no one has pressed them enough to get it
shipped.
Compaq tech support also could not provide the video chip manufacturer, or chip
number, and the tech had no idea what chip it was other than telling me his
docs just said "SLSI video ". I believe that the chip is a Tseng Labs ET4000,
which is capable of 800x600 support.
[A] I have a couple of reasons to think that 800x600x16 WOULD be possible, at
least in theory.
Back when I owned a 286 desktop machine, I had a Trident video card with
256K of graphics memory. I was able to do 800x600 graphics in 16 colors.
In fact, I had Windows drivers (at the time, Windows 3.0 would work on a
286 in real or standard mode, just not 386 enhanced mode) which would run
the display at 800x600x16.
In Fractint (DOS version), I remember that there were several video modes
supported which entailed reprogramming the video hardware; if a VGA
chipset is register-compatible with the IBM VGA spec, then in theory those
chips can be reprogrammed to display 800x600x16, whether or not the chips
can natively handle that resolution! Such tweaked modes worked fine on my
286 system, although the aspect ratio was a little "off" (i.e., the screen
was squashed a bit). Naturally, the native Trident 800x600x16 mode looked
better.
As I said, I was able to get 800x600x16 video on my 256K Trident card. Whether
this will work on the Aero's external display remains to be seen -- the VGA
chip in the Aero might not handle things the same way as the Trident chip(s).
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.5 Special supported 256 color VGA modes
[C] Date: 8 May 1997
From: Philip Wilk
Markus Gebhard <gebhard@fmi.uni-passau.de> has compiled a lot of
information about the 256 color barrier on the aero. These data can be
found at: <http://www.uni-passau.de/~gebhard/aero/video.htm>. Basically,
the gist of it is that there are many different video modes avaliable to
the aero. Some of these video modes require an external monitor that is
about to sync at specific, non-standard frequencies. So far, the only
viewer program that can access these video modes is fractint, which can be
found at: <ftp://ftp.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/coast/msdos/graphics/frain192.zip>.
Also, you may want to check out the 640 x 480 video mode that uses 16
greyscales; according to Mr. Gebhard it looks great. The only downside is
that some of those modes require a 45MHz H-sync. Not all monitors can do
this (mine can not).
[C]
The Aero does provide support for the "unofficial" 360x480x256 mode which is
available (if undocumented) on most video cards. I'm not sure of the mode
number, but I know that it runs full-screen rather than as the chopped-off
320x200 mode. Remember, on an LCD display you can't change physical display
resolution, so things that don't divide into 640x480 evenly (like 640x200,
320x200, 320x400, etc...) are going to get chopped off. 360x480 is in my
opinion a far better solution than 320x200, assuming your program supports it.
[C] Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 13:42:38 -0700
From: Steven Lawson <SLawson@alphamicro.com>
You can't get 256 colors in 640x480 mode because not enough video
ram is available (only 262144 bytes is available, 256 colors needs
307200 bytes). This eliminates hi-res Windows and anything else
needing 640x480. You CAN get 256 colors in DOS with certain
image viewers in a 360x480 mode. Compushow (CSHOW) does this
very well and it's what I use.
There's also a viewer for Windows someone on the list mentioned
which does a pretty good job dithering with 16 colors. I've
played with it and it was the best I've seen under Windows, but
still nowhere near as clean as CSHOW under DOS (or a DOS session)
This is the biggest limitation of the Aero.... :(
Note: I think the program for windows is lprint. - Philip
[C] From: Miguel Angel <magalan@lander.es>
Subject: INTERNET PHOTOS IN 256 COLORS
Many people in the Aero list have said that they cannot recognize photos
while they are in Internet. Well, there is a trick I use to view them in 256
colors; I use a picture viewer called PV, in the Netscape helpers you can
set the JPG and GIF (and all the others) to launch this application that
runs in Dos, and when you click with the right mouse button to view a
picture then launches the PV in Dos and I can view the image in 256 colors
in low resolution.
I don't know exactly where I get this application, i think I downloaded it
from Shareware.com and it works great with all formats.
Best regards.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.6 Special supported text modes?
