For interested in itx see http://www.mini-itx.com/

----------------------------------
"Homedrinking is killing Gastwirt!"
"

On Wed, 03 Nov 2004 20:54:36 GMT, "Glen \"Wiley\" Wilson"
wrote:

I lust after a ruggedized laptop like a Panasonic Toughbook, but I
can't justify the price. You can buy 2 normal laptops with superior
performance for the same price and just keep one as a spare. Or buy
just one and get one of those extended warranties that fix it no
matter *what* happens. Or, if performance is not a problem, lots of
old Pentium and Pentiuim II Toughbooks show up on Ebay for cheap.

Let software requirement drive your decision here. Corporations
"decommission" hundreds of thousands of laptops per year. You can
frequently get sleek VAIOs and sturdy Dells in the Pentium II/III
range for $300-$500, and they are bright enough to run ALL current nav
software, as far as I know.

I mean, it just has to interface with a NMEA/SeaTalk box, right?
That's not hugely difficult. If you want to run Doom 3 while sailing,
that's a different beast.

Whatever you get, do make sure to strap it down well. Even Toughbooks
don't particularly like to fly across the cabin. If you have critical
data on it, you should be more than usually diligent about backups.
An internal CD burner comes in handy for that.

Agreed. You can brace it with fiddles held with bolts and wingnuts in
holes drilled through the nav table, and secure against capsize with a
broad velcro strap.

Wetness is a function of proximity to the companionway. I have heard
of all sorts of solutions, including plastic covers with vents,
separate LCD screens and "base units", regular PC boxes buried in
lockers and wired remotely, and IR/wireless keyboards and thumb style
mouses/trackballs.

Just don't fall for "marinized" laptops...better you should buy cheap
and figure out your own solutions.

R.

On Wed, 03 Nov 2004 20:11:38 GMT, "just me"
wrote:

I need to purchase a laptop to keep on my boat while cruising and living
aboard.
I'm concerned about moisture and salt air.
Any advice and recommendations appreciated.
Thanks, Jay




I have got an IBM Thinkpad 600E that has been great. You can get one
for around $300-400 from EBay or pcretro.com in a PII model. I have a
spare I got with no HD for cheap too.

A lot of good suggestions here. Keep an eye on the power consumption --
what you can handle depends on the application, of course. I do occasional
long-distance sailing passages, have a big battery bank, 300W of solar
panels (in a non-optimum configuration), and no generator (other than the
diesel alternator) for charging, so every amp counts. I would love to put
an external LCD and keyboard on my laptop, but I am concerned that the
additional power drain would be a problem. Most chassis-based computer
systems seem to draw even more power, although it is hard to tell from the
specs. Max power is not the same as typical power drain.

-Paul
S/V VALIS -- PSC44 #16


"just me" wrote in message
news:_Xaid.361334$D%.112227@attbi_s51...
I need to purchase a laptop to keep on my boat while cruising and living
aboard.
I'm concerned about moisture and salt air.
Any advice and recommendations appreciated.
Thanks, Jay

well i've run my laptop continuosly over the last four months with a usb
gps plugged into it and a usb cordless mouse & keyboard. i only have 3
batteries & an 80w solar panel. (also run hf/vhf/radar/lights etc) i
usually have the battery removed from the laptop, use either an inverter
or a dc adaptor and the only time i ever notice a problem is if i'm
watching dvd's on it without a break between them. in your case i'd expect
the external lcd panel would be almost compensated for by having the
laptop lid closed.

cheers
bruce

On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 11:02:09 -0800, Paul wrote:

A lot of good suggestions here. Keep an eye on the power consumption --
what you can handle depends on the application, of course. I do occasional
long-distance sailing passages, have a big battery bank, 300W of solar
panels (in a non-optimum configuration), and no generator (other than the
diesel alternator) for charging, so every amp counts. I would love to put
an external LCD and keyboard on my laptop, but I am concerned that the
additional power drain would be a problem. Most chassis-based computer
systems seem to draw even more power, although it is hard to tell from the
specs. Max power is not the same as typical power drain.

-Paul
S/V VALIS -- PSC44 #16


"just me" wrote in message
news:_Xaid.361334$D%.112227@attbi_s51...
I need to purchase a laptop to keep on my boat while cruising and living
aboard.
I'm concerned about moisture and salt air.
Any advice and recommendations appreciated.
Thanks, Jay