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HP 620LX

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olimexsmart Page Icon Posted 2015-03-19 9:54 PM
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HI!

It's so strange to write on a forum that has latest post from 6 month ago, it's like shouting out in a ghost town! Hopefully some ghost will answer my call

Today I found an HP620LX in the garbage of my University, along with two Serial cables and two docking stations. The battery was completely flat, but I managed to turn it on dissasembling it and conecting a bench power supply insted of the battery. It works fine!

I was thinking about using this to write down thoughts and notes, the keyboard is great! I just need a two cell lithum battery and it's ready to go. But there is one problem left: how do I get my files in and out this thing?

I read a lot about how this thing worked: basically you synced it with ActiveSync (RIP), the use of the serial port stops here.
I read that the Ir port uses iRsquirt, something that if googled redirects you on porn pages. BTW is a proprietary protocol, Win95 and all that old <snip>.
I read that you can plug a WiFi adapter on this very forum, the hardware page is really excellent! But there are a lot of issues, from retreiving one of these cards to get and install the right drivers. "drivers", this word is from another era. And anyway I would need to set up some sort of home server to relay files. And these cards support just WEP protection, if any at all.

I need to buy an CF card, don't I? There are any restrictions? I was planning to buy a 128MB for about 5€
Anyone has a better idea?

Thank you to everyone is left on this forum, internet is a place where "old" thing are forgotten really fast, and places like this one help to save a knowledge that would be lost in time
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stingraze Page Icon Posted 2015-03-20 10:57 AM
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Hi.

You're right. You will probably be best to get a CF card to transfer files. If you want to be safe something between 16MB-2GB should be good. Look at this for more info on maximum size of external card.

128MB will definitely work fine on the HP620LX.



Edited by stingraze 2015-03-20 10:58 AM
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Rich Hawley Page Icon Posted 2015-03-20 12:25 PM
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Ditto Stingraze thoughts. CF memory card, and a CF USB adapter as many computers don't have CF memory card readers. Total costs...probably less than $10-$15. Remember that the version of Pocket Word saves files in a unique format, so you would to save your files in .txt format to be compatible with nearly every text editor in the world.

And it will be worth the expense for you to buy a new battery.

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Karpour Page Icon Posted 2015-03-20 2:44 PM
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There are all kinds of fun things to do with a 620lx!

You can connect it to the internet (check the Hardware compatibility list on here to find a compatible card, will cost you a few dollars on ebay). IRC works pretty fine too!
Or you install Linux on it! ( jlime.com )
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olimexsmart Page Icon Posted 2015-03-20 2:59 PM
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It's alive! I love the Internet so much.
Hi to everyone and thank you

I will have in my mind to save all on .txt files!

There are any applications I can install? There is a collection of these like there was on Symbian?

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Rich Hawley Page Icon Posted 2015-03-20 5:53 PM
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Check the download area on this website...over 1000 programs listed for download or exploration....not all work with 620LX, but many of them do...
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olimexsmart Page Icon Posted 2015-03-20 7:39 PM
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This site is amazing!
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SirThoreth Page Icon Posted 2015-03-20 11:07 PM
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Rich Hawley - 2015-03-20 9:53 AM

Check the download area on this website...over 1000 programs listed for download or exploration....not all work with 620LX, but many of them do...


When you do, you're specifically going to want to make sure you grab applications compatible with the SH3 processor (used in the 620LX) and Windows CE 2.0, unless yours has the rare Windows CE 2.11 upgrade (aka Handheld PC Professional).

To check to see if you've got the upgrade, go to the Control Panel (either point-tap, or hit Win+C on your keyboard), and go into System, where it'll tell you. I picked up an OS upgrade module for mine on eBay a while back, but haven't seen one since, though parts and accessories do show up periodically. Win CE 2.11 has better app selection, but you can certainly get by with CE 2.0 (I've got it on my 360LX).

If you do decide to get a wireless card, one proviso to keep in mind is that the 620LX isn't going to support access points with anything other than WEP or open security. As I recall, WPA never made it over, and WPA2-PSK is out.
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olimexsmart Page Icon Posted 2015-03-21 10:55 AM
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Thank you!
I have CE 2.0, the upgrading card can be used more than once?

To install application I copy the .exe in the CF and then run it like in windows?
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SirThoreth Page Icon Posted 2015-03-24 1:00 AM
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olimexsmart - 2015-03-21 2:55 AM

Thank you!
I have CE 2.0, the upgrading card can be used more than once?

To install application I copy the .exe in the CF and then run it like in windows?


That depends on the app, actually. For most of them, that won't actually work.

When the Windows CE 1.0 and 2.0 devices shipped, they were originally envisioned as being "companions" to your main PC, and because there wasn't a standard CPU architecture that all Windows CE devices used, what most software applications did was have an application you run on your PC (hence the EXE file), which then launched the sync app that pushed the install for the right CPU to your Handheld PC. The first sync apps was HPC Explorer, which got renamed Windows CE Services when Windows CE 2.0 shipped, then later renamed ActiveSync. ActiveSync 3.8 is the most recent version that supports the 620LX, and is available for download here on the site.

The easier method, and what I usually do, is make a copy if the CAB files from the installers on my CF card, then open the CAB files on my 620LX to install the application. If you do install ActiveSync, the CAB files get dumped in the ActiveSync directory, too, making it easier to copy them over, but some apps make the CAB file easy to acess in the first place.
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2015-03-24 6:19 AM
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BTW, the "last post 6 months ago" was the news item on the front page. We've still had regular activity in the forums, though lately it's been down to an average of less than a post a day.
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olimexsmart Page Icon Posted 2015-03-24 2:15 PM
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CE Geek - 2015-03-24 6:19 AM

BTW, the "last post 6 months ago" was the news item on the front page. We've still had regular activity in the forums, though lately it's been down to an average of less than a post a day.


Sorry, you guys are really kind and helpful!

So basically the "installer" is the .cab file in case I install them directly from the CF.

BTW refubrish the battery was incredibly cheap, two 18650 cells buyed for 3,99€ each on ebay. And the nominal capacity is improved of 4,5 times
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Rich Hawley Page Icon Posted 2015-03-24 5:58 PM
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Yes...kind of. Think of a .cab file as a self-extracting zip file, or if you were working with Android, it would be an .apk type file. Just copy the SH3 version of your .cab file to your CF memory card and insert it in your handheld. Then tap on it to install the application.

Many applications were originally meant to install from a desktop computer. Those you run and it decompresses and writes .cab files for multiple cpus, i.e. Arm, MIPS, SH3, and SH4...occastionally x86 for those x86 CE machines.

Those you have to locate to discover where the files are decompressed and stored to on your hard drive. Sometimes it is in the \program files\Microsoft activesync folder. Other times it is in the temporary folder and well hidden and several recursive layers deep.

Lots of help files in the forum and great CESD (tutorial files) on this website to get you used to the way things work.

Many of the files in the download area have already been separated out to the individual .cab files for your direct download by the staff members here.
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olimexsmart Page Icon Posted 2015-03-24 8:24 PM
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Thank you! As soon I get the CF from ebay I will try
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olimexsmart Page Icon Posted 2015-03-26 1:07 PM
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Here I am with my new puppy at the University. All kinds of nerds are asking what it is and what it can be done with it, well it's 17 years old, you know... I was thinking that actually it has some features that only Apple with the iPad would include in mainstream product. Like solid state memory, instant on/off, touchscreen, proprietary connectors , one specifica app sync... Yeah, a little bit of sarcasm came up here. But hey it works after 17 years, it's great!

And on ebay with 7,5€ I found an Ethernet adapter, that very 3Com in the pinnend thread here. I hope it will work.

I tryed installing some apps with success, a scientific calculator and a pdf reader. The second one opens text-only pdfs.
What a shame that PocketC isn't downloadable anywhere. I wish to write a simple console app that let me open COM ports, it would be so cool use this thing to talk to an Arduino. And very handy too.

Anyone has a clue how compile an app or find PocketC .cab files?
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