It all depends on the number of vertical lines. On a CRT display it doesn't
matter how big the screen that is projected by the guns is, the phosphors will
be lit where they get hit - hence you can display 640x480, 640x400, etc in the
same vertical sized screen, the pixels are in no fixed position on the front of
the display On a LCD display such as your Aero, there is only 480 vertical
lines of display, and each pixel is fixed - you can't display 400 lines over
the whole of the vertical screen without some rows becoming 2 physical lines,
which would be a hassle to implement and would look terrible. The result is
that when you use other than a complete multiple of 480 vertical scan lines
then it displays it on only 400 or so of them, and centres those used
vertically, resulting int what you were describing. In my travels, I've found
that either one of 43 (EGA) or 50 (VGA) vertical lines have produced a full
screen of text... try one of those.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.7 Screen hinge problem (the darn "clutch")
[C] For pictures of this problem check out the aero page at:
"http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/aero_stuff.html" and look for "photos of the
hinge problem (aka the clutch)".
[C] For a diagram of the clutch area look at Figure 3-12 under "Diagrams of the
Aero" on the previously mentioned page.
[Q]Wait a minute.. There are two part #'s for the right hinge? What's the
difference between the two hinges?
[A]From: Land Shark <lndshrk@xmission.com>
Subject: Re: Hinge replacement part #
Actually FOUR numbers, depending on 4/25 or 4/33 and whether the "assembly" or
"spare part" (you want the spare part). Here's the data ..
Assembly Spare Part
4/25 190638-001 185099-001
4/33 190638-002 199336-001
[Q]How do I keep the clutch from breaking?
[A]Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 11:43:31 +0800 (WST)
From: Denis Cheong
Subject: Re: Reinforcing the clutch with washers (was Re: Spare parts?)
> Should the washer go between the head of the screw and the outer case?
> Also, which of the two screws? Top or bottom? I open the aero to put my
> 810meg HD in it but can't remember the details of that area inside the
> aero.
It should go between the bar of the clutch and the head of the screw.
The bottom hole (the one closest to the keyboard with the screen open) is
the one where the clutch always breaks, so I would suggest you put it on
that one. There is a sound physics reason for this, which I was going to
try to explain, but my physics is rather weak so after writing it all out
I decided it would only confuse everybody.
[Q] Can you buy the replacement clutch separately if my waranty has expired?
[A] Try PC Service at: 1-800-340-2667 and use the previously mentioned
spare part numbers.
[A] Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 19:13:24 -0500 (CDT)
From: Peter Barrette <barrette@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
I just picked up my new Aero (4/25) clutch today. The spring mechanism is
the same old stuff; spring steel wrapped around the axle to provide
friction. The difference is in the part that attaches to the monitor. The
aluminum is now about 1.5-2 times as thick at the lower screw hole (the
one where the breakage occurs), but it is the same thickness as the old
one at the top.
_ _ *=Screw
(Side View) | | _Top Screw hole (Front View) | | hole
| |_ |*|
| | _Bottom screw hole |*|________
| | |_____| * |
|()| | * |
^ |___|
|__Axle
The process of recieving my new clutch went like this:
Step 1) Go to compaq dealer. "What's that thing called?", "A clutch."
"Are you sure that's the right part number?", "Yes."
"That's not in our computer.", "It's the right part number."
"Well, if that's the right number we'll order it and it will be
in about 3 weeks from now.", "OK."
Step 2) Go to compaq dealer _one_ week later. Pay $33.60 and walk out
with new clutch.
I have found that getting the CPU cover off is much easier if the display
bezel is removed first.
