Thoughts regarding on-board notebook computer for E-bike use

[Anonymous]

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[AussieJester]

Matt finally something i might be able to help you with LoL building and modding PC 's is my department...well was IMO Mini-ITX Motherboard is what you need they are often used for car pc. I have built a couple myself in the past was very close to doing one for my trike just fr the hell of it LoL, they are small enough to fit in an empty cd rom drive container everything is onboard (except rams, SD card or SSD hard drives can be used pop on wifi or bluetooth dongle for wireless connectivity to your house pc and your set ). Small 12v atx psu are available to suit. Lil 7 in touch screen lcd pop on one of the car pc front end like Centrafuse Road Runner, or Frodo Player(no keyboard or mouse required with touch screen and car pc front end)...You could prolly even get away with Windows 7 it does some tricky shit with touch screens I also have an edition of XP i stripped of "fluff" using NLite that is ~250MB installed and oober fast if you would like a copy of it, shall pop it in the post for you just sayz the word...

Best of luck Matt...

KiM

EDIT: Another solution you might look into is an Asus EEE mate has had couple of these they are freakin tiny...

 

[Anonymous]

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[AussieJester]

Sorry buddy i actually missed the second page when i wrote my initial post, i only saw it now when i recieved email of reply...sorry bout that...

That aside, i guess it all depends exactly what Mr R wants from the pc, if its simply to track the eagle tree output etc then he isnt going ti need expansion...if he wants to run mp3 player gps cams etc etc maybe something with more oomphf will be needed? I have used the 800mhz cpu board and they are very very good for what they are. OH...running SD cards as hard drives i have also heard mumblings they dont last a great deal of time, i used one but the pc wasn't in my procession that long after i built it, its whereabouts now i wouldnt know so how the card is coping is a mystery, have A solid State drive would be a great option lil 30GB SSD is under 200 bucks now would be plenty would handle the bumps etc (the reason im suggestion the above for the pc in first place i neglected to mention earlier)

KiM

P.S Mr R...I posted the motor too you today hopefully be there end of next week...

 

[Anonymous]

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[AussieJester]

Not too long ago that was considered pretty fast!

How pcs have progressed in such a short time ! I thiiiiink you can get ~ a 1.3ghz itx board so we have a lil more leeway than 800mhz if need be


KiM

 

[voicecoils]

Does a mini keyboard and mouse get any sweeter then this?

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboards/keyboard/devices/3848&cl=US,EN

I have the big brother (dinovo edge) and love it. USB + bluetooth, too easy.

 

[mwkeefer]

Matt,

Let me be of assistance here !!! (Finally I can help you out)...

If you don't need real time monitoring (a screen you can watch) then I suggest the lenovo S10 (at 250-299) it's freaking awesome and can run off 26v - 19v DC (ie: 6s tap) I use one in a targus netbook bag (actually I have two of these bags as saddle bags / paniers) and run a single USB 2.0 cable up the underside of the main tube... then in my handlebar bag I have a USB 4 port powered hub (5v - pulled from BEC) and I connect that to my EagleTree.

If you wanted a real time dash mount display... I have the "Live Mode" interface specifications (EagleTree was nice enough to provide them upon request) and I could whip up a Windows Mobile or iPhone interface. These would still require the PC and would use wifi (or USB tether) to communicate with the PC... I could then not only give you what EagleTree does for a UI but ... I could give you watt hours, mah used and remaining, speed calculated on ratios and RPM, etc...

If you want to do this, let me know... I am all over it for you!

Another option (maybe) would be a small car stereo style flat screen monitor (TV really) designed to be mounted on visor... use a simple SVideo to VGA to connect the Netbook to the display and mount it in your heads up area (assuming your using on your recumbent for faster logging / monitoring / sampling without running out of space or using logging triggers... this was my reasoning.)

-Mike

 

[mwkeefer]

Hey Guys,

Man, I am so thankful for all the responses! Right off the bat, I must tell you, I am mechanically inclined. But, I am very green on computers in general. So, my hand will need to be held through this project. I am very teachable, though. So, what I am taught, I will retain.

Anyway, my needs/wants are;

1.) ---Display that can be mounted on a hinging display just above my lap that clears my legs when folded up so I can enter/exit the trike. That would dictate a 7 inch wide display maximum.

2.) ---Small keyboard that can be stowed and used when parked somewhere for data retreval and setting changes. This would ideally be an external keyboard.

3.) ---A minimum of 3 UBS ports (I recognize a hub can be used for this) for component interface.

