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Mini PC in an Actual Lunchbox

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the now-isn't-that-cute dept.

schnell29 writes "I am looking for a small case and such to house my next computer, and I have seen many mini, micro, flex ATX cases, but mini-itx.com has caught my atention. I like the lunchbox pc. With all the talk about quiet, small pc's this might be the ticket. And hey, they even report that VIA is now Microsoft CE .NET 4.1 certified."

9 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. Only problem with x86 architecture by tulare · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is that the manufacturers still insist upon maintaining obsolete interfaces on their mobos. Seriously, how many of you are going to buy a printer tomorrow that is parellel-only? The echos resound through the hall. Similarly for the serial port. These ports are only there to support older hardware for those too uncreative to go find dongles if they're stuck with crufty old hardware. One serious advantage of, say, an iBook over a comparable PC laptop is that the designers were free to be more creative because they weren't stuck with a bunch of zillion-pin garbage sticking out the back of the computer.

    Seems to me it's time to clean up the x86 motherboard. I've been happily not using parallel or serial for about two years now. YMMV.

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    political_news.c: warning: comparison is always true due to limited range of data type
    1. Re:Only problem with x86 architecture by orangesquid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I am frustrated when PC's come with only one serial port instead of two. Serial ports are incredibly useful for connecting external modems (sorry, but winmodems are solid cpu-using crap and there's no guarantee an internal modem isn't a winmodem) and for serial consoles. When you want to remotely administer a server that can't connect to the network, do you login through the serial port, or do you talk instructions over the phone to some idiot who doesn't know the difference between a PC and a lunchbox? Oh, wait...

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      --TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
    2. Re:Only problem with x86 architecture by miketang16 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Only after a port has used up all possible usefullness. When all the parallel printers and external modems are "recycled"(Sent to China) and no networking company uses the serial Console port on their products anymore. THEN, you can get rid of those legacy ports. Think about the people trying to abolish floppy drives from computers... Is making a boot CD as easy as making a boot floppy? Are you going to use a 700 MB CD-R for a 40k document?

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      "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
      -- George Orwell
    3. Re:Only problem with x86 architecture by Seahawk · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well - I havent had a floppy drive in my machine the last 2 years - and what should i use it for?

      As soon as you have a CD-RW drive I fail to see why anyone would need a floppydrive...

    4. Re:Only problem with x86 architecture by tulare · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'll take this one at a time:

      "Isn't that like claiming that Floppies are obsolete..."
      Yes. Floppies are obsolete. Rely on them at your peril. I won't. I will still use them for those machines which I have to manage which are so obsolete as to be unable to boot from cdrom, but that's it as far as their usefulness goes. Rate of failure alone is a great reason to trash the floppy disk.

      "I think you should instead think about the number of printers in-use that are parallell-port only..."
      Yes, some printers still are parallel-only. How many of those are laser printers? Not very many. IMO, inkjets are almost never worth saving when you re-up your system, and most laser printers have multiple interfaces, so you're not tied to the parport to use those. One exception to the above is the occasional pen plotter... many of those are parport-only and definately worth saving if you need one. Which is a good reason to buy a "specialty" computer to manage it, or, um (jetdirect) an external (jetdirect) print server. (jetdirect)

      All I'm trying to say is that not every single x86 mobo needs to have all this old crap hanging off the back of it. Be nice to clean things up a bit, while maintaining special models for people who need them for a particular purpose. Kind of like how you can still buy boards with ISA slots on them. Anyone want to argue that ISA isn't obsolete?

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      political_news.c: warning: comparison is always true due to limited range of data type
    5. Re:Only problem with x86 architecture by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I am GLAD that I have serial and parallel ports. Only crappy modems (yes some people HAVE to use modems yet they dont live in gattica like you...)
      use anything but the serial port... Please tell me where I can get a US robotics V.everything modem that is USB or PCI... you CANT. and the parallel ports.. I have several devices that use the paparle ports... tell me where I can get a USB eeprom burner or Pic programmer...

      How about a UPS that has usb out to signal the server to shutdown or my critical workstation..

      How about a Professional BetaCAM deck that has control vis USB? hell shw me one professional device that has USB for control.

      now let's look at scientific... Ph meters, mass spectromaters... no usb on them.. only serial.. good old RS232..

      thousands more people than you depend on the RS232 and parallel ports every day.

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      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    6. Re:Only problem with x86 architecture by ShavenYak · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Imagine how much more you could get out of a mobo like this if you replaced the ps/2 ports, the parallel port, and the serial port with, say, 6 usb and 2 firewire ports. Again, why not?

      I use a Via Epia motherboard in my MAME cabinet. Between the need to hook up a keyboard encoder, and the fact that it's running FreeDOS, using USB would not be an option.

      These would also make great platforms for car audio and home theater machines, where you're likely to want to run a small LCD or VFD display, most of which will need a serial port. There are still plenty of good reasons to keep the legacy ports, and if you need that many USB ports, you can get a USB hub.

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      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
  2. what's the point by dr.Flake · · Score: 3, Insightful

    beside's the usual answer: "because i can do it !"

    He still needs a backback to bring along his keyboard, mouse and monitor. Plus 500 meters of power cable so he can sit in the park and eat his lunch (from his other lunchbox) and type some letter.

    and with these specs? get a laptop.
    But i like the whole idea of very small but complete boards. Nice hack.

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    Why are other peoples sig's always more witty ???
  3. Re:Ubiquity of serial and parallel by platypus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Thanks for the reply, I asked as I was really surprised that these interfaces to the car electronics are open (but I assume probably only the passive ones are open).

    Now I learned through google that there a real scene around car electronics reverse engineering, which I didn't know before.
    There's even a open source suite for that stuff at
    http://freediag.sourceforge.net/
    which you probably know.

    Nice stuff