[NTLK] eMate power questions: long!

From: K. J. Hallenius III (iluvatar_at_fusemail.com)
Date: Thu Apr 22 2004 - 22:08:43 PDT


Hi, I'm back to the list after years of non-Newton use. I just got back
into the swing of things by buying a slightly used eMate off of eBay. I
know, bad idea perhaps, but I've long lusted after the eMate - it's the
only thing that I'd ever feel safe throwing in a bookbag to go to the
library with. The Palm, with it's external keyboard and need for a screen
cover, never reached the elegance of the eMate, in my opinion. So I'm
back. But...

Warning: I think I did a BAD THING, and I'd like your guidance. This is
primarily a power issue.

I know the NiMH battery pack inside my eMate is dead - I plugged in the
unit, (here's the BAD THING: I used a multi-volt adapter, giving it 9V @
300mA), wiggled the power connector around until I saw the green light
turn to amber, and let it sit for a few minutes. I then hit the reset
button and power, and heard the familiar "ring!". As soon as the black
screen with the Newton logo came up, it turned itself off abruptly. I
assumed this was because the battery pack was dead, and the unit wasn't
smart enough to power itself off of the adapter.

So then I did the next logical step (according to my miniscule brain): I
opened the back of the unit up, and removed the battery pack. I expected
that the unit would recognize that there was no battery pack to charge,
and decide to run just fine - this is the way that my MP120 and MP2100
worked, I recalled. Unfortunately, I got no response. No amount of
wiggling the power connector made a difference - no green light, no
"ring!", no screen activity. Even after I put the battery back back in and
tried at least to get what I'd gotten before, I got nothing...

My question: did I fry the power circuitry within the eMate? I now realize
that I shouldn't have given the eMate more than 7.5v, but I was thinking
about the 9W power adapter for MP2000 and eMates, forgetting that there's
a difference between Volts and Watts. I didn't hear any "pop" or smell
smoke, so I hope and pray that there's another explanation:

Is it possible that the connectors within the eMate are not making good
contact, since I had to wiggle it quite a bit to get the green light to
come on in the first place? I'd like to reach in there with itty-bitty
tools and create a more secure connection, if this is where the problem
is. Has anyone else had this experience?

I'd really like to create a cradle, a la the MP120 cradle, to put the
eMate on to charge. I see the two metal connectors on the bottom of the
unit, and if I could just divine which is positive and which negative,
then I'd be able to create a non-intrusive dock that would obviate the
need to fix my internal connector. Has anyone tried this?

I do have a new battery on order, so I'll replace that as soon as it
arrives next week. I'd like to have the eMate physically ready to charge
up when the new battery arrives, so any guidance will be appreciated!

Thanks folks!

-Ken
-----
Ken Hallenius III, Gentleman of Leisure
Personal weblog: http://www.manofleisure.us

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