Trimble NOMAD 900 GETTING STARTED GUIDE

GETTING STARTED GUIDE

Nomad

handheld computer

900 Series

March 2010

Limited Warranty & Liability Limitations

This product is limited warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for twelve (12) months from the original date of purchase. Nomad accessories and peripherals are limited warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for ninety (90) days from the original date of purchase. If notice is received of such defects during the limited warranty period, the proven defective product(s) will either be repaired or replaced, at the manufacturer’s option. Replacement products may be either new or like new.

The manufacturer does not warrant that the operation of the products will be uninterrupted or error free. If the product is not, within a reasonable time, repaired or replaced to a condition as limited warranted, the customer will be entitled to a refund of the purchase price upon prompt return of the product.

Limited warranty does not apply to defects resulting from (a) improper or inadequate maintenance or calibration, (b) software, interfacing, parts, or supplies not supplied by manufacturer, (c) unauthorized modification, or misuse, (d) operation outside of the published environmental specifications for the product, or (e) physical damage due to external causes, including accident, abuse, misuse or problems with electrical power. Water damage caused by improper installation of the Expansion Caps or I/O Boots is not covered by warranty. Removal of the back case voids the limited warranty. There are important seals that will break and the Nomad will no longer be waterproof.

To the extent allowed by local law, the above limited warranties are exclusive and no other warranty or condition, whether written or oral, is expressed or implied, specifically disclaiming any implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, satisfactory quality, and fitness for a particular purpose.

To the extent allowed by local law, the remedies in this limited warranty statement are the customer’s sole and exclusive remedies. Except as indicated above, in no event will the manufacturer or its suppliers be liable for loss of data or for direct, special, incidental, consequential (including lost profit or data), or other damage, whether based in contract, tort, or otherwise.

Contents

Welcome......................................................................................3

Device Hardware .........................................................................4

Unit Setup....................................................................................6

Working with the Unit and the Battery......................................11

Status indicators.........................................................................16

Settings on your Unit .................................................................17

Communication..........................................................................19

Connecting to a PC ....................................................................19

Working with Bluetooth ............................................................21

Working with Wi-Fi (802.11)....................................................23

Working with the Camera..........................................................26

Working with the Scanner .........................................................29

Working with the GPS...............................................................30

Using SatViewer........................................................................31

Working with the Wireless WAN..............................................45

Troubleshooting.........................................................................49

Caring for your Unit ..................................................................50

Environmental Considerations...................................................51

Environmental Specifications....................................................52

Hardware Specifications............................................................52

Regulatory Information .............................................................53

Declaration of Conformity.........................................................54

Safe Use of your Unit ................................................................55

Welcome

Congratulations on your purchase of the Nomad® Handheld Computer, the most powerful and advanced handheld computer available on the market today. Its rugged design allows you to work in harsh outdoor environments. You can operate your unit in blazing heat, subzero cold, driving rain or dusty job sites – places you could not take a consumer-grade handheld computer.

NOTE: Not all the features discussed in this manual will apply to every unit, as some of the features are offered as options. If the feature described does not apply to your unit, please disregard that section.

Device Hardware

Front View

Numeric Data Keypad

Expansion Cap

Back View

with hand strap

Notification LED

Application Soft Key*

Start*

Tab*

Function Key*

Power

Number pad and Navigation keys

For more information about the function key,

see page 14

*See settings for assignable application buttons (keys)

Bottom View

USB I/O Boot

Battery LED

Battery Door

Hand Strap

Battery Door Screws

Stylus

pplication

Soft Key*

OK*

Backspace*

Today*

Enter*

Bottom View

I/O Boot

Serial I/O Boot

Mini-

USB

Client

USB Host

Audio

Jack

External

Power

Mini-

USB

Client

Serial

External

Power

WWAN Option

Expansion Cap (GPS Antenna)

WWAN

Antenna

Second USB host Option

900LD Model

Extended Cap Option

Sold as an Accessory

Top View

Standard

Expansion Cap

Camera & Scanner Expansion Cap

Camera only

Top View

Scanner & Camera

Camera

slot

CF type II

or USB

An Extended Cap, sold as an accessory, can be used for oversized CompactFlash (CF) and Secure Digital (SD) cards.

NOTE: Be sure to read the warranty and safety information in this manual prior to using your unit.

slot

Scanner

Camera

slot

Unit Setup

1. Install the battery

The Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery and battery cover are shipped detached from the unit. Insert the battery into the compartment so the connectors on the battery mate with the pins in the battery compartment. Press firmly. Place the battery door over the battery, with the flat side of the battery door at the top.

Remove the rubber cap from the end of the stylus to expose a Philips screwdriver, or use a small #1 Philips head screwdriver to finger-tighten the four screws in the battery door.

NOTE: DO NOT use the screwdriver part of the stylus on the touchscreen or it will scratch your screen. Only use the spring-tip end of the stylus.

IMPORTANT: Fully charge the battery once it’s installed in the

unit. The battery gauge may not be accurate until it has been fully charged at least one time, which should take approximately 4 ½ hours. The battery LED (right side of unit) will turn green once it’s fully charged.

2. Charge the battery

The AC adapter that ships with your unit has multi-national plugs that fit almost every electrical outlet in the world. Connect the AC plug for your country to the AC adapter. Plug into an electrical outlet and plug the barrel end of the AC adapter into the unit.

Warning! Be sure to only use the AC adapter included with your unit. Use of other adapters may void the product warranty.

3. Attach the hand strap

Attach the hand strap to the back case, as shown.

4. Install the screen protector

To keep the touchscreen clean and protected, install the screen protector following the instructions provided in the screen protector package. Unprotected screens become scratched and scuffed over time. Screen protectors extend the life of the display by providing a protective and replaceable barrier between abrasive grit and the surface of the display.

Screen damage associated with failure to use a screen protector may not be covered under warranty.

5. Turning your unit on and off

The unit should boot up when the battery is installed. If not, press and release the green Power key on the keypad. To turn your unit off, press and release the Power key again.

One of the most convenient features of your unit is “instant on” and “instant off” (also known as “suspend/resume”). There is no waiting for the unit to boot up every time it is turned on. “Instant on” does not occur on the first boot-up.

When the unit first turns on, the message “Tap the screen to set up your Windows Mobile-based device” will appear.

6. Align screen

The align screen message will display a series of targets to tap in sequence on the screen. Use the stylus to tap the targets firmly and accurately. Sometimes you need to repeat the alignment procedure more than once to provide a satisfactory alignment.

7. Location – time zone

Select your time zone location, set the time and date to the correct values and tap Next.

8. Password – lock (optional)

You do not have to provide a password unless you are concerned about unauthorized use. To eliminate using a password, tap Skip.

If you opt for password protection the password must be entered every time the unit is turned on or the Power key is pressed to resume operation.

WARNING: BE CERTAIN TO REMEMBER THE PASSWORD. The only way to recover from a forgotten password is to perform a Clean Boot and you will LOSE all application software, licenses, settings and data on your unit. See page 15 on how to perform a Clean Boot.

9. Using the expansion ports

To access the expansion ports, use the Philips screwdriver end of the stylus or a small #1 Philips head screwdriver to rotate the two quarter-turn fasteners counter-clockwise and remove the Expansion Cap.

Under the Expansion Cap is a Secure Digital (SD) expansion slot. Depending upon the configuration of your unit, it may contain a CompactFlash (CF) type II slot, USB port, a camera and/or a scanner. The scanner and camera units have a clear window in the cap.

Gently insert cards into the slot and release; the card should catch in the slot. Make sure the front of the card faces the display side of the unit. Push the cards in straight, never at an angle or forced.

SD slot

To eject an SD card, gently press the top of the card to release it. To eject a CF card, press the eject button next to the CF card.

CF slot

type II

NOTE: DO NOT use the unit without reattaching the cap and the

boot. The unit is NOT sealed when the cap or boot is off and water damage can occur, possibly voiding the warranty.

10. The Today Screen

The Today screen provides information that you need for the day. Tap an item to view or edit details. To customize which items are shown on the Today screen, tap Start / Settings / Today / Items.

Tap to view and change connection settings.

Tap to change or mute volume

Tap to view power settings

Tap to change WLAN & Bluetooth settin

ssisted GPS improves the

time of locating satellites.

Tap to change time

Tap to change owner

settin

information

Tap to go to a program

Tap to set up many

useful features

11. Getting Started

The Getting Started menu on the Today screen has a number of helpful features in setting up your unit. The Getting Started icon can be removed from the Today screen, if desired.

12. I/O Boots

There are two types of boots available. The boots can be swapped by loosening the screws pointed out in the picture below.

