irondesk40
Member
Wondering, which laptop is the best for programming with siemens, allen bradley, omron and other software packages?
There are several potential answers to this question. Having a native onboard RS232 port is a plus, but I'm not sure that's a realistic expectation of a new laptop anymore. I personally carry a port replicator with me and have better luck with that than USB-to-Serial adapters in general (they're not all created equal, but I've had the best luck with the Keyspan brand of USB-232 adapter).
I would pick a laptop based on these criteria:
1. Intel Core i7 processor
2. 500 GB Hard drive or more
3. 8 GB Ram or more
If you're going to have a whole bunch of different software packages all on the same machine, you're really going to want to use virtualization software like VMWare or VirtualBox. Not even all of the Allen-Bradley software plays together well, so having all kinds of different brands on the same Windows installation will not be pretty. So if you're going to do that (and you really should), then it's very important you have the horsepower to do it. I'm doing it on my laptop with 4 GB of ram right now and I'm barely getting by. You really need at least 8, 16 preferrably.
Are you going into the field a lot? If so, get a laptop with a solid state drive and save the virtual machines on a portable hard drive, loading them onto your laptop as needed.
Having been schlepping all sorts of PLC programming devices out to the shop floor or through airports for more than 35 years, I always get a chuckle when somebody complains about having to "lug a laptop".I've spent years lugging a 17-inch laptop out to the factory floor and it's just a pain.
Having been schlepping all sorts of PLC programming devices out to the shop floor or through airports for more than 35 years, I always get a chuckle when somebody complains about having to "lug a laptop".