New to me CF-31 mk2 upgrade advice

While not my first Toughbook this is definitely the newest one I have owned. I currently own a cf-29 and cf-30 that both have been and still are great rugged laptops. I would have stayed with the 30 but the usb port is getting to where it does not connect all the time. I use them to do diagnostic work on boat motors so I must have a usb port that works without question every time. So I have been watching ebay for a good buy on a 31 figuring 4 usb ports should last me a very long time and even a heavily used 31 should have at least two good ports left on it. Today I picked up a very clean (at least the pics on ebay are clean) CF-31JEGAF1M for $661. It has 7000 hours but from the pics it looks fairly pristine. It had no dvd drive so I picked one up for 50 and now I am trying to put together a game plan on the best upgrades to start with.

So where would you start? I assume memory would be the first thing. Who makes the best and what are the largest modules I can use. It looks like a mk2 will run 2 8 gigs with a 64 bit os but I would like to make sure from the experts before ordering memory and would like to hear what brand seems to work best in a 31

I have a new kingston hyperx 240gb ssd laying around that I can use for a drive. What I am not sure of is if the recovery disc will come with the machine. I seriously doubt it since it was not listed in the auction but you never know. If it does not come with one where can I find the proper recovery disc? It comes with the factory drive not sure if it has an os on it still but if so I guess I could ghost it over to the ssd. I would prefer a fresh install but I dont want to chase down drivers for the next few years

Those are the only things I can think of to upgrade but have never really read up on the 31's until today. Maybe you guys can give me some direction or point me to the info.

Thanks

 

I have a CF-31 JE***** here some place 10K hours and one in the mail. I'm not being secretive I just have to find the bloomin' thing. Maybe it's JEGAX1M.

What I did:
Find and download Panasonic driver bundle for CF-31 MK2 and save to a USB.
Load generic W7 SP-1 on the hdd. Before going online run the driver bundle .exe. Give it some time.
Check in device manager and see which ones are marked yellow.

In my experience you will be very close.

I know you know this but the "official Pana restore disk "is the best. All above is if you can not afford $35.00 and have a little time.

Dinner time in Pacific NW....G'nite.

Jayburd......enjoy

 

Here is a link to the official recovery DVD.
http://business.panasonic.com/support-computerstablets-dvdrequests

In most cases 6 to 8gb is plenty for Win7 64bit. More than that is usually wasting money.

4gb is plenty for Win7 32 bit. 32bit is enough for most users, but I will avoid that debate at the moment.

A good official Panasonic 8amp power supply is best.
D rings and a shoulder strap makes life easier for me.

 

I have never used ghost to put an OS on a SSD. They say you should always do a fresh install.

 

You can clone a HDD to a SSD.
The secret is to go to control panel, then system, then run the Windows Experience index program. That will force Windows to recognize the SSD and make the needed tweaks.

 

Thanks for the replys, I have two oem chargers that came with my 29 and 30 I guess they are the same for the 31. I do know they both work on both my 29 and 30 regardless which one I plug into.

I think I will order the recover disc from Panasonic for $35 and do a fresh install on the new ssd. Thanks for the link It looks like it also has Windows so I wont have to dig up a 7pro disc. That will make things a lot easier.

I am one of those guys who maxes out the ram in any machine I own. I guess its a habit from when pc's never seemed to have enough ram every no matter what lol. If it will take two 8 gig sticks I am going to put them in it. Any recommendation on brand or specs I should look for. I dont want to find out the hard way that one brand does not work well with cf-31's. I have always had good luck with crucial so thats what I am leaning towards but am open to suggestions from those who have experience with this machine.

I am really excited to get my hands on such a nice lappy. I have really enjoyed my 30 and it honestly serves my needs extremely well. Had the usb port not developed issues I would have continued to use it for many years to come.

So what do you guys think about the price? Did I get a fair deal or is what I paid 661 around average for a mk2 in good shape. This is the link to the sale with pictures from what I can see it looks to be in exclent condition. I guess I will see in a few days when it arrives. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-T...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Thanks

 

It looks great from here. I think you got a good deal.

 

looks cleaner than an angel's drawers ...
from tempe az ... at least it won't have water and salt damage !

