Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 9

Any luck, LMidnight?

Registered: Apr 2000
Location:
Posts: 71

No Luck. I'm now wondering if a different circuit (other than the factory cradle) would work. I've seen plans for a couple different serial cables. They all seem to be a little different. I'm thinking it may have something to do with power supply. Maybe the Touchpoint phones supply power to the cradle and the Samsungs don't. If I build one of the other circuits that includes a power supply, maybe it'll work. I'm reaching for straws. Any thoughts?

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 434

http://www.markspace.com/cables.html

So, I hope these work.

I'm especially interested in Fido GSM data connectivity.

Actually, I'd even be interested to know if you've just gotten the cradle to work with the Nokia 6190. If so then I'd give it a shot and invest in the data package from Fido and the Mark/Space cable just to see if it works.

------------------
Eugene Hsieh
Editor, VisorCentral FAQ
Come visit my homepage.

[This message has been edited by Eug (edited 07-12-2000).]

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Minneapolis, MN USA
Posts: 3

So, does anybody know what the difference between MarkSpace's hotsync cable and modem cable for the Visor is? This is a shot in the dark, but perhaps the Samsung or Motorola Startac phones would work with the MarkSpace modem cable if the cables are wired differently.

Registered: Apr 2000
Location:
Posts: 73

my guess is that all they are doing is miniaturizing and incorporating the cradle electronics in a cable that connects directly to the bottom of the Visor.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Posts: 181

MarkSpace has a picture but it may not be accurate since all 3 cables pictured look the same?http://www.markspace.com/datacord.html

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 9

Good point, Subnova.

It would be nice if Mark/Space listed the models of cellphones they have been successful with using their cable and a visor.

I think i am going to hold off getting a cellphone until this cable ships and I can get more info.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 434

This is from Markspace:

: >Hello,
: >
: >I was wondering if you have tested the Visor serial cable
: with the Nokia
: >61xx series PCS phones. (I have a 6190 which I'd like to be
: able to use with
: >the Visor.)
:
: No, I don't happen to have any Nokia phones (I have several
: Ericsson and
: Motorola ones) although electrically it is the same as the
: Visor serial
: cradle plus a null modem adaptor. Our second batch will also
: put DTR high
: (the cradle does not) which we found was needed for some devices.

Unless somebody has already done, I'll go out and test the GSM Fido Data kit with the serial cradle to see if it works. If it does, then the Markspace cable should be fine. If not, perhaps their revised cable will do the trick. The only problem is finding a Fido support person that understands this sort of thing.


------------------
Eugene Hsieh
Editor, VisorCentral FAQ
Come visit my homepage.

Registered: Apr 2000
Location:
Posts: 71

After following many of the discussions on building/hacking/jumping serial cradles, I gather that pulling the DTR pin high is just a matter of connecting it to another pin. I�m a little apprehensive to do this on my own, though. Can anyone explain which two pins I should connect?

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 434

Anybody ever try this Global Pulse software?

------------------
Eugene Hsieh
Editor, VisorCentral FAQ
Come visit my homepage.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Tulsa, OK
Posts: 16

Hey all, just wanted to pass along that I was succesful in using the my Sprint PCS Sanyo SCP-4000 phone and the wireless kit for the phone. I followed rmapes directions and used the Visor Serial cradle. The wireless data kit for my phone came with a DB-9 to DB-9 adapter, so it was just plug the cables together and then correctly configure the modem on my Visor. I was able to achieve 19,200bps with the phone, and 14,400bps to the network itself. Now if only, Markspace would finally come out that serial cable! Wireless has finally arrived for me! :-)

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 97

re: Motorola StarTac

Verizon Wireless told me you need Palm OS 3.3 or later to connect with the StarTac. I don't know if that explains why I haven't been able to connect my VDX to my StarTac or not. I upgraded my OS to the new 3.1h3, but it didn't make any difference. I'm using a serial cradle and the data connectivity kit for the StarTac, with and without a null modem. Flow control is "off" and country is "other." And I used the user name, password and phone number provided by Verizon. But I keep getting "modem not found."

Does anyone have any suggestions? Could it be something in OS 3.3 that makes the difference? Personally, I'm skeptical because the Visor works with so many other cell phones. But I don't understand enough about the technology to know for sure.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 216

I don't have a cell phone to try and connect to, but I have been successful in hooking an external modem to my Visor and accessing the Internet (both email and Web browsing) with it.

I used the serial cradle and a custom adapter cable that I made myself. (I have a Mac and the modem has a Mac style Mini DIN-8 connector on it, not a PC type DE-9. So I made my own adapter instead of using a null modem connector.)

What might be happening is that the serial cradle needs the cell phone to provide it power to do the voltage level shifting for the Visor's serial port. This is done via one, or both, of two serial lines called RTS or DTR/DSR. Normally the host computer or the modem will be driving these lines to a voltage of between 3V and 12V. The serial cradle uses this to power it's circuits.

If your cell phone does not provide either of these signals, you will not be able to use the serial cradle to hook to your cell phone.

The only other alternative is the serial cable soon to be available from Mark/Space: www.markspace.com It should be out soon.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 97

This just in from MarkSpace tech support, on why Visor might not connect to some phones through the serial cradle:

"Other PalmOS devices do a few things different:
1) they support DTR
2) they support rts/cts hardware handshake

"Also, the serial cradle draws power from the device.

"So... It might not work because:
a) it could be expecting DTR high
b) it may not be able to support the current draw of the cable
c) it could require cts/rts handshake

"Our hotsync cable is the same as the Visor cradle. But our upcoming modem
cables will address points a and b (nothing we can do about c - the lines
are simply not present)."

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Buffalo NY USA
Posts: 12

Handspring Visor and Samsung SCH-3500 Connectivity

Hello,

Here's a copy of an email I sent to Handspring, Sprint and Mark/Space this evening:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

I am an end user of the Handspring (www.handspring.com) Visor Deluxe Palm OS (version 3.0.1H)
based handheld computer as well as a customer of Sprint PCS (www.sprintpcs.com). I have a Samsung SCH-3500 dual
band phone with the Sprint PCS Wireless Web Connection Kit (part no. SPS3DK001).

I have been attempting, without success, to utilize my Samsung SCH-3500 phone to access email and the
Internet with my Handspring Visor. The setup is as follows:

1) Samsung SCH-3500 phone
2) Sprint PCS Wireless Web Kit Cable
3) Male to male serial null modem adapter (part of the Sprint PCS Wireless Web Connection Kit)
4) Handspring Visor serial HotSync cradle

I've tried all of the Flow Control settings in the Visor's Modem Preferences. I have also tried a
male to male serial gender change adapter in place of the null modem adapter. Nothing is working.
I receive a "Modem Not Found" error message.

I have verified that the Handspring Visor serial HotSync cradle is functioning.

I have also verified that my Samsung SCH-3500 phone, Wireless Web Service and Wireless Web Connection
Kit are working. I have successfully used it to access the Internet with my Compaq Presario 1600 laptop.

Through discussion groups on the Internet, I've learned that many other Handspring Visor users are
experiencing the same issues when trying to use the Samsung SCH series phones for Wireless Web Access.
Sprint PCS Wireless Web customers with Qualcomm Touchpoint, Sanyo SCP-4000 and some Motorola phones are
not experiencing any problems.

Neither Handspring's or Sprint PCS Wireless Web's tech support have been able to offer a solution.
In fact, Sprint's tech support was not even aware of Handspring's existence. From an end user/customer
perspective, this is very frustrating. Especially when both of these products are so popular in the
market. It's a shame that there isn't a solution.

I've also contacted Mark/Space (www.markspace.com). They are coming out with a line of cables for
the Handspring Visor. Brian Hall of Mark/Space indicated that the Handspring Visor "does not
have hardware handshake lines, so if the phone requires that, you would be out of luck."

I would like to be the facilitator/catalyst that initiates the dialog among your three companies
to determine if there is a solution. I am sending this message to Handspring, Sprint and Mark/Space.
I'm also posting a copy to an ongoing discussion thread regarding this issue at http://www.visorcentral.com
to keep other Handspring and Sprint customers with Samsung phones informed.

Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help.

Thank you.

Regards,

Charles H. Root, III

__________________
Charles H. Root, III

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 4

Visor + Touchpoint = ?

I was pretty excited when I read about connecting the hanspring/serial cradle to a Qualcom Touchpoint PCS phone. I have been using my Touchpoint for about a year, and already had the wireless connectivity kit (which I use once regularly). I purchased the serial cradle and a DB9 gender changer to hook everything up. To my disappointment, I received "No Modem Found" error on my Visor, and the touchpoint phone does nothing (usually the display changes to indicate a data call is being placed).

Here are my Visor modem and network settings:
Modem settings
MODEM: CUSTOM
SPEED: 14,400 BPS
SPEAKER: OFF
FLOW CTL: OFF
COUNTRY: OTHER
STRING: AT&FX4

Network settings
Service: Windows RAS
CONNECTION TYPE: PPP
QUERY DNS: YES
IP ADDRESS: AUTOMATIC

I have also tried connecting to a standard external modem, and it does not respond either. I have performed soft reset on my Visor. I have used the serial cradle to Hot Sync to my PC, so I know that it works, and I just used my phone and data cable to connect to the internet just yesterday. I am going to try a different gender changer and/or null modem adapter to see if either works. Any thoughts? TIA

Robert Crews, Systems Engineer
Barr Systems, Inc.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Buffalo NY USA
Posts: 12

SprintPCS Wireless Web Connectivity Update

Hey Gang,

Just got off the phone with Sprint Wireless Web Tech Support.

Their current position is:

1). They are not currently supporting connectivity to the Handspring Visor via SprintPCS Wireless Web enabled phones.

2). They are working on a solution to enable connectivity and hope to roll it out soon.

3). They do not have a target date for when they will begin supporting the Handspring Visor.

Thanks!

chaz

__________________
Charles H. Root, III

AmericaOnline Instant Messenger: chazroot
Yahoo! Pager: chazroot
eXcitePAL: chazroot
Mirabilis ICQ Pager: 11187684

Registered: Apr 2000
Location:
Posts: 73

crewsr, have you tried "standard" for modem type in your modem preference menu? I am not having any trouble at all with either my Sprint PCS Qualcomm phone with Sprint wireless web (I use the EFIG module) or with a 56K USR external modem with the serial cradle.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 4

I have been able to get it to work, but by using a null modem adapter. This makes sense to me, because the modem and the serial cradle are both DCE devices, so they should need to have the DTR/DSR lines crossed (along with all the other little things that the null modem adapter does...). I would think that the efig RS-232 port would be a DTE device? This should allow it to speak to DCE devices without the null modem adapter. If so, I can't figure out why you would need the null modem adapter with it, and not for the cradle port. I have hade my phone for over a year now, so maybe there was a hardware change and rmapes and I have slightly different equipment? However, this question is answered by the fact that I am able to connect to a standard serial modem only if I use the null modem adapter as well... Oh well whatever...

crewsr
Phone: Qualcom Touchpoint
Connection: Serial cradle
Null modem required: YES

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Los Angeles CA USA
Posts: 3

Can anyone tell me, in English, how I can use my Nokia 6160 to dial up my desktop for modem a hotsync? I have the Hspring modem and it works great for hardline hotsync, but is there a wireless way? Thincom + cable connector? Help!