Hi Sean, does your Palm ever display an error message while beaming? The only reason I could think that Empire (the IrDA listener portion on the Empeg) would not accept another playlist is if it had crashed, which could possibly happen if you were to interrupt the ir beam in progress. Is it consistant at all? Also, have you looked at the serial output while beaming? Let me know, I could possibly send you a debug version of Empire to track down the problem. What Palm device are you using?

The only error code is that the Sony Clie SL10 "Searches..." then it pops up with "Could not find a receiving handheld computer." It only happens in the car that i have checked as I do not use the empeg inside because I use my Rio Receiver inside.

Mark, do not worry about the debug software. There may be a possibility of the beam being interupted as I have to hold the PDA about 1/2" away to get it to function and if you move it a little bit maybe the beam looses "focus". It does take up to 30 seconds to connect sometimes, which creates some difficulties driving sometimes without a passenger. But most of the problems have been at night... mostly at parties... sometimes with the car standing still. After the third or fourth beaming the empeg stops responding to the PDA. My 1972 Datsun 510 works great as the party boom-box and gets lots of rave reviews. I have have found a few empeg converts and newbies if they could only find a retail one to purchase... (all are hoping for a Mk3 I think) The only embarrasing part is when I have to reboot to get the IR to refunction but that is why I still have a tape deck hooked up. I can still play the tunes.

Anyway, Palantir is a great app for the PDA and empeg. Maybe there is a way to get it to function through USB port to the serial port also?

Sean in NC

The only error code is that the Sony Clie SL10 "Searches..." then it pops up with "Could not find a receiving handheld computer." It only happens in the car that i have checked as I do not use the empeg inside because I use my Rio Receiver inside.

In the car, use hijack to force AC mode. I bet it works. If so, you should be able to use the serial port binding option in hijack to let the player keep the serial port.

In reality this shouldn't be necessary as the player isn't really reading from the serial port anyway, but the requisite code to allow the player to read from the /proc file and not the serial device doesn't exist. I guess it hasn't hit the top of Mark's list yet; Maybe I should get off my butt and deal with it.

Mark, do not worry about the debug software. There may be a possibility of the beam being interupted as I have to hold the PDA about 1/2" away to get it to function and if you move it a little bit maybe the beam looses "focus". It does take up to 30 seconds to connect sometimes, which creates some difficulties driving sometimes without a passenger. But most of the problems have been at night... mostly at parties... sometimes with the car standing still. After the third or fourth beaming the empeg stops responding to the PDA.

Yeah, it sounds like the beam is interrupted or just diffused somehow so that it is getting low transfer rates. With my Palm Vx, I had to hold it within 3 inches of the Empeg, but with my newer Tungsten C, it can beam from a few feet away. Check the transparant lens on your ir port on the Clie, it may be scratched, or a combination of the lens on the Clie and the lens on the Empeg could be giving you data transfer errors. The 30 seconds to connect tells me that you've got physical ir issues.

Maybe there is a way to get it to function through USB port to the serial port also?

This has been asked for before, it's easily doable, I just haven't gotten around to implementing it yet. I've been thinking of making other transport methods available (like 802.11 or BT) also. It just makes things more complex, and I like to keep it simple.

The only error code is that the Sony Clie SL10 "Searches..." then it pops up with "Could not find a receiving handheld computer

I had the same recurring problem with my T425 Clie, largely kept timing out, found the empeg about 1 in 4 times (albeit after a long negotiation).

Finally got frustrated and bought a cheap Palm Vx, works perfectly every time. Connects in 2 to 3 seconds max, anything from 0 to about 6” away.

Shame about the Clie, it had a nicer screen but its IR capabilities are not the same as the Palm. I assume your problem is the same. Sorry Dude!

Cheers, Sim

I think this is what I have figured out at this point. Maybe it is time to "upgrade". A wireless connection would be nice also to get those all important radar weather maps from accuweather.com on the fly...


Sean in NC

That's unfortunate, since the older Clie's can be had for a reasonable price on eBay or discounted at stores. I do have to say that Palm is coming back heavily into the market with their new models. The Tungsten series is just great, and if I didn't have a Tungsten C already I would probably buy the Tungsten E. Great screen, memory, speed and form factor, all for $199. It should replace the Vx nicely as the sleek, sexy PDA in the Palm line.