My Toolbox series is about my tools for working on machines, including some stories.  I’m going to talk about my tools; your toolbox will be different, but hopefully I’ll give some useful ideas.

Yeah, I’m a software guy, but as the automation software guy, I have the privilege of understanding the whole machine and making sure it is all working right.  That’s why I have a toolbox filled with mechanical tools and electrical test equipment, but I’ll start with service laptops.

Service Laptop

• I’m using Win7 64-bit on my own laptop, but Win7 32-bit is probably the best choice for a field service laptop,  since you should not need >3G RAM, and many device drivers are still not available for 64-bit Windows.
• Since almost all automation software is Windows only, you really have to use Windows.
  • Siemen’s SoftComfort Logo! development environment is a notable exception (it’s written in Java).
  • However, if you can talk to all your equipment via USB (including USB to serial converters) and Ethernet, you could use Linux or Mac OS X as your host OS and run the Windows software in a VM (Virtual Machine) with networking and USB pass through for outside access.  Or you can dual boot.
• I’m partial to Lenovo Thinkpads because of their excellent keyboards and overall quality.  Besides, most Thinkpads support using a FDE (full disk encryption) hard drive, which is a good idea when venturing out with gigabytes of proprietary information.
  • Not all Thinkpads come with with FDE drives, but it’s an affordable do-it-yourself upgrade.
  • Thinkpads are more affordable at the Lenovo Outlet, and you still get a 1 year warranty.  If an older Thinkpad is good enough, and a shorter warranty is OK, then TigerDirect often has great deals (<$400) on off-lease Thinkpads.
• Of course there are plenty of other good possibilities.  My advice is always get a business class laptop; I’ve seen way too many problems with consumer laptops.

Don’t forget the cables

• I typically bring along an extra RJ-45 cable, a standard DB9M/F serial cable, USB extension cable, USB A to micro-B cable, Panasonic FP0 serial cable, and USB to serial port converter (since my laptop doesn’t have a serial port).
• I normally don’t bring along all the special serial stuff, like null modem (laplink) cables, DB9/DB25 cables, and assorted gender changes.  I’ve only needed something weird once in the past 5 years.

Other Computer Hardware

• A 4G or larger USB memory stick.
  • I frequently have to transfer files without using a network.
  • If you work with really old computer systems, a USB floppy drive would be useful.
  • Don’t forget the memory stick!  Always remember to put it back in your bag or pocket.
• 3G/4G wireless is a nice option, so you can access the internet to research problems, download files you forget to do earlier, and such without needing access to the customer’s network.
  • On the other hand, 3G is another monthly fee (typically $40-$80/month in the US) for a service that’s typically not often needed.  If AT&T does complete its acquisition of T-Mobile, expect prices to go up.
  • Pre-paid (from Virgin Mobile and others) gives the option of paying only when needed, but pre-paid is more expensive for heavy data use. Walmart probably has the best pre-paid deal: $20 for 1G for 1 month.
  • Another option is tethering (via USB cable, Bluetooth, or WiFi) to a cell phone with 3G/4G.  However, tethering usually adds another monthly charge (often about $15) on top of the data fee.

I was having weird problems trying to run CoCreate PE on my Thinkpad: sometimes CoCreate would complain that the display resolution had changed, the model would disappear all the time (just from moving the mouse around), and such.

My Thinkpad has an Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics chip (also known as the Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset).  It’s not the greatest mobile chipset, but I was more interested in a small laptop with long battery life, and the laptops with mobile Quadros (e.g. Lenovo W700) are large, heavy, and have short (OK, normal) battery life.

Anyway, I found a tip via the CoCreate Users forum: turn off hardware graphics acceleration by setting the SDPIXELFORMAT environment variable to SOFTWARE; detailed instructions are here.  So far after making this change, CoCreate has been stable, and speed is still fine.

By default, the middle button on my Thinkpad’s  Trackpoint is set to a proprietary scroll mode.  This proprietary scroll mode doesn’t work in many applications (although sometimes changing config files can fix that), but the real problem is that I need the Trackpoint to act like a three button mouse.

For example, in CoCreate PE, I need all three buttons to easily manipulate the model: Ctrl+Right mouse button pans, Ctrl+Left zooms, and Ctrl+Middle rotates.

At least in Windows Vista, the Trackpoint configuration page  is not a model of clarity, but after some googling and playing around, I’ve found two configurations that make the  center Trackpoint button work like the middle button of a 3-button mouse.

The TrackPoint setup is a page on the Mouse Control Panel applet.

Trackpoint Setup

The first configuration is to select Neither for the Choose Scrolling or Magnifying Glass Functions.  Then the middle Trackpoint button works like a middle mouse button, but there is no extra scroll mode.

The second configuration is to select Scrolling for the Choose Scrolling or Magnifying Glass Functions, then press the Settings button, and select Smooth for the Scrollling Type. This is my favorite, since I can use the center button  both as a third button, and also to scroll horizontally and vertically.

Center Button settings