Help with picking out MoBo

[Matthew_B]

I need help finding the proper components:

I am building a PC that will go inside an FSAE racecar. I want it to run off 12VDC (preferably without ATX supply). It will run a linux distro (probably Mint). I need to put a PCI Wireless-N NIC on it, so I need it to have a PCI slot.

Any help/comments would be great. Thanks.

mfn6@unh.edu
Matthew

 

[Matthew_B]

Oh, I also need it to have an RS-232 Serial connector.

Is it possible to use a solid state memory card (like a 16GB SD car) in place of a disc drive to run everything?

 

[WR2]

What kind of power do you have to run the system?

 

[WR2]

ASUS Eee PC 900 16GB SSD Netbook $400 It has built in 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
Add a USB to Serial cable
And you dont need to worry about a power supply either.

 

[Proximon]

WR2 has a good idea there. You don't get to just run a built computer off the 12V in the car because the power is not clean enough.

 

[WR2]

The Asus EEE Box seems almost a custom fit for what you want. The computer without LCD screen.
Asus EEE Box You'd probably want to swap the 160GB 2.5" laptop HDD for a SSD but you could still do that for ~ $400

 

[Matthew_B]

We have a linksys http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Wireless-N-PCI-Adapter-WMP300N/dp/B000FDDUXG wi-fi card. We need the external antenna because the car is going to be sometimes quite far from the pit crew.

The ME's on the team can build me any custom enclosure that I want, so I am more or less looking to get just a motherboard/CPU. I will need USB, serial and PCI.

The setup from last year used a circuit that allowed the PC to run on 12V. If necessary, I can reuse that, but it would be great in the interest of saving space if it already had that capability built in.

Thanks for the help, this is a great site!

 

[WR2]

The setup from last year used a circuit that allowed the PC to run on 12V. If necessary, I can reuse that, but it would be great in the interest of saving space if it already had that capability built in.

That circuit between the 12V source and computer would have needed to regulate and supply +3.3V, +5V and +12V power to the motherboard.

I think your best bet is to go with one of made-for-a-car type PCs. Intel Atom single or dual core CPUs.
VoomPC-2 Car PC You can choose your parts and have then installed and tested for $30.
- That small card underneath the motherboard is the power supply which mounts in the case.

 

[Matthew_B]

Thanks WR2, What about if I wanted to add a PCI Card to it? It seems like because it would be perpendicular to the motherboard, it wouldn't fit in that enclosure?

The enclosure isn't an issue really, we have some great mech. engineers on the team who love to build stuff out of aluminum.

Thanks again

 

[WR2]

You could still order the parts without the custom case -saving- $80 along the way. The motherboard does have 1 PCI slot and the serial and USB ports you wanted.

 

[WR2]

For price comparison you could look @ Atom Mini ITX motherboard, 2GB RAM and 16GB SSD
and picoPSU-120, 120w output, 12v input DC-DC Power Supply

 

[Matthew_B]

WR - Really liking that last setup you sent. Checking it out now