7600 hours is really nothing on these machines ... thanks to the led backlight which was a major concern with long hours on the '30 .
it has been mentioned around here that at about 10K hours the ccfl in a '30 is noticeably dimmer and beyond that , i notice that the spectra shifts ...
if you have the eye and are aware , this actually starts to happen at around 3K hours .
if you tell the machine to go to full brightness back in the bios , the display will make you squint .
on the other hand , seeing it in full sunlight will/is not( be) a problem (i lived in the tempe are for 15 years , sunlight and displays are an issue) .
the display is right at 1200 nit versus the 1000 nit for the '30 ... a noticeable improvement .

there are differences between the '30 and the '31 ... boot times are a big one ... but with a ssd , this is a no-brainer .
maxing out the ram is not really advantageous for most users ... as shawn said , 4G is-a-plenty .

the PS for the 29 , 30 and 31 are interchangeable ... it is the current rating that is the catch 22 ... the lower current (not to be confused with voltage) rating supplies will allow only a slow or no charge situation when the machine is in use .
i would suggest buying (yet another) early birthday present for yourself and get one of those 12VDC/120VAC input power supplies ... you'll wonder how come most of the other laptops out there don't have a decent one available ...
one of the guys here may have a spare one that they would be willing to part with (i have two of them ... one is a backup for the other) .
i will say that this is one of the best investments one can make in conjunction with a '30 or '31 .
after you have had the machine for a while , you might consider an aftermarket GPS ... there are a couple that the fellows here will/can/might endorse after gen-u-ine hands-on personal field testing .

yeah , you paid a fair price for it

 

I was thinking the same as CWB32, but I could not form full sentences yet this morning.

 

heh ... i lucked out ...
i was between my first cup of coffee and my morning meds .

 

Thanks for the info, I guess I will search out a new charger. Can you tell me the model number to look for or even better a link to the one that I need to purchase

 

I am guessing you are talking about the IBM house/car chargers. Yes I do have a few spares . These are brand new sealed in factor box. Send me a message if interested.

 

can the OP PM you with only 3 posts ?
but , yes ... those are the units i was thinking of .
hmmm ... come to think about it , i need to pick up another one in a couple of weeks .

 

Yeah I just spent ten minuets trying to find the pm button lol. Maybe you can message me or my email is my user name at aol.com

So adding ram wont do any good past 4gigs? It seems like any type of editing or photoshop type apps always improve with more ram. At least that has been the case with all the desktop machines I have built going back to my old rambus machine.

Does the gps display speed while you are moving? What kind of money would a gps kit set me back and how hard are they to install?

I need to quit coming here I am going to end up spending a lot more money lol

 

Click on the user name to the left.
Then click on start a conversation.

If you run 32bit windows 4gb memory is all it will be able to use. 64bit can see more but in normal use, 6-8gb is plenty.
I have been installing 8gb in my machines even though I run 32 bit. The extra does not cost that much and prepares me if I decide to use 64bit in the future.
Unless you are doing huge CAD drawings or have 15 programs open all at once, more than 8gb in 64bit is a waste.

Here is a link to an aftermarket GPS. Yes they display travel speed.
http://www.custom-toughbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=198

Here are the install instructions
http://www.custom-toughbooks.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&cPath=63&products_id=197

Here is a link to the car//home combo adapter.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Lenovo-...456412?hash=item51e3fe7a1c:g:e3cAAOSwM0FXHpVv

Here is the number for the 8amp charger. It is home only. Not car. CF-AA1683A

 

That's a great price for the charger since it cost at least $6.00 to ship it.

 

man , that is cheap ...
ya better walk up backwards to hand the guy the money ...

 

Thanks I picked up one of the ac/dc chargers, that was a very good buy. Now I am reading over the gps kit. I havent even gotten the darn thing yet and I am spending money on it lol

 

Is it as simple as your guide makes it look to install the gps? If so I think I can handle it. What software do you guys run for the actual gps?

Thanks for all the info guys I should have spoken up 5 years ago when I joined up lol

 

Simple always depends on your personal skill level.
Make sure the flat cable is fully seated and inserted in the proper direction on both ends. Also where the antenna cable goes through the hinge, make sure it doesn't get pinched.

I use a discontinued program from Garmin. Many guys use Streets and Trips.

 

there is a gps program that allows downloading the different map databases from different sources (as in free) ...
we are still working on the gui ... de-complicating it and making more drop-down choices/options .

yeppers the gps hardware is pretty easy and straight forward if you don't have 10 thumbs .
a little hint ... always remove the battery when installing these kits ...
it only takes a few seconds and prevents couple of hours of self-flagellation whilst chasing down which fuses popped after dropping a jeweler screwchaser down into the innards .

 

Yes on PULL the battery and UNPLUG.
Once in a while I forget.
Replacing fuses IS challenging and generally a PITA.
BUY A GOOD SCREWDRIVER. Wiha is recommended.

 

Thanks for the info on the battery removal I wouldnt have thought to do that.

Machine is here and looks like it was never used. I am very pleased with the purchase.

It did not have an OS or was wiped by the seller. I filled out the recovery info on the link from panasonic to obtain a restore disc and got a message that they would call for payment. How long does it take to get a disc? How long to get a call for payment. I am like a kid in a candy store I want to have it right now...lol I cant wait to get this baby up and running

Gps will be next

 

They ship it overnight or 2 day.

