Poquet Poqet PC User Manual

Users
Guide

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THE

POQET

PC~

The

Poqet

PC

1M

User's

Guide

Poqet

C~mputer

Corp.

makes

every

effort

to

ensure

the

accuracy

and

completeness

of

this

document.

However,

because

our

ongoing

development

efforts are

continually

improving

the

capabilities

of

our

products,

we

cannot

guarantee

the

accuracy

of

the

contents

of

this

document.

We

disclaim

liability

for

any

changes,

errors,

or

omissions

herein.

No

part of

this

document

may

be

reproduced

or

distributed

in

any

form

without

the

prior

written

permission

of Poqet

Computer

Corp.

Poqet

and

The

Poqet

PC

are

registered

trademarks

of Poqet

Computer

Corp.

The

Poqet

XT

Expansion

Bus

is a trademark

of Poqet

Computer

Corp.

IBM

is

a

trademark

of

International

~usiness

Machines

Corporation.

MS

..

DOS

is

a

trademark

of

Microsoft

Corporation.

Notice

to

Users

This equipment

has

been

tested

and

found

to

comply

with

the

limits

for

a Class B comput-

ing device, pursuant

to

Subpart J of Part

15

of

FCC

Rules.

Only

computers

and

peripher-

als (computer input/output devices, terminals, printers, etc.) certified

to

comply

with

the

Class B limits

may

be

attached to

this

equipment. Operation

with

noncertified computers

or peripherals

is

likely to result

in

interference

to

radio

and

television reception.

This equipment generates and

uses

radio frequency energy

for

its operation and, if not

in-

stalled

and

used

properly, that is,

in

strict accordance

with

the

instruction

manual,

may

cause interference

to

radio

and

television reception. It

has

been

tested

and

found

to

com-

ply with

the

RF

emission limits

for

a Class B computing

device,

which

is

intended

to

pro-

vide reasonable protection against

such

interference

in

a residential installation. However,

there

is

no

guarantee that interference will not occur

in

a particular installation.

If

this

equipment

does

cause interference to radio or television reception,

which

can

be deter-

mined

by

turning

this

equipment off and

on,

the

user

is

encouraged

to

try

to

correct the

interference

by

one or

more

of

the

following

measures:

Move

the

computing device

away

from

the

receiver

being

interfered

with.

Relocate (turn)

the

computing device

with

respect to

the

receiver.
Reorient the receiver's antenna.
Disconnect

and

remove

any

I/O

cables that

are

not being

used

(un

terminated I/O

cables are a potential source of high

RF

emission levels).

Note:

The

I/O

cables that interconnect between

this

device and

any

peripheral (such

as

a disk drive, printer, etc.) must be shielded

in

order

for

this equipment to

meet

Class B emission limits. Further,

the

Poqet

PC

Expansion

Bus™

is a

proprietary connector.

Any

cable built

to

be

connected

to

The

Poqet PC must

be shielded against

RFI.

For additional help, consult

your

dealer

for

assistance.

You

may

also

find the following

publication

helpful:

How

to

Identify and Resolve Radio-IV

Interference

Problems.

This

booklet

is

available

from

the

U.S.

Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 20402

- Stock

No.

004--000-000345-4.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved

by

the

party

responsible

for

compliance

may

void

the user's authority to operate

the

equipment.

Poqet Software License Agreement

By

opening

this

sealed package

you

are

agreeing

to

be

bound

by

the

terms of

this

agree-

ment.

If

you

do

not

agree

to

the

terms

of

this

agreement, promptly return the

unopened

package and

the

accompanying items (including

the

computer, written materials,

and

binders or other containers)

to

the place

you

obtained

them

for a full

refund.

1.

Graut of License. Poqet Computer

Corp.

grants

you

the right

to

use

one

copy

of

the

Software programs contained

on

the

enclosed discs, if any,

(the

"Software")

on

The

Poqet

PC.

2.

Title

and

Cot)yright.

Title

and

full

ownership rights to

the

Software remain

with

Poqet and/or other suppliers of

the

Software.

