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"Just wanted to thank you for the very helpful hotsync page. I was able to.. infrared hotsync with no problem. Your page explained the steps very well. I'm amazed that 3Com doesn't just include that info with the Palm." |
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Hampton
Keathley |
Contents
Introduction
System Specifications
IrDA
Palm III IrDA Driver
PalmOS 3.3
Windows 95 IrDA Driver
IrDA Link Check
Setting the Right Options for HotSync
HotSync!
Troubleshooting
Reference
Disclamer
Introduction
When 3Com announced the Palm III early 1998, it promotes the infrared port only as a way for beaming information between two Palm IIIs. In the pursuit of ever less cables and even less weight, the question inevitably arises for the notebook equipped Palm users regarding the possiblity to hotsync via an infrared link. As a matter of fact, it is possible, although the principals involved don't quite advertise this capibility until quite recently with the release of PalmOS 3.3.
If you keep your data on a notebook PC, an infrared hotsync lets you to leave your cradle home, or at least saves you from spending $20 for a Palm-only specialty serial cable, not to mention that it leaves your sole serial port free for other purposes.
Perks your interest? Then read on.
System Specifications
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To start with, you need a Palm III, equivalent or newer device. In other words, you need a Palm device with an infrared port and the new PalmOS 3 installed. For this article, we will work with both an upgraded PalmPilot Personal and a Palm IIIx (Figure 1). |
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Figure 1 |
The PC you want to hotsync with must sport an IrDA capable infrared port. We will use a Toshiba Libretto 50CT running Windows 95 and a Sony VAIO 505TS running Windows 98 (Figure 2).
Figure 2
The Toshiba Libretto 50CT and the Sony VAIO 505TS. Insets
show their respective infrared ports.
IrDA
IrDA, Infrared Data Association, publishes a hardware/software protocol standard for communication between two infrared devices. The infrared harware on the Palm III and most PCs are IrDA compliant. However, to make them work requires the installation of IrDA drivers. IrDA driver does not come with Palm III OS versions before 3.3. While IrDA is part of Windows 98, it is not part of Windows 95.
Palm III IrDA Driver
Unless you are running PalmOS 3.3, then you should get the Palm III IrDA driver. This is not available from 3Com. Instead, you can download from IBM the self-extracting package: irsync.exe and install the driver for the Palm III compatible WorkPad Model 20X found at: http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/workpad, even though IBM claims that it is for WorkPad only and not supported on any other Palm-based devices.
Installing the driver is similar to installing any other Palm packages. I'll briefly describe the procedure here, but detail instructions can be found at the IBM web site. After downloading and running the self-extracting file, you'll get four PRC files plus the license and readme files. Install these PRC files like any other Palm PRC files using the Palm Install Tool, and running a regular cradle hotsync. Altogether, they take up about 61K.
After installation, tap 
on the Palm III and select the Prefs application.
(Prefs belongs under the System category, which can be
picked from the dropdown list at the top right of the screen.) From
the Prefs application, select the SyncPanel category
from the dropdown list. You'll be offered two choices: "Cradle" or
"Infrared". Select "Infrared". The Palm III can now hotsync using the
infrared port.
PalmOS 3.3
PalmOS 3.3 supports infrared hotsync for all current Palm models (including upgraded ones) with the infrared port. If you Palm has not been pre-installed with PalmOS 3.3, you can download it from 3Com. This is a flash upgrade, which will also do a complete backup and restore of your Palm. To be safe, be sure to hotsync your data first before upgrading. The upgrade (which includes a full backup of your Palm) may be a 20-minute or longer process, although the flash upgrade takes only about 6 minutes. The upgrade provides the "Direct Serial" or "IR to a PC/Handheld" option to the HotSync application. Select the "IR to a PC/Handheld" option (Figure 3).
PalmOS 3.3 HotSync application.
Windows IrDA Driver
If you PC is running Windows 98, then the IrDA driver is already part of the system. If your PC is running Windows 95, then it is likely that the IrDA driver is not installed even though it may have an infrared port. If you the IrDA driver is installed and active, whether you are running Windows 95 or 98, there will be an entry in the Device Manager section of the System Properties (Figure 3a). If the option is on, you may also have an IrDA icon sitting in the system tray (Figure 3b). To add IrDA support to your PC on Windows 95, you have two choices: (1) Download the unsupported IrDA driver from Microsoft, or (2) Upgrade to Windows 98. I chose the former path for the Libretto. The VAIO came pre-installed with Windows 98 and, hence, is ready to go (Figure 4).
(a) |
(b) Figure 4 |
Download the self-extracting Microsoft IrDA 2.0 package: W95IR.EXE, from http://support.microsoft.com with search key: IrDA. You may be asked to register first.
