Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Posts: 50

The solution to many of my problems with the Visor would a Springboard CF Card Adapter. I need one that is accessable by the Visor in real time NOT as a backup module.
That would allow for larger programs, movies, and most important for me: the ability to be able to use CF modems and CF ethernet adpaters. (I've got one of each for my iPAQ 3630.)

Are there any developers out there that could do it?

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Richard Grogan
Email: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]?subject=VisorCentral">[email protected]</A>
Homepage: <A HREF="http://www.azstarnet.com/~rgrogan/official.htm">http://www.azstarnet.com/~rgrogan/official.htm</A>

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 103

No there are not. Here is why. Is the manufacturer of your cf modem or ethernet card going to write drivers for palm os. Even if someone built and started manufaturing an adaptor that would take cf+ cards (and accually meets power requirements which the springboard slot does not) You are goin to need drivers for that those cards. They are not natively supported by palmOS and they do not contain their own drivers for palmos. The trgpro has an application that supports SOME devices. It uses a not-so-universal driver to support 2 cf modems, a bunch of memory cards (which my existing Kopis-cf adaptor can already do), a serial port card, bar code wand, and a "Socket Digital Phone CF+ card" . Anything else requires its own driver. And this cf enabled-palm device has been around about 6 months longer than the visor. I somehow dont know of any developers willing to take on all of that to make a few people happy and not want to charge through the ass for it. Just a thought.

Bane
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Evil Geniuses Kick Ass

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 8

The problem with the current CF card adapters is that you can't run programs from the card. This alone makes the HandSpring 8meg Flashcard that much more useful. Sure, it's great to be able to carry 192megs of data around on a CF card, but what's the use if you have to move the programs/data to your Visor memory before running them? This means that your still limited to 8megs as the maximum database/program size.

To be honest, I could care less about using CF modems and other peripherals. But the ability to run programs off CF memory is paramount.

Innogear is working on a Memory Stick adapter that they say will be able to run programs directly from the MS. This could be very useful if true. Unfortunately, the memory stick will stick out beyond the Visor quite a bit. But that would be an acceptable trade-off (to me, at least) for being able to add 64megs of storage to my Visor.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Plant City, FL
Posts: 385

quote:

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Originally posted by Roundy
To be honest, I could care less about using CF modems and other peripherals. But the ability to run programs off CF memory is paramount.

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<ul><li>Dave Kessler<br>President - Kopsis, Inc.</li></ul>

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 8

Yeah, I remember reading somewhere about that limitation too, which is very unfortunate.

This means that I am stuck with buying expensive flash memory for my Visor if I ever want to expand it. The Japanese company Haigawara (sp?) has a 16meg flash card springboard out in Asia. They are working with PalmGear.com to sell it in America. That'll probably be the way to go for me. Still won't be able to load a database >8megs though, as you have to load the program into the Visor memory first and then move it to the Flashcard. But at least I'll be able to move most of my games/books and other non-editable programs/data to the card and run them from there.

Thomas

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Mililani, HI, USA
Posts: 256

quote:

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Originally posted by dkessler

The Flash memory in Handspring's module is a type that the Dragonball processor in the Visor "knows" how to access directly. The memory looks just like conventional ROM to the CPU and as a result it can directly execute applications and read (but not write) databases that are stored there.

...The second approach is the method that TRG's AutoCF program uses. Indications are that Innogear is working on a similar program for their InnoDrive products...

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Plant City, FL
Posts: 385

The Springboard slot can directly access up to 16MB of "Handspring flash module" type flash. For anything greater than that, some form of inderect access (such as CF or SmartMedia) is required. Why Handspring has not offered a 16MB module is beyond me?!

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<ul><li>Dave Kessler<br>President - Kopsis, Inc.</li></ul>

Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 1

I too want to be able to execute programs out of the memory on a Springboard module. Is there any reason why no one makes a simple NVRAM module (battery backup SRAM, typically 10yr data retention)? How about DRAM (yes I know you need to refresh DRAM, which burns power...)?

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Mililani, HI, USA
Posts: 256

well, if a developer is listening...

So, is the next killer springboard a 16mb flash module? It is, afterall, the ceiling for executable Visor memory--twice the goodness of a 8mb module.

I know I'd buy one.


Or how's this crazy idea: an 8 or 16 MB module with a CF interface, in which the auto file mover software loads apps from the CF card onto the module's flash rom. This would eliminate the need for the Visor to have free memory in order to use CF-loaded apps.

I know this monster would cost a lot, but do any of you think the idea is feasible? If it is, then maybe the cost would be worth it.

[Edited by ragamuffinn on 02-03-2001 at 09:17 AM]

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Midwest
Posts: 232

This are my predictions:

Someone will write/create an interpretter program/module that will trick the Visor into thinking the memory on a compact flash card or any memory card is it's own RAM. Anyone heard of "virtual memory"?

Someone will hack the Visor OS to let it access 192 meg or more (500meg datadisk, maybe) RAM on whatever format is economically most desireable. Much the same way earlier versions of Windows were tricked into using larger hard drives than they were orginally designed for.

When programmers have unlimited memory for their programs, they will get sloppy and their programs will bloat like a dead dolphin on the beach. It'll be the end of "nice tight code" on the Palm platform.

As such, I won't mind if application RAM remains limited. I'm a fan of nice tight code. What seems to be most important is the ability to have larger databases available in real-time. Come on, developers! Give us virtual RAM from memory devices on our visors!


Dave

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There is nothing yet made by man that cannot be improved upon.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by dkessler
The Springboard slot can directly access up to 16MB of "Handspring flash module" type flash.{...}

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Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

quote:

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Originally posted by Toby
I thought it was 32MB?

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God bless America, my home sweet home...

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 56

Question

I know this is an old thread but can anyone tell me if the internal 16mb RAM upgrade interferes with the use of the Hagiwara 16mb module? That is, can you get the upgrade and still use the 16mb module (total of 32mb)?

Mark, Toby, any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

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<i> If it's worth doing, it's got to be done right now.</i>

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 103

It will not interfere. If you get a 16meg ram upgrade. you can use the 16meg flash springboard. The catch is that you can no longer use the hs backup module. The hs backup module is made to make a backup of 8 megs of memory. If you tried to use the backup module on a visor with 16 megs of mem you would probably crash the visor. Other than that the a 16meg visor w/ a 16meg sb flash module will still address those 16megs into each bank seperately. So it should work just fine. Come to think of it arent some of the same people who are doing the 16meg visor upgrades doing the 16meg flash springboards ?

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Bane

Evil Geniuses kick ass.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA
Posts: 79

Visor Prism & Platinum Dragonball VZ is upgradeable to 16 Mb. The Visor Deluxe supposedly has an earlier version (EZ) which cannot be upgraded. For $149, it's better than a module because it acts like 16 Mb of internal memory. http://www.palmpilotupgrade.com/ I wonder if it is economically feasible for Visor to sell an upgrade with a kit or with a service contractors to Deluxe owners. I guess the only thing that would be original would be the housing, which is important if you have spent your time searching for the ultimate case.