« kosciusko main range with wildflowers | Main | i-mate JAMs bounce »
January 04, 2006
i-mate JAM, IBM T40p, Bluetooth and COM - yes COM ports.
I know this is a deviation from my normal photobloggin' but I just can't believe that in 2006 I had to manually assign COM ports to get two bits of technology to talk to each other. Since I pulled information from several sources, and it appears that there are a bunch of other T40p laptop users out there having the same problem I thought I should give a blow by blow of how I got an i-mate JAM to sync with a ThinkPad with IBM Integrated Bluetooth II running Windows XP2 and ActiveSync 3.8.
Most of the info I needed I found at Geek Zone - if you need more detailed information refer to these pages:
Bluetooth Guide for Windows XP SP2
Bluetooth Guide for i-mate (O2 XDA)
First problem: The IBM Integrated Bluetooth II software and the Windows XP SP2 Bluetooth implementations don't work together, so step one is to uninstall the IBM software. After rebooting, Windows finds the built in BT hardware and automatically installs the drivers.
Second Problem: I needed to get ActiveSync talking to a Serial over Bluetooth link - this requires a COM port. Now, ActiveSync doesn't want to know about COM ports over COM4 (in my experience anyway - others say it works from COM1-COM9 but I could only get it to go on COM4.) XP assigns the Serial over Bluetooth link at COM28 (even though COM2 is free!) You would think that since XP and ActiveSync are both Microsoft products that they would be able to find these ports automatically.
To fix it we have to change the built in modem to use COM2, this frees COM4 and then XP will assign COM4 to Bluetooth! Listen to ‘The Safety Dance’ while you do it – it will help with the nostalgia feeling.
Go to the Phone and Modem Options Control Panel Applet (hey, why you are there, make sure you don't have a "Bluetooth Configuration" applet - that one is bad - you should only have a "Bluetooth Devices" applet.) Back to the Modem tab, select the Agere Systems AC'97 Modem (attached to COM4) and click Properties > Advanced > Advanced Port Settings > and then change the port to COM2.
Now, go to the aforementioned Bluetooth Devices applet. Select COM Ports and click 'Add' - the default is 'incoming' and that's what you want so click OK. XP will then install a Serial over Bluetooth link on COM4. Check in your Device Manager under 'Ports' for 'Standard Serial over Bluetooth link (COM4)' then Reboot.
Don't initiate the link to your i-mate yet - that has to be initiated by the PDA - but we need to tell ActiveSync what COM port to use first. Open up ActiveSync and select File > Connection Settings and under 'Allow serial cable or infrared connection to this COM port: select COM4.
Now you can link your PDA to your T40p - do it from the PDA. Make sure the laptop is discoverable and from the PDA, select New... from Bluetooth Devices (in settings) and it should find your laptop - once you make the connection check the COM Ports tab on the PDA's Bluetooth screen - you should see "New Outgoing Port" and "New Incoming Port" - no need to click them, your done! It's ready to sync!!
So from the PDA go to ActiveSync, select Tools > Connect via Bluetooth and your syncin' over Bluetooth.
It will keep the connection as long as the PDA and the laptop are within about 10 meters of each other. What I can't figure out is how to get the active sync connection to start automatically as soon as the PDA and the laptop are in range, if anyone knows how to automate the initial connection, please let me know! If I figure it out, I'll post it.
Posted by yankinoz at January 4, 2006 08:13 PM
Comments
I'm afraid, my friend, that auto-syncing devices appears to be a technology only for the future. It seems like manufacturers in this timeframe don't like the feature, presumably a battery-life thing...
... bring on the Mr Fusion PSU's!
Posted by: Quiksilva at July 14, 2007 06:11 PM
