OQO Model 02 HSDPA mod
As you probably know, I’m a fan of the OQO Model 02! But I’m also a fan of HSDPA…
Unfortunately, so far the Model 02 is only available with EVDO from either Sprint or Verizon, and despite getting the SERO discount two weeks ago, I was not very excited with the idea of paying another bill beyond my existing T-Mobile and Cingular AT&T accounts. So what’s a girl to do? Well, just mod her Model 02 and replace EVDO with HSPDA, of course :)
And that’s exactly what I’ve done! Take a look at the pictures of my mod and keep your eyes peeled for more information soon…
tnkgrl Mobile: Tech that Matters 
Absolute genius. If only it could be done to the Sony UX series. I take it the indent on the chassis where the SIM card and holder snugly fits was really designed for that? You seriously have more cohones than most guys with a soldering gun and a $2000 toy.
Extremely impressive!
THAT WAS INCREDIBLE! hopefully OQO will get wind of this and pay attention…
Very nice tip.
job well done. whats the next project. I would love to see someone put a32 or 64 ssd in one of these. I would do it if i can find one.
The next project is to replace the hard drive with a flash-based SSD – that is an easy mod :)
tnkgrl, you have done what so many people “wish” they could do. design a mod that has market appeal. it’s a wal-mart product moment!
You could start selling modded units or just provide mods to those so inclined. In the hifi business this is very common, and customers pay handsomely. Even more interesting if there is no upgrade path offered from the producer, so that, when the next generation products are out, you can offer the “next gen” mods -whatever they may be – to the owners of the previous generation product.
all i ever wanted in life was a girl who is tech-savvy :)
how much was the HSDPA card, and also what is it that you are connecting the Sim card to? thanks
Excellent! Glad to see this worked out for you.
The HSDPA card was about $200. I’ll be documenting how to connect the SIM holder in more detail here soon.
Wow! What a girl!! I wish I could have her as a weekend writer for our site http://CyberCapital.Org ;)
I “had” an 02 with Sprint.
I wasn’t happy with the getting disconnected part.
But now you have me wondering…
To switch from Sprint to Verizon could you merely open it up and swap the evdo modules? I have a Verizon USB720 and cracked it open…the evdo module could easily be pulled out of this. Another thought… do all the 02’s (including those ordered without WWAN) have a ribbon cable already in place? Thus you would only have to open it up and plug in your EVDO module? Any thoughts would be appreciated. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
could you please tell me where you got your HSDPA module? Is it a 7.2 upgradable one?
Thanks!
Hello,
Do you think it would be possible to upgrade the RAM in the OQO model 2. We are having a discussion about this on oqotalk.com – and you seem to be the most knowledgable about the inner workings..
K
I didn’t find (or look for) the RAM when I disassembled my Model 02 (I didn’t need to do much disassembling for my HDSPA mod) but I presume the RAM is soldered on the motherboard and not user upgradeable.
Will EDGE work on this hack in any way ? I live in a place where HSPDA and UMTS is not yet available and HSPDA never will with my provider. The OQO is perfect for me but I need it to use EDGE !!! HELP LMAO :)
I have used my HSDPA mod with both T-Mobile (EDGE only) and AT&T/Cingular (HSDPA and EDGE)…
The HSDPA/UMTS radio I installed in my Model 02 is also a quad-band (worldwide) EDGE/GPRS radio and works with any SIM on any GSM network!
*tnkgrl* This is great! I live in NYC and want to use AT&T/Cingular HSDPA, can you post instructions on how to do this Mod?
OQO appears to have an HSPDA 02 model working for as of 6 months ago (the 3GSM World Congress 2007 in Barcelona, Feb 07, I believe) . I have not been able to get a decent response as to a release date yet. They say they are not planning a North American release, but who cares so long as it is for sale online?
Does anyone here have any more information? I’m in the SF Bay Area this week (and on a regular basis) so I’m going to try to get personal with OQO and see what I can learn. If nothing is forthcoming from OQO, then I’ll be dusting off my soldering iron and following your instructions…
Thanks for digging deep,
James
Also, does your mod allow for the OQO to make and receive calls? It has the SIM card, which leaves me wondering. That would truly be the smartest of phones.
Hi tnkgrl, can you post the instructions in detail about putting the sim card hold and especially connecting the sim card hold to the hsdpa card/slot?
Thanks
Have checked out the Teltonika ModemUSB/H1.8? They have a 7.2 model coming out sometime soon too. Here are link to the products pages:
http://www.teltonika.lt/en/pages/view/?id=777
http://www.teltonika.lt/en/pages/view/?id=821
Seems like a possible way to get a similar result without hacking the hardware and voiding the warranty – buy the OQO without the Sprint or Verizon networking option, then plug one of these guys into the USB port. It’s one extra thing to carry around, but it’s small.
