Asked — Edited

Onboard Computer Option, Opinion

Hi guys:) Im working on putting together the bits and pieces to our project and was looking for an opinion of using this type of approach to an on board computer. My goal is to ensure that the rover does not drop signal and go dark on me. The Project Jarvis video shows him using Arduino, (poor guy ) lol but im looking at the mother board he is using. Has anyone gone this route before, then connect to the robot via mirror desktop application?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBTEljiqmv0

http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=89

Any input would be much appreciated.


ARC Pro

Upgrade to ARC Pro

ARC Pro is your gateway to a community of like-minded robot enthusiasts and professionals, all united by a passion for advanced robot programming.

PRO
Synthiam
#1  

Depends on how much you want to spend, the FitPC's are really tiny but a little pricey. You can also get Mini ITX motherboards (if your robot has the room) for a lot less.

I had a video tutorial a few years ago about installing a Mini ITX in a robot - not sure where that video went:)...

#2  

I use an Acer W3 tablet... cheap and it works great...

or maybe something like this ...NetTop PC

PRO
Synthiam
#3  

Ah, Richard has a good point. I also have an Acer tablet and it is nice because of the touch screen.

If you end up installing a min-Itx without a screen, you can use Remote Desktop on any version of Windows. Also, TightVNC is a good option for free as well

#4  

I also have an Acer W3. Not in the robot yet, but runs ARC great (screen resolution isn't wonderful, but I build the projects on a different computer then publish to EZ-Cloud and download on the ACER).

There are a bunch of other small Windows 8.1 (not RT) tablets starting to appear on the market, and some like the W3 are appearing as factory refurbs on the various flash-sale sites (woot, yugster, dailysteals, meh, etc...) and eBay fairly regularly.

Alan

#5  

@DJ Oops, i thought i posted the Mini ITX link link in the video, thats what i was thinking. I thought of the Tablet option, but was looking to add additional cameras so thought a full pc might be best. Also thought of using the guts of a laptop, but no real gain, and just messy.

#6  

Not sure if it matters, but the Acer w3 has a built in camera (most tabs do)... Haven't tested it with ARC yet, however...

#7  

@thetechguru Had a plan to put a laptop on board, but don't need the screen on the rover, so thats what got me thinking of doing a setup like Jarvis. Just wasn't sure if there were any obvious reasons why i shouldn't go that route.

#8  

@Richard R Thinking of a Sony PS4 Camera once the PC version is released.