Has anyone every loaded and used Loggernet on the following device? or similar device? any reports? I am looking for a small, low power, inexpensive backup for my current field laptop and this looks intriguing. I would use it via a USB/Serial converter to interact with dataloggers, radio modems etc..
http://www.dynamism.com/#Product=umid
I've used the eeepc, maybe somewhat similar, for interfacing to radios and loggers using serial protocols, but have not tried running LoggerNet on it. This device looks to have great battery life; I need to remove the battery on my eeepc to keep it from draining... I'd like to find a workable full-size keyboard (minus the special number keys), as the tiny keyboards are somewhat trying. As utility machines these things are very capable, since you can plug all sorts of usb devices into them, memory cards, etc..
My vote is for you to try this one out, and let us know how it works!
once a guinea pig... always a guinea pig!
Hello Furban :)
I have tested LoggerNet 4.0 on a Dell Mini. It runs fine. I suspect that any device that runs a standard Windows OS (full version) should load & run the software.
The two things that I would have concern with this device -- no CD/DVD drive to load LoggerNet (though you can probably find ways to get around that) and the "mini USB connector". Check to make sure that it is a host USB and not a slave, and that you can find a suitable mini-USB to serial connector that will bring out true RS232 signals.
Dana W.
My wife got one of the EE PCs, but a friend had gotten the SSD/Linux one and hated it, so she got the hard drive/Windows one. It was so buggy and slow and hung so much that I maxed out the memory, put in a bigger faster hard drive, and reinstalled WinXP from scratch. Then it was better, but was no longer a $300 netbook. Now her left trackpad button is having problems, and my previous experience with their tech support makes me want to throw it in the trash rather than try to talk to them again.
And the keyboard is too small and the screen (1024x600?) is too small (some windows are hard-coded to be a minimum size, so you can't see all of the window, though you can do this pan/scroll thing, which hurts my brain).
I got my son a Dell Mini-9 recently and turned it into a Hackintosh for him, and I can't tell if he prefers that or his MacBook, the screen is small, and the keyboard is small and the trackpad is hard to use. Sound familiar?
If you look at the progression of netbooks, they have grown from practically pocket-sized thru 7,9,10,11, and now 12" screens, from the cheapest possible Linux through WinXP and now Win7 (too many returns from people who expected Linux to be exactly like WinDoze), from $300 to the point where they are challenging the lowend netbooks on price.
Good, Fast, Cheap, pick two, right? Yeah, they are nice little toys, but I wouldn't own one on a bet.
Did I mention I got my son a GetOneGiveOne OLPC netlapbooktopthing? I can still see the olpc-mesh network when I fire up my NetStumbler clone, but I don't think he's opened the cover in months. Yeah, it's really cool, but you can't _do_ anything with it.
And we built an Artigo PC from a 'kit', a complete PC running WinDoze that's smaller than a CD-Rom drive, neat! And so slow it can't get out of it's own way, and now it's started hanging, so I decommissioned it and am using a low-end Shuttle box.
Count me disillusioned with the whole minimicropico whizbang boxes.
I messed around a little with the Ubuntu or whatever GUI on the eeeepc, but then put debian on it, left X off, and use it as little interface box, which it does very well. Set up with a no-password login, the 'm' command runs a serial terminal with capture-to-file enabled and writing to a timestamped file, so it's pretty ideal for connecting to serial devices. That includes CR1000 and CR800 loggers, at least, since they do run a simple terminal interface right off the serial port, though with somewhat limited ability to download logged data. The little computer works fine in this capacity, and is a useful addition to my field kit.
Thanks all.. for comments and suggestions. I will let you know what I try and how it works out!
FURBAN -> Kinda pricey, but Handheld's new Algiz XRW is the netbook version of Panasonic's Toughbook...
http://www.handheld-us.com/regions/us/algiz-xrw.asp
DANA -> When you said that you'd expect Loggernet to run on any standard Windows OS, did you mean on to include Windows operating systems released after the users version of Loggernet, such as Loggernet 3.4.1 running on Windows 7?
Tks,
- Brendan
LoggerNet 3.4.1 was developed to address some issues with Vista. Windows 7 is Vista, only better ;) We ran into a handful of minor issues with 3.4.1 on Windows 7, but nothing major as I recall. Anything we did find was fixed with 4.0, but 3.4.1 should be fine.
Dana W
Over the past couple of years, I have run LoggerNet 3 on a few different EEE PCs with no problems.
They have great battery life and are quick to boot and reliable. We have used them in the tropics and also at around 3000 metres altitude with no issues (often moving between the two in a short timespan with no condensation issues).
Almost small and cost effective enough to keep a spare in the toolbox!
I love my EEE PC. Works like a champ. On the road or at home on the big screen. I have used LoggerNet on it without issue for about 1.5 yrs now.
I never got LN running on eeeUbuntu, but I have run 3.4.1 through WINE on Fedora for several months now. Some parts of the GUI are little buggie, but it has surpased my expectations (running LN through WINE).