November 9, 2012 at 02:16Handspring Visor Edge or Short Course Adaptation for Time Travelers
Last Sunday, I, like many times before, idly wandered around one of the two flea markets of St. Petersburg, fueled by hopes of finding an abstract "something interesting and inexpensive." Unfortunately, even among the artifacts of the technogenic era excavated from garbage bins, these two points are rarely combined. However, this time I was lucky - already on the way to the exit, I grabbed vaguely familiar forms on one of the trays out of the corner of my eye and after a few seconds already twisted a pair of handhelds in my hands. “50 for each. And I have no idea if they work, ”came the seller’s voice from somewhere over his shoulder. At this very moment, I realized that I would not leave the market empty-handed today.
35 rubles is not a very big price even for a theoretically non-working PDA. And this is a negligible price for a piece of history. Well, or for the components into which this fragment can be disassembled. Therefore, I returned home as the happy owner of two PDAs with the Palm OS system on board. The couple in the photo above are the Palm VIIx, released in 2000 and the Handspring Visor Edge, released in 2001 (this particular handheld was released in December 2002, judging by the sticker inside). The condition of the two computers was diametrically opposite - Edge was in perfect condition, no scratches on either the aluminum case or the screen, while the VIIx flaunted a strip of scotch tape and scuffs throughout the case.
The first exhibit is Palm VIIx. The device operates on two AAA batteries, so all that was required for it was to thoroughly clean and dry all the boards inside and, in fact, equip the device with fresh batteries. By technical specifications, Palm VIIx are the quintessence of black and white “palm trees” - typical Motorola DragonBall EZ with a frequency of 20 MHz, a screen 160x160, 8 MB RAM, 2 MB ROM, Palm OS 3.5 and, of course, IrDA port located on the top butt. However, it has its own zest. Did you notice the antenna located on the side of the device (I first mistook it for a stand or part of some kind of mount)? At one time, this handheld was able to connect to a Mobitex wireless networkand for a very reasonable fee ($ 14.95, according to Wikipedia) allowed the owner to use a number of Internet services, access to which was implemented through separate applications. As you can see, on Palm VIIx mobile applications for sites were still back when it was not mainstream . Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to use the services of this network - all that the PDA gives when trying to connect is a screen that informs about the charging of the transmitter: Also, I Found a number of rather interesting design features in this device. For example, the contacts for the dock are covered by a spring-loaded sliding cover (bottom on the device on the right):
Another fun feature that the photo above demonstrates is the unusual configuration of the battery compartment contacts (on the right in the photo is the Palm m125, which was released a few years later). I don’t know about you, but it seems to me familiar and reasonable to make a spring-loaded contact for the battery “minus”. As you can see in the photo, Palm engineers had a different opinion - in VIIx one of the batteries has a spring loaded, and the other has a plus. Plus on both batteries is springy on the m125 (which makes it harder to remove the batteries from the compartment, especially for people with short nails).
Another charming touch is a separate screen contrast control located on the back of the device:
Unfortunately, without the possibility of using wireless networks, this PDA turns into a rather ordinary device based on Palm OS, which, moreover, has very small dimensions, so it will go to the desk drawer until I figure out what to do with it. Although you should pay tribute to the quality of the device - neither rain, nor snow, nor eyes for 13 years did not particularly affect the device, it does not even creak when trying to twist it.
Well, now about the device, the name of which is indicated in the title of the article and which fascinated me the moment I picked it up - Handspring Visor Edge.