USB I/O Boot

Screws to swap boot

Serial I/O Boot

Screws to swap boot

Mini-

USB

Client

USB Host

Audio

Jack

External

Power

Mini-

USB

Client

Pin 1

Pin 6

Serial

Pin 9

Pin 5

External

Power

Both boots have a mini-USB client that uses a standard USB cable (included with the unit). The mini-USB port can be used to connect to a personal computer (PC).

USB I/O Boot: This boot has a mini-USB client, a USB host port (to connect to USB client devices) and an audio jack that is wired for a headset with a mono speaker and microphone combination. (It is not for stereo headsets.)

NOTE: Many USB host peripheral devices supported on personal computers are not supported by this unit. There are two classes of USB devices that have native support in the OS:

1. USB Human Interface Devices (HID). Examples include keyboards and some barcode scanners.

2. USB Mass-Storage devices. Examples include memory sticks, hard disks, some digital cameras and memory card readers.

Before purchasing a USB peripheral, check with the manufacturer to ensure that it will operate with one of these natively supported USB classes. Some devices have no applicability in Windows Mobile. For example, mice do not make sense to use with your unit because it is designed to be touchscreen or keypad operated.

Serial I/O Boot: This boot has a mini-USB client and an RS-232 connector for use with serial devices.

NOTE: COM1 is always reserved in software for the 9-pin port, even if you don’t have a unit with a serial boot.

Working with the Unit and the Battery

Battery life: The Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery life is dependent

upon the application and operating environment.

Tips for extending the battery life:

- Keypad backlight: The default is OFF. Using this backlight

could reduce your battery life by up to 25%. For information on changing the backlight settings, see page 18.

- Display backlight: Tap Start / Settings / System / Backlight to

minimize the amount of time the backlight stays on and dim it to only as bright as required to view the display.

Wi-Fi, camera, or barcode scanner

any of these options installed, use ONLY when necessary. Turn off when not needed. Minimize the Flash intensity and the use of the flashlight.

Cold temperatures

feasible, keep it inside your coat or a vehicle when not in use.

: Ensure that the GPS-aware applications that communicate

GPS

with the GPS are closed when not in use. The Today screen indicates if the GPS is running.

Expansion ports

cards and use them only when necessary.

Auto features

Advanced.

off in a short time if not in use.

: Keep the unit as warm as possible. If

: Select low-power consumption CF and SD

: Tap

Start / Settings / System / Power /

To conserve battery power, specify your unit to turn

: If your unit comes with

Other factors that may have some impact on battery life include heavy usage of the Bluetooth radio and heavy processing by the CPU, but these factors are typically less significant.

Charging the battery: The battery can be charged in the unit or apart from the unit with an external battery charger (sold separately, as an accessory). Connect the AC plug for your country to the AC adapter. Plug into an electrical outlet and plug the barrel end of the AC adapter into the unit. The unit will be charged in about 4.5 hours.

A full charge is indicated by the battery LED (right side of the unit) turning green. The recommended temperature range for charging is between +32 °F and +113 °F (0 °C and +45 °C). If the battery temperature is outside of this range, the battery will not charge.

Warning! Be sure to only use the AC adapter included with your unit. Use of other adapters may void the product warranty.

Changing the battery: The battery is designed to be quickly changed. The unit saves enough power that if you swap the battery within approximately one minute, it will not trigger a reset. If the saved power runs out before the new battery is installed, the unit will reset. This will not impact saved data, programs or configuration, however unsaved data will be lost and the time settings will need to be reset.

To change a battery, perform the following steps:

1. Close open applications and save data in case the battery

exchange takes too long.

2. Remove the hand strap from the unit.

3. Enter the

wake up the unit while changing the battery). Press and hold the

4. Use the supplied stylus or a small #1 Philips head screwdriver

to loosen the four screws in the battery door.

5. Remove the battery from the unit.

6. Quickly insert the replacement

battery onto the unit.

7. Place the battery door over the

battery, with the flat side of the battery door at the top of the unit. Use the stylus or screwdriver to finger-tighten the four screws.

8. Replace the hand strap.

9. Turn on the unit to resume operation.

Replace Battery

key and tap

Power

mode (ensures that alarms will not

Replace Battery

. See page 14.

Calibrating the battery: The battery has an internal gauge that provides an estimate of the amount of energy in the battery as it charges and discharges. If your battery is showing inaccuracy in the power gauge or large jumps in capacity, (i.e. the power is reading 50% and goes dead shortly thereafter) it may need calibration.

Tap Start / Settings / System / Power / Calibration to see if the message reads Calibration recommended or Calibration not necessary. If calibration is recommended or the battery is reporting inaccurately, perform the following:

1. Plug in the AC adapter. The unit MUST stay plugged in during the calibration or you may need to restart the process.

2. Ensure the temperature is between +32 °F and +113 °F (0 °C and +45 °C) while charging.

3. Tap

Start Calibration.

4. During the calibration process, the

Power

key is disabled

temporarily and the backlight is turned up to 100%.

It takes up to 25 hours to complete the calibration. When finished, a notification will state Calibration is complete. It is recommended to not use your unit during the calibration process. To stop the calibration process, tap Start / Settings / System / Power / Calibration / Stop Calibration.

Possible error messages that can occur during calibration:

Error Message Solution

Battery is not charging, aborting Discharge became invalid, restarting AC power is in an unknown or uncontrolled state; aborting

Battery temperature may be out of range. Wait until battery temperature settles and try again. Calibration will restart itself.

Plug in unit and restart calibration. Try a different AC adapter and restart calibration. If it continues to fail, have the unit serviced.

Notification LEDs

At the top of the Nomad are two LEDs that provide status information. The LED states are shown in the following tables.

Right LED Function

Off On battery power Solid yellow Charging on AC adapter Solid green Fully charged on AC adapter Blinking yellow Battery problem during charging (temperature

Left LED Function

Off No notifications & phone off Blinking yellow Microsoft notifications Blinking green – short blink Phone on - network available Blinking green – long blink Phone on - data transfer in progress

NOTE: If the left LED is blinking green, battery power is being consumed due to the cellular modem being turned on, even when the device is suspended.

out of range, defective or missing battery)

Speaker and microphone

Your unit comes with an integrated speaker and a microphone. It also has an audio jack that is wired for a headset with a mono speaker and microphone combination. It is not for stereo headsets.

To record, tap Start / Programs / Notes. If you do not see the Recording toolbar, tap Menu / View Recording Toolbar. Tap the round record symbol on the screen. The unit will record until Stop is pressed. The recorded file will be saved in the Notes folder.

Power key features

The Power key turns the unit on and off and performs a number of additional functions.

Turn backlight on/off:

the

key for approximately 1 second. Once toggled off, the

Power

To toggle the backlight on or off, hold down

backlight will stay off until it is toggled back on. Screen taps and key presses will not cause it to turn on.

Power menu:

Hold down the display a countdown. Continuing to press the a reset when the countdown reaches zero. If you release the

key for about 3 seconds to

Power

key will cause

Power

key while the countdown is proceeding, you access the following menu. Tap an option or OK to exit.

out of the shutdown mode, press the power key and the unit will boot up. NOTE: While in shutdown mode, the battery LED does not work, but if the AC adapter is plugged in, it will still charge.

Reset: Stops all running programs and restarts the unit. No file system data is lost, only open or unsaved files will be lost. All registry settings, control panel, personal information, GPS settings and databases are preserved.

NOTE: if the countdown or the Power menu does not appear when the power button is held down, continue to hold down the power button for at least 20 seconds to reset it.

Clean Screen: Disables the touchscreen for cleaning. Press the enter key to re-enable the touchscreen.

Align Screen: Repeats the alignment procedure.

Replace Battery/SIM: Ensures that alarms will not wake up the

unit while changing the battery or the SIM on WWAN units.

Shutdown: Intended for long term storage to put the unit in its lowest power mode. Running application state, unsaved data, and real-time clock settings will be lost. Internal GPS parameters will be reset to their default settings. To take the unit

Perform a Clean Boot

WARNING: All application software installed by

the factory and the customer, plus licenses, settings and user data will be cleared if this function is performed

Hold down the Power key and press the right soft key display a countdown. Continue to hold down both keys until it counts down to zero, followed by a brief appearance of the boot screen. Continue to hold both keys down until a screen appears warning that if you continue, this operation will clear the persistent store. Follow the instructions on the screen ONLY if you want to completely clear your unit.

NOTE: ScanAgent, SatViewer and CellStart (found on the documentation CD) and any other applications installed will need to be reinstalled using ActiveSync. Certain configuration parameters of the internal GPS receiver (baud, parity, etc.) will remain unchanged.

Storage memory

Unlike many handhelds which can lose data if they lose power, all your data is always stored in non-volatile persistent storage memory. Losing power will not impact saved data or configurations other than the real-time clock. This means that you do not have to use a RAM backup utility to protect your data. However, you can lose data by accidentally deleting or overwriting it. As with any computer system, we recommend that you regularly backup your data to removable media or to a PC.

Accessing storage memory using File Explorer

File Explorer (Start / Programs / File Explorer) lets you browse the contents of folders on your unit. To easily delete, rename, or copy an item, touch and hold the item.

NOTE: Unlike PC’s, Windows Mobile does not support a Recycle Bin. Once a file is deleted, it cannot be recovered.

Status indicators

Following are some of the status indicators seen on your unit.

Icon Description

Battery power is low

Battery power is very low

Battery communication error

Battery charging

Battery level

Battery calibration in progress

Instant messages received

SIM card missing

Speaker is on

Speaker is off (or in mute position)

Faulty SIM card

New voice mail

Tap to view more notifications

Data call is in progress

New Instant message received

Roaming mode

Icon

Indicates that one or more networks are present. Tap to access an available network

Wireless LAN connected

Active connection, but not currently synchronizing

Inactive connection to computer or wireless network

Synchronizing

Synchronizing error

E-mail has been received

Pending alarm

Phone is turned on and signal strength

Phone is turned off. To turn it on, tap this icon

No signal

No service. Phone connection unavailable or network error.

Lost signal. The unit is searching for a signal.

EDGE available

EDGE connected

GPRS available

GPRS connected

Description

Settings on your Unit

Tap Start / Settings. Tap any of the icons on the Personal, System or Connections tabs to customize the unit settings to your own preferences. Tap OK to exit the settings. Some of the more useful settings are described below.

Lock (password)

If you want password protection from unauthorized use of your unit, tap Personal / Lock. The password must be entered every time you turn the unit on or resume operation.

WARNING: BE CERTAIN TO REMEMBER THE PASSWORD. The only way to recover from a forgotten password is to perform a Clean Boot. However, you will LOSE all application software, licenses, settings and data on your unit. For instructions on how to perform a Clean Boot, see page 15.

Buttons (keys)

Tap Personal / Buttons. You can assign your favorite programs to several of the keypad buttons. The list of assignable keys is shown on the left hand side with the program that is assigned by default on the right. To reassign a key, select the key you wish to change in section 1 and choose the desired program or action from the pull-

down list in section 2. By default, the Camera application and the Camera Focus. The left soft key is assigned to the Flashlight, if the camera is present and the right soft key is assigned to the laser scanner, if present.

key will take you to the

On the numeric data keypads, the yellow FN) accesses the tasks in yellow, including the Navigation arrows. Several settings can be changed under Keyboard Options.

Auto release: Press and release the function key to access a

yellow task for one use. It then goes back to the keytop tasks.

Manual release: This is the default. Press the function key to

toggle it on and off. Yellow tasks remains active until the function key is pressed again to input the keytop tasks.

Disabled: The function key has to be held down while pressing

any other key to access the yellow task.

Play Sticky Key Sounds: To disable sticky key sounds, remove

the check in the box.

function key (sticky

Backlight for display and keypad

Tap System / Backlight. Change the settings as follows:

Display backlight: The default is on. Tap Battery Power,

External Power and Brightness tabs to change settings.

Keypad backlight: Make changes by tapping the Keypad

Battery, Keypad External or Keypad Brightness tabs.

Power

Tap System / Power to view the approximate battery power remaining. automatically turning off the unit when not in use.

Tap System / Power / Calibration to see if calibration is recommended. For more information on calibration, refer to page

12.

Tap the Advanced tab and choose the settings for

Memory

Tap System / Memory to see how much Storage memory (Flash) and Program memory (RAM) is available. If there are external cards installed, tap Storage Card to view the available memory on the card. If there is more than one card installed, tap the dropdown arrow to select the different cards.

Flash Settings

Tap System / Flash Settings. The Flashlight turns on automatically. You can change the intensity of the Flashlight and the intensity of the Flash used for the camera. To turn the Flashlight on and off, push the left soft key.

Task Manager

Closing programs still leaves them resident in RAM. Windows Mobile will close background programs to free up RAM if resources are low. To manually close programs, tap Start / Programs / Task Manager. Tap on the program and tap End Task or tap Menu / End all Tasks.

System information

Tap System / System Information. Firmware version, serial number, processor speed, RAM and Flash size, wireless configurations, battery and card port information can be found here.

+ 39 hidden pages

Trimble NOMAD 900 GETTING STARTED GUIDE

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual