Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 12

Wireless Internet

Still looking for help with this one. Using cable from Supplynet to connect Sprint PCS phone to Prizm. Worked fine for well over a year, then just stopped. I now get a "modem not found" error. Can't reach my ISP, nor the Spint quick connection, just "modem not found". Cable and phone work with my DeLuxe without any problem. Any ideas?

Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Easthampton, MA
Posts: 25

on some of the visors, the connecting pins that go to the button board from the hot sync connector can become disconnected over time. If this is what happened, then your symptoms would follow.

Backup your prism (using a backup module, or backup buddy (if it will sync ok)

open the case of the prism

remove the button board

look at the hot sync connector from what would be the 'inside' of the connector, and see if any of the tabs have pulled away from the board.

If this has happened you have three options.

A: buy a buttonboard from www.gethightech.com
B: buy a broken prism off of ebay and switch the appropriate guts (i.e. your screen into that case, or whatever the combo is to get it to work.)

C: (the misers way out), re-solder the connectors back to the motherboard, most of the time you will not need any additional solder, just a hot iron to re-melt the stuff that is there. I have repaired two button boards like this (one deluxe and one platinum) and have not had any problems.


Let me know how it works out.


Wayne

Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 12

Wayne--

Thanks for the help. I think you've hit it on the head. I can't sync using the hot sycn button on the cradle, either, although I can by using the icon on the screen. Haven't taken the thing apart yet, but it sure looks like a problem with the pins. I give it a shot and let you know what happens.

Thanks again.

Tom

Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Easthampton, MA
Posts: 25

Glad I could be of help.

Check pins 3&4 (counting from the right with the visor face up), as when you press the hot sync button, what you are really doing is making a connection between those two pins to start the sync process.

Is your visor Charging OK? I ask because pin 4 is ground, and without the ground, the circuit wouldn't be complete. so that one should be ok. I would expext that pin 3 has pulled away, check pins 1 & 8 too as they are the serial data transfer pins.

- w


FYI:

the pinout of the hot sync connector is as follows (once again, face up, counting from right):

1. RX Data (Serial)
2. Keyboard Detect
3. Hotsync Interupt
4. Ground
5. USB + Data
6. USB - Data
7. VDOCK (Cradle Power)
8. TX Data (Serial

Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 12

Wayne--

It was the pins! Everything is now back to normal. Charging wasn't a problem, just sync from the cradle and connecting Prism to cell phone for wireless internet access. Thanks for getting me back in working order.

Tom

Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Easthampton, MA
Posts: 25

Tom,

Glad to hear that it worked.

One more thing I forgot to mention: at either end of the hot sync connector there are two 'anchor points' (my term) that hold the connector securely to the button board. Make sure these are soldered down nice and tight, as they absorb most of the tourque when plugging in and removing cables from the connector.


-Wayne

Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 12

Wayne--

Will do. My Prism has been a faithful companion on the road and there were times when I needed to access e-mail but had no landline connection for my Thinmodem. You've put me back in the wireless mode. Thanks again for the helpful advice.

Tom