Lap top recommendations?

Ask any questions relating to the PicoScope hardware or kit contents here.
If you have any questions prior to purchasing the kit post them here.
Basil
OneWave
OneWave
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 9:01 pm

Lap top recommendations?

Post by Basil »

May I ask what is recommended for a lap top specification for 2 and 4 channel automotive `scopes? Not necessarily the ultimate, just a reasonable spec' to give totally adequate performance. Am I right in thinking using a PCMCIA USB2 card on an older lap top with only USB1 ports may not successfully work, in so far as it may not power the `scope up?

Thank you.

Alan
Pico Staff Member
Pico Staff Member
Posts: 264
Joined: Thu May 25, 2006 8:02 am

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by Alan »

Hi,

Any laptop that can comfortably run Windows XP or above will be OK provided its USB2.0.

Any laptop with only USB1.1 is likely to be very old and to be honest a $200 netbook with USB2.0 will probably be a better use of your time and money than trying to upgrade.

My personal advice for workshop use is to either go cheap so you dont get too upset if it gets dropped on a concrete floor or go expensive and buy something like a panasonic toughbook so that it bounces when dropped. If shopping on a budget for a toughbook, keep an eye on ebay for CF-18 and CF-28 (older) or CF-19, CF-29 (newer). They work best with XP or Win 7 so try to avoid Vista or Win 2000.

Alan

taho

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by taho »

Joining recommendations from alan I want to pay attention to one important point at a laptop choice. If you have a requirement for use of the laptop out of garage, for example during test a drive it is necessary to pay attention to possibilities of the screen of the laptop to display the information at on solar (day) light. In this case toughbook cf-19 or cf 30 has the considerable superiority.

Basil
OneWave
OneWave
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 9:01 pm

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by Basil »

Thanks for the advice, I think a Toughbook may be the way to go, I'll have a look on Ebay and see what they are going for and decide which model I can afford. Much appreciated!

User avatar
Autonerdz
TwoWaves
TwoWaves
Posts: 387
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2002 4:19 pm
Location: Washington State USA

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by Autonerdz »

We recommend a PC with a duo core processor in the GHz range, minimum 2 gigs of RAM (more is better), and of course USB 2.0 is required. This is what you will need as a PicoScope power user.

Very capable laptops these days are fairly inexpensive. You can get half a dozen of them for the price of a Toughbook. :shock:
Tom Roberts
(The Picotologist)
Autonerdz

GRUSS
TwoWaves
TwoWaves
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 11:16 pm

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by GRUSS »

Instead of starting another laptop thread I thought I would carry on with this....

I've looked at panasonic tough books but don't seem to get much spec for your money so I've been looking at what other laptops can offer..

Would this be ok to run the 4000 series picoscope?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290651172448? ... 1490wt_922

What do you guys run?

Basil
OneWave
OneWave
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 9:01 pm

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by Basil »

If you need to use the laptop outside, as I do, my biggest problem is screen brightness, in anything other than dull conditions reading the screen is tricky. If you are lab based it's probably not an issue. I work in the motor sport field, and the latest digital dashboard displays from the likes of GEMS (www.gems.co.uk) are OLED displays. You would swear, even in direct sunlight, the displays were stuck on vinyl fakes, such is the sharpness, brightness and clarity. I am told OLED is already available in some high end Netbooks, I look forward to it appearing on laptops at a reasonable price, one day.

I am curious as to the implications of USB3 and USB scopes, is there any? Will there ever come a time when the data flow is fast enough not to have to rely on the scopes internal buffer, but instead the data streams in real time to the display and hard drive? I may be asking for the impossible, forgive me if the question is naive.

GRUSS
TwoWaves
TwoWaves
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 11:16 pm

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by GRUSS »

Any advice on laptops guys? I've been looking at 2ghz as a min spec with 3-4 gb of ram (because it's cheap to buy). Single processor or a dual core one?

The scope will be soon on it's way and I can't make my mind up on a laptop :shock:

Brian Haley
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 3:46 pm
Location: Olympia, WA - USA

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by Brian Haley »

Hi Gruss,

My shop PC has 2 Ghz dual core and 3 GB of ram running Winows 7 Pro 64 bit, works very nicely with Pico.
Brian Haley
Autonerdz.com

Basil
OneWave
OneWave
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 9:01 pm

Re: Lap top recommendations?

Post by Basil »

Whilst we are talking laptop specs, will Picoscope be utilizing USB3 for their oscilloscope products in the near future?

Post Reply