Laptop for PLC/SCADA Programmers??

Brand shouldn't matter. I know a lot of guys use Dells because of the warentee that you can buy - industrial types tend to abuse 'em. The main important component these days is getting a "real" serial port. You can find them if you look, but it's a pain to deal with PCMCIA or USB serial versions. My preference is 2000 or XP pro over Vista.

What do you mean by configuration?

halburgepramod said:
Hi Friend,

May I know which brand of Laptop and what configuration you guys prefer for PLC/SCADA programming?
 
Never used Dell, never will.

I started a new job last year and they used Dell hardware, i tried to order a standard machine via our suppliers and Dell quoted them 6 weeks delivery

I ordered an HP from stock and had it in my hands the next day.

Hence i am an HP fan !!
 
That's a fluke - it sometimes happens that a single component that you chose (like the resolution choice for the display) is backordered. I've ordered from Dell quite a number of times and they're almost always really fast.

High end HP stuff usually contains a lot of proprietary parts, so only do that if you want to standardize on HP. All brands are like that as you scale up, but I think HP is more liberal in that regard. I've had bad experiences with low end HP stuff, but low end (commoditized) Dell equipment is **** too.

I prefer Dell laptops to HP - I've used some of both. I don't know of any laptops that really stand out as stellar. I wish PC manufacturers would take some cues from Apple.

tragically1969 said:
Never used Dell, never will.

I started a new job last year and they used Dell hardware, i tried to order a standard machine via our suppliers and Dell quoted them 6 weeks delivery

I ordered an HP from stock and had it in my hands the next day.

Hence i am an HP fan !!
 
No, no fluke, tried a different model same thing, also a warranty is a great thing but what happens when the part that has failed is in the same stock situation as the parts needed to build the machine in the first place ?

Another thing that sucks is their carriage, £45 for a laptop, yeah right !!

We use their Machines as SCADA machines and got quoted 4 weeks for a monitor, went to a web retailer and ordered the same model for the same money next day.

Anyway slight Hijack there Dell rant over back OT !!
 
I dont care so much for a real serial port. For the odd occasion that I need to connect to something serially, I use a USB/serial converter.
Before you decide that a serial port is an absolute requirement, do check that it is really really necessary.

More critical for me is that there is at least one normal PCMCIA slot.
I have several PCMCIA cards that each cost more than a new laptop.

For heavy programming work, I have a stationary PC with a good screen. The laptop is "merely" for onsite work. I would hate to lug a huge laptop around because it has to be powerful enough to be everything to me. Those who get a powerful laptop, or worse - a Siemens "Field PG", usually have to live with the beast for many more years because it is so expensive.

My laptop is a plain cheap HP nc6400. I find that HP has a pretty good build quality for their standard products.
edit: My previous HP was a very small type. It was a bit flimsy compared to the normal size I have now.
 
The only reason I mentioned the serial port is because that's the only relevant feature that some laptops have and others don't. Pretty much any laptop would work fine.
 
During commissioning a plant few years back, I rested a very expensive Compaq laptop on the flat top of a vibratory hopper. It was a very noisy environment and working nearby I didn't hear the hopper start and promptly deposit my laptop 2m onto the walkway (doh), where it was then trodden on by a huge clumsy mechanical fitter.

By the time I retrieved it, it was a sorry state indeed (and I was vastly out of pocket)....since then I will use nothing for site work except Panasonic Toughbooks.
 
Lol - I don't know if even Toughbooks could resist that!

krk said:
...and promptly deposit my laptop 2m onto the walkway (doh), where it was then trodden on by a huge clumsy mechanical fitter.
btw - I absolutely hate Compaq laptops (yeah, there's a story about it that I don't even like to think about).
 
I second the Compaq nc8430 as that's what we use here at work. 3 USB ports and a serial port, good high resolution screen, 3 hours battery life (about half that with wireless on).
 

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