Toughbook for MultiEcuScan

[widemouthfrog]

Having just had my youngest oik decide that his need for a laptop is greater than mine, I'm on the lookout for a simple, tough laptop that I will use only for running diagnostic software and parts manuals/catalogues. The programs in question are MultiEcuScan, ePER, Dialogys and Can CLIP. The latter two are for my Renault.

I don't need anything clever. It won't ever be hooked up to t'internet, so it could even run Windows XP I guess. It would be handy if it can take some knocks, is small/easy to hold one-handed and is easy to clean of the usual garage grime. The ability to data log on test drives would be nice. After a quick surf of the 'bay, I found this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231715596975?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Which looks like it could fit the bill nicely. Has anyone had experience of one of these and if so, do you think it would be up to the job? It is going to get very infrequent use, so I'd be willing to put up with batteries that are past their best - it just needs to run for an hour or so at a time.

 

[portland_bill]

I think that almost any cheap laptop, netbook, or tablet will do the job.
The Panasonic Toughbook looks fine, with the added advantage that if it drops off the seat it will shrug it off. Panasonic used to make good business laptops, that plugged into base stations in the office to give full desktop functionality. As competition grew, they decided to go the tough route, specialising in working laptops for engineers on-site, etc. The stuff inside is top quality, and all built to cope with a lot of abuse.

Ideally, whatever you buy, you'll need to use it a bit to keep the battery operating, as you need it self-sufficient in the car.

I have a 10" Acer Aspire One netbook, that I use for other business use, and find this ideal for MES in the car. The toughbook only has a 5.6" screen, about the size of a large smartphone.

My advice would be to search a little further for something with a better size screen. Search for computer fairs around you.

 

[widemouthfrog]

Ok. That sounds promising. I must admit I'm quite taken by that Toughbook, especially at the price. Liking the fact that it's weatherproof. Agree the screen could be a bit bigger, but it would be great for propping up in the engine bay or under the car without it getting in the way too much. I've got a Bluetooth ELM unit so if I could get it to pair with that I wouldn't even have any cables in the way. It might be a laugh if I can get the barcode reader working too.

Out of curiosity, do you know the specs of your Aspire netbook? That will give me a benchmark to compare the Toughbook to.

 

[s130]

I have the predecessor of this:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/tabletpcs/windowstablets/linx10b.html

Works great for me and actually saved our bacon last year in Italy (with MES) when our Croma went into limp mode twice with caravan in tow. Second time happened in a long 5km+ tunnel.

Having used FES/MES for many years on a laptop I actually find the tablet setup far move usable. Portable, low mass, slim, touch screen etc.

 

[g8rpi]

Ok. That sounds promising. I must admit I'm quite taken by that Toughbook, <SNIP>
I've got a Bluetooth ELM unit so if I could get it to pair with that I wouldn't even have any cables in the way. It might be a laugh if I can get the barcode reader working too.
<SNIP>.

Hi,
I use a ToughBook CF-19 with MES using a USB ELM-327 interface I also have a USB KL interface for older cars/modules. The CF-19 is great, you can use it as a notebook or a tablet. I'm running XP on it. It has no internal CD-ROM but I've found eLearn will run fine from an SD card. Previously I'd used older Sony laptops, the PCG-FX2xx series, mainly because of the screen readability in daylight. A good battery and car power adaptor is very useful. I've used ruggedised dell laptops but they are very heavy.
USB is more reliable than Bluetooth especially if you are doing anything that could damage the module if the process fails.
Any Toughbook with USB (Bluetooth if you need it) and Windows XP will serve you well.

HTH,
Robert G8RPI

 

[Davren]

The CF-19 is great, you can use it as a notebook or a tablet.

I've used a CF-29 for several years, you can also use it as a wheel chock.

Drove a VW T4 van over one once, cracked the screen, but everything (including the screen) was still working.
.

 

[widemouthfrog]

Thanks all. Useful and informative comments all round

 

[portland_bill]

Out of curiosity, do you know the specs of your Aspire netbook? That will give me a benchmark to compare the Toughbook to.

Acer Aspire One D260
CPU: Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz, 512Kb cache
RAM: 1GB
HDD: 250GB
Screen: 10.1"

It is a slow machine, created for portability and battery life I think, rather than raw speed, so runs slowly to preserve power.
Once booted, MES runs fine.

It does not have a CD drive, but I have an external one via USB that I used to install programs, although networking with other computers in your home might provide sources for installing stuff.

My only concern with a smaller screen would be how MES would display.

 

[widemouthfrog]

Acer Aspire One D260

My only concern with a smaller screen would be how MES would display.

The processor in your Aspire is near-identical to that Toughbook. The screen resolution is exactly the same too, so the display will be sharp, but small. It's just a question of whether my ageing eyes could cope!

Looking at photos in online reviews, I reckon I could prop it up in the driver-side glovebox on my Multi. Would make a pretty impressive trip computer using MES

 

[psychochild187]

as it happens I saw toughbooks at work and I loved them ,. so I have just got one myself off ebay .
I need a few bits to get it running but I am really taken by them and there is a good forum out there for just the Toughbook .
mines the cf 29 . but will get all the leads and software for it soon . as I need to clear some mot issues.


parts seam cheap too .

 

[Zeewulf]

I use a Panasonic Toughbook CF-30 mk2 for MES, bigger screen than the CF-19. If you want to know anything about Toughbooks then try this site out:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/forums/panasonic.1012/

Extremely helpful group and there isn't much they don't know about Toughbooks.