Need help on new laptop

[ttichy]

I've had Dell latitudes for a while. My current laptop is D630 and my next laptop will be a Dell as well. No frills, serial port, haven't had any troubles.
one word of caution: haven't been able to make the 1784-PCD card work.

 

[ndzied1]

How many of you would consider a netbook? I am somewhat enamored of the Asus Aspire series (1 G Ram, 160G HD, 8.9" screen).

It seems to appeal to my Control Cabinet Anorexia...

TM

I have a Dell Mini 9 w/ Ubuntu for the kids. They also have versions w/ XP.

I have considered taking it out in the field when I had to hook up to a bunch of equipment that each had their own web page interfaces but I also had to do some serious programming so I took my 15" Sager instead.

I don't think these could be considered for serious PLC work. The screen is so small you could only see part of a large rung at a time. Might work out for small changes and simple diagnosis stuff but definately not for major changes or development.

Also, if you are used to working on a decent machine, the lack of speed could be a real frustration. Of course, the portability is unmatched!

 

[TheStarr]

I think the big issue with Vista is that it is new and uncharted territory. I have a Toshiba with Vista and after about 1 year, it started to get bogged down. I was never real happy with the Vista interface so I reformatted with XP.

A good analogy would be the difference between a regular daily driver and a high end sports car. The daily driver does everything you need reliably and does not need any special skills to operate efficiently.

The sports car has the ability to be highly tuned for your specific application and greatly out perform the daily driver. But if you don't know what you are doing, you have tons of options to tune incorrectly and it is going to seem like a horrible car to you.

So if you want a tried and true, easy to operate "Daily Driver", stick with XP. If you feel confident enough to take the wheel of a highly tunable interface then go with Vista.

Personally, my job is working on machines, not working on my computer to go work on machines. So I prefer XP.

 

[PLC newbe351]

Hi guys

You were all a big help before.

So this is what they want to get me.

Lenovo LVO TS TP R500 P8400 160GB 2GB XPP.
Mfg#: LVP-27175GU

Never heard of it, what do you all think?

Thanks,

 

[PLC newbe351]

(First one was a little small)

Hi guys

You were all a big help before.

So this is what they want to get me.

Lenovo LVO TS TP R500 P8400 160GB 2GB XPP.
Mfg#: LVP-27175GU

Never heard of it, what do you all think?

Thanks,

 

[caddymac]

No experience with it, but here's a review: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4596

Looks like no serial port

 

[timbo_uk]

My boss is pretty mutch letting me pick what i want as long as i don't spend to mutch money. Main thing i will be running S7, Win CC flex And starter. Wonder what operating system they will like best?

Have you had a look at the Field PG? Pricing is actually reasonable if you take into account an upgrade of all your siemens software and transfering the license over.

http://www.automation.siemens.com/simatic/programmiergeraete/html_76/produkte/varianten.htm

I have the previous (Premium)version. Very very well built, and not had any trouble with it in 3 years!

It has a real serial port, and it will use the cheaper PG
version of the S5 cable, plus built in MPI port.

We use ours on S5, S7, AB SLC500/Micrologix, Mitsubishi, Omron etc. The machine is loaded wit PLC software etc, and all runs ok

The SIMATIC Field PG M2 is available in two versions:

PREMIUM

2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor

Multi-standard DVD RW

15" SXGA+ display (1400x1050)

200 GB S-ATA hard disk

1x 2 GB DDR2 RAM (2x 2 GB max.)


Just dont tell the boss that there are two versions
ie just spec the premium unit!

The SIMATIC software is ready installed on the Field PG M2 and can be enabled by means of a license key:

Trial License
- STEP 7 Professional
- WinCC flexible AdvancedEach Field PG M2 comes with a license that is limited to 14 days.Upgrade License
- STEP 7 Professional
- STEP 5
- WinCC flexible AdvancedContinued use of existing software licenses following replacement of "old" PG hardware.Powerpack License
- STEP 7 Professional
Upgrade License
- STEP 5
- WinCC flexible AdvancedUsers who use SIMATIC S5, SIMATIC S7 and SIMATIC HMI and who wish to upgrade from STEP 7 to STEP 7 Professional.Floating License
- STEP 7 Professional
- STEP 5
- STEP 7-Micro/WIN
- WinCC flexible Advanced
- incl. EPROM adapter and
- S5 PLC cable Users who use SIMATIC S5, SIMATIC S7, engineering tools and SIMATIC HMI.

 

[rdrast]

Relatively new Dell Latitude E6500 Widescreen here, with the mini-docking station for when I absolutely MUST have a real serial port, though I've found the Keyspan USB adapter works for almost everything.

If you actually do any programming, or HMI work, I advise getting the biggest (in terms of pixel count) screen you can find... It's a real pain editing an HMI when you can't see the full screen at a time, this one is 1920x1200, so I can work on all of our HMI displays (standardized at 1280x1024, but that will be changing I'm sure) easily.

 

[rta53]

(First one was a little small)

Hi guys

You were all a big help before.

So this is what they want to get me.

Lenovo LVO TS TP R500 P8400 160GB 2GB XPP.
Mfg#: LVP-27175GU

Never heard of it, what do you all think?

Thanks,

My guess is that it is cheaper than the Dell, but for my use I wouldn't want it. We have both D830 and D630 we use for programming and they work well.

 

[gbradley]

I've been using a Lenovo T61 for a couple of years now.
It's the best Laptop that I have ever had. Battery life is still good today.
I usually keep it plugged in, but if I have to go out on the floor, searching for a 110V receptacle is never a concern.
I like the Fingerprint doohickey.

 

[AndEdtec]

For information my laptop is a toshiba Tecra M9 running XP and has a serial port.

 

[panic mode]

my only problem with small units (including 14" laptops) is poor display resolution.
i want at least 1000 pixel vertically. the most compact laptops that offer this are 15" size.

the other thing i look for is keyboard layout. i don't want to have to get used to some stupid arrangements,
i want my enter, space, control, arrow keys, and 6-pack of pgup/pgdn/home/end/insert/delete to be in same place as on desktop.
what is the point in buying product with awkward keyboard layout for something that is used 2 years (3 at most)?
the miniature units (like sub-14 inch) do work nice but the keyboard is too small. i don't want miniature notebook
if i have to carry full size external keyboard (but that's just me).

i also want something that has easy to find spares (keyboard, battery, DVD burner, display) - just in case.

for me also built in serial port is a plus (a must if it's used for work).

so far Dell D800 series did awesome job with this. my current machine is M4300 and next one will probably be M4400.

D600 series is very similar to D800, only smaller form factor (14") and display resolution.
i see off lease or refurbished D630 units for $300 in just about every computer store (talk about popular model).

another thing is that all those models have great battery run time and don't heat too much.
HP Pavilion used by my wife had battery replaced after only 8 months and motherboard died twice (heat stroke).
i don't see myself bying 'consumer' machine regardless of brand.

 

[timbo_uk]

my only problem with small units (including 14" laptops) is poor display resolution.
i want at least 1000 pixel vertically. the most compact laptops that offer this are 15" size.

Thats what I love about the premium PG unit!

 

[hsroomi]

go for xp, otherwise you wil be facing some plc softwares compatibility issues... and prefer for the laptop which has a serial port.....

 

[abn015]

Hi guys,

I am at the point now that i can ask the company for a new lap top.

The one i have now is slower than (you know) and memory is maxed.


But as the name implies i am new and have never spec'd a computer for programming.

What to you guy's ask for out of a good programming computer?

Thanks

Hi guys, just to share I'm also using a Dell D830 had to downgrade the OS from Vista to XP Pro base on system requirements of software oem. I do not have trouble on using it with S7 200 and 300 series...