Going to restore eMate 300. Advice?

C

caver01

Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
100
64
28
I finally picked up an Apple eMate 300!
Like many of us, I remember seeing images here and there when the eMate was released for education thinking, wow, that would be a cool device to try. Later, I learned this was a Newton device, but I never really had the chance to try any of this, nor was I in a position to buy every piece of technology that interested me.

Of course, today, almost everything that seemed unattainable then can be found and obtained via the retro-computing treasure hunt that captivates us all!

SO, here I am, finally holding an eMate. This one seems to be in OK condition so I will quickly run through the bullet points of my adventure so far:
  • eMate was purchasd AS-IS, no power adapter, no box, no manuals, no accessories, but WITH original stylus.
  • Case looks good, screen seems intact and unscratched. No cracks, but. a little rough around the edges (someone was not careful separating the plastic with a screwdriver or something)
  • I have NOT tried to power it on
  • Screen hinges seem loose—does not hold display in angled positions (not good sign)
  • Started cleaning and disassembly to inspect hinges (and dreaded ribbon cable issue)
  • Found both hinges have sprung loose. Ribbon cable punctured ;-(
  • Removed display ribbon for possible repair, removed hinges
  • Repaired hinge springs and rebuilt, lubed, and installed retention washers
  • Power adapter just arrived from a recent eBay purchase.
At this point, I decided to order @Androda ’s replacement display cable. I am getting pretty good with the soldering iron, so maybe I can repair my cable which I haven’t tested, but I can see traces have been severed on both halves. If I can make it work, I will have a backup. If not, the replacement is on order.

I also ordered the memory upgrade card from Androda.

Quesitons and Next Steps for me:
  • Attempt repair of original ribbon
  • Reassemble hinges and install NEW ribbon cable (or test my repair)
  • Plug it in and see if it boots up!!!
  • Obtain some MiMH batteries and attempt the relatively simple looking battery rebuild
  • Backup????
  • What is the best cable + desktop option for eMate syncing?
    • I have compact macs, Powerbook 5300, eMac that dual boots 9/X, 2011 intel Mini, 2014 Mini, M1 Mini.
    • I have an old PC card ethernet adapter (works in the 5300)
    • I have a small “boneyard” of old cables. maybe a serial cable in there, maybe an old Palm Pilot USB to serial adapter
  • Install Memory upgrade card
  • Restore???
As a retro enthusiast, my collection of Apple stuff is growing, so I SHOULD have at least some ability to sync this up with a desktop. I could do so with an M1 Mini, a 2011 or 2014 Mini, an eMac that dual-boots OS9/X, an older Powerbook 5300, or a handful of compact macs (SE, SE/30).

I assume the compact macs are useless here, so I am wondering where I should start with trying to get a backup once I get that far. I see warnings about backups before installing the memory upgrade, but since I have never booted this eMate, how important is this? I have nothing to lose— or do I risk bricking the little guy without a backup?

I know some of you reading this have already been down this road and may have welcome advice. I am looking forward to resurrecting another eMate!
 
splorp

splorp

Tinkerer
Oct 31, 2021
148
141
43
Calgary, Alberta
splorp.com
Let me see if I can offer some answers to your questions …

Backup????
Click to expand...

Are you trying to save whatever is currently on the eMate? If so, the easiest way might be to locate a memory card and perform a backup directly to that.

What is the best cable + desktop option for eMate syncing?
Click to expand...

You’ll need a Mini-DIN (DIN-8) serial cable to connect to one of your older Macs that has the same style serial or modem port. It is possible to connect to a newer Mac over USB with a FTDI-compatible adapter cable, but those are getting hard to locate.

Pawel Piotrowski has compiled some information regarding USB-to-Serial cables here:

Best USB-to-Serial cables and dongles to connect Newtons with modern computers | APPLE NEWTON

applenewton.co.uk applenewton.co.uk

Backing up and restoring from OS 9 requires Newton Connection Utilities.

United Network of Newton Archives

www.unna.org www.unna.org

On OS X, you’ll need Simon Bell’s Newton Connection.

Newton Connection

Newton Connection software for Mac OS X.
newtonresearch.org newtonresearch.org

Restore???
Click to expand...

See the backup information above.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric and caver01
C

caver01

Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
100
64
28
Thanks! In reply:
Are you trying to save whatever is currently on the eMate? If so, the easiest way might be to locate a memory card and perform a backup directly to that.
Click to expand...
I haven’t even turned on the eMate yet, so I don’t know what is on it. My question was more about the NEED to back it up if I am installing Androda’s memory upgrade. If the upgrade just resets the eMate to defaults, that seems fine to me—starting from scratch. But if it potentially renders the device unusable without the ability to restore some boot-critical software, I will need to figure out a backup solution before I install the hardware.

Using a memory card, I assume, means a PC/PCMCIA memory card. That’s actually a really good idea like basically a removable drive for backups. But does the eMate provide the ability on-device to backup to the card? Or do I need to do that through sync software on the Mac? And if the latter, I would already have the cabling etc. to do the backup that way.

Sounds like I will need to figure out my cabling solution anyway. My old Powerbook might be the easiest way first, since it might be the newest device I own with the serial port (pre-USB).
 
Y

Yoda

Tinkerer
Jan 22, 2023
140
83
28
Even out of the box, an eMate will (would) boot up to the core Newton OS interface. I seem to recall a brief new user setup for time/location/name etc, but the actual software is in ROM so it'll come up even with RAM wiped.

So no, you don't need to back up what may already be saved, unless there is prior user data to retain. Likely if there is anything from the prior user, you'd end up deleting it anyway!

I never tried a 'memory card' but there is/was fairly narrow compatibility if I recall.

I've used a Newton/USB cable as described by @splorp above, and Newton Connection software on the Mac, and it can be a bit frustrating, but since I also used a straight 8-pin cable to a 68k Mac and it worked flawlessly, I suspect this was more about the FTDI USB adapter cable than anything.

Realistically, whether a Newton or eMate, my guess is that most users would probably reset it and work from scratch - which would be just about the same as your eMate after the memory upgrade. In other words, I don't think you need to be overly concerned about backing it up before the upgrade.
 
  • Like
Reactions: caver01
C

caver01

Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
100
64
28
Yoda said:
Realistically, whether a Newton or eMate, my guess is that most users would probably reset it and work from scratch - which would be just about the same as your eMate after the memory upgrade. In other words, I don't think you need to be overly concerned about backing it up before the upgrade.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this. Puts my mind at ease and gets me excited to make some progress getting this up and running.
I just watched the Love Notes to Newton documentary, so I am looking forward to joining a new community of enthusiasts!
 
Y

Yoda

Tinkerer
Jan 22, 2023
140
83
28
caver01 said:
Thanks for this. Puts my mind at ease and gets me excited to make some progress getting this up and running.
I just watched the Love Notes to Newton documentary, so I am looking forward to joining a new community of enthusiasts!
Click to expand...
I must admit that I don't use my eMate all that much any longer, but it was one of my must-haves when I started what is a fairly loose collection of vintage systems. It's quite unique amongst laptops due to the Newton OS, and remarkably well thought out.

Mine came from a school system, and was set up as a teacher resource, which was cool but not exactly what I needed, so I did a simple reset to return it to out-of-box settings, and have messed with it a fair bit since, including using it as a mobile wordprocessor for a time, using the USB adapter cable and Newton Connection to retrieve my documents from it.

It's a fun machine!
 
C

caver01

Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
100
64
28
Thanks! I am looking forward to it. Today, I am trying to decide if I should mess with the ribbon cable now removed and try to repair the broken traces, or just wait for the replacement. I don’t actually know if it even works at all, but it’s pretty clean inside from what I can tell. I suspect it was probably set aside as soon as the hing popped that punctured the ribbon and has been unused ever since. I do see signs that someone has been in here before trying to fix at least one of the hinges which also accounts for some mishandling of the shell at separation points. We shall see. I will post updates as I make progress over the next few weeks.
 
splorp

splorp

Tinkerer
Oct 31, 2021
148
141
43
Calgary, Alberta
splorp.com
Yep. Frank Gründel has a pretty good walkthrough …

How to rebuild / refurbish an Apple eMate battery pack

Hardware and software for Apple Newton MessagePad and eMate, disassembly and battery pack refurbish instructions
www.pda-soft.de

There are a couple other options listed in the Newton FAQ …

How do I recondition or rebuild a Newton battery pack?

Newton FAQ: Hardware

Frequently asked questions and answers lovingly compiled and sporadically edited specifically for the Apple Newton community.
newtonfaq.com newtonfaq.com
 
C

caver01

Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
100
64
28
Regarding the battery, I already ordered and received my replacement MiMH cells (with tabs) so I will be doing the battery rebuild soon. A few house projects got in the way progress on this, but I will be adding more notes over the next few weeks. Thanks for all of the input.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom