Ian
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i-Buddie 4 Desknote Review
- Thread starter Ian
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Do not buy iBuddie4
Lousy Warranty support
I bought a notebook in June of 2002, I want everyone too know that It is a iBuddie 4 928 or a desknote 928 made by ECS. I have had this note book less than five months before the stands broke off. Now yesterday 3/9/03 I was unplugging the power converter from the laptop and the ground peg came out.
I have e-mailed www.pcinfinity.net until blue in the face about the stands breaking off and they say it isn't covered by warranty because it isn't the note book it self. Now the ground wire has pulled out. This computer is an awsome computer but warranty sucks on it.
I reccomend that no one buys this computer, Costco sells as a northgate note book. I would like as many people as can to know this. I also order a part on www.desknote.net and they sent the wrong part, and they say all sales are final.
DO NOT BUY THIS OR ANY OTHER NOOTBOOK from ECS or WWW.PCINFINITY.NET
I have bought over $4500.00 beteen my brother and I at pcinfinity.net
Thomas Mackey
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Lousy Warranty support
I bought a notebook in June of 2002, I want everyone too know that It is a iBuddie 4 928 or a desknote 928 made by ECS. I have had this note book less than five months before the stands broke off. Now yesterday 3/9/03 I was unplugging the power converter from the laptop and the ground peg came out.
I have e-mailed www.pcinfinity.net until blue in the face about the stands breaking off and they say it isn't covered by warranty because it isn't the note book it self. Now the ground wire has pulled out. This computer is an awsome computer but warranty sucks on it.
I reccomend that no one buys this computer, Costco sells as a northgate note book. I would like as many people as can to know this. I also order a part on www.desknote.net and they sent the wrong part, and they say all sales are final.
DO NOT BUY THIS OR ANY OTHER NOOTBOOK from ECS or WWW.PCINFINITY.NET
I have bought over $4500.00 beteen my brother and I at pcinfinity.net
Thomas Mackey
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i-buddie
I bought an i-buddie 4 A928 about a year ago now (P4 2.2GHz, 512 DDR mem, 15.1" screen) and have until now absolutely no problems. The system has been running Windows 2000 wiith no hickups at all and that has also included a lot of work related programs (for which the system has to be fairly reliable). This computer was an absolute dream for me as I was on a tight budget and for the money I cant complain. Or not really - the lack of battery is sometimes a little irritating but then again who really does that much work on a train. The supplier of my i-buddie 4 (a company in Britain) have been nothing short of what I would have hoped for but maybe not expected. Anyone who has any kind opf question feel free to email me and I will give you my honest opinion.
I bought an i-buddie 4 A928 about a year ago now (P4 2.2GHz, 512 DDR mem, 15.1" screen) and have until now absolutely no problems. The system has been running Windows 2000 wiith no hickups at all and that has also included a lot of work related programs (for which the system has to be fairly reliable). This computer was an absolute dream for me as I was on a tight budget and for the money I cant complain. Or not really - the lack of battery is sometimes a little irritating but then again who really does that much work on a train. The supplier of my i-buddie 4 (a company in Britain) have been nothing short of what I would have hoped for but maybe not expected. Anyone who has any kind opf question feel free to email me and I will give you my honest opinion.
my desknote experience
A great machine. I have the 2.4G P4 15" 512MB model. I find that no battery is ok as there is pretty much always an outlet somewhere. A bit limiting though in these wi-fi days. What is more difficult is the lack of PCMCIA slots....but everything is available as USB to counter this. Plus the desknote has the network and modem in there already.
PROBLEMS.....
The screen died (sort of went to white-out from the botttom left hand corner) on an intermittent basis. I think it was just a loose cable as did the people in Taiwan. But I had to send it back to my point of purchase (the USA) from Australia to get sorted (many $$$'s).
All great it comes back and is great again......UNTIL....the same problem abour six weeks later. The guy at my dealer tried to tell me it was the sleep function!!!! OR that I was putting 240 volts through an adaptor which was designed for both 110 and 240. Anyway.
BUT...
It went away by itself (must be a loose cable).
So all in all: good
I would recommend buying one but make sure you go through a reasonable dealer as the Taiwan people can't help at all.
A great machine. I have the 2.4G P4 15" 512MB model. I find that no battery is ok as there is pretty much always an outlet somewhere. A bit limiting though in these wi-fi days. What is more difficult is the lack of PCMCIA slots....but everything is available as USB to counter this. Plus the desknote has the network and modem in there already.
PROBLEMS.....
The screen died (sort of went to white-out from the botttom left hand corner) on an intermittent basis. I think it was just a loose cable as did the people in Taiwan. But I had to send it back to my point of purchase (the USA) from Australia to get sorted (many $$$'s).
All great it comes back and is great again......UNTIL....the same problem abour six weeks later. The guy at my dealer tried to tell me it was the sleep function!!!! OR that I was putting 240 volts through an adaptor which was designed for both 110 and 240. Anyway.
BUT...
It went away by itself (must be a loose cable).
So all in all: good
I would recommend buying one but make sure you go through a reasonable dealer as the Taiwan people can't help at all.
OMG My peg fell out too!
holly crap i thought it was just me but after seeing your post my PEG fell out too...
Actually I've used some instrumentation and the peg in question is not ground... infact it's the negative end of the battery.
As for the two plugs up top for some reason they have connectivity between them indicating they are not negative and positive like you might think...
Now after seeing your post I'm strarting to think that this is a design flaw. I mean what are the chances of two of the desknotes having the exact same problem if it wasn't especually if it is as serious as this?
Sadly desknote would not repair my unit because they claimed that that complonent was damaged by "physical damage"
So I opened my laptop and fixed it with a soldering iron myself.
If you've opened your desknote you realize how bad the problem was the area around the peg had all of it's solder melted.
I have since repaired it but am not sure how long it will last. It's an issue of design and I quite honestly can't figure out how to protect that area from the heat that must be building up from the graphics chipset. As it will blow it's exhaust onto the power connector. But could the miniscule heat that the graphics chipset generates really be the contributing factor towards the soldier melting?
I mean it takes alot of heat to melt your 60/40 but can air heated from the sis 650 really heat that much?
holly crap i thought it was just me but after seeing your post my PEG fell out too...
Actually I've used some instrumentation and the peg in question is not ground... infact it's the negative end of the battery.
As for the two plugs up top for some reason they have connectivity between them indicating they are not negative and positive like you might think...
Now after seeing your post I'm strarting to think that this is a design flaw. I mean what are the chances of two of the desknotes having the exact same problem if it wasn't especually if it is as serious as this?
Sadly desknote would not repair my unit because they claimed that that complonent was damaged by "physical damage"
So I opened my laptop and fixed it with a soldering iron myself.
If you've opened your desknote you realize how bad the problem was the area around the peg had all of it's solder melted.
I have since repaired it but am not sure how long it will last. It's an issue of design and I quite honestly can't figure out how to protect that area from the heat that must be building up from the graphics chipset. As it will blow it's exhaust onto the power connector. But could the miniscule heat that the graphics chipset generates really be the contributing factor towards the soldier melting?
I mean it takes alot of heat to melt your 60/40 but can air heated from the sis 650 really heat that much?
Ian
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Hi Vortex-5, welcome to the forums!
Please do let me know if the solder you have just added also melts, as I will look into this matter if it is found to be a problem!
If the current solder you have added melts, it will mean that it is probably the problem. Do you have any photos of what has happened?
Please do let me know if the solder you have just added also melts, as I will look into this matter if it is found to be a problem!
If the current solder you have added melts, it will mean that it is probably the problem. Do you have any photos of what has happened?
Well the laptop is working fine after repair however I fear the solder is probably not as strong as the original plastic + glass composite that held the plug in place.
Probably with a few more pulling and unplugging the peg would fall out again.
If it does I'll take a pic and post it here but until then I'd rather not open my laptop again for the time being... it takes me almost 3 hours (2.5 of which is spent opening and closing the laptop) to do the repair job.
However I found someone from another site with similar problems. (peg fell out) so it's most likely a design flaw.
Probably with a few more pulling and unplugging the peg would fall out again.
If it does I'll take a pic and post it here but until then I'd rather not open my laptop again for the time being... it takes me almost 3 hours (2.5 of which is spent opening and closing the laptop) to do the repair job.
However I found someone from another site with similar problems. (peg fell out) so it's most likely a design flaw.
do not buy i-Buddie's
I do not recommend to buy any
computer in this series, due to
1) hopeless support for USB-2.
2) a lot of noise made by ventilators
Basically, USB-2 devices do not work
with it, at least when one runs WinXP or Win2000.
This is to blame on VIA USB controllers
used and on the fact that VIA cannot release working USB-2 drivers, due
to a silly licensing arrangement with
MS.
With i-Buddie you are seriouly out of
luck here, as you cannot replace
VIA USB with another one...
Regarding the noise, there is a
rather noisy ventilator in the power
adaptop, that in addition stays on
unless the power cord is unplugged.
And the ventilator that cools the processor is constantly on, and makes
as much noise as typical for a desktop
machine.
Normal laptops are perhaps 10 times
as quiet as i-Buddie...
Dmitrii.
I do not recommend to buy any
computer in this series, due to
1) hopeless support for USB-2.
2) a lot of noise made by ventilators
Basically, USB-2 devices do not work
with it, at least when one runs WinXP or Win2000.
This is to blame on VIA USB controllers
used and on the fact that VIA cannot release working USB-2 drivers, due
to a silly licensing arrangement with
MS.
With i-Buddie you are seriouly out of
luck here, as you cannot replace
VIA USB with another one...
Regarding the noise, there is a
rather noisy ventilator in the power
adaptop, that in addition stays on
unless the power cord is unplugged.
And the ventilator that cools the processor is constantly on, and makes
as much noise as typical for a desktop
machine.
Normal laptops are perhaps 10 times
as quiet as i-Buddie...
Dmitrii.
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USB 2
Hi Laruss,
As i said before I have been running my system for about 1.5 years and so far have had no probs with the USB2 support! I am currently using the system (with 2 USB2 supported) and there is no problem - are you sure that there couldnt be another problem with the USB2? A guy at my work also has on and he too aslo uses USB2 connections on a regular basis. I run Win2k and he is running WinXPpro. As for the ventilator - it only comes on when I am running really power hungry apps. When I read this I wondered if it was my i-buddie that was broken but after testing this and really loading up all apps I had - only then did the vent. kick in (as did my colleague's).
Anyways, just thought I would tell you. From what I have read here it sounds like that they amy not be so reliable systems but as I have said I have had no probs and neither has anyone I know with one (and thats up around about 5 or 6 now!)
Neil
Hi Laruss,
As i said before I have been running my system for about 1.5 years and so far have had no probs with the USB2 support! I am currently using the system (with 2 USB2 supported) and there is no problem - are you sure that there couldnt be another problem with the USB2? A guy at my work also has on and he too aslo uses USB2 connections on a regular basis. I run Win2k and he is running WinXPpro. As for the ventilator - it only comes on when I am running really power hungry apps. When I read this I wondered if it was my i-buddie that was broken but after testing this and really loading up all apps I had - only then did the vent. kick in (as did my colleague's).
Anyways, just thought I would tell you. From what I have read here it sounds like that they amy not be so reliable systems but as I have said I have had no probs and neither has anyone I know with one (and thats up around about 5 or 6 now!)
Neil
Well, specifically in my case I cannot
get the i-Buddie to work with Canon
5000F USB-2 scanner.
(the scanner works fine with other
computers)
The model of my i-Buddie is a929,
it has 4-ports USB-2 hub built in.
USB-1 devices work OK with the i-Buddie.
Anyhow, I bought the scanner specifically
to use with it, so you can imagine my
frustration.
