So I’m getting ready to purchase the 5 Pro 4x2 this coming week. In need to get me a workstation for motion to be on. I have a System I will be using in the house to create all the designs etc.
So could I get some options on what would be best for out in the shop hooked up to the machine?
Any computer which meets the system requirements from the download page should work.
Nice to have features/options:
64-bit — this future-proofs things and allows one to run the Grbl Updater program
a fanless (sealed) tablet is well-suited to the rigors of a shop environment
overall ruggedness — some folks have picked up Panasonic Toughbooks and similar rugged laptops
inexpensiveness — this is the prime attribute for a computer which isn’t used often, and when it is, is for a program which is not demanding in terms of performance
a USB-A port (this will allow using the bundled cable which has ferrite beads — if anyone knows of a USB-B–USB-C cable which has ferrite beads, please post the link) — at a minimum there must be some sort of USB port available when power is connected to the computer
I picked up a pair of DELL OUTLET INSPIRON 14 - 7420 2-IN-1 LAPTOP’s for my workshop for under $650 a piece with the pens. Surely overkill to operate the SO5, but I wanted to also design on it with Fusion360 etc…
Incidentally, to Will’s 2nd point “fanless” - he’s right there. In my case, I just blow some compressed air in there annually (or as needed). Have dust collector in place, so shouldn’t be so bad. For me, I like the idea of flipping it over tablet style for a mount I will fabricate. There were some threads noting some touchscreens not behaving well with jogging (double jog per tap). I’ve not encountered that; either it’s was fixed in software / Windows, or