Although there are three different versions of the Poqet PC (as explained below), whenever I use the term "The Poqet PC", I'm generally referring collectively to the Poqet PC "Classic" (Model PQ-0164) and the Poqet PC "Prime" (Model PQ-0181). If I'm referring specifically either to the "Classic" or to the "Prime", I'll make a specific note of it. The Poqet PC Plus is covered in a separate Poqet PC Plus FAQ on this Web site.
Many thanks to Domingo Diaz-Vazquez for his question/answer list that makes up part of this FAQ, and to Craig Miller, who worked out the data on using rechargeable batteries in the Poqet.
Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this document, there may still be some errors. If you find any, please send me e-mail so I can correct it.
Specifications:
Size: 8.8" x 4.3" x 1"
22.3cm x 10.9cm x 2.5cm
Weight: 1.2 lb (0.54 kg) w/batteries
Battery life: 50-100 hours (about 2-3 weeks)
Microprocessor: 80C88 / 0-8Mhz
Memory: 640 KB SRAM
Display: reflective DSTN (no backlight)
Display compatibility: MDA: 80 x 25 characters
CGA: 640 x 200 pixels
PCMCIA: 2-Type I, Revision 1.0 memory card slots
SRAM cards must operate a 3.3v
Does not support Revision 2.0 modem and
network cards.
Secondary storage: Drive A: 512 KB - 2 MB PCMCIA (not included)
Drive B: 512 KB - 2 MB PCMCIA (not included)
Drive C: 768 KB ROM drive with MS-DOS 3.3
and PoqetTools
Drive D: 22K volatile RAM drive
Built-in software: MS-DOS 3.3, PoqetLink, and PoqetTools
PoqetLink is a file transfer program that will allow you to upload
and download files with another IBM-compatible computer. PoqetTools
is a basic PIM that contains the following utilities:
Here's a list of the accessories that were originally made for the Poqet PC:
Accessories are even harder to come by. People tend to sell their old Poqet equipment on the Poqet PC Mailing List from time to time.
Fujitsu PC CorporationFujitsu PC Corporation is no longer working in the palmtop/PDA market, but is concentrating on high-end, pen-based computers, high-quality notebook computers, and high-performance Intel-architecture servers.
5200 Patrick Henry Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Phone: 408-982-9500
WWW: <http://www.fujitsupc.com/>
Symbol | Name | Poqet Key | Function |
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Alarms | Poqet-F8 | The alarm is enabled and will sound at the preset time |
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Key Click | Poqet-F9 | The key click is active and will sound as the keyboard is pressed |
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Alarm | The alarm is ringing | |
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Battery Check | The AA batteries need to be replaced | |
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Power Management | Poqet-F4 | Power management is active |
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Display Mode | Poqet-F3 | The display is set to CGA compatible mode |
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Keyboard Lock | Poqet-F5 | The keyboard is locked |
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Drive Activity | There is activity on the indicated drive. If this indicator is not solid (a broken bar), then the battery in the SRAM card needs to be replaced. | |
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Poqet Key | The Poqet key is being depressed with another key | |
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Function Key | A function key (F1-F10) is being pressed | |
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Shift | The Shift key is being pressed | |
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Caps Lock | Caps lock is on | |
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Numeric Keypad | Poqet-F10 | The numeric keypad is active |
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Scroll Lock | Scroll lock is on |
Battery Type | Battery Life (*) | Number of Recharge Cycles | Discharge Characteristics |
---|---|---|---|
Standard Alkaline | 100% | None | Excellent |
Rechargeable Alkaline | 70% | ~25 | Good |
NiMH | 45% | ~300-500 | Fair |
NiCd | 30% | ~300-500 | Poor |
* Battery life is stated as a percentage of the battery life of non-rechargeable alkalines. |
