buying for a laptop

Im purchasing new laptop to be use in programming PLC(Omron, GE, AB, Mitsubishi, Siemens) and Operator Interface(Proface, Quick Panel, Data Panel, Panel View) and I can not choose for the right specs and brand. Onething all new laptop now do not have serial port. Is there available laptop on the market that have a serial port? If non Please Suggest a brand and specs of laptop and its accesories.

best regards,

Lovington B. Dela Cruz

Simply purchase a serial PCMCIA card from B&B Electronics and use it for your comunications.

It's the best way to get away from big problems. It's also very cheap... $60.

As has been stated many times Dell
http://www.dell.com
offers units with serial ports that are still reasonably priced and considered excellent systems.

I wish I had known that the serial port was an issue and not all systems did NOT have one before I purchased the Compaq I have. Its actually the companies laptop so I had to purchase thru an existing vendor (in this case CompUSA).

I went thru numerous issues pertaining to the serial port, usb adapters and pcmcia cards along with XP. IF possible obtain a system with the serial port, it will alleviate many issues that could occur. The pcmcia adapter and usb adapter is viable for some devices but not ALL. For a 2 brands (AB and Siemens) I ended up buying their PCMCIA cards and to be truthful it still isnt always a plug and play type thing.

I have over the past year alleviated the issues I have (except to upgrade Siemens S7) to work with XP but so far I have worked around that.

Do yourself a big favor, especially if dealing with DOS program and/or devices then get a system with Win2k and a serial port. They can always be custom ordered.

We reacently went through the same problem. We would prefer Toshibas, as we have about 100 and have had minimal problems. Had to go to DELL instead. They had FLOPPY, CD writer and Serial port built in and WIN2000 for about $1800. They have a cheaper model, with no serial ($1200) we also found that not all softwares work with the USB to serial adapters.

"Wouldn't it be luverly" if our venerable PLC vendors wrote programming software that is USB serial port compliant. My understanding is that it can be done.
beerchug

I recently purchased a Sony Vaio that has a genuine serial port on the back.

Hi All, this is my first post, great site!
I just purchased a Dell Inspiron 8200 (expensive), I've had for about 2 months and have not had a single problem with any of most common ladder logic and HMI programs. I have heard numerous horror stories regarding any of the laptops that did not come with a serial ports. From everything I have heard to date, it is worth the time and money to get a laptop with a serial port.

PC

I have used Dell units for over 15 years and have not had one problem with them. I have operated them in sand casting facilities with more dust then you could think of and still ticking. Cost is a little high but you sometimes get what you pay for. But, it would be nice if the PLC manufactures and PC boys got together and figured out what they all wre going to use and make changes on hardware at the same time.
GE

Hi to all.

thanks to all of you.

According to my friend in the US IBM thinkpad T30 is on sale and he is pursuing me to buy this insted of Toshiba. What do think is this ok for PLC Programming.

best regards,

lovingtn dela cruz

A laptop is just basically a hand held programmer in a fancy box. You do not need the latest fastest CPU and 3d graphics card. They may look nice but without a serial port, there is trouble or at least extra difficulty connecting to a plc.

I bought three second hand laptops for programming, from a computer fair for much less than the price of one brand new one.

All work well staright from the box.

In fact, my best and fastest laptop has trouble connecting to toshiba PLC's but the slow ones never complain.

Good point! The serial port can only run 19,200.. maybe 37.4 but that is going to limit the speed on a connection. Some of the older software and communications had problem with the high speed uarts used for buffering. Haven't seen that problem lately though. I'm a little spoiled, I use the PCMCIA card, which wasn't available back then.

The IBM T30 has RS232D. Im not familiar with this port. Is this port is compatible with PLC software using RS232 port? Im worried because if I advice my friend to buy this one and its not compatible with PLC software we had hard up to return this because he will buy this laptop in the US. Im situated here in the Philippines and I can test this laptop until It does not arrive here in the Philippines. Please help thanks.


Best regards,

Lovington Dela Cruz

Dammn them for taking away my com port I was hoping they would add another 2 or 3. The USBs are junk for serial RSlinx pic comunnications
and sometimes the PCMCIA cards wanted to configure to COM5 and the selections in the nice popup menu only goes to COM4. Don't throw away your old lapdogs, the broken hinge will hold up for a while longer.
I swap hard drives WIN2K, WIN98, WIN95 to keep the show going.

My new DELL is nice but will not always work so I carry the IBM390 lapdog for backup.The DEll only has one PCMIA slot ....shoot me again why don't you,and make sure I'm dead.Wish someone would make a computer just for us with our needs in mind.(and with good hinges).

I carry a 340MEG Microdrive for the PCMCIA and use it all the time when jumping computers and the activations need to follow( 1 license/computer). Better than swapping harddrives and works in some cameras. Cheap to!!!!

There us such an animal as a USB to serial cable.
I gots one and I has used it.