SL/R230: SDS Clone
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 151
Likes: 6
From: Central Mass
2003 SL500, 2016 F250, 2017 Jeep Renegade
SDS Clone
Can anyone recommend who to buy the Chinese Clone from. I'm hoping it can do more than one vehicle as I own a CLK430 and a SL500.
From what I have seen they come with Hard Drive's? Guess the software is pre-installed? Some come with Laptops, and some come with Just a Box and Wires. So I'm a bit confused on which type to buy and from whom.
Like for Instance this one is 700.00 and I keep seeing guy's mention 300.00 ones
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MB-Star-SD-Connect-C4-SDS-with-software-03-2014-for-Dell-630-Diagnostic-Tool-179-/151289598254?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item233990112e&vxp=mtr
or this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Top-quality-MB-Star-SD-Connect-C4-SDS-with-latest-software-01-2014-for-Dell-630-/111206948505?pt=Wholesale_Lots&hash=item19e4735e99&vxp=mtr
If I bought the 2nd one do I have to now look for a Dell 630 laptop?
From what I have seen they come with Hard Drive's? Guess the software is pre-installed? Some come with Laptops, and some come with Just a Box and Wires. So I'm a bit confused on which type to buy and from whom.
Like for Instance this one is 700.00 and I keep seeing guy's mention 300.00 ones
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MB-Star-SD-Connect-C4-SDS-with-software-03-2014-for-Dell-630-Diagnostic-Tool-179-/151289598254?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item233990112e&vxp=mtr
or this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Top-quality-MB-Star-SD-Connect-C4-SDS-with-latest-software-01-2014-for-Dell-630-/111206948505?pt=Wholesale_Lots&hash=item19e4735e99&vxp=mtr
If I bought the 2nd one do I have to now look for a Dell 630 laptop?
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 276
Likes: 33
SL500, Miata
I purchased mine nearly 6 years ago here through eBay. I see that at $400 they are roughly $100 higher than other vendors, so I suppose if I were shopping today I would find another source.
The prices you see in those links are higher because they have the latest version of the multiplexer (the "C4") and include a laptop.
To minimize setup difficulties I recommend purchasing a kit which includes an internal hard drive with all software pre-installed. Someone on another forum recommended sticking with the older C3 multiplexer, and this seems reasonable to me.
I would purchase the necessary laptop from eBay. If you select one that does not include the hard drive, they are very cheap. If you end up with an IBM-compatible hard drive, consider purchasing a T23 ThinkPad, because the T30 models are notorious for memory slot failures.
In my experience I installed the Chinese-supplied hard drive into a T30 laptop and everything worked precisely as advertised with nothing to configure or setup at all. The T30 soon developed the memory slot problem, and I switched to a T23.
Finally, for choosing a seller there are many on Alibaba.com. Hopefully someone who has made a recent purchase can make a specific recommendation.
The prices you see in those links are higher because they have the latest version of the multiplexer (the "C4") and include a laptop.
To minimize setup difficulties I recommend purchasing a kit which includes an internal hard drive with all software pre-installed. Someone on another forum recommended sticking with the older C3 multiplexer, and this seems reasonable to me.
I would purchase the necessary laptop from eBay. If you select one that does not include the hard drive, they are very cheap. If you end up with an IBM-compatible hard drive, consider purchasing a T23 ThinkPad, because the T30 models are notorious for memory slot failures.
In my experience I installed the Chinese-supplied hard drive into a T30 laptop and everything worked precisely as advertised with nothing to configure or setup at all. The T30 soon developed the memory slot problem, and I switched to a T23.
Finally, for choosing a seller there are many on Alibaba.com. Hopefully someone who has made a recent purchase can make a specific recommendation.
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
2012 CLS63 AMG pp, 2009 Silverado 2500HD Duramax
I got mine here: http://www.hobd2.com/wholesale/mb-st...-and-cars.html
I paid the "list" price of $360 + shipping, and it was worth every penny. They charge a bit more, but their customer service is great. Any questions I had, (I went through several hardware changes, each one requiring a new key set) I had a response and an answer within a few hours.
I bought the Dell D630 to go with it, but I think with a bit of tweaking, any laptop with a serial port would work. I put Windows 8.1 on my D630, and vmware, and run the Star as a Vmware virtual machine. No issues, and I can "suspend" the star system to make booting it the next time a lot quicker.
Overall, I couldn't be happier.
I paid the "list" price of $360 + shipping, and it was worth every penny. They charge a bit more, but their customer service is great. Any questions I had, (I went through several hardware changes, each one requiring a new key set) I had a response and an answer within a few hours.
I bought the Dell D630 to go with it, but I think with a bit of tweaking, any laptop with a serial port would work. I put Windows 8.1 on my D630, and vmware, and run the Star as a Vmware virtual machine. No issues, and I can "suspend" the star system to make booting it the next time a lot quicker.
Overall, I couldn't be happier.
