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

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 11:19 pm

Here's most of the components I'll be using:

Top row(left to right):
20GB laptop HD
PCM-9574 embedded socket 370 board w/ Via C3 800MHz
PSOne Screen

Second row:
PS2 (as in the game console) mini USB keyboard
Power Ramp Mite gamepad (simulates a keyboard)

Size comparision:

Sega Game Gear on left, mother board, and PSOne screen on right.

Plan of Attack:
Probably will have the processor facing the back, probably partially exposed heat-sink, or possibly swap it for a 1U heatsink with a vent/intake hole.

Hack up PSOne screen and connect to VGA out of the embedded board (then set X11 and framebuffer to use 15kHz to get the screen to display)

Put in two 128MB SODIMMs (laptop memory)

Connect 20GB drive, probably behind the board, set to counter-balance the heatsink.

Build breakout connectors for USB, VGA, sound, and PS/2 (keyboard/mouse)

Get a trackpoint stick for mouse substitute. (found one, but need to make a minimum order to get it

)

Hack up the Power Ramp Mite to fit on both sides of the screen.

Figure out a case.

Pick out a battery

Specs:
Advantech PCM-9574 motherboard Socket 370 (P3/Celeron/C3) board that takes mostly laptop parts (has mini-IDE and SODIMM slots). 2.5MB integrated video (no sharing with main RAM), not great, but plenty for 2D stuff. Via C3 processor, not the fastest performer, but makes Celeron look power-hungry by comparision. The really neat thing about this board is that it only needs +5Volts, it converts every other voltage needed internally.

Storage: 20GB laptop drive will serve as storage.

RAM: 256MB (2x 128MB SODIMMs)

Removable media: CD or DVD will not be integrated, I'm considering building a dock for a slim-line (think laptop) drive I have. Or hook one up to USB.

Connectivity: WiFi via USB connection

Battery: TBD

Case: custom, probably a card board prototype first

OS: Linux primarily, Windows to show off and for portable Launchcast.

Need to order still:
Connectors for PS/2 and USB
Trackpoint mouse thingy

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:10 am

Basically just a laptop with a small screen, keyboard, and mobo, and without the add-ons(CD-rom, floppy drive, soundcard & speakers, modem, etc.) built in. Still looks cool though.

SgtBowhack · Post by **SgtBowhack** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:19 am

Very nice. I think that board will be a favorite of a lot of people for the size and the fact that it only takes +5v. The only comments I have:
- You may want to go with only 1 256MB DIMM. It's cheaper and it'll save you space (and space is precious). You want that sucker as flat as possible, and the extra DIMM space might be useful for something else.
- the 1U heatsink is probably not much smaller than what you've got (though it's hard to tell at the angle you took the picture from). You might be able to get away with leaving the heatsink as-is without suffering from making it look crappy though.

My suggestion: I like the heatsink sticking out idea. Even though the C3 doesn't take much power, it'd appreciate getting cooled properly. You might even want to make part of the case aluminum (while all the time making sure nothing is getting shorted!) to help disperse heat. Then, with some work, you could get the controller on the other side of the motherboard from that, and the heatsink could be inbetween the hand grips. Then you have the PSone screen above the controller. I'd personally leave the keyboard as a separate thing to plug in when you need it, because despite its small size, it'll add to the size of the thing (unless you put that instead of the game controller... but then you have no controller...)
What'd be really cool is a modular controller part, where you can fit keyboard or controller "cartridges" onto it depending on what you're doing. Or have a switch that converts the controller into a mouse or something cool and useful like that. I'm sure you could do it with some special driver.

SgtBowhack · Post by **SgtBowhack** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:25 am

nos_slived wrote:Basically just a laptop with a small screen, keyboard, and mobo, and without the add-ons(CD-rom, floppy drive, soundcard & speakers, modem, etc.) built in. Still looks cool though.

Well, it probably does have an onboard soundcard, and the PSone screens do have speakers...

Oh yeah, and that reminds me, the USB CD-ROM is a good idea. My current laptop doesn't have an optical drive in it (don't need it all that often). I've got an 8x DVD+/-RW (dual-layer NEC ND-2510A) that I put in an old USB CD-RW's case. But USB enclosures are pretty cheap (compgeeks.com sells them or IDE-USB adapters for about $10 occasionally if you go during one of their sale times) and you can then use any old IDE CD-ROM you've got lying around.

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:41 am

Even if it has an onboard soundcard, you are still taking out all the other stuff. I think you should attach the keyboard to the bottom of the pad. You should post a concept so we can see what it will look like.

*o* · Post by ***o*** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 2:06 am

if you pull it off it will be great!! it reminds me of something called the 'rogue' a tablet gaming PC (looks cool) but i dont know wher e to find a link

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 2:25 pm

- You may want to go with only 1 256MB DIMM. It's cheaper and it'll save you space (and space is precious). You want that sucker as flat as possible, and the extra DIMM space might be useful for something else.

It may be cheaper for the current DDR style, but for the just-gone-out-of-style SD RAM, it's actually more expensive. Also, I'm not positive that the board can take 256MB SODIMMs (manual is a bit vague). Size is pretty much a non-issue, as SODIMMs mount flat against the motherboard in holders that are already there.

I'd personally leave the keyboard as a separate thing to plug in when you need it, because despite its small size, it'll add to the size of the thing (unless you put that instead of the game controller... but then you have no controller...) What'd be really cool is a modular controller part, where you can fit keyboard or controller "cartridges" onto it depending on what you're doing.

Tempting, but I would still like it integrated, otherwise I might not always take it with me, like my PDA's thumb keyboard.

Oh yeah, and that reminds me, the USB CD-ROM is a good idea. My current laptop doesn't have an optical drive in it (don't need it all that often). I've got an 8x DVD+/-RW (dual-layer NEC ND-2510A) that I put in an old USB CD-RW's case. But USB enclosures are pretty cheap (compgeeks.com sells them or IDE-USB adapters for about $10 occasionally if you go during one of their sale times) and you can then use any old IDE CD-ROM you've got lying around.

Might go that route. Only limitation is that this board only has USB 1.1, which means it couldn't burn discs very fast.

You should post a concept so we can see what it will look like.

Still working out concepts. Lots of things to think about. Integrating the mini keyboard is the hardest, as I'd like to be able to use it easily, which means being able to hold the handheld and still be able to use my thumbs for the keyboard.

Unidentified Assilant · Post by **Unidentified Assilant** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 2:27 pm

Good luck, that doesn't look to me like one of those EPIA Mini-ITX Mobos? What is it? I have an ASUS one, and remember the RAM and Storage Format, and OS and BIOS, they have to go on too, and that is cool, but you may need some more buttons.

SgtBowhack · Post by **SgtBowhack** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 4:14 pm

UA: He says what it is in the top post and even has a link to it

tom61: Yeah, but I don't think cost should necessarily be an issue-- it shouldn't be that big of a difference. I think pretty much any board that supports a VIA C3 should support 256 (and probably 512MB) DIMMs though, since the chipset needs to be fairly recent to support the 133MHz FSB of the processor. Even my old P3-450 laptop took a 256MB PC133 stick, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Does the manual say?

I agree that the keyboard being detachable would be a deterrant from using it... maybe you could make the case a little thicker and have the keyboard attached internally and slide out or something wacky like that?

USB 1.1 is what my laptop has too. It only supports steady burning at about 4x on CDs and 0.5x on DVDs (which my software supports, amazingly enough...) But it's handy to have such a drive for other computers you may own too, in case they either don't have DVD burning capabilities or the drive on the other computer just bites the dust. Sadly, it's pretty much what you're looking at unless you just want an IDE port on the outside of the case...

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 4:37 pm

You should have the mobo and stuff inside a box with a flip up locking lid, then mount the screen on the top of the lid, and have a solid connector from the controller to the box so you can hold the whole thing up by the controller. Then you could have the keyboard on hinges, mounted upside down inside the case, and when you need it, flip up the lid, flip the keyboard out and use it. Hey, I just thought, you could mount the keyboard right to the connector between the controler and case.

Unidentified Assilant · Post by **Unidentified Assilant** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 2:51 am

Instead of a horizontial approach, go vertical (ala Gameboy), put the screen at the top, the controller below that and then have a USB port at the bottom where the keyboard can plug in or something, thats what I may do if I do a portable pc.

Unidentified Assilant · Post by **Unidentified Assilant** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 3:44 am

What would be really good as well if is if you could fit that motherboard inside the Game Gear and make a Portable PC inside a Game Gear!

SgtBowhack · Post by **SgtBowhack** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:18 am

Unidentified Assilant wrote:Instead of a horizontial approach, go vertical (ala Gameboy), put the screen at the top, the controller below that and then have a USB port at the bottom where the keyboard can plug in or something, thats what I may do if I do a portable pc.

Yes. That's what I said about half a dozen posts up (but in a much less succinct manner). Good to know someone else thinks that's a good idea though

Unidentified Assilant · Post by **Unidentified Assilant** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:21 am

SgtBowhack wrote:
Unidentified Assilant wrote:Instead of a horizontial approach, go vertical (ala Gameboy), put the screen at the top, the controller below that and then have a USB port at the bottom where the keyboard can plug in or something, thats what I may do if I do a portable pc.
Yes. That's what I said about half a dozen posts up (but in a much less succinct manner). Good to know someone else thinks that's a good idea though

I was planning that my Portable PC (formally using a Nano, but thats too costly), so now I'm still gonna go vertical, I think when I get some money I'll go my local computer parts shop and see what they have and say about this.

Another Thing is CD Drive, where can I get a small one that doesn't have too much power compustion (I'm going to remove the motor, so batteries last longer)

Post by **Sparkfist** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:33 am

Unidentified Assilant wrote:Another Thing is CD Drive, where can I get a small one that doesn't have too much power compustion (I'm going to remove the motor, so batteries last longer)

Any slim CD/DVD-rom will work. They dont have a tray motor, it just pops out and they run on only 5v very energy effiecent.