On board computer

muskeke

Northern Dancer
Here I go again. Just got the back up cam question answered and solved (take it in early Monday morning to have installed before our trip starts on Wednesday. Good timing.

New question I want to carry a lap top computer with me. In order to do that I'll have to buy one before my trip. What all do I need to operate a lap top inside our 5th wheeler?? Suggestions, advise, how to, etc.

You all solved my back up cam problem within one day, hoping for the same speed and excellent advise this time around.

Sharron
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
We're using a Toshiba Qosmio. We got it because it's loaded with Windows Mediaworks so we can record TV. We have the Cingular unlimited data service for internet connection. Cingular provides an aircard that plugs in to give you the connection. That's all you need for the computer.
In addition we have a HP scanner and an Epson printer.
Jim
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi Sharron,

Glad we were all able to contribute to your backup camera solution.

Many of us may have input for you on the laptop. I see Big Blue has already weighed in. Jeff may too.

For operating the laptop in the cab of the truck (for map viewing, Internet, etc.), you'll need to power it. Two choices are a small inverter and a DC a DC power cable. I use the small inverter. It's a small one that plugs into a 12 volt DC socket and as a standard 110 volt AC house receptacle on the other end. Mine is a 75 watt unit and I paid about $25 for it. The DC adapter route is also good. Plug the DC adapter into a 12 volt DC socket and the other end into your laptop. You'll need the DC adapter for your specific brand and model of laptop for the right voltage, pin polarization and connector size/style.

For operating the laptop in the trailer, when on shore power (AC), you'll recharge the laptop using it's supplied AC adapter/charger plugged into a 110 VAC wall outlet. When you are not on shore power, you may use either the inverter solution or DC adapter solution above as the trailer has 12 volt DC receptacles in a couple of spots.

For Internet, like BigBlue, I also have Cingular cellular (GSM) service and I have their unlimited data plan. To connect to the Internet from my laptop, I use a program on my cell phone (a PalmOne Treo650) called PDANet and the companion to that program on my laptop. I connect the phone to the laptop either using my USB sync cable or Bluetooth (wireless). I tap the application on my cell phone and it automatically connects my laptop to the Internet at about 2 to 3 times dial-up speeds.

There are other ways/phones that will allow you to get online as well as satellite Internet solutions.

I have a scanner and a printer (my old ones) in my trailer but have yet to use either of them. I plan to only keep the printer in the trailer. The scanner is their for a website project that is on-hold for the summer).

Best of luck to you and if you are not getting the answers you are looking for, please give us more specifics as to what you are trying to do.

Take care,

Jim
 

muskeke

Northern Dancer
Many Thanks Again

Hi Big Blue and Jim,

Thank you for your excellent advise. I'm off on Monday to Future Shop, Radio Shack and all the other places to try and mimic your setups. There is a method to my madness. If I can hook up to my computer in this way, I can actually get paid for some of the hours I'm away from my office. Since I work basically as an Aboriginal advisor to Correctional Service Canada, if I can stay in touch and they need my services, I can charge for that time. A couple of hours every other day will pay for our trip. Hooray!!!

I love this web site. While I will look in to other web sites, I find this one the easiest to use, the best informed for my needs and the friendliest people. Now if I can figure out how to down size the pixels in my pictures I will soon be adding a picture of all we're doing.

Great work on this site guys. Keep up the good work for all of us who are just learning. Like you, many of us put out some big bucks for our rigs, having people like you available to help, makes that investment all the more enjoyable. Takes away the stress and makes RVing the fun adventure it was meant to be.

Sharron
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi Sharron,

Thanks for the kind comments regarding this site. RV.net has a ton of forums with a couple hundred thousand users. You may get some great information there too. But as you've found, with only 200 members on this site today, we're a small intimate bunch - and most of us ready to help each other out.

If you have no image editing software to reduce your image size and are using a Windows operating system, try this:

1. Right-click on the image and from the menu that opens up, select "Open with..."
2. From the "Open with..." options, select "Paint". Paint is a standard program that comes with most versions of MS-Windows
3. When the image file opens in Paint, from the menu bar in Paint, select Image, then select Stretch/Skew... From the Stretch/Skew window, change the Width and Height of the Stretch to 50%. Don't change the Skew. Using 50% is just a suggestion. I took a picture on a 5 mega-pixel camera and used 50%. I reduced the file size from about 2 mega-bytes to under 100 kilo-bytes. A huge reduction and well under the 500 KB file size limit we have set for the forum. Once you reduce the image size, you will need to save the reduced file. I suggest that you DO NOT do a File Save. Instead, do a File Save As, then add something to the end of the filename like _sm to indicate it is the reduced file. This way, you have preserved your original full-resolution file for future use.

Best of luck and if you cannot get it reduced, email it to me and I will reduce it and either add it to a post that you designate or email it back to you reduced.

Give it a try.

Jim
 
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