4.) ---A touch screen would be nice, but not totally needed. I doubt I would be doing anything while riding [other than viewing the monitor].

5.) ---I would prefer an embedded system that would put the conputer and [solid state] hard-drive in a remote location behind the seat with the screen and keyboard up front on/in the center console I will build custom for this.

6.) ---I would also love a software solution that would allow me to turn off the computer and turn it back on again while retaining the same programs displayed on the screen without calling them back up and reconfiguring the screen window each time it is turned on. That is because this should be like an electronic dashboard display that comes up ready to use when the trike is turned on. Oh, yes, it must run Windows as my controllers and data loggers all run on Windows.

7.) ---The pack I am running is a 48 volt pack (ranges from 42 volts when low to 50.4 volts hot off the charger). So, I need a DC to DC converter that will provide power to the computer from my pack. That will preclude the use of a secondary pack for computer use only. I am not against a second pack if needed, though.

That is pretty much what I am looking for. Mounting options are totally unimportant for me as I can make anything I need to hold, house, or otherwise mount all components.

Matt

Matt,

I should have known you would have done your usual excellent job of posting the requirements.... Let me see if I can help you here since I am handy mechanically but I am elite when it comes to systems engineering, car audio (including computerization) install (IASCA certified first class) , software interface and development (14 languages including 3 PDA type platforms and 2 smart phone platforms) and linux, mac, PC all the same to me.

1.) As in my previous post... the Lenovo S10 has a 10" display so it's panel will do you no good, plus with such a nice laptop / netbook PC you don't want to hack it up so ... go with a nice 7" widescreen LCD display intended for mounting on sun visor in automobile, or if you want to blow some cash I can send you to a killer actuated parts site... they have one which would fold down automatically at the touch of a button (or engage of main power) which would be awesome... If you must have a touch screen, they are far more expensive but ... you can get them, search out the Mobile MP3 Player PCs... they have this whole thing licked.

2.) The lenovo would have it's own keyboard and it is very easy to access + if you mated it with wireless USB (just a simple upgrade of the internal WIFI card to get wireless networking and also get wireless USB)... now you can pull the PC out and the cables but everything will still work! - In addition, if you do a touch screen the on screen keyboard will work wonderfully... with an iPhone there is an app called an air mouse which lets you use the iPhone as a mouse for your PC... instant interface.

Yet another app for WM5, WM6 and now the iPhone (jailbroken) is VNC... you could use just an iPhone (connected via USB for charge/sync or just 5v and wifi to the PC) to the remote control the entire windows desktop from landscape mode... it's tiny but it will display a fully scaled desktop (or full screen application I could write for you) or even the Eagle Tree software display. That would solve the issue.

If neither of these keyboard options are adequate for your needs, may I suggest the HTPC style micro keyboards or the Wireless USB micro external keyboards... no wires and they are super tiny with a built in track pad.

Finally... on my last car PC... I used a simple touch pad from a busted laptop and mounted it into a cup holder. This provided me a mouse interface to the screen which was just VGA as I recommended above but it was available at my finger tips.

A final method of controlling the user input could be a WiiMote - do a Google for open source wii remote hacking and mouse driver... this will use the light bar (just 2 IR led) and the accelerometers in the wiimote to act as a free space mouse/pointer. Very cool, I use with a projection rig at home... people trip).

I have more methods... even down to bastardizing a qwery keypad from a mobile phone to be stowed in under seat compartment.

I think the best route is the PDA style remote. Plus if you have a HTC (AT&T 8125, 8525 for 3G) you have a full slide out qwerty keyboard and if you have the iPhone you would have the iphone popup on screen keyboard and a better display resolution.

3.) Powered USB hub is your best and maybe only option besides wireless USB where possible. The powered hub will keep the Eagle Tree running nice and cool by providing sufficient current and will eliminate the need for a seperate pack for the EagleTree at high voltages. Run a single USB 2 cable (shielded) along the downtube and power your dash this way.

4.) I covered this with the keyboard section, see #2

5.) This is doable… again look to the Car MP3 guys, they have this all done already however… short of using something like a mirotek router board and running linux (Don't know if linux has hibernate which you ask about later I think) the form factor is too high… The DC->DC conversion would be a very big potential loss of power and they can be heavy (compared to the netbook PC).

If you want a solid state drive… they are expensive… if you want to run Windows XP or 7 from a USB stick of 32GB with maybe another USB stick for Programs / Data…. Piece of cake, remove the HD all together… one of my 3 netbooks is done this way except… well I removed the HD totally and built 3 USB drives into the space from the HD… 2 x 32GB and 1 x 16GB all internal.

If you use an external (or two with software raid 0 mirroring) you could pull one off and pop it into another PC and boot… so long as the install was Portable you would be able to run the same OS, same data, same everything on a full sized fast laptop / desktop when desired.

Only real upgrade the lenovo would need for this purpose is:
a.) Remove rubber feet (too much extra friction going into and out of targus bags)
b.) Upgrade to 1GB ram

Did I mention the lenovo S10 can run: Mac OSX86 10.5.6, Win 95, Win XP, Win Vista, Win 7, uBuntu or any other linux I tried…. Very versatile machine. Could order a separate replacement keyboard (20.00 + s&h and interface from this front console, they are tiny.

Best part is it has the 18-23/25v power range (tested and confirmed) so it will run from a 6s lipo pack nicely without modification and in mode where screen is off, with CPU throttling enabled and with minimal services / hardware enabled… the load is 1.3A nominal.

Oh yea, built in battery backup!

6.) Matt this is in windows already… hibernation, writes ram to disk and powers down… when powered up again it will resume all your apps (so long as you have a single user with automatic user login enabled). You can also configure the system to hibernate automatically when the system looses "AC" power (IE, you disconnect the mains) under lenovo power management… Then you can configure automatic wake on AC power… while using the trike, you can setup standby mode and have the USB ports / devices you want trigger wake from sleep… so when you don't hit the mouse for a while the screen powers into green mode

Windows is not actually a requirement… if your using the same eLogger v3 as me and most other software written in Delphi or VB (these are) then they can be made (I have done with EagleTree software) to run under Wine with Linux with full support and error free operation so… windows isn't a requirement though it may be simpler and would surely be faster for startup (resume from hibernation).

Also… if your using LogView and EagleTree… they aren't needed to gather the data as the protocols I have for both and could implement in any language (even Java)

7.) With the Lenovo consuming a mere 1.6A when the screen is on (yours won't be so more like .9A ) it can be wired into one of your parallel segments at 6S and powered that way… you could remove the battery from the Netbook at this point but then you wouldn't be able to pull it out and run, did I mention wireless USB works for up to 300-400' from source… you could be in Starbucks with the lenovo… reprogramming the controller, crunching the log data, etc. LOL - I've done it!

---

Seriously Matt… if your doing an onboard computer then may I suggest a few iCharger 1010B+ units or something similar… you could monitor your packs with the same PC and create a super robust dash…

If your interested, I will be happy to assist you in designing and implementing this system (now your up in my alley).

-Mike

 

[Anonymous]

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[johnrobholmes]

subscribing just because this is a badass idea! I don't think eagletree would do you justice though, with only 10 hertz sample rate it isn't that good at tracking amp spikes.

 

[recumpence]

Wow, thank you SO much for all the info! I must admit, my head is spinning!

Aussie and Mike (and everyone else who offered to help),

Thanks alot! I must admit, this is all way over my head. My brain just naturally works out mechanical problems automatically. Computers, on the other hand, well, let me put it this way------------ I am computer RETARDED! I am so freakin clueless on this stuff. But, I do think this is the direction everything is moving.

Also, for those who offered to help me out and send me stuff, bear in mind, I am not looking for anything for free. I have made money on this forum selling stuff. I think it is only fair I pay for anything I get from you guys.

Now, that being said, here is my deal;

I just got orders for two trikes. So, those will be taking up my time, but paying me some money. So, I will be leaning even harder on you guys than even I want to just for lack of time.

Now, I guess the question is, for a system that can monitor multiple inputs (USB inputs and potentially other input for pack monitoring as mentioned earlier), rapid system wake-up, Windows for compatibility with my PC, so I can move data back and forth, 7 inch or under screen (touch screen would be nuce unless too expensive), and I need all this explained to me. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), once I get this up and running, I will get customer requests for these setups. So, I need to learn as much as I can, time permitting, to be able to advise them.

Matt

 

[mwkeefer]

Matt,

Since your always a straight shooter with us (me specifically) let me make this offer...

If you wanted to do a trade... as I said I have 3 of the netbook PCs here on hand... I can source the remaining parts cheaply and even build you an interface board for the battery management system. Truthfulyl I have been moving my focus from Micro Controllers for BMS/Motor Control, etc to 733mhz 128mb ram SOIC (System on a Chip)... they are all solid state.

So back to the offer, I will be happy to work with you to engineer and produce this system (It is up my alley).

Your money is no good with me (except for the expensive parts!) but I would be happy to do some form of quid pro quo.

