Building a Mini-ITX computer for onboard use.
 

The Problem:
When I went looking for a suitable computer for use on the yacht Delicate Balance in the Victoria to Maui race, I initially looked at using an off the shelf 12 volt PC, but a good one was hard to find, and many that were listed on the internet were obsolete technology and used Windows XP. I wanted an up to date system that would have a long lifespan, and I wanted it to run Windows 7.
 

My Solution:
I bought the parts, and put it together myself. The only tool used was a small Philips screw driver. The result is a fast booting, fanless, no moving parts system which runs on 9 to 32 volts DC, ideal for a boat or other vehicle. We decided to mount it in a dry place inside the boat and use a remote touch screen in the cockpit. So, it isn't waterproof, but the case is aluminum and I will spray the innards with an anti-corrosion coating of some sort.
 

The Parts:
Here is the list of parts I bought:

Case: MINI-BOX M350 Universal MINI-ITX Computer Case Black


 

Motherboard: Intel D410PT MINI-ITX Intel Atom D410

Memory: CORSAIR 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 667  Desktop Model VS2GB667D2
(be sure you get DDR2 desktop memory, not laptop memory which will not fit!)

Hard Drive: Patriot PS32GS25SSDR PS-100 32GB 2.5IN SATA2 Solid State Disk (this is a solid state, no moving parts drive, low power consumption, silent and tough)

Power supply: PicoPSU-80-WI-32V this is a silent fanless supply which runs on 9 to 32V (be sure and get this particular model, others require a regulated 12 volts, which you won't have available in a boat!)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 32BIT DVD OEM (Windows 7: Starter Edition would work, and is cheaper, but I couldn't find it for sale)

Building the system:
With all the parts laid out it:

Step 1 Install the memory in the mother board slot. There are two slots, use the one nearest the edge of the board.

Step 2 Open up the case (one screw at the back, then slide the top off).

Step 3 Remove the hard drive mountin bracket (2 screws)

Step 4 install the motherboard in the case. 4 screws, include with the case.  Connect the power switch from the front panel.

Step 5 install the hard drive in the mounting bracket. There are extra holes in the bracket and it took a bit of trial and error to figure out which ones line up. No instructions were provided for this.

Step 6 install the power supply. It just plugs into the connector on the mother board, then the power plug (a small laptop type) fits in a hole at the extreme right of the case (looking from the rear).

Step 7 Mount the hard drive and connect the cables. One is the red SATA cable which goes to a plug on the motherboard and one on the drive. The connectors only fit one way so it is hard to get this wrong. The other is the power cable, which is already attached to the power supply. There are some unused power connectors. Tie them aside for tidiness.

Testing:
It should all be ready to go. My power supply came with an AC adapter which I plugged in. An LED lit up on the motherboard indicating powere was there. I pressed the power button on the front panel and a blue light came on. I shut it off and then got ready to install the software.

We will be using a touchscreen so no keyboard and mouse, but the screen wasn't here yet so I borrowed a monitor, keyboard, and mouse from another computer and connected them to the back panel.

 

Installing Windows 7
Now the tricky bit--installing the operating system and other software on a machine with no CD/DVD drive. The operating system came on a DVD drive. A google search turned up instructions, and a Microsoft provided tool to make a bootable USB stick to install the software. I did this on my desktop computer. The tool is available here.

Instructions for use here.

I followed the instructions and it worked fine.
 
Then I had to make the BIOS on the computer setup to boot from the USB. To access the BIOS on most computers you press F2 during bootup. This doesn't work on this mother board. You switch off the computer, disconnect the power and move a small jumper on the motherboard, hook up power and restart the computer. Locate the boot settings and set them for USB devices first. Exit and save.

The Intel Motherboard came with a very clear layout drawing showing the location of all the connectors and jumpers.
 
Power off and move the jumper back to its original location, then put the Windows 7 USB stick in one of the USB connectors and restart. It should automatically take you into the standard Windows 7 setup. Once Win 7 is installed and working, you need to go through the bios setup again to set boot order to hard drive first.
 
I recommend connecting the computer to the internet (there is an RJ-45 Ethernet jack on the back panel) to get the latest updates. Intel provided a driver disk with the motherboard but it wasn't needed, Windows 7 had all the drivers.
 
While connected to the Internet I downloaded the latest version of Avia Server and Avia Sail from www.aviadesign.com/NMEA2000 and installed them. I hooked up the computer to our NMEA 2000 test network via the Actisense NGT-1 and tried it out. It works perfectly, and is not noticeably slower than my Quad Core desktop machine when running boating applications. I also installed Coastal Explorer and VSPE to allow sharing the GPS data. You now can install your other software from  USB stick.
 

Buy one ready to go?
Does this sound like a lot of work? There are quite a lot of steps involved, but none are very difficult for a handy person. The only tool used was a small Philips screw driver. If you prefer we will build and test one for you for $995 US or Canadian, plus shipping. The parts alone will be in the neighborhood of $600. Email sales@aviadesign for a detailed quote.