[DM-MUG] PC laptop

[Matthew Nuzum]

On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 4:11 PM, Doug Blakely <treeguy at q.com> wrote:

>  I am in need of a functioning PC laptop with a dedicated 9 pin serial
> port. Adapting from a USB to 9 pin will not work for this application
> involving older software utilized for function adjustments on an aerial lift
> that is out of production.
>

Presumably the reason why you need a real 9 pin serial port is because the
voltage levels of a USB to serial adapter are not within spec. This is
common, instead the voltages are close enough for most purposes and work
fine. However they don't work fine for some devices that depend on the
negative voltages provided on a conformant serial port. If that is the case
then almost no laptop made in close to recent times will satisfy your needs.

It just so happens that I have a Dell Latitude D420 with a media base for
sale and the media base has a 9 pin serial port. Again, if it's the voltage
levels you need I don't know that this will help you. I had it listed on
craig's list for $550 but I think it was priced too high. Instead I'm about
to re-list it for $450. If you want to give it a try to see if it will work
for your needs you're welcome to it, and if it works then you can buy it.
The media base is a small slice with extra ports that attaches to the bottom
of the computer. It's detachable so you can leave it on your desk if you
want to travel light. With the media base detached it's pretty comparable to
a Mac Book Air in size and performance.

Here are the details:

Dell Latitude D420 Ultra Portable Dual Core Laptop with Extended Battery &
Docking StationTHIS IS A PREMIUM COMPUTER IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH ALL
THE EXTRAS. They don't sell anything like this in Best Buy.

I have a new computer so am parting with my trusty Latitude. It's a great
computer if you move around. The computer is in tip-top shape w/ a recently
replaced hard drive and a brand new keyboard. It will feel like brand new.

Screen is in great condition, no scratches or dead pixels

Battery gets a healthy 4 - 5 hours of life in airplane mode (wifi off,
screen dimmed) - that's when it's running Linux, supposedly Win XP has even
better power management so maybe you'll get even better performance.

My favorite features:

   - Very light-weight. 3.5 lbs w/ extended battery
   - Easy to carry around
   - Docking station/media bay - leave it on your desk w/ your cables
   plugged into it and undock while on the go
   - Extra power cord - the default clunky power adapter is included as well
   as the "Slim auto/air/ac adapter" which is much more portable and works in
   cars and airplanes. Both adapters work w/ foreign power supplies.
   - Dual core cpu - once you've had a dual core you cannot go back. It's so
   uncommon for the computer to freeze up because something is using up all of
   your CPU

About the Intel Core Duo ULV processor

Like the Mac Book Air this lattitude has the "ULV" series of CPU. They're
designed for lower power usage so that you get longer battery life. It has
all the benefits of a core duo. Including virtualization support, so you can
run Windows or Linux in a virtual machine at full speed. The click is 1.2GHz
which sounds slow but these cpus are actually quite fast. I think they have
extra cache on the cpu.

This computer has the full Intel 965 / centrino chipset including the 3d
decelerator. It's got business quality 3d graphics. Games run fine, not
super. In Linux 3d acceleration works great. Presumably Vista would as well.

About Operating System (XP, Linux, Ubuntu)

I use Ubuntu. I've never used XP on this computer but it does come w/ a
valid certificate of authenticity and serial number on the bottom for XP
Professional. I'll include a copy of the XP pro CD. However the computer
ships with Ubuntu pre-installed. Because this is a business grade Latitude
computer Dell offers superb support for installing and customizing Windows.
You can find all the necessary software and drivers on their support
web-page. There is a number on every dell computer - just enter it on the
dell support site and you'll get everything you need - manuals, drivers,
updates, help, etc.

The Screen

12" widescreen high def (720p) at 1280x800 resolution. Works great.
Non-glare. It's getting harder to get non-glare screens and my new laptop
does not have it. I miss it sorely. Laptop has VGA out, docking station has
VGA + DVI outputs. Works great with projectors. Excellent for presentations.

Problems with this computer

There are none. Screen is excellent. Case is excellent. Keyboard was just
replaced because I broke a key off it. I've only used the computer w/ the
new keyboard twice and it feels like brand new. Battery is still good and
has about 4 - 5 hours of life in it. A new extended capacity battery will
give you 6 - 7 hours of life so it is diminished from it's original
capacity. The screenshot attached below shows powertop, the Ubuntu power
management tool, showing the power usage and expected battery life. This is
in airplane mode of course... wireless disabled, screen dimmed slightly.
You'll get 3 hours of life running lots of apps, screen fully bright and
wifi on.

Full list of features

   - 2GB of RAM
   - Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Intel Core Duo 1.2GHz cpu (like the macbook
   air)
   - 160GB hard drive (the largest you can get in the 1.8" format) - drive
   is less than 6 months old so should last a while
   - Wifi built in (802.11 G)
   - Extended capacity battery (gets about 4 hours of battery life - see
   attached image)
   - Very very light weight system 3.5 lbs w/ the extended battery - my fav
   feature
   - 2 power adapters - one full size, one slim auto/air/ac. Leave one
   plugged into your docking station on your desk, use the slim one for travel.
   - Smart card reader
   - SD card reader
   - Docking station w/ DVD/CD burner
   - Intel 965 chipset/graphics
   - USB Bluetooth
   - New keyboard
   - Touch pad and pointing stick navigation, use which ever you like
   - Windows XP Pro sticker on bottom of computer, copy of the XP pro
   install CD included
   - Runs Ubuntu great - Ubuntu is pre-installed - 3d accelerated graphics
   work good
   - The Intel CPU supports virtualization capability so you can run an
   Windows in Ubuntu or Ubuntu in Windows w/ no performance penalty
   - Expansion slot and SIM card slot for mobile broadband so that you don't
   have to have a usb device hanging off your computer if you use mobile
   broadband - you will have to find your own card that works w/ your carrier
   though
   - Lots of ports - laptop has vga, sound, ethernet, firewire, modem (never
   used that) and several USB. Docking station adds serial, parallel and DVI



-- 
Matthew Nuzum
newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin, identi.ca and twitter
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