Does anyone know if there is a power supply which can power an SA RiscPC?
I am intending to convert an SA RiscPC into a car entertainment unit.
I have started writing a piece of software with a decent GUI for use with an LCD which sits in place of the usual Head unit (I have a remote Keyboard and mouse to use with this).
On Thu, 22 Feb 2007 12:01:45 +0000, Michael Emerton wrote: > I have started writing a piece of software with a decent GUI for use > with an LCD which sits in place of the usual Head unit (I have a remote > Keyboard and mouse to use with this).
Obvious question, but how do you intend to make the device usable (and safe) at road speeds? Or is the intention to only control it whilst stopped? Having to use a full keyboard whilst driving sounds like a good way of ending up dead :(
Seems to be one of those problems with having lots of music instantly on tap within a car: controlling four or five CDs with ten or so tracks each is do-able without taking too much concentration away from the driver (as they can remember CD order and which track is where) - but it really doesn't scale to thousands on songs.
> but I need the a PSU for a 12 DC Source?
Initially a mains inverter may be an option, depending on how much power you need. I know Wal-Mart in the US do (or did) a 75W one for something like the equivalent of £10. Tesco etc. may offer something similar. Perhaps easier than trying to get regulated 12VDC out of something that might be anywhere between 11-14VDC and prone to all sorts of spikes.
> Obvious question, but how do you intend to make the device usable (and > safe) at road speeds? Or is the intention to only control it whilst > stopped? Having to use a full keyboard whilst driving sounds like a good > way of ending up dead :(
> Seems to be one of those problems with having lots of music instantly on > tap within a car: controlling four or five CDs with ten or so tracks each > is do-able without taking too much concentration away from the driver (as > they can remember CD order and which track is where) - but it really > doesn't scale to thousands on songs.
Ah! its called a modified keyboard, (and full one) as a uni project, we managed to munge a keyboard, into some touch-plates which you could attach to the steering wheel!
so stuff like Left and Right arrow keys = previous / next tracks,
up/down = volume
and Space as Pause/Start
They attempted to use Windows, but on average by the time they booted it up, short journeys were over!
Hence RISC OS, oh and the fact I have 3 SAs laying around :@P
The full (wireless) keyboard was for searching / setting up playlists whilst not moving.
Tis a shame it cannot play video well, as it would also be used for films for my kid on the way :@)
>> but I need the a PSU for a 12 DC Source?
> Initially a mains inverter may be an option, depending on how much power > you need. I know Wal-Mart in the US do (or did) a 75W one for something > like the equivalent of £10. Tesco etc. may offer something similar. > Perhaps easier than trying to get regulated 12VDC out of something that > might be anywhere between 11-14VDC and prone to all sorts of spikes.
Any idea of model numbers?
+ is there a wiring diagram of the RPC power input to the MB? I would love to get this going asap! :@)
On Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:55:01 +0000, Michael Emerton wrote: > <snip> >> <ditto>
> Ah! its called a modified keyboard, (and full one) as a uni project, we > managed to munge a keyboard, into some touch-plates which you could > attach to the steering wheel!
Aha - interesting. I had a plan once to do this kind of thing, but couldn't figure out the UI side of it properly - mainly because I tend to choose my music according to mood, and even with some sort of collection-based system I still couldn't work out a way of managing what might be hundreds of different collections whilst on the move. Maybe that's atypical though and most people have no real preference as to what song / genre comes up next.
> They attempted to use Windows, but on average by the time they booted it > up, short journeys were over!
:-)
I was hacking around with a Linux system and diskless booting - I suppose I could have looked into a board compatible with the Linux BIOS project to get startup times even quicker (probably in the order of what can be done with a SARPC)
Eventually that morphed into using the guts of a laptop and a power inverter - the laptop innards were a lot smaller and meant that the laptop was a lot less picky about the quality of the input voltage from the inverter (particularly as the inverter might give up completely during the couple of seconds whilst the car's started). Not suitable for production, but a possibility for a "one-off".
I seem to recall pondering on an RPC as an option, but I've got zero clue as to how to program the buggers :-)
>>> but I need the a PSU for a 12 DC Source?
>> Initially a mains inverter may be an option, depending on how much >> power you need. I know Wal-Mart in the US do (or did) a 75W one for >> something like the equivalent of £10. Tesco etc. may offer something >> similar. Perhaps easier than trying to get regulated 12VDC out of >> something that might be anywhere between 11-14VDC and prone to all >> sorts of spikes.