Instruction for installing the driver is provided as part of the package. This list of PCs tested for this driver is not extensive. The Libretto 50CT is not among them. As the installation instruction requires that you uninstall existing infrared driver, please be aware that you may render it unusable by existing applications that makes use of the infrared port. Here's what I did on the Libretto:
- Remove the existing Libretto Generic Infrared driver, which occupies the COM2 port. You will find this under Ports (COM & LPT) under the Device Manager tab of the System Properties (right-click My Computer and select Properties from the popup menu).
- Create a new COM2 port. You do this by running Add New Hardware from the Control Panel. Choose "no" when asked if you want Windows to search for the new hardware, and select Ports (COM & LPT) from the next screen. Pick (Standard port types)/Communications Port from the list. As you shall see later, the IrDA driver creates virtual COM and LPT ports off of this.
- Install Microsoft IrDA 2.0 driver by running Setup.exe from the self-extracting package. Choose (Standard Infrared Device). Accept the default virtual COM and LPT ports (generally, COM4 and LPT3). If yours is a third-party infrared device (i.e., not built-in), choose the name of the manufacturer instead of the standard. PCI-based IrDA port may require you to install an additional driver before installing the IrDA driver1. Reboot the PC if necessary.
- Activate the IR device by launching Infrared Monitor from the Control Panel. Make sure that the infrared communication is enabled (Options tab, first line) for COM2. At this point, the driver is set to detect other infrared devices within range (Options tab, second line). Leave this option enabled for now.
The IrDA driver is now installed.
IrDA Link Check
A quick check to see if the infrared link is working and that the IrDA drivers have been installed properly on both the Palm III and PC is to put the Palm III infrared eye in the line of sight of the PC's infrared beam. Remember that we left the "Search for devices in range" option in the Infrared Monitor enabled on the PC? If the infrared link is working, putting the Palm III in line of sight makes it think that it is being beamed to, and will cause it to display "Waiting for Sender" within 15 seconds. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the dialog box.
Setting the Right Options for HotSync
Once the infrared link is verified, go back to the Infrared Monitor and disable the "Search for devices in range". Double check that infrared communication on COM2 is enabled. Other options and preferences may be set as desired.
Bring up the HotSync Manager and change the serial port setting for local hotsync to COM4. Leave the connection speed at "as fast as possible".
HotSync!
Now's the big moment we've been waiting for. Make sure the
HotSync Manager is running. Again point the Palm III at the
PC's infrared port. Tap on
the Palm III and select HotSync (under the System dropdown
list). Tap Local Sync. In a few moments, if everything is
working properly, an infrared hotsync connection will be established
between the Palm III and the PC, and hotsync will proceed normally as
if the Palm III is plugged into its cradle.
Troubleshooting
So, what if the hotsync does not work? Let's work our way back and see what might be the problem:
- Does it look like a normal hotsync problem - like corrupt data file and such? In this case, the applications, and not the infrared link, may be the problem.
- Does the Palm III say that a connection cannot be established between the Palm III and the PC? Set the Palm III hotsync option back to using the cradle and do a cradle hotsync. If you do not have a problem here, you may have an infrared link problem.
- Does the Palm III respond with "Waiting for Sender" when pointed at the PC's infrared port (enable "Search for devices in range" first)? If not, the Palm III is not seeing the infrared beam from the PC.
- Is the PC capable of beaming to other infrared devices? If available, try infrared printing from the PC. If this does not work, the problem may be in the options setting for the PC. Try reducing the infrared connection speed. Recheck to see that the HotSync manager is using the virtual COM4 for hotsync-ing.
- Can the Palm III beam to other Palm III? If not, then the problem may be with the Palm device.
Reference
This article is inspired by the posting: SOLVED: Toshiba PCI Infrared and Palm III hotsync by remaker@cisco.com on August 5, 1998 to the comp.sys.palmtops.pilot newsgroup.
Disclaimer
The information contained here is freely provided and no guarantee is made about its accuracy or suitability for any particular purpose. Use at your own risk.
This document is maintained by Daniel Dee. Contributions are welcome.
Copyright (c) 1998, 1999 Daniel Dee
Created: December 20, 1998
Updated: October 29, 1999
Footnote
1remaker@cisco.com explains that the Tecra 550 and its kins (like the Libretto 100) use the "new" Toshiba PCI based IR port that are supposedly not supported in Windows 95. A special driver has to be obtained from Toshiba Japan at: http://www2.toshiba.co.jp/pc/service/download/tosir/eula.htm, which brings up an End-User License Agreement (EULA) in Japanese. The web site is in Japanese. Click the left or "I Agree" link to to download TOSHIR.EXE.