With usual laptops one could have
just bought a USB PCMCIA card,
and use it, but not here...
As far as noise is concerned, YMMV.
Apparently AltonXP processor in a929 needs a lot of cooling...
I was tricked by the salesperson who
sold me the computer; when showing
me how it works he has put the
power adapter very far from me, and
also had loud music on the radio...
Dmitrii
get the i-Buddie to work with Canon
5000F USB-2 scanner.
(the scanner works fine with other
computers)
The model of my i-Buddie is a929,
it has 4-ports USB-2 hub built in.
USB-1 devices work OK with the i-Buddie.
Anyhow, I bought the scanner specifically
to use with it, so you can imagine my
frustration.
With usual laptops one could have
just bought a USB PCMCIA card,
and use it, but not here...
As far as noise is concerned, YMMV.
Apparently AltonXP processor in a929 needs a lot of cooling...
I was tricked by the salesperson who
sold me the computer; when showing
me how it works he has put the
power adapter very far from me, and
also had loud music on the radio...
Dmitrii
Hey guys. This forum came up on a google search and I wanted to share the same problem it appears others are having. A friend just gave me her iBuddie 4 laptop to fix because she said it kept turning off. So i'm looking at it and thinking wow this power plug is getting really hot. So later I pull the plug out..... with the negative pin of the power supply from the laptop still connected. Part that really sucks is I entered the serial number in on the desknote website and it turns out her warranty expired a month ago.
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my i-buddie doesnt like me.. it always breaks about every 3 months... hm...
My iBuddie-4 finally went dead; more accurately, it slowly melted (the AC adapter connector, that is). It was getting harder and harder to disconnect, and finally the negative(?) pin came out with it the last time I shut down. However, before this it would randomly shut down at odd intervals; methinks the pin is the least of my concerns, there is quite possibly a DC short to ground. This is also great timing, since I will graduate with a BS in Electrical Engineering in December, but my senior design project is on my laptop.
I found this site in google using "a928 power connector"...
I have the same power-pin problem. I plan to resolder using silver solder since it has a higher melting point. I love the DeskNote, but this is clearly a design flaw and tech support really sucks.
I run Win2k and have had no problems with USB2 devices, some of my USB ports have gone bad though.
My general experience with SIS chipsets (like the A928's) has not been good and I will not buy another. I've had some odd incompatibility problems, but overall it's a good little box...
I have the same power-pin problem. I plan to resolder using silver solder since it has a higher melting point. I love the DeskNote, but this is clearly a design flaw and tech support really sucks.
I run Win2k and have had no problems with USB2 devices, some of my USB ports have gone bad though.
My general experience with SIS chipsets (like the A928's) has not been good and I will not buy another. I've had some odd incompatibility problems, but overall it's a good little box...Hyperthreading AND Power problem with A980
Hello. I have bought a A980 i-Buddie, the Ground pin also melted to my computer as well It was soldered but melted for the second time. In Romania the warranty is enev worse . Also, I saw in Bios that supports Hyperthreading so I bought a P4 at 3.06GHz but Hyperthreading it's not enabled in Windows XP SP1, even if I flashed the latest Bios... I wrote some emails to the ECS but not a single answer...It's the last time I buy something from ECS or Sis ( Maybe the Powerleap's adapter PL-iP4 works, however they said it only works on Intel 845 or 850 MB. If any of you people solved these problems please drop me an email. Thank you
Hello. I have bought a A980 i-Buddie, the Ground pin also melted to my computer as well
It was soldered but melted for the second time. In Romania the warranty is enev worse . Also, I saw in Bios that supports Hyperthreading so I bought a P4 at 3.06GHz but Hyperthreading it's not enabled in Windows XP SP1, even if I flashed the latest Bios... I wrote some emails to the ECS but not a single answer...It's the last time I buy something from ECS or Sis ( Maybe the Powerleap's adapter PL-iP4 works, however they said it only works on Intel 845 or 850 MB. If any of you people solved these problems please drop me an email. Thank you