Also, when you use a SIM card for this do you have to buy a data plan from AT&T, or do you just use your regular minutes on that SIM?
This is all sweet since I’m a T-Mobile customer. On the other hand, why all the fuss? If you have a T-Mobile MDA or similar phone, isn’t it just as fast to use it as a bluetooth modem with your OQO? This is what I’ve been doing for ages. Is it slower?
Did you get the OQO with sprint or verizon and then put the at&t SIM in or got it without evdo. reply to my email nqureshi@nj.rr.com
Using CDMA 2000 1X but only with Sim Card, Want to use OQO 02 but no place to put the sim card also available with this Network CDMA.??
Waiting for answer to buy ? available network with Sim Card? Where to buy?
Thank you
Moataz Al-Fadhly Says:
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Using CDMA 2000 1X but only with Sim Card, Want to use OQO 02 but no place to put the sim card also available with this Network CDMA.??
Waiting for answer to buy ? available network with Sim Card? Where to buy?
html_699@yahoo.com
Thank you
Hi there,
Awesome modification. Looks great. Where did you get hold of the Sierra card from?
I have Googled it but I can’t them online anywhere!?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Simon
Great! Can’t wait for further mod instructions…
i wish there was video, can you give a little more detail i’d like to do this mod.
My q1U ultra has the hspda slot already in it, but since I had to flatten it to put vista on hit, not clear at all how to access it as a model once i put the sim card in it
Any idea how to get driver/whatefver is needed so that hspda module shows up as a modem ?
regarding:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/oqo-hack/how-to-replace-your-oqo-model-02s-evdo-with-hsdpa-258169.php
is the cable connetion to the sim card holder always the same for all wwan cards or does it depend on the card / manufacturer? where can I get detailed tech specs on where to solder which sim signal to which pcie pin?
thanks.
One might assume that since OQO released the e2 that there is no longer a reason for anyone to attempt this hack. Unfortunately, that assumption would be incorrect. I just spoke to my OQO rep, who told me that the e2 is European availability only, with no guarantee from OQO that it will work stateside (althought off the record they will say that it _should_ work with the appropriate SIM). So using the e2 itself stateside is a hack of sorts. I have users who travel extensively in Europe and the US, and want connectivity both places. In addition, I have an early model from when Nextel EVDO was the only option, and I need to get on another provider before I go totally postal on some Sprint CS rep. I have been a Verizon Wireless customer in the past – that is not exactly a direction in which I would prefer to go…
So, at the time of the e2 release, my impression was that tnkgrl’s hack was evolving to the point that minimal (or no) intricate soldering was required, by using (an) existing cable/socket combination(s). Can someone synopsize the latest consensus on this, listing p/n if possible? Also, I would not be adverse to buying a cabling solution (possibly a half-dozen or more if the first worked) to minimize any soldering at this end. Anyone?
-Sam
Where did you get the SIM holder? I’ve been haveing trouble locateing one.
Hi, Your Site is Very Informative, Thanks
Chris mccandless photos
Hi I used the Expedite EU850D PCI Express Mini Card it has an Embedded SIM slot right on the card.
It fit perfectly in the OQO unit with a slit bulge but the battery clipped right on no problem.
3G works great with Rogers up here in Ontario, Canada
I bought the unit online at
http://www.mobilx.hu/index.php?target=products&product_id=6381
mobilx Hungary Kft.
Debrecen,
Kossuth u. 8.
4024
Hungary
@Gus, Nice! I wish these were available when I was doing my mod… Do you know if that card supports HSDPA on the US frequencies?
Yes I Think it would Rogers in Canada here has the same hardware as the US. I know people that come up here have no problems.
It comes unlocked and with CD of drivers.
Why not Sierra Aircard MC8775V, with data and voice? It’s possible?
http://www.expansys.es/c.aspx?f=22&m=812&t=bra.
This module is valid for Raon Everun, it’s also for OQO?
Information that’s missing to me is if mod can be done inside OQOs “plain” (no EVDO) because they’re missing external rectractable antenna.
can you please tell me where i can get that sim card holder from ive been looking everywhere and i want to add 3G to my Q1EX
Hi,
Will the Expedite EU8700 work as well as the 8500. What is the difference? Also looking to upgrade my OQO model 2. Already did a simple upgrade of the 4200rpm Samsung hs122jb to the 5400 rpm hs122jc (8mg) buffer). No extra heat, and VERY little extra battery drain. Thanks!
Ken
Hi,
Old post and still getting replies!
I’ve got a OQO 2+ prototype of which the SSD ribbon cable is broken. Unfortunately there is no replacement.
I was thinking of using the mini-PCIe slot (which is currently occupied by the Novatel WWAN Modem) for an mSATA SSD drive.
Would you happen to know whether that is possible at all?
I wish I knew which BIOS setting would enable that mSATA SSD drive.
Whoever knows an answer shall please post here.