Why does my MessagePad 120/130 power off immediately after powering on?

[splorp]

There are a couple of things that may cause a MessagePad 120 or MessagePad 130 to power off immediately after powering it on.

This behaviour could be related to a bug in Newton OS 2.0 that affects MessagePad 120 and MessagePad 130 devices.

Config Informationstechnik created a small system extension which can help eliminate this issue.

http://www.config.de/Products/Newton/FixTrax/

> From: Dan Aldrich <daldrich@earthlink.net>
> Subject: [NTLK] Dead MP130
>
> I have a MP130 that briefly boots (you see the startup splash screen) then
> goes dead, dead, dead. I've replaced the batteries and have checked inside
> for a loose ribbon cable.

It can also be related to various components on the main circuit board of a MessagePad 130 device being dislodged or failing over time. Frank Gründel has documented these issues and how to repair them.

English
https://www.pda-soft.de/en/hardware/mp130/frequent_defects/frequent_defects.html

German
https://www.pda-soft.de/de/hardware/mp130/frequent_defects/frequent_defects.html