PCs are getting smaller and smaller

[ozstockman]

This baby (http://fit-pc2.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page) is just a size of a mouse and it runs Windows XP. It comes with 6 USB ports, wireless and gigabit on board.

They are going to start selling it next month and Win XP version is under US$400.


I'm wondering what size will be the next? A size of a match box? :)

[Omaroo]

Yup - certainly a field PC contender. If it stays pretty warm (given that the case is the heat sink) then I imagine that it'd be pretty impervious to dew as well. A small monitor and you're away. Very nice indeed. :thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

adding the monitor then you might as well get a netbook lappy - be the same thing but with a battery;)

[Omaroo]

Granted - but not sure how many netbooks have 16" monitors David. I want to have a monitor set up for public viewing nights (to display what comes off the camera and star charts), and if the PC that drives it can be small then it's just less to carry.

[higginsdj]

Hi Chris,

Are you/will you be displaying just what can be seen through the EP or integrated images of DSO etc?

We tried some time ago to show people on screen what we could see through the EP to reduce the queues but we found people preferred to look through the EP and the bright screen destroyed peoples night vision (lots of complaints) - but we were only using relatively small screens (ie Laptop screens)

Cheers

[Omaroo]

Hi David. What I envisage is a properly boxed viewing screen with adequate red filter over the top on the edge of the observing area. I will use my SBIG to take quick 3x3 binned shots of objects such as NGC2070 and show them in real time after they download. I also found at our last public night a couple of weeks ago that at least half of our 300-odd visitors looked at my screen running Voyager to see where the object was in space relative to themselves. The kids and adults all loved it. There were 15 or so other scopes of varying sizes around for eyepiece viewing on the night.

[toryglen-boy]

i use an Acer Aspire One when "out in the field" it has an 8.9" screen, although i have updated it, and put 1.5Gb or DDR, and a 320Gb drive in there, it has a battery life of about 6 hours, and easily weighs less than 1Kg. Its too small for an optical drive, but i have a 16Gb SDCARD in there, that kinda acts as a removeable drive, and its easy to port stuff over. Its about the size of an A5 piece of paper ... and invaluable.

[ozstockman]

Actually I didn't mean to connect it to a monitor. If you want to connect a monitor to it then a laptop will be better. I mean that it's small enough to stick it to EQ6/5 mount side and then connect all your cameras to USB ports of this PC. Then you can use remote desktop software via wireless connection or even better via gigabit cable and do whatever you want without 5m limitation for an USB connection.

cheers,

Mike

[Jen]

:) I would love to get one of those to set up with my scope nice and small very cute how much do they sell for?
So if i got one of those and a CCD camera what else would i need to take a few cool pics (what software would be best)

[Omaroo]

Here's my eeePC - it runs PHD and CCDsoft for data aquisition. I'd still like a separate external unit connected to a large monitor for display work though. And yes, while the Aspire is a nice little unit, I'd rather something with a 20" (at least) screen. I don't think that this is a debate over wheter laptops or small footprint PC's are better in the field, it's over whether really small PCs are useful in the field - period. I think they may be.

[Tandum]

Check out the eee box. It's basically a eeepc without monitor or keyboard. It can be mounted to the 4 holes on the back of an LCD :) I believe that Q4 this year it will have the dual core atom in it instead of the current 1.6gig single core job.

[pmrid]

Chris, that's a great-looking setup. The EeePC looks like a 701 model. I have the same but can't get it to run a screen resolution that will work with PHD. I gather, from other posts, that PHD has a fixed screen size/aspect and doe snot adjust to suit the environment it's in. Have you found a way around this?
Peter

[Omaroo]

Hi Peter

When I ripped Linux off it a long time ago I looked around for eeePC-related XP hacks that let me increase screen resolution at driver level. I can't remember too well, but I think the one I found let me go to 1280x1024 - BUT I run 800x600 and it runs PHD just fine. I'll investigate further and see if the displayed resolution (by selection) is, in fact, what I'm getting.

[toryglen-boy]

Hi Jen

One of these would cost around $550 - $600, although i would hang on a couple of months if you can, the Ion platform from Nvidia is just around the corner, and while what it offers wont interest you, it will push down prices of existing Intel 9xx platforms.

