Mini-PC based plotter system

[bitbaltic]

Thank you for the heads up on the Sumvision mini computer. I have just bought one to solve a different problem. I have been carrying a heavy laptop back and forth between home and the boat in Turkey and getting messed about by airport security on every trip. I can't just leave it there because it has my files on it and because if I leave it there Windows updates will guzzle up lots of expensive data every time I visit. My plan is to leave the monitor & keyboard permanently on board but take the little computer alone back & forth for updating & data security. A mains adapter will run it in the UK connected to my screen & keyboard here. The only downside to the little computer is its meagre 32GB of storage, much of which will be taken up by the operating system. Its a pity it does not have USB3 to run an external SSD at a decent speed. I will add an external drive and hope that I can load some of my larger programs on to that even if they run a bit slowly.

Glad to have been of help it is a very tidy little computer.

The small storage isn't an issue for me as it literally is only running four programs as a nav computer. I would agree it needs a bit more eg if you want to use it for office etc. how about a big SD card?

Cheers

 

[Norman_E]

Glad to have been of help it is a very tidy little computer.

The small storage isn't an issue for me as it literally is only running four programs as a nav computer. I would agree it needs a bit more eg if you want to use it for office etc. how about a big SD card?

Cheers

It looks from the literature as if the SD slot is limited to 512 MB, which is a pity given the availability of 64 GB SD cards. I am still waiting for mine to arrive so cannot yet test that limitation. If it is limited I think a 64GB USB stick will be the answer.

 

[Plevier]

It looks from the literature as if the SD slot is limited to 512 MB, which is a pity given the availability of 64 GB SD cards. I am still waiting for mine to arrive so cannot yet test that limitation. If it is limited I think a 64GB USB stick will be the answer.

It says here http://sumvision.com/product/Cyclone-Windows-PC/Window-PC1.html SDXC cards up to 512 GB. (Do they exist?)

Oh yes they do but a bit pricey! Found one at £414.

 

[bitbaltic]

It looks from the literature as if the SD slot is limited to 512 MB, which is a pity given the availability of 64 GB SD cards. I am still waiting for mine to arrive so cannot yet test that limitation. If it is limited I think a 64GB USB stick will be the answer.

Just tried mine with a 32gb SDHC Sandisk which is the biggest I have- no problems at all. I would try a 64gb card before going down an external drive route.

Cheers

 

[affinite]

Thanks for the thread. I may also consider the mini-pc as, like Norman Im running an antiquated (and power hungry) laptop at present.
bit of thread drift that might be of interest to others - My Spring project was to configure a wireless cockpit repeater onto my OpenCPN nav computer.
Works well albeit a little dim in strong direct sunlight.

 

[Amulet]

I just dipped back into this thread in passing.

Actually I have been playing around with this issue today. I can get waypoints from the Garmin into the PC by setting the Garmin to goto each waypoint and then capturing the active nav system waypoint in NavMonPC. So the problem now lies in the plotting software seatrak. It does not have an equivalent capture function and although it can import and export waypoint databases it does not seem to use the file extensions you mention. It has a dedicated 'export to gps' function which is always greyed out as a menu- I don't know why. But I will give the gpsu software a try.

Cheers

Possible help:

1. I have a recollection that you have to explicitly switch off real time navigation in SeaTrak to allow you to send data to the GPS. Can't remember the details.

2. I never send individual waypoints or lists of waypoints to the GPS. I send whole routes. If they are sent using the Garmin protocol they appear as fully formed routes in the GPS. Many systems claim to be able to send routes using NMEA. Most of the ones (probably a dozen) that I have tested indeed have a function that CLAIMS to send routes. When you evoke it it simply sends all the waypoints in the route. They do not appear as a joined up route. A number of people have told me that it is possible to send whole routes via NMEA - I have never found a system that does so.

 

[bitbaltic]

I just dipped back into this thread in passing.

Possible help:

1. I have a recollection that you have to explicitly switch off real time navigation in SeaTrak to allow you to send data to the GPS. Can't remember the details.

2. I never send individual waypoints or lists of waypoints to the GPS. I send whole routes. If they are sent using the Garmin protocol they appear as fully formed routes in the GPS. Many systems claim to be able to send routes using NMEA. Most of the ones (probably a dozen) that I have tested indeed have a function that CLAIMS to send routes. When you evoke it it simply sends all the waypoints in the route. They do not appear as a joined up route. A number of people have told me that it is possible to send whole routes via NMEA - I have never found a system that does so.

Hi Amulet

There's a virtual pint in for you! you're quite right- SeaTrak needs to be in DR mode to export its waypoints. (I have just got home from RTIR and tried it on a laptop installation). Tomorrow I will try it on the boat. The fixed setup in this thread doesn't actually allow the computer to talk to the GPS (the GPS is a listener on the Yeoman's tx) but I can swap the Yeoman for the laptop running Seatrak. I will do this tomorrow and report back on whether the Garmin listens to it or not.

Thank you very much for this tip- It DEFINITELY is not mentioned in the helpfile and I don't think I would ever have worked it out.

Re. routes, there is no 'export to GPS' option on Seatrak's routes menu and it does not list Garmin in tis protocols so I guess it will not send routes, only waypoints via 0183. Still, that would be a big plus.

Cheers

 

[bitbaltic]

Amperor 12v stabilizer (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amperor-LCD...ator/dp/B000ZLRXG8/ref=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_img_in): £34.95
Inline 12v cigar socket (http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/car-accessory-socket-fe42v): £2.99
2x 2.5mm DC jack converters (http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-21mm-plug-to-25mm-socket-dc-power-plug-adapter-l52ay): £4.58
Sumvision Cyclone Mini PC (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sumvision-C...=1432206680&sr=1-1&keywords=sumvision+mini+pc): £128.99
Sumvision Paradox III keyboard & mouse (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sumvision-P...=1434450605&sr=1-1&keywords=sumvision+paradox): £10.95
AOC LM720 17-inch TFT (http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...C0.H0.Xaoc+lm720.TRS0&_nkw=aoc+lm720&_sacat=0): £26.99
2x 75mm slimline VESA mounts (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000NVR978/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1434448543&sr=1&keywords=vesa+mount): £11.96

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread but I thought it was nice to see this kit list written up in October's edition of PBO

 

[Norman_E]

So my article has appeared. I am now on the boat in Turkey so have not received my copy. I have both the Sumvision PC and the Gigabyte Brix with me. The latter with an SSD installed is the faster and more capable of the two at the cost of slightly higher power consumption. The use of the 15 inch CTX monitor instead of the 17 inch AOC more than offsets the extra power drain of the Brix.

 

[Dockhead]

I would really not use a 12v monitor wired directly to ship's power, which varies from 12v to 13.6v and more. You will want a DC-DC power supply in any case, for stabilizing the voltage, and once you have one of these, then any computer monitor with an external power brick will be fine.

I use a 23" HP with 19v power using a Drok adjustable power supply. Works great! The Drok only cost 12 quid (IIRC).

 

[rogerthebodger]

I would really not use a 12v monitor wired directly to ship's power, which varies from 12v to 13.6v and more. You will want a DC-DC power supply in any case, for stabilizing the voltage, and once you have one of these, then any computer monitor with an external power brick will be fine.

I use a 23" HP with 19v power using a Drok adjustable power supply. Works great! The Drok only cost 12 quid (IIRC).

I have had a telefunken 17" TV, video monitor, PC monitor running from my 12 VDC supply for over 5 years now that has been a high as 14.2 VDC without a problem.

I have had a problem with a digital TV decoder that crashes once the voltage gos over 14 VDC but will restart when rebooted once the voltage gets below 14 VDC.

 

[elton]

I would really not use a 12v monitor wired directly to ship's power, which varies from 12v to 13.6v and more. You will want a DC-DC power supply in any case, for stabilizing the voltage, and once you have one of these, then any computer monitor with an external power brick will be fine.

I use a 23" HP with 19v power using a Drok adjustable power supply. Works great! The Drok only cost 12 quid (IIRC).

12V monitors do not depend on having a stabilised 12V supply. Why would they? Much of the circuitry requires 5V, so there's an internal regulated 5V supply. Likewise any voltage it uses will be internally regulated, or provided by a regulated booster.

 

[bitbaltic]

I would really not use a 12v monitor wired directly to ship's power, which varies from 12v to 13.6v and more. You will want a DC-DC power supply in any case, for stabilizing the voltage, and once you have one of these, then any computer monitor with an external power brick will be fine.

I use a 23" HP with 19v power using a Drok adjustable power supply. Works great! The Drok only cost 12 quid (IIRC).

Great stuff but the point in this thread is that the same regulator powers a separate monitor and mini-PC. Whilst your average PC world monitor might be happy with a 19v DC supply most mini pc's (at the time of writing- my op is more than a year old) want 12vDC.

What works for the monitor has to work for the PC too unless you want multiple power brick installations which I didn't.

 

[bitbaltic]

12V monitors do not depend on having a stabilised 12V supply. Why would they? Much of the circuitry requires 5V, so there's an internal regulated 5V supply. Likewise any voltage it uses will be internally regulated, or provided by a regulated booster.

12v mini-pc's do though, I can assure you, and powering the whole kaboodle off a single 12v regulator was one of the key points I made in the OP.

 

[elton]

12v mini-pc's do though, I can assure you, and powering the whole kaboodle off a single 12v regulator was one of the key points I made in the OP.

I don't believe it, and you can't generalise about "12v mini-pc's" because they're not all the same. If I was to see a circuit diagram I might be convinced. I looked but I could find no evidence either way. I'd study the board or a circuit diagram of it, and then decide if it needed a regulated supply.

 

[Dockhead]

12V monitors do not depend on having a stabilised 12V supply. Why would they? Much of the circuitry requires 5V, so there's an internal regulated 5V supply. Likewise any voltage it uses will be internally regulated, or provided by a regulated booster.

The operative word is "much", in "much of the circuitry requires 5v". Different monitors are different, and you might get away with it in some cases, but why risk it? Some of these can be burned up by such a voltage deviation.

Also, this approach requires you to limit yourself to 12v (or 13.6v or whatever) monitors, when most of them nowadays are 19v. 12 quid for a Drok seems, to me anyway, a small price to pay to be able to use ANY externally powered monitor, and to be sure there is no risk of frying it. They are adjustable, too, so you can use the same one for future devices with different voltage.

 

[Iminei]

bitbaltic, - excellent thread, I'm copying / adapting your ideas for my needs. I now need the monitor and wondered if you have managed to confirm the current draw of the AOC monitor? (2A you thought). I'm wondering if something more modern might be more efficient.

Can anybody answer this one? - My PC is a Gigabyte Brix N2807 which was kicking about. I haven't got around to putting an ammeter into the supply line. When it is running but idle the system slows down the CPU, turns off the (SSD) hard disc etc. Should this result in a reduction in current drawn from the house battery?

 

[Tim O]

This all sounds brilliant.....Though I haven't a clue what most of it means....Think I need to do some reading up on electronics!

 

[bitbaltic]

bitbaltic, - excellent thread, I'm copying / adapting your ideas for my needs. I now need the monitor and wondered if you have managed to confirm the current draw of the AOC monitor? (2A you thought). I'm wondering if something more modern might be more efficient.

Can anybody answer this one? - My PC is a Gigabyte Brix N2807 which was kicking about. I haven't got around to putting an ammeter into the supply line. When it is running but idle the system slows down the CPU, turns off the (SSD) hard disc etc. Should this result in a reduction in current drawn from the house battery?

On average the whole system draws about 2.5a when running, so it's not as bad as feared in terms of monitor draw (I think the figures are based on max values).

I have made some changes to the system though and you may find this blog post useful. The AOC screen gave up the ghost last winter, probably due to age, and although I could have replaced it with another one I swapped to a brand new 17-inch CCTV 12v screen. This seems to be no longer available from the 'manufacturer' (Chinese non-branded)- there is still one on Amazon for over £100 more than I paid (here) something similar should really cost around £175. It's 2.5 amps of total system draw (or thereabouts) with either monitor so I don't think there's a huge efficiency saving.

The original mini-PC I think blew its graphics card after 12 months and had to be replaced with the Mk 2 version. When it blew up I discovered the Amperor PSU was putting out 12.6v, which is a bit high and may have been the cause of the problem- its voltage may have crept up over time. The Mk 2 miniPC wouldn't work with it. So I also swapped out the power supply for this one which has been fine. I would no longer recommend the Amperor unit.

Re. the amps drawn by your Brix, I am no expert but the draw of the screen is going to be much bigger than the mini-PC so it's not really worth worrying about the draw different modes of the PC make on your house battery. I set mine so that neither the screen not PC goes to 'sleep'- becuase the PC is functioning as a chart plotter and when you want to do something with it you don't really want to be jiggling the mouse about to wake it up, you want it to be ready to go. (its worth noting that a PC on a boat which appears to keep shutting itself off is perceived by the crew quite differently to the way they would react to a PC doing that on land- instead of being seen as normal computer behaviour it is perceived as being unreliable).

Cheers

 

[Iminei]

Many thank, just read the blog post. I'm thinking of one these, although I expect their current draw claims are ambitious.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200878468634?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT