Bacteria - Ipaq 3600 PDA resurrected, improved! *DONE*

[bacteria]

Page 6 seemed to go on for ages, onto page 7 now!

Had to make a couple of adjustments - I had to remove the sides I had made as they added too much height. I also trimmed the plastic edges back 4mm (the thickness of the wood I will use for the sides) so the female connector will fit in nicely into the case and make good contact.



The position of the port will now be on the top right, as per pic. If I had put it on the bottom side it wouldn't rest on my desk properly in a stand. On the top left will be the battery on/off switch and I still plan to have the mains power on the bottom left, about 2cms from the bottom.



I seem to have decided to go for this thicker heavier option with 2 sets of AA's, not only because of the massive life it gives between charge, but also because it would be hard to mount the USB port without the extra height.

[bacteria]

I have spent time looking on the internet trying to find out how much the CF card will stick out of the back of the original Ipaq - it is not easy trying to get such information!

I have found pics (from the e-bay bids I hope to bid on in the next couple of days)





Judging by the top pic, it looks like it might stick out by about 2/3rds of the card size (3.3 x 36.4 x 42.8mm are the dimensions of a CF card), which indicate about 24mm or so. This is 24mm or so from the end of the unmodded Ipaq (ie the external adapter for the PC connection). Coincidentally, I have about 25mm from that point to the bottom of my case, so it might fit, if I win it on e-bay for a cheap price.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/review/compact ... paq_review web site has some dimensions and data which is interesting:

(converted to mm, and weights to grams):

Unmodded Ipaq: 123 x 83 x 15mm. Weight 186g.

Expansion port (without CF card inserted) + Ipaq: 123 x 87 x 26mm. Weight 265g.

Expansion port (with CF card inserted) + Ipaq: c. 147 x 87 x 26mm. Weight 274g.

Mine will be: 159 x 91 x 41mm. Weight about 450g complete (thanks to the batteries)!

Mine is longer because it includes the connection to the PC mobo and I had to increase the height before as the touchscreen doesn't like having something under it. I have about 25mm clearance so my system should *just* be able to accommodate the port and CF card - I won't know exactly until I get one though. I believe I have enough clearance for it, there is a nice gap for it to go between!

Real comparison is the fact that mine is longer by 12mm, wider by 4mm, deeper by 15mm and heavier by 125g. I can live with that!

[bacteria]

Desoldered the positive and negative power terminals to the top of the small mobo and soldered the USB connections to the top too - this is to give a nice gap for the expansion pack with CF card if I get one.



Here is the gap:



Pic of the USB port connected and finished



I installed MS Outlook from MS Office 2003 on my PC, and then installed MS ActiveSync 3.8 on top. I found out that if I updated the Ipaq from Pocket 2000 to Pocket 2002 it would chew up some of the RAM I have, so I didn't want to; ActiveSync 3.8 is the last version which supports Pocket 2000 and also works with Windows XP service pack 2, which I use; and also Outlook 2003.









You can just see in the pic that I set up a fictional appointment for today at 8pm on the PC. The PDA and PC syncronised and the appointment was copied to the Ipaq as expected. All works!!

[nightwheel]

this project is looking great. Cool idea to revive a iPac and make it better.

[bacteria]

Thanks nightwheel, the Ipaq is a good PDA, and as I have shown, it is perfectly able to run on Windows XP fine, not bad for a PDA about 7 years old, or thereabouts! Later versions of ActiveSync required Pocket PC 2002 to run, that is why I am using version 3.8 instead of 4.5 as is the current version.

I am in two minds about upgrading to Pocket PC 2002 from the current Pocket PC 2000, if all it does is take system memory up and give a prettier front screen, I will pass, Pocket PC 2000 has a nice "retro" look! Anyone care to comment?

The weight of the system is fine, although I wouldn't want it any heavier, however it would still fit fine in a suit jacket pocket.

[Life of Brian]

I think you have the size of it dead on - any larger and it might be a counterproductive mod. Assuming you've held one, is it about the same size as a Zune?

I'm really wanting some 12mm tact switches like you're using for the buttons, but I can't find a good deal on them anywhere! The closest match I could find on eBay was based in the UK (which I guess is OK for you ) and I'm having difficulty finding the right model on http://www.digikey.com and http://www.mouser.com. Any suggestions?

I'm excited to see how you finish making your case - it's off to a great start.

[nightwheel]

Does that iPac was wireless internet capability's? If not find a Wifi SD card and a SD to CF converter so you can have internet.

[bacteria]

Life of Brian - Thanks, agreed, any bigger and it would be a counterproductive mod. This is why I was considering making it 4 cells instead of 8 initially. I have no idea about the Zune, never held one however I have given the dimensions of my project in a previous post, so that might help.

I am not promoting these guys, your decision and all that, however this is the place I got mine from, and they also ship all over the world, you might like to look - given you the shortcut to their e-bay shop and the tact switches: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/TCP-Electronic ... idZ2QQtZkm
If you specify you want brown or black ones they will try to send your preference to you, otherwise it is whichever of those colours they have at hand.

