I'm getting a Pencentra 130 ! --- DDK ?

there is of course an SDK. EVC++ and hpc pro SDK, for example.
MIPS is ok in terms of wifi cards.

Hi everyone,

OK, so, I just got a "new" (ca 1999 PenCentra 130 from HSC. How do you get driver and other files loaded if you can't use the USB or PCMCIA (Peaople Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms ports because the drivers aren't there for any hardware I've tried, you don't have a direct phone line (much less a dial-up account anymore ): , and you can't remember how to set up a terminal connection over the serial port to another computer?

Have there ever been any updates to the WinCE 2.11 in ROM, via the flash memory? What's the latest version of WinCE that will run on the 130?

What are the characteristics of programs that will run on the 130's limited memory footprint? I know WinCE will run generic Win32 executables, but, does not support virtual memory or multi-threading.

Where is the best deal on the 32 MB memory upgrade?

What are the best forums (besides this one, of course ), where the most useful files and topics are easiest to find/navigate?

Has/is it possible to run a sliced-down version of Linux from a USB/PCMCIA CD-ROM drive, or USB memory thumb drive, ala Gnoppix? Can a reduced-subset Linux fit and run in the various memory configurations?

More stoopid questions to come.

Thanks and have a good one,
Joe

You aren't "the" Joe Blow by any chance are you, as in the legendary CE1 Joe?

You can download updates for the device from H/PC:Update in the support section. You can get drivers for known compatible cards in the HCL, also in support.

The latest version is the one you have. CE will not run generic Win32 executables (as in x86), it shares partial source compatiblity though. CE6 pips you on the threading.

Good luck on finding the memory upgrade. eBay or putting a correctly formatted request in hpcBay are your only options.

I wondered exactly the same thing when I saw this post last night. Wonder if he still has that Velo 1.

Edited by CE Geek 2007-11-27 2:48 PM

Hi Amie and CE,

Yes, I am The Joe Blow, but, not "the" one you're thinking of (I predate that poser by many years ).

Win32 on an NEC/MIPS family CPU - what the heck was I thinking? Note to self: gotta stop posting well after midnight without the intervention of a full night's sleep! Sheesh!

Saw a 32 MB memory upgrade on eBay for under $25, including shipping. Sure beats the $99 from MemoryX (assuming they really still have any, or just haven't updated their web site).

Is there anything (wired Ethernet or WiFi USB adapter, PCMCIA adapter, USB CD-ROM, USB flash RAM thumb drive, etc.) that works on the 130 out-of-the box to allow loading files (e.g., drivers for storage devices I already have, updates, etc.)?

CE6 doesn't run on the 130, right, or did you mean that CE6 supports multi-threading on newer devices?

I've started devouring everything in the various sections - what a great site - thanks!

All the Best,
Joe Blow

erm,, CE does support virtual memory and multithreading, it doesnt even support cpu's without a MMU

who the hell told you it doesnt support these really basic things?
you don't have to have CE6 for this, CE1 already supported all this.. 2.11 (and probably 1.0 too) supported unlimited threads, just number of processes is limited to 32, this is what changes in CE6, not the number of threads.

and of course CE won't run PC win32 apps

as for pcmcia, you can use CF memory cards in a cheap pcmcia to cf adapter.

or use IRDA but the CF is a better solution



Edited by cmonex 2007-11-28 7:32 AM

Hi cmonex,

Sorry, I'm probably conflating stuff from long ago in a galaxy far, far away. I developed on embedded 386/486 NT 4.x based telecom troubleshooting equipment that we were asked to evaluate porting the software to WinCE-based (probably 2.x) equipment (HP/Agilent, IIRC). There were some major problems with the minimal memory footprint of the WinCE devices, along with what I seem to recall being lack of support for VM and multi-threading (both absolutely necessary in a small-RAM, telecom monitoring application with a GUI). After just reading the history section here, it's obviously the case that WinCE does, indeed, support VM and multi-threading, with the processes limitation in the older versions. Thanks for the correction, and that's going to make developing software for this platform much more fun and interesting (not to mention possible to execute! ).

That brings up the next question: can VM use any writable attached memory/storage devices, how is that designated (e.g., at boot time?), and can only one be designated without rebooting (i.e., can you change the VM volume on-the-fly)? I realize this is probably way down the rathole that belongs in some other thread, but, the original subject was about a DDK, so, it seems at least partially legit here.

I've got a PCMCIA/CF adapter somewhere here in one of these piles, but, if needed, I can easily snarf one on my next daily (hourly? trip to Fry's, Micro Center, HSC, etc. Is there any limit to the size of the CF card the 130 can read? I've got them in everything from 8 MB up through 2 GB, so, whatever will work.

Since the HSC store in Sacramento is apparently running their display 130 with a WiFi card, I'll find out whether they were able to use it out-of-the-box, which card they're using, and if they have any lying around looking for an owner. I did find the support topic that lists the generic driver files to try when the driver dialog comes up when something is plugged into the USB or PCMCIA ports (I didn't see a driver file listed for USB flash drives - does that mean one has to be downloaded via another port?).

BTW, since the Microsoft site only provides access to the latest-and-greatest Windows Mobile development tools, are there still build options for WinCE 2.11 on the PenCentra's NEC CPU as the target? The transition between WinCE/PocketPC/Windows Mobile, along with the parallel universes of versions numbers for the OSs, development tools, platforms, apps, etc., sure makes the mud unclear

For anyone who needs access to old software on sites that don't even exist anymore, much less vanished pages (many of which are now generated on-the-fly via server-side databases and scripts), try http://www.archive.org and its Wayback Machine - it's a great way to go find and download stuff that hasn't seen the light of day in years, even if the original site owner has gone belly-up, been acquired out of existence, just burned out, or otherwise gone the route of the dodo bird.

Finally (at last, they cry! ), are there any PenCentra 130 owners here in Silicon Valley (or the Bay area), especially who have developed software for theirs? I'd love to get together and see what you've got on your system, and what you've developed, and/or are developing. I'm in North San Jose, but, Have PenCentra, Will Travel (I mean, what's the point of a mobile device if you can't be mobile, the price of gas notwithstanding? ).

Thanks again for all the pointers, and All the Best,
Joe

Thanx for mentioning the Wayback Machine. I've used it to get quite a few old programs. One caveat, though: sometimes files linked for download aren't "in the archive." You can often still download them by right-clicking the link and selecting "Save Link As . . ." However, this does not work well with ZIP files. Sometimes you get an empty ZIP file, and sometimes you get the whole file minus one byte - which makes it unreadable by WinZip. However, as some fellow members here have pointed out to me, you can open these latter files with WinRAR and select "Repair Archive," and the repaired version can then be extracted (even by WinZip).

Hey, folks. How are you? I have a Pencentra 200 with 64mb and HPC2000. It is very nice, mint condition. But the battery is dead after 30 days off. Now, what can I do? I don´t believe that buy a old new battery is a good deal. Anybody tryed to rebuilt the battery pack? Or built a battery pack with NiMH AA cells? Is it possible?

hi joe blow, sorry, i didn't see your reply.

i wonder who the moron was who told you CE didn't support VM and multithreading, wow.

your question about attached storage devices vs VM, doesn't make sense whatsoever. what do you mean? you can plug in storage devices just fine if that's your concern. what do you call "VM volume"?

if your OS is ce 2.11 or later, you can use FAT32 so basically no limit on CF size.

no wifi card will work out of the box on CE2.11, you'll have to install a driver.
but quite some cards are compatible.
you need to get the usb flash drive driver from the HCL (look in "other storage devices" ).

you can develop for the thing using EVC3, check developer downloads on this site..

have fun.








edit: to fix forum smiley bug

Edited by cmonex 2007-12-16 3:58 PM

Hi my fellow and fellowette HPC afficionados,

Hope you've all been doing well. I've been busier than a one-armed paper-hanger with a case of the twitchies the last few months, as I had a major career change in December (see below, for the two people who might be interested).

So, I haven't been able to play with my PenCentra 130 since before the holidays, and am attempting to complete getting it on the Net, preferably wirelessly. I'd very much appreciate hearing what peoples' experiences have been with the various PCMCIA WiFi cards in their PenCentras, particularly any limitations that some models may have, since I'd rather find one that works best, rather than waste time acquiring one that already has known problems. I'd also like to know where the best places are to find (preferably new-in-box) compatible WiFi cards. I have seen the cards/drivers listed in the HPC Pro support section, but, haven't started searching the typical ePrey and surplus suppliers for the cards identified in the list. If anyone knows what chipsets are in the compatible cards, that might be helpful, too, in case there are additional cards out there, not on the list, that might also work (if I can get them free/cheap enough, I might even get one of each for testing, assuming the drivers would be compatible).

I haven't been able to generate the right MIPS executables from the EVC3 SDK due to it failing to completely start properly, possibly because I'm running XP, and I may need to try running it on a more ancient version of Windoze (not to mention one that's constantly bumping into virtual memory and other resource limits). I'm also interested in loading a Linux port at some point, just because my life isn't complicated enough, already! so, if anyone has any experience with that, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks everyone, and All the Best,
Joe Blow

P.S.: OK, here's the off-topic stuff. My new job involves the completely off-the-wall intersection of my expertise as a software engineer, mechanical engineer, fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, experimental aircraft builder, and all-around enthusiast about anything to do with scientific and engineering advances, in this case, astronomy. I snagged a job with a small NASA subcontractor where I'm developing software for a 2.5 meter diameter, 20-ton, German-built telescope (capable of remaining pointed at a dime at 10 miles distance) mounted in a 747SP that's had a 12 x 16 foot (W x H) hole sliced into one side of the fuselage (along with a whole lotta airframe reinforcement). The aircraft has passed closed-door flight tests with the telescope aboard, and is now getting a supercomputer installed for doing near-real-time image processing and archive, along with a bunch of other subsystems to control and coordinate everything. It's scheduled to perform open-door flight tests at 35,000 - 45,000 feet of altitude in November 2008, and its first nascent "early science" missions in the Summer of 2009, where it will start looking at distant galaxies that are moving so fast away from us that their electromagnetic radiation has red-shifted down into the far-infrared portion of the spectrum (just above the cosmic background microwave radiation remaining from just after when the Big Bang occurred). If everything goes as planned, the aircraft will spend the next 20+ years flying all over the world to collect data from every direction in space (something that ground and space-based telescopes can't do at any arbitrary point in time). In addition to routine roughly eight-hour missions to be flown an average of three times a week (including down-time for maintenance and upgrades), it will be able to fly ad-hoc missions when rare events, such as supernova explosions, occur, remaining within view of the target for as long as desired, and flying between airports across the planet as needed to stay within view on successive missions. Yeah, it's a crazy idea, flying a 747SP that's already 31 years old (but, completely inspected and overhauled, including new, much more efficient and lower-polluting engines) with a giant hole cut in the side, and a 20-ton telescope inside. The coolest part is that the first class seats up front, and the business class seats up in the humpback, are mostly still intact (although still with decades-old upholstery), so, I may get a chance to ride aboard the aircraft after the open-door test flights, and before (and maybe during) the science missions start. If I do get to fly aboard, you can bet your sweet bippy that I'll bring every one of my portable gadgets along to document all the fun!

Have you succeeded in your OBDII link ? noilleffects@comcast.net

EVC3 runs just fine on my XP Pro SP2 (localized version even).