Vehicular LCD for Server Monitoring 122
Pete writes "The guys over at Extreme Overclocking have show how to put a car LCD inside a computer. The article shows how to install VNC remote computing software onto the server, how to manage the server from another computer, and how to use the color LCD to manage the server locally. They also included a video at the end which shows the setup process, and the LCD in action."
What is the point? (Score:5, Interesting)
Yeah, $60 for a 15" CRT vs $130 for 12" LCD screen.
That statement certainly makes sense.
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
As with 95% of all machine hacks, cute, but ultimately pointless.
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
Really? Less power? (Score:3, Interesting)
That's "The OFF button". It switches the monitor off and on. Revolutionary, I know, but it's been a standard feature of monitors for ooooh, a little while now.
Re:Really? Less power? (Score:1)
~Jon~
Re:Really? Less power? (Score:2)
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
I got the feeling that real-world practicality wasn't much of a concern. This is nothing more than "We did it because we could, and we had money to burn."
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
In another article, a similar type of 5 inch LCD screen was fitted on the side of the desktop after cutting a hole there.[Mikhailtech [mikhailtech.com]].
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
Re:What is the point? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
Why use a KVM switch and cables at all? I assume that these machines are on a network so just put a VNC client, keyboard, monitor and all on one of them (or any conv
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
Newer versions are available here [realvnc.com] (for Win32, Linux, and Solaris, anyway...a version for Mac OS (classic, either 68K or PowerPC) is at the site you mentioned, and you can google for VNC ports to other OSen, such as Palm OS).
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
VNC is nice, yes-- I use it myself-- but it's not perfect. In the end, the LCD might prove to be a lifesaver in a very small package.
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
Actually Been Done Before (Score:2, Interesting)
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,56086,00.h
Using a G4 and more effective use of Screen I believe as a status screen
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
anyone serious about being headless and saving space would get a rack and use 1u/2u servers.
also voids the warranty. kind of pointless to do all this besides just being a case mod (which we all know case mods aren't pointless.......uhh......)
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
I have a cluster and I am too lazy to set up a kvm on it (right now a monitor and keyboard just gets plugged into the newest node when I set it up, and then I never use it after that).
*although I should note that if you don't have fixed IPs setup on those nodes, if they reboot or change their IP via dhcp, it gets annoying to track them down again if you want to connect to them. That should be an obvious point, but I'm retarded -
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
I have an All-In-Wonder Radeon at home. I can leave the monitor off, switch on the VCR and TV on the compo
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
It will be kind of like those PSX systems with the screen. Except it will also be a portable Tivo, DVD player, MP3 player, emulator machine...
I have all the bits except the motherboard and screen. The prices on both of those continue to drop, so I can't decide when to order.
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
Re:What is the point? (Score:2)
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
because we can. (Score:2)
Re:What is the point? (Score:1)
For admin purposes, my preferences tend towards KVMs, ssh, or a remote X application. The only real utility (as I see it) is if the computer is an appliance: Media
looks like an osborne (Score:2)
Re:looks like an osborne (Score:1)
Of weather and viewing angle.. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Of weather and viewing angle.. (Score:2)
As you generally don't have control of where you park or of who breaks your windows out, you should make the screen removable.
The situation is similart for a PC. If you follow advice from Extreem Overclocking, you know the inside of your PC will surpass 104F and Windows might break it.
Re:Of weather and viewing angle.. (Score:2)
"That's Homer J. Simpson, chief. You're reading it upside down."
"Err.. Cancel that A.P.B. But, err, bring back some of them gyro's."
"Eh, chief.. You're talking into your wallet!"
--The Simpsons
Video footage? (Score:2)
Smaller Form Factor Needed (Score:1)
Better yet, when I can do this with my Captain Midnight Decoder Ring, then I will be even more ready to buy.
Reality comes from above: God is calling, there's no bigger love.
Re:Smaller Form Factor Needed (Score:2)
Nice 'proof of concept' BUT (Score:4, Insightful)
- only works if you have some sort of ATX type case
- with any sort of non-gui mgmt tools, this becomes irrelavent
that said, it's a neat idea for a web page article, but this would never fly for the typical mgmt of servers that i've seen. and, i prefer non-gui tools because gui tools tend to slow and a pain in the ass to deal with.
well of course. (Score:3, Interesting)
The only useful thing in the article was that you can get a 5" screen from an auto parts dealer. Rigged to a normal VGA connector and put into a reasonable case with some batteries, this could replace the cart mounted CRT that is useful for diagnosing the box that won't respond remotely. Imagine one affixed to a light weight keyboard. Whe
Re:Nice 'proof of concept' BUT (Score:1)
Re:Nice 'proof of concept' BUT (Score:2)
Re:Nice 'proof of concept' BUT (Score:1)
nack. man bios.