[C] Date: Sat, 29 Jun 1996 02:09:27 -0500 (CDT)
From: Peter Barrette <barrette@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Yes, I am not covered under the three year warranty since I bought my
Aero used. I also did not want to pay $80/hr to my local compaq dealer
for "labor". I ordered part number 185099-001 and received the "clutch
kit" for $33.60 including tax. The kit included:
* The reenforced right clutch
* One screw to attach right clutch to screen
* One axle for left hinge (attached to screen by 2 screws)
* One collar to connect axle to base (slips into collar on base)
* Two screws for left hinge axle
* Improved metal hold-down for screen cable (holds plastic lock in place)
* Two screws for screen bezel
* Two black adhesive disks to cover screw holes on screen bezel
* One black screw to attach right clutch to base
All screws (except the black one) had coated threads to prevent them from
twisting out. The metal hold-down is much better than the original one
which allowed the plastic lock to slip thus creating many display
problems. The screw to attach the right clutch to the screen is a little
bit short in my opinion. It is the same length as the old one, but should
be a few millimeters longer to account for the increase in metal
thickness on the replacement clutch. As soon as I get the time I will
take some pictures of the parts and send them to whomever would like them.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.8 Screen Disassembly
From: purnhage@tnt.uni-hannover.de (Heiko Purnhagen)
Whilst taking my aero apart, I also managed to disassemble the (B/W) display:
After having removed the upper half of the aero, unplug the display cable
from the mainboard and remove the lower of the two screws in the back of
your aero that kept the display in place. Now you can take of the whole
display. To disassemble it, you have to remove the two small round plastic
plates in the lower left and right corner of the display to gain access to the
screws covered by them. Remove these screws and than CAREFULLY unsnapp the
upper half of the display casing (the one arround the screen). If I
remeber it correctly, there are three of these "snapp-in" things on the
lower edge, three on the left and right edges and about four on the
upper edge of the display. Again, you really have to be very careful when
doing this! The display itself is a single unit with a metal chassis - and
below it there is a small PCB containing the circuit to power the backlight.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.5.9 Backlight Replacement
[C]Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 18:43:56 -0500 (CDT)
From: Peter Barrette <barrette@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
If it isn't one thing, it's always another. Having recently replaced
the infamous right clutch I had hoped to get more use out of my Aero.
However I managed to drop the damn thing and break the backlight. The LCD
screen itself is without damage
The backlight in the Aero 4/25 is a small flourescent tube approx. 143mm
long and 3mm in diameter. It is called a CCFL which stands for Cold
Cathode Flourescent Light. Mine also has the number 3121 printed on one
end. I have yet to find a replacement since Compaq only offers the entire
display assembly. I have, nonetheless, outlined the procedure.
If you know where I can get a replacement please let me know.
The Replacement Procedure:
1. Remove the screen bezel (The FAQ has an excellent description).
2. The backlight is located in the white plastic rectangle just to
the right of the LCD screen.
3. Using a small phillips screwdriver, remove the three screws in the
white plastic case. Lift the right edge of the plastic panel up and
pull to the right to remove it. You should now be able to see a
thin, white, plastic film gently folded over.
4. Upon unfolding it can be seen that the other side is reflective
(like mylar). You should also now be able to see a long, white tube
with a white wire coming off of each end. This is the backlight.
5. To remove it, you must unplug the wires from the Backlight inverter
(the small rectangular board at the base of the screen).
6. The wires are also held underneath a small, metal grounding tab
that is held down by the display clutch's top screw.
7. Remove the screw and the grounding tab and remove the CCFL tube.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.6 Keyboard
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.6.1 Aero keyboard diagrams
[Q] I know that this is a screwball request, but I'm looking for a diagram of
an Aero keyboard (English) key layout.
[A] There is layout of all keyboards available in your Aero's manual titled
"keyboard guide" or something. If you don't have one you should ask Compaq to
send it to you since it belongs to product. I don't have scanner around so this
is all I can do for you right now.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.7 Trackball
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.7.1 Replacement Trackball
There was a problem with the first trackball that was shipped with the Aero's.
This occured on all models of the Aero. New units are now shipping with the new
trackball.
The problem was one of being too slick. The ball was polished and shiny. Any
oil, dirt, fluff, etc. that would get under the trackball would cause it to not
work properly. Compaq came out with a "roughed up" version that fixes the
problem. Call Compaq at 1 (800) 841-2761. I believe that this is the only 800
number to call. If you are outside the US, call your local distributor, or call
Compaq directly. They will send you, free, a trackball cleaning kit and a
high-friction replacement trackball. All you have to supply is a serial number
and a shipping address.
or you can sand it down:
From: beloved@pipeline.com (Beloved Recordings)
I don't recall whose brilliant idea it was to sand down his track ball to
create a less sensitive device, but I would like to thank him. I tried it
out with some sand paper I have in the house and I have not had any
problems with the ball yet.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.7.2 Cleaning Trackball
[Q] What can I do when my trackball is not responding?
[A] First make sure you do not still have the original smooth trackball. This
is a known and very common problem. Replace it with the new matte-finish ball
from Compaq or sand it slightly (see above).
In order to clean the trackball you suspend the machine (turning off is
probably better), twist the locking ring to the left, remove it, tip the unit
'til the ball falls out, and then clean rollers and such with a lint-free cloth
and at least 70% isopropyl alcohol. Camera lens paper is good for this, or use
SPONGE-tipped swabs. Cotten-tip swaps such as Q-tips can leave fibers in there
which will mess things up.
[A] Sounds like a case of the classic dirty trackball. Use the "Compaq Learning
Center" and read how to get it out and clean it. One of the rollers is slipping
which makes it look like one dimension is fixed. It happened to me all the time
until I got the new trackball from Compaq. Now it just happens maybe once every
other week and I just wipe around inside the trackball hole for a few seconds
using my shirt tail and pencil.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.7.3 Ballistic Mouse driver?
[Q] Does anyone have drivers/programs which give you "ballistic" mouse
response? The Microsoft Ballpoint Mouse driver has this sort of feature. The
faster you move the trackball, the more distance is covered by every mouse
tick. If you move the mouse very slowly, it might take several revolutions to
get to the other side of the screen. Move it quickly, and you're over with a
flick of your thumb.
[A] The file I've got is lmouse64.zip -- a new version of the Logitech mouse
driver which vastly improves on the one bundled with the Aero.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.7.4 Trackball and left-handedness?
I'm left handed and I like the trackball. Some of the Aero reviewers have
treated left-handedness as a disability. Left handers grow up in a right-handed
world. The Aero trackball is no big deal to worry about.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8 Battery
[C] From: Christian.Rausch@Physik.TU-Muenchen.DE
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 18:33:34 +0000
Subject: 3 C functions
Hi folks,
thanks for your recent answers to my upgrade questions.
Yesterday I disassembled Compaqs charge.com (SP0993) and figured
out how Compaq checks for an Aero, for AC-powering and how the charge
level can be read (Hopefully this was not already discussed here recently,
I am new to this list, so do not blame me, please!)
I also wrote 3 C functions for these tasks. So, here are the
functions (I hope you are interested. I also wrote a commented
assembler source file of charge.com and 2 C-programs that
deal with charge.com and the following 3 functions. In case you are
interested, just drop me a short message. I will send you the files
then (17 kB, zipped)):
int isaero()
{
union REGS inregs, outregs;
inregs.x.ax=0xe800;
int86(0x15,&inregs,&outregs);
if( (outregs.x.cflag) || ((outregs.x.bx & -4) != 0x20c) )
return 0;
return 1;
}
int isacpowered()
{
if( inp(0x1c65) & 0x40 )
return 0;
return 1;
}
int readcharge()
{
int charge;
_disable; /* 8086 CLI instruction */
outp( 0x2065, 0x84 );
charge = inp( 0x2465 );
_enable; /* 8086 STI instruction */
return charge;
}
cu Christian
Dr. Christian Rausch
Fakultaet fuer Physik E21
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
James-Franck-Str.
D-85747 Garching, Germany
Tel. +49 89 289 12185
Fax +49 89 289 13776
email: crausch@physik.tu-muenchen.de
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.1 Battery sources
One of the most interesting features of the Aero is that it takes a battery
that can be purchased at many locations. Fry's Electronics in the San Fransisco
Bay area, Comp USA, Office Depot, Office Max, even Long's Drugs (some
locations) carry this battery. The battery is a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) ,
which is less polluting than Nickel-Cadmium batteries. They also do not have
the "memory" problems which plague Ni-Cads. However, the NiMH batteries
discharge at a faster rate when not in use (24-72 hours typically).
