The touchscreen of my Z22 is broken

Hello there Anymoose:

On my web page:

http://kidbots.com/WEBADD/Z22_PALM_PILOT/Z22_PALM_PILOT.html

are many suggestions and links to help get DATA SYNC's to your computer.

Please search the internet for CompanionLink as well, since I just discovered it now, and have not yet added it to my web page...

As well, I cover aspects such as the battery, the touchscreen, and other quirks that happen as the Palm Z22 gets older and older!

I hope this information solves your problems...

good luck

robin dusty graves



Z22 PALM PILOT

The Z22 palm PDA is subjected to 3 points of failure. I got a used Z22 and discovered all 3 over the course of a few years. The touchscreen digitizer on the front is a plastic sheet on the top, and a glass screen on the bottom. Invisible layers of conductive paint are facing each other. Simply carrying the Z22 in your pocket, purse, briefcase, or even storing it in a drawer with pencils, staplers, rulers, etc., will, over time, deform the screen, and the damage is cumulative, so that the screen gets worse and worse. It is imperative to have a solid sheet of plastic or hard material over the screen at all times that you are not using it. Leaving the Z22 in direct hot sunlight will heat up and soften the screen, making the problem worse. Carrying the Z22 screen in your pocket on a hot day when you are sweating, will do the same. People report that the Z22 will work in a cool place like North New York, but the screen will quit, when they travel to Florida (hot). I have temporarily fixed the touchscreen by putting it in a ziplock, and sticking it in the freezer to shrink the top layer of plastic. That only worked twice. Then I use a hair dryer to heat the screen VERY hot, to shrink the screen - which worked very well, until I put it in a soft zippered camera case, which gently pushed the screen. Then I took the screen apart completely ( which no one has ever reported doing) and this worked amazingly well, -again- until I put it in a soft case that pushed the screen against the glass backing. I eventually replaced the touchscreen ($10 free shipping from China). All the information is on my tiny website at

http://kidbots.com/WEBADD/Z22_PALM_PILOT/Z22_PALM_PILOT.html

The Z22 is incredibly well designed, and after ripping it apart a dozen times, and carrying it around under extreme heat and freezing cold, I would have to give the original design team at PALM, 5 stars. Your data, on the device, even though the screen may be dead, is very safe, and unless you do a HARD RESET, the data is stored on permanent memory. I had problems with a weak and dying battery, which ALL Z22s are now experiencing, since the decades of time, even with a "new" in the box, sealed Z22 will have. Low glitches of power on the battery seem to cause the BlackScreen of Death, where the LOGIC circuits that control the ON/OFF/SLEEP etc. functions get out of sync, and the unit will not charge or turn on until ALL power is removed ( typically, after a few weeks the battery drains to dead ).

All these problems are discussed and solutions posted, with photos on my website. Also are discussions on what to do with the Z22, where to get parts, how to maintain the Z22, and how to get data off the device onto the new 64 bit WINDOWS computers...

Good luck. The Z22 was an amazing device in its day, and people report that there were a few software programs for it that have never been made since - hence, they still use it...

robindustygraves Sept 2014

Z22 PALM PILOT

The Z22 palm PDA is subjected to 3 points of failure. I got a used Z22 and discovered all 3 over the course of a few years. The touchscreen digitizer on the front is a plastic sheet on the top, and a glass screen on the bottom. Invisible layers of conductive paint are facing each other. Simply carrying the Z22 in your pocket, purse, briefcase, or even storing it in a drawer with pencils, staplers, rulers, etc., will, over time, deform the screen, and the damage is cumulative, so that the screen gets worse and worse. It is imperative to have a solid sheet of plastic or hard material over the screen at all times that you are not using it. Leaving the Z22 in direct hot sunlight will heat up and soften the screen, making the problem worse. Carrying the Z22 screen in your pocket on a hot day when you are sweating, will do the same. People report that the Z22 will work in a cool place like North New York, but the screen will quit, when they travel to Florida (hot). I have temporarily fixed the touchscreen by putting it in a ziplock, and sticking it in the freezer to shrink the top layer of plastic. That only worked twice. Then I use a hair dryer to heat the screen VERY hot, to shrink the screen - which worked very well, until I put it in a soft zippered camera case, which gently pushed the screen. Then I took the screen apart completely ( which no one has ever reported doing) and this worked amazingly well, -again- until I put it in a soft case that pushed the screen against the glass backing. I eventually replaced the touchscreen ($10 free shipping from China). All the information is on my tiny website at
http://kidbots.com/WEBADD/Z22_PALM_PILOT/Z22_PALM_PILOT.html
The Z22 is incredibly well designed, and after ripping it apart a dozen times, and carrying it around under extreme heat and freezing cold, I would have to give the original design team at PALM, 5 stars. Your data, on the device, even though the screen may be dead, is very safe, and unless you do a HARD RESET, the data is stored on permanent memory. I had problems with a weak and dying battery, which ALL Z22s are now experiencing, since the decades of time, even with a "new" in the box, sealed Z22 will have. Low glitches of power on the battery seem to cause the BlackScreen of *****, where the LOGIC circuits that control the ON/OFF/SLEEP etc. functions get out of sync, and the unit will not charge or turn on until ALL power is removed ( typically, after a few weeks the battery drains to dead ).
All these problems are discussed and solutions posted, with photos on my website. Also are discussions on what to do with the Z22, where to get parts, how to maintain the Z22, and how to get data off the device onto the new 64 bit WINDOWS computers...
Good luck. The Z22 was an amazing device in its day, and people report that there were a few software programs for it that have never been made since - hence, they still use it...
robindustygraves Sept 2014
( I am posting this answer on a few places on fixya, so that people with Z22's can find it easily ! )
Z22 PALM PILOT
Z22 PALM PILOT

Hello cskennedy:

Many people are asking the same question, as well as how to deal with touchscreen and battery problems etc.

