SL/R230: SDS Clone
04-28-2014, 10:49 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
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?
04-29-2014, 01:10 AM
#2
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.
04-29-2014, 09:51 PM
#3
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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.
