Stylus for C100

[CharlieSummers]

Looking for a spare stylus; don't need an exact replacement, just looking for something that will work with the C100 screen. Will a standard Wacom stylus work, or do I need to look for something specific? Pointers to good deals?

[Steve S]

Charlie: I'll try to do a little research on this this evening (unless another forum member chimes in, first)...

[Steve S]

Charlie: It didn't take me long to find a replacement pen on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Acer-TravelMate-C100-C110-Stylus-Pen_W0QQitemZ120549752658QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item1c11533f52

Pending further research, the pen looks like it utilizes Wacom technology. If that is true, then your C100 will be compatible with any Wacom "penabled" replacement pen, and many other pens such as HP (for the TC1100 but not the TC1000) and Motion (M1400, LE1600, LE1700, etc.). For more information, see:

http://www.gottabemobile.com/forum/accessories/567-pens-nibs-writing-feel.html

The C100 service manual is here:

http://www.elhvb.com/mobokive/edwin/laptops/acer/TMC100SG.PDF

In particular, see page 34; it identifies the digitizer as a Wacom product.

[CharlieSummers]

Charlie: It didn't take me long to find a replacement pen on eBay:
That's definitely an acer, but it's not the direct replacement (I still have the original, store-in-machine stylus). That's the eraser-head stylus, and $40 is way too high. New replacement Wacom styli are considerably less - "Bamboo Pen" is $30 at Amazon, and a possible-direct-replacement "Slim Pen" is only $20.
Pending further research, the pen looks like it utilizes Wacom technology. Yep; that's why I asked if a standard Wacom stylus would work. I checked the service manual (required when replacing the screen I managed to break), but you don't need that to tell; the Device Manager lists the HID as a "Wacom Serial Pen Tablet." What I don't know is if every Wacom device uses the same stylus, and that is the thrust of the question.

[Steve S]

<<...every Wacom device uses the same stylus...>>

...Not the same shape of pen body, but the same innerds. Any Wacom tabletPC pen will work with any Wacom tabletPC digitizer.

[frith]

You are correct to some extent, but not *any* Wacom pen will work with any Wacom digitizer - there are 'series', and the different series are not interchangeable. Almost any Tablet PC pen will work with almost any other Tablet PC (I have personally used TC1100, Toshiba M200, Acer C100 and LE1700 pens interchangeably)

There is a really good post on this forum that outlines exactly what pens work with Tablet PCs - just do a search for something like 'which pens work'.

[CharlieSummers]

There is a really good post on this forum that outlines exactly what pens work with Tablet PCs - just do a search for something like 'which pens work'.

Still looking for that post...if anyone else finds it, please post a link (and maybe an OP can make it a sticky?). I'm thinking it might be useful to group tablet PCs into groups to more accurately point future users to replacement styli - while I'm looking for a replacement for an ancient device, surely today's brand-spankin'-new machines will eventually be abandoned with users flocking here to find replacements, too.

Right about the time I started to assume any "penabled" stylus would work with any tablet PC (based on the blurb and photo at Amazon, the "slim pen" is "penabled" and appears to be a direct replacement for the acer 100/110/etc), I stumbled over a post where someone claimed a penabled stylus wouldn't work with his tablet PC; also read a post suggesting some Intuos would, some wouldn't.

So yeah, I'm more confused now than I was before I started. ;)

[frith]

Apologies, got my forums (fora?) mixed up:

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?t=12695

explains it - quotes an earlier, better thread down the page, but the essentials are at that link.

[JCodey]

wacom serial stylus is the best bang for you buck.. But that's only assuming that it is a wacom digitizer in your c100.