RogerN wrote:
Looking for a laptop for controls programming (PLC's, Drives, module
configuration, etc.). I'm preferring one with a built in serial COM port as
I have heard some of the software could be difficult to make work with USB
to Serial adapters. I know these are available on some models of Dell and
some Toshiba laptops. Any recommendations for Dell Toshiba or other?

I'm looking too. My T30's harddrive crapped out while I was in the
dyno cell hooked up to the bike. *&^%^@3 ! But it has given good enough
service that I put a new drive in it. (about $250 with XP and all IBM
drivers reinstalled) I had been looking at Durabook (also called
Twinhead) as a replacement. It's about 1/2 the price of a Toughbook with
about the same specs. But they seem to have stopped offering the 9 pin
serial port as well. I'm curious to see what the recommendations are.
Loved the quote I got while looking around last week. 'all laptops are
pretty tough now' From the 18 yr old behind the counter. Obviously, we
were thinking very different things about what a rough environment is.
The 9 pin port is a priority for me as well, as the USB type adapters
don't seem to do well in an electrically noisy environment.

There is a new generation of tiny laptops with solid state memory (no
hard drives) that look interesting. But USB only for connections (other
than mouse and monitor connections).

Pete


--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
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The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)