Bunch of hardware related Qs

[5300cs]

Ok, instead of making 3-4 new posts, I thought I'd combine all my questions into one post

I have a Newton keyboard, but when I hook it up to my Message Pad 130, only a few letters appear when I type. Am I correct in assuming that the keyboard is busted?

Also about the Newton, does anyone know if it's safe to use on an airplane? The same question about the iPod: are they OK for an airplane?

Sorry if these Qs are dumb, but I really need to know. Thanks!

 

[Gus]

The Keyboard:
Either the keyboard itself is faulty, it is the serial cable which connects it. You may have a bad oin ir a bent pin, and remember that the serial port on the Newton 110/120/130 was not very sturdy. Do other devices work when plugged in to it?

The airplane question:
As long as you wait until they tell you it's ok to use electronic devices, both the iPod and the Newton are perfectly fine to run.

Regards,
Gus

 

[5300cs]

Originally posted by Gus
...The Keyboard:
Either the keyboard itself is faulty, it is the serial cable which connects it. You may have a bad oin ir a bent pin, and remember that the serial port on the Newton 110/120/130 was not very sturdy. Do other devices work when plugged in to it?
...

No, I didn't know that the ports weren't sturdy .. I've no problems hooking it up to my other machines (Syncing I mean.)

Good news about using them in flight, though. Now I have something to do. Tokyo > NY is a healthy 12hrs.

 

[iPC]

In flight is fine. As long as the device is not a receiver or a transmitter (or both) then you are ok.

I use my iPod on flights all the time (last week in fact). I guess security people are used to them now, nobody has asked me in a while what it is.

 

[Gus]

Sounds like something in the keyboard connection then.

Yeah, the serial ports on that model Newton were not soldered in great spots, so when you are plugging things in and out of it, I would be gentle. I had one "push-in" to the Newt on an old 120 I had. That's when I searched around and found that problem. Of course, mmy Newton 100 is still runnng great, so you know, 6-1, half a dozen or the other.

Regards,
Gus