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Weather Station Hardware => Boltek/NexStorm Lightning Detectors => Topic started by: AZmonsooncats on January 11, 2019, 06:34:10 PM

Title: Upgrading to a new computer soon having issues finding one with a PCI Slot
Post by: AZmonsooncats on January 11, 2019, 06:34:10 PM
Hi been a while but my need to find some answers about finding a new computer with a PCI slot most all are now PCIe I need this to run my Boltek Lightning card any help would be appreciated and does it run with Windows 10?



Jeanette
Title: Re: Upgrading to a new computer soon having issues finding on with a PCI Slot
Post by: freddie on January 12, 2019, 06:00:59 AM
Quote from: AZmonsooncats on January 11, 2019, 06:34:10 PM
Hi been a while but my need to find some answers about finding a new computer with a PCI slot most all are now PCIe I need this to run my Boltek Lightning card any help would be appreciated and does it run with Windows 10?
I don't know whether you can get a new computer with PCI slots on the main board, but you can certainly get an adaptor to enable your PCI card to be plugged in.  Here's an example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-com-PCI-Express-Adapter-Card/dp/B0024CV3SA?th=1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-com-PCI-Express-Adapter-Card/dp/B0024CV3SA?th=1)
Title: Re: Upgrading to a new computer soon having issues finding on with a PCI Slot
Post by: AZmonsooncats on February 01, 2019, 06:43:41 PM
Just a bump here I have found a new computer it should arrive in a week it will have a pci card for my boltek but I need to find the right drivers with the Lightning detector need the correct drivers for Lightning 2000 looks like a lot work ahead for me. I found my old Boltek installation discs and my orignial Lightning 2000 Version 3 install disk I have several update files that bring my verison up to v 5.6.1 I know it will be hard to bring it back online since Lightning/2000  website no longer exists any help would be appreicated.

Jeanette
Title: Re: Upgrading to a new computer soon having issues finding on with a PCI Slot
Post by: chief-david on February 01, 2019, 07:18:34 PM
That is the thing that worries me about this hobby. Will the old tech be supported?

I beg the school district to find me computers with a serial port for the Davis data logger. I know I talked about it a year ago or so.

Hopefully you have found what can work.
Title: Re: Upgrading to a new computer soon having issues finding on with a PCI Slot
Post by: DaleReid on February 01, 2019, 08:17:24 PM
Unless I misunderstand, the last two computers I use to look at the Davis output I have read into the Weather Display program using a very reliable USB to serial device.  I also have a couple of RS-485 output devices talking to my device that receives that data via a DB9 and converts it into a USB to gather the data.

None of my computers for several 'generations' (old ones fast enough to do the job, finally fail, get another one that is newer but still old) have had a serial port that I've used. 

Is this a possible solution, but I'd have thought you'd have tried this work around by now.  Dale