Right now I am dying for one of your drives... I have the Specialized which was my first target but now I have a DownTube 9FS and I had to do a rear hub (wheel is 20" so higher RPM at rear wheel is fine... the geometry will support a single stage (I think) but @ 7000 rough RPM under load max a 5:1 first stage and a 5:1 between the freewheel output on the motor and the rear drive sprocket for another 5:1 will get me 700 rpm at the ground level on the 20" that will work out to be 700 * 336 / 20 = 41.66 MPH top speed. This is adequate for me, for now... I would love to go Astro Pro but... the 400.00 extra is a bit offsetting... Not too much, or not worth it just... at this point in time a bit more than I can swing.

-Mike

 

[Anonymous]

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[mwkeefer]

m3u - I like it...

As I see it, I have a 9FS downstairs which I wouldn't have even thought to get if it weren't for Matts amazing work! I have an HV110 (heavily modified) that handles my hub motors better than the infineon (for all out speed) thanks to Matts work (and I didn't toast it, also thanks to matt).

In one way or another... I owe him (and his work) for the inspiration they have brought me. Prob. many of us here at ES who have learned a great deal from Matt's work.

Finally, he gets things done. If he says he wants to build this trike - he will, if he wants onboard computing and a digital dash... he will have it!

I am mechanically talented (prob. not to the degree Matt is) but really where I shine is SW & Hardware design and development... so I figure, he will make the trike, I do sort of owe him, it would be tons of FUN!

Money for this type of thing to me isn't a big deal, as I posted before I have 3 of the netbook pcs and more electronic / computer junk than will fit in my house + office + garage (literally I stack the back of the Beer Store warehouses too) so my cost is only my time... for Matt that would be free of charge = )

-Mike


PS: I wouldn't have adopted LiPo nearly as fast if it weren't for Matt! I was all nimh.

 

[AussieJester]

Just a heads up there is now a Win 7 Tiny release out on CD cut down version of full instal for low spec machines fits on a CD (695mb) I havent tried it yet will set it up on virtual machine see how it goes...

KiM

 

[Anonymous]

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[johnrobholmes]

While we are on the topic, could a small computer be developed that was solely for data gathering, with a much higher sample rate in the khz range? In my computer integrated manufacturing class we had some pretty snazzy data acquisition cards, but they were pricey themselves. Maybe something else could be developed with discrete collection devices that did not need a card for in/out signal conditioning? Or maybe a built in conditioner?

 

[AussieJester]

Windows 7 Embedded Edition?

Nope that aint it buddy, its a version of Ultimate thats been stripped. heres the info i have on it-->

Based on: Windows 7 Ultimate x86 build 6.1.7600.16399

This guide is split into the following sections:

- INSTALLING
- FIXES
- STATISTICS
- INCLUDED HOTFIXES
- ADDED DRIVERS
- KEPT COMPONENTS
- INCLUDED FEATURES
- INSTALLED PROGRAMS
- DESKTOP eXPerience FOLDER
- QUICK LAUNCH ENABLER
- RIGHT-CLICK "Computer"
- REMOVED COMPONENTS (in 3 stages)
- Special note from eXPerience
- Forum url

________________________________________________________________________

INSTALLING

To install Windows Tiny7 from this CD, set your PC
up so it will boot from the CD-ROM in the PC's BIOS.

There is no upgrade option available in Tiny7, because the option
is removed.

Only install Tiny7 onto a freshly formatted partition or hard disk.

You do not need any product key in this release - the installation
of Tiny7 is unattended, apart from in the very beginning where you
choose which drive or partition to install to.

All installations are set to US English. If you do not want the US
keyboard settings, you will have to change this in Windows when it
has installed (as opposed to choosing it at install time), its easy
enough, just open the "Keyboard Settings" folder in the desktop
eXPerience folder and read the included ReadMe.txt that is there.