[A]From: Phil Salisbury[SMTP:philsal@ix2.ix.netcom.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 1996 12:53 PM
Compaq Direct at 800-888-3406 is a source for most of the Aero accessories.
Some examples as of 4/17/96 are: Standard Battery #190528-001 is $39
(.696 lb 1500 mAh). Enhanced Battery #190529-001 is $95 (1.09 lb 2300 mAh).
The standard battery is approximately 140mm long. The enhanced
battery is about 212 mm long. The extension is a plastic part that is
required to have the standard battery fit into the Aero. The batteries were
on back-order. These prices are the cheapest that I have found.
[A]From: Paul Mathews <optoeng@whidbey.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 20:12:00 -0700
As I explained in an earlier posting, I have purchased 'Compaq' extended
batteries for $65 each plus $4 shipping from Netstream
International, Richardson, TX phone 214 664 0383. They have other Aero
accessories for low prices as well. I found them by doing an Altavista
search on "Compaq Aero accessories". You will find other vendors that way
as well.
[A] Best I've seen from a local computer shop was $95-99/U.S. I try to find an
A.C. outlet whenever possible. If you do come across a cheaper mail-order
location, could you pass it on?
[A]From: Paul Mathews <optoeng@whidbey.com>
Have a look at "http://www.wwtrading.com/".
Among other items, they have the extended life batteries for $65.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.2 Memory effect in NiMH batteries
[Q] I have an Aero 4/25 with only the small battery. I purchased it used from a
friend, tho he had only a few months on it (wanted money for a car). When I
bought it, the battery would charge up to a reading of 165 or so, while now it
only goes to 157. Being Ni-MH, it shouldn't (as far as I know) suffer from
memory problems as a NiCd would. Any comments?
[A] From what I've read, NiMH does suffer from the memory problem as do the
Litihium-ion batteries. It's just that they are not as suseptible to this
malady. It's still a good idea to condition the battery every now and then.
--Ed. Note: Yes indeedy, the aero battery will develope a nasty memory
unless you discharge it down every now and again. However, do not discharge
it all the way to 0 volts or you CAN DO IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE. Several
methods have been tried to achieve this goal; everything from car
headlamps and electric fans to power cycling the aero. The important thing
to remember is just letting the aero run till _power down_ does not seem to
be enough. You should condition your battery every 45 days or so. At the very
minimum let it discharge three times from full charge without hibernation.
- Philip
Date: Sat, 1 Jun 1996 16:09:59 +0800 (WST)
From: Denis Cheong <dcheong@rand.gp3.ecel.uwa.edu.au>
I was speaking to somebody at a shop called "Batteries Plus" in Osborne
Park, WA Australia the other day about battery dischargers, and he said
that you have to be *VERY* careful about discharging the battery too
much.. He suggested that it should not be discharged below 1V per cell
in the battery pack - i.e. probably 8 volts on our Aeros, assuming there
are 8 cells in it (I think that'd be right). I would tend to believe him
a) because he seemed to know his batteries pretty well; and b) when I was
getting 4+ hours out of a battery and accidentally left it on my 200mA
discharger overnight it only lasted 2 1/2 hours the next charge. It's
okay now after 10 or 15 complete cycles, but it's something to keep in mind.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.2.1 Conditioning the Battery without a conditioner
Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 08:57:47 -0700
To: aero@cs.utk.edu
From: Steven Lawson <SLawson@alphamicro.com>
This is really screwy, but until I build a discharger it's worked
for me:
1) boot into DOS mode (F8, command prompt only)
2) turn on drain mode with the popup function
3) run looping virus checks or something that moves the heads
4) wait till the Aero suspends
5) pop out the battery, pop it in, go to #1
At some point the Aero will do it's 'low battery' beep during the
bootup. At this point, step #4 will never happen. Instead, the
Aero will *EVENTUALLY* shut itself off (no, not a nasty low
voltage crash, power management clicks it off intentionally)
Believe it or not, once I got to this point my Aero ran for another
30 minutes before turning off! I did this a couple of times and
my battery life appears to be back to where it used to be when
it was new... Step #3 is just to make the system discharge
faster - I can't imagine what that 30 minutes would have been
without the heads seeking around.
NOTE - the above is a pretty rude way around the power management
so I can't recommend it. If you try it and YOUR Aero explodes
into a million pieces (or fails in any other way) DON'T BLAME
ME! - any other legalese to avoid court insert here -
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.3 Battery Warning
From: Gary Hong <garyh@sco.COM>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 96 14:06:57 PST
>Also, my power management seems to be out of whack. My battery life
>indicator does not seem to reflect the reality of my battery. The trend
>seems to be like this:
>
>Full char e -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>4/5 -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>3/5 -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>2/5 -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>1/5 -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (BEEP!)
If you charge your battery only when it's fully discharge, then it should
fix your problem a bit. Mine does this:
Full charge -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
4/5 -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
3/5 -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2/5 -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1/5 -> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (BEEP!)
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.4 Batteries discharging too quickly when suspended
[Q] There was a discussion about problems with batteries running out of charge
too quickly. I wonder whether mine could be the same: When I use my Aero with
batteries I can work ca 2-3 hours as usual. But when I suspend a fully charged
machine and resume it after, say, 30 hours nothing happens. It has run out of
charge! I have read that the Aero should be able to stay suspended for weeks.
What's wrong?
[A] Do you have anything set so that the PCMCIA or parallel/serial ports remain
powered when in standby? I know you can do this on the PCMCIA port, and 30 hrs
sounds about right for a PCMCIA modem draining the battery.
[A] I would expect the standby to die after 30 hours. I have set my Aero to
"stdby to hibernate mode". It works OK most of the time, but sometimes when I
restart, my mouse is WHACKO! For now my favorite is just to "FN+Purple Button",
and reboot every time which is 100% reliable. I prefer a cold boot before every
session. It is worth the 42 second wait. Besides I can use that 42 seconds to
lean back and stretch or scratch or something.
[Q] How do I change the settings so that the power to the pcmcia port is shut
off on standby? I couldn't find it using the power management utility.
[A] It's under PowerManagement&Hibernation->PCMCIA -- there's a checkbox
labelled "Leave Card On During Standby". I believe you have to have a card in
the PCMCIA slot in order to get this option listed. It's also the same window
that is displayed when you insert a card (if you have "Display Message When A
Card Is Inserted" turned on) -- to get to the display message checkbox, go to
the PCMCIA page as above and select the OPTIONS button.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.5 Super-fast recharge? Charge indicators?
[Q] My battery seems to recharge in about fifteen minutes. That's not with the
machine running, and not from absolutely zero (as in "left on over the
weekend"), but it is from 0 marks to 5 on the battery check icon. Which brings
up some questions:
Is my battery recharging too fast? Are NiMH cells damaged by rapid recharging?
How much do those battery check marks mean, anyway? Mine seems to go
"5554444444444444442222222222222111000". I don't think I've ever seen three
marks displayed. I assume they represent a voltage measurement. Is there a way
to get higher resolution indications, or technical data on the existing one?
How much computing should I expect after I see zero marks?
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.6 Windows 3.1 Battery Monitor
[Q] The Aero provides low-level support for querying the battery status, so any
program that advertises "APM compliance" should run on the Aero. It's fairly
simple to fetch it, so it would be strange if nobody has written such a
program.
[A] The PowerMonitor does this job very well on my Aero. You can find it as
pwrm151.zip on CICA or it's mirrors in the desktop-directory, I think.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.7 Battery Loose?
[Q] I have the aero plugged into the wall, and yet the aero doesn't think so
(the little light isn't on). I thought I recalled someone saying something
about the battery, so I took it out and sort of wiped it off. This worked.
Transiently.
[A] This doesn't seem right, since the battery should be parallel with the
external power. I can take the battery out when the external power is plugged
in, and it continues to work.
