Archives/Shop 3.0/Slodac/archive

Hardware Browsing Archive

Boards (ranked with favorites first)

• WandBoard - $130
  • http://www.wandboard.org/
  • Power: 5V - 2A
  • 2G RAM, Quad Core, HDMI, gigabit, wireless
  • All Wandboard wiki pages
  • Wandboard Forum
  • Wandboard Archlinux Page

• CubieTruck - $100
  • https://store.iotllc.com/product.php?productid=38&cat=0&featured=Y
  • Power: 5V - 2.5A
  • SATA, Gigabit, wireless, 2G RAM, HDMI, 2 USB

• BeagleBoneBlack - $50
  • http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBone%20Black
  • Power: 5V - "USB" ~ 600mA
  • Has HDMI, only 1 USB, 512MB RAM

• Raspberry Pi - $35
  • http://www.newark.com/raspberry-pi/raspbrry-modb-512m/model-b-assembled-board-only/dp/43W5302?COM=raspi-group
  • Power: 5V - "USB" ~ 700-800mA
  • HDMI, 512MB RAM, 2 USB

• BeagleBoard-xM - $150
  • http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBoard-xM
  • Power: 5V - "moderate"
  • 4 USB ports, 3d graphics, 512Mb RAM

• UDOO - $140
  • http://shop.udoo.org/usa/?___from_store=usa&popup=no
  • Power: 12V - 7A
  • HDMI, has its own screen avail., Quad Core, wireless, gigabit, sata, 2 USB
  • (Also has a screen!)
  • Link to UDOO power consumption chart
  • Somewhat disqualified. I can step up 5V to 12V, but would rather not.

Screen

It's important that we preface this section with a quick discussion of LVDS vs TTL, because before working on this project I had little understanding of them.

In short, LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) uses two wires and the difference in voltage between them to send a signal, while TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic) uses multiple wires with voltages relative to a ground wire to send a signal. The wandboard has LVDS output on one of its expansion headers, and appears to be capable of driving a screen directly. This means that we can cut out the hot and power hungry converter board from HDMI to LVDS/TTL and simply wire a LVDS screen to the board. I'm not yet sure of how this will be accomplished in hardware or software, but I view it as my best bet right now.

Reference: http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/communication-technology/difference-between-lvds-and-ttl/

• CalkboardElec
  • Boards may be available after February 2014.
  • Company has datasheets and is self-labeled as an open source project!
  • http://www.chalk-elec.com/?page_id=1280#!/~/category/id=3094861&offset=0&sort=priceAsc

• GeChic?
  • Non-free products as far as I can tell, but very polished (and a little more pricey).
  • Newegg store: http://www.newegg.com/store/GeChic-Corporation

• • 15.6" Portable Monitor w/ battery - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0V11109033&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Branding-_-na-_-na&AID=10440554&PID=4897915
    • 15.6" - 1366x768 - $249
  • 15.6" Portable Monitor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0V114A8790&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Branding-_-na-_-na&AID=10440554&PID=4897915
    • 15.6" - No resultion stated - $200

• Adafruit
  • Clunky 7" HDMI monitor - http://www.adafruit.com/products/1033#Technical_Details
    • 7" - 1200x800 - $160
  • Pixel Qi display - http://www.adafruit.com/products/1303#Technical_Details
    • 10" - 1024x600 - $300
    • 5V - 775mA
    • Can be used in daylight, and can revert to grayscale.
  • Clunky 7" IPS monitor - http://www.adafruit.com/products/1667#Technical_Details
    • 7" - 1200x800 - IPS - $170
  • Barebones monitor with HDMI - http://www.adafruit.com/products/1666#Technical_Details
    • 5.6" - 1200x800 - $140
    • 5V - 650mA
  • Tiny little HDMI monitor - http://www.adafruit.com/products/1678#Technical_Details
    • 5" - 800x480 - $65
  • A barebones lcd monitor http://www.adafruit.com/products/1287#Technical_Details
    • 10.1" - 1200x800 - $145
    • 5V - 980mA

• LVDS board from FutureElec with my existing screen?
  • http://www.futureelectronics.com/en/technologies/development-tools/microcontroller-microprocessor/multimedia/Pages/9032471-FWBADAPT-7WVGA-PCAP.aspx?IM=0
  • No, this wouldn't work. The adapter board is designed for the Touch Revolution screen which has a different lvds cable.
• LVDS board from Chalk-Elec with the Pixel Qi
  • I've just purchased the board, should be here sometime this summer. I plan to test it against the default Adafruit board for power consumption and size/location in the laptop case.

Battery

Comparison of batteries (5V, comparing size/weight):

• http://www.amazon.com/EC-TECHNOLOGY%C2%AE-Ultra-high-Thunderbolt-Incredible/dp/B00FDK2G2C/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1400867180&sr=8-9&keywords=usb+battery
  • $50
  • 6.29 x 0.86 x 3.14 inch
  • 15.8 oz
  • 20000mAh

• http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEZBKTO/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • $50
  • 4.4 x 3.3 x 1 inch
  • 10.6 oz
  • 12000mAh
  • Breakdown:
    • 4.16 [$/Ah] (Lower is better)
    • 0.73 [oz/in^3] (Higher is better)

• http://smile.amazon.com/15000mAh-Portable-Ultra-High-External-lightning/dp/B00D5VAYRU/ref=sr_1_22?s=mobile&ie=UTF8&qid=1397699016&sr=1-22
  • $50
  • 4.9 x 3 x 0.9 inch
  • 11.2 oz
  • 15000mAh
  • Breakdown:
    • 3.33 [$/Ah] (Lower is better)
    • 0.85 [oz/in^3] (Higher is better)

• http://smile.amazon.com/Jackery-High-capacity-Aluminum-Dual-Port-Ultra-fast/dp/B00AANQLRI/ref=sr_1_15?s=mobile&ie=UTF8&qid=1397699016&sr=1-15
  • $40
  • 4.3 x 3.1 x 0.8 inch
  • 10.4 oz
  • 10400mAh
  • Breakdown:
    • 3.85 [$/Ah] (Lower is better)
    • 0.98 [oz/in^3] (Higher is better)

• http://smile.amazon.com/RAVPower-PORTABLE-10400mAh-Thunderbolt-Incredible/dp/B009V5X1CE/ref=sr_1_13?s=mobile&ie=UTF8&qid=1397699016&sr=1-13
  • $30
  • 4.4 x 2.8 x 0.8
  • 8 oz
  • 10400mAh
  • Breakdown:
    • 2.88 [$/Ah] (Lower is better)
    • 0.81 [oz/in^3] (Higher is better)

• http://smile.amazon.com/Poweradd-trade-Pilot-Anti-explosion-Smartphones/dp/B00F4U49M6/ref=pd_cp_cps_2
  • $32
  • 6.3 x 2.8 x 0.6
  • 10.9 oz
  • 12000mAh
  • Breakdown:
    • 2.66 [$/Ah] (Lower is better)
    • 1.03 [oz/in^3] (Higher is better)

• http://smile.amazon.com/Poweradd-trade-Pilot-E2-USB-charged/dp/B00D41CYOW/ref=pd_cp_cps_1
  • $30
  • 4.3 x 2.8 x 1 inch
  • 11.4 oz ?
  • 12000mAh
  • Breakdown:
    • 2.50 [$/Ah] (Lower is better)
    • 0.95 [oz/in^3] (Higher is better)

• http://smile.amazon.com/10000mAh-Portable-External-Smartphones-USB-charged/dp/B009USAJCC/ref=sr_1_12?s=mobile&ie=UTF8&qid=1397699016&sr=1-12
  • $40
  • 5.6 x 2.8 x 0.6 inch
  • 8.6 oz
  • 10000mAh
  • Breakdown:
    • 4.00 [$/Ah] (Lower is better)
    • 0.91 [oz/in^3] (Higher is better)

• http://smile.amazon.com/EasyAcc%C2%AE-16000mAh-Lighting-Charging-Smartphones/dp/B00H8JYOG2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397698690&sr=8-2&keywords=5v+fast+charge+battery
  • $50
  • 6 x 3 x 0.9 inch
  • 13 oz
  • 16000mAh
  • Breakdown:
    • 3.13 [$/Ah] (Lower is better)
    • 0.80 [oz/in^3] (Higher is better)

Mouse

• Anker 2.4G Wireless Flip-tail Folding Mouse

• Logitech Wireless Mouse M325 with Designed-For-Web Scrolling

Keyboard

• $30 Aerb Portable Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard

• $35 Perixx PERIBOARD-805L, Bluetooth Folding Keyboard

• $160 http://www.amazon.com/Noppoo-wireless-keyboard-Mechanical-Dual-mode/dp/B00FVTQ1S0

ETC

• Volt/Ammeter
  • http://dx.com/s/digital+ammeter

Parts Purchased

This is a comprehensive parts list of everything I've purchased to make this project happen. It doesn't serve as an excellent cost-analysis due to the funds I spend having space at Makers Local, etc. I'll do my best to have parts used in the most current iteration of the laptop in bold.

• Board
  • Wandboard Quad - $125
    • Store Link

• Wireless Antenna
  • Wandboard antenna kit - $10
    • Store Link
    • The antenna cable is called "UFL to SMA" and parts to extend/replace it can be found on Amazon.

• Case Supplies
  • Pelican 1170 Hard-Case
    • Store Link
    • Something to keep the parts in while I nail down what exactly is going on with the hardware.

• Mouse
  • Anker Mouse - $15
    • Store Link (Nice mouse, but not the best purchase for a laptop)
    • The mouse is excessively bulky, and I'm in the process of designing a 3d-printable shell to re-house the electronics.

• Keyboard
  • Perixx Folding Keyboard - $35
    • Store Link (Good purchase,so far)
  • Massdropped Noppoo Choc Mini 2M Wireless Keyboard - $106
    • Totally Rad. I hope.

• USB Hub
  • Cable Matters 4-port Hub - $13
    • Store Link (Poor puchase, Don't need USB 3.0)
  • Old Hub I had lying around - Free?

• SSD
  • Kingston 64gb - $50
    • Store Link
  • Samsung EVO 120GB - ?
    • Supposedly uses less power

• Micro SD card
  • Sandisk 32Gb - Varies in price
    • Store Link

• Batteries
  • Anker Astro2 12Ah - $50
    • Store Link (product changed)
    • I really hate these shake-n-bake batteries
  • Anker Astro2 9Ah - $37
    • Store Link
    • Have had trouble powering the computer with this battery

• Electrical Supplies
  • Volt / Ammeter - $13
    • Store Link
  • USB to Barrel Jack - $6 (x4)
    • Store Link
  • USB to Serial Modem - $10
    • Store Link
  • Barrel Jack parts - $15
    • Male
    • Female
  • Silverstone Sata Cable - $10
    • Store Link