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 Robotics / RCX / NQC / 1766
1765  |  1767
Subject: 
Re: Inexpensive portability
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics, lugnet.robotics.rcx.nqc
Date: 
Sat, 30 Apr 2005 00:15:21 GMT
Reply-To: 
{jack_lego_maniac@DIESPAMDIE.}stopspammers{yahoo.com}
Viewed: 
228 times
  
--- Rafe Donahue <rafedonahueNOSPAM@earthlink.net> wrote:
Hi all,

(This is my first post in these groups so please redirect me if this
is
not the right group.)

I do some minor dabbling with the RCX --- simple programs operating
simple machines.  I program in NQC via bricxcc on Windows XP with a
USB
IR tower.  (Does that cover all the necessary parameters?)

Suppose I make a machine, program the RCX, put everything in a box,
travel to some distant locale (maybe 5 miles away, maybe 500, it
doesn't
matter).  When I get there, I unpack my stuff and, ARRGGHHH!, my
batteries are dead and the RCX has forgotten everything.  I can
easily
put in new batteries but that does help the RCX get back to being
smart;
I need my computer for that.

What I'm needing, I think, is a laptop to take with me.  So then I
could
redo everything remotely if needed.  "Honey, I'm buying a new $2100
laptop so that I don't lose my RCX programs on my way to LUG
meetings."
  I'm thinking that wouldn't go over very well.

So, the question:  what's the least expensive way to make sure that
dead
batteries won't screw me when I am away from my trusty desktop
computer?
  Thoughts?  Ideas?  Can I do everything via my old Palm Vx?  What
are
the options?

Thank you for your input,
Rafe


Rafe,

I suggest looking on eBay for an old laptop. By old, I'm talking
P100MHz w/ 32-64MB RAM; NQC doesn't require a lot of horse-power (I'm
not sure about Bricxcc). For USB, you'll need something capable of
running Win98 (P66MHz w/ 32MB should work). I'm impatient and gave up
on bidding on a laptop; I upgraded my old laptop 486-33MHz (added 16MB
RAM, added a network card and installed Win95) instead. This method
gives you a dedicated, inexpensive machine to work from and if it zonks
out or gets swiped, you're not out a lot.

--Jack
AFOL, St. Louis



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Inexpensive portability
 
(...) Thanks for the suggestions. After seeing this one, I realized I have an old HP Pavilion N3110, 32mb RAM running Win98, sitting behind the desk, quite literally just collecting dust. I found the power cord and a serial port IR tower. After a (...) (19 years ago, 30-Apr-05, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.robotics.rcx.nqc)

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