Small Linux HW to be carried in a model airplane

I am searching for a Linux hardware (which will be used in a model airplane)
with the following specs;
    * Small
    * Battery operated (single power input 5v, or 9v or 12v)
    * Light weight
    * Supports min 4 RS232 ports
    * Parallel printer port (for digital I/O) (or 8-16 digital I/O)
    * Optional USB port
    * 10/100 Ethernet port
    * Capable booting either from a USB memory and/or a Compact Flash disk

Any recommendation? 

<Dussrviok> wrote in message 
news:42064853$0$2195$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
>I am searching for a Linux hardware (which will be used in a model 
>airplane)
> with the following specs;
>    * Small
>    * Battery operated (single power input 5v, or 9v or 12v)
>    * Light weight
>    * Supports min 4 RS232 ports
>    * Parallel printer port (for digital I/O) (or 8-16 digital I/O)
>    * Optional USB port
>    * 10/100 Ethernet port
>    * Capable booting either from a USB memory and/or a Compact Flash disk
>
> Any recommendation?

I think you can do most of that with a Gumstix:

http://www.gumstix.com/

Leon
-- 
Leon Heller, G1HSM
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller 

How long is the Ethernet cable ???   ;-)

Dussrviok wrote:
> I am searching for a Linux hardware (which will be used in a model airplane)
> with the following specs;
>     * Small
>     * Battery operated (single power input 5v, or 9v or 12v)
>     * Light weight
>     * Supports min 4 RS232 ports
>     * Parallel printer port (for digital I/O) (or 8-16 digital I/O)
>     * Optional USB port
>     * 10/100 Ethernet port
>     * Capable booting either from a USB memory and/or a Compact Flash disk
> 
> Any recommendation? 
> 
> 

<Dussrviok> skrev i meddelandet
news:42064853$0$2195$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> I am searching for a Linux hardware (which will be used in a model
airplane)
> with the following specs;
>     * Small
>     * Battery operated (single power input 5v, or 9v or 12v)
>     * Light weight
>     * Supports min 4 RS232 ports
>     * Parallel printer port (for digital I/O) (or 8-16 digital I/O)
>     * Optional USB port
>     * 10/100 Ethernet port
>     * Capable booting either from a USB memory and/or a Compact Flash disk
>
> Any recommendation?
>

The AT91RM9200 is fairly small (in BGA256).
Can boot from a Dataflashcard (support inside a bootROM) if this is
acceptable.
Otherwise you need a small serial memory.
It handles USB Memory from Linux.
Has 4 RS-232 ports, multiple I/O, USB Host and Client + Ethernet.


--
Best Regards,
Ulf Samuelsson
ulf@a-t-m-e-l.com
This message is intended to be my own personal view and it
may or may not be shared by my employer Atmel Nordic AB

<Dussrviok> wrote :

>  model airplane

how small ?

Pozdrawiam.
-- 
RusH   //
 http://randki.o2.pl/profil.php?id_r=352019
Like ninjas, true hackers are shrouded in secrecy and mystery.
You may never know -- UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE.

Dussrviok wrote:
> 
> I am searching for a Linux hardware (which will be used in a model
> airplane) with the following specs;
>     * Small
>     * Battery operated (single power input 5v, or 9v or 12v)
>     * Light weight
>     * Supports min 4 RS232 ports
>     * Parallel printer port (for digital I/O) (or 8-16 digital I/O)
>     * Optional USB port
>     * 10/100 Ethernet port
>     * Capable booting either from a USB memory and/or a Compact
>       Flash disk
> Any recommendation?

Must be a fairly hefty model, dragging along that printer, 4 RS232
peripherals, and a long Ethernet cable, not to mention lifting them
all.  Are you really sure you aren't overspeccing things a hair?

-- 
"If you want to post a followup via groups.google.com, don't use
 the broken "Reply" link at the bottom of the article.  Click on 
 "show options" at the top of the article, then click on the 
 "Reply" at the bottom of the article headers." - Keith Thompson

On 2005-02-06, CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yahoo.com> wrote:

>>     * Light weight
>>     * Supports min 4 RS232 ports
>>     * Parallel printer port (for digital I/O) (or 8-16 digital I/O)
>>     * Optional USB port
>>     * 10/100 Ethernet port
>>     * Capable booting either from a USB memory and/or a Compact
>>       Flash disk
>
> Must be a fairly hefty model, dragging along that printer,

The printer port was for digital I/O, not for a printer.  At
least that's what the phrase "for digital I/O" means to me.

> 4 RS232 peripherals,

There are many small RS-232 peripherals out there. An RS-232
peripheral need be no more than one or two chips.

> and a long Ethernet cable,

That's likely for programming, configuration and upload
download of data files.

> not to mention lifting them all. Are you really sure you
> aren't overspeccing things a hair?

I would guess he knows more about what he's trying to do than
you do.

I know of a model airplane that carried a pretty full-up PC104
Linux system with an RF modem, video and still cameras, GPS
receiver, gyros, air-speed and temp sensors, etc.

It sounds like his specs aren't much different.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  HELLO, little boys!
                                  at               Gimme a MINT TULIP!! Let's
                               visi.com            do the BOSSA NOVA!!

Grant Edwards wrote:
>
>On 2005-02-06, CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Must be a fairly hefty model, dragging along [that] 
>long Ethernet cable [...] Are you really sure you aren't 
>overspeccing things a hair?
>
>That's likely for programming, configuration and upload
>download of data files.

In other words, he is over-specifying.  There is no need for
ethernet for those purposes.  He can do it all through one
of the RS232 ports.  He shouldn't add weight to his airplane
for functions that he can do without.

>I would guess he knows more about what he's trying to do 
>than you do.

On Usenet, that would often be a poor guess.

CBFalconer wrote:

> Dussrviok wrote:
> 
>>I am searching for a Linux hardware (which will be used in a model
>>airplane) with the following specs;
>>    * Small
>>    * Battery operated (single power input 5v, or 9v or 12v)
>>    * Light weight
>>    * Supports min 4 RS232 ports
>>    * Parallel printer port (for digital I/O) (or 8-16 digital I/O)
>>    * Optional USB port
>>    * 10/100 Ethernet port
>>    * Capable booting either from a USB memory and/or a Compact
>>      Flash disk
>>Any recommendation?
> 
> 
> Must be a fairly hefty model, dragging along that printer, 4 RS232
> peripherals, and a long Ethernet cable, not to mention lifting them
> all.  Are you really sure you aren't overspeccing things a hair?

And that 45 second reboot will kill you on
landing approach (:  Just hope the watchdog
doesn't have to fire.

In all seriousness, have you considered DOS
instead?

Jim Stewart wrote:
> And that 45 second reboot will kill you on
> landing approach (:  Just hope the watchdog
> doesn't have to fire.

I think one gets linux prompt in about 4 or 5s in a PXA255 like SBC as 
long no boot delay is programmed in the boot loader and carefull choice 
of filesystem (therefore no JFFS root fs), boot scripts and application 
is made. Someone (I think Montavista) even states almost instantaneous 
(less than 1s) boot up is achieved with execute in place patch. Haven't 
tried it though. Still it can be as long as 45s in the context presented.

Regards.

Elder.