Sending you a PM with this information too, so you are sure to get it!

nightwheel - Yes, it is supposed to, via the expansion port; however, if you look on the last pic on page 1 of this thread (vskid's post) you see you need to have the PMCIA card in the port which makes the system look stupidly long - I copied the pic from vskid's post as below for reference:



I didn't get a reply from my PM's or posts in this thread from vskid so I guess he is either on holiday or has changed his mind and decided to keep it; not a problem, if he keeps it it would be nice to think he will continue his modding of his system and let us know how he gets on. I have a number of alternatives I am looking at on e-bay (as below), if I can get an old Ipaq cheaply and a docking bay for it, that would be sweet (as redundancy), if I can get an expansion pack and a CF card cheaply, all the better (for this project).



I can make the left, right and top sides on the project but may have to wait for a couple of days to see if I win an expansion pack and a couple of days more to receive it, before I can make the bottom of the case and then make the case look pretty. During this time, I can finally finish the briefcase from my Nintendo 64 Advance project and if I still have time to hand, start my next project in the interim. Today, I have the afternoon for project working and then Monday and Tuesday mornings (no time on the weekend).

[bacteria]

Time to make a start on the sides of the case. I think lots of people will be interested to see how I make this case, it will be a different method than normally done.

PVC sheet is ready, as per previous postings.

The sides will be made of wood, as per the Nintendo 64 Advance project, however this time the PVC will completely fill the surface, overlapping the top and all sides. The sides will be rounded so there are no sharp edges.

First job is to cut the wood. I decided with this method I shouldn't have a problem with the size of the CF card and expansion pack, if I get one, as I have 4mm more to play with - the thickness of the wood sides.

The small pieces are 1/4 circle edge pieces so will provide the rounded edges to the corners (the darker wood).



The wood is 29mm wide, I need it 41mm wide, so I need to slice the wood in two with the dremel:



I then measured out a template on paper for the 41mm height I needed, used UHU glue (general purpose glue) to stick a piece of thin 6 thou PVC to join the two pieces of wood together, then turned it over and put a layer of hot glue to seal the wood to the PVC; and to reinforce and strengthen the wood, hot glued some strips of mounting board to the back.



All done.



I now need to cut out the holes for the USB port, the ext mains power and the battery switch through these pieces before I secure them to the PDA.

[arfink]

Oh, sorry I didn't notice your question about my faveorite brand of flux. I really like this stuff called Classic 100 Gel Flux. I got mine at a local glass-craft store, but you could buy it online if you don't have one of those near you.

http://www.dlstainedglass.com/Results.cfm?SubCatID=340

BTW, I really like the spacers for buttons. Looks like plastic cherios in a sea of silver. Very slick!

[bacteria]

One of my finger tips is throbbing at the moment, got hot glue on it - ouch!

Mounted the USB connection in and secured it in with a right angled triangle for extra strength - as I did on the Nintendo 64 Advance project.



The white surround is perspex which I especially, and accurately, cut out to fit the hole precisely and take the female USB connector.



...which fits nicely...



The sides will have a sanding before I put the PVC over it so I can get the best finish I can get, of course. As I said before, it doesn't matter how ugly this looks now, it will all be covered up and invisible later.

A fair bit of work to do yet, probably won't get much more done now until Monday, although I will be able to respond to your comments......

[illustriouschin]

but we will know what nightmares are hidden in there! i hope you never sleep again, gallon of glue user. you should use mechanical fasteners instead at least that way you will retain some amount of humanity.

[tom61]

Just a note: neither the CF nor PCMCIA cards stick out when plugged in (with the exception of Wifi/bluetooth antanaes). It's only shown that way to illustrate what fits in it.

[bacteria]

tom61 - Ok, makes sense. I am gambling that the connector from the PDA plugs directly into the expansion pack and the CF card plugs directly into it - straight. If it doesn't, it won't fit. ie:



I'm not fussed about the internet adapter as I would never use it - I just want the facility of the CF card if I can get it, if not, i'm not too bothered - just be nice for "completeness".

I decided to "buy" the download for Pocket PC 2002 from e-bay for £1.36, it was the only one I could find anywhere and it was the last one available from that seller too. I intend to upgrade a spare Ipaq (assuming I can get one) first to check all is ok and see if it is worthwhile first before I upgrade this one. If anyone out there needs a copy of the upgrade (Pocket PC 2000 > Pocket PC 2002 for Ipaq 3600 series), let me know. It is not available for sale anywhere on the net anymore so has to be classed as "freeware", especially as I understand it was free from Compaq years ago anyway.

illustriouschin - Yes, we all know what nightmares (as you put it) are in there, however the same is also true for most commercially made gadgets - get under the outer shiny surface and you see lots of plastic posts, hot glue (yes, they use it commercially too in products), springs, levers and similar; however most people only see the sheeny exterior - same as my project.

[vskid]

I didn't get a reply from my PM's or posts in this thread from vskid so I guess he is either on holiday or has changed his mind and decided to keep it; not a problem, if he keeps it it would be nice to think he will continue his modding of his system and let us know how he gets on.

Sorry I didn't get back to you, I kinda forgot about it. I was also thinking about keeping it, too, but then I decided that its already served its purpose (testing the NiMH's in place of Li-ion). It also doesn't do anything I need that my PSP can't do, I would need to spend $50+ to get it to where it would be at least semi-useful. So you're free to have it, but it'll have to wait until at least November 26, as theres Thanksgiving and that going on here next week. I checked shipping prices, USPS is around $10, UPS is $70. I figure I must've done something wrong on the UPS estimate, but I'll just use USPS anyways.
I'll get to you about paypal and the other details closer to when I can ship it.