101 uses for an eeePC

[scaryoldcortina]

^^This doesn't count, but I thought I'd get it in before anyone else does ;D

Anyway, I just got an eeePC 701 8g to play with, came my way because the owner didn't like it. Too small, XP runs at tortoise-like pace and she wanted a "proper" computer instead. So I got an old p4 tower out of the shed and put xp on it, she's now on facebook/bebo or whatever attracting rapists and murderers and I've got a new toy

About time too, my old IBM thinkpad gave up a couple of months back, and i can never manage to steal either of the acer aspire ones in the house for long enough to actually do anything (plus the inevitable hell if I break something while messing, lol) and since the DVD player expired my main PC gets hi-jacked every evening

So first job was to bin XP and install something more modern. Something with a 7 in it ;D Linux mint 7 to be precise. Then, start finding a use for the thing.

Use #1 is obvious. wireless surf console. It's what it was built for. I'm posting this on it, right now.. Except the screen size (800x480) but some tweaking gets you a useable browsing area

and setting a second desktop alongside with mouse pointer and window drag set to "wrap" gives you a fullscreen browser and a desktop you can drag and drop between (it's useful, honest..)

thing is, I've got a load of ideas to try out ;D I already found a serial/usb converter and tried it

because I have a few useful RS232 only devices I want to talk to (like my megasquirt)

I'll post pics and instructions for anything I come up with, if anyone is interested. Only big question I have is how much detail should I go into? I mean, I don't know the skill level of the audience, are you interested in what it can do, or how to make it do that? I could have filled this post with technical info about how exactly a serial usb device mounts in unix, and how to access it, and why you don't need to worry that it only lists "win xp and vista" as compatability... but I havn't, cos I don't know how relevent it is to the reader.

Anyway, thoughts? More coherent rambling tomorrow, maybe...

[datman]

Just one small question.... what the hell is an eeePC

[scaryoldcortina]

see, thats what I meant ;D Its about the size of a paperback, but it's a proper fully functioning PC.

google images says it looks like this (and the pic might well be fullsize, lol)

[datman]

Ah a more modern version of my Toshiba Libretto I used to have! (Size of VHS tape)

[scaryoldcortina]

yeah! I'm pretty impressed, actually, it has twice the memory and a faster processor than my old IBM did and it's the same size (bit thinner - I just checked) than a boxed VHS cassette. For retro mobile computers tho, I used to have one of these

but in 1990 I had no hope of interfacing global positioning and vehicle data into a coherent format, then uploading the data onto a sattelite map for viewing. I did dream though.

[grizz]

Scary stuff indeed.

You lost me at the intro, but I will keep reading, as this sort of cleverness and cross application is my thing.

Keep posting mate, I am sure those like me will just gloss over the top and still be impressed at the end of it all.

Where do you get all the info from.... learn, read ?

[herald948]

Go into whatever level of detail you like.

One word of warning on usb to serial, some software has slight timing issues without a real serial port to talk to. However I've only heard of it on Windows so a linux box may have more tolerant drivers.

I have a Cambridge z88 in my collection too. I don't have an Eee though, my netbook is retro. A Hewlett Packard Omnibook 800CT from about 1996. Netbook sized, Pentium 166, 48Mb RAM. Triple boots Win98, DamnSmall Linux and DeLi Linux.

[rysz]

Nice one SOC - any detail on the Linux side of things would be great - I am a Windows technician so tend to use it so I don't get rusty, but the penguin is always calling!

I intend on using an eeePC in the 309 eventually to use as a car PC with one of the touch-screen interfaces you can get from ebay! The success that you have with the USB - Serial on the Mega Squirt would be very interesting as you could then have constant mapping abilities in the car!

Rysz.

EDIT: Love the XKCD comic! But this is my favourite

[HoTWire]

I've not got past the first picture,.. but yay for a relevant xkcd on rr

now back to read the content.

edit in order to add :

[alecw35]

I was keen on collecting old computers for a while. So got a Z88. But it had a ripped keyboard, and the shop that sells stuff was way to expensive.

I got a Amstrad NC100 which is similar. It didnt have a battery cover for the coin cell. Thought I could bodge some cover. But its a round screw in plastic thing. So I got another NC100. Then I found out you really need a special memory card. Which are rare and expensive. I should have got a NC200. Its got a regular disc drive. But has dreadfull battery life.

I wanted an eeePC. They sold them in Toys R Us for just over £200. I used to work next door to Toys R Us. But I wanted something to watch DVDS on the bus. And the original eeePC don't have a disc drive

[TerraRoot]

You know i've always wondered if you could run a car on a pc, skip the megasquirt/jolt stuff. You reminded me when you mentioned the rs232/usb conector.

I'd love an eeepc, it fit's perfect into my combats thigh pocket, but I want a much more 'ruggedized' one, too much water on a bike.

xkcd ftw!¬

[jrevillug]

^ Unfortunately, you can't run a car on a pc - they aren't a 'real time' system, so the fuelling would always be running a little behind what's actually happening. Nice idea though.

[waveman1500]

Nov 11, 2009 11:31:00 GMT TerraRoot said:

You know i've always wondered if you could run a car on a pc, skip the megasquirt/jolt stuff.

This would be interesting. Fairly useless though, as car ECUs are much more reliable, stable and durable than PCs. Not to mention that Megasquirt is cheaper than cheap! Would be easily possible to run an engine off a laptop as they have plenty of processing power, but by the time you'd made up an output wiring loom with enough relays and sensors to make it work it would basically be a Megasquirt, and it would be a huge amount of work.

Back on topic, the eeepc is quite an interesting bit of gear. Would play some old games rather nicely, and of course good for music playing if you have one of the hard-drive models instead of the solid-state ones.

[popuptoaster]

Cool, i have a couple of old laptops here that are to slow on XP, i downloaded a linux version to try but havent got round to it yet, two screens are so handy to have, one of those things you don't need, but you miss after you've had them, i have run 4 just to see if it would work but it makes the front room look like mission control.

[herald948]

On topic, sort of:

[Colonelk]

Scary, not content with being a mechanical whizz you are also an electronics genius?!

I hate you

But seriously I look forward to seeing what you come up with. I say as much detail as you have now, only expand if its asked for. Also loving the XKCD love on RR.

[scaryoldcortina]

Aha, looks like there is some interest then ;D

Grizz - I'll try and keep most of it in plain english rather than geek-speak, ask if I use unfamiliar terms
I get the info from experience, and google. There is tons of info on the net, the hard bit is separating useful info from outdated stuff.

herald948 - yikes! I have a similar era panasonic toughbook that lives at the garage, running xmms over fluxbox, doing sterling duty as an mp3 player. DSL and DeLi are nice, have you tried puppy?

rysz - yeah, I'm also thinking towards car PC use, but not leaving it in the car permanantly. No need, if I can hotplug a usb or connect up via bluetooth for everything I need to do
ps.. I laughed a *lot* at the "sudo make me a sandwich" comic, then had to explain to mrs S what I was laughing at, what it meant, why it was funny etc. She still didn't get it.

hotwire - that's the comic I found XKCD through..

alecw35 - none of the netbooks get an optical drive. Rip your dvds into .mpg, divX or whatever, save them on an SD card, play them on the eee from that. I'm watching mad max 2 via LAN at the mo, its on the hard drive upstairs.

terraroot/jrevillug/waveman1500 - yeah, I wondered about that too, but came to the same conclusions. By the time you built an interface from the PC to the car you would in effect have a "dumb" version of a megasquirt, with the obvious disadvantages that crashing the program/PC would make the car stop. I don't fancy having to reboot (even on linux) in the fast lane of the M1.

oh and wavemann, out of interest, whats wrong with playing music on the SSD version? I'm not about to use it as a multitrack, but I have done a little recording/editing/playing along with youtube and it seems to work ok.

popup - DSL DeLi or PuppyLinux for old stuff, run as livecd (boot from the CD) and have a play. I'm running two virtual screens side by side to increase desk space rather than using multiple monitors (although that is funny) I'm having fun ssh-ing into the upstairs PC and making it do stuff even though I'm down here

herald948 - lol, thats another good XKCD comic. I tried a similar trick on conor earlier - X server over ssh to view his webcam, then used VNC to access his desktop and write "stop picking your nose" in his google search bar ;D He knows its me, but as long as I am root he can't stop me, lol

colonelk - sorry! If it helps at all I don't think any of it is as hard as it looks.

[scaryoldcortina]

Right, I'm busy downloading and compiling megatunix, I'm pleased to note that the project website has been greatly expanded and revised since my last visit, there are now comprehensive instructions for installing so I don't have to go into it here ;D
megatunix.sourceforge.net/


and this looks very interesting (I have some OBD scanners somewhere) for cars without megasquirt but with a diagnostics port
icculus.org/obdgpslogger/

[hairnet]

i have an aspire one with linux i no likey

i get my pc back friday (it wont fit on the bike lol)

need windaz

[scaryoldcortina]

^^ is it the Linpus lite thing that comes pre installed (big icons, no proper desktop?) Bin it instantly in favour of a modern distro! It's based on fedora 8, which is so old it doesn't get updates anymore (fed 12 is in beta testing...) PS you don't need windows, you just think you do, lol

Some output for you all

screenshot while compiling. Notice I now have bluetooth support enabled (taskbar icon) I didn't do anything, it autodetected the (£3.95) dongle that arrived via ebay this morning ;D


Megatunix running. Now I need to provide my Megasquirt with power and hook it up via usb, should know soon if they are going to play nice together.