Alech, who just dragged his 17" to the server just to install an ISDN card.
Console Server? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Console Server? (Score:1)
But with Linux servers I tend to find the "install, configure, setup and leave and use ssh occasionaly to check" approach works fine
Re:Console Server? (Score:1)
Server (Score:2)
For servers? (Score:4, Insightful)
If you are running a server and do not want to waste money on buying a monitor that you will only use probably once a week then you will definitely see the value here. If it's coolness factor you're looking for, then by all means go ahead and install the 5-inch LCD. But if it's "value" that you're looking for, as the article suggests, there are cheaper ways of doing it.
Headless comes to mind, of course. Nearly all new server hardware supports keyboardless/displayless operation. Or you can do "nearly headless" -- do a serial console. Again, nearly all new server hardware supports running the BIOS/POST to a serial port, and Linux supports a serial console [accesscom.com] with no trouble at all.
Of course, if you're running a Windows server, then you'd better just pony up the $100-300 for a real monitor (or in a large multi-server environment, a big KVM switch) because you're going to be spending a lot of time sitting at the console fixing broken Microsoft crap.
And before you mod me down as a zealot, please know that this is based on my experience at a mid-size managed hosting facility. Our sysadmins are constantly babysitting the Windows boxen, so we have to dedicate expensive KVM ports to each one. Linux just runs and runs without ever having a problem that requires console access, so we go serial, and we hook them up with really inexpensive used terminal servers.
Re:For servers? (Score:2, Interesting)
Jumpers and tanktops (Score:4, Funny)
The air conditioning in the machine rooms is brutal.
Re:For servers? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:For servers? (Score:1)
It will make Wardriving a breeze. (Score:2)
When in Japan... (Score:3, Informative)
Basically it was a 800x600 LCD that slotted into a 5.25" bay.
How it connected to the PC I dont know, but I expect some kind of loop-back cable.
This is old news....
LAN party? (Score:5, Interesting)
But the screen is a bit small for my taste. How about recycling an old laptops TFT screen? I have a defunct laptop with a perfectly good working TFT screen. I'd love to stick its display to the case with doublesided tape. But I have no idea how to wire it, or what kind of video card I could use for this. Any comments/links on that?
Picture frame (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Picture frame (Score:1)
Old PowerBook + Hot Glue = Cheap Digital Picture Frame [applefritter.com]
Re:LAN party? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:LAN party? (Score:1)
How about if the old Laptop TFT screen gets built into the side of the PC case? Like those glass windows everyone bores out of the case.
Of course, then, ultimately, you'll end up with something like this...
Model III [oldcomputers.net]
- or -
Sony's new all-in-one [sonystyle.com]
- or -
Datapoint 2200 [old-computers.com]
- and an Osborne computer mentioned elsewhere in the thread -
Osborne executive 3 [old-computers.com]
I will have to say, though, one of the prettiest cases I've ever seen was this one... it'd make a pretty cool Linux box today (with some hardware modification
Re:LAN party? (Score:1)
Long answer: you can buy a decent GeForce or Radeon plus a 15" TFT monitor for less than a video card capable of directly driving a bare LCD (well, I have seen some 512k greyscale ISA boards for under $100). Additionally, there's the cost of custom cabling, powering the inverter for the screen's backlight, etc. And even with expenses so high, you're probably not going to end up with a graphics system suitable for gaming anyway.
Re:LAN party? (Score:1)
You could take apart a standard 15" lcd display and mount it inside a lot of towers, making it viewable via a window.
I still see many power supplies that allow you to plug a normal AC plug into it, where you could simply plug in your LCD's powersupply.
This would be very simple and not require extensive knowledge of voltage, etc.
Tight VNC (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Tight VNC (Score:1)
Not so extremely website... (Score:1)
1024x768? (Score:1)
.:diatonic:.
Re:1024x768? (Score:2)
Bizarre (Score:2)
They will be pedestrians. (Score:1)
Because when that car computer crashes, they have to walk to the nearest phone and call customer support. (Because the cell phone was integrated in the car. D'oh!)
