Picked up an Apple Newton eMate 300! 😃

retr01

retr01

Senior Tinkerer
Jun 6, 2022
2,469
1
778
113
Utah, USA
retr01.com
So, I picked up an eMate 300 complete in the original box with:
  • original stylus​
  • original power adapter​
  • user manual​
  • teacher's guide​
Here is what it said to me:

giphy.gif
 
  • Like
Reactions: KingDingus, Certificate of Excellence and splorp
retr01

retr01

Senior Tinkerer
Jun 6, 2022
2,469
1
778
113
Utah, USA
retr01.com
As it is common for most eMate 300 units nowadays, I will need to replace the rechargeable batteries. I noticed there are a few guides, such as:

Apple eMate 300 – Battery Refurb « modelrail.otenko

modelrail.otenko.com modelrail.otenko.com

Building your own Newton eMate replacement battery pack | Lee Busch LLC

www.lbdesign.com www.lbdesign.com

How to rebuild / refurbish an Apple eMate battery pack

Hardware and software for Apple Newton MessagePad and eMate, disassembly and battery pack refurbish instructions
www.pda-soft.de

Then, I noticed this thread on 68kmla:

NiMh eMate Battery technical question

I thought I would put this here rather than in the Newton forum, as it is VERY slow going there. eMate batteries (which are just 4x1.2v NiMh cells like those found in many old laptop battery packs) have a glass encapsulated thermistor on leads located near the plug that is easily relocated on a...
68kmla.org 68kmla.org

This person ordered this battery pack, and that worked well:

www.ebay.com

Ni-MH 4.8V 2000mAh Baby Videophone Verilux CleanWave UV light wand Battery AA4SH | eBay

Battery System Reference Weight 15-16hrs at 200mA. Total Size 4.8V, 1.2V/cell. Product Gallery.
www.ebay.com

Any thoughts? :) I looked for a replacement battery guide for the eMate on YouTUbe and didn't find any. @This Does Not Compute? @Androda? @Mac84? Anyone?
 
Last edited:
retr01

retr01

Senior Tinkerer
Jun 6, 2022
2,469
1
778
113
Utah, USA
retr01.com
Another thing is the hinges which need addressing. @This Does Not Compute made an excellent video discussing the issues surrounding the poorly designed hinges. However, the replacement cable is harder to get from Newton Sales. They stopped accepting PayPal, so they will only accept Bitcoin as of August 2022. I think we'd better find acceptable and more reasonably priced alternatives for various parts. Did anyone have a guide like that?

1660434426175.png


 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: wottle
retr01

retr01

Senior Tinkerer
Jun 6, 2022
2,469
1
778
113
Utah, USA
retr01.com
Certificate of Excellence said:
Sure would be cool if there was an upgrade path to updating the screen to a higher quality color screen. These sure are a neat part of Apple history.
Click to expand...

Agreed! :)

Sadly, Steve Jobs killed the Newton project. At that time, Apple needed to refocus and improve its core competencies. Those CEOs before Jobs returned messed things up and caused Apple's focus to get blurry. Then the iPad came along, and it's great.

There are still good folks who have been researching and working on making the Newton fun and usable along with the Macs. :)

I have not seen a Newton that had a color video out. Yet, the eMate has a PCIMIA slot. Hmmm.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Certificate of Excellence
retr01

retr01

Senior Tinkerer
Jun 6, 2022
2,469
1
778
113
Utah, USA
retr01.com
Woot! I just picked up the Apple Newton Connection Kit 2.0 with the manual. Yay! :) That is missing from the box, ha. Now I am hunting down two more things.

Any assistance would be more than appreciated. 😊

✅ Apple eMate 300​
✅ Original Apple Newton power adapter for eMate 300​
✅ Original eMate 300 stylus​
✅ User's manual​
✅ Teacher's manual​
✅ Newton Connection Kit​
❓ Newton Press​
❓ Solutions guide​
 
retr01

retr01

Senior Tinkerer
Jun 6, 2022
2,469
1
778
113
Utah, USA
retr01.com
I wondered if there were travel bags designed for the eMate. Then, I saw this article on page 27 of the MacUser January 1997 issue that mentions (updated to modern grammar):

Offering more than just price, the eMate is Apple's first serious effort to engineer a product to address the market's unique needs. For example, the nearly indestructible ABS plastic shell is designed to take the kind of abuse only a fifth grader can dish out. The chassis also features a whimsical design - it looks like something straight out of a Batman movie - sure to appeal to image-conscious grade-schoolers.​

So, probably not? Nevertheless, has anyone used a sleeve or bag for the eMate?
 
retr01

retr01

Senior Tinkerer
Jun 6, 2022
2,469
1
778
113
Utah, USA
retr01.com
Well, I realized that I have some goals using my eMate 300:
  • Max out the RAM with @Androda's upcoming new RAM module
  • Make sure the video display cable has plenty of flexibility with a new one from @Androda
  • Make sure the hinges work properly
  • Get the right cable to connect the eMate to one of my 68k Macs
  • Figure out to connect to my Mac Mini G4 and iBook G4 running macOS 9.2.2
  • Load up programs and games
  • Get a PCIMIA card so that the eMate 300 can have video output to an external screen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom