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I am looking to buy a Toshiba Libretto mini laptop to use with my scantool and other such programs/features in the future. What model should I be looking for, and with what specs/operating software?

Vrg3?

Your scantool?

From what I understand, most laptop-to-car interfaces seem to use a serial port, so I'd say to make sure you have one of those. My scantool uses a parallel port, so you'd probably want one of those too.

I would imagine that most of the stuff out there is meant to run in Win32 environments, and that Windows 98 would do most of the time.

For what it's worth, I use a Libretto 50CT to work with my wideband oxygen sensor (with my own homebrew stuff that runs under Linux) and to run my scantool (which runs under DOS).

Watch out, newer laptops won't have serial OR parallel ports right on them. You'll have to get a USB->Parallel product in order to use Vikash's scantool. On top of this, unless the laptop can recognize and configure the USB parallel port completely with it's BIOS (not likely), you'll probably need to run a DOS emulation within Windows to have access to the port.

I just kept an eye on the trash at my old apartment complex, at the end of the month you'd be surprised with what people throw away. 'S where I got my scantool DOS-only laptop.

I don't think a USB-to-parallel adapter can work with my scantool. I don't think my scantool can work within Windows.

vrg3 wrote:Your scantool?.

Sorry, I mean your scantool. Its just that "I" was using it.

Oh. You got me all excited.

Actually, if you're considering the 50CT, consider the 100CT instead; it can charge its battery while it's running.

You can actually run a 50CT or 100CT right off the car's electrical system when the car is running, too... The ~14 volts DC is good enough.

vrg3 wrote:Actually, if you're considering the 50CT, consider the 100CT instead; it can charge its battery while it's running.

Good to know, does 100CT have the proper ports required for "your" scan tool.

You can actually run a 50CT or 100CT right off the car's electrical system when the car is running, too... The ~14 volts DC is good enough.

Also good to know

Oops, hold up! This whole time I've been talking about the 100CT I actually meant the 70CT. Sorry.

Both the 50CT and 70CT have the necessary parallel port for my scantool, but you need to use either the port expander or docking station.

I actually have a kind of neat setup. I took a little plastic cutting board I got at the dollar store and cut it to fit in the cupholder slot in the dash. Then I attached a port expander to it with self-adhesive Velcro.

So now I can stick that in my dash in place of the cupholder and attach my Libretto to the port expander (which holds itself to the Libretto with two mounting thumbscrews). Like with my ice-water intercooling setup, I can't believe we didn't take any pictures of it at the last Shootout.

The only problem is that there's no shockproofing, but with my scantool it's that that big a deal because my scantool shuts the hard drive off after it starts up.

The 100CT is a bigger computer than the 50CT or 70CT. I don't know much about it but on paper it looks like it'll work fine too, also with a port expander or docking station.

Vikash, you're the king of jury-rigging. A cup-holder-mounted docking station for a laptop and a parallel port? Awesome. You just cut the cutting board to the right size and it stays in the cupholder mount? Or did you have to shape it right to get it to stay in there?

stipro -
If you're still considering the purchase of a new laptop, though, I'd seriously consider looking at models that come with a parallel port built right onto the unit itself; docking bays are an extra cost and a PITA... and if you wait too long after buying your laptop the docking bays are no longer available for your model.

Just food for thought.

14V system might be an advantage though; my laptops are all 18-19VDC. I had to build a voltage kicker circuit to power them off the car's system.

You know, used laptops on eBay are probably your cheapest bet for units with parallel ports built right in. If you're patient you can nab one for under $100 or so.

I basically just cut it to the right width. It was already pretty much there, so I was really just shaving it until it was a snug fit.

The Libretto is meant to run off 16 VDC. It just happens to do okay with 14. In fact, it'll actually run happily off 12 volts, if you first kick it up a little higher to trigger its "external power" mode. I can start my engine, plug in my Libretto, and then shut off the engine, and the Libretto will happily run off my car's battery.

Most 50CTs and 70CTs should come with port expanders; they did from the factory. They just made them removable parts so that the Libretto itself could stay small; it's barely the size of a VHS tape.

Ahhh... OK I see now. Didn't realize the Libretto was such a tiny little guy. That makes sense now.

Yeah, I'd noticed that the higher voltage was only necessary to kick on the laptop, and then it would stay on with it's battery out and the car shut off.

I want to create a laptop mount for my ASUS Sonoma, but it's a bit bigger. No matter how distracting it would be driving down the road, having my laptop with the PCMCIA GPS rigged to Google Earth and my cell modem would be freaking ultimate.

Vikash, would this be appropriate?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Toshiba-Libretto-70C ... dZViewItem

It says it has no power supply, but you solved that already. Any thing I should look for?

P.S I guess it would be nice to know if this perticular one works

It looks pretty good, assuming it works. Doesn't come with the little port replicator, though.

You'd still probably want an indoor power supply of some type. It doesn't need much current so any old DC power supply brick that is somewhere between 14 and 16 volts at 800mA or so should do fine. The connector is a 6mm/3mm barrel connector, positive tip.

Is the port replicator specific to this model, or will any toshiba replicator work? Part#?

I think it's specific to the Libretto 50CT and Libretto 70CT.

Oh, to be clear -- The docking station that comes with it does everything you need; I was just noting that they weren't including the more compact option.

vrg3 wrote:I don't think a USB-to-parallel adapter can work with my scantool. I don't think my scantool can work within Windows.

1337 D05 skillz!!!!! h4x0rs!!!!!!11

Wow, that brings back memories.