I have really explored all the aspects keeping a Z22 up and running, and have a complete web page devoted to this.

I am repeating a previous answer below:

The support page for the Z22 has moved around over the last couple of years. HP (Hewlett Packard) bought PALM and still has a fairly good coverage of what WAS available. Beware that Windows has gone to 64 BITS with Windows 7, Windows 8 etc, so that older software does NOT immediately work.
There are many features of the Z22 such as NEWS and GAME web portals that are shut down, so that peripheral connectivity is at a minimum.
HP has the last known working, native, connection software at:
http://kb.hpwebos.com/wps/portal/kb/na/zire/z22/unlocked/home/page_en.html
On my web page at :
http://kidbots.com/WEBADD/Z22_PALM_PILOT/Z22_PALM_PILOT.html

I have all the patches, fixes, work-arounds, maintenance, tips and tricks I could find.

Hope that this helps you to get your PALM Z22 working and useful once again!

good luck

robin dusty graves




Z22 PALM PILOT

The best thing to do is to go to the free palm chat service they offer. I have used this and it worked good for me. Here is a link to the free chat service. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see a Palm Chat. From there click on the link that says Chat Now and follow the online prompts. Best wishes...I hope this will help you.

http://kb.palm.com/wps/portal/kb/na/zire/z22/unlocked/supportservices/page_en.html

The Palm Z22 is a very solidly designed device to reliably store your personal data, however, it is subject to 3 failure mechanisms, all related to its AGE of over a decade of use. The batteries are all dying - even in an UNOPENED, sealed, "AS-NEW" package, the battery is almost dead. The TOUCH SCREEN is a delicate stretched layer of plastic on top of a layer of glass. The top layer bends down a touches the glass layer, and invisible layers of "wiring", electro-deposited on the layers, touch each other. Over time, with air-pressure changes, heat and cold, and mostly objects pressing on the screen (such as carrying it in a pocket, purse, briefcase, or even leaving it in a drawer with pencils, paper, pens, staplers, etc.) , the top plastic layer deforms and touches the bottom layer, which renders the touch screen dead.
My page on the Z22 is at :
kidbots.com/WEBADD/Z22_PALM_PILOT/Z22_PALM_PILOT.html
and has tips and tricks on temporarily getting your screen working, as well as how to replace it yourself - $9 U.S. free shipping from China.
I hope that this helps you get your Z22 up and running again, and helps you to keep it functioning.

good luck

robin dusty graves
Z22 PALM PILOT

The Data on your Z22 is rock-solid safe, but unlike the answer that states to do a RESET- DO NOT ! The touch screen problem has nothing to do with resetting, it is a failure of the soft plastic top layer of the touch screen. There is a tiny, remote possibility that the logic circuits are out of sync and the touchscreen really is mixed up in a software state, and a SOFT RESET may reset the touch screen, but this is almost unheard of ( but does happen).
I have an entire page on the Z22 and how to maintain, repair and interface it. It is at:
kidbots.com/WEBADD/Z22_PALM_PILOT/Z22_PALM_PILOT.html

I would suggest trying a few tricks listed on my web page, and see if you can get the screen to work again. It is IMPERATIVE to get a hard plastic cover over the screen to keep it working!

Please read over the information on the Z22 page.

good luck

robin dusty graves
Z22 PALM PILOT

Your digitizer has whacked. Has this been solved

The data on your old Z22 is very likely very secure, and the touch screen problem is very common - there are a few tricks to get the touch screen working long enough to transfer the data.
I have a web page entirely for maintaining, repairing, and interfacing your Z22 at:
kidbots.com/WEBADD/Z22_PALM_PILOT/Z22_PALM_PILOT.html

You can try these tricks, or just replace the screen for $9 U.S., since the screen only needs you take the unit apart and flip open a connector lock ...

I would strongly advise getting a solid plastic cover over your new Z22, since this is the key to keeping the screen working...

hope the information is of help to you

good luck

robin dusty graves


Z22 PALM PILOT

Your problem might be a simple one. Hopefully so:

Run a business card around the edges of the screen between the screen and the plastic housing to see if there is any trapped dirt or other debri. If there is, it will hold down that point of the screen and prevent any further input. Be sure to remove anything you find.

Also, sometimes the screen protectors themselves will shift just enough to cause the same issue. Be sure it is not wedged tightly between the screen and case.

I hope this is it and helps!