________________________________________________________________________

FIXES:

Fixes since the last version:

- All services are enabled.
- Folder renaming bug "This item no longer exists" is fixed.
- Wolfenstein 2009 compatibility fixed.
- GTAIV compatibility fixed.
- KMplayer compatibility fixed.
- Hibernation in Windows fixed.
- Devices and Printers opens properly.
- Safely Remove Devices is fixed.
- No migwiz.exe error if you run "Easy Transfer" which is removed.
- No msdt.exe errors (MS Diagnostic Tool, now kept)

________________________________________________________________________

STATISTICS:

- ISO File Size.............................. 699 Mb
- RAM Usage On First Installation............ 185 Mb (VMware, 256Mb RAM)
- Entire Installation Size................... 1.64 Gb
- WINDOWS Folder Size........................ 1.55 Gb
- Running Processes.......................... 25
- Install Time (In VirtualBox, 512Mb RAM).... 11 minutes

________________________________________________________________________

INCLUDED HOTFIXES:

- KB123334
- KB123456
- KB674103
- KB675605 v2
- KB675605
- KB675606
- KB972636
- KB973525
- KB973751
- KB973874
- KB974039 v2
- KB974138
- KB974176
- KB974179
- KB974204 v2
- KB974204
- KB974324
- KB974327
- KB974332
- KB974638

________________________________________________________________________

ADDED DRIVERS:

The following drivers were added to Windows.

This is just a small selection of 32 added drivers to support
various devices that otherwise do not work right away...

ACPI:
- ATK0110 ACPI Utility

Audio:
- nVidia nForce4 Audio
- SndT Audio
- VIA Vinyl AC'97 Audio Controller (WDM)
- VirtualBox Sound Driver (Intel)

CD-DVD-ROM Drive:
- Mitsumi CD-ROM Drive

Chipset:
- ATI Rage, Fury, Magnum, Xpert, All-In-Wonder (128Mb VGA)
- Intel 82801 6300ESB 82371/2 82440 EHCI 960 631xESB ICH8 ICH9 ICH10
- Intel Turbo Memory
- Mobile Intel PM965, GM965, GL960

Ethernet LAN:
- 3Com 3C905-TX 3C905-T4 3C900-TPO 3C900-COMBO
- 3Com EtherLink 10 100 PCI NIC (3C905-TX)
- Marvell Yukon Ethernet Controller
- Realtek RTL8139 + 810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC

Misc:
- Microsoft iSCSI initiator
- Open VPN

Modem:
- Intel RCA USB Digital Cable Modem Driver

Monitor:
- LG W2242 Monitor

Phone:
- Windows Live Phone

RAID:
- JMicron RAID

SATA:
- Intel SATA AHCI Controller
- Promise FastTrak 376+378 Controller

USB:
- UMBus Root Bus Enumerator
- USB Hubs

Wireless LAN:
- Belkin Wireless G Desktop and Notebook Card
- Intel PRO Wireless 2915ABG Network Adapter
- Libertas 802.11 Wireless
- Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adapter
- Marvell Libertas EAP
- Ralink RT61 Turbo Wireless LAN Card

________________________________________________________________________

KEPT COMPONENTS:

Tiny7 Rev01 gives you back everything you could need in Windows...

Accessories:
- Accessibility
- Character Map
- Disk Cleanup
- Game Explorer
- Mobility Center
- Notepad
- Paint
- Snipping Tool
- System Information
- Welcome Center
- Windows Gadgets
- Wordpad

Drivers:
- Modems
- QLogic Fibre Channel Adapter
- Storage controllers
- TV Tuners

Hardware Support:
- Dynamic Volume Manager
- Fax Support
- Firewire (1394)
- Floppy Disk Support
- Infrared Support
- Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI)
- Microsoft Multi-Path Bus
- Modem Support
- Printer Support
- Smartcards
- TV Tuner support
- Windows HotStart
- Windows Image Acquisition
- Windows Portable Devices
- WLAN Support
- XBOX 360 Controller

Languages:
- Arabic
- Brazillian
- Bulgarian
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- Estonian
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hungarian
- Italian
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian

Multimedia:
- Intel Indeo
- Media Metadata Handler
- Photo Metadata Handler
- Shell event sounds
- SideShow
- Sound Recorder
- Windows Aero Theme
- Windows Media Codecs
- Windows Media Player

Network:
- Connect to a Network Projector
- Distributed File System (DFS)
- File and printer sharing (Server)
- Internet Explorer
- Internet Information Services (IIS)
- Link-Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD)
- Network and Sharing Center
- Network Explorer
- Quality of Service (QoS)
- Remote Desktop and Assistance
- Remote Desktop Client
- RIP Listener
- Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
- Simple TCPIP services
- Telnet Client
- Telnet Server
- TFTP Client
- Windows Collaboration
- Windows Firewall
- Windows Mail

Services:
- Application Experience
- Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)
- Computer Browser
- Desktop Window Manager
- DHCP
- Diagnostics
- Distributed Link Tracking Client
- Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC)
- DNS Client
- Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)
- Interactive Services Detection
- Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
- IP Helper
- IPsec Policy Agent
- Multimedia Class Scheduler
- Network Access Protection Agent
- Network List Service
- Network Location Awareness (NLA)
- Offline Files
- Protected Storage
- Quality Windows Audio Video Experience
- Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
- Remote Access Connection Manager
- Remote Registry
- Routing and Remote Access
- Secondary Logon
- Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP)
- SSDP Discovery
- SuperFetch
- Task Scheduler
- TCP/IP NetBios Helper
- Telephony
- TPM Base Services
- Universal Plug and Play (UPNP)
- User-mode Driver Framework
- Volume Shadow Copy
- WebDAV (WebClient)
- Windows Color System (WCS/ICM)
- Windows Connect Now
- Windows Event Log
- Windows Remote Management
- Windows Time
- Windows Update

System:
- 16-bit Support
- Beep
- Crash Dump Support
- Digital Rights Management (DRM)
- Disk Quota
- IMAPIv2 Burning Support
- Jet Database Engine
- MDAC
- Microsoft Client For NFS
- Microsoft HTML engine
- Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ)
- Parental Controls
- Performance Counters
- Reliability and Performance Monitor
- Remote Differential Compression
- Run a legacy CPL elevated
- Software Quality Management (SQM)
- Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA)
- Sync Center
- User Account Control (UAC)
- Windows Picture and Fax Viewer (Shimgvw)
- Windows SAT (Performance Index)
- Zip Folder

________________________________________________________________________

INCLUDED FEATURES:

- 20 Windows Updates Slipstreamed
- eXPerience Desktop folder with vital essentials
- eXPerience Wallpaper
- Quick Launch enabler on desktop (Thanks to ntoskrnl)
- Dozens of tweaks to improve Windows
- Windows is activated offline (Thanks to Hazar)

________________________________________________________________________

INSTALLED PROGRAMS:

- DirectX 9c DLL Files (some standalone/ripped games might need these)
- Everything Search v1.2.1.371 (find files and folders without waiting)
- Flash v10.0.32.18 for IE (player for YouTube and Google Video etc)
- Foxit PDF Reader Pro v3.0.1817 (open PDF files from the web in IE)
- HashTab v2.1.1 (adds a tab on file properties to see file checksum)
- WinRAR v3.90 (compression tool to handle various archive formats)

________________________________________________________________________

DESKTOP eXPerience FOLDER

Most of these folders contain quick solutions to things that otherwise
would be buried away in the Windows GUI, or you would have to know the
command to run the item, like "control userpasswords2" will open the
screen to change your Windows 7 login password, or "intl.cpl" runs the
"Regional and Language Options" from Control Panel.

[eXPerience folder contents]
- Comodo Firewall - Download link to Comodo Firewall.
- Desktop Icon Layout - Allows you to save your desktop icon setup.
- Hibernation - Turns Hibernation on/off with one double click.
- Keyboard Settings - Quick way to open "Regional and language Options"
- Keyboard Shortcuts - Lists dozens of shortcuts you can use.
- Registry Backup - Easily backup your registry in one double click.
- TCPIP Patcher - Patch your tcpip.sys to allow 255 connections, not 10.
- User Password - Easily change your password for Windows.

________________________________________________________________________

QUICK LAUNCH ENABLER

On the desktop is a tool that can enable Quick Launch and make it
just like it was in XP/Vista.

If the program doesn't make Quick Launch the first time, just remove
the Quick Launch toolbar and run the enabler again.

Program created by ntoskrnl.

________________________________________________________________________

RIGHT-CLICK "Computer"

On the right click of "Computer" you have the following added:

- Advanced System Properties
- Device Manager
- Edit Registry
- MSCONFIG
- Services

________________________________________________________________________

REMOVED COMPONENTS

PART 1/3: DISM

With DISM the following packages were REMOVED:

- Anytime Upgrade Results
- BLB Client
- Business Scanning Feature
- Clips In The Library
- Printer Drivers
- WinOcr
- GroupPolicy Client Extensions
- IIS WebServer AddOn
- IIS WebServer AddOn 2
- Indexing Service
- IE Troubleshooters
- Links
- Local Pack AU
- Local Pack CA
- Local Pack GB
- Local Pack ZA
- Local Pack US
- Mobile PC Client Sensors
- Optical Media Disc
- PeerDist Client
- Printing XPS Services
- RasCMAK
- RecDisc SDP
- Sample Content Ringtones
- Secure Startup
- Share Media Control Panel
- Shell Home Group
- Sidebar Killbits SDP
- StickyNotes
- Terminal Services Command Line Tools
- Terminal Services Misc Redirection
- Terminal Services Publishing WMI Provider
- Terminal Services Remote Applications Client
- Terminal Services USB Redirector
- Terminal Services WMI Provider
- Windows Media Player Troubleshooters
- WMP Network Sharing Service
- Networking MPSSVC Rules Ultimate Edition

___________________________________

REMOVED COMPONENTS

PART 2/3: DELETED DIRECTLY FROM MOUNTED IMAGE:

About 550Mb was removed from:
WindowsSystem32DriverStoreFileRepository
These items were: Printer Drivers, Camera Drivers.

