Panasonic Toughbook Tablet

[poltergeisty]

Well, I have acquired a new toy. :lol: It's a Panasonic Toughbook Tablet, MODEL # cf-vdw07

Love to get this thing working because I guess I can run GPS with it and maybe use it for the scanner. There's a few problems.

1) There is a supervisor password. Apparently I need to E-mail Panasonic. (Consumer rights BS ) I have a felling they won't allow me to do it reading some other forums.Also, it says to prepare a crossover cable. So this looks fun.. From what I read on a laptop forum, Panasonic pretty much says you have to buy a new computer. :roll: The Canadian site looks promising.


2) I have no hardware for this unit. It has serial and built in WiFI. Everytime I turn the unit on it wants to make a WiFi connection.


With this said, anyone know something about them?

 

[poltergeisty]

I have all the manuals and a bunch of drivers and firmware. So it looks like I connect the unit to the computer with serial crossover, and then use the non-Toughbook software driver to access this gadget. Fun, fun.. I hope I can write over this damn password.

 

[fineshot1]

Well, I have acquired a new toy. :lol: It's a Panasonic Toughbook Tablet, MODEL # cf-vdw07

Love to get this thing working because I guess I can run GPS with it and maybe use it for the scanner. There's a few problems.

1) There is a supervisor password. Apparently I need to E-mail Panasonic. (Consumer rights BS ) I have a felling they won't allow me to do it reading some other forums.Also, it says to prepare a crossover cable. So this looks fun.. From what I read on a laptop forum, Panasonic pretty much says you have to buy a new computer. :roll: The Canadian site looks promising.

2) I have no hardware for this unit. It has serial and built in WiFI. Everytime I turn the unit on it wants to make a WiFi connection.

With this said, anyone know something about them?

All of the Panasonic Tough Books I have worked with have as a default password have either no passowrd(you just hit the return key) or its "1234". Hope that helps you out....

 

[poltergeisty]

Tried that already knowing that most electronics have that as default passwords and supervisor is too long. I'm going to flash the firmware here so it will work for non-Toughbook computers. So hopefully that will give it a clean slate.

Man, second hand stores have some of the coolest things sometimes. :lol: I'm finding a lot of stuff. Great place for cables and what have you. I also acquired an Inspiron 4000 notebook, however the owner had ripped the power connector from the motherboard. So I took it apart yesterday and I'm damned and determined to solder an new connector in there. I have to get a schematic on Dell. I hope there isn't any surface mount stuff that went with that. :lol: That will be a pain to replace. Looks like there wasn't, but I can barly trace the contacts that were broken off. Will see what happens. If it doesn't boot to BIOS it's too eBay! Hard drive works though. Guy thought by breaking the power connector off no one could access the drive. :lol: (I base this on the missing screws and a profile of the owner from reading the hard drive contents, a naive kid)

 

[kb0nly]

I've dealt with the password problem on Panasonic's before, you need an app called KILLCMOS, that does it every time unless you have a boot password set. But since you don't your golden...

The last one i had this problem with wouldn't let me update/flash the bios unless the password was entered, so i made a bootdisk with KILLCMOS on it and nuked it, then just went into the bios and set the passwords to disable and reset a few other options. No problem!

 

[poltergeisty]

I know about killcmos and have others here, but this isn't a conventional PC in the sense. It's a portable screen viewer that uses WiFI to view and interact with a computer, like VNC. You did raise a point here though, in that if this damn thing can't be flashed because of the supervisor password I'm going to be pisst. :lol:

The supervisor password is just preventing me to setup WiFi in the device. There is a power on password option which isn't password protected. So maybe if that was set I wouldn't be able to flash at all. Good thing it isn't.

I'll have to take some pictures of this thing.


Side note- You do know that you can move a jumper on the main board to rest a BIOS password? Or do Panasonics not have that? Maybe it's a laptop you are referring to. That would be a pain.

 

[slash]

A friend of mine runs a Toughbook wiki - it may be of some help, and if not, please contribute!

toughbook - home

 

[datainmotion]

The unit you have is the Toughbook 07 or "MDWD" (Mobile Data Wireless Display). It's meant to be slaved to another computer. I installed a couple of these in Hummer H3s a couple years back (slaved to CF-18s). I searched but can't find the darned pix...

PM me (I think we live in the same state) and let's see what I can do to help...

 

[rattleNsmoke]

Hi, I have the same model (CF-07) and the same problem (Supervisor password lost). Any help appreciated. Thanks!

 

[poltergeisty]

Hi, I have the same model (CF-07) and the same problem (Supervisor password lost). Any help appreciated. Thanks!

The Canadian site seems to be more helpful.
Panasonic - Software and Drivers

I don't know how the rest the supervisor password, yet, but I'm betting that a firmware flash will do the trick.