[A] Contact Compaq. You can't do anything to fix this problem on your end. I
had this problem. I complained to Compaq. They sent me another unit.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.8 Please explain the aero battery
[Q] I am completely confused about the battery situation. Are there different
batteries, an extended and a normal? Is the extended battery a different
size/weight? Which of the batteries is this new standard size Duracell? Which
battery comes standard?
[A] They are BOTH duracell batteries, long and oval, with an indentation
running up one side. The mono (my mono 4/25 84 meg drive) came with the short
one, which only fits because of a plastic spacer. The compartment is 2" longer
than the battery. The extended battery fills the whole compartment.
[A] The color Aero 4/33c comes with the extended. The extended fits in the
monochrome Aero 4/25 though.
[Q] How much battery life do people get with a standard 4/80 mono? PcMag said 7
hours, I think, and that was with the Duracell battery. Do Aero owners out
there really get such long life?
[A] Runtime estimates are variable, but it is a whole new world compared with
my Epson luggable. If you keep the light low, and don't use the disk much, you
can get 5-7 hours of continuous use with the extended battery. In practice,
though, you tend to get distracted, do something else. Then the Aero goes to
sleep. I used it on an all-day train trip without swapping batteries. 10 hours
of this sort of use is standard. I usually use the longer battery. The shorter
one lasts about 2/3 as long.
[A] The PCMag tests were pretty low usage; look at the sidebar regarding how
they did the tests. I wouldn't expect that long a life in real-world use. I
normally run my Aero 4/33c (with 12 meg memory) at "medium" battery
conservation, two to three hours at a time running AmiPro. The hard drive
seldom spins down and the display is on during (~100% brightness) the entire
time. I normally have around 2 of the five blocks still filled in on the
battery "status", or supposedly around 40% of the charge left. I haven't yet
managed to fully drain the battery through actual use (only by intentionally
turning off all battery conservation and letting it sit). Unfortunately, I also
haven't had the opportunity to time the length of time it takes to drain a full
battery.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.8.9 Recharging in the auto
[Q]From: mike_sankey@prodigy.com (MR MICHAEL E SANKEY)
Date: 8/2/96 11:06 PM
If the aero only takes 12 V to operate, does anyone have any
experience plugging the Aero directly into a car's 12 V outlet via
direct wiring? If the output current isn't too strong for the
notebook, this should be possible instead of going through a costly
adapter. At peak output, a car alternator usually puts out about 14
V, still less than the power supply's max output.
[A]Date: Fri, 02 Aug 96 17:46:09 CST
From: dwiebold@cclink.aus.etn.com
Yes! It works just fine. Sometimes I charge my aero on the way to
work using the cigar adaptor and power wire that came with a whistler
radar detector. A fuse in the line is a good idea I would suggest.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.9 Ports
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.9.1 Is the printer port an EPP port?
See also section 3.1.1.3 on EPP upgrade software.
[C] From: Martin Ramsch <ramsch@fmi.uni-passau.de>
Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 21:50:17 +0200 (MET DST)
Hello!
As you might know, I have the parallel port version of Iomega's Zip
Drive and tried to get fast EPP transfers with my Aero.
I don't have much hopes anymore of getting it to work.
The facts as far as I know them are:
1) There exist two slightly different EPP standards:
a) 'old style' EPP aka EPP 1.7
b) IEEE 1284 EPP 1.9
For further details you might have a look at the manual of the
"parallel.exe" utility
<URL: ftp://ftp.mcc.ac.uk/pub/micro-controllers/PIC/para14.zip >
or see
<URL: http://www.fapo.com/ieee1284.htm >.
2) Our Aero has an IEEE 1284 EPP 1.9 style parallel port.
Compaq Technical Support answered me:
| Correct Compaq used EPP 1.9 for the LPT port of the Aero. Compaq
| does not offer a special driver to convert this backwards to 1.7,
| sorry.
3) The Zip Drive software (and hardware?) only supports EPP 1.7.
I called Iomega's European hot-line and they seem to be quite
competent. Unfortunately they told me, that it's actually EPP 1.7
only. And there won't be any futher development (at least for Win
3.1, that's what I asked for).