The

Software

is

protected

by

United

States copyright laws

and

international

treaty

provisions. Therefore,

you

must treat

the

Software

like

any

other copyrighted material (e.g., a

book

or musical recording)

~

that

you

may

either

(a)

make

one

copy

of the Software solely

for

backup

or

archival purposes, or

(b) transfer

the

Software

to

a single

hard

disk provided

you

keep

the

original solely for backup or archival purposes.

You

may

not

copy

the

written materials accompanying the Software.

3.

Imn.

This

license is effective until

the

year

2039

unless

terminated

by

mutual

agreement,

or

by

default

by

you.

4.

Other Restrictions.

You

may

not rent

or

lease

the

Software, but

you

may

transfer

the

Software

and

accompanying written materials

on

a permanent basis provided

you

retain

no

copies and the recipient

agrees

to

the

terms

of

this

Agreement.

You

may

not

reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble

the

Software.

5.

Limited

Warranty.

This Limited Warranty

is

effective only

if

you

complete

and

return

the

enclosed warranty registration card

to

Poqet.

a.

Software

Media:

Poqet warrants

the

media

containing the Software

and

accompanying

documentation against physical defects

for

a period of

90

days

from

the

date of delivery to

you.

b.

Limitation of

Remedies:

Poqet's entire liability

and

your exclusive remedy

for

defective

media

and

documentation shall be

the

repair or replacement of

any

product not meeting Poqet's "Limited Warranty"

which

is

returned

to

Poqet

aC.cording

to

the Warranty

Claim

Procedure

below.

Poqet

will

pay

for

all

expenses

incidental

to

repair, maintenance or replacement under warranty including labor

and

material.

IN

NO

EVENT

WILL

POQET

BE

LIABLE

FOR

ANY

DAMAGES,

INCLUDING

ANY

LOST PROFITS,

LOST

SAVINGS

OR

OTHER

INCIDENTAL

OR

CONSEQUENTIAL

DAMAGES

ARISING

OUT

OF

THE

USE

OR

INABILITY

TO

USE

SUCH

PRODUCT

EVEN

IF

POQET

HAS

BEEN

ADVISED

OF

THE

POSSIBILITY

OF

SUCH

DAMAGES.

SOFIW

ARE

PROGRAMS

HOWEVER

EMBODIED

ARE

PROVIDED

"AS

IS"

AND

POQET

MAKES

NO

WARRANTY

OR

REPRESENTATION,

WHETHER

EXPRESSED

OR

IMPLIED,

INCLUDING

BUT

NOT

LIMITED

TO

THE

IMPLIED

WARRANTIES

OF

MERCHANTABILITY

AND

FITNESS

FOR

A

PARTICULAR

PURPOSE.

WITH

RESPECT

TO

ANY

SOFIW

ARE,

ITS

QUALITY,

PERFORMANCE,

MERCHANTABLITY,

OR

FITNESS

FOR

A

PARTICULAR

PURPOSE,

YOU

BEAR

THE

ENTIRE

RISK

AS

TO

QUALITY

AND

PERFORMANCE.

SHOULD

THE

SOFIW

ARE

PROGRAMS

PROVE

DEFECTIVE

FOLLOWING

PURCHASE

AFl'ER

THE

LIMITED

WARRANTY

PERIOD,

YOU

ASSUME

THE

ENTIRE

COST

OF

ALL

NECESSARY

SERVICING

OR

REPAIR.

This

Limited Warranty is

exclUSIve

and

may

only modified

in

writing

by

Poqet.

This

warranty gives

you

specific legal rights

which

vary

from

state to state.

6.

Claims

Procedure.

Any

claim under this limited Warranty must

be

submitted to

Poqet at

the

address below.

The

Software should be insured, freight prepaid, and

securely packaged.

You

must

call

for

a Return Material Authorization Number

(RMA)

before shipping

any

Software,

and

include

this

number, a

copy

of your

sales

slip, and a description

of

the

problem

you

are

experiencing

with

the

Software.

Poqet Computer Corp.
650

N.

Mary Avenue

Sunnyvale,

CA

94086-2994

Attn:

Warranty Service

Dept.

Poqet Computer Limited
Waterside Drive
Langley Business

Park

Landley, Berkshire

SL3

6EZ
England
44-753-580018

7.

B31mt.

Unless specifically authorized

by

Poqet

in

writing,

you

will not export or

in

any

way

transfer the Software or documentation to

any

designation outside the

country

in

which

it

was

originally licensed.

a.

