RailMaster and USB 3.0

[choralc]

I've been keeping an eye on new laptops with touch screen in case my old Vista laptop dies but I have noticed more and more that their is only one USB 2 port.

 

My question to RM Support is this:

As a few users in the forum advocate the Elite for Track control and the eLink for accessory control will there be an upgrade to the eLink and Elite to support use with USB 3?

[Chrissaf]

USB 3.0 should be backward compatible with USB 2.0. My Elite is plugged into my laptop USB 3.0 port (Windows 8.1) with no issues at all with RM. There is no particular reason I use the USB 3.0 port, it just happens to be in a more convenient location on the side of the laptop compared to the other two USB 2.0 ports.

[96RAF]

My Elite and eLink are plugged into a USB 3.0 mobo expansion card with 2 ports on my desktop with no RM problems. I used USB 2.0 cables as was not sure how the extra power pins may affect my kit. 

4 x USB 2.0 ports at the back are all taken up with the usual clutter, mouse, keyboard, printer and web-cam. 2 x USB 3.0 ports on the front are more convenient for USB sticks, etc.

[choralc]

Well that answers that, It must have been in a dream that I believed that RM only worked with USB 2 ports. Thank you kind gents for setting me straight!

[Augustus Caesar]

The vast majority of USB 3 ports are backward compatible with USB 2. I have had ONE Lenovo and ONE HP laptop for repair with different issues where a USB 3 port would not handle any USB 2 equipment I had. In the States it was stated that this HP model had a port which was definitely NOT going to work with USB 2 at all. Needless to say this machine was withdrawn and replaced with a newer model where only that socket was replaced! Only a few of those were issued in the UK.

So while you should not have any issues just beware that some sockets may not handle ALL USB 2 equipment. There are cases dotted around the net with this information but it shoulld be a rare thing now.

Just thought I should chuck that one in for anyone interested.

[choralc]

Thanks AC. HP and Lenovo are two brands I have avoided looking at because of USB issues and until I hear anything to the contrary I am not considering them unless I get a specific guarantee in writing from a sales person that I can return it if RM doesn't work on it :).

[Augustus Caesar]

Thanks AC. HP and Lenovo are two brands I have avoided looking at because of USB issues and until I hear anything to the contrary I am not considering them unless I get a specific guarantee in writing from a sales person that I can return it if RM doesn't work on it :).

I think one of the best ways to prove the software will work on any said machine is to take a few pieces of track, your laptop and RM to the shop you are buying from and ask them to set everything up so you test it all... magic!! I can imagine going into one of our big stores here in Blighty and requesting that and then get told how far you can take a run and jump!! lol

Still, I would be cheeky enough to ask and would wait for the blank looks from said staff member who hasn't got a clue what I am talking about when I ask - priceless!

[Augustus Caesar]

@choralc

Don't forget my words were simply a caveat for USB 3... you should be OK these days.

If you want certain makes of lappy I can recommend Acer, Asus and Toshiba and probably in that order... why?

From a techie's point of view these are the simplest to repair if they go wrong and are very sturdy mahines. The Acer will give you more for your bucks though and I have three very diiferent types of Acer product.. wide screen Timeline X Aspire 5820TG which is amazing. A 10.1" V5 which is excellent but has no DVD drive obviously because of its size and this is my master for a networked RM. The latest addition is Acer's 8" Iconia Tablet W1-810 which is now the slave unit but is really nice and light and simple to handle.

I have never ever had any bother with their products and the only ones I have had to repair are those with viruses or those where they have been badly used.  They rarely overheat (unless, of course, an overbuild of dust gets into the inside and blocks the exit vents for hot air but that goes for ALL laptops anyway!) and will have very sturdy sockets for your power connection and peripherals. If they offer USB 3 then you know that all those sockets WILL be backward compitable... they make sure of it.

Anyway... hope this helps but, of course, the choice is purely personal and I am sure other members will have their favourites too... but I look at it from a techies pov and also sturdiness and good design, price and only then what it looks like.

[96RAF]

I have a 17" Toshiba Quosmo which is 14-15 years old now, and still running strong on XP-Media Centre. It has twin HDD and runs in a RAID configuration as a safeguard against losing data if an HDD fails. So far all I have had to replace is the screen due to vertical lines appearing. Very reliable machine. Used almost exclusively these days for Elite updates which are few and far between.

As AC says they are robust machines, easy to take apart and work on and there is a very comprehensive workshop manual downloadable for them.

Out here dust accumulation is a real problem and all pc's and laptops have to be periodically dismantled for cleaning.

[Augustus Caesar]

I thank you for confirming some of my words RAF96. They are probably one of the easiest laptops to fix no matter the version. Hp's are similar but fall down in reliability and bad graphics chips that overheat... but that's another issue altogether.

To have your own machine for 14 to 15 years and have it still going strong is pretty amazing. One screen issue is a small matter considering what a new laptop or more repairs may have cost over that time.. so well done on looking after it and pointing out the dust thing too which is a pain. This, as you know, causes overheating if not cleaned out and could destroy the processor!

[96RAF]

My all in one HP desktop has just been apart for its periodic sweep out and its amazing the amount of crud that lodges in the cooler fins. This one has a remote cooler for the processor with a pair of real hefty copper heat transfer pipes leading from a plate on the processor to a fan box and the fins of this fan box get clogged  with very fine dust in as short a time as 6 months. Goodness knows what the dust does to my human pipes.

[Augustus Caesar]

Sometimes it is worth even taking that fan and cooler away from the processor so you can repaste the latter which will extend the life of it. Thermal paste can dry out quickly if too much heat is generated and this is especially true of laptops. Even more so the rubbish they use when these machines are first put together during manufacture. If not done then those pads dry out and can become a hardened compound which is no good at all.

Clean the lot off and repaste... do it right and it'll keep things cooler and you'll get more out of them.

RAF96... I'm sure your human pipes are OK and a good checkup at the local quacks will keep you in tip top order - so no thermals needed lol

[96RAF]

 

...and a good checkup at the local quacks will keep you in tip top order...

 

First is the langauge problem - its kind of point and posture to get their attention on the problem, followed by a shrug from them and its obvious you are outwith their english vocabularly scope, but they are great at repeat prescriptions - tell then what you want and they write a script. Most times they ask you what you want to fix the problem. Essentially the system is very good let down by bureaucracy.