Introduction
What is a mini-PC? The term means whatever you want it to mean in the
end. The term usually applies to a PC which prompts your spouse to
say, "Ooh, it's so small" as if it were a good thing...
which, in this case, it is.
Why am I so interested in mini-PCs? My father is a radio amateur who
has recently started taking his equipment underground. At first, I
thought he was involved in some sort of cult. I was right: he has
joined the CREGgies.
Fortunately, they are a happy, law-abiding lot, except for this
member on the right. His fur is really white but he doesn't bathe as
often as he should. He cannot fit into a regular bathtub, you see.
Thankfully, his mother keeps a vat of rainwater by the shed, but
sometimes it gets leaves in it and you know how leaves can stick to
the fur, so he tries not to bathe any more frequently than is
absolutely necessary. He is useful in confined spaces because his fur
is naturally iridescent, thanks to the radium-enriched carpet shampoo
he uses when washing it.
Where was I? Oh yes, ruggedizing a mini-PC...
If you want to take a PC underground with you, which could happen if
you are a dedicated GREGgie and want to conduct various CPU-intensive
tasks underground for your own nefarious porpoises, you'll want a PC
which meets the following stringent criteria. The process which a PC
undergoes in order to meet them is often known as ruggedizing.
Some PCs are more compatible than others with the needs of a CREGgie.
In a few minutes, we shall be examining mini-PCs with a view to
ruggedizing them. First, though, what do we expect from a potentially
ruggedizable mini-PC? |
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It must be sealable. Ergo, it must not require a cool air
input in order to run properly. A typical PC has a fan on its CPU, a
fan in the power supply and sometimes one on its graphics card. If
you seal the box, you turn it into a rather expensive convection oven
and rapidly bake your chips. This is better than making them soggy
but still, this will not do.
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No moving parts. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, any
moving parts can become clogged, dirty, or worn from regular use.
Secondly, if the PC has a traditional hard disk then it will be
sensitive to movement and susceptible to failure in the event of
sudden knocks or shakes.
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Small and light. These two criteria require no explanation.
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Easy to use, topside. The user must be able easily to plug
into the PC on the surface and talk to it with a keyboard and monitor.
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Easy to use, undeground. It is sometimes important that the
user be able to talk to the device underground. This importance will
vary with the nature of the experiments being carried out at the time.
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Value for money. There is no such thing as a cheap, reliable,
ruggedized mini-PC. The best we can hope for is a PC which costs less
than £1000 including ruggedizing. It is better to buy one
£1000 PC than two £500, so value is more important than cost.
Note that the absence of CD-ROM or hard disk does not necessarily
pose a problem. In fact, a PC without a hard drive is less likely to
be damaged by jars and knocks. I propose to use a USB solid state
disk instead anyway.
All units have external power bricks, usually 12v or 15v, not
built-in PSUs.
|
Name |
Width (mm) |
Depth (mm) |
Height (mm) |
Chassis |
Weight (kg) |
Drives |
Expandable? |
Price |
|
Hush PC |
370 |
340 |
59 |
Aluminum |
8 |
Hard disk
CD-ROM |
1 PCI slot
USB sockets |
|
|
Book PC |
295 |
270 |
65 |
Steel |
3 |
HDD, CD (both opt'l) |
1 PCI slot
USB sockets |
£600 |
|
Tranquil PC |
330 |
225 |
65 |
Steel + acrylic |
5 |
Hard disk
CD-ROM |
1 PCI slot
USB sockets |
|
|
Nimble V5 |
52 |
195 |
195 |
Plastic |
1.5 |
Hard disk |
PCMCIA
type II slot |
E680 |
|
SaintSong Espresso |
106 |
32 |
150 |
Plastic? |
0.9 |
Hard disk |
Docking station
USB sockets |
£230 |
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52mm x 195mm x 195mm --- Weight ~1.5 Kg
Pics: [front]
[helicopter]
[rear L]
[rear R]
[power socket]
[inside]
Pros: Good cooling system. No fans. PCI slot for an additional board.
Cons: You mustn't run it at over 35 degrees Celcius or you'll void
the warranty. Any additional PCI board is typically 1mm too long for
the case, so you have to file it down.
The case is one big heatsink. Nice.
See a detailed review here.
Suitability: 7
Pics: [front]
[rear]
[inside]
Pros: Light.
Cons: It is optionally fanless. That's not a good sign.
Suitability: 6
Pics: [front]
[rear]
[inside]
Pros: Looks like something your cousin stole from the set of Star Trek.
Cons: Design of case indicates that cool airflow is required. Case
front is acrylic.
Suitability: 2
Pics: [front]
[close-up]
[side]
[rear]
[inside] [specifications]
[review]
Pros: Draws only 12-14W or so. Small. Cute. Fanless.
Cons: If you open the case, you void the warranty of the PC.
Suitability: 7
???
http://www.computerbargains.co.uk/shop/customer/product.php?productid=16172&cat=&page=&PHPSESSID=5b47c53236d4f36470528c193b3d0a02
Can you seal it & deactivate the hdd?
http://linitx.com/shop/product_info.php/cPath/6/products_id/10?osCsid=4cbffd1981e69ffbd7d5279fa33dae28
http://www.mini-itx.com/#story0256
http://www.zflinux.com/
http://www.northernmicro.com/
http://www.saintsong.com.tw/english/
http://www.norhtec.com/index.html
http://www.netbox.co.uk
http://mini-itx.com/
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/
http://www.epia-power.ch
http://www.lart.tudelft.nl/
http://www.bcl-online.de/home.asp?status=en_home
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