MBUS and FBUS are the names of data transmission protocols designed by Nokia and used in their products. These names are also commonly used to describe connection cables, providing transmission in appropriate protocol. In 51xx/61xx series of phones protocol FBUS can be found in Nokia Cellular Data Suite package. DAU-9P connection cable, shipped with this package, is a dual (FBUS and MBUS) cable, however NCDS, likewise all other 'normal user' programs, uses only its FBUS part. MBUS protocol (and cable) is used first of all in Nokia service applications, designed for technical staff (Wintesla and PC-Locals).
N9110
supports both these protocols (with some changes in FBUS), however Nokia
doesn't sell connection cables providing FBUS and MBUS transmission. DLR-2
cable, which comes with every 9110 phone, has MBUS and FBUS pins but it
doesn't work with FBUS and MBUS based programs, supporting only RS-232
serial protocol (used in communication with PDA by NServer and PC
Suite applications).
N9110 works correctly with most of (if not
all) programs using MBUS protocol, however to be able to take advantage
of their features, we have to modify the plug of DAU-9P cable or build
our own MBUS connection cable. Existing FBUS applications don't works with
N9110, which is most probably caused by some modifications made by Nokia
in N9110's FBUS protocol. They have to be updated bt their authors to fully
support 9110. To take a look at the diagrams of FBUS and MBUS connection
cables and N9110 pinout, please click the picture on the left side.
If you manage to make your MBUS and FBUS cables, you'll be able to:
NetMonitor
is a name of the hidden, additional phone menu, divided into many submenus
with numbers form 1 to 102. Submenus 1-19 show precise technical information
about GSM network you're logged in and the rest informs about different
parameters of your phone and connected accessories. NetMonitor can be used
in two ways:
NetMonitor
gives us access to the following information and functions:
To
activate NetMonitor menu in your phone, you'll need an MBUS
cable and a PC program which allows such option.
At present following programs work correcly
with Nokia 9110:
All the above programs allow activation
of both first 19 submenus (concerning GSM network) and full NetMonitor.
NetMonitor activation option is also present in many FBUS
based programs, but they don't work correctly with N9110...
LogoManager application includes its own NetMonitor window, allowing us to see most of its data without activating it in the phone.
Startup
logo, AKA invitation logo, power-up logo and "begging hands" is a screen,
which appears after turning the phone on. Because we see it almost everyday
(and sometimes even a couple of times a day), after several weeks we can
be sick of this view...
However,
we can replace it without any problems with our own (or downloaded from
the net) two-color (1-bit) picture in resolution 84×48 pixels. To
do it, we need as usual an MBUS
cable and a special program for PC.
There
many programs supporting this feature, but with N9110 work correctly only:
After installing one of the above programs you have to connect your phone to the PC using the appropriate connection cable, set correct COM port, load (or design) your logo and send it to the phone. Before sending a new logo you should consider retrieving the old logo from the phone and save it to disk to be able to return to the original state...
Operator
logo is a picture (72×14 pixels), which we can use to replace a standard
text showing GSM netowrk operator name on a screen of our phone.
There are as many as five methods
to set it in N9110:
The easiest way is to use the latest version (1.0 beta 6b) of the shareware application called Nokia LogoManager (after changing the protocol to MBUS using this tool) and an MBUS cable. This program sends logo directly to the phone, where we can take a look at it and then decide whether we want to save it or cancel it. Besides that, with LogoManager we can also change a startup logo and activate NetMonitor (and also read its contents on PC without activating it in the phone). Unregistered version adds "DEMO" to each logo - so you have to register the program to take a real advantage of it.
There are also other (more time- and work consuming) methods to send an operator logo to our phone:
In first case, according to the FBUS protocol used in following programs (which is a little bit different in N9110), we have to do it in some other way than when setting a startup logo: we need an intermediate phone (Nokia 6xxx). We place a logo in its SMS Outbox using FBUS cable and then we send it via SMS to our N9110. We can use following programs:
The second method doesn't require any phone or cable. It can be done using:
The third
way to set an operator logo is to send it directly to N9110 using MBUS
cable and these two programs:
Some of the
above programs support sending a logo to your phone thru infrared port
(IrDA), which doesn't require custom cables. However, significant changes
in 9110's FBUS
protocol make this feature incompatible with Communicator. Sending logos
with some programs causes "Internal error. Remove battery to reboot"
message on a PDA screen and some others don't recognize the phone at all.
However, you can use IR port without any problems when sending a logo to
an intermediate phone (N6xxx), so you won't need to make a cable.
