Hotsyncing PalmPilots On Multiple COM Ports? 18
lmsig asks: "I've recently run into a dilemma. I own a Palm IIIxe and my wife was given a Palm m100 for a Christmas gift. Unfortunately they have different shapes and use different cradles and cables to HotSync. I didn't think this would be a big deal; just throw one into each COM port; low and behold I have to reconfigure the software each time since it can only support one device. Palm has told me that they do not support the use of multiple cradles on a single desktop. Does anyone have any creative ideas to conveniently access both devices?" Considering the fact that high-tech households will have more than one Pilot, I think Palm has dropped the ball on this one. Why is it that the Hotsync software can only be operated on one port? Does the Unix software have this limitation?
program running twice? (Score:1)
But wouldnt it be possible to run 2 copies of the sopftware, installed at diferent locations, and having them both run simultaneously, as diferent processes, each one with its own configuration settings?
like i said, im not familiar with it, but its worth a shot
g'luck
Easy Under Unix (Score:2)
URL to pilot-link (Score:2)
You can get pilot link from this website http://www.gnu-designs.com/pilot-link/ [gnu-designs.com]
Portable hot sync cables (Score:1)
Leknor
Re:Eliminate the cradles (Score:1)
Oops, Palm has updated their software to support IR Hotsync under W2K.
I'm not sure I understand... I hotsync my Vx through iRDA exclusively (static buggered up my laptop serial port) -- this is (was) under Win98 but now I use pilot-link since I now run Linux.
Try a Y adapter (Score:2)
Re:Eliminate the cradles (Score:1)
Serial switchbox (Score:4)
Why not just get a serial A/B switchbox and run the common cable into the com port that the Palm pilot software expects the hot sync cradles to be on. You can still have both cradles hooked up, the palm software should still work, and it's cheap (approx $10-$20 for the box + cable). Sure, you have the minor inconvience of having to flip a switch and remembering if your cradle is on A or B, but it's simple. That is unless you wanted to sync both PDAs at the same time...
#Palm (Score:1)
try networking the palms (Score:2)
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~echobase/index.
and it will tell you how to network your palm to your computer through the cradle. Then check out
http://www.palm.com/support/downloads/netsync.htm
and it will tell you how to hotsync over a network. At this point all you have to do is go to the hotsync manager on your desktop and turn off local sync and turn on network sync. Then take your palm, go to the hotsync menu; select the modem sync prefs; set to network. You then half to fiddle with a few other options the palm explains quite well on their site. Only downside to this setup is when you hotsync you can't push the button on the cradle. Instead you have to open the hotsync program on the palm, select modem, and push the big hotsync button. Don't know if this will work for linux as I haven't tried. But if it works on w2k then with a little bit of work it will probably work that much better with linux.
I like the gnome-pilot stuff, myself (Score:2)
Re:Portable hot sync cables (Score:1)
Eliminate the cradles (Score:2)
Re:Eliminate the cradles (Score:1)
http://www.palm.com/support/downloads/palmdt_up
Will have to try that out next week (what brain-dead Dell engineer decided that serial and IR ports belonged on my docking station and not the laptop itself?).
III series and m100 (Score:2)
_____________
Re:Serial switchbox (Score:2)
The real problem, it seems to me, would be that the desktop software won't know what it synced with each PDA.
I add a new address to the address book on the desktop, thinking that next time I sync, I'll have this address in my PDA. But before I get around to syncing, the other PDA user in the household does a sync, and the new address appears in the address book of their PDA, and not yours.
I can see lots of other problems as well when the desktop software only supports one PDA, but two PDAs are sharing the one desktop computer. (For instance, your wife finds out about your boyfriend. But then I suppose you should be more careful when using a shared desktop computer.)
Re:Serial switchbox (Score:2)
Use just one COM port (Score:1)
A "Y" cable is easy to make: one female and two male conectors, each male pin is connected to the corresponding female pin.