You

acknowledge that the

laws

and

regulations of the United

States

restrict the

export

and

re-export of commodities

and

technical data of

U.S.

origin, including

the

Software

and

documentation

in

any

medium.

You

agree that

you

will

not

export or re-export

the

Software or documentation

in

any

form

without

the

appropriate

U.S.

and

foreign

government licenses.

You

also agree that

your

obligations pursuant

to

this section shall survive and continue after

any

termination

or

expiration of rights under

this

Agreement.

8.

u.s.

Goyernment Restricted Riihts.

The

Software

and

documentation

are

provided

to

the

U.S.

government

with

restricted rights.

Use,

duplication, or disclosure

by

the

Government

is

subject

to

restrictions

as

set

forth

in

subparagraph

(c)

(1)

(ii) of the

Rights

in

Technical Data

and

Computer Software clause at 52.227-7013.

Contractor/manufacturer

is

Poqet Computer Corp.,

650

N.

Mary

Avenue,

Sunnyvale,

CA

94086-2994.

a.

Use,

reproduction or disclosure

is

subject

to

restrictions set

forth

in

subparagraph

(a)

through

(d)

of

the

Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights clause at

52.227-19

and

the

limitations set

forth

in Poqet's standard Software license

agreement. Unpublished - rights reserved under

the

copyright

laws

of the

U.S.

Copyright@

1989

Poqet Computer

Corp.

9.

~.

This

agreement shall be governed

in

all respects

by

the

laws

of

the

State of

California

in

as

such

laws are applied to agreements entered

into

and

to

be

performed entirely between California residents.

10.

General.

YOU

ACKNOWLEDGE

THAT

YOU

HA

VB

READ

THIS

AGREEMENT,

UNDERSTAND

IT,

AND

BY

BREAKING

THE

SEALED

PACKAGE

AGREE

TO

BE

BOUND

BY

ITS

TERMS

AND

CONDITIONS.

YOU

FURTHER

AGREE

THAT

THIS

AGREEMENT

IS

COMPLETE

AND

EXCLUSIVE

STATEMENT

OF

THE

AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

POQET

AND

YOU

WHICH

SUPERSEDES

ANY

PROPOSAL

OR

PRIOR

AGREEMENT,

ORAL

OR

WRITTEN,

AND

ANY

OTHER

COMMUNICATIONS

BETWEEN

POQET

AND

YOU

RELATING

TO

THE

SUBJECT

MATTER

OF

THIS

AGREEMENT,

AND

THAT

YOUR

OBLIGATIONS

UNDER

THIS

AGREEMENT

SHALL

INURE

TO

THE BENEFIT OF POQET'S

SUPPLIERS

WHOSE

RIGHTS

ARE

LICENSED

UNDER

THIS

AGREEMENT.

Poqet

PC'"

Feotures

Drive

A

Table of Contents

Preface

......................................................................

xiii

Chapter

1

Getting Started

..........................................

1

Opening the Case

............................................

1

Power

Supply

................................................

2

Drive Designators

...........................................

4

Resetting the

Poqet PC

.....................................

5

Activating The

Poqet PC with the

I/O

key

...............

7

Replacing

the

Batteries

......................................

8

Memory Cards

...............................................

9

Caring for Memory Cards

................................

16

Chapter

2

Poqet Basics

...........................................

1 7

The Display

................................................

17

The Indicator Line

.........................................

18

The Keyboard

..............................................

18

POQET Key Combinations

..............................

20

Other

Indicators

............................................

23

Chapter

3

Using

the Expansion

Port

..........................

25

The Expansion Port

.......................................

25

The Null ModemNNA Cable

............................

26

Using The

Poqet PC Serial Port.

........................

28

Chapter

4

Built-in

Programs

.......................................

29

PoqetTools

Common

Features

........................... 29

ix

Chapter 5

PoqetLin k

...............................................

33

Installing PoqetLink

.......................................

34

Setting up the Virtual Network

...........................

35

File Transfer: Desktop to Poqet

PC

....................

37

File Transfer: Poqet PC to Desktop

....................

38

Disconnecting

..............................................

39

PoqetLink Basics

..........................................

40

Using PoqetLink

...........................................

42

Menu Summary

............................................

43

Chapter 6

PoqetTools

.............................................

45

Starting

......................................................

46

Selecting a PoqetTools Program

.........................

48

Changing Programs

.......................................

49

PoqetTools Commands

...................................

50

Using the Menus

...........................................

50

Saving PoqetTools Files

..................................

51

Leaving

a

Program

.........................................

51

Exiting PoqetTools

........................................

52

Printing to a Serial Printer

................................

52

Chapter 7

PoqetCalc

.........................................

.... 53

Configuring PoqetCalc

....................................

54

Performing

a Calculation ..................................

54

Clearing an Entry

..........................................

55

The Register

................................................

55

Menu Summary

............................................

56

Chapter 8

PoqetWrlte

..............................................

59

Selecting Files

..............................................

59

Editing

Text

.................................................

61

Menu Summary

............................................

63

x

Chapter 9

PoqetSchedule

.......................................

67

Basics

.......................................................

67

Starting

.....................................................

68

Locating Appointments

...................................

69

Using the Appointment Book

............................

70

Setting an Alarm

...........................................

72

To

Do

Lists

.................................................

73

Reducing PoqetSchedule File

Size

......................

74

Loading PoqetSchedule Files

............................

74

Menu

Summary

............................................

75

Chapter

10

PoqetAddress

.........................................

77

Starting

.....................................................

77

Searching PoqetAddress Contents

......................

79

Updating

the

Address

Book

.............................. 81

Deleting

an

Address

Book

................................ 81

Menu

Summary

............................................

82

Chapter

11

PoqetTa

I k ................................................ 85

Starting

.....................................................

86

Accessing PoqetTalk

......................................

87

Sending a File

..............................................

89

Receiving a File

............................................

91

Menu

Summary

............................................

93

Appendix A Care and

Maintenance

........................... 99

Battery

Life

.................................................

99

Booting

....................................................

100

Protecting The Poqet PC

................................

100

Service

.....................................................

100

xi

Appendix

BUsing

MS·DOS with

The

Poqet

PC

............ 1 01

File Management Basics

................................

101

Booting The Poqet PC

..................................

103

The DISKCOPY command

.............................

105

Appendix C Troubleshootlng

.....................................

1 07

Appendix D Specifications

........................................

111

xii

Preface

Congratulations

on

your purchase of The Poqet

PC™

computer. The

Poqet PC

is

a uniquely small, lightweight, and powerful IBM

PCGP

XT -compatible computer complete with

MS-DOSGP

3.30 and OW -

BasicGP.

While other portables

are

merely "luggable," The Poqet PC weighs only

one

pound and easily

fits

in

a coat pocket or

handbag.

In addition

to

innovations

in

weight and size, your Poqet PC also frees

you

from carrying bulky battery packs or restrictive power cords. The

Poqet PC

is

completely powered

by

two

AA

batteries. Using advanced

technology such

as

the

unique Power Management software, these

batteries

will

provide several

weeks

of computing

use.

Because

AA

batteries

are

available

worldwide,

replacing batteries

is

as

simple

as

visiting your local grocery

store.

And,

while you're changing

the

batteries, power is temporarily maintained,

so

you

don't lose data.

Unlike other computers,

The

Poqet PC

has

continuous memory. So even

if

you

turn it off, turning it

on

again instantly returns

you

to

the

program

you

were working

in.

You

don't have

to

reboot or reenter

any

program

commands.
The Poqet PC

uses

memory

cards for data storage. Because these durable

cards have

no

moving parts,

The

Poqet

PC

can

access

memory card data

thousands of

times

faster

than

a traditional PC

can

access

a floppy disk.

You'll enjoy

being

able

to

see

either text or graphics clearly under a

wide

variety

of

lighting conditions, thanks to The Poqet PC's use of double

supertwist technology

in

the

display. The Poqet

PC

also provides screen

indicators to keep

you

informed about

the

status of

many

of

the

computer's operations.

xIII

To

assist

you

with the realities of day-to-day living,

the

built-in

PoqetTools programs help

you

schedule appointments, perform

calculations, write letters, keep track

of

important events, maintain an

address book, and send or receive data

by

modem.