 

I couldnt wait to get the 31 up and running so I found a copy of 7 pro 32 bit and installed it on my ssd. Its a lovely machine but is there a chance that it did not come with a wireless card? My 30 has a switch on the front by the power button to turn off/on the wireless. This one does not, also I can not seem to find anything in the wireless settings to try and find my wireless router.

Its hard to believe that in this day and age a high end lappy would ship without a built in wireless card. I must be missing something

 

Ok it looks like I am just getting to excited and am forgetting the basics. I downloaded the cf 31 mk2 driver bundle from Panasonics web site. Its an exe and when I open it I get it to extract but nothing changes in the device manager. Is there a trick or is it better to install drivers one at a time?

 

Same question answered i n the other thread.

CF-31 no wifi after new SSD

The 31 does have a wireless switch. Look above the DVD drive.

Owners manual on the Panasonic web site.
http://business.panasonic.com/support-computerstablets-manuals

 

CF-31JEGAF1M--
Status:...DISCONTINUED
MSRP:...$4,610
Description: Win7, Intel Core i5-2520M 2.50GHz, vPro, 13.1" XGA Touch, 320GB(7200rpm), 4GB, Intel WiFi a/b/g/n, TPM, Bluetooth, Single Pass (Selectable), Verizon 4G LTE, No Drive, Toughbook Preferred

 

fyi ... there is a specific order in which to install the drivers in these machines .
*somewhere* there is a step-by-step instruction list ... pretty much makes it goof-proof .
oh yeah ... there is a particular error that if made will result in the touch pad becoming spastic .

 

Guys without a lot of RAM always say that...

But really, if you are not going to open a bunch of programs, or run several desktops, ala Linux... I guess that 4GB for x86 and 8GB for x64 is fine. Personally, I find it makes a BIG difference when you have a lot open, as I frequently do, like right now. : )

 

I totally hear you about the ram. I have always been a more is better kind of guy when it comes to ram. I will eventually max this machine out but right now with a fresh install its really quick. I couldnt be more pleased.

I downloaded an exe bundle that installed all the drivers at once. It seems to work fine other than the touch screen and there is one group of yellow marks in the device manager under other devices next to 4 instances of MC7750. Not sure what that is and havent had time to do any research on it yet.

The touchscreen isnt like my 29 where I can select things and move the curser with my finger. If I hold my finger on the screen a small dot appears and some keyboard utility pops up on the far left of the screen. I am sure I will just have to do some searching to figure this out but have not had time yet.

The only other thing I have noticed is the screen seems to be a blue tint. I probably just need to adjust the settings some.

My 29 has a rubber backlit keyboard and its very durable and completely water proof but hard to type on. is the backlit one for the 31 the same? I would like lighted keys but want a standard type keypad with individual keys that type like a normal one. I hope they make a normal type with backlighting.

All in all I have to say it truly is an awesome machine for a rugged laptop. For the amount of money I have in it so far I feel as if I stole the thing.

I am curious if there is a way to tell what year this machine is?

 

On the older Toughbooks the first digit in the serial number which happens to be a number is the year of production.

Yes they do make one. Check ebay and the 29 , 30 and 31 are the same

My guess Shawn can tell you what it is. He has a 31.

 

MC7750 is a wwan wireless card.

 

This does not sound good. How many hours are on you 31 ?

 

hopefully , the problem is not serious but just a matter of adjustment .
there is a calibration utility for the screen gray scale set up ...
control panel ---> display ---> calibrate color
this utility will walk you through the rgb (and other) adjustments .
run the brightness all the way up ... this level will ensure that the tracking will be close for the next two levels down (where most people use them) .
make sure that you look at the display dead on at "zero offset" viewing angle (these lcd have a somewhat shallow/narrow "look angle") .
usually one color will be dominant ... in your case it will be blue ... R and G should be fully on and blue pulled down a bit .
you are trying to "make white" .
if the display has a slight yellow cast in the white , pull down the G a little bit , this will shift the display towards a "warm white" and this is acceptable for most uses ...
if you prefer a "hotter" white then bump the red down a little (be careful , the green will sneak in there) .
after you are satisfied with the response then save the settings and proceed to the "clear type" adjustments ... this can make a world of difference in the legibility of text .

there is another color/tracking adjustment set in the intel display driver setup ... but , these are a bit more involved .
if you decide that the windows control set just ain't cuttin' it , then put all of these controls to the top , save and do the intel setup .

 

The machine has 7000 hrs on it.

The only time it seemed to have a bluish tint is when its on the lowest setting of screen brightness. When I go to the second lowest through the brightest it looks fine. I think I will leave it alone for the moment.