Unfortunately, despite the excellent condition of the device itself, there was no standard aluminum cover for the screen and a stylus in the kit. I decided that buying a kit for $ 50 from ebay for a device for a dollar was not comme il faut, so I simply twisted the stylus mount - for this model, it was attached not inside, but outside the case, to reduce the size of the case. Speaking of the case - the handheld itself is simply damn stylish, starting from the aluminum case with a translucent insert along the perimeter and ending with the engraved logo and LED in the power button. The thickness is about 11 millimeters, which is a good result for the year of release (2001). In technical specifications, it differs from VIIx only in a new processor - Motorola DragonBall VZ @ 33MHz. By the way, both PDAs have built-in backlight, which is activated by a long press on the power button. It looks like this:
The main feature of this device (as well as almost all devices of the Handspring Visor family) is the presence of the Springboard expansion port . On this device, unfortunately, the developers abandoned the full-sized port, replacing it with a connector for an adapter to reduce the size: The variety of modules for this expansion slot is amazing - from simple 8MB flash drives for backup, programs and adapters for memory cards (SmartMedia, SD and CompactFlash) to GPS modules, GSM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth adapters, cameras, MP3 players and even massagers. The device itself even has a built-in microphone for the telephone module (funny, but apparently without this module it is impossible to use the microphone - it is output directly to the expansion port).
Unlike the Palm VIIx, Edge already uses a built-in battery, which, on the one hand, is wonderful (looking ahead - the battery, like the PDA itself, was preserved just fine - I charged it on Sunday, periodically playing with it for the last five days and it’s still shows a full charge), but, on the other hand, a charger, or rather a docking station, is required to charge it, as indicated by the complete absence of any separate charging connectors. And this could mean only one thing - the time has come to look for documentation on the pinout of the cradle connector. Fortunately, an official document was found on the networkin which devices of the entire Visor family were described in great detail. To begin, I soldered the wires directly to the connector pins to check the PDA. To my great pleasure, after connecting to a 5-volt power supply, Edge briskly blinked a green diode and started up. However, with a tail of wires sticking out of a PDA, you can’t get far, right? At this point, I have already matured a plan to adapt the handheld to modern realities.
Unfortunately, Visor Edge does not have a memory card slot. This means not only that we will be limited to only 8 MB of memory, but also that the only way to throw something on the handheld will be synchronization. In our case, there are two ways - through a cable or through IrDA. I do not have a cable, as well as an IrDA receiver. As well as the desire to spend money on a cheaply bought PDA once again. In addition, at this point I had already discovered that in addition to the expected UART, the standard USB Data was also output on the dock connector. Well, and besides, I have long had a miniUSB connector lying on my desktop. It was he who I decided to use for charging and synchronization. The hack, in fact, is incredibly primitive - there was quite a lot of space inside, and all that had to be done was to solder 4 wires directly.
I chose a place near the battery. Due to the design features, the battery in the rigid case is fixed motionless, which will allow me to push the connector into it, without fear of harming the battery, and avoid the need to invent a method for fastening the port in the case. However, due to the small height of the case, I had to make a cut in the wall and part of the protective cover of the screen. Of course, I also need a hole in the case, more precisely in a plastic insert that runs along the edge of the PDA. All because of the same height restriction, I decided that I should pervert a little with the printed circuit board and solder the connector like this: This allowed me to add a base from PCB, but the height of the whole structure did not change, remaining equal to the height of the miniUSB port . The next step is to install it in the case:
The hole in the plastic insert is cut so that the port fits into it tightly. This additionally fixes it in one position. On the left in the photo is the cradle connector itself. Two tinned contacts - those to which I soldered for the first charge. The final stage. All that remains is to put the back cover back in place. Ready port. It looks quite organic, it is adjusted in height so as not to protrude beyond the boundaries of the plastic frame, so it does not interfere with holding the device in your hand. The handheld is charging from the USB port of the laptop. There is also no problem with synchronization, although I had to install a virtual machine with XP-HotSync via USB on a 64-bit seven, it refuses to work outright.
Despite the primitiveness, even at the time of release, for iron, this handheld impressed me. The design (I like only the PDAs from the Clie series from Sony), the ability to hold the charge in standby mode for a week (or even more), low power consumption and a black and white screen that reads well in bright sunshine. Now I carry it in my bag, like a notebook (thanks to graffiti, synchronization with a PC and the ability to live long on a single charge) and a reader for emergency cases when everything, including a mobile phone, sits down.