The

powerful

PoqetLink program lets

you

manage

and

move

MS-DOS

flIes

within The

Poqet PC or between your Poqet

PC

and another computer.

You

can

even connect The

Poqet PC

to

peripheral devices such

as

a modem or a

printer

or even

to

another computer.

Quite simply, The

Poqet PC will increase your productivity. Anywhere.

Anytime.

xlv

The

Poqet

PC

User's

Guide

Chapter 1

Getting Started

This chapter covers

the

basic

steps

necessary to correctly set

up

and

use

your Poqet

PC.

Although your Poqet PC

is

a fully functional

mM

XT -compatible computer, reading

this

chapter will

help

you

become

familiar

with

some

of

The

Poqet PC's features that

are

not available

on

the

traditional desktop

PC.

Opening the Case

To open The Poqet PC, hold

the

base in one hand and press

the

button

latch with

the

other hand Pull open the computer

so

that you can view

the

screen.

You

can position

the

screen at

any

angle,

so

choose the

position that

is

the

most comfortable for

you.

Power

Supply

Your Poqet PC

is

powered

by

two

AA

alkaline batteries.

AA

batteries

offer several

advantages

over traditional battery

packs:

They

are

lightweight, inexpensive, and available worldwide. The Poqet PC

can

operate several

weeks

on

a single pair

of

these batteries.

Note: It

is

impossible

to

predict exact battery life, because the amount

of power consumed during computer

use

can differ

significantly, depending

on

the

computer application.

You'll need

to

put

the

AA

batteries,

which

are

included

in

the

packaging,

in

your computer

before

using

The

Poqet PC. Locate the battery package

and

follow

the

instructions below

to

install your batteries.

Installing

the

BaHeries

If

you

are

installing

the

AA

batteries for

the

first

time,

you

can

take

as

much

time

as

you

need installing the batteries.

If

you

are

replacing

the

batteries,

the

charged capacitor will retain information for about 5

minutes before

memory

is

lost.

To change

the

batteries:

1.

Press the 1/0 key to power-down The Poqet

PC.

2. Locate

the

battery compartment cover,

which

is

on

the

top

left

side

of

the

keyboard.

Open

the

compartment

by

placing

the

edge of your

thumb

on

the

compartment

tab,

located just above

the

F8 key, and

pulling

the

compartment cover

up

and

out.

2

The

Poqet

PC

User's

Guide

3. msen

the

two

batteries

as

shoWn

in

Figure

2.

Fi8Ure

4.

5 ·

2

Snap

the

If

installing

Installing

cover

the

the

back
batteries

Batteries

into

for

place

the

over

first

the

time,

battety

press

COIlJPlll1lnent.

the

reset

button.

GaffIng

Stortecs

3

Drive Designators

Your Poqet

PC

uses standard drive designators for its four drives:

• Drive A, the left card drawer.

• Drive B, the right card drawer.

• Drive C, the bUilt-in ROM (Read Only Memory) drive, which
contains

MS-DOS 3.30, Poqet Utilities, GW-Basic, and the Poqet

application programs. Because The Poqet

PC

boots from drive C, it
is the default drive when you reset The Poqet PC. This information
is stored on

ROM

and

can't

be overwritten. The MS-DOS write

protect error message appears on the screen

if

you attempt to store
data on drive C.

• Drive D, the built-in RAM drive contains 22K

of

RAM (Random

Access Memory). You can store AUTOEXEC.BAT,

CONFIG.SYS,

or

other files on drive D to customize the system

during the booting process (see page

103). Information contained

on drive D is lost when the computer is reset.

Drive A

Figure 3 Drive Locations

4

The

Poqet

PC

User's

Guide

Resetting The Poqet

PC

You

need

to

reset The Poqet

PC

only

the

fIrst

time it

is

turned

on

or

when

you

need

to

cold boot

the

computer.

The

reset button reboots

the

computer

and

erases everything in system memory

and

on

drive

D.

Even

after

you

change batteries,

you

don't need

to

press reset unless

the

batteries completely discharge

before

they

are

changed.

Because

you

will

now

be turning on your Poqet PC for

the

fIrst

time,

you

will need

to

reset

it.

To

do this, press

the

reset button, which

is

recessed

in

the

lower right comer of the

SCROLL

LOCK

key, located

on

the

upper right-hand side

of

the keyboard. Press it

with

a small, blunt-

tipped, object

such

as

a ballpoint

pen.

...

Warning! Never

use

a sharp tool

to

press

this

recessed button because

its

use

may

pennanently damage

the

keyboard.

Use

an

object with a small, blunt

tip,

such

as

a ballpoint

pen.

Figure 4 Pressing the Reset Button

Getting Started 5

When the computer goes through its boot-up process, it automatically
creates the default

AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files and stores

them on drive D. (Refer to Appendix B or your

DOS manual for more

information about these special

DOS files.) Pressing the reset button is

the equivalent

of

turning a desktop computer

off

and then on again using

the power switch.

If

you want to warm boot, press the

CTRL

ALT

DEL

key combination just as you would on any other IBM

PC®

compatible.

When you pressed the reset button, The

Poqet

PC

booted from drive C,

which contains the Microsoft Disk

Operating System (MS-DOS) as well

as the

Poqet application programs. Under normal operation, you will not

have to reset The

Poqet

PC

again.

Note:

The Poqet PC will boot from drive C, even

if

the RAM or ROM
card that contains MS-DOS is in drive A or B. To boot from a
memory card in drive A, (which contains

DOS) instead

of

drive

C, hold down the

POQET key while rebooting the computer.

You may receive the following

DOS error message while booting from a

memory card:

Non-System

disk

or

disk

error

Replace

and

strike

any

key

when

ready

If

you receive this message, press any key without holding the POQET

key to boot your computer from drive

C.

Now you are ready to:

• Use MS-DOS (described in detail in the Microsoft MS-DOS User's

Guide and User's Reference).

• Run PoqetLink or the PoqetTools package

of

applications

(described in the following chapters).

• Load and run an application program using a ROM card.

6

The

Poqet

PC

User's

Guide

Activating The Poqet

PC

with the

1/0

key

The Poqet

PC

is activated by pressing the small I/O key, located in the

right section

of

the keyboard

just

above the ENTER key. Use the I/O

key

any time you would normally want to turn your computer off. When

The

Poqet

PC

is active, pressing the I/O key merely switches it to a
low-power mode. This low-power mode halts the microcomputer's
operation and deactivates the keyboard and screen to reduce battery
consumption.

Because your

Poqet

PC

does not completely turn

off

when you press the

I/O key,

it

resumes whatever operation was

in

process when you
originally pressed this key. You will return to the program you were
working

in

when you last used your computer without having to reboot

or

reenter any program commands. Calculations

or

operations that were

in progress when you pressed

I/O will continue from the same point, and

any data in memory will remain exactly as you left it. This feature is
particularly useful

in

environments where you are frequently interrupted

or

need to quickly access information, such as a phone number, while

performing

other

tasks.

Don't

confuse the I/O key with the reset button! They have two entirely

different functions. The

I/O key, located in the upper right corner

of

the

keyboard, controls the power mode

of

The

Poqet PC. The reset button

cold boots the

PC.

If

you

don't

use

The

Poqet

PC

for four minutes, the Power Management

software automatically turns

off

the computer screen. (This power-down

is equivalent to pressing the

I/O key manUally.) Once your screen goes

off, pressing the

I/O key brings the computer back up to full power.

You

can

disable the

Power

Management software

by

pressing

POQET

F4.

However, turning

off

the Power Management software significantly

reduces battery life.

Getting Started 7

Replacing the BaHeries

The

AA

batteries should provide several

weeks

of computing

use.

When

the

batteries

are

running

low,

the

status line (found directly below

the

screen)

displays a bar

above

the

battery symbol

on

the

screen and

the

computer will

beep

once.

At

that

point, your batteries

will

still be able

to

provide power

to

your Poqet PC for about 5 hours

of

use.

When

the

batteries

are

about

to

fail

completely,

the

status

line indicators

momentarily become a solid line

across

the

width

of

the

screen and

the

computer beeps once.

At

this

point,

the

computer screen

goes

blank. You

will

not

be

able

to

use

the

computer until

the

batteries

are

replaced.

If

you

press the

I/O

key to

try

to

regain

the

screen display,

the

indicator line

again

displays

the

solid bar

across

the

screen, but

the

screen

will

remain

off. When

this

happens,

you

should replace the batteries

as

soon

as

possible to avoid losing

the

infonnation

you

have stored in system

memory

and on drive

D.

If

you

continue

to

try

to

use your computer

without replacing

the

batteries, your Poqet PC will

be

unable

to

retain

this

information.

Preventing

Loss

of

Data

You

can change batteries

at

any

time

without losing

any

infonnation

stored in your

Poqet

PC.

During

the

time

you are replacing

the

batteries,

The

Poqet

PC

is

powered

by

a capacitor that contains a small reservoir of

power.

Power

is

supplied

to

The

Poqet PC for several minutes after

the

batteries

are

removed. However,

if

the

new batteries

are

not replaced

promptly after

the

old batteries

are

removed, information

in

system

memory and on drive D

may

be

lost.

8

The

Poqet

PC

User's

Guide

Memory

Cards

Your Poqet

PC

accesses and stores information

on

small, rigid silicon

memory

cards

called

RAM

and

ROM

cards, that

are

approximately

the

size of a thick credit card. These

c~Ids

are

functionally similar

to

a silicon

hard drive. For data storage,

you

can

use

RAM

cards, your desktop PC,

or

the

built-in

RAM

disk accessed through drive designator

D.

(Use

drive

D only

to

temporarily store information, because data will

be

lost on

this

drive

if

the

computer

is

reset.)

You

can access application programs

either from

ROM

cards or from The Poqet PC's built-in

ROM

drive.

Loading and Removing Cards

The Poqet

PC

has

two

memory card drawers, one on each side of the

computer underneath the keyboard

(see

Figure 5).You can use

both

RAM

and

ROM

cards

in

either drive.

If

you've ever used floppy drives with

an

MS-DOS

computer, then

you

already know

how

memory cards operate.

The

cards

use

standard

MS-DOS

commands and perform operations

such

as

saving, copying, and listing data. The left card drawer

is

drive

A,

and

the

right drawer

is

drive

B.

To

insert or remove a card:

1. Press

the

I/O

key to place your Poqet PC in

the

low-power

mode.

2. Close

The

Poqet

PC.

3. Grasp the underside of the card drawer with your

fmgers

flat

against

the

bottom of

the

drawer and pull it out until

it

stops.

(Don't try

to

pull

the

drawer completely out of

the

case;

about

3/4 inch should remain

in

the

case.)

Getting Started 9

Figure 5 The Open Card Drawer

4.

Remove any card already in the drawer by holding the side

of

the

card, where the drawer has notches, and sliding the card up and out.

ii?OQET

Figure 6 Removing the Memory Card

1 0

The

Poqet

PC

User's

Guide

5. Remove

the

new

card from its protective sleeve

and

insert

the

card

carefully into

the

drawer, using

the

following guidelines:

• The title label should

be

facing

up.

• The end

of

the

memory card that contains a pin connector should

be

placed into

the

drawer

fIrSt.

(The

title label

may

also include

an

arrow showing which end goes in ftrst.)

•

The caution label (which also provides room for you to list the
card's contents) should

be

facing down.

£.

Warning!

The drawer

is

designed

so

that it

is

difftcult

to

insert the
card backwards. However, inserting a card incorrectly and
forcing

the

drawer shut

may

damage

the

card and The

Poqet PC.

6. Press 1/0 again to bring the computer back

to

full-power mode.

RAM

Cards

Random Access

Memory

(RAM)

cards

provide

the

ability

to

read and

write information, allowing these cards

to

operate

much

like a removable

hard drive.

RAM

cards

are

powered

by

The Poqet

PC

when they are

placed in a card drive. When a card

is

not in a drive,

it

retains information

stored

on

it

by

drawing power from its lithium battery.

If

this battery

is

removed or allowed to

fail,

all information stored on

the

card will be lost.

Getting Started

11

The

RAM

Card

Battery

When

a memory card

is

placed

in

a drawer,

the

status line lets

you

know

the

battery

is

running

low

by

displaying a broken bar over

the

A or B

symbol, where a solid bar normally appears. When

this

happens, you

need

to

make

a backup of

this

card

and

replace

the

battery, following

the

instructions

below:

1.

