Fujitsu Pencentra 130: a Poor Man's Iliad

Nate the great · 07-12-2008, 11:02 PM

Yes,that's right. I got _another_ gadget.

The Pencentra 130 is a tablet HPC with a 131Mhz MIPS CPU running WinCE 2.11. I'm told that the the original market was industrial, which I can beleive. The unit is very sturdy without being too heavy (1kg). The main reason I got it was that the unit without accessories was going for less than $20 on Ebay. It has 2 PC card slots, serial, USB, PS2, modem, as well as headphone and microphone jacks. All in all, it's nice.

It has an 8" touchscreen, and at first I wasn't happy with the screen. It seemed too reflective, and the colors seemed washed out. But after having used it for a couple hours, I've gotten used to the screen. I haven't tried it as an ebook reader yet because I forgot to get a CF to PCMCIA converter for it. But I did open Pocket Word, and used the on-screen keyboard to enter a few lines of text. I think it will be quite adequate as an ebook reader.

Here is an ebay auction with some pictures. If you get one from this seller, the power supply will not be included.

daffy4u · 07-12-2008, 11:10 PM

What are you using for a power supply? Maybe I should dust off my old Dauphin DTR-1... nah, I'll stick with the Kindle.

Nate the great · 07-12-2008, 11:12 PM

I forgot about the screen controls.

The contrast and backlight have their own hotkeys on the touchscreen. It's easy to change the screen from an unreadable condition without being able to see it. Also, the backlight is really a sidelight, and has 4 settings: off, low, medium, and high.

Nate the great · 07-12-2008, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffy4u

What are you using for a power supply? Maybe I should dust off my old Dauphin DTR-1... nah, I'll stick with the Kindle.

I still had the PSU from my old Fujitsu Stylistic 1000. Fortunately, it was compatible. Fujitsu must have had an outbreak of common sense at some point.

P.S. I still have the Stylistic 1000. It's only about 2 years younger than your DTR-1.

WillAdams · 07-14-2008, 10:35 AM

Fujitsu is very nice about keeping compatibility w/ devices --- I've amassed quite a collection of power adapters since getting a Point 510 ages ago, and am still using them w/ my Stylistic 4110.

William

Prash · 07-18-2008, 03:20 PM

Whether the PSU for this device can be sourced from anywhere? And what would be its approx cost.

I am really thinking of getting this one as i need a cheap ebook reader, which i will use just for one year. Then will switch to something better. However i am from India, so should arrange for batteries and someone to get them here to my place..

Please help...TIA

Patricia · 07-18-2008, 07:13 PM

Interesting. Will it handle PDFs, Nate?

Nate the great · 07-18-2008, 08:36 PM

It can't do PDFs because of the CPU and OS. So far as I know, there is no PDF reader for it.

Nate the great · 07-18-2008, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prash

Whether the PSU for this device can be sourced from anywhere? And what would be its approx cost.

I am really thinking of getting this one as i need a cheap ebook reader, which i will use just for one year. Then will switch to something better. However i am from India, so should arrange for batteries and someone to get them here to my place..

Please help...TIA

You can find the power supplies on Ebay. Most made by this manufacturer will be compatible. The one I am using is from my old Fujitsu Stylistic tablet.

Nate the great · 07-22-2008, 03:51 PM

The CF card adapter arrived today. I've been trying MobiReader v4.8. So far the 8" screen is very nice. I can fit a lot of text on the screen.

I don't yet have a working internet connection. I know the Wifi card works, and I'm pretty sure the driver was installed correctly. But I can't get a connection. I'll keep working on it.

BTW, there are 2 PDF readers for this device. So far I have not gotten either to work.But I think at least one will.

Prash · 07-22-2008, 07:21 PM

What is the maximum memory expandability supported by the device Nate? And how is the page-flipping response of the device.

I find this device extremely attractive. It has USB support, also supposedly pdf enabled, and screen itself it a BIG-GRIN factor about this device. It truly is an iLiad alternative at a killer price. I wonder why anyone else has not grabbed the device yet...

If only i could get this item listed in ebay India too....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

The CF card adapter arrived today. I've been trying MobiReader v4.8. So far the 8" screen is very nice. I can fit a lot of text on the screen.

I don't yet have a working internet connection. I know the Wifi card works, and I'm pretty sure the driver was installed correctly. But I can't get a connection. I'll keep working on it.

BTW, there are 2 PDF readers for this device. So far I have not gotten either to work.But I think at least one will.

Nate the great · 07-22-2008, 09:22 PM

I don't know for certain what the max storage is because the largest I have is 2GB. (I don't have anything bigger because I the jump in price per GB isn't worth it yet.) The 2GB card worked, and I would bet a 4GB card would work as well. Since the PenCentra 130 has 2 slots, this means either 4GB or 8GB of storage. Also, it has 8MB of internal Flash storage.

The PenCentra came with 16MB of RAM. I've seen a 32MB RAM upgrade on Ebay for $50. This would bring the RAM up to 48MB. I don't think it's worth the cost. The idea behind the RAM upgrade is so you could install more programs. I install very little in RAM. Instead, I put it on the CF card.

P.S. You shouldn't buy it for PDF because I don't have it running yet.

Prash · 07-23-2008, 01:22 AM

It's amazing to see so many interesting features in a device of that caliber, it's almost an iLiad itself!

WillAdams · 07-23-2008, 08:47 AM

Not 100% convinced the 4GB card would work --- when I was using my Fujitsu Stylistic 2300, it would boot from a 2GB card, but not a 4GB CF card in a CF-IDE adapter. Fortunately I got a dual-card-adapter, so I put the 4GB card in the second slot.

Wish I could use the adapter in my Stylistic 4110, but I don't have install media and I've not been able to find free software which I can grok which'll clone to a 4GB card from the 30GB drive.

William

Nate the great · 07-30-2008, 02:04 PM

Here are a few pictures.

07-12-2008, 11:02 PM	#1
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	Fujitsu Pencentra 130: a Poor Man's Iliad Yes,that's right. I got _another_ gadget. The Pencentra 130 is a tablet HPC with a 131Mhz MIPS CPU running WinCE 2.11. I'm told that the the original market was industrial, which I can beleive. The unit is very sturdy without being too heavy (1kg). The main reason I got it was that the unit without accessories was going for less than $20 on Ebay. It has 2 PC card slots, serial, USB, PS2, modem, as well as headphone and microphone jacks. All in all, it's nice. It has an 8" touchscreen, and at first I wasn't happy with the screen. It seemed too reflective, and the colors seemed washed out. But after having used it for a couple hours, I've gotten used to the screen. I haven't tried it as an ebook reader yet because I forgot to get a CF to PCMCIA converter for it. But I did open Pocket Word, and used the on-screen keyboard to enter a few lines of text. I think it will be quite adequate as an ebook reader. Here is an ebay auction with some pictures. If you get one from this seller, the power supply will not be included.

07-12-2008, 11:12 PM	#3
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	Addendum I forgot about the screen controls. The contrast and backlight have their own hotkeys on the touchscreen. It's easy to change the screen from an unreadable condition without being able to see it. Also, the backlight is really a sidelight, and has 4 settings: off, low, medium, and high.

07-22-2008, 03:51 PM	#10
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	Update The CF card adapter arrived today. I've been trying MobiReader v4.8. So far the 8" screen is very nice. I can fit a lot of text on the screen. I don't yet have a working internet connection. I know the Wifi card works, and I'm pretty sure the driver was installed correctly. But I can't get a connection. I'll keep working on it. BTW, there are 2 PDF readers for this device. So far I have not gotten either to work.But I think at least one will.

07-30-2008, 02:04 PM	#15
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	Here are a few pictures. Attached Thumbnails

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07-12-2008, 11:10 PM	#2
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	What are you using for a power supply? Maybe I should dust off my old Dauphin DTR-1... nah, I'll stick with the Kindle.

07-14-2008, 10:35 AM	#5
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,250 Karma: 3439432 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	Fujitsu is very nice about keeping compatibility w/ devices --- I've amassed quite a collection of power adapters since getting a Point 510 ages ago, and am still using them w/ my Stylistic 4110. William

07-18-2008, 03:20 PM	#6
Prash Zealot Posts: 102 Karma: 387 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore, India Device: K3W, LG OG-E970, Utopia Apad	Whether the PSU for this device can be sourced from anywhere? And what would be its approx cost. I am really thinking of getting this one as i need a cheap ebook reader, which i will use just for one year. Then will switch to something better. However i am from India, so should arrange for batteries and someone to get them here to my place.. Please help...TIA

07-18-2008, 07:13 PM	#7
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	Interesting. Will it handle PDFs, Nate?

07-18-2008, 08:36 PM	#8
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	It can't do PDFs because of the CPU and OS. So far as I know, there is no PDF reader for it.

07-22-2008, 09:22 PM	#12
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	I don't know for certain what the max storage is because the largest I have is 2GB. (I don't have anything bigger because I the jump in price per GB isn't worth it yet.) The 2GB card worked, and I would bet a 4GB card would work as well. Since the PenCentra 130 has 2 slots, this means either 4GB or 8GB of storage. Also, it has 8MB of internal Flash storage. The PenCentra came with 16MB of RAM. I've seen a 32MB RAM upgrade on Ebay for $50. This would bring the RAM up to 48MB. I don't think it's worth the cost. The idea behind the RAM upgrade is so you could install more programs. I install very little in RAM. Instead, I put it on the CF card. P.S. You shouldn't buy it for PDF because I don't have it running yet.

07-23-2008, 01:22 AM	#13
Prash Zealot Posts: 102 Karma: 387 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore, India Device: K3W, LG OG-E970, Utopia Apad	It's amazing to see so many interesting features in a device of that caliber, it's almost an iLiad itself!

07-23-2008, 08:47 AM	#14
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,250 Karma: 3439432 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	Not 100% convinced the 4GB card would work --- when I was using my Fujitsu Stylistic 2300, it would boot from a 2GB card, but not a 4GB CF card in a CF-IDE adapter. Fortunately I got a dual-card-adapter, so I put the 4GB card in the second slot. Wish I could use the adapter in my Stylistic 4110, but I don't have install media and I've not been able to find free software which I can grok which'll clone to a 4GB card from the 30GB drive. William

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