HP 5455 and HP Slim Keyboard

[jeremyweisser]

I just got my HP Slim Keyboard in from HP SMB store. Ok, I have to say that it looks amazing and I love the way it integrates with the iPAQ sleeve design.
Now that my praise for the design has been noted I cannot for the life of me get this thing to work. At first I could not get the keyboard to slide all the way down and lock in with my iPAQ. I solved that issue after about 5 minutes, it took a little squeeze.
Now the problem is that I have followed the install guide to a T without luck getting the keyboard to work.
I install the software, reset the iPAQ, load the keyboard and try to enable the software but it never types.
I even tried performing multiple hard resets again following the install directions to a T but with no luck.
I spent an hour on the phone with HP but nothing came of it.
I do no think the keyboard is dead because the passthrough charging and synch work perfectly.
Help I really want to get this beauty working!!

[Chris Spera]

Just because the pass-thru AC works, doesn't mean that the keyboard ISN"T dead. If you can't get it working after a hard reset, then its one of 2 things: The keyboard or the serial interface on your device.

The easiest way to check is to see if you can connect to your PC via your cradle and its serial connection. Pull out the USB, attach the serial and seat the device in the cradle.

If you can sync, then the keyboard is likely the culpret. If you don't connect, its likely that your sync board is bad in the device... Give Leonard at PPC Techs a call. He can fix everything!


Kind Regards,


Christopher Spera

[jeremyweisser]

Ok, so I was able to synch to both my laptop and my desktop via the serial port. Am I safe to assume that the keyboard is most probably the culprit?

[piperpilot]

Not necessarily. The sync port on my H5455 broke gradually over time. First I noticed that it wouldn't charge with the AC adapter. I bought another, which worked for a couple of months, but stopped working. I bought another. At the same time, I bought a micro keyboard, which never worked. I got a replacement from HP. That wouldn't work either. I spent a lot of time on the phone with HP. They suspected a broken sync port, but dismissed that as the cause because I was still able to sync. However, a couple of weeks later, the device would not charge and would not sync. Finally, I sent it back to HP for repairs. They installed a new sync port and now everything, including the keyboard, work great. I sent the device back to HP on a Tuesday and had it back by Friday. All in all, a painless experience.

So, the bottom line is that you may be experiencing a gradual breakdown of your sync port. Hope this helps.

[jeremyweisser]

Could be, but this unit is a brand new exchange from HP.

[Chris Spera]

Ok, so I was able to synch to both my laptop and my desktop via the serial port. Am I safe to assume that the keyboard is most probably the culprit?


That's where I'd start looking... I don't buy the above post about the sync board gradually breaking down...but that's not to say that condition doesn't exist. I just don't think that's what we're dealing with here. I think you've got a bad keyboard.

If you have access to a friend or buddy with a compatible iPAQ that can let you check their device with your keyboard, I'd do that as well. That would probably cement the cause of the problem to the keyboard if it doesn't work on a second device as well.

Kind Regards,


Christopher Spera