Got a Jornada 690 Japanese Ver.

So, the other day, I got a Jornada 690 Japanese Version.

It is in pretty good condition, although the screen is a little hard to see.
It came with dock and original AC adapter.



Compared to NEC's Mobile Pro / Gear series, the Jornada 690 has a lot of original HP utilities I wasn't aware of.
For example, HP Settings enables you to change the screen brightness, whereas most NEC models have keys assigned to that if I'm not mistaken.

Edited by stingraze 2022-04-03 1:15 AM






Attachments
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jornada690.jpg (99KB - 2 downloads)

Are you going to attempt Joval's backlight mod to fix the brightness issue, or do you think it's the panel?

Alt + < or > should tap the contrast
Alt + [ or ] the brightness

I was trying those keys for brightness and contrast but didn't seem to work.
I think it's due to old age, the backlight module is a little bit wonky.

I can do some electronics, but don't really want to possibly break this, lol.

Edited by stingraze 2022-04-04 2:09 AM

Is there a JP language version of the manual? Perhaps it's mapped to a different key (or none at all)?

I am trying to find the manual, and I will put a link here if I find it. I did find a short manual (more like a very short pamphlet) somewhere.
Maybe it is indeed mapped differently... A little strange though. I will try it again to make sure.

-stingraze

Update: I'm still trying to find Jornada 680 / 690 manual in Japanese but can't find it.

One Japanese pamphlet of Jornada 690 is here for those who are interested:
https://usermanual.wiki/HP/c00179863.2596374974/help

Bonus: A Japanese blog /site of Jornada 690 and PDAs etc.
http://kyoro205.blog.fc2.com/blog-category-16.html

Bonus 2: I've attached a Pocket Postpet Pamphlet collaboration with Jornada 680 here on this post.
Source: http://gizport.jp/manual/1881304/?id=110186

Edited by stingraze 2022-04-04 12:07 PM




Attachments
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postpet-jornada680.pdf (248KB - 5 downloads)

The postpet-pdf is cool. I like these japanese flyers or journals even if I cannot read a word.

Did you see the flip-phone with the pcmcia-adaptor as the microphone flip (on the second page, top right)? Or is that just the 680 accidentially sitting on the phone´s mike?

-Stefan

Glad you liked it!

Didn't notice about the flip-phone. Nice find.
I think it might be 611S with a PC card adapter.

Found some relevant information here in this Japanese site: (There's a photo of it there)
https://ishikawakiyoharu.info/tnews4/2006/01/31/docomo_phs.html

It looks like there is some kind of CF-datacard integrated in the microphone-flap. Impressive design-idea

The device should have used a 64kbps PHS called P-in from NTT Docomo.

Some technical information on the PHS data service from long ago here:
https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/binary/pdf/corporate/technology/rd/...

-stingraze

Edited by stingraze 2022-04-06 11:31 AM

These PHS-systems were quite promising in the nineties. Basically cordless-ISDN-phones these systems have been extended to use in a community network. Only hotspots in large cities were available but it was less expensive than the GSM-stuff.

In Germany it was called "Birdie" and the base stations were integrated in old phone boothes (as I remember - never had such a thing myself). Data was extended up to 64kb/s (in theory) which was quite impressive compared to the then standard 9k6-GSM.

With lower prices for GSM-stuff there was no need anymore for those proprietary systems.

BTW: In Germany they also had a Motorola-packetcom-system for data in the nineties. The Modacom-System provided data-terminals up to 33Kbs. Mainly used for mobile access to the X.25 network but with better coverage than GSM. It worked everywhere. Maybe the first IOT-network because of packet-based billing.
There were a few adaptors for the HP-DOS-Palmtops. I newer used it because of the high data fees (even for the nineties)

I used to use PHS with WILLCOM in late '00s with my WILLCOM W-ZERO 3 [es] Advanced. That was good experience, quite fast for PHS, with up to 204kbps speed. I used it with the Pocket IE.

I have no knowledge of X.25, but I've seen it mentioned in many places and it was said to be a good system. Last I checked, it said that it is still used in aviation? Not too sure.

Edited by stingraze 2022-04-07 11:59 AM

Well, I don't think that wired X.25 packet systems exist anymore. It was an interesting system in the eighties to connect server and terminals worldwide. It was billed per data octet but they also had dialup-nodes in bigger cities (PAD: packet assembler/disassembler).
Compuserve relied on that for global enduser access.

In aviation the wireless derivative AX.25 is still used. This was (in the nineties) a wireless implementation of X.25 and first used in amateur radio communication networks.
On top of AX.25 was APRS that sends your position beacon into the net.
The idea was to transmit the position of amateur radio stations into the amateur packet radio network.

Today the amateur packet radio network AX.25 is obsolete but these positions still are transmitted via radio to some internet gateway nodes and then forwarded to aprs.fi

With the deregulation of the amateur radio rules these systems sometimes are used to broadcast positions of commercial airplane, ships and balloons today.
Today noone cares anymore if a proper license is carried for that kind of stuff. Sometimes it is broadcasted via cb radio or frs.

So AX.25 is alive today for the aprs-service in planes and ships.

Hi Stingraze!

Lucky you! Cool looking little beastie there... bet you'll have fun with that. Actually the screen looks fairly bright, outdoors would be the real test,though.

Actually the LED backlight upgrade isn't all that worrisome or invasive IMO, and I'm working on a drop in version with no soldering.

I will have detailed photos... how to remove the screen backside ie, remove 2 torx screws under those logo stickers, use guitar pick to pop off top, then release the ribbon cable, disconnect ccfl inverter from ribbon tab, unplug from ccfl power inverter and remove , then unbend the small metal tabs on the bottom of screen, undo yellow tape, lift gently about 2-3 mm, clip white wire from right side (under grey rubber "boot"|, slide out CCFL tube, slide in LED strip, orient LED face side up,a dab with glue gun to secure, mount new LED boost converter , connect ribbon cable, use guitar pick to replace top so no plastic tabs are broken, replace screws, replace logo stickers over screw holes. Yer Done!! So, should you ever need an upgrade... is quite possible.

BTW, using WRP proxy server and any wifi card you can actually get online with the J680/690 and its PIE3! Slow, but can be done!

I'm just now trying out the new LED screen using Devuan_Linux and found it will require resetting screen brightness parameters on a J720 (in Devuan mode)... nice improvement once you learn how to get out of the black screen mode on boot-up.

Best regards,

joval (I guess you can tell from all the verbosity that this is posted from j720/Devuan/WPA to RasPi4/Firefox hybrid... I forgot how well it zips along compared to WinCE/open wifi to esp8266 WPA2/to WRP-proxy. Both are fun though! Best of both worlds...

Edited by joval 2022-04-08 8:03 AM

Thanks.

I did some opening up electronics was back in 2006 when I was trying to open up a digital camera. I electrocuted myself touching the capacitor for the flash.

So.. yeah I became careful after that.
I did fix some PDAs in the past though, I think the Intermec 6651's Japanese version I bought at Akihabara. I sold it after fixing it. Also a NTT Docomo G-FORT.

For now, I will stick with the original, thanks for telling me about how to mod it though. I will keep it in mind.

Edited by stingraze 2022-04-08 2:16 PM

Thank you for the explanation. It makes me want to deep dive into the internet and communication networks even more.
My first encounter with internet was back around 1996 or so, with a 56kbps modem. Before that, to get information about other countries, I had to visit my grandfather's house which had satellite TV, and could watch many channels. Or go to the library and check books about it. The so called information highway really changed how I live. Having an experience with the early commercial internet was interesting, I could learn lots by making my own homepage etc.

I don't really know if the world became a lot better with smartphones and internet though, although I enjoy it.

Like the movie "Transcendence" (2014) has these lines:
"The Internet was meant to make the world a smaller place. But it actually feels smaller without it. ... "

-stingraze

Edited by stingraze 2022-04-08 2:17 PM