For Sale: Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 w/ GPS + 12v adaptor

[sully75]

Bought this for my trip to Canada this summer. Used it rarely, never outside. It works fine. It runs a little hot on the bottom which I'm guessing is standard for this type because there's no fan or vents (and thus no dust).

It does hold a charge at least for a few hours.

I bought a 12v cigarette lighter charging cable that works well. Also have the original wall charger.

I am going to wipe the OS. In truth I think Linux and Open CPN would be the way to go. The computer is by no means fast but runs Open CPN reliably. You'd probably want to use this as a dedicated chart plotter and have a more zippy computer for taking to shore and emailing.

Condition is good. The power port and one USB port's waterproof seals broke off. Otherwise it's in pretty good shape. I see these used by EMS at the hospitals I've worked at and they are usually way trashed so this is a decent one.

GPS shows my coordinates double checked by iPhone.

There is a windows product key on the bottom, you may be able to reinstall windows on the computer.

$150 + $15 s&h

[sully75]

[snccoulter]

We fix them all the time. Not because they break but because the users mess up the OS. The hardware is great and will take a beating. I have seen one run over by a HUMMV and we continued to use it. Toss Debian on it and it should be fine, or a copy of Windows 10 should run fine also. We have W10 on a bunch that the local fire department use for geolocation and communication to dispatch/hospital.

[maine50]

Sully- why would you wipe the OS? I'm interested--

[snccoulter]

To ensure that any personal info is gone. That or he plans on using the software again and he wants it totally off the device. Eitherway an old windows 7 key will work to get W10 on the device. If you have to install 7 then upgrade using the windows assistive technology upgrade.

[sully75]

Yup. I'd probably put Linux on it if I were to keep using it for navigation. But my boat is small and I ended up just using my phone(s) and chart plotter, I don't have a nav station.

It's not a super fast computer but it is rock solid.

[sully75]

$140+s&h for your fully featured navigation system.

[hellosailor]

Wiping the OS DOES NOT GUARANTEE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IS WIPED. Running "disk wipe" or "nuke 'em" software on the hard drive is necessary. But wiping the OS, without making a set of factory restore disks, is going to make a major dent in the value of the scrap metal that was a computer. You cannot always BUY restore disks from the maker, sometime the system has to generate them. You cannot always install retail copies of the OS on an OEM system, and I can guarantee you that a Toughbook needs special hardware drivers what the retail version of the OS will not come with. So you are leaving the next buyer to buy a pig in a poke, unless they really know that machine and there are rabbits to be easily pulled out of the hat. Just rashly wiping the OS? Shoot yourself in the foot. Just rashly wiping the hard drive? Ditto and again. Call Panasonic, get some advice and if necessary make some purchases so you can do a proper wipe and restore. Installing Debian or some other niche-market OS is just going to ensure the computer has no value to most potential buyers.

[sully75]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Wiping the OS DOES NOT GUARANTEE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IS WIPED. Running "disk wipe" or "nuke 'em" software on the hard drive is necessary. But wiping the OS, without making a set of factory restore disks, is going to make a major dent in the value of the scrap metal that was a computer. You cannot always BUY restore disks from the maker, sometime the system has to generate them. You cannot always install retail copies of the OS on an OEM system, and I can guarantee you that a Toughbook needs special hardware drivers what the retail version of the OS will not come with. So you are leaving the next buyer to buy a pig in a poke, unless they really know that machine and there are rabbits to be easily pulled out of the hat. Just rashly wiping the OS? Shoot yourself in the foot. Just rashly wiping the hard drive? Ditto and again. Call Panasonic, get some advice and if necessary make some purchases so you can do a proper wipe and restore. Installing Debian or some other niche-market OS is just going to ensure the computer has no value to most potential buyers.

I try not to crap all over other people's sales but sending a private message might have been preferable.

Fact is that there are a number of similar computers sold on eBay without hard drives of any kind. So I guess someone is doing something with them.

Of course let the buyer beware. But I assume anyone who might be buying this would have some idea what they are doing. Having more or less no idea what I'm doing I've installed Linux on several computers without much doing so I don't think the task is so onerous.

