Re: [NTLK] Travel and the Newt

From: Ed Kummel (tech_ed_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Sep 03 2002 - 09:37:37 PDT


My experience hasn't been as successful.
As most people on this list knows, I took a two week
vacation to Hawaii earlier this year. The experience
with the Newt was bizzar to say the least.
First, no one knows what it is, so they are noticably
inquisitive.
Here are my recomendations for a safe trip with your
Newt.
Before traversing the scanner, flag a security
personell down. Demonstrate that the Newt turns on and
functions. Turn the Newt off, remove the battery pack
and place the Newt, alone, in one of the baskets. Put
the battery pack in another basket with your pocket
stuff. When it comes out the other end, plug in the
battery pack and turn it on again to verify that it
still works. If not, grab the security person you
originally showed it to and demonstrate that it no
longer works. Fill out the insurance paperwork and
make sure to follow through when you get back home.
I would recommend that you store any extra cards and
batteries inside your checked luggage. They thought my
spare batterypack was a bomb and asked tons of
questions until I showed them how the pack inserts
into the Newt and powered on the Newton. They then
inquired as to why my "Palm" device was so big? And if
there was anything in the "Palm" device other than
computer components.
My Newt spent long minutes inside the scanner..and it
was jostled quite a bit. At the end of my vacation, it
stopped working. (at the Kauai airport) I filled out
the necessary paperwork and when I got home, I found
that there were two problems. The jostling of the
conveyor belt had jarred the ROM board loose and the
bouncing had over-tensioned the spring contact on the
battery pack. The contact was no longer touching the
battery pack. (you'll notice that the battery pack has
a little bit of play even when fully inserted) After I
fixed these two things (I hot melt glued the ROM board
to the motherboard and use a closed cellular foam
sponge behing the spring to add to the tension. A part
of a discarded makeup sponge works great!) The Newt
powered back up with all my notes still intact!
Oh yeah, bring a spare memory card and do a backup of
your Newt before leaving home and before traveling
back home. Pack the backup in your checked baggage.
This will save your butt incase the Newton is
destroyed for some reason...at least you will have a
"current" backup!

These precautions will make traveling with your Newt
better. There is nothing so disheartening then your
Newt not working...expecially after 2 weeks in
paradise with 2 weeks of notes and information you
wrote...
Ed
web/gadget guru
http://newton.tek-ed.com (download Newton packages)
http://npds.tek-ed.com (my NPDS server and it's new
subdomain)

--- Rolf Brakvatne <rbrak29_at_qwest.net> wrote:
>
> This may have been addressed before. Is there any
> danger of having a
> Newt go through airport scanners?
>
> TIA
>
> RB

=====
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 - Gerald Kaufman, a lawmaker from the governing British Labor Party

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