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The Mini-ITX Project Revisited

Posted by Hemos on from the coming-back-to-it dept.

An anonymous reader writes "From the article: "Once my original Mini-ITX project was completed I finally had a chance to sit back and use the computer. After a couple weeks of general internet browsing, emailing, and so forth, I was able to get a better understanding of the system and a feel for its design. Knowing how simple my needs were, the Mini-ITX project computer was orginally designed to be as basic and quiet as possible. This meant no hard drive, no extra accessories- just a stripped down system. While this suited my needs well at the time, its lack of versatility soon became an issue. This meant it was back to the drawing board for a retooling of the Mini-ITX project computer. The changes include a new case, operating system and boot device, along with improved cooling. The new system was tested using Slax and then MEPISLite." Even better link is the site itself which regularly carries mods.

14 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. slashdot SPAM! by BLAG-blast · · Score: 5, Informative
    This is just spam. Some how somebody tricked the /. editors (I imagine it's not hard) to link to a page full of advertising links.

    Lame.

    --
    M0571y H@rml355.
  2. I really like how this NEXT by ciroknight · · Score: 4, Funny

    Article goes on about NEXT >>

    Showing off his awesome NEXT >>

    Mini ITX NEXT >>

    Computer NEXT >>

    --
    "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
  3. Those dc/dc converter boards by xtal · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Has anyone been using them for any length of time? The one in the article is 60W, I've been using a few rated at 200W without problems in some of our boxes - but the longevity is always in the back of my mind.

    We've put together a few dozen silent boxes based off of compact flash / IDE adapters and have been VERY pleased with the results.

    --
    ..don't panic
  4. Buy a MAC-Mini, call it good! by ankarbass · · Score: 5, Informative

    Seriously, until mini-itx motherboards come down in price there doesn't seem to be any advantage, imnsho, over a MAC-Mini. Factor in the time you spend dorking around with the miniitx and it gets worse. Oh, and just about every case I've seen is just plain ugly. Modded cases are like ringtones, even if you think yours is an exception, it isn't, they all suck.

    --
    Wanted: Clever sig, top $ paid, all offers considered.
    1. Re:Buy a MAC-Mini, call it good! by MsGeek · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yes, the Mac mini seems to have killed all the incentive to build VIA EPIA-platform mini boxen. They are small, they are quiet, and they have a lot more capability than your average EPIA Mini-ITX box. They're a little more expensive but they are less hassle. And hey, you get Mac OS X with it! I like Linux, I use it all the time, but it doesn't have the same kind of polish that Mac OS X has.

      --
      Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
    2. Re:Buy a MAC-Mini, call it good! by User+956 · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Here's the thing. My server at home, which sits on a static IP address, is a mini-itx based machine. It provides me with: web hosting, email hosting, storage, inside network services and firewalls outside access to my TiVo. Why did I do this with a mini-itx instead of a Mac mini? Well, there are several disadvantages to the Mac Mini over Mini-itx:

      • Noise. The mac mini will produce a lot. The only moving part on my server is the hard drive platters, and they are hermetically sealed and use fluid dynamic bearings. As hard drives go, they are whisper quiet. I've bought a lot of fans in my time, even some rather expensive ultra-quiet ones. Given enough time, all of them eventually get dust in the bearings and start making a racket.
      • Size. The Mac mini is small, this thing is smaller.
      • Heat. There is not a single fan running on my server. The hottest component by far is the hard drives.
      • Power. This goes along with heat. The power supply's peak sustained output is 60W. I'd be suprised if the unit consumed more than 25W except during hard drive spin up.
      • Battery back up lifetime. This goes along with power. A standard consumer UPS will run this thing for many hours. It has survived 3 hour power outages.


      Put all this together, and I can hide the server in a closet and forget about it. Just need a power drop and two network connections.



      --
      The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    3. Re:Buy a MAC-Mini, call it good! by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes, the Mac mini seems to have killed all the incentive to build VIA EPIA-platform mini boxen.

      Well, that's not the fault of the Mac Mini-- it's the fault of Mini-ITX for charging such high prices. I would have built one of these things years ago, but the price was much too high for my needs.

      --
      94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
  5. Advertisment by mrtroy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Advertisement

    Another Advertisement

    More Advertisements

    And here is how i put my mini-itx motherboard into a NEW case designed for it *BUY HERE*

    ------

    This is news if you consider me taking a dump new...because its in a different toilet than usual.

    --
    [I can picture a world without war, without hate. I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it]
  6. Does this really deserve a frontpage article? by jgaynor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Step 1: Buy computer parts.
    Step 2: Assemble computer.

    I have three of these things (silent, flashboot, netboot - the whole bit). Can I get a frontpage article for assembling commodity parts as well?

  7. Weeks? by RapmasterT · · Score: 5, Funny

    It only took him a couple of weeks to realized that a PC with no hard drive and no CD was "limited".

  8. Industrial / automotive + mac mini == broken mini by xtal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Disclaimer: I'm in the business.

    One BIG advantage to mini-ITX is that they are easily put into functional, solid enclosures with additional power supply protection you don't find in the mini. The boards themselves support booting off of flash, and it's very easy to purpose-build them with no hard drive attached.

    You're not going to run a piece of industrial automation equipment off a mac mini. There's no reason you couldn't, I guess, but it's much easier to purpose-build something around the VIA board. A lot of the time, these things end up running DOS. There's no RTOS available for the mini I am aware of.

    We've done a lot of work replacing old tower PC's with things that can bolt into telco utility closets next to the PBX. With the via board, these are just drop in replacements.

    For the consumer that just wants a computer, the mac mini is very attractive. There's lots of other applications - like bolting a computer to a wall - where it doesn't make a lot of sense.

    YMMV, of course.

    --
    ..don't panic
  9. Epia Stability by dozer · · Score: 4, Informative

    I can only speak for the M10000. Mine has been up since powered on, serving files and mail under moderate load. 458 days uptime and counting. The only stability issue I know of for this motherboard is it locks up under extended DMA (i.e. simultaneously record & playback for 1/2 hour in MythTV). Apparently there's finally a a fix for this. The tiny power draw is just fantastic; low power bills and it stays up for hours even on my crappy UPS.

    I'm installing one with a DC-DC converter in my car this week. It looks high quality. We'll see...

  10. Been there, done that, never again. by RatBastard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I built three Mini-ITX systems, only one of which is still in use. I built a 533Mhz goof-off machine fo rthe living room, a 800Mhz server and a 1Ghz unit for my wife. The server and good-off machines were chosen due to noise considerations. The wife needed a new MB anyway. The server was woefully underpowered and has been replaced by an old 866Mhz Del Opitiplex I bought from the local government surplus and the full P3 kicks the VIA chip's butt so much it's not funny. I never did anything with the 533Mhz unit because the TV-Out is less than worthwhile. Those two units are in pieces in my closet. My wife is happy with her unit, plus the NVidia TNT2 PCI video card I tossed in, but her idea of demanding computer use is playing FreeCell.

    They are not bad computers, if you realize that they are slow as all get out. When used in the right environments (embedded devices, simple robots, etc...) they probably work well. They are not good desktop machines, however. On a price to performance ratio they suck. They are absurdly expensive for what you get. Especially if you add in the tiny cases. You can easily spend as much or more than a Mac Mini would cost and still end up with a larger, noisier and less powerful computer.

    If I decide to go down the tiny PC road again I'm going Mac Mini. It can sit there and stare in awe at my G5 Powermac.

    --
    Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
  11. I'm sure a cheap Dell laptop would do it. by gelfling · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Take a cheap Dell (or any) commonly available notebook machine. Break it open. Remove the keyboard, powersupply and battery. Remove the screen being careful to replace the ribbon cable or at least not break it. Take the now free main planar stick it in any random 1337 shell - toaster oven, fishtank, DVD player, retro 8-track, whatever you want. Stick the LCD display on that shell or something else. Attach a USB keyboard and mouse. Plug in.

    That's pretty much it for a 1.0 version. Later revs can include a DVD drive or any other peripheral that was in the original notebook. If you don't like the LCD screen just go out and buy the big screen you want and plug it into the SVGA port you already have on your anchovy-can PC.

    Remember all the ports and connectors are already there and if you want to move or hide them you can do that with some simple extention cables inside the case. Because once you remove the keyboard, the screen, the case, the battery and the powersupply your pc is not that much bigger than 10" x 4" x 0.7" including the hard drive.