And Iomega European Technical Support, Ireland, answered me by
email:
| Ihre Nachforschungen stimmen. Es funktioniert nicht mit EPP 1.9.
| Wir senden keine Source-Codes aus.
(Your investigations are right. It doesn't work with EPP 1.9.
We don't send source codes.)
BTW, beside the ASPIPPM1.SYS driver (with *.ILM files) there also
exists an ASPIPPM2.SYS driver (with *2.ILM files), but I tested
all of them and it doesn't help either.
==> Conclusion: we're stuck with byte or nibble mode.
(at least for Win3.1, not sure about Win95)
I hope with this article I can save someone all the time I spent on
figuring out the details ...
Regards,
Martin
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.9.2 Mouse on serial port
[Q] Problem One: I got a serial mouse to work in DOS no problem with the driver
that they supplied. However, the windows environment defaulted to the
trackball. So I used setup to modify it for use with a logitec mouse (what I
have) but then I lost the ability to return usage to the compaq trackball and
its nifty driver. I had to restore the setup using my tape backup. Is there an
easy way to switch back and forth between serial and trackball?
[A] This is what I did: in the mouse subdirectory in the file mousedrv.ini you
need to change two entries in the [Global] section:
ForcedConnection=Off
SearchOrder=Serial, PS2, Bus, Inport
(Read the file mousedrv.txt to understand what you are doing.) This will cause
the mouse driver to search for a mouse on the serial ports first before looking
for the trackball. Reboot the machine, whenever you attach or remove a mouse.
It works fine with my el-cheapo mouse when it is set to emulate a Microsoft
mouse. Automatic recognition does not appear to work with the PC-Mouse
(Mouse-Systems?) mode.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.9.3 PS/2 Mouse port
[Q] Problem Two: The dorky port expander only takes a PS/2 mouse and I have a
fairly new logitech serial mouse that I like. Is there a adapter to go from DB9
to PS/2? I have not been able to find one. I don't want to buy the port
expander till I know it will be useful... I am on a budget (read: poor
student). Perhaps somebody knows the pin mapping on the PS/2 and DB9 so that I
can make an adapter myself ...
[A] Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 17:12:55 +0200
From: Kristjan Plaetzer <kristjan@sepp.che.sbg.ac.at>
A normal serial mouse can not be used on the PS/2 mouse port. Even the
available "serial-to-PS/2" adapters do not help. The signals and the
protocol is too different. Only a PS/2 mouse does work on a PS/2 port. By
the way there are some kind of "combined-mice" just as Microsofts
"Serial/Mouse Port Compatible Mouse 2.0" (Nr. 58264) and Logitechs MouseMan
M-CJ13 and TrackMan T-CC2-9F. The owner of such a Logitech-mouse can use a
Sub-D-plug. Here is the pin-mapping for such an adapter:
6 # 5 1 2 3 4 5
4 3 6 7 8 9
2 1
PS/2 Sub-D-plug for Logitech
1 -------------------- 9 (Data)
3 -------------------- 5 (Gnd)
4 -------------------- 8 (+5 V)
5 -------------------- 1 (Clock)
The diagram shows the view onto the contacts and not onto the soldering
side. This special solution is only possible for those two Logitech-types,
no other serial mouse is able to use the PS/2 signals.
Kristjan Plaetzer
[A]Subject: Mouse pin diagrams
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 16:18:48 -0400
From: Reed Wade <wade@cs.utk.edu>
http://csgrad.cs.vt.edu/~tjohnson/pinouts/
is a fine collection of pinouts and likely has what you
need whether it's a sun2 vme connector or something useful
[A]From: Philip Wilk
Beware of the serial to PS/2 adapters. They do not always work, from
experience I know that the brand of mouse is an important variable.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.9.4 Serial Port (16550AF UART)
Yes the aero has a 16550AF UART. Try running MSD _after_ you exit windows.
- Philip
[C] Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 23:08:39
Subject: Re: modem problem
From: geklein%pegasus@unser.com.ar (Guillo Kleinlein)
I just remembered that at http://www.usr.com you can acces
USRobotics' ftp site, where many utilities can be