This is a Compaq LTE 5280 laptop from the early 1990s, running a bespoke CA card. In 2016, McLaren Automotive—one of the most high-tech car and technology companies on the planet—still uses it and its DOS-based software to service the remaining hundred McLaren F1s out there, each valued at $10 million or more.
McLaren built 106 F1s, and 100 of those still exist today.
Yeah, the world's full of shit like that.
>>54492591
I wonder why Mr Bean sold his, probably got cucked.
Why can't they emulate
>>54492463
If it still works and it's not online then whats the problem?
Pretty comfy looking laptop desu
I kind of want one
>>54492656
they can, it's just a click bait article
You only needed the computing power of a pocket calculator to put a man on the moon why would you need anything more to drive a car? Consumer electronics are just memes.
>>54492712
> dos
and do what on it exactly?
>>54492463
they still use it because of the type of port this laptop comes with. God only knows why they can't just make it a simple COM port on the ECU like most cars have
>>54492738
Install windows 95
>>54492463
Very much like the BMW 850s, for which the diagnostics software only runs on a somewhat customised IBM Thinkpad, and for which you need quite a few specific connectors.
It's not abnormal for the older cars, especially those based on the BMW M-Car, as they have a distributed LAN, with no central computing. The actual communications and diagnostics is rather complex.
>>54492463
>he fell for the McLaren F1 meme
>>54492656
They cant but the CI Port because they use properitary plugs is neccesarry and they working on a new solution
>>54492790
It's amazing how they took a bloody good engine and made a moderately unreliable car.
>>54492777
It runs in SCO Linux, you can buy the software and connector and run the diagnostics software in a VM
>>54492969
>Buy the software
Not possible with the early 850s (before the major revisions in '94), the latter ones work on available software. They changed the car architecture a lot, and since then they've built on it.
>connector
That's the issue really. You technically have a second computer which is a halfway-house between the car and the diag PC, and neither of its connectors are standard. I can't quite remember how it connected on the thinkpad side, but I believe they had a custom board.
So yes, in theory you can, but the process, especially if you want to get rid of the hardware box in the middle, is probably quite irritating.
>>54493006
Not sure about the super old BMWs, but most of the aftermarket tools convert the 20 pin connector to the ODB2 connector. You still need a specialized chipset (ie not the cheap Chinese ones) to get anything off of it. Don't remember the rest of the details since it's been a few years since I messed with it
Very similar stuff happens in aviation. I worked for a company that had two $40m jets, one was even brand new like 6-7 years ago, and they needed dos software and floppy disks.
>>54492892
>nonfree shit
you get what you choose
motherfuckers
>>54493111
Newer ones are a lot nicer to deal with, Anything from '98 to today follow similar conventions, you can diag a mini using the same computer you would to diag the last 850s. The early stuff is horrible, which, if I remember correctly, partially dictated the McLaren F1 computer design too.
Those cars are just horrible to maintain, even BMW (at least in the UK) can't keep the 850s going. Out of parts now too.
>>54492463
>>54492463
I have this model
>>54492656
>>54492777
they can with vm, i run BMW GT1 DIS for like 8 years now. Back then it cost like $5000 include laptop because it needed a rs232 connector. Brand new one cost like $5000 named ista/isis/ rheinghold/
>>54493254
it works with the old one though below 96 as long as it's OBD, it just staticly works no realtime monitoring with OBD.
>>54493414
These are the issue really. Expensive, newer ones aren't compatible with the first gen diagnostics, and increasingly hard to find.
We really need a project to port their functionality to a VM.
>>54493296
sexy af
>>54492463
so?
>>54493459
Your image change color when clicked, lel
>efficiency should be laughed at
