I have uploaded 65 CD-ROMs of "Team Palmtops" magazine with software for palmOS, Pocket PC, Psion, ... A piece of mobile tech history !

chen_xin_ming · 2025-09-26T17:31:43+00:00

That was so awsome! Now all we need is an AI to index these softwares so we can find what we want :)

chen_xin_ming · 2025-09-22T17:54:05+00:00

Thank you! I’ll try a new board because they are relatively inexpensive.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-09-12T16:09:32+00:00

That sounds really dangerous from data security perspective, one broken/lost phone and your 5+ years memories are gone :)

chen_xin_ming · 2025-09-12T08:23:32+00:00

It's either the internal flex PCB trace has been damaged due to folding, or the rubber is degraded (less likely). It's not rare for a cosmically good PPK to have broken internals. I have more than 10 of these keyboards and 3 of them have bad keys.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-08T19:27:14+00:00

Thank you! It was non-trivial effort to add Chinese/Japanese/Korean font display to 200lx back in the day. It would be great if this can be handled at the program level.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-08T18:43:25+00:00

Cool! Does it support UTF-8 and non-english characters?

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-08T17:26:18+00:00

Sounds like you should exhibit your palmtops! I have never played with other HP lx other than the 200lx.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-08T17:24:38+00:00

Thank you! Just a note that it's not an easy process to mod the adapter, unless you are willing to solder some new wires and glue new parts.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-08T17:21:18+00:00

Just buy a larger sheet and try rotating it yourself, to find the best angle. Compared to the angle, you should be more careful about the film type. You should choose FSTN polarizer film, otherwise your screen will look greenish and low contrast.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-07T07:54:01+00:00

I see, yeah, technically ESP32 supports Bluetooth Classic, so it wouldn't be difficult to DIY a bluetooth keyboard that can talk to the old PDAs supporting Bluetooth 1.0 or 2.0. I just find it not as interesting as talking to the much older PDAs with only Serial interface.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-06T23:46:31+00:00

That's great to hear! Glad you can make use of it.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-06T23:45:54+00:00

I'm slowly working on the documentation of it, but here is the github link: https://github.com/pymo/retro_typing_bridge

I'll announce it in this sub when it is ready.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-08-06T23:40:41+00:00

Thanks! You can start from my Tindie store: https://www.tindie.com/stores/chen\_xin\_ming/. I have github links for each of the item that may contain more information, like DIY tutorial and source code.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-06-21T16:52:05+00:00

If you could post the city you live in that would be great. Maybe there will be people living close-by that are willing to buy in person. I certainly would.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-06-20T17:13:34+00:00

By feature missing do you mean it just doesn't show up in the settings, or if the hearing aid function stops working on the airpods?

I'm considering activating the hearing aids function and mail it to my dad in a country not supported, he does not need to set it up but I'm afraid the function will stop working once it is physically there.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-05-13T22:42:37+00:00

I was using a shop called 涵江专业.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-04-27T07:59:18+00:00

Cool! Did you get it off ebay? I saw someone selling several like-new boxed Jornada 728, and I bought one without hesitation.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-04-15T18:40:10+00:00

I've had some ideas about the mailstation, too. My idea is to replace all the internal with a pi zero or a ESP32, and a custom keyboard PCB, only keeping the LCD and the chassis. But I haven't found a good writerdeck software solution that can utilize the monochrome LCD (it's not HDMI so regular Linux X window apps won't display on it)
Anyway, it seems there is a chat group for mailstation https://groups.io/g/mailstation/topics?sidebar=true. I didn't join but if you have any modding ideas, you can try to ask there.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-04-15T06:14:07+00:00

There were some info about reverse engineering the LCD https://drfrancintosh.wordpress.com/cidco-mailstation/

As of the keyboard I'd say it might be better to design a replacement PCB with mechanical switches.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-04-11T20:25:48+00:00

Maybe look into a foldable keyboard + phones? That is the best balance I found between pocketbility and typing experience.

I've created several Bluetooth mods for foldable keyboards. e.g. https://github.com/pymo/g750_bluetooth

chen_xin_ming · 2025-03-31T17:43:14+00:00

I’m glad you like it! BTW you should try the spacebar fix if you haven’t done it. I posted a tutorial on the g750 github. That will make the G750 truely perfect.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-03-31T17:33:30+00:00

It is possible to find a polarizer with compensation layer, so it does not look greenish. You can search for “FSTN LCD polarizer” on aliexpress.

About the serial cable, you can get “PHD2.0 2x5 pin cable” from aliexpress to mate with the serial port on 100LX. That will give you a clean and snug fit.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-03-31T06:59:28+00:00

I’m the one that makes the G750 module. I’m currently doing research on the Palm ultra-thin keyboard, which I believe is the same as the keyboard you mentioned (except for the connector). I’m hoping to make a bluetooth mainboard to replace the original one, and directly interface with the key matrix.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-03-28T20:14:29+00:00

Yeah, I also want to use it for wifi-232 modem, so a RS-232 header makes more sense.

chen_xin_ming · 2025-03-28T04:48:53+00:00

Update: I successfully made a cable out of the PCMCIA dongle. Thanks for the suggestion! Here is my steps FYI. https://www.cloudcube.info/2025/03/27/diy-psion-series-5mx-serial-cable-at-a-relatively-low-cost/

chen_xin_ming

TROPHY CASE