Options and organisation of Computers

[Dermot]

Look at the options I can use.

My set up will be that the office work area will be separate from the workshop area….the workshop will only have a very small customer reception area, most of the keyboard work I would expect to do in my office area.

I not interested in networking right now or in the foreseeable future the learning curve would be too much at present, I simply do not have the time.

How do you all do it…CMC, POS and Visualisation

CMC on a stand alone desktop…

EstLite is on a lap top (have it on my personal lap top a VOSTRO at present)

I need to have a look at what I need for Pre-View……..perhaps a standalone lap top or is it better on the same system as the EstLite….

I have the option of getting some very good Dell staff deals up to close of business tomorrow Monday 2nd march 2009………….that aside I don’t mind spending some money right now to have the right solution for computers…

[Merlin]

This is our shop counter set up

counter1.jpg (158.49 KiB) Viewed 4455 times

The monitor on the counter is the Pre View Visualisation only monitor - 17 inch.

The monitor above the till is the main system, where I have the pricing programme and Pre View package.
Certainly for the pricing the customer can easily see the breakdown of costs as we work.

The camera for the Pre View is on the ceiling directly above the image on the counter.

The counter is 1m wide and nearly 2mm long. At times even that is not big enough for some of the work we get in.

I do have a second computer in the workshop, which the CMC is linked to working on a 19 inch monitor. It is also the internet and Skype computer.

On the shop computer I have installed a second hard drive. I back up to this every Saturday, then with the use of a memory stick I copy the back up to the workshop computer, which also has a second hard drive.

[Moglet]

Hi Dermot,

In essence, you seem to have 4 fundamental computing needs:

1. Frame Visualisation

2. Job Pricing and Booking

3. Back office (accounts and correspondence)

4. CMC

I would assume that Est-Lite and PreView will need to be colocated on the same system for integration purposes (John M should be able to confirm this). Also, from what I understand of CMC systems, you will need to have a PC attached to the CMC for design/control purposes. Finally, I assume that you will need a PC for accounts/admin. Therefore, it sounds like you will need a minimum of two PCs: one for front of house viz and pricing, and potentially a laptop with docking station for CMC that you can pull out and use in the back office/at home for accounts/admin/correspondence. That said, having a separate PC for CMC and accounts/admin, that would require 3 machines. A basic assumption for the "2 machine" solution is that EstLite can "file dump" data that you can then pull into your accounts/admin machine via WalkNet.

[Roboframer]

I have no idea what you just said.

But I don't like that oil on the blue canvas or the tapestry wool spinner so close to such high tech stuff - and I'll get my coat!

[prospero]

I have no idea what you just said.

But I don't like that oil on the blue canvas or the tapestry wool spinner so close to such high tech stuff - and I'll get my coat!

Don't you mean yer curt? Oh sorry - before midnight.

[John]

While EstLite and Pre-View are two stand-alone applications, there are advantages to be gained from allowing then to communicate with each other. This is easily achieved when both are installed on the same computer, but they can also share data across a network.

Keep them on the same machine if you can Dermot.

[Merlin]

But I don't like that oil on the blue canvas or the tapestry wool spinner so close to such high tech stuff - and I'll get my coat!

Hi John. Dont worry the men in white coats will be waiting for you as you pick your own coat up.

I do not have the luxury of a big shop, so have had to utilize every available space.
The oil is not on a blue canvas, it is white. The artist has painted it blue. As to whether you like it or not, that is all down to taste. My customers have liked it. It may only be a HK oil, yet I must have sold in excess of 100 during the last year. Kerching!!!!!

'High Tech Stuff' - John, it is a computer monitor, next to that at counter level is the till. I really cannot see what problem you are eluding to. Maybe it is the camera angle, but there is enough distance between the monitor and the wool spinner to not cause any problems.

At the end of the day, all I did was to respond to a question from Dermot - "How do you all do it". I chose to use a photograph instead of a long worded explanation. I did not expect a critique of likes and dislikes.

[markw]

Dermot, I would network the pc's for the simple reason that you need to be able to access updates - designs etc. You could reasonably say that you are going to transfer stuff via removable media - but when you get down to it so often you need the files Now. Wireless networking
is so easy - if you want to make it easier use Network Magic. The question that really matters with a networked pc is do you put Skype on it??

I have my design pc in front of shop - Estlite and Preview. This is networked via wireless link to the workshop pc - Valiani - Estlite. I tend to bring up the customer order so I have all the information at hand. If I had a graphics card that supported two monitors I would have the Estlite order appear on separate monitor.

[Mike@GTP]

The networking part is very easy. As long as they're all plugged into the same router, they're able to be networked in seconds. (and they'll all be able to share your internet connection, and printer(s)).

In our shop, we have 2 pc's at the front counter that use the POS (LifeSaver). The data lives on the main/server machine, and the slave just shares everything on another machine. The server machine is also connected to the camera for our visualization system.

The CMC is in the back room, and is plugged into the same router. There's also a pc out front for customer user, to search for prints. This machine is also on our router, but wirelessly. Wireless isn't too reliable if you have multiple workstations, but good enough if you are only using it for internet access. Just make sure you secure the wireless

Mike