Epocdigest V1 # 538

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Epoc Digest Fri, 11 Jun 2004 Volume 01 : Number 538

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Sent to: 764 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 10 messages:

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- P7/netbook questions

- Re: Reading SD Cards on the S7/netBook/mBook

- Fontmachine/Neuon

- Tom's questions

- RE: SD-CF

- Fontmachine

- SD cards, non-booting netBook, space bar, USB.

- RE: Looking for a Temp - "cleaning" Macro

- Avoiding PC browsers by using Opera for EPOC

- Re: Fonts, CF MBook to 5MX, Su7rfin' Psions,

*++++++++++&

Date: 10 Jun 2004 08:14:09 +0100

From: Ian Chapple

Subject: P7/netbook questions

Tom,

>> I would like to be able to view and send email image files straight from my digital camera's SD card on my psion 7. Does anyone know if this is possible? The only CF to SD adapters i have found require that the SD card protrudes from the adapter, this is obviously of no use for the 7 as it has a CF tray. Is it possible to read files direct from the PCMCIA port? i.e. could i connect my SD card into my CF to SD card adapter and then connect this with a CF to PCMCIA adapter and be able to read the files!?<<

I don't know if a SD-CF adapter inside a CF-PCMCIA adapter would work, though I guess there's no reason why it shouldn't. I use a CF-PCMCIA (now known as PC card) adapter in my netbook, and this works fine. I have certainly seen adverts for SD-PC card adapters, but have no experience of these, so have no idea if they would work in a P7/netbook; I imagine yes, but don't know for certain.

>>Secondly, I have a psion netbook that seems to be having problems. on start up (all batteries just inserted) I simply get a blank screen, no request for the bootable CF. It is not possible to turn the machine off, i have to remove the batteries to do this. Any ideas?<<

Sorry, can't help you with this.

>>Thirdly, does anyone know how p7 keys connect to the machine? one end of the spacebar has come unstuck - is this critical? Can keys be safely removed without damaging them?<<

I have read articles (try PDA-portal) about users dismantling their keyboards, so I guess it is possible; how easy this is is another matter.

>>Is it possible to connect a USB device to the p7? Through the PCMCIA slot?<<

I expect that this is not possible, due to a lack of drivers.

>>Lastly, and this has probably been asked already, but has anyone had any success using WIFI with a P7/Netbook? Is there any literature on this?<<

I bought my netbook *only* because a wanted to use a Psion with our home WiFi network; I was more than happy with my trusty Psion 7, which is now sat in a drawer, waiting for the day when it can burst back onto the scene and prove its worth once more.

I use a buffalo low-profile (ie. thin) WiFi card in my netbook, and it's an excellent combination. Only certain chipsets are supported, so many cards, and I guess all of the latest generation of cards (IEEE 802.11g, 54MBps) will not work, so choose carefully.

One thing to look for in a card is WEP; this is a basic, not terribly robust, form of encryption, which helps prevent outsiders from snooping your network. If you have any devices on your network which don't support WEP, then you will have to disable WEP for the whole network, which is definitely not recommended. There are one or two Digestees who think that, just because you are using a Psion, your wireless data is magically protected; it's not.

Hope this helps, cheers, Ian.

*++++++++++&

Date: 10 Jun 2004 09:22:00 +0100

From: Marcus von Cube

Subject: Re: Reading SD Cards on the S7/netBook/mBook

Tom,

>I would like to be able to view and send email image files straight from my digital camera's SD card on my psion 7. Does anyone know if this is possible? The only CF to SD adapters i have found require that the SD card protrudes from the adapter, this is obviously of no use for the 7 as it has a CF tray.

Your S7 still has the PC Card slot on the right! So you can plug the SD to CF adapter in an CF to PCMCIA adapter or you can try to find the "SanDisk SD PC Card Adapter" (numbers on the back are:

N217 and 20-90-00054). The latter works fine for me.

The CF to PC card adapters are generally cheap because they do not involve any electronics, they

just bridge the mechanical differences. On the other hand, SD card adapters are more expensive because SD cards (and the similar MMCs) have a different controller logic and therefore the adapter is a more complicated device with some electronics in it.

Marcus

http://www.mvcsys.de

*++++++++++&

Date: 10 Jun 2004 09:51:13 +0100

From: Philip Carlisle

Subject: Fontmachine/Neuon

For Itamar

You asked about removing Fontmachine. Not much help to you, but of interest to me is that, although it is in good working order on my Psion, and is listed under Add/Remove, I can find no .exe file. Under System/Fonts is a Fontmachine .dll, under System/Install is a Fontmachine .SIS and under System/Libs is a Freetype .dll (some of the Fontmachine code was, I believe, based on work by Freetype).

More positive news to your query about Neuon being active is *yes*, at least for taking money, as I've just paid for registering nConvert with them.

Regards

Philip Carlisle

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*++++++++++&

Date: 10 Jun 2004 14:42:02 +0100

From: Richard

Subject: Tom's questions

Jeesh Tom, you ask a lot of questions!

This looks like it should work, (from Archos): http://www.archos.com/products/prw_500587.html?sid=j22k2s2yby32k34bykcoc4 The best price I have found is about £35 GBP.

I’ve got the Archos 20Gb Jukebox. Archos seem to be constantly pushing for new technology, and mixing together different ideas. I rate them highly. My Jukebox is like the iPod, but simply cheaper (and I think better in all ways except size, looks and weght). I’ve been wanting to get one for ages, but I’m just not rich enough.

Nope!

>>Thirdly, does anyone know how p7 keys connect to the machine? one end of the spacebar has come unstuck - is this critical? Can keys be safely removed without damaging them?<<

Having dropped my netBook, the spacebar “fell off”. I wouldn’t feel nervous removing all the keys from my Psion, if I needed to . There’s a teeny metal bar (like a straightened paperclip) on the underside of the spacebar itself that clips into u-shaped holders on the body of the Psion. If you need more description, let me know.

>>Is it possible to connect a USB device to the p7? Through the PCMCIA slot?<<

Through a USB -> Serial adaptor, yes.

>>Lastly, and this has probably been asked already, but has anyone had any success using WIFI with a P7/Netbook? Is there any literature on this?<<

Two answers: Yes, and I’m sure. But: It seems there is (at last!) a growing body of opinion that thinks that using a Psion and WiFi for internet access isn’t particularly worth it, as the Psion apps don’t cope with many of the modern capabilities of the modern www.

>>PS - has anyone else heard about this NHS - Psion contract?<<

No, but do tell more!

Richard

"The scientific method can never *prove* that a sunset is beautiful" - Me

*++++++++++&

Date: 10 Jun 2004 15:01:24 +0100

From: Fergus Flanagan

Subject: RE: SD-CF

Tom said.....

I would like to be able to view and send email image files straight from my digital camera's SD card on my psion 7. Does anyone know if this is possible? The only CF to SD adapters i have found require that the SD card protrudes from the adapter, this is obviously of no use for the 7 as it has a CF tray. Is it possible to read files direct from the PCMCIA port? i.e. could i connect my SD card into my CF to SD card adapter and then connect this with a CF to PCMCIA adapter and be able to read the files!?

Hi Tom,

You should have a look at the Minolta SD-CF1 which is the only SD-CF adapter which allows a flush fit. I faced a similar problem as my ipaq 4350 uses SD and I wanted to be able to view photos from my CF (Nikon 4500 camera). Unfortunately this solution would render my CF cards as useless since I would be using the SD-CF adapter in the camera and then slotting out the SD to view the photos in my ipaq (this only really applies if I were on a trip, otherwise I can wait until I get home). It looks like that a lot of new pdas are using the SD cards now.

Hope this helps

Fergus :)

*++++++++++&

Date: 10 Jun 2004 18:19:45 +0100

From: J. Hamwee

Subject: Fontmachine

Itamar Engelsman wrote:

>> I would like to remove the Fontmachine program again but can't find how to remove it. Can someone please tell me which files I should remove ? The program does not appear on the Add/remove in the control panel and does not appear in the System\App folder.

It does appear in Add/remove on my S7 (with netbook chip) as Font Machine 1.05 although not in

strict alphabetical order. You may need to hit the F key a number of times. If you cannot find it, here is the information from the FontMachine FAQ:

QUOTE

If you must uninstall FontMachine, close all applications first, and then uninstall FontMachine.

On some machines normal uninstallation does not work. If this happens to you, try removing FontMachine like this:

a.. Close all applications

b.. Rename the Fonts folder in the System folder on the drive you have FontMachine installed on to aaaFonts.

c.. Perform a soft reset.

d.. Delete FontMachine.dll from the renamed aaaFonts folder

e.. Rename aaaFonts back to Fonts.

f.. Perform a soft reset.

g.. Now uninstall FontMachine using Add/remove again.

After uninstalling FontMachine, or after removing a font file, the font name and the actual text that you have entered in your document are still available. The text will simply be shown using a built-in bit map font.

Note: If you have other programs that use the C library, it is possible that when you uninstall FontMachine, the C library is removed too. Contact mBrain Software if this happens to you.

UNQUOTE

Hope this helps

FWIW I used FontMachine quite intensively at one time, even to insert Hebrew characters in Word and Data files and I do not recall having any problems with it.

Regards

Joseph Hamwee

*++++++++++&

Date: 10 Jun 2004 22:58:35 +0100

From: Trygve Henriksen

Subject: SD cards, non-booting netBook, space bar, USB.

Greetings!

robertsont wrote:

> Is it possible to read files direct from the PCMCIA port? i.e. could i

> connect my SD card into my CF to SD card adapter and then connect

> this with a CF to PCMCIA adapter and be able to read the files!?

As long as the SD to CF card doesn't need any drivers, it should work fine.

(I habitually use a CF to PCMCIA card adapter, and even some PCMCIA Flash disks in my netBook)

> Secondly, I have a psion netbook that seems to be having problems.

> on start up (all batteries just inserted) I simply get a blank screen, no

> request for the bootable CF. It is not possible to turn the machine off,

> i have to remove the batteries to do this. Any ideas?

OUCH!

Try removing the two panels directly underneath the screen.

There should be a memory module under the rightmost one.

Remove and insert it to make certain it is seated properly.

If there's no module there, look under the leftmost one.

If there's no module there, either, you're up the creek as it not only contains the RAM, but also the BOOT ROM.

> Thirdly, does anyone know how p7 keys connect to the machine?

> one end of the spacebar has come unstuck - is this critical? Can

> keys be safely removed without damaging them?

Pull in the middle of the upper edge of the spacebar and it should pop loose.

Then swing it up and pull it free.

To reattach it, slide the ends of the metal string into place, click the lower part of the white plastic lock into place and swing the upper edge down.

Then push firmly directly on top of the white plastic(in the middle of the bar) and it should click into place.

> Is it possible to connect a USB device to the p7? Through the PCMCIA

> slot?

Nope.

Not unless you also want to write the driver software for it...

(Including setting up whatever else is needed in the OS)

:-)

Trygve

WHEE! I'm getting a S3c with backlight soon!

*++++++++++&

Date: 11 Jun 2004 05:44:43 +0100

From: Gianluca Gallino

Subject: RE: Looking for a Temp - "cleaning" Macro

ciao all!

thanks to the kind help of Chris Handley, here is the rewritten version

of such a macro:

PROC main:

TRAP DELETE "c:\system\temp\*.$$$"

TRAP DELETE "c:\system\temp\*.tmp"

ENDP

For all those who may be interested in it, Chris himself wrote a nicer one

then and here it is:

PROC main:

LOCAL deleted%

IF DIR$("c:\system\temp\*.$$$") <> ""

TRAP DELETE "c:\system\temp\*.$$$"

deleted% = -1

ENDIF

IF DIR$("c:\system\temp\*.tmp") <> ""

TRAP DELETE "c:\system\temp\*.tmp"

deleted% = -1

ENDIF

IF deleted%

GetFocus:

ALERT("Deleted some temp files!")

ReleaseFocus:

ENDIF

ENDP

cheers

gianluca

*++++++++++&

Date: 11 Jun 2004 18:01:38 +0100

From: Kevin Thorne

Subject: Avoiding PC browsers by using Opera for EPOC

Before I give up on Web and have to resort to a PC for my surfing I've decided to give Opera one more go. I've found V5.14 (is this the latest) in the form of a SIS file stuffed in the dark recesses of my S7 and have just installed it. My S7 has the RAM module upgrade (so usually has around 17Mb - 18Mb free) so I'm hoping I won't be plagued by memory problems as the rather large app itself is installed on "D". I'm interested in other user's experiences, especially compared to using Web and also regarding accessing the more sophisticated sites that Web just can't handle. I think I'm correct in saying it can mimic IE5 to get access to certain sites? Any feedback gratefully received before I start exploring its abilities myself!

Regards

Kevin Thorne

*++++++++++&

Date: 11 Jun 2004 18:30:31 +0100

From: Korbinian Demmel

Subject: Re: Fonts, CF MBook to 5MX, Su7rfin' Psions,

Hi Itamar

> ...Well, for

> one reason or another the mBook got into a loop of

> resetting itself continuously and in the end I did

> a hard reset before finding out too late that

> opening the CF-card tray (all programs are on my

> CF-card) helped as well.

>> Bad luck Itamar! When plBeam had expired, and I tried to start it via the controlpanel, the Psion also reseted. Fortunately not in loop because I had to start it manually. Perhaps this is the same bug!

The trick with the cf-card is always good! Of course it wouldn't have worked if you had installed fontmachine on C:. Although, providing your '\System\Data\wsini.ini'-file was not on C:, you had the change to use another one, to backup some date (via comms-app) or even to write a c-program which deletes the fontmachine files or modifies the "startup"-file.

btw: Do anybody know which file controls which servers, scripts or programms are started at boot time? There have to be one havn't it?

> Can someone

> please tell me which files I should remove ? The

> program does not appear on the Add/remove in the

> control panel and does not appear in the

> System\App folder.

>>First idea: Just reinstall fontmachine and uninstall ist again.

Second ide: Fontmachine appears in the control panel right? Therefore the files have be located in '\system\controls'.