Mobile Linux Project In Ammo Canister

Chaosrider writes "Army Linux is a mobile development platform constructed from a 50-caliber ammunition canister. This site documents the development of an embedded Linux project, which features a backlit LCD screen, a VIA technologies Mini-ITX form factor motherboard and a 1U power supply. The site covers construction techniques, costs and hardware installation." The site also points to a similar PC-in-ammo-box project at Epiacenter.com.

Comments

US Government Rules Linux a WMD

[Anonymous Coward]

After intense lobbying by Microsoft, the United States today recognized Linux as a weapon of mass destruction. The breaking point was apparently news that Linux now runs in an ammo canister. "We plan to wipe out Linux where ever it may be... and hopefully there's lots of it in Iraq!" said President George W. Bush.

Re:US Government Rules Linux a WMD

[grub]

armylinux.com seems /.ed too, so George will have as much luck finding those WMD as he is the ones in Iraq..

Lovely!

[grub]

Just the perfect thing to use on a certain company in Utah..

more links

[klocwerk]

also at mini-itx.com,
ammobox pc
another one
aaaand yet another

-your friendly mini-itx loving geek

ammo box

[korgull]

Seems not very portable to me if you need to catch a flight.
I would love to see thos efaces at the check-in counter.

Re:ammo box

[JesseL]

You can get 150 rounds of .50 BMG tracers sent to your house for $199 from right here, they're not any more restricted in most of the USA than any other ammo. I don't know why you would think they would be more of a problem to check on a plane than any other ammo. For info on firearms and ammo in checked baggage look here.

Embedded.

[mindstrm]

The idea of an embedded system is one that seems to be badly distorted nowadays..
.
A small, but otherwise fully functional PC in a strange case is not an embedded system.

The computer that handles your car's internals is an embedded.

Your tivo is kind of an embedded system... not sure on that one.

But a full on PC inside something weird certainly isn't.

As it was once described to me.. an embedded system is a computer inside something that isn't a computer. A case doesn't count.

Those little boards the size of a dimm slice with a processor, ram, i/o, and other stuff on them are good for embedded work.

It's not about what version of linux runs, or what OS, or even what it does.. but a PC in a disguise is still a PC, not embedded.

Re:Embedded.

[Miniluv]

DirecTivo is technically more of an embedded system than a standalone Tivo, in that the DirecTivo is technically a satellite receiver, that happens to also have some linux stuff bolted on to do PVR functionality. The Tivo is just a nifty case around a PPC processor and a harddrive which has a TV-IN card.

A real embedded system is the controllers for, say, an automated automobile assembly station. The device builds cars, it just happens to have a brain composed partly of linux/qnx/tron/winCE/PalmOS to do the car building.

Re:Embedded.

[gl4ss]

there's one definition i like (don't know how accurate it is): if it is obvious that there is a computer inside it isn't embedded(that is, when you use the thing you know and think that you're working with a computer).

How many people

[TerryAtWork]

Are going to pull their code from Linux now that they know it will be used to kill people?

Can you even pull your code from Linux?

Re:How many people

[Voivod]

A) None, B) no.

And sorry to break it to you, but people have been putting Linux in missiles, tanks, and all sorts of other deadly devices for years. I work for an embedded systems company and I do Linux developer support all the time for people in the defense industry. Once they figure out how to get some pseudo real-time behavior out of Linux, they are very comfortable with it.

Re:How many people

[Xzzy]

> Kick my ass - I deserve it.

You doofus, you're not supposed to be graceful about having your foot stuffed into your mouth. Rather, to be a TRUE geek, you are required to fly into a spitting rage, construct a multi-paragraph essay defending your point. You are to conjure up as many off the wall and ill-supported arguments as you can in an effort to win the debate.

As an aside, "winning" is not defined in terms of making anyone actually agree with you. "Winning" is defined as beating the subject to death until no one wants to hear about it again, and ceases posting to the thread. By getting in the last word, you will have earned the right to say you won the argument. If these people in the future act like you're a nimcompoop who doesn't know jack, it's just because they're jealous and closeminded.

You got a lot of work to becoming a forum junkie.

Holy Case Mods Batman

[pope1]

Thats a pretty interesting design, i love how computers are working thier way into stranger and smaller containers all the time.

