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Replacement Pen for Fujitsu Stylistic 1000/1200/2300

I read your article on the Fujitsu Stylistic 1200 and thought you might be someone that could help me. I recently bought a Stylistic 1000 on eBay but alas, no stylus.  Will any other device work like a stylus? How about a stylus from a new Tablet PC? Im just a hobbyist; my plan is to see if I can use the Stylistic tablet as a remote for other tasks that my PC controls, or other simple uses.  I think I'll have to install Linux or another light OS -- there are a few websites out there that explain how and why. Thanks for your time!

-- Steph

Technology Editor Geoff Walker answers:

The Fujitsu Stylistic 1000, 1200 & 2300 pen tablets all used an active pen that contained a battery-powered transmitter. Because the pen contains electronics, only Fujitsu pens made for those specific systems will work (with one exception see below). The pens for the Stylistic 1000 and 1200 were identical; the pen for the 2300 had a slightly different shape ejection bump. I don't remember for sure, but I think the 2300 pen fits in the 1000 & 1200 pen garage. The Stylistic 1000 was launched in 1996; the 1200 was launched in 1997; and the 2300 was launched in 1998.

The active electromagnetic digitizer technology that was used in those pen tablets was invented around 1985 by Kurta, who sold it to Mutoh in 1995 (the actual supplier to Fujitsu in the late 1990s), who sold it to FinePoint Innovations in 2000. FinePoint is still making a Fujitsu-compatible active pen, so that's one possible source. FinePoint also makes the digitizer that's inside the current Gateway Tablet PCs however, their technology has evolved and a Gateway Tablet PC pen is not compatible with the Stylistic 1000/1200/2300.

The one exception mentioned above is the HP TC1000 Tablet PC (HP's first product in this category). The digitizer in this system was supplied by FinePoint, and the HP pen works on the Stylistic 1000, 1200 & 2300 (although it won't fit in the pen garage). The HP pen is probably the most ergonomic (comfortable-to-use) pen of all. HP changed to the Wacom digitizer in the TC1100. The Wacom digitizer, which is used in all current Tablet PCs except the Gateway, is not compatible with the Stylistic 1000/1200/2300.

The Stylistic 2300 was the last Fujitsu system to use the Mutoh active electromagnetic digitizer. Stylistics between the 2300 and Fujitsus first Tablet PC (the ST-4000) all used resistive touch screens. The pen on those systems was a solid piece of plastic with rubber covering the lower portion. Since those pens dont contain any electronics, they are not compatible with the Stylistic 1000/1100/2300. All of Fujitsu's Tablet PCs have used the Wacom digitizer, which, as noted above, is not compatible with the Stylistic 1000/1100/2300.

  1. My first recommendation is to search for a Stylistic pen on eBay. Try various combinations of the words Fujitsu, Stylistic, tablet, 1000, 1200, 2300, pen, stylus. Be careful not to buy the solid plastic stylus/pen for later Stylistics (it's typically less than $10, while the active pens are always more than $10). One recently sold at auction for $21.50.

  2. My second recommendation is to search for an HP TC1000 pen on eBay. Try various combinations of the words HP, TC1000, tablet, pen, stylus. Be careful not to buy the pen for the TC1100 or any other HP Tablet PC. Note that HP no longer sells the pen for the TC1000, even though the product was launched at the end of 2002, only 3+ years ago.

  3. Fujitsu still sells the Stylistic 1000/1100/2300 pen. It has to be ordered by phone from the Fujitsu Repair Center in Memphis, TN (901-259-5711). The part number is 95-0878-00 and the price is $60.82. If you ask them, they may give you a 25% discount.

  4. FinePoint still sells a Stylistic-compatible pen that doesn't fit in the pen garage. FinePoints part number is KCP6B and the price is $75 (volume is very low and they're hand-assembled one at a time). The KCP6B pen can only be ordered by phone from FinePoint in Phoenix, AZ (602-325-2080).

Good luck and may you win your auction!

Based in Silicon Valley, Geoff Walker is Global Director of Product Management at Elo TouchSystems. Prior, he was a consultant with Walker Mobile, LLC (www.walkermobile.com). Geoff has worked on the engineering and marketing of mobile computers since 1982 at GRiD Systems, Fujitsu Personal Systems (now Fujitsu Computer Systems) and Handspring. In addition to mobile computers, Geoff's areas of particular expertise include displays and digitizers.