Service and Parts Manuals

[Guest]

In the field when you want to look up part numbers, or look at the service manual, how are you doing it? Are you carrying the bound manuals in your vehicle? Do you have everything on your laptop and bring that into the customer's office? Do you use a computer in the customer's office and download the manual? I've been using a Palm TX for a few years, before that a Palm Tungsten C. I've now switched to a Ipod Touch, but the PDF reader isn't as robust as the one in the Palm's. I'm still ironing out the bugs but it sure is fun to have all of that info in my shirt pocket, not to mention the tech podcasts while driving between calls.

[totoro]

I have everything on my laptop that I go get as needed. I have the pm kit lists that I carry in my tool bag for the most used parts.

Totoro

[10871087]

Laptop - Don't leave home without it.

All our techs have one with all the manuals and bulletins on it. If they need to get online they can plug into a customers network most of the time. We also use Blackberries for email

[smiley]

i dont bring my loptop only if i use to upgrade costomers machine.i use my hp smart phone stock with all manuals and part list.

[mjarbar]

We use dedicated Laptops, no personal software allowed, which we load the SST, manuals, parts catalogues onto along with MS Office.

The Internet interface is loaded to eng. preference i.e. IE or Firefox, with the home page defaulted to either our own website or the Canon Dealernet. We also have to limit the websites available.

It's pretty much draconian but we used to allow much more freedom with the laptops but were forever clearing out viruses etc, from 'inapropriate' websites and haveing to sort problems from incompatible software.

[mrfixit]

All my manuals are on my laptop or dvd+r's. I also have all my drivers and scan software installed on there so it's easy for me to connect with a crossover cable and prove it's a network problem and not the machine.

[Elle]

and the laptops have it - i use a motoQ9 phone with internet access if i need to hit the web at a customer's location (technology rocks) and all my manuals, bulletins, parts lists, etc. are on my laptop

[just a tech]

All techs here have laptops which have service manuals, parts manuals, firmwares, software, etc. loaded on them. In all laptop bags is a "kit" with a cross-over cable, usb cable, a card reader, compact flash cards, and jump drives so that we ca update firmwares, troubleshoot networking problems, and etc. Works out pretty well. ( In my bag, I also have a dc/ac converter so if I ever have the need to use my laptop on the road and my battery is weak, I just plug converter into cigarette lighter and no more problems..)

[blackcat4866]

I use a combination:

For a quick part# check of a standard everyday item I have a short list of PM parts in Microsoft Word files (for small file size) on my HP iPAQ PDA. This is the quickest part check.

The most common Service & Parts manuals I carry on a 2G thumb drive. If I have a cooperative customer, I may ask for the short term use of a PC somewhere. This is especially easy at the school districts that seem to have hundreds of PCs.

For the less common manuals, or if the customer can't spare a PC, or if the customer is a little cranky, I'll get the laptop out. Also, I keep the firmware CF cards in the same bag. This takes the longest to fully boot up.

It's hard to imaging that just 5 years ago I was reading manuals off of microfiche. I think that my eyes are still crossed as a result. =^..^=