I really think there will be a market for Computers As Art someday. Like a woodcarving with a server in it, for some establishment that wants an ultra-fancy kiosk.

Or maybe we'll see a return of the "Electronics in Victorian Style Furniture" that was popular in the 30's, 40's.

Use Army Mobile Linux!

[Tumbleweed]

Travel to far away web sites.
Chat online with exciting, unusual people.
Then DDOS them!

Sad thing is...

[FileNotFound]

..that this wouldn't be news at all if it ran say WindowsCE.

Come on, there is nothing special about a case mod.

This is almost as bad as that Apple Ie project..whoopdie doo..

Once Again

[stratjakt]

An article about shoving an epia board into something other than a PC case. I get it already, the boards are small.

It goes without saying, of course, that this wouldn't be news if the installed OS was anything but lunix.

They epia boards are relatively gutless, and frankly the "easy way" to make a small form factor PC. I want to see some FlexATX boards with honest-to-god processing power in these boxes.

Myself, I'm working on fitting a flexATX board with a P3 800 (I cant remember the model now, I got it on eBay for 20 bucks on a whim) into a hacked PSX arcade stick. With built-in tv-out and mame it'll make a really funky portable arcade. Of course, I have big heat issues and others to solve, which makes it fun.

I've built other boxes with great success using Shuttles spacewalker mainboards (I think the FV25 is the greatest thing since sliced bread for a small, cheap, but useful PC)

I dunno, this just isnt all that interesting. You may as well just crazy glue a Zaurus inside the ammo box. It'll be faster.

big deal

[Anonymous Coward]

My gIrlfriend (obviously imagInary) built a mini ATX clone in a Tampex box...

Show us something 0rIginal.

text

[yerdaddy_777]

The site looks slow so here is the text:

error in sql-statement: mysql_query, err-no: 1040
qry: update nuke_counter set count=count+1 where (type='total' and var='hits') or (var='MSIE' and type='browser') or (var='Windows' and type='os')
description: Too many connections

error in sql-statement: mysql_query, err-no: 1040
qry: select year from nuke_stats_year where year='2003'
description: Too many connections

Warning: mysql_num_rows(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /srv/www/web1/html/includes/sql_layer.php on line 249

error in sql-statement: mysql_num_rows, err-no: 1040
description: Too many connections

error in sql-statement: mysql_query, err-no: 1040
qry: insert into nuke_stats_year values('2003', '0')
description: Too many connections

This is nothing.

[Tristan Tzara]

Fit a Linux machine into a .50 caliber *cartridge* and we'll be talking.

Re:wow AMAZING

[stratjakt]

Gimme a link to the sump pump article. We've had a ton of rain this summer, and I'm constantly running down to the basement to make sure my sump pumps are working, paranoid of the consequences should they fail. The ball cocks (heh) on the little sliding pole get gunked up so easily and refuse to move (and turn on the pump). Especially considering they sit in sludge 24/7.

I'd love it if they'd email me when they come on, shut off, especially when the water level rises and they dont come on.

A buddy of mine had about 80 grand worth of damage to his newly finished basement when it flooded.

Web enabling my sump pumps is news I can use!

Re:Disturbing

[Tristan Tzara]

Death is inevitable; what might matter is who dies when, and why. Some disagreements are worth fighting for, and cannot be solved any other way.

Dammit, I made one of these

[NetDrain]

I have a 30mm ammo box Linux machine sitting right next to me that I built in August of 2001 from sheer boredom. Apparently the editors didn't like my submission, oh well.

Take a look yourself here. It's running Gentoo now instead of Redhat, and there have been some other subtle modifications in that time, but it's largely the same machine. And 30mm explosive rounds are a TON more manly than wimpy 50 caliber. hehehehe

:D

Re:Homer sez: Booorrring!

[mrpuffypants]

Goddamnit!

Here's the real link!

Mis-Labeled and Old-Hat

[nurb432]

First of all, sticking a pc board in a box doesnt automatically make it 'embedded'.

"Embedded" is more about using cpu power in non-PC applications. its not about making small PC's

Secondly, so what? Those boards are behing shoved in all sorts of strange 'boxes'... This is just yet another ... hohum..