Newton is a set of technologies developed by Apple to support a style of computing device called a personal digitial assistant (PDA). Several companies, in addition to Apple itself, have developed Newton products, including Sharp, Harris, Digital Ocean, Schlumberger and others.
Most Newton devices have a built-in point-to-point infrared communications port, capable of connecting to other Newtons, standalone IR adaptors, printers, consumer electronic devices and desktop computers. The capabilities of these ports vary with the Newton hardware and software model.
This FAQ attempts to answer common questions about the Newton infrared capabilities. It's home site is
http://www.0x1.org/d/stuff/newton/ir-faq.html
Please send any questions, comments, corrections or additions to the maintainer
davida@pobox.com
These have included: Tom Deering, Lee Leonard, Emanuel Madariaga, Dick Campbell, John Schettino.
| Manufacturer | Model | Protocols |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | MessagePad (H1000) | Sharp ASK |
| MessagePad 100 (H1000) | Sharp ASK | |
| MessagePad 110 (Hxxxx) |
Sharp ASK Apple extensions |
|
| MessagePad 120 (Hxxxx) |
Sharp ASK Apple extensions |
|
| MessagePad 130 (H0196) |
Sharp ASK Apple extensions |
|
| MessagePad 2000 (H0149) |
Sharp ASK Apple extensions IrDA |
|
| MessagePad 2100 (H0???) |
Sharp ASK Apple extensions IrDA |
|
| eMate 300 (Hxxxx) |
Sharp ASK Apple extensions IrDA |
|
| Digital Ocean | Tarpon | none? |
| Seahorse | none? | |
| Harris Semiconductor | SuperTech 2000 | none? |
| Motorola | Marco | Sharp ASK |
| Schlumberger | Health Terminal | ? |
| Sharp | PI-7000 | Sharp ASK |
| PI-7100 | Sharp ASK | |
| Siemens | Phone I | ? |
| Phone II | ? |
The protocol specification is available in HTML format.
Principal features are
| Range | 1 metre (3 feet) |
|---|---|
| Speed | 9600 baud |
This must require some negotiation between devices on initialisation, although this is not documented.
Quoted maximum speeds for the various models are
| MessagePad | 9600 baud |
|---|---|
| MessagePad 100 | 9600 baud |
| MessagePad 110 | 38400 baud |
| MessagePad 120 | 38400 baud |
| MessagePad 130 | 38400 baud |
| MessagePad 2000 | 38400 baud |
| MessagePad 2100 | 38400 baud |
| eMate 300 | 38400 baud |
Quoting from their corporate backgrounder ...
IrDA was established in 1993 to set and support hardware and software standards which create infrared communications links. The Association's charter is to create an interoperable, low-cost, low-power, half-duplex, serial data interconnection standard that supports a walk-up, point-to-point user model that is adaptable to a wide range of applications and devices. IrDA standards support a broad range of computing, communications, and consumer devices.The IrDA standards are available via the web.
In summary, the IrDA has released two versions of the standard: 1.0 and 1.1. Version 1.1 specifies higher speed operations than 1.0, but is backward compatible.
The IrDA protocol family consists of several components: IrDA-SIR (serial infrared), IrDA-LMP (link management protocol), IrDA-LAP (link access protocol).
In the Apple MessagePad 100, 110, and 120, the Sharp ExpertPad, and the Motorola Marco, the IR transmitter/receiver is a Sharp Infrared Data Communication Unit model RY5BD11 connected to channel B of a Zilog 85C30 SCC. Data is communicated along a 500 KHz carrier frequency at 9600 or 19200 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, odd parity. The IR hardware requires a minimum of 5 milliseconds settling time when transitioning between sending and receiving. Sharp's CE-IR2 wireless interface unit may be used to connect the Newton to MacOS or DOS machines, with the appropriate software.The Newton supports four IR software data modes:
Sharp encoding, NewtIR protocol (specifications are NOT releaseable)
Sharp encoding, SharpIR protocol
Plain Serial
38 KHz encoding ("TV Remote Control")
Two interesting items emerge from this answer:
If anyone can clear up either of these issues, please contact the maintainer.
Otherwise, see answer P2 below.
These are made by several companies, supporting either or both Sharp ASK and IrDA protocols.
Most IR-capable printers support the IrDA protocols, rather than the Sharp ASK protocol. This means that they are only useable from the MP2000, MP2100 and eMate300 models.
For earlier MessagePads (120 with OS 2.0 and 130), I am currently aware of only one IR-printer option:
If anyone owning an OMP, 100, 110 or 120 with OS 1.3 has access to the O'Neil Outback, it'd be great to know whether it works when beamed ...
For those equipped with an MP2000, MP2100 or eMate 3000, the next problem is software: they come with driver software for only two IrDA printers: the Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 340 and the LaserJet 5MP.
The DeskJet needs the IR Adaptor Part #C3277A and the LaserJet needs Part #C2929A.
INSA Limited has announced Newton 2.x printer drivers for O'Neil Product Development's range of ruggedised mobile printers which support both serial and IrDA connections. Models supported are the microFlash 2, microFlash 3 and 8i. Speed is reported to be under 60 seconds for a busy 8"x11" page (on the 8i) and under 15 seconds for the microFlash models.
INSA also announced drivers for the Comtec range of printers. More details as I find them.
Otherwise, it has been reported that the LaserJet 6MP also works using the Newton 5MP driver. The 6MP IR adaptor is built into the printer casing. However, see question 5 below about reported speed problems with the 6MP.
It is possible that other printer models which can emulate the HP 5MP will work. I have not been able to test this -- has anyone else? I'd be especially interested in results of a connection using a parallel or serial port IrDA adaptor like the JetEye ...
It is also possible that all MessagePad and compatible models can print using a Sharp ASK adaptor, such as the Sharp CE-IR1 or the Actisys ACT-IR3S+. Has anyone succeeded doing this?
There's two parts to the problem: hardware and software.
The hardware part involves getting the printing signal from the Newton to the printer. There are several IR to serial/parallel adaptors available, with either or both of the Sharp ASK and IrDA protocols. Attaching one of these to the printer port will get you a hardware connection.
The next problem is the driver software. This has two components: tranferring the data correctly, and generating the correct printer language.
The Newton has a limited set of inbuilt printer drivers. You can also install more using the Newton Print Pack from Newton Inc (or Apple). These convert the Newton views into a specific printer language.
I'd be interested to hear of any success or failure in attempting to print from a Newton via either IrDA or beaming protocols. Please let me know how it works out if you try it.
Apple has released a system update which vastly improves the printing speed using the HP drivers. It's available at
http://www.newton.apple.com/product_info/sw/printpack.html#Upgrades
If you have installed this update, and your printing is still too slow, it's probably because of the way the driver software works, and the speed of the IrDA connection (ie. there's nothing you can do about it).
The IrDA printer driver creates a bitmap image from the views that you want to print and encodes that in the language for a particular printer (in this case, Hewlett-Packard's PCL). Bitmaps are not a space-efficient way to describe images, and the resultant string is large.
The Newton IrDA port operates at the IrDA 1.0-compliant speed of 115kbps. While this is quite fast for serial ports, it's not that fast compared to a parallel port. Hence, transferring the encoded image is slow.
The combination of these factors results in slow printing.
There's little that can be done about this, since the Newton doesn't support stroke fonts. It's possible that future printer drivers could attempt to translate Newton fonts into PostScript or TrueType equivalents, but that wouldn't work for Casual, for example.
The following message is from comp.os.newton.misc (trimmed):
Consumer IR remote controls normally use one of two carrier modulation frequencies: about 38kHz or about 56kHz. Which one is used depends on the manufacturer and model of your device.
All Newtons can generate IR remote control pulses using a 38kHz carrier. If your TV (or whatever) doesn't use roughly this frequency, then it is unlikely you will be able to reliably control it with current Newtons.
You may have some success using a shorter range: it depends upon the filtering used by the device to cut out stray signals. Try holding the Newton closer to the TV!
See the following answers for details of devices and models which are known to work.
The IR chipset on all Newtons supports a software controllable modulation divisor. Before Newton OS 2.1 there was nothing in the ROMs that allowed access to the divisor. With 2.1, while there is no API to changing the divisor, it is patchable at the driver level.
To get IR control packages that support 56.8kHz devices (like cable boxes and some TVs, VCRs, etc) -- tell Newton Inc that the modulation divisor needs to be settable via a ROM API.
The Newton Inc web pages suggest webmaster@newton.apple.com as the appropriate address for all product suggestions and feedback. You might want to say something like
I have a insert your device type here that does not work with the current Newton IR remote control. I believe this is because the carrier modulation frequency is fixed at 38kHz, and my device requires a frequency of 56.8kHz. Would you please consider making the carrier modulation frequency divisor available in the Newton OS API in the next Newton OS release?
All Newton models have a filter over the IR receiving diode to prevent interference from other IR sources when receiving a beamed transmission. Unfortunately, this filter prevents the 38kHz frequency used by most remote controls from being received.
| Manufacturer | Device | Model | Package | Newton OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson | VCR | ? | tvpad-0.9.sit | 1.x |
| JVC | Amp, CD, Tape | ? | ShowMate | 1.x, 2.x |
| Magnavox | TV | ? | tvpad-0.9.sit | 1.x |
| Mitsubishi | TV | ? | tvpad-0.9.sit | 1.x |
| Panasonic | Amp, Tuner, CD, TV, VCR, Tape | ? | ShowMate | 1.x, 2.x |
| RCA | Satellite decoder | DSS | Does not work with Newtons: needs 59kHz carrier | |
| Sony | TV, CD, tape, Amp, Tuner | sonyremote-1.01.sit | 1.x | |
| Amp, Tuner, CD, DAT, Tape, Phono, TC, VCR, Laser Disc | showtime.sit | 1.x | ||
| TV | ? | tvpad-0.9.sit | 1.x | |
| VCR | SLV-E7 | SonyMeeting | 2.x | |
| Amp, Tuner, CD, DAT, TV, VCR, TAP, Phono, Laser disc, Camera | ShowMate | 1.x, 2.x | ||
If you have a Sony, try the SonyMeeting package.
The Newton Toolkit provides an API for remote control programming, documented in the Communications Reference manual and in the Newton Q&A
Steve Weyer's Newt can also use this API.
NSBasic can also generate IR remote control codes: see their technical note on the subject.
IR remote control uses codes, represented by different time periods of IR pulses -- like morse code with dots and dashes. Each of the pulses in a code lasts for a couple of hundreths of a second.
When the remote is sending a pulse, the IR LED is actually like a strobe light flashing thousands of times a second. This is done so that the sensor on the TV can tell the difference between light coming from a remote control and sunlight shining through the leaves of a tree.
The Newton's remote control IR modulation is fixed at 38kHz. Newton Inc does not give developers any method of changing the modulation. This is too bad because about half of the TVs and VCRs coming from Japan and almost all of the cable and satellite boxes are looking for a modulation of around 56kHz. With some devices having the wrong modulation means that they will only work when the Newton is held about 3 feet away from the set. With other devices like cable boxes, it just won't work at all.
Whether a device which uses a different frequency will work with the Newton depends upon their filtering of stray signals: less stringent filtering will allow the Newton's signal through, although possibly from an unusably short range.
The IR chipset on all the MessagePads supports a software controllable modulation divisor. Before Newton OS 2.1 there was nothing in the ROMs that allowed access to the divisor. With 2.1, while there is no API to changing the divisor, it IS patchable at the driver level. Hopefully, in the future this will be accessable through an OS API function.
Sharp ASK IR to RS-232 adaptors are made by at least three companies. To my knowledge they do not work at the full 38.4kbps speed of the later model Newtons, but it is still possible to establish a connection at 9600 baud, at least.
Available ASK connection speeds are 9600 and 19200 baud at a range of 1 metre (3 feet).
It supports 19.2kbps and 9600bps speeds, but I'm not sure whether the Newton can utilise the 19.2k speed.
Unlike the Sharp, it does not automatically power off when powered from the DC adaptor (according to their web page).
The unit is small, with no batteries or AC adaptor required, since it takes its power from the serial port. The connector is a MiniDIN-8 (Mac serial style), and the cable approx 1.5m long.
The announced price of the unit is US$70 (without volume discounts).
These guys are kindly sending me one of these units, so I'll have some more comments/description once it arrives.
The only problem with this unit is that there is a 6 minute idle timeout with automatic shutoff, regardless of whether it is running on battery or wall power.
The main difference between the two units is that the CE-IR4 supports both ASK and IrDA protocols. The documentation claims ASK mode speeds of 9600 and 19.2kbps.
Unlike the the CE-IR2, the 6 minute timeout is disabled when the DC adaptor is used.
See A7 for more information.
Sharp ASK IR to Centronics parallel adaptors are made by at least two companies.
I've never seen one of these devices -- anyone have more information?
It supports 19.2kbps and 9600bps speeds, but I'm not sure whether the Newton can utilise the 19.2k speed.
Unlike the Sharp, it does not automatically power off when powered from the DC adaptor.
Available IrDA connection speeds are 9.6, 19.2, 38,4, 57.6 and 115.2k bps at a range of 2 metres (6 feet).
This unit supports both IrDA 1.0 (up to 115.2Kbps) and Sharp's ASK protocol.
See A7 for more information.
The 100M supports IrDA 1.0 connection speeds are 9.6, 19.2, 38,4, 57.6 and 115.2k bps at a range of 1 metre (3 feet). It has two Centronics 36pin connectors to operate in pass-through mode allowing wired connection to a desktop computer in addition to the wireless link.
The 100X supports IrDA 1.0 connection speeds are 9.6, 19.2, 38,4, 57.6 and 115.2k bps at a range of 1 metre (3 feet). It has a single DB25 female connector for connection to a standard PC printer cable.
I'm not certain, but these devices also claim (in one place on their web page) to also support Sharp ASK. Can anyone clarify this?
Hewlett-Packard Part #J2964A NetBeamIR Infrared Access Point.
Available IrDA connection speeds are 9.6, 19.2, 38,4, 57.6 and 115.2k bps at a range of 2 metres (6 feet). Available ASK connection speeds are 9.6 adn 19.2k bps at a range of 1 metre (3 feet).
The documentation claims the following speeds
| Sharp 8600 & 9000 series organisers | 9600bps |
| Other ASK mode devices | 9600 - 19.2Kbps |
| Sharp ZR-5000 K-PDA | up to 115.2Kbps |
| Other IrDA mode devices | 9600 - 115.2Kbps |
It has a stated operating range of between 10 and 50 cm using infrared with a peak frequency between 850 and 1050nm.
The serial connection uses 8 data bits, odd parity and 1 stop bit. RTS (pin 4) is used to toggle between IrDA and ASK modes.
Here's an excerpt from the mail I received from Landware ...