Starting my ultra-portable PC project (PCp?) update Nov 26th

FDSMAN · Post by **FDSMAN** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:16 pm

thought i'd post this here, i'm going to probly start a project called Mp3
you'll see when i'm done

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:40 pm

If that thing has S3, don't use Windows XP. No driver support with that OS.

teraflop122 wrote:Soundwave- I trully hope you don't mean one of those Sony u50 things. How many times must I rave about the pride of DIY projects and the emense savings involved in many cases?

tom61- you know, you could always try (shifty eyes) Windows 98. Windows 98 has absolutely no problem moving from one system to another. I plan to use Windows 98, stripped to the bone, on my own slow-moving PCp project.

Speaking of my portable PC project, I have located the board which I believe will form the core of it: http://www.bwi.com/product/13566 An image of the fanless heatsink showed it to be no higher than a standard Dimm would be. I already have a 256 stick o' ram laying about somewhere. Storage will probably be a 1 or 2 GB CF card, making the entire thing "solid state"- no moving parts!

The runner up for my choice is this: http://www.bwi.com/proot/6960 Not only is the processor integrated, but so is 128MB of ram! Soldered right to the board. All I would need to do is get the CF card for storage (and the batteries, of course). Reasons for disliking it are- generally low-performance Via cpu, and generally low-performance S3 video chip.

Somehow, I don't see this project of mine reaching fruition until after Christmas.

xriverfalconx · Post by **xriverfalconx** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 8:26 pm

I'm almost done with my portable project...finishing up the case. I need another screen b/c I accidently had a hdd magnet stick onto the screen and i turned it on w/o realizing it.

Starting my sega project next...already have a cart slot on it's way, and on thursday, i'm going to order a hip gear screen to continue this.

*o* · Post by ***o*** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 2:11 am

cool! i look forward to seeing another sega portable

teraflop122 · Post by **teraflop122** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 9:19 pm

Mp3??? I'm excited already!

And I also strive to prevent PCp threads from slipping away, so I'm obliged to post again on this one.

minkster · Post by **minkster** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 9:38 pm

Well, I think the PCp project is pretty cool so I will add my 5 cents in

There is this program called JoytoKey which emulates the mouse with a usb controller. And I see that you are using a controller to be built in the PCp. I think it only works under windows though, I'm not too sure. Heres the link http://www.electracode.com/4/joy2key/Jo ... ersion.htm

Unidentified Assilant · Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:03 pm

I've talked about that before Minkster, but glad to see someone else has an intrest

minkster · Post by **minkster** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 6:01 pm

Woops

sorry I didn't skim through all 14 pages. It is a great program though...I use it when my laziness kicks in.

teraflop122 · Post by **teraflop122** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 10:09 am

Costs are conspiring against me.

If anyone else wants to jump into the PCp arena, here is a very powerful, compact motherboard. The fact that the seller has zero feedback will make the purchase risky, but it should also keep the cost down: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... Track=true

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 7:38 pm

Marska wrote:I've been considering using a small LCD for a project somewhat similiar to yours, but usability issues always crop up when I look into it. That PS1 LCD displays at around 500 res, right? I'd hate to do anything meaningful with that.. Thought of perhaps wiring together two or three five inch LCDs for a widescreen setup, but that is beyond my skill.

Main interesting feature is the power setup, as I've never seen anyone make use of a li-ion battery (bulky UPS lead-acid, and even regular D batteries, but li-ions seems to present some special challenges) much less a two powerpack setup. How difficult has the wiring for it been thus far?

Interesting project..

PS If your looking for NES emulation on a handheld, may I suggest the GPX2? (http://www.gp32x.com) Been playing with a unit and the Nes and Genesis emulation is quite nice..

The physical res of the screen is 320x240, but I'll be running it interlaced at 640x480. With more utilitarian uses on my mind, I'm seriously considering dumping the PSOne screen at the first chance I get. Since the board has an intergrated LCD controller, I might hook it up to an old active-matrix TFT screen I pulled out of a 486 laptop. That would be a pain to do, with all the odd connectors involved, and that I'd need a inverter to power the CCFL or wire up white LEDs in its place.

Most of the troubles with li-ion is safety related. If charged wrong, they may leak, catch fire, or even explode. I get around that simply because all the safety electronics(overload protection, over-voltage protection, etc.) are inside the gray box along with the battery cells. I also get a charge indicator, telling me how much power I have left.

What I've had to do so far is take the battery to Radio Shack to find matching connectors, make a post in the electronics sub-forum asking what type of regulator I'd need to step 9V down to 5V at 4Amps (turns out the best bet wasn't a regulator, but a PWM), read the schematic on the product website, and order the needed parts from digi-key. Still haven't built the circuit, because of me ordering the wrong size of resistor (right value, but the thing is 3 inches long!) and that the PWM's pins don't quite line up with any protoboards I have laying around.

Portable NES emulation is done by my Dell Axim X5 using Pocket NESter just fine. GPX2 looked neat, but it's new Linux based succesor looks even cooler.

Edit: Properly formated quote

teraflop122 · Post by **teraflop122** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 9:12 am

tom61, I couldn't tell whether that entire post was a quote or only the first few paragraphs. If the later is true, it almost seems like you are either giving up on your PCp or dramatically losing focus. That GP2X looks very cool, but (to my knowledge) ARM processors are not x86 compatible, and thus the unit is in no way a true PCp.

Well, I'm going to make a new thread in a few minutes which will detail my latest ongoing attempt to build a PCp of my own.

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 1:06 pm

ok some wares some one on one of these PCp threads had a great link to a car mp3 site that sold nanos for 450. i'm looking for that link i vary much want to buy a nano.

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 11:26 am

teraflop122 wrote:tom61, I couldn't tell whether that entire post was a quote or only the first few paragraphs. If the later is true, it almost seems like you are either giving up on your PCp or dramatically losing focus. That GP2X looks very cool, but (to my knowledge) ARM processors are not x86 compatible, and thus the unit is in no way a true PCp.

Well, I'm going to make a new thread in a few minutes which will detail my latest ongoing attempt to build a PCp of my own.

Should be easier to read now. I'm not giving up. In fact I should be advancing the project soon, as I've ordered a USB to IDE adapter with a power supply that plugs directly into the drive. That'll allow me to install directly from CDrom to the harddrive on that motherboard. Then I'll also have a power supply to use when I'm near AC power.

I'm not really 'losing focus', as this is really a hacker project, where the journey is the destination. However, the goals of what I want it to be able to do once 'finished' are shifting. I've been having the need for a laptop or sub-notebook, to be able to do school work somewhere with WiFi, as interent in the university apartment I'm living in is not working very well. The laptop screen idea was mostly brain-storming, as even at 12" it's too big. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a small non-interlaced VGA or better resolution LCD screen for cheap.

cennar wrote:ok some wares some one on one of these PCp threads had a great link to a car mp3 site that sold nanos for 450. i'm looking for that link i vary much want to buy a nano.

I posted that in a separate thread. http://www.mp3car.com/store/product_inf ... 002700ded1
Looks like it's only $400 now.

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 3:45 pm

Cool, according to the USPS tracking info, the IDE to USB kit has arrived at home. Which means I should be able to pick it up tomorow and have it hooked up and installing soon.

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:51 pm

Gah! I just can't seem to catch a break with this project! I finally got the needed time + IDE to USB adpater +installation CDs together at the same time. Turns out the board can't boot from USB.

So, now it looks like my installation options are even more limited. I now have two 40 to 44 pin IDE adapters, but neither has pin one labeled, and I fear plugging in the adapter wrong into the motherboard could fry it.