Currently I use a Debian 2.1 but it should be possible to run any other distribution on the Z-Note.
If you feel like there is something missing here please contact me.
(Note that this page is about the TFT-800x600 version of the Z-Note-MX)
Most of the software information is now (07/2002) heavily outdated. I have not even the time to remove it. ;-)
Disclaimer
The hardware specific and all other information on this page is given without any warranty!
All of the precedures described here will make you loos your warranty! And some of them can
seriously damage your hardware! Take great care!
svga
server.
Here is an old /etc/X11/XF86Config
.
cat /dev/sndstat
.
The Fn-Volume control works (Hardware).
gpm -m /dev/psaux -t ps2
. Set ps2
as mouse type for X11. Of course you need the ps/2 support in the kernel.
kbdrate -r30 -d250
by hand or somewhere in your startup scripts.
SVGATextMode
can be used to set the virtual console resolution to 80 x 50 characters.
The other resolutions did not work very well, but you may try them anyway.
Since the default font looks very ugly (in 800x600) you should choose a font
from /usr/share/consolefonts
. Here is my /etc/TextConfig.
However, you can also set the 80x50 mode in the kernel command line (e.g. vga=65534
).
cat /proc/pci
cat /proc/interrupts
You can set the bus frequency to 50 or 66 MHz and you can set the clock multiplication factor to 1.5x or 2.0x. This is done with the DIL switches on the back below the memory expansion slots. You can use any standard (single power-plane/P54, no MMX) pin-out compatible CPU and run it at 75, 100 or 133 MHz.
My 75Mhz CPU even worked at 100MHz (stable), but it all got very hot. Now I use a P133 at 133MHz and it also gets very hot after one hour or so but it works stable. Anyway: You should make sure to keep the notebook as cool as possible.
Here are the switches and their meanings:
6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
- | 1.5x (default) | - | (default) | 66 MHz | - |
(default) | 2.0x | (default) | - | 50 MHz (default) | (default) |
But you need to tweak a little: The original P75 has a different logic for the BF0 jumper (you can't use the switch anymore) and the BF1 is hardwired in the wrong way. Since all the CPU-pins are accessible from above while the CPU in in the socket I just cut of the BF0/BF1 pins (so they can't cause any harm) and I pull them up/down via an external Dip-switch. So I can select between 133, 166 and 200 MHz without opening the notebook. I also added a small fan to the side of the Notebook to give it at least a little cooling (which seems to be sufficient). At 200MHz the whole notebook gets very hot but works 100% stable. I also upgraded the hard disk to 2GB -- the screws did not fit for the frame and the new disk.
The notebook even survived a rally trip through the Tunisian Sahara with lots of sand and dust and heat. Seems to be really tough.
When looking onto the socket on the side of the notebook from the outside you see the following (the orientation may be different):
1
,---.
/ O \
| |
| |
|O O|
|_______|
2 3
1: black wire in cable: +18V regulated (or nonregulated?) DC
2: red wire in cable: GND (ground)
3: green wire in cable: (some kind of signal back to the power supply???)
Note on 1: The notebook also works with the 12V current in a car if you really get more than 11.5 Volts into the the Notebook. You should put a big low frequency filter (coil and capacitor combination) into the circuit to avoid damage caused by high voltage peaks coming from the alternator. It may however be dangerous to do it! Also note: The battery is not charged below 18 Volts!
Note on 3: The Notebook does not seem to need this pin connected. I don't know exactly but I think it is a sense pin for the power supply.