Do you have a technical question that doesn't really fit a specific console? Want some general info on electronics, hacking, making cookies, etc? Here's the place to ask! Go nuts.
I had an old firewire external drive, and it died a death. Well, the main chip on it smoked and fired anyway. The HD itself is standard IDE in a pre-assembled enclosure so that's ok, but that's not the point. The point is, I'm left with a rather nice case.
Dimensions: 8.4 x 5 x 1.2 inches
So! I had an idea for a project. A tiny laptop, with USB2 and maybe CF-card based storage. 4GB would be enough to run windows 2000 or something.
I just want it to be able to have at least 1024x768 screen resolution and run basic windows apps; nothing intensive. I need it for school.
So! What do you think I should use?
Last edited by Bibin on Sat Aug 11, 2007 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Price range is subject to change, but right now, about 200 bucks. I intend on this being a long project, so I might get more money later.
That would require a heck of a lot of luck to pull off, as most boards in this size range are $200+. You're just out of the size range of EBX boards (8.5 x 5.75 x 2 inches or taller with CPU heatsink.) which can be found with a little luck for ~$50 on eBay.
Screens in this size are also difficult to find cheaply, I've been waiting for an auction to close at a decent price for a few weeks now. Most go for $80+ now. It's the seller Triton mentioned in his thread, and since that thread they have been going much higher than what Triton paid .
Realistically, I think the price would be around $700, looking at $500 fully assembled carPCs with mini/nano itx boards. Then, a good screen, like this one from Ben's phoenix site:
For $200, you might be able to make one, but that would require getting good deals on everything. I've been searching ebay the last couple days, and if you want to build a small laptop for cheap, its not likely that its gonna happen. I'd suggest a Fujitsu Lifebook (Triton has one, I might get one when I have the money), they are pretty small, most of them have touchscreens, and you'll get a lot more for $200 with one of them than building your own.
vskid wrote:For $200, you might be able to make one, but that would require getting good deals on everything. I've been searching ebay the last couple days, and if you want to build a small laptop for cheap, its not likely that its gonna happen. I'd suggest a Fujitsu Lifebook (Triton has one, I might get one when I have the money), they are pretty small, most of them have touchscreens, and you'll get a lot more for $200 with one of them than building your own.
Triton's Lifebook (P2000 series) I'm guessing is a bit big, considering the size range Bibin was going for was an external harddrive case. One like mine (P1000 series) would be closer, but they still seem to cost $300+ off eBay.
Waiting for an Asus EEE PC might be the best option, if you're optimistic. Otherwise, searching around eBay for 3.5" SBCs would be an OK plan of attack, though you'll probably have to go with a Geode GX (very slow) board.
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