Hello,
This will be my final update on my quest to get a Novatel Merlin CDPD PC
Card wireless modem working on my Newton MP2100.
After solving the previous problem with the MRU being set too low, I was
anxious to really put the modem through its paces. I spent the better
part of a day trying it out in different locations and with different
applications (e-mail, News, Web, etc.) The MRU setting really did lick
the problems I was having before with accessing HTTP and NNTP servers,
while e-mail (POP3 and SMTP) and Telnet worked fine.
In case anyone ever wants to try it, the command is:
AT\APROG,[password]
to enter program mode, then:
AT#MRU=1500
AT&W
HOWEVER, after a few hours of playing, I discovered that my linear flash
RAM PC card which was present in the other PC Card slot had become
corrupted. The first symptom was all the Extras drawer icons for
packages installed on the linear flash simply vanished. Then, upon
rebooting, the Newton threw an error saying that the card could not be
used, and must be reformatted. No combination of holding down the pen or
inserting the card with the Prefs slip open did anything to solve the
problem. The card was corrupted. Fortunately, I had made a backup the
night before and was able to successfully reformat the card then restore
the card data.
While playing with the modem, I tried monitoring the battery draw using
Nick's BattMon. I set the refresh rate for 1 second so I could get close
to a real-time view of the current draw from moment-to-moment. With the
card ejected, current was around 60mA. With the card inserted but no
Internet connection established, current was around 180mA. Once an
Internet connection was established, current jumped to around 300mA.
When the connection was active, e.g., during a POP3 session, current
fluctuated between 300-400mA, with occasional spikes as high as 650mA.
I don't know for sure, but I speculate that the combined current draw
between the Merlin and the linear flash is too high for the Newton, and
somehow this led to corruption of the linear flash.
There may or may not have been other detrimental effects of the current
draw from the modem, but that was enough for me, so I decided to end the
experiment there. I have cancelled my CDPD service and am returning the
modem to Outpost.com for a refund.
Naturally I am very disappointed to have gotten so close and then
failed. I tell you, during the few hours when it was working, it felt
GREAT to be able to access web sites through Newt'sCape, do Sherlock
searches, and check and send e-mail through the Newton with only a tiny
little plastic protrusion and antenna giving away the secret that I was
jacked in. The form factor is awesome -- hold it in your hand and
browse, just like in your greatest wireless dreams. I also have come to
admire the CDPD network and protocols. Building a wireless network on an
IP foundation, rather than on proprietary protocols like ARDIS and RAM,
was a masterstroke and I hope it will pay off for the investors in the
network. I found I actually did have a fair shot of staying connected,
at least for a while, while in a moving vehicle. The coverage area is
also quite extensive, which brings the dream of nationwide wireless
roaming closer to reality.
So what's next for me? I'm keeping my Ricochet SE modem and the Ricochet
service. It may not be nearly as sexy as the Merlin+CDPD, but it works
reasonably well, is cheap, and is faster than CDPD. I hope Metricom's
plans to extend coverage become reality soon. It would be great if
smaller modems, maybe even a low-power consuming PC Card model, would
become available in the future. Using Ricochet while in motion is
completely out of the question; even in a car caught in slow-moving
traffic, about 5-8 blocks is about the most amount of roam you get
before you have to disconnect and reconnect. But probably my greatest
disappointment with Ricochet is that I have to use the DONGLE to connect
it to my Newt. It totally messes up the form factor due to the
protrusion from the top of the Newt, and I'm always forgetting it,
temporarily losing it, etc. It's a pain in the neck. I scowl in the
direction of Cupertino for that one.
I hope this series of posts has been interesting, even if the results
aren't very happy news for us Newton refugees. My thanks go to David
Watson who generously helped me with tips on CDPD and NIE, and how to
deal with AT&T Wireless. I'm happy to field any questions about my
experience.
-Jeremy
--
Jeremy Bond Shepherd | There's something about a martini
San Francisco, CA | 'ere the dining and dancing begin.
Internet: jbond@netcom.com | To tell you the truth.
Phone 415-929-0297 | It is not the vermouth.
| I think perhaps it's the gin. -Ogden Nash
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