Diagnostics/Electronic Workshop Manuals, anyone?

[Toaster Pilot]

Any of you use diagnostic software or electronic workshop manuals at home? I currently struggle with a crappy old laptop that's a bit too big and crap.

Hoping to have a garage/workshop space soon so I was thinking about buying a big old desktop cheap and bolting it to a metal computer desk so it can be wheeled around - spend < £50 and have a system that will comfortably run all of the software/stuff I need to comfortably tinker.

Anyone got a better but still poverty stricken solution?

[ch427]

Sounds ok to me if it was bolted to a trolley of some sort, maybe look at a Bluetooth option too if the software supports it

[ant427]

torque app for smartphone is brill,about£3,bluetooth converter about £10.i use this and have had no probs.

[Toaster Pilot]

is that on Android only?

I've managed to get a (free) PC and a £10 monitor to use for a lot of stuff for now, just need a cheap/free computer desk too!

[ShaunTheSheep]

Get a CRT monitor if you can find one, it'll work better in the winter. My el-cheapo LCD screen i put in the garage doesn't want to know me in the winter :-(

I'm beginning to think a cheap tablet's a better solution in the general cases. You can store it in the house. No cables. Mount it on the wall with one of those el-cheapo cradles from the bay. Easy to clean. Reads & searches PDFs well enough. Easy enough to use for online searching. Torque app works alright with a bluetooth dongle, it'll even have a bash at plotting MAF, O2 & FTs (not in the greatest of resolutions mind...)

If you can nab one of the Samsung Galaxy ones for a few bob second hand (they were only £80 new or something like that) then you'd be laughing - they've got an option to make the screen sensitive enough for wearing gloves.