Category: iPAQ

[iPAQ] Building Serial Console for iPAQ 3600 to Access Cisco Equipment

After I got the iPAQ 3660 working again, I wanted to use it as Serial Console to Work on the Cisco Equipment "on the road". To achieve that, we need two or three things:

1.) An special connector Cable to attach the Serial Console of the iPAQ with an RS232 Connector / the Cisco Rollover Cable
2.) An Terminal Software. I did choose vxHpcPlus for that ( http://www.cam.com/vxhpcplus.html )
3.) Something that makes it possible to use  Landscape Mode so that you can read the Console Output more easily:  NYDITOT Virtual Display, Version 5.02 ( http://www.nyditot.com/Products.asp )

1.) Building the Connector / Adaptor Cable
I did order an iPAQ 3600 to Serial Connector for Active Sync. Sadly it was defect, so I did choose to rebuild it to these Specs. First I did open up the iPAQ Connector and desolder it. Than I did insert it into the iPAQ and identified the needed Connector Ports. So if you look at the bottom of the iPAQ, placed face up on flat surface you will see these Connectors:

2 4 6 8 10 12
1 3 5 7  9 11

Wiring:
4 - GND
7 - TX
8 - RX
11 - 3,3V

Then I got an RS232 Male Connector and did wire these things up like that:

5 4 3 2 1
6 7 8 9

( Looking at the Solder Connectors! Not the "Connector Face"! )

2 - RX
3 - TX
5 - GND

I did left the 3,3V Cable "floating around" for maybe future projects.

2.) Terminal Software
Download the vxHpcPlus from the Website and install it with the Help of ActiveSync.

The Settings for the Serial Port are:

Direct Connect - Async:
Port: "Seriallkabel an COM1:"
Settings: 9600, Databits: 8, Parity: None, Stop: 1, Flow Control: None
Telnet: Send NUL after CR
Emulation: VT100,
Font size: 6,
German Keyboard
80 Colums,
Vertial Scroll,
Auto Wrap,
Scroll,
Hot Button

You can also change these to 115200 if you want.

3.) NYDITOT Virtual Display, Landscape
Download and install with ActiveSync. You can use it to use Landscape Mode which makes reading the Serial Console more easy. Its plain forward, so play with it.

Thanks a lot to Bev Howard for the excellent Printout of the Connector Port ( http://bevhoward.com/serial.htm#36xx ) this Site: http://www.handhelds.org/Compaq/iPAQH3600/iPAQ_H3600.html

[iPAQ] Upgrading HP iPAQ 3660 from CE 3.0/Pocket PC 2000 to Pocket PC 2002

As the 3600 Series came out in 2000, it was one of the top notch Personal Digital Assistants and became very widely known through Business Class Users and Geeks. The only downside to this nice product was the big price tag which could go to nearly 1000 bucks. Now, after 10 Years, you got these machines for really less money and so the second named user class (Geeks, Nerds, etc - call it as you want) can accquire and use the now considered outdated Hardware. The 3660 does come with an 206 MhZ Arm (v4, SA1100) Processor, 16 MB Rom and 64 MB Ram (which are seperated dynamically into 32 MB "real" Ram and 32 MB "Flash" to save Work and Programs in). The Display takes it to an Resolution of 320x240 and does show 4096 Colours. For Connection, the 3660 does use and IRDA Port aswell as an Sync Port which can be used over USB and Serial Connection through the Cradle or an Adaptor Cable. As Expansion Slot "Sleeves" were aviable. They could contain 1 or 2 CF Card Slots or one PCMCIA Slot. Both with Battery so they extended the Running Time on the iPAQ a lot. To Upgrade the whole thing to the "not meant to be installed" Pocket PC 2002 install but than Shutdown Active Sync on your Windows PC. Attach the iPAQ to the Cradle and the get Following Software from the Compaq Site ( ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/):

The Bootloader Update 1.87: ( ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp20001-20500/SP20011.exe )

The Pocket PC 2002 Update / Rom Update 2.20: ( ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp22501-23000/sp22899.exe )

The Pocket PC 2002 SP1: ( ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp22501-23000/sp22547.exe )

You should download these files and start installing them one after another. First the Bootloader, than the Pocket PC Update and finally the SP1 over the ActiveSync Software. One thing to mention: The PocketPC 2002 was never meant to be installed on only 16 MB of Rom, so it does not install things like the MediaPlayer, but you can download these from Microsoft and install them in the "Rom".

To find more Drivers and Software, check out this Website: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=100807&prodTypeId=215348&prodSeriesId=96479&swEnvOID=231&taskId=135&swLang=18