PS I would like to thank the alexmay habrayuzer who contacted me after this article, and his postabot.ru package tracking servicefor a free replenishment for my palm family, Palm T | X, which is likely to become the central theme of the next post. Do not switch!
35 rubles is not a very big price even for a theoretically non-working PDA. And this is a negligible price for a piece of history. Well, or for the components into which this fragment can be disassembled. Therefore, I returned home as the happy owner of two PDAs with the Palm OS system on board. The couple in the photo above are the Palm VIIx, released in 2000 and the Handspring Visor Edge, released in 2001 (this particular handheld was released in December 2002, judging by the sticker inside). The condition of the two computers was diametrically opposite - Edge was in perfect condition, no scratches on either the aluminum case or the screen, while the VIIx flaunted a strip of scotch tape and scuffs throughout the case.
The first exhibit is Palm VIIx. The device operates on two AAA batteries, so all that was required for it was to thoroughly clean and dry all the boards inside and, in fact, equip the device with fresh batteries. By technical specifications, Palm VIIx are the quintessence of black and white “palm trees” - typical Motorola DragonBall EZ with a frequency of 20 MHz, a screen 160x160, 8 MB RAM, 2 MB ROM, Palm OS 3.5 and, of course, IrDA port located on the top butt. However, it has its own zest. Did you notice the antenna located on the side of the device (I first mistook it for a stand or part of some kind of mount)? At one time, this handheld was able to connect to a Mobitex wireless networkand for a very reasonable fee ($ 14.95, according to Wikipedia) allowed the owner to use a number of Internet services, access to which was implemented through separate applications. As you can see, on Palm VIIx mobile applications for sites were still back when it was not mainstream . Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to use the services of this network - all that the PDA gives when trying to connect is a screen that informs about the charging of the transmitter: Also, I Found a number of rather interesting design features in this device. For example, the contacts for the dock are covered by a spring-loaded sliding cover (bottom on the device on the right):
Another fun feature that the photo above demonstrates is the unusual configuration of the battery compartment contacts (on the right in the photo is the Palm m125, which was released a few years later). I don’t know about you, but it seems to me familiar and reasonable to make a spring-loaded contact for the battery “minus”. As you can see in the photo, Palm engineers had a different opinion - in VIIx one of the batteries has a spring loaded, and the other has a plus. Plus on both batteries is springy on the m125 (which makes it harder to remove the batteries from the compartment, especially for people with short nails).
Another charming touch is a separate screen contrast control located on the back of the device:
Unfortunately, without the possibility of using wireless networks, this PDA turns into a rather ordinary device based on Palm OS, which, moreover, has very small dimensions, so it will go to the desk drawer until I figure out what to do with it. Although you should pay tribute to the quality of the device - neither rain, nor snow, nor eyes for 13 years did not particularly affect the device, it does not even creak when trying to twist it.
Well, now about the device, the name of which is indicated in the title of the article and which fascinated me the moment I picked it up - Handspring Visor Edge.
Unfortunately, despite the excellent condition of the device itself, there was no standard aluminum cover for the screen and a stylus in the kit. I decided that buying a kit for $ 50 from ebay for a device for a dollar was not comme il faut, so I simply twisted the stylus mount - for this model, it was attached not inside, but outside the case, to reduce the size of the case. Speaking of the case - the handheld itself is simply damn stylish, starting from the aluminum case with a translucent insert along the perimeter and ending with the engraved logo and LED in the power button. The thickness is about 11 millimeters, which is a good result for the year of release (2001). In technical specifications, it differs from VIIx only in a new processor - Motorola DragonBall VZ @ 33MHz. By the way, both PDAs have built-in backlight, which is activated by a long press on the power button. It looks like this:
The main feature of this device (as well as almost all devices of the Handspring Visor family) is the presence of the Springboard expansion port . On this device, unfortunately, the developers abandoned the full-sized port, replacing it with a connector for an adapter to reduce the size: The variety of modules for this expansion slot is amazing - from simple 8MB flash drives for backup, programs and adapters for memory cards (SmartMedia, SD and CompactFlash) to GPS modules, GSM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth adapters, cameras, MP3 players and even massagers. The device itself even has a built-in microphone for the telephone module (funny, but apparently without this module it is impossible to use the microphone - it is output directly to the expansion port).