You need a serial cable with null modem (Cross over) to connect the unit to the computer.

 

[poltergeisty]

The unit you have is the Toughbook 07 or "MDWD" (Mobile Data Wireless Display). It's meant to be slaved to another computer. I installed a couple of these in Hummer H3s a couple years back (slaved to CF-18s). I searched but can't find the darned pix...

PM me (I think we live in the same state) and let's see what I can do to help...

Figured it was used in vehicles. I seen this thing used in some on a website.

Will send an E-mail.

 

[datainmotion]

Did you try wdsp for the password? That is Panasonic's default for the wireless connection and I have seen some folks use it for the Supv Pass as well.

 

[poltergeisty]

Well how be. wdsp was the password! :lol: Thanks!

Now to figure out how to make this work with my computer. I have some software here for XP and still need to flash the firmware I do believe so that it work with non-Toughbook computers.

I guess people use them with GPS? How is this exactly. Do some GPSs have built in WiFi and somehow can see that in this wireless display?

What was the use of these in H3s btw? Thanks!

 

[Thayne]

Sounds like those might be from Denver; they sent a lot of them to auction about a month ago--

 

[datainmotion]

Well how be. wdsp was the password! :lol: Thanks!

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while :roll::lol:

I guess people use them with GPS? How is this exactly. Do some GPSs have built in WiFi and somehow can see that in this wireless display?

The MDWD was intended to be used by a Police Officer contacting the driver during a traffic stop. The officer could do actual e-citations right at the cited driver's window. An optional mag-stripe reader could be integrated with the display to swipe and run the DL right there at the same time.
The display is really nothing on its own and is meant to be slaved across an ad hoc wireless connection to the laptop in the car (basically a Remote Desktop Connection / RDP). The whole idea is to extend the connection from the dispatch server past the laptop in the car to be portable with the officer. Anything on the laptop could be done from the MDWD (as long as it was within about 150'). GPS really had nothing to do with it.

What was the use of these in H3s btw? Thanks!

Lone Tree PD's H3s have these mounted to the dash, slaved to remote laptops in the vehicle.

 

[datainmotion]

Sounds like those might be from Denver; they sent a lot of them to auction about a month ago--

If so, they weren't used in the PD cars.

The funny thing is that every once in awhile the WLAN on the laptop in my truck will pick one of these up. Seems like many users named the ad hoc connection "Panasonic MDWD" which stands out like a sore thumb on NetStumbler :wink:

 

[poltergeisty]

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while :roll::lol:

Well, the model number is cf-vdw07 and the acronym used for this wireless display device wasn't apparent until you mentioned it. If I told you to expect vectors 75 miles from the the 190 radial of BLD, would you know what I was talking about? :lol:

In other words, I could not extrapolate that info. without knowing the acronym used for this device. I new it was a wireless display, but the acronym was unknown to me.

I'm not stupid

The MDWD was intended to be used by a Police Officer contacting the driver during a traffic stop. The officer could do actual e-citations right at the cited driver's window. An optional mag-stripe reader could be integrated with the display to swipe and run the DL right there at the same time.
The display is really nothing on its own and is meant to be slaved across an ad hoc wireless connection to the laptop in the car (basically a Remote Desktop Connection / RDP). The whole idea is to extend the connection from the dispatch server past the laptop in the car to be portable with the officer. Anything on the laptop could be done from the MDWD (as long as it was within about 150'). GPS really had nothing to do with it.

That's very interesting because handling the unit I thought to my self, "this would be great for cops!"
I have read a post on a car forum where someone used this in their yacht to monitor the GPS. Hench why I mentioned it.

Lone Tree PD's H3s have these mounted to the dash, slaved to remote laptops in the vehicle.

I remember reading on the Loveland PD's website about them acquiring something like this too. Don't know if that is still in the works or not, seen as how the current economy and their budget probably wouldn't allow it.

 

[datainmotion]

Well, the model number is cf-vdw07 and the acronym used for this wireless display device wasn't apparent until you mentioned it. If I told you to expect vectors 75 miles from the the 190 radial of BLD, would you know what I was talking about? :lol:

In other words, I could not extrapolate that info. without knowing the acronym used for this device. I new it was a wireless display, but the acronym was unknown to me.

I'm not stupid

The "blind squirrel" comment was directed at myself (for taking a swag at the password and getting it right), not you!

But, on your question, I'm not an aviator, so I wouldn't know much about beacons around Boulder City.

I have read a post on a car forum where someone used this in their yacht to monitor the GPS. Hench why I mentioned it.

You can do this IF the unit is slaved to a laptop with GPS hooked to it.

 

[poltergeisty]

You can do this IF the unit is slaved to a laptop with GPS hooked to it.

That's what I thought.

10-4 on the blind squeal comment . :lol: :lol: