Leveraging Cheap PC Hardware?

dsginter asks: "Now that PC hardware is dirt cheap (under $100 for a Duron 700, motherboard, LAN, modem, sound, etc), I would expect to see more in the way of leveraging this sort of hardware for uses outside the home and office. Is there any vendors out there who address the need for cheap 12 volt DC power supplies? How about vibration tolerance (besides Flashdrives how are you getting the processor and accessories attached reliably)? PC/104 is comparatively expensive so it would be nice if there were some solid-state, 12-volt, embedded (and possibly even real-time) Linux projects out there. Example: with RAM as cheap as it is, you could make a portable digital video camera for very cheap. Are there packages out there or is this strictly DIY?" So where can you go if you are looking to purchase decent hardware for your embedded projects? Are any of you attempting to assemble projects like this? If so, what kinds of things are you working on?

Comments

To hell with this.

[duffbeer703]

I would like to take this opportunity to post some useful information.

The installation of cameras such as these pose a much greater threat to our freedom than laws designed to stop pirates of computer games, movies and cds. Morons will whine about crackdowns on Napster, but do nothing about cameras in the streets. Here's an example of fascism in action.

Motorists vent fury on speed cameras
By Athalie Matthews
(Filed: 20/08/2001)

FOUR speed cameras on the same stretch of road are bearing the brunt of public resentment at the nationwide crackdown on speeding.

The devices, which are on a 15-mile stretch of the A40 in Gloucestershire where there is a 60mph limit, have been vandalised in recent months by motorists furious at the growing number of cameras lurking on Britain's roads, police believe.

Three of the cameras - at Andoversford, Northleach and Little Barrington - have apparently been rammed by vehicles, while a fourth, at Burford, has had its pole bent using a rope or chain.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire police said: "There can be no doubt that these cameras were deliberately wrecked so we are probably looking for motorists who regularly use this stretch of road and have had enough."

The attacks on the four cameras, which have left the taxpayer with a bill of about £40,000, are the latest in a string of incidents in which drivers have vented their fury at the proliferation of "big brother" technology on the roadside.

It has emerged that motorists may soon face fines for breaking the speed limit by as little as five miles per hour. Ministers are thought to be considering reprogramming cameras to lower the speed at which they are prompted to flash.