IBM Transnote "I really need some help"

[MGS79]

Hi,

I just got a TN here in Germany. The machine appears to be in perfect physical shape. No scratches or any other signs of use. Like out of the box.

Here is the but....!!!!

Shortly after I got the TN the Thinkscribe went dead. It won't turn on anymore neither on AC or battery. Since it worked just fine I don't know what happened. I did not fumble with the machine. I only installed some software.

Does anybody have a idea or suggestion what might be wrong. If the green sub battery would be broken it should at least work in AC mode. Right? Or am I wrong. Maybe the digitizer cable is broken?? Did anybody experience a similar behaviour?

Also, I looked into the bios and at the serial number. This is where it gets funny.

The serial number (Model) does not exist (according to IBM/Lenovo) Number says: DEMO 2765 63U (only read about 61U and 62U)

Bios says version 0.35...!??? (does not exist either)

Anybody a clue about this? Tech specs are as with the other models that were available. P3 600Mhz, 192Ram etc.

So, as a wrap up. I have a beautyful TN here that I want to get back to work 100%. Can someone help me to find the flaw in the ThinkScribe???

Another question: I would like to upgrade the HDD since the one in there is very noisy and of unknown use & age. I got a new 80gig here but no external CD ROM. Am I correct in the assumption that I need a PDB2000 with pcmcia in order to boot? This may sound stupid but is it possible to swap everything from the old HDD to the new one???

Thank you very much for reading. Any answer and help will be highly appreciated. I think the TN was a wonderful piece of engineering.
I want to keep it alive.

[DarkMark]

In the Transnote under the keyboard are two batterys.
The yellow one is for the cmos, and the green one I was told is for powering the transscribe.

So maybe your green battery is empty and thus not powering the thinkscribe.

Ich messured mine and its dead, but because my TN is missing the thinkscribe I havend noticed anything without the green battery.

Have you already checked the two connectors on the back of the TN and the thinkscribe?

[MGS79]

@ DarkMark

Thanks for the hint. I will check both batteries today. I got an error message yesterday about time & date settings so I guess the yellow one is almost dead too.

I just found out that the yellow one is just a regular battery but the green one is a recharg. battery. If changing them won't do the trick I will check the digitizer cable.

Always thought that the green one is only there for using the TS when not plugged in but maybe it is used even when on AC. Will figure it out.

Have you changed you CMOS battery yourself? Do you still have the Endurimer????

[DarkMark]

I just did a quick search and found the tread wich contained the info about both batteries. It says there that the transcribe is powered by the green battery when it is not plugged in, but if it is dead the Thinkscribe will stop working.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... =transnote

I followed that guide to repair the yellow battery myself.

I only have the computer part of the transnote.

[TPCollector]

Hi,

This is written in response to private email from MGS79...

1. BIOS Battery. When replacing the battery it is important NOT to try and solder the wires to the new battery. Any heat applied to the tiny Lithium CR2012/CR2016 battery could cause an explosion. Adhesive tape will do a well enough job.

2. The TransNote and Windows XP. The TransNote was designed for both Windows 98 and Windows 2000, and NOT for Windows XP. That is, some of the (nice) drivers and features of the TransNote will NOT function correctly with Win XP among which are the FlipTouch contrast control and volume control. While windows XP provides several important kernel enhancements (e.g. restore points) and features (e.g. Terminal Services, Wireless Configuration ) most of these do not contribute much to a regular TransNote User.

Also, a smooth operation of Windows XP (and in particular SP2) requires two to three times the amount of RAM than Windows 2000 (SP4), and thus will inherently run significantly slower compared to Windows 2000.

Given the above and the facts that the TransNote is equipped with a relatively slow PIII 600Mhz processor and limited to 320MB RAM, I strongly recommend the use of Windows 2000 over Windows XP.

Having said that, it is possible to install the TransNote with Wing XP and have all the features working correctly, but the high contrast control. This requires some modifications to the installation process and additional drivers currently not available for download on the website. Those of you who are interested are invited to drop me a personal email. Last, it is also possible to install the TransNote with Windows XP Tablet Edition (If you are successful in getting your hands on a vanilla Tablet Edition version). The installation of the Tablet Edition is a complicated excercise and recommended only if you consider yourself an advanced user.

Installing the TransNote with Win 2000 could be equally challenging, as not only that the TransNote has over 20 drivers and specific applications, some of the applications (InkManager Pro) are very hard to find. The best way to install the TransNote is to use the original IBM Recovery CDs for the machine. These are even more hard to find as IBM (Lenovo) licensing agreement with MS for distribution of Win 2000 material terminated in 2004.

Luckily, a couple of years ago I was able to get my hands on a few original and complete sets (3 CD's) of Recovery CD Sets for the TransNote with Win 2000. The Recovery CD's install the machine from scratch (erase the HDD) and within less than one hour gets a machine to the exact state it left the factory with, including all the the IBM drivers, and applications; that is, to 'as new' condition. Not only that, the Recovery CDs create a Recovery Partition of the hard drive from which you can reinstall the TransNote with a single push button.

For those of you who are interested, I am willing to sell these Original CD Sets for US$40 each, including shipping. If you want it, please send me a private message and I will provide you with my PayPal email address.

3. RAM. It is strongly recommended to upgrade the RAM to the 320MB max. The TransNote's set of drivers and applications (InkManager Pro etc) require a considerabe amount of RAM and with 320MB RAM you will have the best possible performance. The only problem is that the required 256MB PC100 stick is relatively expensive. The best way to find it is on eBay US. Do not expect to get it for much less than US$50 including shipping.

This is so far.

[DarkMark]

Actually it isn't so much harder to install XP Tablet edition than Win2000.

Because XP has the option to install over the WIN2000 installation as an 'upgrade' and thus uses all the installed drivers and apps.

EDIT: I've got 3 CD'S for the Transnote. But only Two of them are marked as recovery cds. The other one is 'software'. Is that right?

[MGS79]

@ TP Collector

Again thanks for the detailed info. I have pulled both batteries. The green sub battery is totally dead (1,3V as opposed to 6 -9V). It has also leaked so it needs to be replaced. I know that it contains 6 Varta V20HR NiMh cells. I can get them here for 5€ a piece. They have a metal pin (forsoldering). I am uncertain as of whether soldering is even possible with these cells. I have heard and read different oppinions about that matter......So, don't know what to do there.

The yellow one (CMOS batt.) is replaced already and seems to work just fine.

@ DarkMark

The third CD should be LOTUS software or something else. But I am not sure about it.

[whizkid]

For batteries, soldering=bad, spot welding=OK. Spot welding is very hot, but is takes much less time, so it heats the cell only a small amount. Most battery shops have a spot welder that can be used.