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Apple eMate 300 General Maintenance

From RetroTechCollection
Removing the eMate battery: two T-8 screws, the access cover and connector J11 (Apple's battery leaflet)

Battery, charging, resets, cleaning, hinge care and opening the case on the Apple eMate 300. Apple's eMate 300 Service Source takes the machine apart module by module; the hinge repair that owners worked out later is not in it.[1] Faults are on the Apple eMate 300 Troubleshooting Guide.

Tools

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Apple's procedures use T-8 and T-10 Torx drivers, a No. 0 Phillips jeweller's screwdriver and a flat-blade jeweller's screwdriver, and call for an earthed wrist strap throughout.[1] Frank Gründel's guide adds a soldering iron, for the speaker and backlight wires, and warns that the wrong driver will ruin the screws.[2] See also Recommended Tools.

Battery and charging

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The eMate runs from an internal pack of four AA NiMH cells, rated by Apple for up to 24 hours' use, a one-hour fast charge and 500 cycles.[1] Apple's manual gives one to two hours for a full recharge and says the eMate cannot overcharge it.[3]

Charge light[1][3]
Light Meaning
Off No adapter connected; the light does not show the battery level
Amber Charging
Green Charged

Frank Gründel's test is to connect an Apple Newton adapter and watch the light: if it is still amber after two hours, the pack is suspect. He finds the charge cycle starts more reliably if the eMate is switched on before the adapter is plugged in.[2] Apple's battery chart warns that a pack left idle for a long time can need four or five rounds of soft reset, reseating and charging before it takes a full charge.[1]

Removing the battery

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Apple's procedure:[1][4][5]

  1. Close the lid, turn the eMate over and remove the two T-8 Torx screws from the access door.
  2. Tilt the door up at the handle side and lift it off.
  3. Lift out the battery in its sleeve and unplug connector J11 by pulling the plastic connector towards the battery, not by the wires.
  4. Slide the battery out of the sleeve.
  5. When refitting, route the wires so that they are not pinched or strained.

The pack can be rebuilt with four AA NiMH cells with solder tabs; Frank Gründel reuses the original wiring, thermistor and the temperature switch that limits charging to about 100 mA above 55 °C, and checks afterwards that the thermistor reads a few kilohms and is isolated from the red and black leads.[4] Contacts in any replacement pack must handle at least 1.2 A, according to the Newton FAQ.[6] See Battery Refurbishment for general NiMH handling.

Power adapter

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Use a Newton adapter. Frank Gründel expects about 7 V at the plug and rejects anything below 6 V or above 7.5 V; he regards non-Newton adapters as the quickest way to destroy an eMate.[2] One owner burnt out C101 with a 9 V adapter.[7] Apple's specification for Newton adapters is on Newton Interconnect Port Hardware Specification.

Resets

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  • Soft reset: press the Reset button on the underside, near the handle, for two seconds with a pointed tool; if nothing happens, hold it for at least 15 seconds. Stored data is kept.[1] Frank Gründel allows up to five minutes for the eMate to respond.[2]
  • Hard reset: remove any PC Cards, hold the Power key and press Reset, keep holding Power until the erase prompt appears, then tap Yes and OK. Everything in internal memory is erased.[1]

Cleaning

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Clean the screen with a soft dry cloth, lightly moistened with isopropyl alcohol if needed, and use only the eMate pen on it. Clean the keyboard with a soft cloth dampened with water and a little mild soap, with no solvents. If liquid is spilt on the keyboard, switch the eMate off, tilt it to drain, and leave it to dry for 24 hours.[3]

Hinges

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The lid hinges hold the screen with friction springs whose legs are trapped under a central screw. As the grease dries, the springs bind and can be drawn out from under the screw; a loose leg can then pierce the display ribbon cable that wraps round the right-hand hinge. A pop or click when the lid moves is the warning sign, and Joel Sciamma's advice is to stop moving the lid until the hinges have been checked.[8] Frank Gründel's view is that no eMate escapes it.[7]

