Registered: Jun 2001
Location:
Posts: 6

Broken HotSync connector

Okay, here's my predicament. About a month ago, I was typing away with my stowaway and all of a sudden it stopped working. I tried a few soft resets and such but it still didn't work. I suspected that it was the hotsync connector, but I was away from home and using IR to sync with my laptop at the time, so I couldn't try my cradle to see.

I'm home now, and I tried the cradle the other night, and it didn't work, which is what I expected. I suspect that this has something to do with the fact that I dropped my visor about six months ago, but I had no problems until just recently.

Anyway, I was going to take the visor apart while I was away, but just before I took out the batteries to get the button board off I remembered that since I was IR syncing, I wouldn't be able to restore from my backup since IR sync requires a third-party program to work and I'd have no way to get the program onto my visor if I cleared the memory.

Now I'm home, but I have a similar predicament. Once I take the batteries out, I'll have about 4 minutes to get this fixed before I lose my info (I don't have a backup module, and I ordered a flashplus adapter at exactly the same time that Innopocket started having production problems, so I still have no way to back up my visor without using hotsync), but I'm worried that I may not be able to fix it at all, in which case I'll lose my info and won't be able to restore it.

Any opinions on what I should do? Should I get myself a backup module (or a flashplus), try to fix the bugger, or should I just write off the visor and get myself a newer model?

Thanks,

Chris

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

If you have access to a Backup Module, use it before taking your Visor apart (if you don't have one, there's no better time than now to get one... they're inexpensive "peace-of-mind"!).

If you're confident your IR sync's are backing up all your data and apps, I guess you could go ahead and take it apart. If you can successfully fix it, you should be able to hotsync and restore everything. If you can't fix it, and you lose all your data, then it might be time for an upgrade.

__________________

God bless America, my home sweet home...

Registered: Jun 2001
Location:
Posts: 6

It's probably time for an upgrade anyway. I've been drooling over one of the Clies (T415, I think), just because of its form factor, and drooling quite severely over the Sharp Zaurus. I can't really afford a full upgrade, and I've been trying to wean myself off of spending any more money on my old vdx, simply since it's almost time for an upgrade.

But you're right. If I just bite the bullet and take the bugger apart, then I will likely be able to fix it (I think it's just a loose connector -- the hotsync connector moves around a lot more than it used to), and then there are no problems. My only reservation is that if I can't fix it, then my visor is quickly transformed from a very handy second brain into a paperweight.

Chris