Reccomendation for a small headless computer

[josborne]

I am building a small data acquisition system.  It will gather RS232 signals from a medical device, and then insert this data into a remote database. 

I was just wondering if my fellow wireworkers could reccomend a small solid-state headless computer that I could use for this puporse.  General requirements are:

- Small form factor

- Headless (no monitor)

- Quiet (no fan?)

- Solid-state, if possible (no moving parts)

- Network capable

- Preferrably with a built-in serial port ... if not, maybe an ExpressCard slot so I can add one.

- Not sure about the CPU and RAM.  But maybe something that on par with an i3 processor?

- I am flexible on the OS, and would be happy to hear some advice.  Probably leaning towards Win7, and then converting to Linux if it proves unstable.

[Cory_K]

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@josborne wrote:

I am building a small data acquisition system.  It will gather RS232 signals from a medical device, and then insert this data into a remote database. 

I was just wondering if my fellow wireworkers could reccomend a small solid-state headless computer that I could use for this puporse.  General requirements are:

- Small form factor

- Headless (no monitor)

- Quiet (no fan?)

- Solid-state, if possible (no moving parts)

- Network capable

- Preferrably with a built-in serial port ... if not, maybe an ExpressCard slot so I can add one.

- Not sure about the CPU and RAM.  But maybe something that on par with an i3 processor?

- I am flexible on the OS, and would be happy to hear some advice.  Probably leaning towards Win7, and then converting to Linux if it proves unstable.

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Just out of curiosity, does the computer have to have an RS-232 serial port?
You could just use USB if you are interested in doing serial communication, then you will have a much larger selection of computers.

[josborne]

It doesn't necessarily need a serial port. I have had some bad luck using USB-to-serial converters, so I would prefer a built-in port or an ExpressCard port. But USB options are good to have, too. Any suggestions?

[tbd]

Hi Josborne,

      I have used two devices that may be good candidates for your app, though, I never had a test-application that required one.

      There are many wireless routers (small, cheap, network capable, no fan/moving-parts) which can be flashed with Linux.  I believe they all expose one or more serial ports on the edge of circuit-board, but you could confirm this for a specific model before purchase.  Non-volitle memory may be an issue, though some of these routers have USB ports which might satisfy memory requirements.  If you're interested, try Googling "open-wrt" and "dd-wrt" among many other Linux versions which target these devices.

Another option might be a tiny PC like the Lenovo IdeaCenter Q150.  This is a full-fledged PC (purchased mine with Win 7) and could be run "headless".  It has a variable-speed fan that is very quiet.  There's no DB9 serial port, but  a USB to RS232 adapter ought to work for you (looks just like a COM port on the application-side.)

Please post back with other options you may discover - sounds like a fun app!

Cheers. 

[Coq_Rouge]

Why not use RS232 to ethernet converter box. Just Google "RS232 ethernet" and you will for sure find a lot of units they are quite cheap. But remeber since this is used in a medical setting. You must take care of safety. Like using medical grade power supply for the unit. Do not do anything before you get a go from the hospital technical department. Or else you may find that you have wasted money on something that can not be used in medical setting. But you can of course do some testing not using real patients.