A DEV concept project.

We have some awesome brains here at Dev.lets think of a way to
have a Custom system that has all the power of a desktop with easy transportability.

No off the shelf cases need apply.
No batteries needed (lol) Think out of the box!

A Portable Desk Top computer that all you have to do is plug into power.
Must have built in 19"LCD (min)
Must have top of the line duel core CPU with upgrade possibility.
Must be wireless and dsl and aircard.
Must have upgradeable Video card top of the line.
Must have at least 4 powered 2.0 usb ports.
Must have hot swapable HDDs 2 min.
Must be able to use multi OS.
Must have sound system built in.
Must have video camera and voice built in.
Must have wireless keyboard and mouse.
Must be built to travel, up/down time min. and protected
from damage.
Any other must haves PM me and I will add to the list.

Okay... so we have to slap an LCD on it...

I was thinking along the lines of a suitcase but it will not work either.
(custom case and has been done before, new ideas!)

Hmm where is stang when you need him... Hes building a computer inside of a medic bag, adding a monitor and a camera and such are actually not to difficult to add on.

Anyway why do you want this, I mean hot swappable drives, built in video etc...

This conversation sounds so familiar, Cy...I swear I was just talking to this on the phone with someone....

How is this thing different than a laptop? Now only if DIY laptop projects were so easy..

Macs came close with their Mac-mini. Shuttle PCs are also good. I think you should be able to fit all the stuff in a attache or a office briefcase. Cut the top part of briefcase to fit LCD there. Cover the motherboard and assembly with a plastic sheet, and fit a keyboard there. The major thing now will be to measure up dimensions and find a proper briefcase.

So how does it sound? If it's any good, be known I have never worked on a case mod before..

Bleh..has been done before. Linky: http://www.aoaforums.com/frontpage/content/view/157/31/

However if you find the right size you should still be able to fit the LCD. That's different and my own idea.

Tell you what cy, you buy all the parts and send them to me and Ill find a way to fit it into a portable bag or briefcase

Brainstorming Thread! Think outside of the BOX!

I want something NEW!, with all the BRAINS in DEV this should be easy.
This is for us computer people on the road that are tired of not having a REAL computer to use.
Laptops are OK for somethings,
BUT I want to game and have all my home toys on my computer and I do not want to spend 3000 and up!
I do not want to spend hours setting up a desktop either!
Easy set up! Bells and whistles under 2000 US.
(if you can game the top end games with good frames it will do anything)

PS.. be glad I did not ask for a printer/scanner/fax built in too

Actually, I've debated building a computer into a soft-sided rollaround suitcase for some time... the only thing missing would be the display, and with an LCD, the could be thrown on top easily for transport.

I don't think you will be allowed on a plane with that thing... at least not in the states.

I say do the R2-D2 thing, but instead of slapping an LCD in there, just put a projector in his head to shine through the little eye he's got.

Actually I did have a project in mind for my nephew along these lines. Hes a real Starwars geek (what little kid hasn't been? ) and when I came across THIS full size R2-D2 trash can on thinkgeek I actually started making my notations

Already been done Stang. http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/10/...re-skype-phone/

Add in some tie fighter speakers

No computer in that r2d2 though. Stang go for it

suitcase maybe... but it'd be too much like a lappy...

at best you'd want laptop hardware in there, or maybe ITX (or indeed AMD's DTX )

naa, laptop CPU, water cooled passively (thinking long strip radiator... maybe have it work purely off convection)

power sources... wind up? naa. Solar? cost a fortune, wouldn't power much, and again naa...battery is logical. solar cells would be good for trickle charging the battery...

I saw (or read about? same dif.) a mod which got a regular 17" LCD and modded it into the side panel of a case. that'd be good, but it wouldn't be portable. unless it had a cover...

that sonic keyboard, the one that works by projecting an image onto a table and "listens" for where your touches fall, that's be a great space saver (I even considered modding one f those onto a laptop, replacing the keyboard with a flat pannel ).



hmm... thinking about it, I'm questioning CY's motives. Knowing what I know (not really much more than you can get from his forum posts and such) you'd have quite an interest in a powerful, instant (or near to it) set-up computer workstation... and thinking purely on what you'd need, not a "consumer" I'd have to go with something like this:

Rucksack. not backpack, not nap-pack, a real climbing rucksack. computer itself could take up maybe a third of the space, leaving (some) room for other gear. reinforced metal box / cabinet in the bottom of the bag.

Main OS on Flash Drive + other flash drives for vital data, then (maybe) regular HDDs for bulk storage and references.

Screen... now this'll be tricky. LCD's (for all their perks) are rather delicate and need to be mounted in a sturdy frame. projectors are quite defecate / fragile too. an LCD would need a good frame around it, and covers to prevent impact damage, warping, etc...

I'd personally still go with battery power, maybe... but then again inverters are a wonderful tool, and you could easily run a half-way-decent PC off, oh say, a pick-up truck .

Having a projector would be good for presentations and demos. Maps, stats, that kind of deal. Multiple monitors too would be better... (other separate projectors into the mix on top of the system's own).

Networking... WiFi, definitely. Big aerial / antenna. Extendible? definitely. WiMAX? If you can get it all the better. Sat-phone uplink? again if it's available why not throw it in.

all the toys / gadgets you want could easily fit into your bog-standard climbing rucksack.

EDIT: the other option could be to integrate a main "server" into a truck, and then have a dinky little laptop to run around the area with and link back up to the truck for data / assigning tasks.

Well, I wasn't thinking laptop parts, but more along the lines of a dual-board gaming-server/client (or firewall/client )