Unlike the Palm VIIx, Edge already uses a built-in battery, which, on the one hand, is wonderful (looking ahead - the battery, like the PDA itself, was preserved just fine - I charged it on Sunday, periodically playing with it for the last five days and it’s still shows a full charge), but, on the other hand, a charger, or rather a docking station, is required to charge it, as indicated by the complete absence of any separate charging connectors. And this could mean only one thing - the time has come to look for documentation on the pinout of the cradle connector. Fortunately, an official document was found on the networkin which devices of the entire Visor family were described in great detail. To begin, I soldered the wires directly to the connector pins to check the PDA. To my great pleasure, after connecting to a 5-volt power supply, Edge briskly blinked a green diode and started up. However, with a tail of wires sticking out of a PDA, you can’t get far, right? At this point, I have already matured a plan to adapt the handheld to modern realities.
Unfortunately, Visor Edge does not have a memory card slot. This means not only that we will be limited to only 8 MB of memory, but also that the only way to throw something on the handheld will be synchronization. In our case, there are two ways - through a cable or through IrDA. I do not have a cable, as well as an IrDA receiver. As well as the desire to spend money on a cheaply bought PDA once again. In addition, at this point I had already discovered that in addition to the expected UART, the standard USB Data was also output on the dock connector. Well, and besides, I have long had a miniUSB connector lying on my desktop. It was he who I decided to use for charging and synchronization. The hack, in fact, is incredibly primitive - there was quite a lot of space inside, and all that had to be done was to solder 4 wires directly.
I chose a place near the battery. Due to the design features, the battery in the rigid case is fixed motionless, which will allow me to push the connector into it, without fear of harming the battery, and avoid the need to invent a method for fastening the port in the case. However, due to the small height of the case, I had to make a cut in the wall and part of the protective cover of the screen. Of course, I also need a hole in the case, more precisely in a plastic insert that runs along the edge of the PDA. All because of the same height restriction, I decided that I should pervert a little with the printed circuit board and solder the connector like this: This allowed me to add a base from PCB, but the height of the whole structure did not change, remaining equal to the height of the miniUSB port . The next step is to install it in the case:
The hole in the plastic insert is cut so that the port fits into it tightly. This additionally fixes it in one position. On the left in the photo is the cradle connector itself. Two tinned contacts - those to which I soldered for the first charge. The final stage. All that remains is to put the back cover back in place. Ready port. It looks quite organic, it is adjusted in height so as not to protrude beyond the boundaries of the plastic frame, so it does not interfere with holding the device in your hand. The handheld is charging from the USB port of the laptop. There is also no problem with synchronization, although I had to install a virtual machine with XP-HotSync via USB on a 64-bit seven, it refuses to work outright.
Despite the primitiveness, even at the time of release, for iron, this handheld impressed me. The design (I like only the PDAs from the Clie series from Sony), the ability to hold the charge in standby mode for a week (or even more), low power consumption and a black and white screen that reads well in bright sunshine. Now I carry it in my bag, like a notebook (thanks to graffiti, synchronization with a PC and the ability to live long on a single charge) and a reader for emergency cases when everything, including a mobile phone, sits down.
PS I would like to thank the alexmay habrayuzer who contacted me after this article, and his postabot.ru package tracking servicefor a free replenishment for my palm family, Palm T | X, which is likely to become the central theme of the next post. Do not switch!