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Newton MessagePad H1000

Concorde1993

Well-known member
I received a Newton H1000 in a big Mac haul from last week. It boots, the screen is crisp/bright, and it is in fairly good cosmetic shape (I like the rubber texture).

However, it does have a couple of issues. One- the Newton "Getting Started" card does not work. In the H1000, I get a dialog message that states that a card is not inserted, even though it is placed firmly in the PC-card slot. I tried it on my eMate 300, but it says "This unformatted card is write protected. To format the card remove it, unlock it, then reinsert the card." The second problem is the sound is very faint on the H1000. I am assuming this the cause of a failing/bad capacitor.

Thoughts?

PS- did the H1000 ever come with a backlight?

 

beachycove

Well-known member
I have never seen one of these, so am largely "in the dark" about them, but as far as I know backlighting was introduced only in a much later model (the 130, I believe it was).

My Newtons are the eMate, the 2000 and the 2100; I don't own anything earlier.

 

Concorde1993

Well-known member
I have never seen one of these, so am largely "in the dark" about them
Apparently, the H1000 is the original MessagePad (I'm not sure why they called it the H1000; when the seller advertised he had an H1000 Newton, I thought he was incorrect, as no such model existed. It turns out the H1000, MessagePad w. no additional model number, and 100 are all the same blessed thing. Weird).

Regardless, what should I do about the Newton "Getting Started" card? Is there a way to duplicate it/repair it? I've also taken into consideration the connectors on the PC slot. Although the ones on my eMate 300 look pretty clean (the unit is basically brand new- literally), I am thinking that there might be damage on the H1000's. I do not have another "Getting Started" card from 1993 to test to adequately confirm this.

Btw, how is the sound on your 2000/2100? Is it audible? I have the volume control set to maximum on my H1000, and I can barely hear anything. I am a little concerned about opening it up, but I may consider it if given the proper instructions/procedures to do so.

 

macgreg

Well-known member
Do any other cards work in the PC slot?

The H1000 / OMP never came with a backlight as far as I know.

 

Concorde1993

Well-known member
Do any other cards work in the PC slot?
Unfortunately, I do not have other PC cards that will work with the Newton-series. If I did, then I could easily determine if it's the unit's PC slot that's on the blink, or the card itself. From what my eMate is telling me, I think the card I was given with the H1000 is defective (my eMate is in pretty good shape- both cosmetically & mechanically, hence why I am putting my faith in it).

Again, my only means of truly confirming this is finding another "Getting Started" card. Beachycove- if you have a spare that you are willing to lend to me, or sell- PM me.

Anyone else with documentation/knowledge on the H1000...I'm all ears.

 

Concorde1993

Well-known member
I have a few Newtons - what do you want to know?
Well, for one thing- how to properly disassemble a Messagepad. As stated before, the sound is very faint on my H1000 (even with the volume raised to max.), and I need to determine if a capacitor is the cause of the problem. So things like schematics would be very important.

Also, since this is an original MessagePad, naturally this is the model that was plagued with the very poor handwriting recognition. For instance, I wrote: "How are you today?", instead I got: "Slowdown today?" My eMate 300 is far more superior in that respect. Is there a specific software upgrade path for the H1000?

Peripherals- what works with the H1000, and what does not? An owner's manual would be nice too, btw.

 

beachycove

Well-known member
I just looked up use of PCMCIA cards and card-based software in my eMate manual, and find: a) that the cards are formatted differently in NewtonOS 1 and 2, which is what I had thought; and B) that there is a switch that locks some PCMCIA cards so that they cannot be overwritten. My memory cards do not have any such switch, but you would expect an application card to have it. It is possible, I suppose, that Apple designed the introductory card so as never to be overwritten (i.e., with the switch permanently on LOCK), but more likely, you need to check for a switch. That would be a start.

None of the error messages in the eMate manual that I found corresponds to what you have seen. I suspect, therefore, that the card's format is corrupt. The later Newton OS is not supposed to give that message if a card designed for an earlier model is inserted and is good. Normally, software written for NewtOS 1 can be updated for use on a v. 2 machine like the eMate, and you simply get a message asking you whether you want to update the card for use in the later system — or completely erase the card and thus reformat. The fact that you haven't gotten this message may suggest that the card is dead. If so, and assuming there is a switch, you might as well reformat. However, before taking this step, there is one further possibility: does the card have a battery? Many of them did, and it would, of course, now be long dead. How you deal with replacing one (there is talk of doing so in the manual) I do not know; I have never seen such a card, just as I have never seen a card with a switch.

As for the slot in your H1000, I would have thought that the easiest way to test the slot at this stage would likely be to find a PCMCIA modem card and pop it in. They aren't formatted and they don't have batteries. If an appropriately vintage modem card is inserted, the machine ought to recognize it; my Newtons never met a modem card that they didn't like, though the early systems may be different.

I do have a spare PCMCIA modem card somewhere, I think. My memory cards, by contrast, are not a lot of use, because your 1st generation machine cannot read a card formatted by NewtonOS version 2.

I think my modus operandi would therefore be to see: a) if there is a switch and/or battery; B) if the software meant to be on the card is on UNNA.ORG, in which case it might be possible to restore it to the card; and c) if the machine is running a properly updated system (again, UNNA). It that fails, well, I do have to come up to Toronto sometime....

For more information, I would go to the Newtontalk mailing list archives. There's not a tremendous amount of Newton expertise here, and in general, you want to find out what the real zealots say if the goal is to use one of the first Newtons, since they were not much liked and tend to be overlooked models.

 

Concorde1993

Well-known member
I took some pictures of the H1000, and the Getting Started card. Upon examining the PC slot, I noticed that there is a small piece of thread caught in between some of the pins. Perhaps this is the reason why the H1000 is not recognizing the card.

B) that there is a switch that locks some PCMCIA cards so that they cannot be overwritten. My memory cards do not have any such switch, but you would expect an application card to have it. It is possible, I suppose, that Apple designed the introductory card so as never to be overwritten (i.e., with the switch permanently on LOCK), but more likely, you need to check for a switch. That would be a start.
There is a lock on the side of the H1000 that "locks" the PC card firmly into the slot. There's no battery, or any physical lock on the card itself.

For more information, I would go to the Newtontalk mailing list archives. There's not a tremendous amount of Newton expertise here, and in general, you want to find out what the real zealots say if the goal is to use one of the first Newtons, since they were not much liked and tend to be overlooked models.
I will look into the other sites you mentioned. Thanks for the links.

It that fails, well, I do have to come up to Toronto sometime..
Please, do pass by. If not to Toronto, then Brampton. I'll prepare a nice Espresso; none of that "Mangia cake" Tim Hortons nonsense that many people are accustomed to consuming. :beige:

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Concorde1993

Well-known member
I'll see what I can dig up at home tonight
I was just wondering, macgreg, if you were ever able to find the information I requested over a month ago. My venture with the H1000 has been put on the back burner as I have been busy with school/work, as well as a couple of other more important vintage Mac problems.

If you weren't able to find anything, that's okay. However, if you were, please post your findings here.

Thanks. :beige:

 

aplmak

Well-known member
I’ve replaced all of my capacitors in my Newton MessagePads.. including a 4.7uf in my eMate 300’s to tantalum.. 

 
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