<<< The "Official" CF-30 Thread >>>

Okay.... Here it is! I was debating starting this thread the other day but now that someone has specifically asked for it.... I decided to go ahead and start one.

This thread is for general discussion and light problems/comments/questions. Anything "heavy-duty" should probably have its own thread started to make the search function a little easier.

So.... I'll start it off! My CF-30 (which I love!) is a model CF-30CCS92BM. It is pretty much where I want it... A 1.66Ghz duo-core processor with touchscreen, 4GB of RAM memory, a 200GB, 7200 RPM SATA hard drive, GPS, Fingerprint Reader, AT&T HSDPA WWAN, 2nd media bay battery and an emissive keyboard. Needless to say this thing is smokin' fast! I'd like to eventually get the DVD MultiDrive but they are on backorder everywhere! I think Heartland has them but they want a little too much. (So I hear.)

Right now I am eying a 16GB SSD ExpressCard to use for backups and just general storage. I was going to buy Lexar but they don't offer the mini USB connector on their so I can use it on any PC. The last thing I'd want is to have data that I can't access!

The CF-30s have been priced sky-high but have been coming down here lately. I decided to jump in and snag one. All my Toughbooks have been used more for a novelty than anything... Until I bought this one! I used to have a Dell 2.8Ghz Inspiron 9100 as my main workhorse PC. I have just reformatted that so I can put it up on eBay for sale. I'm getting used to the smaller screen but absolutely LOVE this thing. I find myself taking it pretty much everywhere with me.... Even out to smoke a cigarette! I use iGuidance to get me to places even though I already know how to get there.

I find that I have to turn the screen brightness down to about a little less than half brightness. This was about the brightness of my Dell and the rest of the laptops in the house. At its brightest screen setting its like a set of headlights shining you in the eyes! Seriously... It actually hurts my eyes!

With the media bay battery I am routinely getting 10+ hours of up-time! This is not an exaggerated time either. I'm sure I could probably get to the 12-13 hour area by turning off the WWAN and bluetooth as well as dimming the screen a little more. This is one serious laptop!

So... What about yours?

EDIT: To find BT Software for your CF-30... Check out THIS thread!

Wanna change out your keyboard? Read THIS thread!

CF-30 CF-31 Aircard / GPS / Dock / Antenna Thread

 

You are my hero! Mine is pretty much like yours except I did not get the GPS or Fingerprint options. I am amazed at the display brightness and battery time. I have mine setup in my van. Working on getting it mounted right now. Gamber/Johnson has a real nice vehicle mount replicator I think I am going to go with. I have a van so right now I have it on a board between my bucket seats. I have all my ac power setup already. I have a Garmin GPS that also gives me my XM and full weather including Nexrad radar, I had already invested into that so I am just going to stick with it. Besides I had a hard time finding out the details about the GPS on the TB-30, maps etc.

I look forward to learning alot from this forum. I wish I had found it earlier.

 

Dagnabbitt! You rich young punks with yer shiny newLexusTops are gonna drive up the property values here in ToughBookTown; us poor CF-27 & CF-28 users are gonna have to move on account of the higher taxes!!!

*SNARL-Spittooooie!*

*Holds his Mk3 CLOSE*

PPPPPTTTTTTTT!

mnem
Did he say NEW YORK CITY?!?!?

 

No, The shiny Lexus's top is in the garage! And who said aything about young punks. LOL.........

1 week after I got mine, Panasonic put up the used ones to look at. I had never seen it before if it was there. How do you think that made me feel!

 

Their demand for 30s will drive make the dealers sell the 28s & 29s for cheaper, having a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing toughbook sale.

 

I'm here to tell you that the price of 28s have come down. Since the 29s have come down and now the 30s have dropped a grand or so in price.... I just had to get one! For me it comes down to speed, brightness and battery life. I can work on it all day long on one charge. I NEVER would have thought that was possible!

 

Jeez... I kindof thought my "cranky ol' dwagon" bit was pretty obviously a joke... I had no idea I'd stir up so much trouble!

EEEEP!

mnem<~~~ Toddles off to loosen up with a little soldering & spirits*

 

Hey TB, That link you put up so you can look ay how your TB is configured only shows how Panny ships it out to the reseller. I looked at mine and it pretty much showed the main guts. The reseller makes/installs it to how you configure it. So, just be aware that if you or someone puts in a model# it might have more features or options. Just letting you know in case you didn't realize that.

Are we allowed to discuss prices on here?

 

If anyone is interested, I noticed that Fully Rugged Depot on ebay or at the ebay store has the DVD player, Model CF-VDR301U for the CF-30. I don't know what is a fair price but they are asking $265 plus $10 for S&H.

 

Actually... They don't have it. Like I said in a PM... They are all backordered. If you buy it (with him showing 16 in stock) he will email you either offering your money back or to put you on a list for when they finally come in. The only place that has them in stock at the moment is Heartland. (So I hear...) At about twice what you can find it for on the street if you shop.... But then everywhere else is backordered too. Believe me.... I've looked everywhere and called everyone.

 

Whether you already own a CF-30 or want to find out more info about them prior to purchase.... This is an EXCELLENT article on how they are made as well as how they compare to others.... GREAT info!

http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_notebooks_panasonic_cf30_012008.html

 

This was one of the stories I had read that put me over the top in buying my TB. Just think 6 months ago I knew nothing about them, now this thing is more fun and neat than anything else in my life! Except for my wife of course....

 

Yeah... My wife feels that she competes against the Toughbooks sometimes. I have a shop full of them and usually a few upstairs on the kitchen table or in the family room on the ottoman. They are all over the place....

Toughbo

​

ok Central

 

I KNEW IT!!!

TB has succeeded in crossbreeding Toughbooks with Tribbles...

Do they still purr? Do they still hate Klingons? And now that they can talk to the Photon Torpedoes, have they made ransom demands for gigatons of quatrotriticalli?

Inquiring dwagons want to know...

mnem
*Just give us all your barley, and we'll be NO TRIBBLE AT ALL...*

 

Is the 30 still the champion?

 

I dunno about champion status, but it does appear to be the stud duck at Toughbook's house... see my earlier post

mnem<~~~ Broke my stud-finder*

 

It is now Quadrotrintitoughbook

 

Good to see this thread... I haven't been here in quite some time, Nice to see that you FINALLY upgraded from your "hacked packed and stacked" CF-28 to the CF-30... It's so much faster its ridiculous!!!!. Wish I had integrated GPS and a fingerprint reader like you have! I recently had an issue with a watchgaurd firewall that I was configuring that loaded this stupid "webblocker.exe" thing onto my system that made it so that after a random amount of time (sometimes 2 horus, sometimes 3 days) all internet on all my lines (1GB/WIFI/Sprint) would just die to IE/Firefox/Safari but I could still ping things... stupid watchguard!! lol I was about to wipe/reload!

~Rob~

 

Rob, The only thing that I will regret in the future is not getting the GPS. Right now I am setup with GPS in my van where I use my TB 99% of the time. I played with 2 different laptops with the Fingerprint reader and both of them accepted my print vs the owners and let me in to operate it. So I figured the technology still has time to work the bugs out.

I am waiting for this thread to start filling up with a bunch of info that I don't know about, which is alot. LOL

 

See I like GPS, but my phone has it if push comes to shove + I have GPS built into the dash of my 300c so I rarely would use it... i would just like to ahve bragging rights lol

 

Here is my baby. Love the Radar, and can't live without my XM!

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=325&locale=en_US

 

Once again... sirius (same as xm now lol) built into my car... which in my opinion xm/sirius isn't all that good anyways... they have no commercials but they play the same few songs over and over again.

 

I mostly listen to talk shows, i.e ESPN, FOX Sports etc. I have it factory in my Lexus with the Nav and its wonderful, but with my Garmin I can listen to it anywhere I want to. It's awesome riding the GoldWing across the Country never having to change the channel.

 

hi, sorry it's been a while but we had some flooding in the midwest-sucks. i left home with only the essentials:cf-30 and a pair of oakleys. so things are getting better now although it's raining again. on a better note i was curious which illuminated keyboards everyone has? and which one do i want? i like how my non illuminated keyboard types. i see on ebay 2 different part numbers, 293 and 303(last 3 digits) just want to get the right one the first time considering the major dollars they get for them! thanks, chuck

 

I have the non emmissive backlit KB. It's the non rubber one, not sure of the part#. I love the way it types, and so far It's held up well. Yesterday I was using mine in a wharehouse with blowing insulation, then had to work outside and they were mowing, blowing etc. I had insulation, grass, dirt, gravel dust all on my computer. I simply got my air hose and blew it off with gentle air. Looked brand new again, and feels good, all smooth feelings.

I had the same question when I was trying to decide on which KB to get. I called the Panasonic Tech Dept and he told me off the record that they were having a pretty high failure rate on the rubber ones tearing. Although one of the guys on here said they have improved it.

 

Yup, that's me. I've seen a much higher failure rate on emissives for the 30. On the other models I'd agree that the rubber ones are tearing a lot but not for the 30s yet. The only problem I'm running into with the rubberized is the whole thing bending which can be bent back. To give you an idea of failure numbers, I see an average of 1 or 2 emissives a day and 3 rubberized a month and I think I've only seen one torn rubberized but that was because of a major accident. Effectively, I haven't seen a single rubberized one torn from normal wear & tear (for Toughbooks) yet. That being said, most of the rubberized don't have a major problem until a couple years later when the rubber has a chance to get old but 30s just aren't old enough yet to see what will happen then. Even with all of that in mind, I still like the emissives a lot more.

