Help making a custom storage computer

[Yossarian451]

Ok. Here goes, this summer a friend and I are going to travel through mexico for about a month or two, and live out of his Jeep. He is a photographer, and we plan on having a significant amount of data to store. He has a gig in his camera and he wants to be able to store them on a hardrive. Now without having to buy a laptop, I wanted to make a really inexpensive specialty box, which would just consist of a cheap old mobo, a ps, an old processor, and probably one of my HD. Now here comes the part I need some help on. I want to be able to make this box without having a monitor, since obviously that would be too much space. Is there some way to make something really inexpensive, like possibly a small lcd/led, to display messages indicating succesful downloads of the memory card.

I plan to be running this setup off of an inverter, and building an enclosure within his scrambler. Any help or advice would be really nice. We are pretty poor at the moment so cost is a major consideration.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

though this doesn't belong in highly technical, you could do it yes but with no certainty. What I think you would have to do is build the computer with a monitor first fo all, then get one of the lesast expensive little led display like people have in the front of their computers to display whatever they want, usually pretty useless if you ask me, that hook up to a serial port. Creat or find a program that will allow this display to tell you when thigns have been sucessfully uploaded. the tricky part will be when you hook the camera up how do you intend on telling the computer to transfer the data? Do you just intend on memorizing the keystokes it takes or what? your best bet is to find the smallest adn cheapest monitor you can find or a very very samll tv to use as a monitor. I would bet you could find like a 9 or 10" TV that will take up very little space with just one input, put in a cheap video card with a tv out. I should think you could do the entire setup for like $200 if you really go uber cheap, like p2 w/ pc100 and like a radeon 7000 with TV out. put it all in the smallest at case you can find. good luck

And next time put this kind of stuff in the right forum.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

Wrong forum as Derwen stated, but an interesting project. Just be aware, you are looking at a some significant programming to get this done. As far as hardware is concerned, check this out.

If you want a standalone solution (probably cheaper in the long run), check this out. Just add a laptop HDD, grab a car charger for it and you're set.

 

[Shalmanese]

I have on of these things: http://www.vosonic.co.uk/vp2060.html outfitted with a 40GB drive which does essentially what you are trying to do I thing. They are called "Digital Wallets", at least in Australia. For some reason, while transfer rates between the wallet and a computer run at USB 2 speeds, transfer between cards and the wallet run at only USB 1 speeds so transferring a gig could get painful. I would probably look at another brand if you need to speedy movement of large chunks of data. On the other hand, if you have 2 x 1Gb cards, you could just leave one to transfer while you shoot with the other.

 

[Yossarian451]

I apologise about the wrong forum, I thougt I would be higly technical since I wasn't really wanting to buy the led display, but instead design and build it. though I may be able to get my hands on a laptop now, but I don't want to rule out my options.

I realize I wasn't clear about what I was talking about (I wrote it right after getting back from taking a test). I wanted to be able to just make an interface that would make it completely automated but I think that seeing absolutdealage's post the standalone device would be a second option to the laptop.

 

[Bassyhead]

Originally posted by: Shalmanese
I have on of these things: http://www.vosonic.co.uk/vp2060.html outfitted with a 40GB drive which does essentially what you are trying to do I thing. They are called "Digital Wallets", at least in Australia. For some reason, while transfer rates between the wallet and a computer run at USB 2 speeds, transfer between cards and the wallet run at only USB 1 speeds so transferring a gig could get painful. I would probably look at another brand if you need to speedy movement of large chunks of data. On the other hand, if you have 2 x 1Gb cards, you could just leave one to transfer while you shoot with the other.

I would also recommend something like that. There are others available, and a whole computer would probably be overkill for the application.

 

[Peter]

If you put a rotating hard disk media into a vehicle, you'll be without any data very very soon, particularly if this vehicle is being driven on bumpy surfaces and/or around areas with wild temperature and/or humidity changes.
For similar reasons, a computer made from standard parts will fall into pieces in such an environment.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Peter
If you put a rotating hard disk media into a vehicle, you'll be without any data very very soon, particularly if this vehicle is being driven on bumpy surfaces and/or around areas with wild temperature and/or humidity changes.
For similar reasons, a computer made from standard parts will fall into pieces in such an environment.

That is very very true. I was assuming you would be traveling on atleast moderate roads.

 

[Yossarian451]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: Peter
If you put a rotating hard disk media into a vehicle, you'll be without any data very very soon, particularly if this vehicle is being driven on bumpy surfaces and/or around areas with wild temperature and/or humidity changes.
For similar reasons, a computer made from standard parts will fall into pieces in such an environment.

That is very very true. I was assuming you would be traveling on atleast moderate roads.

Actually we wil be on everything from paved to complete offroad. Our trip is going to be start from big bend, head to the pacific, go south to belize, and come back. We will be living out of the Jeep, and he is doing it to get started in professional photgraphy by building some good photo stories. I am just along for the ride, and to keep him from getting himself killed (which is sometimes a hard endevour).

 

[DerwenArtos12]

ok, no computer for you. It will break. May I suggest a mobile storage device. I believe you can upload pictures via usb to iPods/

 

[borealiss]

tell your friend to get the new ipod. then get the media reader from belkin i think. it will read any type of portable media and download it to your ipod, and you've got music on your trip to boot.