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Dead MessagePad H1000

MidnightCommando

Well-known member
Hey guys!

My OMP/H1000 is dead in the water - it /was/ working for quite a while until its batteries died (I used high-performance alkalines) and I simply left them in there for a week or two until I got replacements (I ended up purchasing Varta NiMHs because I can recharge them and they're known good) ...

So I put in the battery holder, with its new batteries, and it's simply refusing to turn on. I know the batteries are good, as is the backup cell. I took the MP partly apart to see if I could spot any glaring problems, but the board looks in perfect condition as far as my untrained eyes can tell.

Can anyone offer some suggestions? I don't have any contact cleaner to spray all over it, but I should probably get some in the interest of keeping this Newton alive as long as possible - so for the meantime, simple stuff that I might have overlooked that may just fix it?

 

beachycove

Well-known member
Does it have a reset button like the later models? I have had this happen with a MP2k, the solution being a soft reset. You may need a manual, because wrong use of reset button on the 2k models will wipe the system (via a hard reset, meaning that it is restored back to factory defaults).

 

macgreg

Well-known member
Bugger - is this the one I sent you? Have you tried the methods described here:http://www.pda-soft.de/faq.html?

Let me know how you get on...

 

MidnightCommando

Well-known member
I did follow those procedures. Unfortunately 'twas all to no avail.

It is indeed the OMP you sent me, macgreg :( I'm hoping to revive it at any rate because while I have some eMates to test things with too now, I did have data on there, and I was actually using it as a PDA until it ran out of batteries :p

 

jsarchibald

Well-known member
Heard a similar thing on the retromaccast podcast, there were 4 options available. I think they removed the batteries, as well as the watch type battery, left it overnight and it worked fine. Good luck!

 

Byrd

Well-known member
Hi mc,

I picked up a similarly dead H1000, and did get it to fire up by taking it apart, cleaning all the contacts with cleaning spray/solvent, "exercising" the power switch, and it fired up fine without issue. Problem is, you leave it powered off ... and it won't start up again without similar coaxing (remove all batteries, exercise power switch), very stubborn. Once it finally powers up, it'll come up with an error about a problem with the power or something at startup.

JB

 

MidnightCommando

Well-known member
Well guys, I feel like a complete and utter moron now. It just occurred to me to take a voltmeter reading across the battery cage. It read +0.78V ... not really enough to boot a Newton, hrm? Investigating further, I checked the voltage across two of the NiMH cells. Those same cells I was /certain/ were charged. Just under 0.1V. That struck me as very odd - again, no wonder the MessagePad won't boot! I'm now recharging the AAA cells, hopefully that will fix my problem. I'll report back sheepishly when done.

 

MidnightCommando

Well-known member
Yeah, brilliant news, if not for that I now feel like a complete idiot, haha

My OMP is now firing up fine, although I believe I accidentally pretty much did a cold boot in the midst of battery handling and whatsit, not realising what I was doing - whoops, bye-bye data!

Sound seems a little weak, so I might have to open her up again and investigate to see if it's anything I can fix... other than that, all is working well! Thanks everyone! :approve:

 

aplmak

Well-known member
There are two caps that need replacement.. at 3.3uf@35v and a 100uf@4v.. one on each side of the logic board. They look like tantalum but they are cylinders in a black casing..

 
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