 

I have the emissive one that types the same as the standard keyboard. I had the rubber one and i hated it!

 

Zero.... Can you please give us some idea of what goes wrong with the emissive type?

Toyo... I think you mean to say that you DO have the emissive type. Emissive means that it emits light. There is so much confusion over what each keyboard is called and I think I'm partially to blame. I call them as I thought they were called only to find out later that they were going by different names. (This was back on the CF-28.. But the issue continues.)

So... To summarize (I think)... There are three types of keyboards for the CF-30;

1. Standard - Non illuminated
2. Rubber Backlit
3. Emissive

Zero... Please correct me if I am wrong.


I think the options for the CF-29 were the same...

As for the CF-28 there were;
1. White standard keyboard. (This was changed t black on the 29 & 30 as the white keys tended to become grossly yellow!)
2. Rubber illuminated - (I have seen 3-4 different types of rubber keyboards for the 28
3. Not sure of the name on this one but it looked the same as the standard keyboard but it was a black and illuminated full plunge keyboard.
4. Emissive

Zero (or anyone for that matter!) Please correct me if I am wrong!


One thing that I have noticed on my emissive keyboard on the CF-30 is that typing some double letters are a problem. Double EEs, BBs, LLs, SSs, PPs, etc. are an issue and I find myself going back to insert letters into my paragraphs. (I spell-check everything! Something I never used to do!) Zero... Is this what you are talking about failure? (Gee... Should I send it back?!) I'm curious to hear what is considered a failure.

 

Rick this is correct!... their was a chiclet keyboard for a while in the cf-28's era i think, but the 3 MAIN TYPES are EXACTLY what you just stated!:

Standard keyboard (like every other laptop)
Rubber backlit (rubberized backlit/hard to type on/sealed from water)
Emmisive backlit (backlit like normal keyboard/NOT sealed from water)

Now, JUST BECAUSE you don't have the rubber keyboard DOES NOT mean that if you spill water on the other kinds (normal/emissive) that it will ruin the keyboard! because most likely IT WON'T as reguardless of what keyboard you have the motherboard is sealed away from the hazardess environment.

Hope that helps!

 

There are actually two types of chiclet backlit keyboards. The one that is used on the CF-28 is actually called an EL or electroluminescent keyboard so defined because the element that emits light is actually a flat sheet of EL material and it requires a high voltage 80-100VAC inverter to power. This is the one that uses a sensor under the hinge cover.

The Emissive chicklet keyboard commonly used on the CF-29 and CF-30 uses an Emissive LED for each key and runs on 5V DC and the light is a bluish white. Emissive just refers to the type of LED. There is also an Emissive Rubber backlit that is used on the CF-29 and 30 and again the light is a bluish white instead of green.

The old rubber backlit two connector type that works on all CF-27 CF-28, also works on CF-29 just uses standard green LED's under each key and also runs on 5VDC.

 

Sweet... thanks for that info

 

All of these posts have some really good info but some of it is spaced a bit so to try to sum up again (sorry TB you had most of it but missed a couple of things ):

28s had 5 different keyboards officially
1: White standard chicklet with white connectors holding down the keys
2: White standard chicklet with black connectors holding down the keys (pretty much the same as #1 but technically different)
3: Rubberized backlit - only 2 cables so doesn't need any special hardware; forward compatible with 29s and 30s though I wouldn't recommend it if you have another option
4: Electroluminscent - also known as the black chicklet backlit; characterized by keys getting really sensitive; requires an inverter board on a 28
5: Emissive backlit - the factory decided #4 sucked and started replacing it with this about 2 years ago; 28s never shipped from the factory with this keyboard; characterized by a block of grey plastic with square holes for keys to sit in (like mini-frames) so technically not a chicklet style; requires a different inverter board than #4 on a 28

29s & 30s have the same 3
1: Black standard chicklet - no special notes
2: Rubberized backlit - 3 cables; backlight doesn't work on 28s that I know of but keys do
3: Emissive - Same as #5 on the 28s except it doesn't need the inverter board because hardware is built-in

Each of the keyboards have slight variations such as a particular key being red and whatnot. As TB pointed out, there were a few different versions of the 28 rubberized for various reasons (such as one version actually being left-overs from the 27s).

The emissives have the most non-obvious variations and while they all do the same things in the same way, it's a matter of quality. For unknown reasons, the 30 emissive keyboards have a major problem with keys stopping working or doubling up like TB's problem (which usually is the first symptom before going bad). Whether that's a problem with the keyboard or with the 30 is unknown at this time since the 30 emissives haven't been put into 29s on a large enough scale to tell, though I get the feeling its the keyboard.