;)

[toryglen-boy]

and i would agree. i have a 17" HP beast, that i sometimes use to, as you quite rightly stated, the larger display is excellent.

thats a very nice rig you got there, its got all the fruit


;)

[Jen]

:thumbsup:ok i will wait a little longer ;) thanks :D

[ozstockman]

another tiny one from ASUS

Asus Eee Box (http://cgi.ebay.com/Asus-Eee-Box-white-B202-250GB-2G-RAM-Mini-Desktop-PC_W0QQitemZ310113771950QQcmdZViewI temQQptZLaptops_Nov05?hash=item3101 13771950&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3 A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1 %7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50) It doesn't come with Windows XP but it's cheaper than FIT-PC2 and it has 2GB. I am sure you can install Win XP on it and use it as a remote server with remote desktop software.
However it's twice bigger than FIT-PC. I've seen it for sale on a computer swap. It's still small and slim but it's longer and wider than FIT-PC2

[Tandum]

Here's a local Eee Box (http://www.computeralliance.com.au/parts.aspx?qryPart=9892) with Windows for less money. Smaller hard drive and less RAM though.

And here's a blurb on the new Acer Revo (http://news.digitaltrends.com/talk-back/295/nvidia-and-acer-ionize-the-desktop-pc-to-spite-intel) (unveiled a couple of days ago) with the NVidia Ion (http://www.nvidia.com/object/sff_ion.html) graphics chip inside. Looks very neat.

[Omaroo]

Pico/ITX - brilliant! :)

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8569488031.html

[wysiwyg]

Well,

A friend of mine first brought the FIT-PC2 to my attention earlier this year, when it was released I purchased one as its a great condender for automating and simplifying the astrophotography setup.

I have installed all the software, for example The Sky 6 Pro, CCDSoft, PHD, EQMOD and heaps more and it has not skipped a beat so far.
It runs Windows XP Home, or you can install the OS of your choice on it. 160GIG hard drive, 6 x USB 2.0 ports and Giagbit Ethernet and 802.11g wireless.
When in my obs, I only connect to a screen and keyboard and mouse are wireless.
From inside the house I use RealVNC to remote operate the rig from the confort of the lounge room.

It has made all my USB wall plates and cable channels in the obs, obsolete now, as everypiece of hardware is now connected directly to the FIT-PC2, which is sitting snuggly on the EQ6 mount.

Performance and speed are excellent, especially for this type of application, it boots up 4 times faster than my quad core del XPS machine, even faster if you turn off all the testing in BIOS.

Only downsides of it so far are:
When remotely connecting to the FIT, it resorts to 640x480 in 4bit resolution if there is no monitor attached, which is a pain.
Workaround: not tried yet, a USB to VGA adapter, it fools the FIT into thinking there is a screen attached. ordered and waiting for one and need to test it.

Second is, Power ON, when there is a powerloss the FIT does not power back up automatically. This is not a BIOS enables switch and requires you to specify that you want this as an option when ordering your fit.
The way you know, is if the serial number of the FIT has the word "ON" at the end.

In the obs its fine, as you can connect it to a screen, but in the field you may require a portable LCD screen if anything goes wrong with the remote connection.

But the benefit of sitting in a warm car while imaging, with no cables far outweighs the downsides.

Apart from that it handles anything you can throw at it, so far so good!

Its definitely a winner in my books.

I would not be surprised if they start making mounts with these little buggers already built in. Now that would make sense.

Mark

[lacad01]

Wow, that Pico is tiny :eyepop:, "...slightly larger that a standard playing card". Would have some interesting applications for space saving.

[pmrid]

With a wireless keyboard/mouse these little beasts could easily be attached to the mount. It would only be the DVI video connection that would not. Unless someone knows of a 6" high-res DVI-D monitor that could also fit on there somewhere. The reduction of cable clutter is very, very attractive.
Peter

[Wavytone]

Velcroed to the mount/scope. The software for it will come, but it will be a long wait.

[wysiwyg]

The software is already here, the FIT-PC2 runs on Win XP Home.
Its just another computer, only tiny!