r/toughbook • u/whitieiii • 5d ago

What toughbook comes with a serial port? (Not usb based)

What toughbook comes with a Serial Port that doesn't run on USB? I'm looking for a machine ith a 4 core cpu and I'll upgrade it with 8GB ram... I've had so many problems with anything USB to Serial i need to program some 2 way radios and can not use anything USB based it just doesn't work I've tried so many different ways..

I'll be using windows 7 on it so technically anything 4 core would work fine with 8gb of ram

6 Upvotes

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7

u/thehotshotpilot 5d ago

CF-31. I use those for ham radio. 

2

u/whitieiii 5d ago

What one do you have specifically? I'm guessing any second gen i5 or newer would be ok though

3

u/thehotshotpilot 5d ago

I have a mark 3 i think. Im not 100% sure.  why are you using windows 7? It is insecure past end of life. You really should be running Linux on a toughbook if it can't handle windows 10. There are several Linux distros that "just work" nowadays and don't require tons of tech knowledge to use. 

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u/whitieiii 5d ago

Windows only software and I'm not connecting it to the Internet just to program radios.. windows 10 doesn't work well with some older radios.. i don't want to install XP because it just is not a good fit with cpu and ram limitations on 32 bit xp and software limitations on x64/server 2003 besides windows 7 can do everything windows xp can..

3

u/thehotshotpilot 5d ago

Oh then 7 would be a good fit then. If CHIRP works, it will on Linux too FYI. No connecting to the internet = whatever OS you want. I hope you the best in getting your radio taken care of. If it is ham gear, feel free to reach out! 

2

u/whitieiii 5d ago

Thank you for that

1

u/rational_actor_nm 4d ago

64bit xp for the win sometimes

1

u/whitieiii 4d ago

Yea some software will only take advantage of 64 bit on vista or newer.. i think windows 7 64 bit is a good compromise between old and new and most compatible with everything

3

u/TA_Account028 5d ago

I have a CF-31 with an i3 processor and 4GB DDR3 RAM. I believe I saw the serial port on the back end of the laptop.

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u/whitieiii 5d ago

Ok right I'll look at that too

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u/Born_in_67 5d ago

I have a Mk5 CF-53 and a Mk5 CF-31. Both have native serial ports.

3

u/UTLforlife 5d ago

Definitely recommend the cf 31, checkout my write up on a mk 5 I did recently. Specifically got it to program any older radios or anything newer as well.

Pimp my Cf-31

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u/zap_p25 5d ago edited 5d ago

I have one on my Mk 1 FZ-55. It’s a field replaceable unit.

While not a Panasonic, the Dell Rugged I ordered at the beginning of the year had one and a USB based one.

2

u/Contrabeast 3d ago

I have a CF-29, CF-30, CF-31, and CF-19. All have native serial ports. My 19 and 29 run XP, the 30 runs 7 x86, and the 31 runs 10 x64. And yes, I connect all of them to the internet.

I also own two Dell rugged laptops. They have some awesome designs and the widescreen LCD is much more native to apps today, but are they as rugged as a Toughbook? Not really. I have a 5414 and a 7212 Tablet. The 5414 has two serial ports, and the 7212 can be connected to a docking station that also provides two serial ports. Both of my Dell's run 11 and stuck at 23H2 because they aren't compatible with 11 due to TPM, so I used Rufus to bypass that. The Windows Updates process still verifies if the device is compatible before offering an OS update, and when it sees it isn't, the update isn't available, so I'd have to manually upgrade to 24H2 and risk losing data

1

u/whitieiii 18h ago

I'm looking for a fully rugged one but I'm thinking about maybe a smaller one I'm not sure if the 10 inch ones have 4 core cpus i might have to get a 13 inch machine.. i think i might want to stay in the second gen i7 to 4th gen i7 range.. no real benefits for anything newer

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u/Contrabeast 17h ago

The 29, 30, and 31 are all generally the same size. The 19 is much smaller and can be made into a faux tablet by turning the screen 180 degrees and latching it back down. Obviously doesn't work unless you have the touchscreen variant.

1

u/Joe_Huser 5d ago

CF-18 MK8

1

u/UTLforlife 5d ago

Also the cf 33 has a dedicated serial port on the keyboard but it is more limited, only has 1 ssd slot that can pretty much run only one OS.

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u/UTLforlife 4d ago

Oh and it cannot run any 32bit programs and windows 7 is a pain because uefi booting only.

1

u/album_iura 4d ago

I use a CF-19A with Win 7 and a CF-19Z with Win 10 for programming fire alarms, both are small and work great, both have serial ports.

1

u/rmich18 3d ago

I have a MK1 FZ-55 with one. I use it all the time and have never had a single issue (and I’m running win11) 8th gen i5, 16gb ram, 1tb ssd.