Let's hope it doesn't become a common event.
I was going to do this last year... (Score:3, Funny)
Once the price of cars drops, though, I'm sure we'll see a lot more of this kind of thing...
Re:I was going to do this last year... (Score:2)
I must've got ripped off though, my 2001 corolla still doesn't drive 7680mph yet.
What a pile of shit (Score:2)
Ok, this guy has stuck a 5" LCD in his ATX case, connected it up to the composite video out, used VNC, and claimed all this amazing stuff.
Ok, this screen will be of little use except to vaguelly see what is going on, watching films, visualisations from winamp, etc. It's hardly a monitor replacement.
So he uses a bit of rolled over ribbon cable, some duct tape, and a tube for the surround... that smells to me of someone who couldn't really be bothered so hacked apart the nearest things to make it. Why not d
Re:What a pile of shit (Score:2)
Agreed
This is the worst casemod article I have ever seen. I'm not trying to troll here, but c'mon. The screen is tiny, and to make matters worse, it isn't even VGA. Good luck trying to actually admin a server(windows or linux) with that thing. And then, at the end of the review they tack on a guide to installing VNC. Now, granted, VNC is a great tool, but it has absolutely nothing to do with this screen, though, the only way to admin a box with this screen would be through vnc so I guess there's a link t
Re:What a pile of shit (Score:1)
For home AV units? (Score:1)
Re:Bad idea (Score:3, Insightful)
Does anybody really want to be this tied down? (Score:1, Offtopic)
1) "Oh geez, spongebob1's not responding"...continues to stare at screen waiting for spongebob1's return...doesn't pay attention to sharp curve in the road...WHAM!!! Game over.
2) After going out to a fancy dinner with a nice attractive young lady, you're driving to the mo
Re:Does anybody really want to be this tied down? (Score:1)
By "car LCD" they mean a 5" LCD screen -- mounted inside the computer...not something actually in your car.
Parts Info (Score:2, Informative)
One word: (Score:1)
VNC - security issue (Score:1)
Re:VNC - security issue (Score:2)
Or for the Windows haters, IIS
Re:VNC - security issue (Score:2)
IIS is not for remote management. Remote Desktop (a.k.a. Terminal Server) is the remote management tool equivalent to VNC. In my opinion, it is far better than most remote management tools in the speed/usability category.
Composite Out Useful? (Score:2)
What I'd like to do is somehow send the native resolution of the TV. Is this possible? Especially with a little LCD TV screen. I mean, what a waste, having an LCD where the image is unreadable.
Re:Composite Out Useful? (Score:2)
Computer with horn: Ellen Feiss deaf? (Score:3, Insightful)
But they neglect to tell us if this mod is for diesel or gas powered computers.
Seriously though:
Since cars typically use the car body as the return from the positive terminal (i.e. the car body is connected to negative), the fastenings for a car part could be designed to connect to the negative terminal. (A few cars are made the other way around. Look out.)
A computer case is supposed to be connected to ground. So although connecting turn signals, cigarette lighters and horns (Ellen Feiss would go deaf) to your computer might sound tempting, you'd better check out how the car and the part is coupled.
In other words: Tell Chewie to isolate the reverse power couplings.
Re:Computer with horn: Ellen Feiss deaf? (Score:2)
You can get a 5" LCD even cheaper... (Score:1)
And you know it's not a joke when he says... (Score:1)
Not new and others have done it better... (Score:2, Interesting)
And here's a sweet mod [l33tpeeps.com] that uses the exact same 5" LCD screen and puts it in a Lian-Li case.
Pretty cool lookin case mod and useful if you don't have space for full dual-monitors but also want to have winamp/instant messenger/MB Monitor/etc... running and visible but not necessarily on your main monitor.
The only way I could see this as usable for a server though is if you only have a one or two. After that it gets pretty expensive.
You can buy these off the self (Score:1)
Lots of pics of this "concept" (Score:1)
A motorized 5" screen [bit-tech.net]
Here is one that is used just for monitoring resources like proc and temp: -HERE- [uniquehardware.ca]
Some of these are pretty cool. I am actualy considering trying a 5" screen to run a visual of MP3 player.
Re:OT: Pictures, Bush doesn't want you to see (Score:1)
Re:OT: Pictures, Bush doesn't want you to see (Score:1, Offtopic)