0 3 3 4 1 4 6 0 +----------------------------------------+ |==================================|=====| |==================================|=====| +----------------------------------------+ 4 7 7 8 1 4 6 0 Pin Signal Dir Description -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 GND --- System Logic Ground. This line must be used by external devices to guarantee a common ground reference 2 SRESET Out System Reset. Used to reset or initialize the system logic when the Reset Button on the keyboard is depressed. 3 VDD Out Power Supply Output Voltage. Supplies the positive voltage from the PQXT power supply. There are extreme limits on the use of this pin. The power drain limitations are explained later in this chapter. 4 IRQ2 In Interrupt Request 2. Used to signal the micro- processor that an I/O device needs attention. The request is generated by bringing the IRQ2 line to a high level from a low level and holding it high until it is acknowledged by the micro- processor. 5 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin would normally be used for -5V on a standard XT system. -5V is not sup- ported in the PQXT. 6 DRQ2 In DMA Request 1. This line is used by a peripheral device to gain access to the DMA service of PQXT. It is generated by bringing the DRQ2 line to a high level and leaving it there until the DACK2 line goes active. 7 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin would normally be used for -12V on a standard XT system. -12V is not sup0 ported in the PQXT. 8 Reserved --- Do not use. 9 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin would normally be used for +12V on a standard XT system. +12V is not sup0 ported in the PQXT. 10 GND --- See description for pin 1 (GND) above. 11 MEMWN Out Memory Write Command. Instructs the memory device to store the data that is present on the data bus. Active low. 12 MEMRN Out Memory Read Command. Instructs the memory device to place its data on the data bus. Active Low 13 IOWN Out I/O Write Command. Instructs the I/O device to store the data present on the data bus. Active low. 14 IORN Out I/O Read Command. Instructs the I/O device to place its data on the data bus. Active low. 15 DACK3N Out DMA Acknowledge 3. Used to acknowledge the DRQ3. Active low. 16 DRQ3 In DMA Request 3. See description for pin 6 (DRQ2). 17 DACK1N Out DMA Acknowledge 1. See description for pin 15 (DACK3N) above. 18 DRQ1 In DMA Request 1. See description for pin 6 (DRQ2). 19 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin would normally be used for DRAM refresh on a standard XT system. DRAM refresh is not supported in the PQXT. 20 SYSCLK Out System Clock. 21 IRQ7 In Interrupt Request 7. See description for pin 4 (IRQ2) above. 22 IRQ6 In Interrupt Request 6. See description for pin 4 (IRQ2) above. 23 IRQ5 In Interrupt Request 5. See description for pin 4 (IRQ2) above. 24 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin would normally be used for IRQ4 on a standard XT system. IRQ4 is not sup- ported in the PQXT. This pin is used internally for the PQXT communications port and must be left open. 25 IRQ3 In Interrupt Request 3. See description for pin 4 (IRQ2) above. 26 DACK2N Out DMA Acknowledge 2. See description for pin 15 (DACK3N) above. 27 TC Out Terminal Count. Generates a pulse when the DMA channel being used has reached its terminal count. Active high. 28 SALE Out Address Latch Enable. Provided on the I/O channel as an indicator of a valid address -- when used with the AEN signal. The address is latched on the falling edge of ALE. 29 VDD Out See description for pin 3 (VDD) above. 30 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin would normally be used for a 14.31818 MHz clock signal on a standard XT system. This clock line is not available in the PQXT. Any peripheral that requires it must generate it in the expansion card. 31 GND --- See description for pin 1 (GND) above. 32 TxD Out Transmit Data. 33 RTS Out Request To Send. 34 DTR Out Data Terminal Ready. 35 Key --- Used to ensure proper mating connector orientation. 36 RxD In Receive Data. 37 CTS In Clear To Send. 38 DSR In Data Set Ready. 39 DCD In Data Carrier Detect. 40 BATT In Battery Voltage. Used to externally power the PQXT during manufacturing test and burn-in. This pin is connected directly to the battery terminals and must never be connected to expansion devices. 41 IOCHCKN In I/O Channel Check. Provides the microprocessor with error information on the I/O channel. When this pin is low, an error is indicated. 42 EXPP7 I/O Data Bit 7. This line provides bit 7 of the data bus for the I/O expansion channel. Bidirectional. 43 EXPP6 I/O Data Bit 6. This line provides bit 7 of the data bus for the I/O expansion channel. Bidirectional. 44 EXPP5 I/O Data Bit 5. This line provides bit 7 of the data bus for the I/O expansion channel. Bidirectional. 45 EXPP4 I/O Data Bit 4. This line provides bit 7 of the data bus for the I/O expansion channel. Bidirectional. 46 EXPP3 I/O Data Bit 3. This line provides bit 7 of the data bus for the I/O expansion channel. Bidirectional. 47 EXPP2 I/O Data Bit 2. This line provides bit 7 of the data bus for the I/O expansion channel. Bidirectional. 48 EXPP1 I/O Data Bit 1. This line provides bit 7 of the data bus for the I/O expansion channel. Bidirectional. 49 EXPP0 I/O Data Bit 0. This line provides bit 7 of the data bus for the I/O expansion channel. Bidirectional. 50 IOCHRDY In I/O Channel Ready. When this open drain pin is pulled low (not ready) by an I/O channel device, the memory or I/O cycle that is currently taking place will become lengthened. Any slow external device should drive this line low immediately upon detecting a valid address and a read or write command. Machine cycles are extended an integral number of SYSCLK cycles when this line is active as described above. 51 AEN Out Address Enable. Used to de-gate the processor and other devices from the I/O channel during a DMA cycle. Active high. 52 SA19 Out System Address Bit 19. used to address the memory and I/O devices within the system. One MB of memory can be accessed with address bits SA0-SA19. 53 SA18 Out System Address Bit 18. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 54 SA17 Out System Address Bit 17. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 55 SA16 Out System Address Bit 16. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 56 SA15 Out System Address Bit 15. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 57 SA14 Out System Address Bit 14. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 58 SA13 Out System Address Bit 13. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 59 SA12 Out System Address Bit 12. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 60 SA11 Out System Address Bit 11. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 61 SA10 Out System Address Bit 10. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 62 SA9 Out System Address Bit 9. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 63 SA8 Out System Address Bit 8. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 64 SA7 Out System Address Bit 7. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 65 SA6 Out System Address Bit 6. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 66 SA5 Out System Address Bit 5. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 67 SA4 Out System Address Bit 4. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 68 SA3 Out System Address Bit 3. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 69 SA2 Out System Address Bit 2. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 70 SA1 Out System Address Bit 1. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 71 SA0 Out System Address Bit 0. See description for pin 52 (SA19) above. 72 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin supports Poqet-specific functions. It is of no use to any I/O channel device and must be left unconnected. 73 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin supports Poqet-specific functions. It is of no use to any I/O channel device and must be left unconnected. 74 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin supports Poqet-specific functions. It is of no use to any I/O channel device and must be left unconnected. 75 Key --- Used to ensure proper mating connector orientation. 76 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin supports Poqet-specific functions. It is of no use to any I/O channel device and must be left unconnected. 77 Reserved --- Do not use. This pin supports Poqet-specific functions. It is of no use to any I/O channel device and must be left unconnected. 78 EMCS3 Out ROM Chip Select. For manufacturing test use only. No connections may be made to this line by an I/O expansion device. 79 MRESETN In Master Reset. Pulling this pin low is equivalent to pressing the Master Reset pin on the system keyboard. The entire system will reset itself and all data will be lost. it is normally used only during manufacturing test, but you may use it to reset the system. However, extreme care should be exercised before activating this signal. A min- imum pulse width of 5 microseconds is recommended. 80 DISEXPP Out Disable Expansion Bus. When this line is high, no device on the expansion bus is allowed to drive the data bus (EXPP0-EXPP7). This pin must be incorporated into any external memory decoding logic to ensure that no memory device is accessed while the line is high.
The welds in the bottom part of the Poqet PC join the lower housing (the outer part of the Poqet PC) to the keyboard plate. The keyboard keys fit into the top of the keyboard plate, and the Poqet PC's motherboard is screwed to the bottom of the plate. The keyplate forms a raised ridge around the keyboard keys. This ridge takes a slight dip in front of the spacebar so your thumbs can hit the spacebar correctly.
To get the Poqet PC open, you need to take a small screwdriver and put it between the lower housing and the keyboard plate. If you see the raised ridge that runs around the keyboard, you'll notice that there's a small gap between that ridge and the plastic that forms the outer housing of the Poqet PC. If you put the screwdriver in that small gap and apply the correct amount of pressure, you should be able to snap the ultrasonic welds and break the keyboard plate free from the lower housing. Some important things to watch for are the wires at the back of the Poqet that run to the display and the batteries.
Again, please be very careful if you decide to do this. If you are successful, please feel free to pass on to me any tips that you might have. It's been a while since I've done this, so I might have forgotten something.
One especially sensitive situation can occur if you have a PCMCIA card in one of the PCMCIA card drawers and the drawer is half open. In this case, if you touch the exposed PCMCIA card with a static charge, the charge can run along the metal cover of the PCMCIA card and jump to the motherboard. To try and alleviate this problem, a thin layer of anti-static tape was added to the underside of the motherboard (where the board is exposed by the PCMCIA drawers) on the Poqet PC Prime. It has been reported by some users that adding some tape to the underside of the Classic motherboard reduces its sensitivity to static electricity.
In summary, the file format is:
[record]<EOR><CR><LF>[record]<EOR><CR><LF>...[record]<EOR><CR><LF><EOF>In the format specifications above, items enclosed in "angle brackets" ("<" and ">") are single bytes (for example, <CR> is equivalent to ASCII 0Dh).
The format of each record in the file is as follows:
<GROUP_TAG>[group #]<NAME_TAG>[name]<NOTE_TAG>[notes] <ADDR_TAG>[address]<PHONE_TAG>[telephone number]As in the file format specification, items enclosed in angle brackets are single byte values. The items enclosed in "square brackets" ("[" and "]") are multi-byte text strings.
All of the fields in the record (i.e. [group #] or [telephone number]) are simple ASCII text. So, for example, the [group #] field is an ASCII "1", not a decimal 01. Within a field, a new line is translated into a special <LINE_BREAK> byte, instead of the standard CR/LF pair or a "newline". The values of the field tags and other codes are as follows:
Tag Name Hex value ------------ --------- <GRP_TAG> 1F <NAME_TAG> 1E <NOTE_TAG> 1C <ADDR_TAG> 1B <PHONE_TAG> 1A <EOR> 19 <EOF> 18 <LINE_BREAK> 17 <CR> 0D <LF> 0ASo, for example, if PoqetAddress had one entry:
Name: Joe Smith Group: 1 Notes: Joe's birthday is August 27. He loves hockey. Address: 1234 Waverley Avenue Suite 4 Menlo Park, CA 94022-1322 Telephone: 415-555-1234The PHONE.ABD file would look like:
00 1F 31 1E 4A 4F 45 20 53-4D 49 54 48 1C 4A 6F 65 .1.JOE SMITHJoe 10 27 73 20 62 69 72 74 68-64 61 79 20 69 73 20 41 's birthday is A 20 75 67 75 73 74 20 32 37-2E 20 20 48 65 20 6C 6F ugust 27. He lo 30 76 65 73 20 68 6F 63 6B-65 79 2E 1B 31 32 33 34 ves hockey..1234 40 20 57 61 76 65 72 6C 65-79 20 41 76 65 6E 75 65 Waverley Avenue 50 17 17 53 75 69 74 65 20-34 17 17 4D 65 6E 6C 6F ..Suite 4..Menlo 60 20 50 61 72 6B 2C 20 43-41 20 20 39 34 30 32 32 Park, CA 94022 70 2D 31 33 32 32 1A 34 31-35 2D 35 35 35 2D 31 32 -1322.415-555-12 80 33 34 19 0D 0A 18 34.Some Notes:
Generally, the only thing that can be put into the Poqet PC are SRAM cards, which can be formatted on the Poqet PC for use as RAM disks. The Poqet PC does not read the Card Information Structure (CIS) on SRAM cards to determine the proper format, but instead uses a uses a "pseudo-floppy" format. Generally cards formatted on a Poqet PC can be read by other computers, but cards formatted on other computers may have to be reformatted before being used on the Poqet PC.
To work in the Poqet PC, SRAM cards must be PCMCIA Revision 1.0 compatible and must be able to operate at 3 volts. As far as memory cards are concerned, however, there isn't much difference between PCMCIA 2.0 and 1.0, so Rev. 2.0 memory cards should work fine.
The 3 volt requirement arises because, as the alkaline batteries in the Poqet PC die, the system voltage can dip down to the 3 volt level. If your PCMCIA cards operate only at 5 volts, then you could lose data as your batteries die.
One thing to remember is that all SRAM cards will retain data at 3 volts. To work in the Poqet PC, the SRAM cards must operate (read and write data) at 3 volts.
Generally, the new PCMCIA card modems, LAN cards, and SanDisk Flash cards will not operate in the Poqet PC.
Most (if not all) of the modern PCMCIA modems require the host computer to be electrically compliant with Revision 2.0 of the PCMCIA specification. The Poqet does not support Revision 2.0. More information on PCMCIA can be found below and on the PCMCIA Web Site.
Several years ago, there was a company that made a special Revision 1.0 compatible modem for the HP-100LX. It required special drivers, however, and no drivers were ever produced for the Poqet PC.
The "Type" of a PCMCIA card refers to the thickness of the card. "Type I" cards are 2.5mm thick, and are usually memory cards, (both SRAM and "linear" flash). "Type II" cards are 5.0mm thick. Most of the most useful cards -- SanDisk Flash cards, modem cards, LAN adapters, sound cards, etc. -- are Type II cards. "Type III" cards are 10.0mm thick. Most hard drive cards are Type III cards. PCMCIA card slots are designed so that a Type I card will fit in a Type I, Type II, or Type III slot, and a Type II card will fit in a Type II or Type III slot.
The other parameter that is used to describe a card is the revision of the PCMCIA specification with which the card is compatible. Revision 2.1 is the latest released version of the PCMCIA specification. The PCMCIA specifies both the electrical configuration of the card as well as the manner in which software should access the card.
The PCMCIA specification is generally upwards compatible. That is, Revision 1.0 cards will usually work in Revision 2.0 systems. The reverse, however, is not true -- PCMCIA Revision 2.0 cards will not work in a computer system that only supports PCMCIA 1.0. Because the Poqet is compatible only with Revision 1.0 of the PCMCIA spec, modem cards, LAN adapters, SanDisk Flash cards, hard drive cards, and other cards compatible with PCMCIA revision 2.0 will not work in the Poqet PC.
"SanDisk" flash cards, named after the company that produces them (SanDisk corporation was known as "SunDisk" until mid 1995), are commonly available for other palmtop computers like the HP 95/100/200LX. SanDisk flash cards cannot be used in the Poqet PC.
Generally, the lithium battery will last 6 months to a year. When the battery is getting low, the bar over the "A" or "B" drive indicator on the screen of the Poqet PC will be broken, not solid. When the battery is finally dead, you will be able to format and use the SRAM card in the Poqet PC, but you will lose the format and the data on the card as soon as you take it out of the Poqet. So the card will seem to work fine in the Poqet, but once you take it out and put it back in, you'll get some kind of error when you try to access the SRAM card.
device=c:\windows\system\csmapper.sys device=c:\windows\system\carddrv.exe /slot=nFor the value of "n", type the number of PCMCIA card slots on your computer. You also need to make sure that the "CSMAPPER.SYS" and "CARDDRV.EXE" files are in the "WINDOWS/SYSTEM" folder.
For more information, search Windows '95 help for "SRAM".
The long answer is a bit more complicated. The power supply in the Poqet PC is a very small switching power supply that sometimes switches in the audio range, usually when the Poqet PC goes into "compute" mode when you hit a key on the keyboard. There is a rather large coil in the power supply that creates a magnetic field that oscillates at the frequency at which the power supply is switching (somewhere in the audio range). The magnetic field produced by the coil induces an AC voltage in the wires that lead to the Poqet PC's speaker. This small AC voltage causes the speaker to emit a small buzz.
However, the AC voltage can only be induced when the speaker in the Poqet PC is disabled (like when the key-click is turned off). When disabled, the circuitry that drives the speaker is put into a high-impedance state (which, electrically speaking, means the speaker wires are not connected to anything). In this state, the magnetic field produced by the power supply induces the AC voltage and creates the buzz. When the speaker is enabled, however, the speaker circuitry drives the speaker with a constant DC voltage. In this state, the magnetic field produced by the power supply is not strong enough to induce an AC voltage in the speaker wires, so no buzz is heard from the speaker.
Turning key-click on enables the speaker, so the buzz stops. When you turn key-click off again, the speaker is quiet, but it is still enabled, so there should still be no buzz.
Basically, the Poqet sound generation hardware ignores values written into the divisor latch of the 8253 Programmable Interval Timer (at port 42h). This causes all sounds generated by the Poqet PC to have the same frequency. This incompatibility can also have other unexpected side effects on software that depends on total compatibility with the IBM-PC/XT.
This problem was fixed on later model Poqet PC "Classic" computers as well as on the Poqet PC "Prime" (Model PQ-0181).