Mini pc....

[paul mc c]

Not sure if this is the right section to post this in,if not could mods remove please.

I am thinking about this for use in my obsy..https://www.gumtree.com/p/desktop-workstation-pcs/minix-n42c-4-mini-pc-intel-n4200-quad-core-8gb-ram-512gb-ssd-wind/1382102758.

Or should i stick with my laptop .

Thanks Paul .

 

 

[Jessun]

Small PCs like that one are great sitting by the rig and run over Wifi with a remote control program.

I used to run three Shuttles at the same time from a laptop.

/Jessun

[dannybgoode]

What are you looking to gain by moving from a laptop to a mini PC?  They are very handy things and as @Jessun says they are particularly useful for attaching to the mount itself.  I use an RPi for this reason and it is another building block to a fully portable system.  If I had an obsy though I would stick a great big (in terms of power if not size) workstation in there.

Note the one you have linked to looks underpowered and over priced also...

[paul mc c]

23 minutes ago, dannybgoode said:

Note the one you have linked to looks underpowered and over priced also.

Thats what i want to hear,just getting itchy fingers when know online and wanting to buy something lol.

[dannybgoode]

18 minutes ago, paul mc c said:

Thats what i want to hear,just getting itchy fingers when know online and wanting to buy something lol.

I know the feeling!  For £200 though there must be a dozen things at least that would be more useful in the obsy though!  I have quite an extensive list so if you want to buy me something instead... 🤣

[Jessun]

Are you already running a laptop remotely?

[Paul M]

I found it a bit tedious and risky keep taking my main laptop outside. So a while ago I invested in a generic mini PC of Oriental origins. It's not high spec but is now dual boot. It has Ubuntu on the original bootable drive and I then installed an additional SSD with W10. I currently use the W10 option with APT et al. I control it with RealVNC using an android tablet when I'm out with the scope and from indoors with my main lappy. I have an external USB SSD for storing image data on so I can plug that into my lappy for processing.

It's been a good move and works really well. 

[Skipper Billy]

I use an Intel NUC velcroed to a mounting plate fastened to the top dovetail.

Its an i5 with 16gb Ram - SSD - windows 10 - fanless and extra USB ports added by changing the lid. Works superbly and is more than powerful enough to run everything as well as run Pixinsight concurrently so I can download a stacked image etc

Very light and runs happily on 12v.

It is linked to the indoor PC via Windows RDP - again flawless. I have also used it via wifi (not so flawless!)

 

 

[old_eyes]

Hi,

 

I used one of these Minix boxes for a couple of years, fixed to the tripod or pier. I found a couple of problems that prompted me to switch:

I found they didn't like the cold very much. Particularly the micro-sd card slot for additional storage. The internal storage is severely limited and not upgradable, so I needed something extra. That meant a USB external drive for reliability, occupying one of my precious USB sockets.

I found that even though it had one USB3 socket, it struggled to work with my CMOS camera. Timing issues (or maybe power) meant that it would fail to download a sub frequently, sometimes hanging the computer. Basically, I could never get it to run reliably for my rig.

I also failed to get it to autoboot on power up, although the manufacturers swore it could do it.

I switched to a Lenovo Thinkcentre Tiny PC bought secondhand from here - https://www.tier1online.com/728-10aas3r500/refurbished-lenovo-thinkcentre-m93p-tiny-i5-4570t-2-90ghz. Ex corporate machnes in good nick at a good price. My last four computers and laptops have come from there.

It is much more a 'real' computer  in a very small box. I has provided all the compute power, sockets and storage I need. Has WIn 10 Pro so I can use the remote desktop, and in every way has worked perfectly for over a year. I have had many problems in that time, but never due to that tiny-PC.

@Skipper Billy's Intel NUC's are another solution. More expensive than the MInix, but more powerful and more reliable.

I am constantly amazed at what people can do with the Raspberry Pi, but it would have taken me quite some time to assemble it, get used to it and the new programmes. I am happy with my choice. 

Sits on the pier and runs off the same 12V supply as everything else.

[fozzybear]

On 09/03/2021 at 18:55, old_eyes said:

Hi,

 

I used one of these Minix boxes for a couple of years, fixed to the tripod or pier. I found a couple of problems that prompted me to switch:

I found they didn't like the cold very much. Particularly the micro-sd card slot for additional storage. The internal storage is severely limited and not upgradable, so I needed something extra. That meant a USB external drive for reliability, occupying one of my precious USB sockets.

I found that even though it had one USB3 socket, it struggled to work with my CMOS camera. Timing issues (or maybe power) meant that it would fail to download a sub frequently, sometimes hanging the computer. Basically, I could never get it to run reliably for my rig.

I also failed to get it to autoboot on power up, although the manufacturers swore it could do it.

I switched to a Lenovo Thinkcentre Tiny PC bought secondhand from here - https://www.tier1online.com/728-10aas3r500/refurbished-lenovo-thinkcentre-m93p-tiny-i5-4570t-2-90ghz. Ex corporate machnes in good nick at a good price. My last four computers and laptops have come from there.

It is much more a 'real' computer  in a very small box. I has provided all the compute power, sockets and storage I need. Has WIn 10 Pro so I can use the remote desktop, and in every way has worked perfectly for over a year. I have had many problems in that time, but never due to that tiny-PC.

@Skipper Billy's Intel NUC's are another solution. More expensive than the MInix, but more powerful and more reliable.

I am constantly amazed at what people can do with the Raspberry Pi, but it would have taken me quite some time to assemble it, get used to it and the new programmes. I am happy with my choice. 

Sits on the pier and runs off the same 12V supply as everything else.

I got one of these for christmas Lenova M93p with the Intel 6400 graphics awaiting the supplier to come back from christmas and mine haywire on the graphics after a windows update as the graphics flickering all over the place only result was to downgrade the graphics driver to basic windows one. it is a windows 10 Pro 64bit.

[adyj1]

For a mount control pc that sits in the obsy - but isn't going to be mounted on the OTA - I bought a "HP 260 G2 MINI PC i5-6200U 2.3Ghz, 8GB RAM W/PSU, NO HDD" from ebay for £63. I added a Kingston 240GB SSD from Amazon for £16.99, and it works a treat...