Smallest possible PC

gropingmantis · 4 Dec 2011 at 12:26

Looking for a tiny tiny PC for a project I am working on.

It only needs to run linux and has to have a USB port and RJ45 ethernet port and some sort of video output.

Now ITX is nice and all but even a tiny ITX PC is hardly pocket sized. Raspberry Pi looks nice but could be a way off yet. FitPC is a bit big but the FitPC3 is pretty damn good considering it's size. Picotux looks crazy small but very underpowered when compared to an equally sized Raspberry Pi. Space Cube looks great and would be exactly what I am looking for...if it was a touch more powerful, more RAM etc although using CF cards instead of HDDs is an inspired idea.

How possible would it be to build something like this myself? Is getting hold of chips difficult? I have access to proper kit for making double sided PCB and SMD soldering but I bet the circuit design is a bugger.

Anyone got any ideas?

Montala · 4 Dec 2011 at 12:31

I assume you would be happy with an external power supply... or do you want it all to be 'internal'?

gropingmantis · 4 Dec 2011 at 12:33

Montala said:
I assume you would be happy with an external power supply... or do you want it all to be 'internal'?

Yeah using a power brick is ok. Internal would be better, battery would be best but external is acceptable.

Nanobot · 8 Dec 2011 at 21:49

I remember looking for something like this early in theyear and the closest I got was the ARTiGO.

I never got round to ordering due to not working anymore but I still consider it from time to time just as a hobby / something to build!

m3csl2004 · 8 Dec 2011 at 21:57

Could not be done with embedded stuff? ARM?

gropingmantis · 8 Dec 2011 at 22:45

m3csl2004 said:
Could not be done with embedded stuff? ARM?

Yeah thats what Raspberry pi is going for but it wont be an actually usable PC more a tool to teach kids simple low level programming and picotux uses an ARM processor but it is so low powered it would be useless for actual PC usage.