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anthonyk

Supp/Mfg./Whole/Assoc. II
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Posts posted by anthonyk

  1. I have used Toughbooks for several years. My first was a cf-28. I sold it to buy my 29. My Cf-29 still works and I use from time to time. I also have a cf-30 that has been banged around a lot. You can drop them and throw them in the dirt and mud with not much issue. My cf-29 fell 6 stories into a dumpster by aid of a construction crew worker. The lid closed and all was intact. I was very surprised and a have been a very loyal customer since.

    I have used in my truck for quite some time. I purchased a cheaper mount. Added a GPS sensor and touch screen and a Mifi. Even setup the bluetooth to stream to my car's audio input. I take full advantage of the touchscreen as well.

    As you are planning on doing prints, I would suggest looking at all the Toughbook models. You may find some tradeoffs in price and specifics between the semi and fully rugged models. For instance the cf-54 meets the same Mil Std with lower IP rating. If you don't intend on dropping the laptop 2 stories or dropping it in a puddle of water, you may find a cf-52,53, or 54 more affordable and durable enough. If Graphics and a larger screen resolution are very important, you may also look at their semi rugged series. The 52,53,54 can't take the exact beating a cf-30 would, but they offer a better screen resolution than 1024x768 of the Cf-30. Having worked blueprints on my cf-29 and cf-30, my one complaint was always more screen.

    Hope that helps.

  2. Erik,

    I saw that one too on Linkedin. I believe one of the marketing folks for Sign Vine was stepping down publicly.

    Here is a public link if anybody wants to read.

    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-idea-didnt-work-mike-prongue?trk=mp-reader-card

    I really enjoyed the comment section on that post.

    They previously bashed the sign industry for not being technologically advanced enough.

    In the newest one...

    "Non-profits seemed to expect more of a grant than just another fund-raising campaign. So their interest level was cool at best. Then the reality is that the "crowd" tended to be the church congregation and not curious and benevolent visitors going to the site to be part of something they believed in. The anonymous visitor was not making a $20 donation to fund a Broadway play- they were helping some church they would never visit or see buy an electronic reader board. While noble, that is not very exciting. When you give your services away for 6 months and it still does not draw a crowd, it was time to reconsider."

    • Like 1
  3. , :iagree:

    Good questions and points. We had some of the same questions and tried to get the answers from them.

    It was a little troubling to see Vantage help to start a non-profit. We figured to help sell their products.

    We tried to give them the benefit of the doubt and ask about policies and procedures for how an LED sign vendor is chosen. Didn't really get an answer. We got a dance around the question.

    Looked even more shady...

    Seems if you question their integrity or motives in choosing vendors, they question your intelligence.

    We sent them some emails and tried calling to ask questions back in June. We finally received a reply yesterday.

    Their answer was a link to Prweb. (Same Article)

    http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/08/prweb12119656.htm

    Great movement. LOL.

    I saw a total of two campaigns on their site for a total of $240 raised. That seems like a real need for this type of service. 5 months of marketing for two customers. :sleeping:

  4. I have worked on several of machines in a few different shops. Most of the time with little or no budget. You have options as most manufacturers print their part number and the number of the original part manufacturer. Often you can search both sets of numbers and find the screen somewhere. There is a pretty good chance that the screen came from a small hand full of companies.

    If you have no clue on the screen, you can call a service and repair company.

    I have sent a few touchscreens to this company for repair. They have replaced one and repaired two. The repairs were less scratch than buying the replacement from the company that made the machine.

    http://www.acsindustrial.com/touch-screen-monitor-repair.php

    On a tangent, some machinery is Windows based or DOS based. Often these machines will allow for connection of a keyboard or mouse. Usually they are PS-2 or USB connections and almost always plug and play.

    P.S. Say hi to Mr. Chauncy for me.

  5. Lance,

    After talking with you it seems like you just need to get some wireless devices to re-enable communications between the computer and the sign.

    You have the right idea to test the theory. Get a long Cat5 cable that you can run from the computer directly to the receiving card in the sign. 300m is the longest length of cable that will work. Power the sign and computer off and back on after connecting the cable. If you get a signal on the display you will know that the only issue is the communications devices between. Let me know what you find out. If you need further assistance, you have my numbers. Hope that helps.

    Link to what I believe is the Alcon devices manufacturer. In India and Taiwan.

    http://alconwireless...in/wireless.php

    http://www.alcon.tw/home.htm

    Link to the vendor that I have used for wireless communication devices. These are an alternative if you cannot match the ones in place. They are true outdoor antennas.

    http://www.caymanwir...71876-ns2l.html

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