It is up to you to choose a method... I recommend Nokia LogoManager, which (when registered for as few as 15 EUR) allows us also changing startup logo, Netmonitor activation, NetMonitor menu on a PC and several other interesting features.
Most of the GSM
phones recognize so called 'hash codes'. Nokia phones (including N9110)
besides the standard code set support a couple of custom codes. The most
important N9110 codes are:
|
|
*#06# | displays IMEI number |
*#0000# | shows version, date and code name of the phone firmware |
*#746025625#
(*#sim0clock#) |
informs, whether SIM clock (SIM card processor clock) can be stopped |
*3370# | activates EFR (Enhanced Full Rate) |
#3370# | disables EFR and switches the phone to the default codec |
*4720# | activates HR
(Half Rate)
(works only in phones bought from the GSM operator who's network supports this codec) |
#4720# | disables HR
and switches the phone to the default codec
(works only in phones bought from the GSM operator who's network supports this codec) |
#pw+mastercode+Y# | simlock removing (with mastercode) or checking. If you enter any 10-digit
value (for example 1234567890) and a number from 1 to 4 on Y position,
the phone will display information about following types of locks:
|
Calendar application bug causes that alarms set for your events don't go off after rebooting the system. Besides general system instability, it is the most important shortcomming of Nokia 9110 firmware. Since task management and reminding about things to do is the main role of Calendar application, forgetting about events and alarms makes this function of Nokia Communicator almost totally useless. This bug is caused by lack of Calendar activation command in autostart ('execOnStartup') section of Geos.ini and Net.ini files. When your system hangs and you have to reboot it, Calendar aplication remains inactive unless you manually start it. Fortunately, this error can be easily corrected, but it doesn't change a fact, that it exists (and Nokia didn't fix it, even though there are several new firmware revisions).
To
get rid of this bug we need Init File Editor application included
in GEOS SDK for Nokia 9110 package. It is very similiar to Regedit
in Windows 9x and allows you to make changes in GEOS system files. Unfortunately,
I cannot make it available for download (it is also very hard to find it
on the net), because it is copyrighted by Geoworks and Nokia. The easiest
(legal) way to get this application is to fill GEOS
SDK request form - it is the only requirement in order to become an
owner of this package and join Nokia Developers. You will receive it by
mail (free of charge) within one or two weeks.
When you get this package and install Init File Editor in your Comunicator, you have to make following steps:
Ater completing
this procedure you only need to reboot your system and... use correctly
working Calendar.
Car and Headset profiles are not available until appropriate accessories are connected for the first time. However, they offer a feature, which makes them useful even without headset or car kit - Automatic Answer function. When it is active, we can leave our Communicator open on our desk or in a car and automatically receive calls in speakerphone mode.
There are two ways to activate these profiles: we can borrow a headset and car kit from someone and connect them for just a second (activated profiles remain even after disconnecting accessories) or make following changes:
Most of the profiles allow editing their names. Unfortunately, it doesn't concern profiles: General and initially hidden - Car and Headset. If you'd like to change their names (for example to translate them to your language), proceed as follows:
Comments:
1. Changing names of Headset
and Car profiles affects PDA side only - phone module uses the old
names, which are `hardcoded` in flash memory.
2. The names can consist of max 10
letters - if we enter more than this, the original names will be restored
after next system restart.
3. The profile names, which are editable
by default, should be renamed in the `traditional` way, otherwise these
changes won't affect the phone module.
There is an easy
way to put your name and phone number on phone display, right below the
operator logo/name. Setting your name (or nick) is quick and easy - just
edit the name of one of the profiles and activate it.
If
you also want to have your phone number displayed, just:
Note: If you have operator logo (which takes more space than network name), the number of your phone will appear for 2-3 seconds and then it will be replaced with your name (i.e. profile name). If you prefer to have a phone number rather than your name/nick, activate General profile, which doesn't display its name or change the name of profile you're using to your phone number.
Nokia 9110 Communicator is one of few GSM phones equipped with full hardware modem and probably the only one supporting data transmission at 14,400 bps, although this feature isn't much useful since most of GSM networks allow asynchronous data connections only upto 9600 bps.
However, N9110 Communicator can also be connected to a standard external PC modem and send data or faxes thru a normal landline. This useful feature is not available for the user (probably to protect GSM operators' interests) and it can only be achieved by modifying the system files using Init File Editor or (which is much more comfortable) by making the appropriate settings using Advanced PPP Settings application.