About 3700Mb was removed from:
Windowswinsxs

Other miscellaneous items were removed like the contents of the
Recovery folder and certain folders from the Web folder.

___________________________________

REMOVED COMPONENTS

PART 3/3: vLite

In vLite the following items were REMOVED:

(vLite "Last Session.ini" is included in the sources folder)

Accessories:
- Games
- Speech Support

Drivers:
- Diva Server
- Printers
- Scanners

Languages:
- Japanese
- Korean
- Simplified Chinese
- Table Driven Text Input Processor
- Traditional Chinese

Multimedia:
- Media Center
- Music and Video samples
- Sample Pictures
- Screensavers
- Wallpapers

Services:
- Error Reporting
- Windows Search

System:
- BitLocker Drive Encryption
- Help
- Manual Install (Setup.exe)
- Natural Language
- Security Center
- System Restore
- Tablet PC
- Windows Defender
- Windows Easy Transfer

 

[Anonymous]

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[johnrobholmes]

You are beyond me, but at least it could be done. 12 bit is plenty for what the average vehicle would need to monitor.


A guy down the street from me has a hot rod with a computer inside for all the monitoring. Flat panel is his dash basically. It was cheaper than setting up a real dash he said.

 

[StevenR]

The computer is really a matter of personal choice and application related. A bunch of good choices have been proposed. I have been looking for the interface board. I need a cost effective isolated 16 channel 0-5 input board to monitor individual cells. The EagleTree stuff just did what my v2.11 CA does with the RS-232 output although it would be a good replacement for the CA if the computer became the display.I want to build multiple Headway packs to wire in parallel and add in as needed. Most of my rides only need one 10aH pack but some may need 2, 3 or up to 5 and just plugging in another USB would be good. The batteries are down to less than $400 deliverd at evcomponents so $200.00 absolute max for the Interface board. I used to work with Opto-22 and they used to have some cheap quad-pack stuff but they don't seem to have it anymore. They would be RS-485 but the conversion is easy. I don't want to build it - it seems like it should be out there. So:

What suggestions does anybody have for a 16 channel isolated 0-5VDC input board? USB interface or easily convertable. 8, 12, 16 bit, whatever.

 

[mwkeefer]

Whew this will teach me to lunch on a thread that's moving:

Aussie,

The hacked win7 (I don't mean hacked in a bad way) is nothing more than a custom install image built up, in Vista and XP we have tools from MS and third parties to do just this... I build all my oem images this way, meaning whenever I get a new dell or other PC (my build or not) I wipe windows clean... enumerate the internal hardware in linux usually then gather the drivers and depending on XP or Vista I use nLite or vLite respectivly (http://www.nliteos.com/ - http://www.vlite.net/).

It took me 1 google minute but apparently vLite is updated to work with Win7 (http://www.msfn.org/board/use-nlite-windows-7-t133806.html) so there you go.

Problem is the kernel is still the same and Vista/7 kernel is NOT STABLE. There is actually a new embedded windows and also a WinXP available for specifically embedded devices which will run on Netbooks or any other x86 platform... The Embedded XP is stable and I have used it for years in Point of Sale solutions built around MS RMS (all versions to current) with hardware like touch screens, cash drawers (we are MS Preferred Partners for Microsoft Retail Management System).

John,

Yep many standalone monitor systems exist beyond eagle tree but... Matt said he has 2 orders pending, knowing his schedule that means max of 30 days from first post (he is good about these things) so although it would be nice to eventually build a fully integrated, stand alone (needing no 3rd party stuff like eagle tree) model... I think for now if the voltage levels match up with Matts power source, lets use it. It will be time consuming enough developing a dashboard software package, integrating all the hardware and solving noise and electrical issues...

I started life as a lowly car stereo installer... I have done > 30 PC installs into cars (including a MAC cube and a flip up touch screen on my 2004 Z4 - to replace the existing stereo and nav system, pc is in center console where DVD changer for nav system was) and from my experience these things are never simple or quick to design (if you want it done right). Now we were building many of these cars for competition so they had to be show quality but I don't see Matt selling anything that isn't "show quality".

12 channels isn't adequate btw, I would need 12 channels to monitor just 2/3 of my pack (15s2P) and here we may need to log not just cell voltages but also temperatures (motor, controller, battery pack by the 1P?) and RPM (Wheel, Motor, 2nd wheel?), Amps, Volts, Maybe G Force (multi axis accellerometer), etc. Personally I would also have inputs tied to brakes, turn signals, gps and lighting. With all the possible sensor data, I think 24 channels minimum, that wouldn't even touch my pack (or most) at the cell level.... to do that I would need 30 inputs + the additional 8-10 for other A2D purposes and that's just at 2P 10AH... to go up from there in battery size we really need to work up a cascadable master / slave controller design which is truly scalable. We are working on it in other threads (Fetcher and many others including myself) but as with all things it is splintering and going 10 different ways at teh same time.

If you want a small, faster computer for logging just Amps, Volts, RPM and such... yes a much faster unit can be built but not with just a single MCU... the atmel is the fastest MCU available and even it has a limit of 20mhz but that isn't the issue, it requires a clock tick to get the data, a few clock ticks to process and quickly you have used up 20mhz of time and are down to the 10mhz sample speed of the EagleTree.

In reality we could build up a simple logging computer based on no more than an atmega1280 and some sd cards or even some transflash. We would need a op amp for the voltage monitoring circuit and a simple hall effect style current sensor for best readings... add 2 more sensors (RPM and Temp) and you have 4 possible A2D inputs... The issue is speed, using any method of aquisition we still need to be able to write it out fast enough so we don't run into a FIFO jam (First In First Out) which is how pipeline memory works.

A better solution than normal microcontrollers would be to use one of the Linksys travel routers as your base... these are small as all hell and clock at 200mhz. With a few GPIO pins (there are plenty) we can quickly hack up SDIO support (I do it all the time with linksys routers, check out www.dd-wrt.com for more info) and also add A2D using the standard bit banging methods or even using a dedicated ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which would have it's own buffer and likely use either USB or i2c for communications... (though a parallel data feed for logging would be better as we could log 8 bits at a time per clock cycle)...

You get the idea, it really is if you can dream it it can be made (within some form of reason, no anti grav tires yet... working on em).

-Mike

 

[Anonymous]

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[mwkeefer]

I know, bad etiquette to reply to ones own post but...

I checked with Lenovo today, the S10 (in one form or another) is on the build block until 2011... that means they will continue to produce a compatible platform until 2011! These should be store available until 2013 (normally computers / laptops clearance 2 years after production ends).

Why do you care? Because if we base a design around a piece of hardware for Matts commercial builds we better be sure whatever hardware platform is chosen for the Notebook/Netbook component can be replaced by the end user in the next 2-5 years.

I actually think perhaps a Windows Mobile PDA or even Gen 1 iPhone would be a better "control center" weight for weight, dollar for dollar, onboard hw for onboard hw. The issue with using Windows Mobile isn't the HW it's the SW, very unstable... even the 3000 symbol technologies (Now motorola) bar code scanners built on Windows Mobile aren't stable and crash with no apps but mobile explorer running. I have written code for these units (300 at the same time to manage a food service inventory business with 210 locations) which allows them to communicate with a central DB and manage inventory across the country for a medium sized food service company. Personally I wouldn't use a WM anything for a mission critical component on an eBike (and I have dozens of them here, if they would work... you know I'd be using them already).

The whole diatribe on Wireless USB I got on the other day has me thinking (well more than thinking), I ordered a new internal card to do this wireless USB and a compatible USB hub today. I will test it with the EagleTree and a GPS under windows with the Lenovo in a Targus Netbook bag mounted like panier bags. If this works without wires, need I say more... LOOK MA NO WIRES! It would make everything easier.

There is a caveot I forgot (maybe) to mention:

So far as video output is concerned - the lenovo only has SVideo (or Composite) or VGA output... HDMI would make an interconnect to a good screen easier but...
1.) VGA has too many wires to be run from front to back, a single extension has a cable approx 1/3" diameter, where would you hide it
2.) Composite could be run with 2 wires front to back but the resolution will be limited to 480 (not a big deal really, the 7" LCD screens are cheaper in Composite/SVideo vs VGA)

That's it for now, except to say:

Posted from Lenovo #1 via Remote Desktop to Primary Development PC (XPS 720) on my desk 1/2 mile away and without wires!!!

-Mike