Slashdot Mirror

Good for -40 to +85C

http://www.ampro.com/Products/RuffSystem/

Want other vendors? Just check out the Embedded Systems Conference, which happens several times a year

I noticed that the x86 board you refer to has half the DRAM,no 10/100 Ethernet interface, maybe this help for the power consumption? (it probably doesn't explain the whole difference)

100Mb/s Ethernet can be implemented @ about 250 mW. In any case, this board adds Ethernet, video and more RAM and runs at about 6.5 Watt.

At the end of the day my main point was that an ARM based board is not several orders of magnitude lower power than a somewhat comparable x86 based design.

since ARM is still orders of magnitude more power-efficient than anything x86

This is utter bullshit.

On this page it says that at 133MHz, idle, the board consumes 8.6W. There are plenty of embedded x86 boards that run lower power and/or higher clock frequency.

For example, here's a board that runs at 133MHz, 5 Watt at 100% CPU load.

Ampro has been making tiny motherboards for years. (as have other companies, of course)

I have a board made by them that's exactly the right size, and with mounting holes in the right place, to fit in a 5 1/4" drive bay (dated 1995). Of course it doesn't work, but that's why I have it. :)

In particular, PC/104-Plus form factor boards are 3.6" x 3.8", which is about 9.1x9.7 cm.

Now, if somebody like Jumptec, Ampro, or any of the other embedded CPU board makers would use this! I'd love to have that for my embedded system - fast graphics for all the traces, USB 2.0 for RF control, two Ethernet ports for access...

I wonder if anyone could pursade nVidia to put one of these in there... They have everything else....

'rneches' has clearly looked at the current market of available laptops. Prolly only missing out on a few low-profile products.

This is an 'Ask SlashDot' posting. Why are people posting additional questions rather than useful tidbits of information.

He has specific goals in mind for the laptop of his dreams (goals that I happen to share), why would you suggest a piece of hardware that violates 90% of his wish list as a solution?

That ends my rant for now and here are a series of links I have dug out of other postings.
PSI_Linux Psion hardware / Linux software project.
Sceptre - Hardware retailer
AMPRO nifty smallish hardware
IBM X-series laptops
Linux-Laptop.net lot's of docs on making laptop hardware work with Linux
TuxScreen strange hardware hacking project
Cyberresearch hardware retailer

Well, you could start with some pc-104 components, add a pcmcia module, an LCD control module, etc. Or you could base it off of one of many SBC's available in the EBX little board format such as this one from Ampro. Then you just have to find an open-frame LCD to use, pick some drives and fabricate your own case. Easy right ;-).

A case which can hold one or two PC/104 (removable side-by-side PC/104 jumper card) would be a good tool, particularly if there was a case tall enough for a stack of two PC/104.

Make mounting points for some common LCDs, a common power supply, a common battery, and a hard drive. Have a spot where a PC/104 with PCMCIA can reach the outside if such a card is installed. Design the case to use a common thin compact keyboard.

For a laptop, you want something like the Ampro Little Board/P5x which uses the low power "Mobile Pentium" (Tillamook) processor, and has graphics and Ethernet along with everything else that's usually on a motherboard.

Of course, if someone would start making a laptop case which can hold PC/104 cards and common LCD, power supply, and drives...then the laptop market would open up as the desktops did with standard cases and components.

From the article:
...since [Transmeta] has a lot of cheap competition, most notably from National Semiconductor's soon to be released PC-On-A-Chip and Intel's StrongARM processors.

National Semiconductor's chip is called the MachZ. It's designed by David Feldman (father of the PC/104 embedded computer standard which he invented when he worked for Ampro in the '80s) and sold by Feldman's new company, ZF Microsystems (same link).

Find a good weatherproof cast aluminum housing (with rubber seals). Drill two holes for a pair of BNC connectors. Install the BNCs, solder down the RG174 to the BNCs. Etch a +5 Symbol on the housing for the power connector, and ANT for the other. Connect up a suitable onmi antenna and power, seal up, and enjoy.

-=paulf