I still havent figured out the touch screen. I can select things with it but cant move the pointer with my finger. On my 29 the pointer follows your finger like it was the mouse moving it. There is probably an app that adjust it that I have not found yet. I guess I need to read through the link posted earlier with the manual. I am sure I could learn a ton about the features when I do.

I am still blown away with this lappy. What a great machine. Hard to believe you can pick them up for less than a grand if you keep an eye out.

CWB32 thanks for taking the time to explain the screen adjustments above. I am going to tinker with the clear type one evening to dial it in.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my questions and give advice. It has be most appreciated

 

That's not much at all .My CF-53 now has 14,060 on it and it runs great.

 

on a further note ...
the response of an lcd or crt will shift in response with brightness ...
in the case of a crt it is due to non-linearity of the "output" of each of the phosphors (rgb) and the circuitry that drives the each of and including the electron gun assemblies .
with an lcd the backlight will shift in spectral output with the amount of "drive" (brightness) and the lcd elements (rgb) will also exhibit non-linearity with the amount of "drive" .
the human eye (as well as other animals) also exhibits a shift in response with "brightness levels" ; it is a well known fact that our eyes become worse at color resolution with decreasing brightness or very high levels of brightness .
no two people perceive colors exactly the same , when it comes down to the fine points .

taking all these things into consideration it is a wonder that our perception of color is not distorted beyond all belief , but somehow we manage to get by .
in the case of the crt and the lcd , there are circuits that compensate for the shifts in response and non-linearity .
how well these circuits do their job depends on extent of design ; better = more cost and complexity .

in the case of your '31 , the led backlight will change spectra with the brightness setting of the leds themselves .
the brightness setting in the video controls is really the amount of "twist" performed by the cholesteric crystals (or other means of acting as a light valve) .
in essence , you have two sources of "error" to contend with :
the back light
the display
there are methods of correction of the lcd that involve look-up tables and such in order to provide correction depending on the level of drive in an attempt at correcting non-linearity that i won't go into .
with the display in the '31 (as well as many other machines) it is best to pick the brightness level you use the most and adjust the rgb controls for the best color response .
the adjustments found in windows i can only describe as "coarse" .
those found in the intel display manager are more extensive in scope but require more patience and a somewhat "trained eye" in order to implement effectively .

the more you know about the above things the more you can be tempted to go to extremes (aka : pickin' the fly specs out of the pepper) .
the truth is that everything has it's limitations due to cost constraints .
when it comes right down to it there is no way that the display on a '31 will ever look as good as that of (say) a 36" sony lcdtv that costs 2K bucks .
super accurate color rendition and *tracking* are not needed for johnny longarm to write you out a speeding ticket .

 

You know this from first hand knowledge.....Sorry I could not pass it up.

Do they make color cards for tuning LCD's? A photographers white balance card would work.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...ap=y&m=Y&c3api=1876,92051677562,&Q=&A=details

 

weeeeellll ...
lets just say that it is an "extrapolation" based upon first hand observation that lead to my *theory* .

there are a couple of decent sites that offer up some tuning software and browser based tools .
google "lcd tuning" or "video monitor tuning" .
if you really want to get fancy like the big boys (actually this is a requirement in that case) ... one needs a "spider" .
in this case , the device sits on the monitor surface and provides an "unchanging eyeball" to give feedback as to what is happening .

 

Totally off topic but can I use the stylus to draw on the screen like a pen? I can select things with it but no type of drawing. What I would really like to do is make a 3d model? I found a few 3d programs and would like to use the stylus to draw an image in 3d. I am way out of my comfort zone and have no idea if its even in the realm of possibility.

I would like to draw or somehow create a 3d model of a special funnel I designed then have the 3d model I make on the pc to send to an injection molder or 3d printer type place and have a prototype made. I have no clue where to start and it seems the free cad software is very limited but the funnel is very basic. It seems like if I could use the stylus like a pen to create 3d images on the pc it would be much easier. Not sure if the stylus even was designed to do such work. I figure you guys would know. Thanks

 

You "can" draw with a touchscreen stylus. I find it to not be accurate enough for me.
Some (not all)Toughbook CF 19's have what is called a digitizer. It uses a different type of technology which is very accurate and I find very easy to sketch and draw very accurately with.

Here is an interesting online drawing program I stumbled across. Try drawing on it and see what you think.
https://mudcu.be/sketchpad/

Here is a link for a free edition of Autodesk Sketchbook.
http://autodesk-sketchbook-copic-edition.software.informer.com/download/

 

Thanks Shawn you have been very helpful and giving. I will play around with above and see what I can come up with.

 

Yeah, usually for CDMA systems, like Verizion in the USA. Take a look here at the work of others on this same issue.