Small Form Factor PCs

JoshuaBenuck writes "Make Projects: Small Form Factor PCs provides detailed step-by-step instructions on building a variety of small form factor systems, starting from the larger ones (about the size of a shoe box) and working its way down to the smallest (which is about the size of a pack of gum). It includes instructions on creating a digital audio jukebox, digital video recorder, wireless network range extender, home network gateway, network monitor, portable firewall, cheap Wi-Fi SSH client, and a Bluetooth LED sign." Read on for the rest of Joshua's review.

Make Projects: Small Form Factor PCs
author	Duane Wessels, Matthew Weaver
pages	232
publisher
rating	8
reviewer	Joshua Benuck
ISBN
summary	A detailed step-by-step instructions on building a variety of small form factor systems

First off, this is a PDF that, as far as I can tell, is only available from oreilly's website. Most of the projects in the book will require at least $300 dollars to complete.

If you who don't know why you would want to use a small form factor PC there is a good discussion of why you might want to consider using one in the introduction along with a list of some of the currently available small form factor PCs. You'll need to keep in mind that some of the systems mentioned would be more commonly referred to as embedded systems so the authors have expanded the definition of what 'small form factor PC' means. Not all of the systems mentioned are used in one of the projects in the book so if you get bored or are looking for another small system to play with, this may be a good resource.

The remaining chapters deal with projects that each use one of the systems mentioned in the introduction. The chapter headings show a picture of the finished product, a list of needed components, a bar showing the time it will take, and a rating of difficulty from 'easy' to 'difficult'. The bars and pictures provide a quick indication of what you are getting yourself into with one glaring exception; they do not tell you how much money you'll need to sink into the project. In order to find this information you'll need to go back to the introduction and read through the paragraph that tells you about the system used in the chapter.

This is followed by an overview of what is going to be built and which system was chosen for the implementation along with a description of its unique characteristics that made it a good fit for the project. A lot of emphasis is put on the power consumption of the various components. They even measure it at startup, shutdown, and during normal operations. This is used to make a couple of power and cooling design decisions.

If you're like me, you don't like when your systems makes a lot of noise (Especially ones that aren't supposed to look like they have a computer in them). This book gives a good overview on what to look for when building a system that you want to be as quiet as possible. They mention whether the system can get away with passive cooling (e.g. no fans) and they show some very non-conventional ways to reduce the noise production of a system (such as hanging a hard drive from wires within an enclosure).

The step-by-step instructions on assembling the hardware components of the systems include plenty of good quality pictures that should make it easy to follow along with the various projects. The pictures are about a third the width of the page which I feel is a good size. They are crisp, clear, and add to the discussion of the topic at hand.

If you are an experienced Linux or BSD user you'll probably be able to skim most of the step-by-step operating system installation instructions. If you are new to Linux and BSD the steps should help you find your way to project completion. Just don't expect the book to have all of the answers all of the time. I feel it is impossible for one book to contain the answers to all the questions that someone new to this area may have. That said, I think this book does an admirable job at giving you what you need to succeed.

Littered throughout the text are various warnings, other options, and lessons learned which I found to be valuable. Some of these include mistakes the authors made (such as using a WinTV-Go card instead of a higher model with a built-in MPEG decoder), using a CF Card Reader if you are unable to use NFS to transfer files to a system that uses a Compact Flash card, and numerous other practical tidbits that should serve to save you some frustration when trying to do the projects on your own.

You don't have to use the hardware platforms or components recommended in this book to gain benefit from its contents. I've used the instructions on setting up the Linux Infrared Remote Control (lirc) project to help with an Iguanaworks USB Infrared Transceiver (a device that sends and receives infrared signals) while the authors used an Irman receiver. The MythTV box I've setup uses Ubuntu Linux instead of Gentoo Linux and uses a spare system instead of the Shuttle XPC used in the book. I found the instructions in the book to be indispensable as I worked through this.

I've never done a case mod before, but I like the idea of being able to hide away a computer in something that looks like a decoration. There is a detailed explanation of how the authors used an old antique radio as a cover for their digital jukebox. I enjoyed the discussion of the various places they could put the power supply, infrared receiver, and other design considerations. It really gave me a feel for what types of questions I'll need to answer as I do a case mod myself.

That leads me to what I think is the biggest strength of this book. It is the very conversational way in which the authors tell you what they did, why they did it, and what they could have done. Along the way they provide links for further information, and search terms that can help you learn more about the topic at hand. The book is packed with information that is up-to-date, accurate, valuable, and easy-to-read.

That said, some of the information will lose value over time. For example, the specific gumstix computer that was used does not appear to be available anymore. This is probably a good thing since the authors had to make some adjustments to get the 200 Mhz Bluetooth enabled version to work. I mention it only to point out that the information on the specific systems and the other instructions will lose value over time. It is impossible to future proof a work likes this.

The projects in this book opened my mind to a whole new world of what is possible with small systems. I haven't had a chance to purchase of the specific systems mentioned, but the information on setting up the various software and hardware components has already proven the book's worth. I look forward to one day getting my hands on the systems mentioned so I can gain the full advantage that small form factors provide. So if you don't mind spending $300+ to play with some a small form factor PC or you love to tinker with networking, or multimedia applications then you might want to give this book a try. I certainly don't regret it.

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Save time, declare victory

go get a cheapo mac mini, it even comes pre-installed with BSD

Re:Save time, declare victory

You know, some people do enjoy building things and getting them to work on their own. Not everything is about having something, the journey to get it can be very important too.

Macs do not come with BSD. They run XNU.

They run XNU (perhaps known to you as Darwin or MacOS X) which has exactly as much relationship to BSD as a chevy does to a ford - they use similar interfaces and are derived from the same original innovations.

One of the many contradictions inherent in the Apple Religion is that BSD is bad, but Mac OSX is BSD in all ways that matter, and Mac OSX is good. Go read the wikipedia article [wikipedia.org] if you want to get past the religious dogma.

In reality MacOS is not BSD (BSD is tighter, faster, and uglier). It's the latest version of XNU, and XNU probably has no more BSD code in it than Solaris, linux or Windows does.

PS: I use a mac, so the faithful need not crucify me for these comments. I'm sure simple flogging will do.

Re:Save time, declare victory

go get a cheapo mac mini, it even comes pre-installed with BSD

That's fine if the Mac Mini is the right solution.

There are a multitude of applications for a small form factor PC in the first place. The Mac Mini's hardware is of pre-determined specification and the case leaves next to no room for expandability. Coming from the other direction, the review seems to indicate that the book contains projects more along the lines of tiny embedded computers that are substantially smaller than the Mac Mini. Couple this with the fact that just going out and buying a computer is a different experience than selecting your own configuration of components and piecing it together yourself, and you'll see that your suggestion is not an end-all/be-all solution to everybody all of the time.

Re:Save time, declare victory

You're right, and it's worth noting that the cheapest Mac Mini is $600. Wasn't the first Mac Mini only $500?

It doesn't have multiple NICs, either. If you're doing anything networking related, you kinda need more then one NIC. And no, a USB to Ethernet NIC isn't a great option when the unit costs $600 and you need a network device.

I would like to build one of these little machines some day, maybe a few of them, for various purposes. They do tend to be fairly expensive though, but still not as much as a Mac Mini. And, you can opt for solid-state disks, multiple NICs, and your choice of expandability.

I do have one of those WRT54G's (actually, it's a motorola box, but it's the same as the 4MB Linksys) with DD-WRT on it. It's really great! It's like a mini linux box that cost me $30.

new shuffle mod

but how can i turn my new iPod shuffle into a comp? a pack of gum form factor is still too big for my needs

$300 is geek price inflation

mini ITX form factor Mobos cost 2x what they should. Their cabinets cost 3x what they should. I want a mini ITX computer, with as small a fan as possible to be a NAS. But the whole project is absurdly expensive compared to what it would cost for a big ugly mATX. So that's what I'll be forced to do - build yet another intrusive grey box and save myself $150.

And while we're at it, why do so many mini ITX cabinets look like early '70's stereo equipment? Just give me a cheap box that's as blank as possible and mounts a CD drive horizontally. That means the case on;y has to be 6" wide, not 11".

Re:$300 is geek price inflation

If you don't have a requirement for high-speed NAS, have you considered a Linksys NSLU2? There's even a thriving Linux community around it http://www.nslu2-linux.org/ [nslu2-linux.org]. Less than $100.00, add your own external USB 2.0 storage. Data rate is around 4-5 MB/sec. from either Windows (CIFS) or Linux (NFS). Fanless, consumes about 9 watts (without a drive, or with a flash drive), and about the size of a paperback novel. I'm a satisfied owner...

Sounds like it might be worthwhile.

Sounds like a good resource for someone who was planning on building an embedded/SFF PC in the immediate future.

Not sure if it would be of any benefit to the more casual reader, or one on a longer time horizon. It sounds like they make specific hardware recommendations, which would be invaluable to someone building a system today, is probably just going to be a source of frustration in twelve months, when none of the stuff they recommend will be available anymore.

Their choice to produce it as an ebook is probably a smart one, for this reason. They would barely have time to get it out the door in paper format, before the recommendations were less than cutting-edge; by the time it made its way to most readers, they'd have to hunt on eBay to get the particular parts used in the articles.

I can't tell you the number of times I've read various HOWTOs and other 'How to make a...' articles, only to meet frustration when some small key part is out of production, and the currently-produced alternative creates problems that aren't addressed. That's the limitation of HOWTOs: they only tell you how to go down one particular path, not how to survive in the proverbial woods. They're a map, not a survival guide.

So I guess if you're in the market for a 'map,' getting one that's as new as possible is probably a smart idea, and one that's been written and is produced straight to PDF, without months of waiting to be printed and sold, is probably the best thing going.

Mac Minis killed modding

Or my interest in it, anyway. Once upon a time, PCs were huge, but had lots of wasted space. You could put them into a smaller box, or make them really tiny once motherboards were all integrated and you could do the whole thing without PCI cards sticking out. I used several SFF Compaq Deskpros over the years and they've all been great--fast, small, cheap, and bulletproof. Then along come tiny ATX boards and neat machines can be made even smaller.

Then along comes the Mac Mini and in the last two years I've seen lots of "We took a Mac Mini and stuck it in something bigger" and I'm like, what's the point? I've got two Minis and they're great. (Though I'll buy a Mac Pro next time they're revved because I need a little more juice (mine are G4s) and a lot more disk than these little guys can hold.) I also plan to play around with a PC mini clone I saw somewhere, or maybe one of these little guys [norhtec.com] that Cringley recently had some fun with. [pbs.org]

Question on Purchasing the PDF ?

I have bad eyesight (-13 diopters) and it's hard for me to read long documents on the computer but I have no trouble printing them out and reading them. Does this $15.99 PDF have DRM protection against printing? I've run into that once or twice and it's a pain for me :(

Re:Question on Purchasing the PDF ?

OpenOffice.org does NOT have PDF viewing capabilities. What are you talking about?

Jukebox

All I want in the world is basically a rack-sized iPod. A convenient screen, a cute interface, and a 3.5" HDD with a ethernet jack for transferring songs. Does that exist yet? I've seen all sorts of wired and wireless models that require a 250W file server running in another room. I just want an mp3 player with a screen you can see from across the room and a remote. Is that too much to ask?

Shuttles!

I own two Shuttle boxes and the XPC is the best computer I ever owned. They're extremely easy to assemble, actually fun to build, and I've never had a problem with one. A pair of them stacked are smaller than most single towers. I wish they could handle 2 gig memory chips but that's my biggest complaint. Both have firewire connections and frontside USB and sound. My 3200 has a frontside mini firewire plug but my XPC has a fullsize frontside firewire and both have full size backside plugs. I strongly recommend them. The only machine I'd consider for a living room multimedia machine. They even look good.

I want a satchel PC.

I want to flip open my satch and have a flexible keyboard and monitor with WIFI for surfing the web, ssh, and reading email (which for me is ssh since I read in PINE). Some way to put this into a satchel and still be able to use it as a bag would rock. I still want to carry around my sketch book and pens/pencils in the cafe.

The hard part seems to be the monitor. How to keep it safe and light weight.

Power is another problem.

Video of Shuttle XPC Build

Here's a nice video of how to build a Shuttle XPC.

http://www.my-pc-help.com/video/v10016.htm [my-pc-help.com]

gumstix

I was looking at the gumstix [slashdot.org] line yesterday. They have the basic MB & an audio daughter card. Since the daughter card also has pinouts for LCD displays, I was considering putting together a wall mount box for remote connection to the MP3 server. But totalling it up, I couldn't see spending $300+ in addition to however long it took me to hook up the display & create a mounting case - for that I can get a junk laptop & do more.

ok, do MAME for VSTs!!

ok, you know how people build MAME cabinets?

Ok, you know how there are VST software synths, many of which emulate real hardware, and do a great job of it?

ok... merge these ideas...
make tiny boxes the size of a TB303 or so, with MIDI knobs and buttons mounted on the top with a tiny PC running only a dedicated VST on the inside...

I imagine you could design a box that would run several different VSTs, selectable from the outside...

Add a 3" LCD screen, and kickass.

ok... someone make this into a DIY project so I can build one. yeah, i'm that lazy.

Been there, done that, it's crap

Once you get used to their good looks you'll understand that other kinds of pcs are better for practically all kinds of tasks. Disclaimer: this message was submitted using SFF PC.

I might look into this book.

I just built a machine for a gift this last Christmas, and I used the Apevia Q-Pack case. I know the measurements were given on NewEgg, but the case just seemed go big when I actually took it out of the box. One of my ideas had been that it would be possible to push the machine back on the desk and park the mousepad in front of it, but when I swapped out the old computer it was replacing (ancient HP minitower running Win98) I found the Apevia case to be exactly the same depth as the taller, but much narrower, machine it was replacing.

I was expecting the Q-Pack to be a cube in terms of measurements. But due to its wider dimensions with "normal" depth, things seem more crowded than ever on the desk now.

These books don't age well

I bought a book on overclocking, which at the time was quite useful. I would have written a similarly enthusiastic review. Now that it is 4 years old, the overclocking book is an amusing historical artifact for the average, power-hungry geek.

I've aged as well. :-) I am now looking for articles on underclocking for a low heat, low-noise PC - HTPC for me. The biggest challenge is, it has to play modern games like Q4 and HL2. So it is a bit of a hybrid HTPC.

MiniITX with XGL?

Can anyone recommend a MiniITX board that has a graphic chip that is fully supported by XGL? With a DVI port?

is only available from oreilly's website?

Give it a couple of days.

Convert it to Wiki - O'Reilly - you listening?...

Here is a key comment in the review:

That said, some of the information will lose value over time. For example, the specific gumstix computer that was used does not appear to be available anymore. This is probably a good thing since the authors had to make some adjustments to get the 200 Mhz Bluetooth enabled version to work. I mention it only to point out that the information on the specific systems and the other instructions will lose value over time. It is impossible to future proof a work likes this.

Actually - I think it is possible to "future proof" a book like this. How?...

Convert the book to a wiki.

I've already bought the book. What if I now want to upload my own storyline as well as pictures of my project to a community maintaining an on-line version of same book? A wiki would allow anyone who has bought the book (thus they have an ID/PWD for accessing the PDF originally) to use the same login to access an online wiki based version of the book. You won't lose any revenue from account sharing, since the same person sharing their login could just as easily share the PDF file. *But*, by putting it into an access controlled wiki for those of us who have bought the book, you give us the opportunity to share our stories... to make major and minor changes as necessary as we go through the different howtos and find that things have changed slightly, components have uprev'd, etc. And, if you managed the wiki properly you might even maintain a revenue stream on the publication long after it has originally published, not because techies will want to buy an old book, but because when they do they know they'll also get access to the latest updates in the "community of users" participating in the wiki. You might be able to harvest the best that the wiki has to offer and spin that back into a PDF version, then spin that back into a wiki again. And of course all this community activity on an O'Reilly hosted site means traffic, eyeballs, impressions, etc. etc....

I know this won't work for every book and every topic. But in the case of this one it seems like a no brainer to try since the book is really just a short intro followed by a bunch of essentially standalone howto chapters. Perfect for a wiki IMO...

Thermal Conductivity!

> such as hanging a hard drive from wires within an enclosure

That's what's wrong with all the plastic computer cases out there. The hard drive produces heat, and good thermal conduction can reduce the amount of fans needed. The above statement is a good way to replace a noisy hard drive with a noisy fan, or simply a good way to significantly shorten the lifespan of your hard drive.

Build ? I think not..

Build ?

I read the description, and it sounds like this is a book about "Buy" not "Build"

Looking for 10" rackmount mini-ITX case

Someone has seen such beast?

More Make Projects but Free

There are many guides to create your Make Project available for free. So why bother to buy the book. For example: here are guides to "create a [homemade portable] digital audio jukebox" [repair4player.org] and here is a list of tutorials explaining how to build a "wireless network range extender" [repair4laptop.org].

Bits are too expensive

For $15, I'd rather buy a dead tree. I know I can print it, but my time is more valuable.