[hellosailor]

Sully, the information may be of use to the seller, and to other sellers, as well as to buyers of this or other machines. So IMO a PM would have been very inappropriate since the purpose of a web forum is to SHARE ideas and information among a wide audience. And these trivial posts often remain online for decades, sometimes the search engines even tun them up ten years after a post. Depending on options, condition, warranty, etc? That model computer seems to resell for $200-300 more or less, and since Win7 is officially no longer for sale, it can easily cost $100 to replace the OS with a new license if that is necessary. Again varying widely depending on the version and source. So without even touching on what this machine is worth, it becomes quickly apparent that if someone wants a Windows OS on the machine, complete with the necessary drivers, having that OS available and installed with/from factory media could be of great value to the seller. Linux isn't onerous. But Linux isn't the issue, except in that it really cuts down the price and market potential for pretty much any computer, new or used. Sort of like a sloop with a ten foot deep keel and a seventy foot mast: It has a niche market.

[sully75]

I guess you missed the part where I suggested the buyer install Linux on the computer?

Being a somewhat resourceful person, I would assume that telling someone in the ad that I was going to remove the OS from the computer would indicate to them that they should be prepared to install an OS. If they were unable to install it, they probably would avoid buying it.

It's unclear to me how I could have been any more honest in this listing. Not particularly interested in talking about it anymore.

It's computer that will arrive without an OS. It's pretty cheap but has functioned well for me other than being very slow. They are tough machines. If you aren't prepared to install an OS, I would highly recommend not buying this computer.

That said, $150 for a weatherproof computer with GPS is something vaguely miraculous in this modern world and it may very well work as a great chartplotter for someone. I feel perfectly comfortable passing it along and I think it would do better as a chart plotter than in the dumpster.

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Sully, the information may be of use to the seller, and to other sellers, as well as to buyers of this or other machines. So IMO a PM would have been very inappropriate since the purpose of a web forum is to SHARE ideas and information among a wide audience. And these trivial posts often remain online for decades, sometimes the search engines even tun them up ten years after a post. Depending on options, condition, warranty, etc? That model computer seems to resell for $200-300 more or less, and since Win7 is officially no longer for sale, it can easily cost $100 to replace the OS with a new license if that is necessary. Again varying widely depending on the version and source. So without even touching on what this machine is worth, it becomes quickly apparent that if someone wants a Windows OS on the machine, complete with the necessary drivers, having that OS available and installed with/from factory media could be of great value to the seller. Linux isn't onerous. But Linux isn't the issue, except in that it really cuts down the price and market potential for pretty much any computer, new or used. Sort of like a sloop with a ten foot deep keel and a seventy foot mast: It has a niche market.

[Reefmagnet]

linux mint and an SSD hdd turn a CF19 into a beast. There's a little bit of tweaking needed to get the GPS to talk to OpenCPN and some of the buttons on the front panel don't work which doesn't matter too much because no one really uses them anyway. Performance is Ok for the basics, I've even used mine for video rendering on the odd occasion.

Great machines. Mine survived a two hour soak in mildly brackish water for a couple of hours. It needed flushing and a day in the sun in the cockpit to start working again. After a few months it lost the ability to charge the battery but otherwise is still running strong after 18 months since its bath.

[hellosailor]

There was, and is, no mention of honesty, forthrightness, disclosure, overall value, or anything that might even vaguely cast any aspersion on you, the seller. If you think there was or is, that's in your imagination. I made two points: 1-Wiping the OS, which were your words, WILL NOT PROVIDE SECURITY. 2-Wiping the OS, will diminish value and MAY make it impossible to reinstall Windows without significant cost and effort. For someone who just wants to install some other OS, it can be a great value. Rashly assuming of course that they've also done their homework on drivers for that OS, or that Panasonic has built such bog standard hardware that won't be an issue. As a dedicated daylight readable water-resistant chart plotter? Sure, it could be great.

[sully75]

I'd like to move this if anyone is interested in it for $100 + $20 s&h let me know.

[a64pilot]

I have one, it runs Win 7 just fine and I have a SSD. It will run OpenCPN just fine and is why I have mine, if you have the right screen it's sunlight readable where say an IPad is not. They do run a little hot as there is no fan. They are nearly indestructible is the biggest draw, you can throw one against the wall, knock a hole in the wall and the computer is fine.
The screen is not very high resolution though so not so good for movie watching