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#1
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Semi-Permanent Onboard PC?
Most boaters use laptops for onboard computing, but I want to see what
this group thinks about using a more permanent PC solution? My opinion is that laptops work fine most of the time, but they aren't really designed for life on the water unless you go with a very expensive ruggedized version. I have to be honest, so here's my "full disclosure". I started a company about a year ago to build and sell marine PCs (not laptops) to the recreational boating community. Out of respect for the newsgroup format, I'm not going to advertise here. I'm using my personal email address, not my business one. I'm just looking for ideas. Call it market research. I am interested in the general reaction and acceptance of the boating community to the idea of replacing their laptops with a more rugged and marine-focused solution. Would you consider it? Are you aleady doing it? If not, what kind of features might change your mind? If you are out there now just looking for the right marine PC system, what features are you looking for? Just FYI, my system currently includes "marine" features that are inspired from my own experiences and research, such as regulated 12VDC input, shock & vibration resistance, conformally coated circuit boards, and a small footprint (it's about the size of a shoebox). What else may be useful on your boat? Thanks in advance for any ideas! |
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#3
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#5
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On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 01:00:08 +0200, Remco Moedt
wrote: Sounds like a system based on a VIA mini ITX.... :-) Let's say I was inspired by it.... I don't think it's got all the features I mentioned though. |
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#6
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Len wrote in
: Nice to write this letter to santa...  Don't forget the NMEA RS-422 ports and the built-in NMEA 16 port multiplexers... -- Larry |
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#7
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#9
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This is some great info, everyone! To answer your question, Len, yeah,
I'm still here! I posted the question looking for specs for the perfect PC, so I'd have something to shoot for. I'm glad to say that I've already met some of these, some are a little more of a challenge, but not impossible. For instance, I decided early on to use the EPIA mini-ITX platform. Right now, I'm focused on the MII120000, but different boards can be used for different purposes. A few questions/follow ups: - 6 serial ports is a little tough to do with current PC platforms, most users don't use them (although we all know that we do!). Not impossible by any means though. - a 12V USB hub shouldn't be difficult to find, though I haven't really looked, it's more of a peripheral. Definitely worth looking into as an accessory though. A panel-style mount is an interesting idea. You want to mount it right to the bulkhead in your nav station? - Len, you mentioned that you want "remote connectors" for the USB. The USB has to connect to the box somewhere. Do you want to move the back-panel connectors to the front, or the side or something? To perhaps limit the need to access the back? - Also, Len, why an external hard drive? Do you mean an extra external drive with one built in? This gives me the idea of modularizing as much as possible. We could get this size down really small if everything is an add-on (Optical drive, USB hub, storage drives, etc...). - as far as entertainment/music, my thought has been that this PC can be your entertainment center as well. Just run speakers to the cockpit, or wherever and just play mp3s straight from the PC. DVD just depends on the optical drive, TV will probably require another card. - it seems that there is a lot interest in video options. Let me tell you about something I did for a customer in the past. He had a standard LCD screen at his nav station, and an all-weather LCD at his helm. He wanted to see the same image on both screens, but they were at different resolutions (the helm LCD only supported 800x600). All we did was use a VGA splitter cable, and I installed a couple of batch scripts on the desktop to quickly change resolutions depending on which monitor he was using at the time. I haven't gotten into selling monitors (yet), but his helm monitor had a USB port, so he could easily connect a trackball when he needed it. The whole 2 monitor solution, costs about $12 (not including the monitors or trackball, of course). I also see some interest in LVDS connections. I looked into that because I know a competitor is offering an LVDS all weather display, but from what I can tell, he's the only one in the PC industry doing so (please correct me if you've seen more than one). The EPIA LVDS module provides a good connection for a laptop LCD screen (as in an all in one PC), but not an external monitor. There needs to be another cable to bring that connection to the outside of the PC case, but there isn't really a standard for external LVDS (that I can find). The desktop industry seems to have gone the way of DVI for connecting an external monitor to a digital video source. Thanks for everyone's input! Keep it coming! Eric |
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#10
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wrote in message
oups.com... - 6 serial ports is a little tough to do with current PC platforms, most users don't use them (although we all know that we do!). Not impossible by any means though. If those serial ports are to be used for nav instruments, it would be safer to use a multiplexer, connected to the PC through USB. If the PC fails (OS crash or nav software crash) all NMEA data is still routed and combined through the external multiplexer and available for repeaters, GPS and autopilot, so you don't lose your entire navigation system when the PC is down. Meindert |
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