REFLECTOR: New Collection and Control Hardware

bob at hassel-usa.com bob at hassel-usa.com
Thu May 4 09:42:36 CDT 2006 

Actually, there is 'Windows Embedded' (http://msdn.microsoft.com/embedded/windowsxpembedded/default.aspx) and Windows CE (http://msdn.microsoft.com/embedded/windowsce/default.aspx) to consider as well.

Bob Hassel
Santa Fe, NM

>Well, I have a nice Toshiba brand 20gb drive, so since it seems to be a big
>pain to try to get it to work with the CF card, for now, I will just use the
>system with the HDD, it is not a critical system anyway, so if/when the HDD
>fails, then maybe I will et back into the CF card system- I am aware of the
>micro drive, but still HDD failure due to insufficient ambient air pressure
>is a probability.. isn't there some aftermarket software that can be used to
>remove windows components that the windows manager does not give the option
>to? I have no need for about 50 percent of what is in there- this computer
>will not be connected to any other, not networking, no need for firewall,
>ect- don't need desktop themes....thought I heard about some program to
>remove that stuff...... I suppose that if I am running off of the HDD it
>doesn't matter, since I have plenty of room on there.....
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
>Behalf Of michalk
>Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 9:08 AM
>To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
>Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: New Collection and Control Hardware
>
>Personally, I like to mount the plane of the HDD vertically.  With the 
>new drives coming out these days, it's probably not necessary.  The new 
>ones have accelerometers that park the heads if they sense a large shock.
>
>Also, don't go overkill on hard disk capacity.  The new 750Gbyte hard 
>drives available these days are getting into scary territory.  The 
>technology used is a PROBABILITY that the bit you are reading is a 1 or 
>a zero.  The bits are so close, and they are magnetic signatures, that 
>they tend to migrate towards or away from each other.  Go for a high 
>quality five year warranty drive with the lowest capacity you can find.
>
>I'd say 20Gb is about right for Windows ... if you can find one that small.
>
>There are several directions to go under Linux.  You'll have to research 
>them yourself.  Wine is one of them, and virtual computing would be another.
>
>However, once you go down that route the benefits of having the Linux 
>system are lost.  It would be less trouble and more reliable to stay 
>with native Windows.
>
>The Compact flash will do okay.  How much you run the system will 
>determine how long it will be till failure.  If I'm not mistaken flash 
>is still gauranteed to about 10,000 writes.  Assuming 100 hours of 
>operation per year, you might get five years before the flash wears out. 
>  IBM also sells another solution.  It's called a MicroDrive.  It's a 
>very small disk drive that fits in a CF slot.
>
>Alex Balic wrote:
>> Brian- about the HDD- do you think no matter how rugged it is it might
>crash
>> without sufficient (designed for) air pressure to float the heads- that
>has
>> been my concern, not random failure, but head crash. Although, I suppose
>> that airliners pressurize to 8000 feet or something, so they work at that
>> altitude anyway, just with a turbo, I plan to get up as high as possible,
>> and will probably have trouble with the disk.
>>  Have spoken to some Linux guys, no one seems to be able to help really,
>and
>> the E-mon program will not work with Linux either, nor can I find any sort
>> of alternate industrial monitoring app written in Linux so I guess I am
>back
>> to trying to get XP on the CF card..... somehow, I was under the
>impression,
>> that Linux would run XP programs, maybe that was W98 programs......
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
>> Behalf Of Brian Michalk
>> Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 1:46 PM
>> To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
>> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: New Collection and Control Hardware
>> 
>> One thing you may want to do is install a Linux with read only access to 
>> the card.  It will help in two ways.  First, you'll wear out the CF if 
>> it's read write.  This seems to be getting better all the time as CF 
>> technology progresses.  Second, and more important is that it can't get 
>> corrupted by power glitches taking down the machine.  Mount a /var and 
>> /tmp partitions in ramdisk so the system functions like normal.  There 
>> are a few tutorials on the net how to do this.  Snoop around the MP3 
>> modders that put these Linux machines in their cars.  Lot's of good info 
>> there that translates directly to our application.  I don't know how to 
>> do this in Windows.
>> 
>> I've got two computers.  The Linux machine is an industrial embedded 
>> board from Advantech with a healthy power supply.  The Windows machine 
>> is for entertainment and other miscellaneous non-critical stuff.  It's a 
>> 1GHz EPIA board that runs about 10 watts.  It's got a ruggedized laptop 
>> disk drive.  For drives, I've found the best predictor of performance to 
>> be a warranty.  If you buy a drive with a five year warranty you'll be 
>> in good shape.
>> 
>> As far as helping out?  Well, I've got my hands full getting all of my 
>> stuff talking right now, but I can offer advice wherever I can.
>> 
>> I've also got the PC-flight systems gyro.  They do provide the serial 
>> protocol.  It's connected to the Linux machine where that data will be 
>> offered on the SMBUS or LAN.  I intend to couple that to my autopilot. 
>> I searched hard and long for an electric mechanical gyro with autopilot 
>> output, but couldn't find one I felt was reliable or one that I could 
>> afford.
>> 
>> Alex Balic wrote:
>> 
>>>Hey Brian-
>>>I have a laptop in My XLRG connected to a 7" touch screen display- wanted
>> 
>> to
>> 
>>>possibly run Linux on there off of a 2GB CF card- to display engine
>>>parameters for my Subaru- I am no computer genius, so now just have a
>>>disassembled laptop that will put XP desktop up on the touch screen,
>> 
>> running
>> 
>>>from HDD but probably not enough room to install anything else to go to
>> 
>> the
>> 
>>>CF card- do you think you could lend a hand? Was going to use the PC
>> 
>> flight
>> 
>>>systems E-mon program, but would not be adverse to anything else that can
>> 
>> do
>> 
>>>the same thing.......
>>>
>>>Alex
>> 
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