... which works out at about a tenner and gives you 100W at 110VAC. Unless the SARPC PSU is jumper (or automatically) selectable for 110V operation though you'll need 220VAC for a UK PSU (and I suppose a similarly-sized inverter will give you 50W to play with rather than 100W)
Maybe the company making the above also produces equivalents for the UK market, though.
I'm in the US right now and might be heading to WalMart this evening, so if I get the chance I'll have a quick look on the shelves to see what other goodies they might have.
In message <bc3244b94e.dr...@druck.freeuk.net> druck <n...@druck.freeuk.com> wrote:
> On 22 Feb 2007 Michael Emerton <MichaelREmer...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > Does anyone know if there is a power supply which can power an SA RiscPC?
> > I am intending to convert an SA RiscPC into a car entertainment unit.
> A Risc PC? In a car or hummvee? Why not an A9, its ideally sized for such an > application.
1) A RiscPC you already have is free, you don't need to worry about warrantly claims should you break it?
2) Still apparently some stability and support issues with the A9home OS (please feel free to correct me if my perceptions are wrong)?
3) Fitting a larger hard drive in a RiscPC is easier than fitting one in an A9Home.
The A9home does have a size advantage and is already neatly packaged up.
On the other hand using a RiscPC as a prototype makes a lot of sense. If the software/hardware is usable on a RiscPC it should be fine on a faster A9home.
Out of curiousuty is there an approved PSU that allows the A9home to run off a 12v supply as in a car?
On 22 Feb 2007 Paul Vigay <invalid-email-addr...@invalid-domain.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <bc3244b94e.dr...@druck.freeuk.net>, > druck <n...@druck.freeuk.com> wrote: > > A Risc PC? In a car or hummvee? Why not an A9, its ideally sized for such > > an application.
> If, as he said, he's got 3 RPCs lying around then it might work out > slightly cheaper than an A9....
But you'll be laughed at for using something the size of a Risc PC.
In article <pan.2007.02.22.18.04.42.458...@remove.this.yahoo.co.uk>, Jules <julesrichardso...@remove.this.yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> I suspect it may have been replaced by this: > http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4891078 > ... which works out at about a tenner and gives you 100W at 110VAC. > Unless the SARPC PSU is jumper (or automatically) selectable for 110V > operation though you'll need 220VAC for a UK PSU (and I suppose a > similarly-sized inverter will give you 50W to play with rather than 100W)
druck wrote: > On 22 Feb 2007 Paul Vigay <invalid-email-addr...@invalid-domain.co.uk> wrote: >> In article <bc3244b94e.dr...@druck.freeuk.net>, >> druck <n...@druck.freeuk.com> wrote: >>> A Risc PC? In a car or hummvee? Why not an A9, its ideally sized for such >>> an application. >> If, as he said, he's got 3 RPCs lying around then it might work out >> slightly cheaper than an A9....
> But you'll be laughed at for using something the size of a Risc PC.
> ---druck
at the end of the day, I have sourced a case, and it's functional..hence why I have a Peugeot 106 Diesel!
In message <JCfDh.29909$Da4.11...@newsfe6-gui.ntli.net> Michael Emerton <MichaelREmer...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Does anyone know if there is a power supply which can power an SA RiscPC?
> I am intending to convert an SA RiscPC into a car entertainment unit.
> I have started writing a piece of software with a decent GUI for use > with an LCD which sits in place of the usual Head unit (I have a remote > Keyboard and mouse to use with this).
> but I need the a PSU for a 12 DC Source?
> Cheers in advance!
I have just changed the harddrive for a 1 GB compactflash on my RiscPC using this very cheap item from ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150086370137 It would help drop the power requirements. The RiscPC powersupply is noisy even after removing the fan. (buzzes). My approach would be to use DC power and bypass the psu. I'm not sure what chips use the -12 and -5V lines but they may be OK with batterys and an alternative charger or solar panel. The other thing that springs to mind is the use of alternating current from the car alternator to drive a +/- psu. Just a few ideas... Cheers -Ron
On 22 Feb 2007 News poster <mistymorni...@casema.nl> wrote:
> 1) A RiscPC you already have is free, you don't need to worry about > warrantly claims should you break it?
> 2) Still apparently some stability and support issues with the A9home OS > (please feel free to correct me if my perceptions are wrong)?
> 3) Fitting a larger hard drive in a RiscPC is easier than fitting one in > an A9Home.
> The A9home does have a size advantage and is already neatly packaged up.
> On the other hand using a RiscPC as a prototype makes a lot of sense. If > the software/hardware is usable on a RiscPC it should be fine on a > faster A9home.
But if someone comes up with useful and good looking in car system based around and A9 and a small LCD display, they might be able to make quite a few pennies by selling it to others. Its something I've considered.