Special features like backlights aside, all of the keyboard themselves can handle a lot of liquid; the problem is the liquid going underneath. The 28, 29, and 30 each have pretty good sealed panels covering the cables - providing all of the screws are in place - so a little spill here and there shouldn't be a problem with any of them. Rubberized are easier to shoot with a little Windex & wipe off but the rubber does get old & die over time. They're also pretty easy to tear if you poke 'em with a stick. The 28 and 29 rubberized boards have been tearing with minimal effort/wear while the 30 boards haven't (from my own observations) yet. That is probably due to the different rubber formulas. Compare them side-by-side and you'll be able to tell a big difference. The emissive is the most sturdy of the boards because of the shock it can take without losing too many (if any) keys. The catch is that it's also the hardest to clean out sticky liquids like coffee or pop (that's not to say it's difficult, just the most of the 3 main styles) as well as being pretty difficult to replace lost/missing keys. The standard takes the middle ground by being pretty easy to clean and can take some abuse but if something hits it at the right angle keys will go flying. That being said, those keys are easy to replace individually from a scrap board.

That should cover the majority of the main thoughts on keyboards. I've left off a lot of the nitty gritty detail that makes this forum a wealth of info (such as tough-2-go's explanation) but that's because this was meant to be an overview of types & what makes them different on a basic level.

 

thanks guys for all the keyboard insight.

 

Zero... As usual... Excellent post! Thank you!

I am having issues with the brand new keyboard already. When I first got it I was surprised that it didn't double skip like the old one did. I'm with you... I think it is the keyboard. I find myself consciously making sure that I hit a certain key twice AND with enough force to make sure it registers a hit... But most of the time it doesn't. The only way I can make sure I can get every key is to type so S L O W L Y that it is sure to register. But I guess that is what spell check is for.

If I call Panasonic if/when it gets worse... Would they send me out a new keyboard or make me send it in to Heartland. (Out of curiousity)

 

No clue whether they'd do a priority exchange on a keyboard but it's worth a shot as long as you don't have to pay for the shipping.

 

I may want to call them and check about my warranty first. If they show it as a 90 day warranty I may want to do it. If they say 3 years I may wait...

Thanks!

 

I don't know why I keep saying Non Emmissive. Panasonic's site calls mine a Plastic Emmissive Keyboard.

The only complaint I have is the non ability to tell if you have turned the KB lights off. I hate to have them burning during the day when I don't need it. Or am I worrying for nothing?

Thanks to all of you for explaining the KB info!

 

I wouldn't worry about it. They are LEDs so the lifetime is probably 100,000 hours or something like that. I keep mine on #2 pretty much all the time. Except when it is pitch dark... Then I crank it up! I'm still getting used to being able to type in the dark. My wife will walk by and turn off the light and then apologize because she sees me typing. I tell her not to worry... I can type anywhere now!

 

I always keep mine at full blast no madder what... I can type without looking, so typing in the dark isn't an issue (including all the characters like &*#@), the only thing I have an issue with is if i have to type with alot of :>"?}{ characters, then I look and the backlit keyboard has helped alot!

 

well i recieved an emmissive keyboard for a cf-29 (has red f11 key) from ebay for $150+shipping. but, i need help, how do i remove the standard keyboard from the cf-30ctqazbm?
thanks, chuck

 

got it! remove 4 screws for keyboard header(by display) then remove bluetooth antenna screw, then slide keyboard toward display as far as possible to disengage the 4 lock pegs under keyboard and lift display end first to flip up. this keyboard is for cf-29 and doesn't have the 4 lock pegs, just double sided tape. works fine with 4 brightnesses and off selections via fn+f12 so i wonder if the real cf-30 emissive and illuminated rubber keyboards have the 4 lock pegs? thanks

 

Nope, only the regular keyboard has those locking pegs. All of the others use tape.

 

thanks ZeroFlight for the info.

 

It took me a while to figure out the 4 locking pegs.... Until I looked at the service manual! Doh!

 

See now thats weird cuz when I put in my emmisive keyboard on my 30 i used the locking pegs and it fits fine (no keyboard marks on the screen or anything)

 

I suppose you can transfer them over but Panny doesn't put them on anything but the regular keyboard.

 

I think the peg idea is genious... make the keyboard more rigid against something falling on it or bashing it, causing it to shift, so it would be harder to knock out of place. It add's 4 more places for reinforcement

Smart move Panasonic

 

Rob... How did you do that? Just split the pegged retainer off the stock keyboard and double stick tape it to the emissive keyboard?

 

Same way I figured out the 3 seashells...

 

i think i want to keep my pegged retainer in pristine condition just in case i have to send the book in for warranty service, or does panasonic not care?