Copy

all

files

contained

on

this

RAM

card

to

another drive-either

to

a second

RAM

card,

to

a desktop PC using PoqetLink, or

to

a

floppy disk

if

you

have a Poqet Floppy Disk Drive.

(See

Chapter 5,

"PoqetLink," for more information on transferring

flIes

to your

desktop PC.)

·

2.

Remove

the

RAM

card

from

the

card drawer.

3.

The

top

of

the

memory

card

has

a small rectangular switch that

allows

the

battery holder

to

be

removed. Slide

the

retainer toward

the

right (outer) comer of

the

card

to

unlock

the

battery card holder.

Note:

If

your memory card

does

not

have

a battery retainer switch, it

will

have

a small

side

hole

in

the

top

right comer of

the

card

Use

a paper clip or a similar object to push

in

the

battery

retainer

on

the

side of

the

card

to

unlock

the

holder.

Use

a small

tool

to

avoid

damage

to

the

RAM

card.

c~=====~-=~=~=---:;-·~-~==--_~

____

~

Figure 7 Location

of

the Battery Case

12

The

Poqet

PC

User's

Guide

RAM

Card

Battery Holder

4.

Pull the battery holder out

of

the RAM card.

Figure 8 Removing the Battery Holder

5.

Remove the old battery from the holder and insert the fresh battery
facing

it

in the same direction as it was removed.

Figure 9 Removing the Battery

6.

Insert the holder back into the RAM card.

Do

not force the holder

back into the card, it should slide in easily.

7.

Format the card following the instructions below and copy the flIes
back onto the card.

Getting Started 1 3

Formatting a RAM

Card

RAM cards, like floppy and hard disks, must be formatted before they

can store data. The

FORMAT program contained on drive C is written
specifically for formatting RAM cards. To format the RAM card, type
one

of

the following DOS commands:

•

If

your memory card is in drive A (left drawer), type

FORMAT

A:

<ENTER>

•

If

your memory card is in drive B (right drawer), type

FORMAT

B:

<ENTER>

The Poqet

PC

automatically formats the memory card to the correct

capacity. You may have a

32K, 64K, I28K, or SI2K capacity memory

card.

If

you need additional help, you can enter

FORMAT

/?

to obtain

additional information.
When you receive the prompt

Insert

new

card

in

drive

A:

and

strike

ENTER

when

ready

make sure you have entered the correct drive designator, then press

ENTER.

The formatting operation is nearly instantaneous. You can

format additional cards by pressing

Y at the DOS prompt and inserting

another card into the drive.

Write Protecting a RAM

Card

Write protection on the RAM card is enabled with a simple built-in write

protect switch.

You'll

find this switch on the back corner

of

the card.

~

~

- - - - - - - - - -

-,

,

~~~~~~~----------~~,~-------------

~~

I

',~,--;,

~

~

~~~

-~

1

1-

______________

j...

_ -

+- Write Protect

Write

Enable

-.

Figure 10 RAM Card Write Protect Switch

14

The

Poqet

PC

User's

Guide

1. Use a pin or the end

of

a paper clip to move the write protect

switch.

2.

Slide the switch toward the center

of

the case to write protect the
RAM card; to remove the protection, slide the switch toward the
edge

of

the card.

Making a Bootable

Memory

Card

If

you are formatting a RAM card with more than 128K storage capacity,

you can format the card as a system card that contains the

MS-DOS files

required to boot your

Poqet PC. A bootable memory card must have a

capacity

of

at least 128K, because MS-DOS occupies approximately 96K

of

RAM space. You will also have to copy the SYS.COM command,

which is required to make a bootable card to drive

D.

The SYS.COM
command is included on the Poqet Utilities diskette and can be copied to
your Poqet

PC

using PoqetLink. (Instructions for using PoqetLink are

found in Chapter 5

of

this manual.)

To make a bootable card:

1.

From the DOS prompt, enter

FORMAT

A:

2.

Make drive C active by entering

C:

3.

Transfer the system files by entering:

SYS

A:

4.

Enter the copy command

COpy

COMMAND.COM

A:

To boot from a memory card containing MS-DOS, hold down the

POQET key while rebooting the computer. The Poqet

PC

will first read

drive A then drive B for

MS-DOS to boot the computer.

Getting Started 1 5