Sharp TRIPAD PV-6000 stylus calibration issue

Hi everyone,

Foremost, happy new year!

I'm putting together a proto Handheld PC collection, and got my hands on a Sharp TRIPAD PV-6000 off Ebay.

The unit seems to work fine with the exception of the stylus calibration; I need to recalibrate the Stylus every time I power off/suspend the unit.

Is this a known issue with the device or a hardware malfunction?

As always, many thanks!

I've had a few of these and never have had that issue. But I may have just been lucky. As far as I know, there's nothing that should cause this from happening. On some devices, you'd have to press at certain spots (looking at you Psion NetBook) to get the digitizer to work due to a cable becoming loose. But I've never heard of this being an issue with the Tripads.

Hope someone can chime in with some more concrete info. I'd like to know too in case it ever happens to me.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Yea, it's a headscratcher. The unit is essentially in mint condition; the battery holds charge as new seemingly.

I've done a soft reset, hard reset, and toyed with the memory settings, but to no avail.

Might get a Vadem Clio or something else for everyday "retro" productivity as these Sharp Tripads don't pop up on Ebay often from what I've seen.

Any suggestions on a device that will allow for two handed typing and good for productivity that's Tripad-ish? I purchased an IBM Workpad z50, but like the Tripad design much more.

Thanks again!

It's likely electrical, but a first step would be to get the bezel off and alcohol clean the entire screen, especially under the bezel in the event that it is accumulated debris/dust/grease.

Thanks for the reply!

Indeed it seems like an electrical issue. I noticed that the screen occasionally turns off when I move the hinge.

Thanks again!

I mentioned that in my review of its sister device, the Vadem Clio:

https://www.hpcfactor.com/reviews/hardware/vadem/clio-c-1050/

That seems to be the Achilles' heel of this device.

The need for recalibration does sound like simple age. I find that with my Psion 7, though not the same OS but oddly the same size, I must recalibrate with annoying frequency.

I choose to see this with gratitude that it recalibrates at all

Jake

I seem to recall similar issues with the 7's CE counterpart, the Netbook Pro. That could be a built-in weakness for that device too and not necessarily age-related.

Definitely, though I don't remember seeing same complaints during its heyday (on psionplace, etc).

But in these times, I certainly have recalibrate whenever I turn it back on.

Jake

If we're talking about the Psion 7, there's a little connector under the plastic / sticker (don't remember what it was) that would regularly come loose. Pressing on that area pushed the connection back together making it work again. You could fix it with a little solder I believe.

Maybe taking the Tripad apart and taking a look at the connectors would help? Wish I had mine with me, but they're all back in the U.S.

Hmm, hadn't known about the mechanics. Thanks for the heads-up.

Jake