Panasonic Toughbooks

[Welderpaul]

I'm after another laptop for running my plasma. I'm not sure a normal laptop can cope with general muck and dust in the workshop, and the risk of being dropped/bashed about a bit.

Been having a look at these on ebay, i only need it to run Solidworks and Sheetcam. Not having internet access on it.

I'm not particularly clued up on computers, but this one seems to be sort of mid range and resonably good.

Anyone had a go on one? This one any good (apart from having XP as an operating system!)?

ta

 

[mike os]

I think if it were me I would be looking for the cheapest machine that will run the software & treat it as a disposable... just dont tell the staff does it even need to be "useable" as long as you can work on the dwg elsewhere & just treat it as "yes it runs, but I would not want to use it to do a design" kind of thing?

given the kind of crap it will be subject to I dont think any machine not built for the job will last all that long...... metalic dust will probably be the killer

same goes for OS... if t works then not an issue as long as it is compatible with the cad

 

[Robotstar5]

Can't you keep the PC somewhere more "hospitable", office maybe and run a data cable to the machine?

 

[Welderpaul]

I have a huge lockable electrical connection box which has rubber seals around the door that will be ideal tpo keep it in whilst in use. I just need something fairly rugged that will live with being chucked in and out of a van etc.

I'm not too clued up on the specs on this machine...is it fairly fast? decent memory? old?

 

[Robotstar5]

I'm not too clued up on the specs on this machine...is it fairly fast? decent memory? old?

It's about 3 or 4 generations old, so comparatively slow with a small RAM compared with modern machines. But as long as it will run the software you use it should be OK.

 

[octo0072000]

the tough book is used a lot in the motor trade but they are £4000 for a new one all depends on what spec the program needs to run
one on the link is low spec 30gid hard drive half gig ram slow but usable

 

[Luke]

What's the interface to the Plasma table controller?

 

[Welderpaul]

What's the interface to the Plasma table controller?

It's a USB connection

 

[Robotstar5]

the tough book is used a lot in the motor trade but they are £4000 for a new one

We've got a couple at work built for Siemens PLC's just had to pay £80+ each for some 128Mb SD cards

 

[Robotstar5]

It's a USB connection

Could you WiFi link them with a dongle?

 

[graffian]

I had the older CF27, wonderful thing, rip the crap out of XP and it ran XP
good enough to use it as my everyday computer, surfing, little bit of progaming, running a DAQ and Autocad. They often take more memory than the spec says, I seem to remember it saying mine took 128 mb sticks when it actually was Ok with 256mb sticks. And you might be able to stick a faster cpu in it.

But the Toughbooks are expensive. Once my Toughbook was relageted to the garage I flogged it and got £150 for it! I bought a cheap Itronix GoBook for soemthing stupid like £9.99! The itronix is similarly built but has about 3 times as much memory and now has a 1000mHz cpu. Its touch screen, has built in wireless and a dvd drive plus all the usual stuff. What about just putting a filter on the PSU inlet on a PC.

 

[Welderpaul]

The fella i got it off said he had it set up as a wifi connector.
Once you have sent the file from the laptop to the Burny controller on the plasma you still need to stand there to bash a few keys on it, so not totally remote.

 

[madkayaker]

The insurance testers use them and they say they last well but can be temperamental but they have a lot of 3rd party security and incrtion on them. Does it need to be a laptop or would a Pc in a cabin ate with air filters etc be upto the job then it's well protected and it's just the keyboard that takes the bashing!

 

[Hitch]

How's about a bluetooth rs232 adaptor aswell.... spend most of its time in the office then.
You should be able to send the programme, then just call up the programme number on the burny box.....I believe.

 

[Welderpaul]

Does it need to be a laptop or would a Pc in a cabin ate with air filters etc be upto the job then it's well protected and it's just the keyboard that takes the bashing!

Ideally i want to be able to draw out the profiles in the office or home, transfer into sheetcam on the same machine, then just plug it in an off we go. Otherwise i need to buy a PC to run the machine, then and another laptop. My PC in the office won't take Solidworks.

 

[snowcat]

I use desktops for drawing nesting and running the controller, they are despite appearances far more robust and stable than a laptop...

XP is a good OS for what you want.

If you start working in much 3D on solidworks or like I often do run 2 Autocads one in 3D and 1 in 2D so I can cut and paste from the model your need a helluva laptop to cope.

Ohhh and you will need a machine to fettle with drawings and re nest in the workshop, like allot of things there always be something you haven't thought of when you dry run the code. Ghost lines and not picking up layers is a classic one.

 

[Robotstar5]

My PC in the office won't take Solidworks.

I doubt the laptop you're looking at will run Solidworks?

 

[Welderpaul]

How's about a bluetooth rs232 adaptor aswell.... spend most of its time in the office then.
You should be able to send the programme, then just call up the programme number on the burny box.....I believe.

Hmm, thinking about it, i think that might be how he did it. Bluetooth.
Think he just called it programme 00, then set it off.
Will bluetooth work through an office wall, across a yard 20m long and into another steel clad building?

 

[Welderpaul]

I doubt the laptop you're looking at will run Solidworks?

I think it might be more to do with the origin of the software

I run it on my laptop at home, a fairly new HP (No idea of spec) and it is a bit slow, but useable.

 

[Robotstar5]

Will bluetooth work through an office wall, across a yard 20m long and into another steel clad building?

Found a Belkin one on the bay, I have it's lower powered version and am happy with it.