Re: Multimedia

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Dave Harper" <dharper@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

<stuff snipped>

> You can download the manual from Fujitsu.  Just point your browser towards
>   http://support.fujitsupc.com/CS/Portal/support.do?srch=GUIDES
> Under Product select "Tablet PC", Series is "Stylistic" and the Model is
> "Stylistic 3400".  That will take you to the download page.

Thanks, Dave - found that and the generic FAQ a little earlier and have been
reading through.  Any idea how to program the programmable function key on
the bottom edge?  I see references to it but no details on how to actually
do it.  It's the second danged mystery key I've run into this month!

I got spooked when the FAQ talked about batteries for the stylus -
apparently that's something specific to previous generations.  The tablet
came preloaded with W2KPro (although the label on the bottom implies it was
born a WIN98SE machine).

The specs on the Fujitsu page say only "USB" with no verison number but I
have been able to connect a WD120GB external drive, a USB mouse and a USB
keyboard without any problems.

I really thought the unit came with a LAN jack.  Some of the older reviews I
read referred to one being on board however I've learned that it's only
active through one of the docking stations.  A LAN port would have been more
useful than a built-in modem.  I am not sure whether to use a PCMCIA LAN
card or a USB to LAN adapter.  I haven't tried a USB hub yet but will after
I get a USB test program onto the machine.  I lost my PCMCIA to CF adapter
and didn't buy a floppy drive so moving things on and off is still a little
dicey.  I've been using my USB wristwatch but it looks like I'll finally
have to get a large capacity thumbdrive and/or the special Fujitsu floppy
for the unit.

Worse, still, I don't know how I am going to be able to Ghost the built-in
hard drive since there's no floppy and Ghost sometimes refuses to write to
USB drives, depending on the USB chipset.  That will be my project for
tonight so that I don't inadvertently blow away the software that came on
the machine.

> I have two tablets that I bought on eBay - a 3400 and, more
> recently, a 3500.  On both I installed a Netgear PCMCIA
> wireless card along with an optical USB mouse.

It's really, really tempting to go wireless, but it's going to be stuck on a
wall so I'll probably just get a LAN PC card.

> I have Tcl/Tk installed on both (I do virtually all of my HA
> programming in Tcl) and this has turned out to be a fairly
> inexpensive way to put control units around the house.

Tcl/Tk?  Unix tools?  What OS are you running?

>  I use them for controlling the whole house audio  (Channel Plus
> MDS-6 units), HVAC control and monitoring (via an HAI OmniPro)
> and security camera control (simply controls an ATV DPX16 mux which then
> displays on the televisions, not the 3400).  All of these apps seem
> to be as zippy as they are on my main PC.

My workhorse machine's a 500MHz AMD so the 3400 seems plenty fast.  I intend
to use it as a control screen for HA and to play music.  It seems more than
powerful enough to do that.  The docs talks about a Zoom video PCMCIA card.
Do you know anything about that?

> All in all, I've been quite happy with both units.  The 3400 does have
> a dead area on the touchscreen that I discovered too late to return it,
> but since I do most of the control with the mouse, it really doesn't
matter.
> Once you're up and going, though, you probably will want to do a full
check
> of the unit just to make sure it is as it should be.

I would never have thought of "dead spots" on the touch screen.  I'll scan
for those tonight, as well.  My impression of this unit is that it spent
most of its life in the case.  Very little wear - no scratches on the
screen, a little distress at the pen slot that could have been caused by
UPS - that's a really weak corner - and the labels on the bottom are all
crisp and not smudged, smeared or worn.  Even better is that the unit runs
off AC without a battery present.  I've had more than a few laptops that
wouldn't.  Got two LithIon batteries thrown in that still seem to hold a
charge, but I won't be needing them.  I will probably wire it to a set of
three 6V 12AH batteries and a float charger since it required 16VDC at 3A if
I read the charger label right.

Do you use screen protectors with your unit?  I'm tempted to, but I think
I'll end up running the unit via USB mouse - maybe even wireless since I
don't want any cords coming from the front of the unit.

Thanks for the input, Dave,

--
Bobby G.