Advaced PPP Settings can be compared to TweakUI in Windows. After installation (in System folder) it gives us access to the following functions:
Communicator
can be connected to external modem using a standard DLR-2 cable
(DLR-1 cable in case of Nokia 9000i). If your modem has a 25-pin
RS-232 port, you'll have to make or buy a 9-to-25 pin converter. In order
to connect to the Internet (also with an external modem connected to a
landline) your phone must be logged to a GSM network.
After installing this application and connecting
your Communicator with modem you can immediately take advantage of higher
connection speed (38,400 bps) and much lower charges.
Are you getting sick of the standard PDA interface look? Would you like to change it somehow? Then you can enable ActivationDialog in your Communicator. When this option is active, each application during startup shows a window including message "Activating `program_name`. One moment please..." and pane icon.
You can activate this feature using Init File Editor:
N9110 system files include among others two editable entries containing Communicator serial number and firmware version. Changing these values will only affect some applications (for example: registration numbers are sometimes generated for particular IMEI number), but the real values are stored in flash memory of the phone and PDA and cannot be changed this way. If you'd like to change these numbers, the only thing you have to do is to find following entries using Init File Editor:
Would you like to know how many times you opened the cover of your Communicator? You can find this information in submenu no. 90 of the NetMonitor, which must be activated earlier. This menu will also inform you how many times headset and car kit accessories were connected. If you want to start counting from the begining, you can clear these counters anytime by entering menu 91.
Although most of N9110 users don't know anything about it, standard 9110 PDA interface allows access to only a small part of the Communicator file system, hiding from the user hundreds of files and directories located on four logical drives (a:, b:, c:, d:).
To
see the whole directory tree and to be able to manage the whole file system,
you have to use one (or both) of two currently available programs:
The first is a typical file manager. Unfortunately,
current version is 0.03 and it seems that there won't be any newer (and
finished) release. Most options (actually almost all, except for viewing
the directories) are inactive.
So, to be able to execute some file operations, we have to use the second program, being a finished and fully working product. Besides Basic implementation, it also provides commands, which let us manage the files, like dir, copy, move and del.
Accessing
hidden GEOS files and directories can be especially useful for MMC card
owners. They can move their data from the main Communicator memory to the
expansion card, make new folders and delete useless files (for example
help files), which take precious memory. Thanks to the unlimited access
to the file system we can also erase some obsolete files remaining from
removed applications and "hide" our files in directories, which cannot
be accessed by other users (because N9110 interface doesn't show them).
There are tens of other useful advantages resulting from being able to access full N9110 file system. Read on this section to find out...
Ater each system restart Phone application loads and appears topmost on the screen. However, we can replace it without any problems by other program which we use most often on the PDA side and to which we would like to have an instant access (actually, Phone application will still run, but its window will be covered by our application). To do this, we need as always Init File Editor, which lets us make appropriate changes in system files. In order to change your startup application, proceed as follows:
* Application
name can be entered in two formats: application title (which appears on
top of the screen after running it - for example Calendar, System,
Extras) or actual file name (for example cmgr.geo for Contacts,
nbook.geo for Notes, sms.geo for Short Message
Service, geoplan.geo for Calendar application or even
extrapps\Tetris.GEO for Tetris and similiarly for other programs
located in Extras, System and Internet). The exact path and file name can
be checked using programs described in Accessing
full file system.
Please, be carefull when applying these changes,
because entering wrong startup application name can prevent your system
from booting
You can speed up the 9110 UI a little bit by modifying (using Init File Editor) the value of interfaceLevel key located in uiFeatures category. You will find there 2 - I suggest changing it to 0 (which is an Introductory level). This modification will give result after restarting the system.
N9110 creators must have been deeply convinced of great Communicator operating system stability (and of no reasons for frequent rebooting) because they didn't include any kind of software or hardware reset in their product. The only way to reboot the system (in case of any problems or when it hangs) is to remove and reconnect the battery... But life is brutal and N9k operating system (based on GEOS 3.0) seems to be a little bit more susceptible to different faults and malfunctions. Frequent (sometimes a couple of times a day) removing and connecting the battery makes it loose and after some period of time we start experiecing 'Insert SIM card' message.
Although we cannot do much when our system totally hangs (and we have to remove the battery), most of the "traditional" system or application hangs can be corrected (after applying following changes) by a keyboard reset.
In
case of error of some particular application (when the rest of the system
still works), we can use FreeBas9k
- it has a system reboot function, which can be invoked by pressing Ctrl+B.
This option can also be used to reboot the system after making some changes
in system files.
The
second method (hidden in the system) adds "Reboot" option to the
"Internal Error" message, so we can reset the Communicator after
pressing the appropriate key. To activate this function using Init
File Editor, we have to find a key called doNotDisplayResetBox
in ui catergory and change its value from true to false.
Press Write to confirm your changes.
After applying the above changes rebooting the system will be much easier, although I don't wish you any oportunity to test this.
Nokia 9xxx phones have built-in speakerphone feature (after opening the PDA cover). It would be convenient to leave our Communicator open an a desk and receive incomming calls automatically, without getting away from work. Unfortunately, 'Automatic Answer' option is only available in Headset and Car profiles, which remain inactive (and hidden) until appropriate accessories are connected... But here comes N9k World, where you can find solution also for this problem. In order to get access to this option we have to:
When you have
both these features enabled, you are ready to activate the 'Automatic answer'
option. Just follow these steps:
Now your phone works in Headset
profile with Automatic answer option active. All incomming calls
will be automatically answered after two or three rings.
To go back to your standard profile and disable 'Automatic answer' function, just repeat the last step described above: enter NetMonitor submenu no. 92 in a direct mode (you'll see a Headset OFF message) and close NetMonitor.
Contact
manager has a very interesting and useful feature - possibility of adding
a picture, company logo or any other graphics in JPEG format (80×92
pixels) to each contact card. Unfortunately, Contacts application allows
adding pictures to the main contacts base only from 'Downloaded files\Contact
images' folder located in main Communicator memory. It is obvious how
much precious memory can be taken by graphic files (even by small JPEGs),
especially when we have only 2MB for our data and applications,
considering the fact, that leaving less than 1MB of free main memory significantly
affects system stability... Twenty contact images can take 10% (and including
the stability threshold - even 20%) of standard memory. Contact images
folder exists also on MMC, but pictures from that folder can only be added
to the additional contacts bases (which are also placed on memory card)
and using such additional databases causes many
problems and is very inconvenient. So, do we have to give up and forget
about this interesting feature or reduce our images to just 3-4 pictures
of our favorite friends? Fortunately no! - there is an easy way
to put our contact images on a memory card and to use them in main contacts
database (located in internal memory).
Follow these instructions to fix this problem:
Now you can go to Contacts and add your pictures to appropriate contact cards. Don't be confused, that requesters don't show memory card icon with your image files. They are on memory card but your system doesn't know this :-) You can check this using Memory application...
NOTE:
If
you would like to use some interesting fonts in your faxes and documents
or you're getting sick of choosing between three default URW fonts, here's
a solution for you. All you have to do is to copy font files from PC to
the appropriate folder in Communicator (in main memory or on MMC). N9110
uses standard GEOS fonts - there are hundreds of them across the Internet
(example fonts can be downloaded here).
Let's start:
Note: Since
foreseeing Communicator designers didn't foresee a possibility of installing
additional fonts by user, we can experience a small problem after adding
some higher quantities of new font files: there is no slider in font requester
(for example in Notes' Style menu). Nothing happens when
we add upto 4 new fonts (because this much + 3 original ones fit in the
requester), but every next font stretches font requester horizontally beyond
the screen and makes it looking a little bit ugly. This is the only 'side
effect' and it doesn't cause any harm to the system. If you would like
to install many fonts, you'll just have to get used to weird look of the
font requester... but you'll get great looking faxes and documents in exchange.
This is one of the most frequently asked questions on different news groups and mailing lists. Since it was always left without any answer (or the answer was: NO), I decided to sacrifice a couple of hours to suss it out... And here is a (trivial) solution. It's only a pity, that N9110 designers don't want to sacrifice these two hours before releasing another firmware version...
Did you ever manage to receive a 20-page fax on your Communicator? I am sure you didn't, because it just wouldn't fit in N9110 internal memory. Undobtedly you'd see an 'Internal Error' message half way and you'd have to remove the battery. Until now... But from now on you can receive all faxes, SMSes and e-mails directly onto MMC. Just read on this section.
Default folders for incomming faxes/messages/e-mail are:
The only thing you have to do is to create
identical folders, in the same location, but on a: drive (i.e. memory
card) and to remove old directories from b:. You can do this
in FreeBas9k.
Start it and execute following commands:
If you have some skill in Basic and Communicator file system structure, you can try to play with other folders, too. For example: if you move Own texts to MMC, all documents created in Notes and Fax will be saved directly to memory card. Moving Downloaded files folder will place all downloaded stuff on MMC, too... Just remember to remove old directories form b:.
Notes:
If you have some applications, which don't suit any of the existing folders: Extras, System or Inernet and you would like to access them separately or you just need some separate directory for example for your own programs created in GEOS SDK, please take a look at this chapter. It describes how to create such a new menu (which I called MyApps) and how to install and run applications within this new folder.
First
you have to download and install in your Communicator a GEOS
program, which will manage your new directory.
Then you will
have to create an actual new folder (using FreeBas9k)
on MMC or in Communicator memory by typing:
From now on MyApps folder is ready for use. To install an application in this folder, you have to change installation path in *.ins file of the program you're going to install (actually its small part): each occurence of extrapps or sysapps should be replaced with myappscd. The full path is: world/myappscd/filename.geo.
MyApps menu can be entered form Extras by running MyApps application. In next version of the program MyApps menu will be accessible much faster and from any other menu or application - by pressing a key combination. But if you want to have a quick access to MyApps now, you can assign it to one of the "blue" application keys (for example Fax), according to this description.
Our data entered in Calendar application are saved to file b:\nokia\privdata\calendar\Calendar. The only thing we have to do is to move it to identical folder (which we have to create) on drive a: (so the path will be a:\nokia\privdata\calendar\Calendar). This can be done using FreeBas9k and following commands:
From now on all Calendar data (also new added events) will be placed on memory card. Don't be confused by the information shown by Details window of the Memory application - it will show the memory taken by Calendar file on MMC, which can be compared with total free internal memory indicated by Memory.
To save even twice more of the main memory you can also try to move a backup of the Calendar main data file to MMC. After rebooting the system run FreeBas9k and execute following commands:
Both "GEOS SDK for Nokia Communicator" and N9110 emulator work correctly only in Windows NT environment. Here you can find how to make them work in normal (?) Windows 95/98 systems.
1. GEOS SDK
To run GEOS SDK in Windows 95/98 (after installing this package, as well as Perl and Borland C++ compiler) you have to make following changes:
Offset | and | change from | change to |
---|---|---|---|
00000AD7 |
|
|
|
0000A60C | 0000A619 |
|
|
0000A60D | 0000A61A |
|
|
0000A60E | 0000A61B |
|
|
0000A60F | 0000A61C |
|
|
0000A610 | 0000A61D |
|
|
0000A611 | 0000A61E |
|
|
0000A612 | 0000A61F |
|
|
0000A613 | 0000A620 |
|
|
0000A614 | 0000A621 |
|
|
2. N9110 Emulator
To make N9110 emulator work in Windows 95/98, you will have to replace several files with their equivalents included in N9000 Emulator for Win95 (which can be downloaded from Forum Nokia) - so you have to install it first. Then proceed with following steps:
Here you can find some tricks to "slightly improve" N9000/N9110 emulator:
WAV files are always installed in internal memory and then can be moved to MMC . It is a fast and easy procedure, but it cannot be used in case of long WAVs, which just won't fit in internal memory. In this case the easiest way to install these files is to use following method:
Some WWW pages check the type of browser you use to watch this site. If for that (or any else) reason you would like the 9k built-in browser to identify itself as Internet Explorer or Netscape, use Init File Editor to change its identification string:
Call Menu is a menu which can be entered by pressing left command key (Options) durring a call. However, there is an easy way to access this menu also with no connection in progress. Although most of its options concern call management and don't work in standby mode, there is also one interesting function, which makes this menu very useful - fast recording activation.
To access Call Menu without active connections, just press and hold for ca. 1 second left command key (Menu). You will see following list of options: Record, Hold, New call, Answer, Reject, Swap, End this call, Transfer, Conference, One to one, Data mode, Send DTMF, End all calls, Menu, Mute, Play last.
All call options are inactive ("No calls active" message appears on screen), but this menu allows us to immediately start voice recording, for example to "remember" something. Since "Record" is a default option (located "under the cursor" after entering Call Menu), we can start recording any time just by pressing and holding for ca. 1 secund and then pressing once again the left command key. We can also easily check the recorded message (through a phone speaker) - by selecting "Play last", which can be quickly activated by pressing and holding left command key ("Menu"), then "upper arrow" and once again left command key ("Select").
If you don't use one of the applications assigned to "blue" keys (for example: you don't use Fax, because you don't have fax and data transmission services active), you can replace it with your favorite program. You can do this using Init File Editor: