Cybertrucker's laptop stand

[fketchum]

I was wondering if anyone uses the Cybertrucker's laptop stand.
I have a thinkpad x61t that I would like to use for navigation while driving but knowing how rough the ride in trucks can be I worry about damage to the hard drive.
Does the laptop stand reduce vibrations enough to stop the hard drive from getting damaged?
Thanks
Frank

 

[layoutshooter]

I used it for a couple of years, no problem. Now I use a hybrid stand. Half cybertrucker and half RAM mount.


What gps software are you using on your thinkpad? I HAVE to use Streets and Trips. For some reason Delorme crashes my computer.

 

[Turtle]

Hard drives are fragile things when they are powered up and the read/write head is moving about. Laptop drives (portable drives made to handle the extra stresses of being portable) are a little more robust, but it's still a matter of not if, but when the drive will fail. A drive can fail with the same shaken stresses that you'd give an Etch-a-Sketch, so you can imagine the expected lifespan of one that lives on the road in Detroit. Over the years I've lost one internal laptop drive, and 3 external drives (merely external, not portable) to the bumps of the road. I no longer move with the drives powered up, even though I now have external portable drives rather than external desktop drives. The prices of solid state drives are finally coming down to where in a few months that'll be the way to go. Nearly bulletproof.

 

[layoutshooter]

We have been VERY LUCKY with drives having never lost one in 4 years. We used a single HP for all that time. It died, screen, inverter and several things that connect them but the drive still worked. SOFTWARE is another story. We have NOT been able to solve the problem with Delorme crashing (blue screen of death) our machines. It worked perfect on the HP (xp pro) but NOT on our think pad (xp pro o/s) or a Dell with Vista. Same problem, it will run anywhere for 5 minutes to an hour and the crash the machine. Streets and Trips runs no problem on both machines. I have talked with Delorme, GlobalSat and several gps forums and no one has come up with an anwer that sloves the problem.

 

[fketchum]

What gps software are you using on your thinkpad? I HAVE to use Streets and Trips. For some reason Delorme crashes my computer.[/QUOTE]


Thanks for the lead on RAM mount I didn't know it existed. Ill research that next.

I have Street and trips and I'm experimenting with a program called StreetDeck . Streetdeck comes with a mapping software like tomtom. I just downloaded the software so I really cant comment on it yet. One thing I do like about Streetdeck is it was designed for a carputer so the interface is designed with large buttons that work well with a touch screen like my X61t has. I'm also using a Holux M-1000 GPS that connects via bluetooth.
I'm really close to getting a SSD. the OCz drive looks pretty good $200.00 for 60 gigs. although that size drive is small by today standards
Thanks
Frank

 

[layoutshooter]

Thanks for the tip on Street Deck, I will check that out. I used to sell tons of RAM mounts for boats/motorcyles and snowmobiles. They make mounts for all kinds of toys, electronic or otherwise.

When I was looking to spec a computer I was looking at an 80gig ss. It added $250 to the price. Since I only use about 40gigs on my hard drive it would do me just fine. I want to beat the Delorme problem. I hate losing to computers.

 

[fketchum]

I just had the Streetdeck running and it uses Navteq navigational software. Has anyone heard of that before and what are your opinions?

 

[fketchum]

We have been VERY LUCKY with drives having never lost one in 4 years. We used a single HP for all that time. It died, screen, inverter and several things that connect them but the drive still worked. SOFTWARE is another story. We have NOT been able to solve the problem with Delorme crashing (blue screen of death) our machines. It worked perfect on the HP (xp pro) but NOT on our think pad (xp pro o/s) or a Dell with Vista. Same problem, it will run anywhere for 5 minutes to an hour and the crash the machine. Streets and Trips runs no problem on both machines. I have talked with Delorme, GlobalSat and several gps forums and no one has come up with an anwer that sloves the problem.

I just did a quick search on Delorme crashing and nothing really came up in any of the fourms. That makes me lean towards hardware, was there any hardware common to both computers. I.E. Memory taken from the first computer to upgrade the second?

 

[bobwg]

Hello might want to check out Panasonic Toughbook: Tough Stories they look like they would hold up well in trucks and expediters, they are a line of laptops made by panasonic alot of police and other government agencies use them in government cars and trucks . looks like they have a line available for civilian business use not sure what the cost difference is but then again if you figure the cost of a regular computer and then the cost of repairing it after it breaks while in your truck or van maybe the price of these is worth it? anyway just a suggestion have a great day

 

[fketchum]

Before I picked up my thinkpad I looked at the tough books and that would be a good choice but they were out of my price range. They do have some nice options like touchscreen and back lit keyboards but just to expensive. I figured I would get a SSD and take care of most of my worries.

 

[EagleRiverWI]

I used one that I bought with my Qualcom stand from PJ's in Canton, OH. It was just a tray on a straight pipe above the QC and mounted to the floor. After setting the computer up there once for a few seconds, I moved it to the passenger seat for the next 3 + years. The seat is a better shock absorber than a straight pipe. The only problem is heat so I got a Targus cooling pad.
I found these on EBAY and they are a lot cheaper than truck stop models
laptop computer stands, great deals on Computers Networking, Home Garden on eBay!

 

[layoutshooter]

I just did a quick search on Delorme crashing and nothing really came up in any of the fourms. That makes me lean towards hardware, was there any hardware common to both computers. I.E. Memory taken from the first computer to upgrade the second?

NO conections between the new computers and the old one. It is crashing for me on a Vista AND an XP machine. Both have ample processors, RAM etc. Delome says that there is NO reason that it should not run on either machine. This is driving me nuster than I normally am!!!!

 

[fketchum]

NO conections between the new computers and the old one. It is crashing for me on a Vista AND an XP machine. Both have ample processors, RAM etc. Delome says that there is NO reason that it should not run on either machine. This is driving me nuster than I normally am!!!!

Thats a tuff one. I know problems like that have keep me up late many times. Sometimes its better to just put it away.
Does Delome have DRM or do you install then put in a serial # then run it with out the install media? If that's the case maybe you could try installing with different media if you haven't tried that already. Just a thought

 

[MentalGiant]

Layoutshooter, every time you get the blue screen of death, there is a error code that goes with it. Next time it happens, if possible, write down that code, then do a search for it on google or what ever search engine you use. Here is one example of a place that tells you what some of the error codes mean and might be able to help you correct the problem.

Windows XP Blue Screen of Death STOP Codes

 

[layoutshooter]

Layoutshooter, every time you get the blue screen of death, there is a error code that goes with it. Next time it happens, if possible, write down that code, then do a search for it on google or what ever search engine you use. Here is one example of a place that tells you what some of the error codes mean and might be able to help you correct the problem.

Windows XP Blue Screen of Death STOP Codes

I am running Delorme now. I have run it with 2 different versions, 08 and 09. Now I have changed a couple of things to see if that works. I have assigned a COMPORT AND a processor AND rasised the processor priority. Next I will try incense and a voodoo doll. I HOPE to stop the blue screen from going away, asuming that I get it again AND I am sitting here when it happens to get the codes etc.

 

[MentalGiant]

Delorme is good. Never had a problem on XP with them. Never tried it on Vista though, since we don't use our notebooks for GPS any more.

 

[RETIDEPXE]

Wondering if Layshouter ever solved the Delorme blue screen issue? We have the 2008 version and will lock-up once in a great while. If you have not already, you might try going to Options>GPS Settings and within the "When Tracking" box, scroll down and uncheck the "Show GPS bread-crumb trail". We had some issues before doing this, we also have to go to Start>All Programs>Delorme and clean out the GPS Logs and Map files folder every so often to keep our computer running at optimal speed. Running Vista on a stock Dell Inspirion 1751. Looking at the 2011 Street Atlas USA 2011 Plus, wondering if anyone has tried it out yet??
As for a stand, I retrofitted a homemade plumbing pipe stand I purchased on ebay. I took the ashtray out of my M2 and found just above the hole is some nice sturdy metal framing where I drilled/bolted up the iron threaded base plate upside down, threaded in the plumbing pipes at various extensions and 45 degree angles to the contour of the dash and out several inches, ends with another upside down threaded base. The ebay stand came with a cheap plexi glass base that broke soon after so I replaced it with a nice 1/2 inch thick plexi glass Buick award plaque I had won for throwing an alternator on a Roadmaster afterhours, but that's another story/life.
The Inspirion has been working flawless there for some 300,000 miles now, with a velcro strap around it to hold it on, makes for easy removal. The stand swings left to right nicely with it's own built in amount of suspension when the roads get rough, taking the shock out of the computers resting point, and nothing below to stub your toes on except the wood console we have for our QC and storage basket below, and the QC cradle is mounted on drawer slides for ease in pulling out to read/remove from the cradle when needed.

Retidepxe