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New Laptop with serial port?

G

Glenn Garrett

Jan 1, 1970
0
We need a new laptop for industrial use that must have a serial port.
We use old DOS PLC software that won't work with USB to serial converters.

Can someone recommend a low cost but good brandname laptop?

--
Regards

Glenn Garrett

Industrial Dynamics Ballarat Pty. Ltd.
17 Neerim Crescent
Wendouree Industrial Park
Wendouree
Victoria 3355
Australia
Phone +613 5338 1766
Fax +613 5338 1677
[email protected]
 
D

David

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi Glenn,

Let us know what you choose, as I am also looking for a
laptop with serial port for much the same reasons. There are some out
there with serial ports. The Toshiba Satellite Pro Series, and some of the
HP laptops have them, but RS232 is getting be harder find in a laptop.
 
L

Leon.

Jan 1, 1970
0
Glenn Garrett said:
We need a new laptop for industrial use that must have a serial port.
We use old DOS PLC software that won't work with USB to serial converters.

Can someone recommend a low cost but good brandname laptop?

Ones with one serial port are getting hard to find - you can walk into a
shop and see a $6000 laptop with a serial port, but you want the cheaper
range ...

HP sell a low range model with a serial port, but I couldnt get theirprice.


http://h50025.www5.hp.com/hpcom/au_en/11_29_63_448_DS449A.html



2nd hand with 12 months warranty , under $1000....
http://www.laptopexpress.com.au/pages/under.htm
(but those prices are a bit steep when a new one is $1630, with three years
warranty)
 
L

Leon.

Jan 1, 1970
0
Glenn Garrett said:
We need a new laptop for industrial use that must have a serial port.
We use old DOS PLC software that won't work with USB to serial converters.

Can someone recommend a low cost but good brandname laptop?

I saw a cheap one in at OfficeWorks... Under $2000 for sure.
They have a selection of under $2000 laptops there.

Other shops like Harvey Norman, Retravision dont seem to want to carry that
price range.
 
M

manuka

Jan 1, 1970
0
Argh -I know just how you feel on this, having wrestled with all sorts
of "$50 "USB-serial dongles for Picaxe programming ( ref =>
www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz . Don't get me wrong - I LOVE USB but find
these external serial converters a pain & unwanted extra expense!
Does it HAVE to be new ? If you're not after raw speed then 3 year old
"no book value" laptops from early y2K are ideal & CHEAP, although
batteries may be tired. The Sony Vaio range are pretty comprehensive,
but my preferred are the late 1990s rugged Toshiba Satellite 4xxCDT
series - their 480CDT being a P233 ( which even runs XP OK with 160MB
fitted RAM ). They've super sharp screens & typical prices here in NZ
are just A$250-400. Yikes - buy several perhaps at this price - Oz.
should abound with them.
 
K

Ken Taylor

Jan 1, 1970
0
Glenn Garrett said:
We need a new laptop for industrial use that must have a serial port.
We use old DOS PLC software that won't work with USB to serial converters.

Can someone recommend a low cost but good brandname laptop?

--
Regards

Glenn Garrett

Industrial Dynamics Ballarat Pty. Ltd.
17 Neerim Crescent
Wendouree Industrial Park
Wendouree
Victoria 3355
Australia
Phone +613 5338 1766
Fax +613 5338 1677
[email protected]
My ASUS L8400 is under 18 months old (I think - who remembers these things?)
and has 'real' COM ports. Being a no-doubt older model now, it's probably a
reasonable price now (mine is a work one so cost didn't matter at the time).
And incidentally it's been a great workhorse.

Ken
 
G

Glenn Garrett

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks everyone

Port replicator - good idea but not available for my Toshiba (Sattelite
1410)

USB to RS232 - none of them have DOS drivers - my software must run from
pure DOS, not a DOS window. (Siemens TISoft, Step5 etc.)

PC serial card - the one manufacturer I emailed wouldn't give me an answer
on DOS drivers

Solution - Dell Inspiron 600M1400GT Pentium 1.4GHz 14.1" XGA $2400
Dell Inspiron 86001400P Pentium 1.4GHz 15.4" WXGA $2600

Not as good as my Toshiba but will do the job

Regards

Glenn
 
M

MC

Jan 1, 1970
0
Glenn said:
We need a new laptop for industrial use that must have a serial port.
We use old DOS PLC software that won't work with USB to serial converters.

Can someone recommend a low cost but good brandname laptop?

Clevo.
I've got a D430S with 1 serial, 1 parallel, FDD, USB, ++++
under $2k 3 months ago.
 
R

Rod Speed

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks everyone
Port replicator - good idea but not
available for my Toshiba (Sattelite 1410)
USB to RS232 - none of them have DOS drivers

Wrong. Some of them do.
- my software must run from pure DOS, not
a DOS window. (Siemens TISoft, Step5 etc.)

And some of the USB to RS232 converters can handle that fine.
PC serial card - the one manufacturer I emailed
wouldn't give me an answer on DOS drivers

Thats just one. The price isnt that attractive tho.
 
D

Donald Johnson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Panasonic if you are prepared to spend more. Has proper serial port and
will work perfectly with DOS drivers.

The daylight screen and build quality is magic
 
T

The Real Andy

Jan 1, 1970
0
Better option, tell the wankers who own the shitty old 'DOS only PLC crap
software shit' to upgrade to something decent. I just told a customer to
**** off today when they asked me to fix a 15 year old piece of gear that is
no longer supported and the company who designed it no longer exists. Why?
Cause when i fix it they are going to whing about the price (paying for
obsolete parts) and when it fucks out again 3 months down the track they
will whine about the next 1k i am going to charge to fix it. Go and spend a
few k replacing it with a modern product that is more reliable and cheaper
in the long run. IF not, go **** off whinge elswehere - get with the times.
This is the shit dragging au down.
 
A

amstereo

Jan 1, 1970
0
that sort of atitude looses you customers, instead you could have suggested
a means of upgrading to new technology.

It isn't that hard to convice a customer that somthing is too old to repair
and its just throwing good money over bad.

telling a customer to '**** off' isn't going to get you anywere. the voice
of one becomes the voice of many.
 
A

amstereo

Jan 1, 1970
0
Some options don't exist for alot of bussiness types. there whole system is
set up to work in one way that the cost of changing to new systems / methods
outways the cost of getting the equipment repaired / sourced. plus inputting
records in to new software is costly and time consuming - Chemist
perscription software that runs in DOS and requires direct access to
printers - the costs of changing all this is too restrictive.
 
T

The Real Andy

Jan 1, 1970
0
amstereo said:
that sort of atitude looses you customers, instead you could have suggested
a means of upgrading to new technology.

It isn't that hard to convice a customer that somthing is too old to repair
and its just throwing good money over bad.

telling a customer to '**** off' isn't going to get you anywere. the voice
of one becomes the voice of many.

I told them to politely **** off.
 
T

The Real Andy

Jan 1, 1970
0
amstereo said:
Some options don't exist for alot of bussiness types. there whole system is
set up to work in one way that the cost of changing to new systems / methods
outways the cost of getting the equipment repaired / sourced. plus
inputting

The fact that you are runnning primitive software goes to show the calibre
of the business.

records in to new software is costly and time consuming - Chemist
perscription software that runs in DOS and requires direct access to
printers - the costs of changing all this is too restrictive.

I've seen windows based software in chemists. Changing it is moving with the
times. Accept the cost.
 
L

Leon.

Jan 1, 1970
0
The Real Andy said:
inputting

The fact that you are runnning primitive software goes to show the calibre
of the business.


You have neglected to realise that siemens manufacturer industrial control
equipment.

The software he is running has to work with the equipment that is currently
installed.
eg what if they shut down a power station so that they can change the all
the equipment up to models that are configured by windows...
 
L

Leon.

Jan 1, 1970
0
amstereo said:
Some options don't exist for alot of bussiness types. there whole system is
set up to work in one way that the cost of changing to new systems / methods
outways the cost of getting the equipment repaired / sourced. plus inputting
records in to new software is costly and time consuming - Chemist
perscription software that runs in DOS and requires direct access to
printers - the costs of changing all this is too restrictive.


who said anything about POS shit ?


siemens is into industrial control.

power stations, factories, train engines, and that sort of thing.
heap big money for downtime to 'upgrade to windows'.
 
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