To inspect them, take out the logic board (below); the hinges are then visible without removing the screen. Clean off the old grease, apply fresh light grease or a PTFE grease, and fit a creased steel washer, 10 mm diameter, 3.4 mm hole, 1 mm thick, under each central screw so the spring legs cannot escape. Hinges that are too stiff or too loose have to come out for the springs to be reshaped; Joel Sciamma's test is that a refurbished hinge holds 125 g at 150 mm from the axle without drooping.[8]

Opening the case

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Apple's order is access door, battery, ROM card, display assembly, backlight, top cover, latch, keyboard and bottom case.[1] The points that catch people out:

  • The ROM card is held by two metal clips; push them outwards and the card tilts up.[1]
  • The display ribbon cable is fragile. Do not use pliers or a screwdriver on it, and lift the display only by its edges.[1]
  • The EL backlight slides out from the display assembly once a tab is pressed; do not bend it.[1]
  • The bottom case is held by five T-10 screws under four round rubber plugs and an oval plug in the handle. Separate the case starting at the handle.[1]
  • To reach the hinges from below, Joel Sciamma removes the bottom case, unsolders the red and black pairs for the backlight and the speaker (note their polarity), unplugs the display cable, removes the five silver screws marked with a white symbol, and folds the logic board over the keyboard before unplugging the two keyboard connectors. Keep track of the screen switch plunger, infrared lens and charge light pipe, which fall out.[8]
  • On reassembly, line up both slider controls with their knobs before lowering the board, and expect to reset the clock, volume and contrast afterwards.[8]

Memory

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The RAM card fits at about 30 degrees into its slot under the access cover and is pressed down until the two metal clips engage. Apple did not sell RAM cards.[1] Memory cards for the eMate have been sold by Newer Technology, Tech by Androda and NewtonSales.[9]

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Apple Computer, eMate 300 (Service Source), 118 pp., 1997. Hosted as File:EMateServiceManual.pdf; see Apple eMate 300 Service Source. PDF pages: soft and hard reset pp. 8–9; specifications pp. 17–26; take-apart pp. 75–112 (access door pp. 76–77, battery pp. 78–81, ROM card pp. 82–83, display assembly pp. 84–92, backlight pp. 93–96, top cover pp. 97–100, latch pp. 101–102, keyboard pp. 103–107, bottom case pp. 108–112); RAM upgrade pp. 114–116.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Frank Gründel, "eMate Disassembly", PDA-Soft, pda-soft.de (read 2 October 2026), with photographs by Joel M. Sciamma. Community guide: tools; the adapter check (about 7 V, at least 6 V, never above 7.5 V); the charge light test and the two-hour limit; powering the eMate up before plugging in the adapter; software and hard resets; DataRescue.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Apple Computer, eMate 300 User's Manual, 1997. Hosted as File:eMate 300 User's Manual (1997).pdf. Preface (PDF pp. 271–272): screen and pen care, isopropyl alcohol on the cloth. Keyboard care (PDF p. 245): a soft cloth with water and mild soap, no solvents; after a spill, turn the eMate off, drain it and let it dry for 24 hours. Appendix A (printed pp. 243–244): super capacitor backup; charging light; one to two hours to recharge.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Frank Gründel, "How to rebuild / refurbish an Apple eMate battery pack", PDA-Soft, pda-soft.de/emate_battery_pack.html (read 2 October 2026). Community guide: two T-8 screws; connector J11; the thermistor under silver tape; the temperature switch (about 100 mA above 55 °C); 1,850 mAh replacement cells; thermistor about 7.5 kΩ at room temperature.
  5. ↑ Apple Computer, Rechargeable Battery for the eMate 300, 033-0414-A, 8 pp. Hosted as File:Rechargeable Battery for the eMate 300 (1997).pdf. Removal and fitting, pp. 2–4; charge for two hours before first use.
  6. ↑ Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, C7 "How do I recondition or rebuild a battery pack?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Frank Gründel, reply in "Need Assistance With Repairing eMate 300", NewtonTalk, 1 January 2025, MARC archive. Community report.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Joel M. Sciamma, "Repairing eMate Hinges and Display Cable", Inventors Emporium, inventors-emporium.co.uk (read 2 October 2026). Community repair guide, crediting Simon Muller, Frank Gründel and others.
  9. ↑ Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, B1d "Can I increase the internal memory of my Newton?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026).


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