adlyons
EF2
Technology is in a constant state of change. Every year, I see new gadgets being used in the field. But at the same time, I see some of the old reliable work horses still chugging away. The old methods have their problems, but work well enough that we keep them around. I'm a huge tech nerd and one of my passions is finding new obscure technology and figuring out ways in which these devices can be used for storm chasing. Recently I learned the hard way that lugging around big powerful laptops along with all my other gear on chases can be messy. I dropped and broke my machine while getting out of the car. Frustrated, I figured there had to be a better solution than the old bulky laptop mounts and big laptops of 2010. One of my recent discoveries is the existence of HDMI stick PCs. http://liliputing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/t21_01.jpg. These marvels of modern computer engineering are in essence, miniature computers the size of a flash drive built with mobile phone processors and SOCs. (Systems on a chip). They plug into the HDMI port of a monitor and turn it into a device capable of using the Android operating system. If your monitor happens to be a touch screen, even better. You now have a fully functional android tablet for cheap. Combine that with apps such as Pykle3 radar or Radar Scope and you have a perfect solution for a vehicle mounted PC. They are cheap, powerful and dont require the juice that conventional laptops need. Stowe it under your dash and your car is good to go for chases in a matter of seconds. If you dont like any of the android solutions, or are wanting something more powerful the technology is in it's infancy and companies are already starting to come up with better designs.
Recently, there has even been talk by Intel of releasing ARM X64 based processors capable of running Windows. The Baytrail CPUs power many of the Windows tablets and phones and are capable of running FULL Windows 8.1. Thats right 100% Windows the exact same Windows that runs on your desktop or laptop at home. The first such item I know about was released at the end of 2014. The Mee go Pad T01 http://maketheone.com/product/meegopad-t01/. This device sports a quad core Intel Atom Z3735F SOC. This includes quad cores clocked at 1.33ghz with over clock burst to 1.83 ghz, 2GB of DDR3 1333 mhz RAM, built in Gen 7 Intel HD graphics, 32Gbs of storage, built in WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth, two USB 3.0, SD slots for expansion up to 64gbs, and native touchscreen support with Windows 8.1. The best part, the systems is available for $130. For about half of even the lowest end descent tablet, you can build your own car pc fully capable of running desktop apps such as GR level 3, Streets and trips, and spotter network. I believe these devices could be a great cheap, and powerful dedicated cap pc. With the proper mounting, you may never have to take your laptop along again.
In the spirit of innovation and being bored in the off season, Ive decided to kill my laptop and replace it with one of these systems by mounting it in my jeep. Ill be detailing the build in future updates probably here on storm track. I will list the parts I used, problems Ive run into and my general thoughts on the system so that If you are feeling adventurous you can make your own. I would love to hear any feedback or additional Ideas on the topics Ive discussed.
Recently, there has even been talk by Intel of releasing ARM X64 based processors capable of running Windows. The Baytrail CPUs power many of the Windows tablets and phones and are capable of running FULL Windows 8.1. Thats right 100% Windows the exact same Windows that runs on your desktop or laptop at home. The first such item I know about was released at the end of 2014. The Mee go Pad T01 http://maketheone.com/product/meegopad-t01/. This device sports a quad core Intel Atom Z3735F SOC. This includes quad cores clocked at 1.33ghz with over clock burst to 1.83 ghz, 2GB of DDR3 1333 mhz RAM, built in Gen 7 Intel HD graphics, 32Gbs of storage, built in WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth, two USB 3.0, SD slots for expansion up to 64gbs, and native touchscreen support with Windows 8.1. The best part, the systems is available for $130. For about half of even the lowest end descent tablet, you can build your own car pc fully capable of running desktop apps such as GR level 3, Streets and trips, and spotter network. I believe these devices could be a great cheap, and powerful dedicated cap pc. With the proper mounting, you may never have to take your laptop along again.
In the spirit of innovation and being bored in the off season, Ive decided to kill my laptop and replace it with one of these systems by mounting it in my jeep. Ill be detailing the build in future updates probably here on storm track. I will list the parts I used, problems Ive run into and my general thoughts on the system so that If you are feeling adventurous you can make your own. I would love to hear any feedback or additional Ideas on the topics Ive discussed.
