Panel PC Recommendations?

This might be a little off-topic, since I'm asking for hardware recommendations. I apologize if this annoys anybody.

I'm looking for an attractive, inexpensive, Linux-friendly wall-mount touchscreen panel PC with a 10/100 Ethernet (or 802.11 wireless) interface. It only needs enough CPU horsepower, RAM, and storage to run an X server, because it's just acting as a remote interface to another PC on the network. The touchscreen should be color, and the size should be between 6" and 10" diagonal, with a resolution of at least 320x240 (640x480 would be better). Fanless would be best. And as mentioned, it must be attractive! A nice aluminum or stainless steel bezel would be excellent, though a well-done plastic bezel would be OK. Preferrably, all the connections (power and network) would be in the back, so that the cables can run through the wall with no cords showing. It should either be very thin, or else be able to be recessed into the wall. A power-saving mode with very rapid wake-up would be a nice bonus.

Price, unfortunately, is a factor. I've seen several such panels in the $1400+ range, but it seems to me that the technology ought to be cheap enough now to get something for under $1k, but maybe it's a matter of low manufacturing volumes because of low demand that leads to higher prices. If I must spend more, I will, but I'd still like to know which panels have rock-solid Linux support. I'm happy to run any flavor/distribution of Linux, or even other unix-like systems, and while I've never worked with an embedded Linux distribution, I've had lots of experience with full-scale distros, know how to compile my own kernel, etc. I could probably even roll my own mini-distro if I had to. (I would rather NOT use some quirky, semi-proprietary variant of Linux supported only by the hardware vendor -- something widely used and community-supported would be best.)

TIA for any advice!

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Randall
Reply to
Randall Nortman
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well, a panel pc is a little out of the way, but not by a lot, since it's usually an industrial board behind an lcd.

seems what you'd do well with, since cost is a big factor, is an epia board, m-atx power supply, an industrial frameless colour lcd panel, and a brushed aluminum picture frame from the dollar store, the on board video could easily handle an x server, at 1024x768x24 3d with ease, even the cheapest models. frame~1$ epia board~50$ for an older model, even fanless. power supply~25$, unless you wanted a hefty ruggedised model that could even stand occasional immersion in lava. mini-box.com sells some real nifty dc/dc adapters for epia boards that will allow them to run from battery power, also flash-ide adapters for a no moving part setup, no moving parts=lower power use, less heat. screen, colour, 640x480x8.4", w/ touch panel, industrial frameless~500$, mouser has some nice ones, integrated touch screen, ain't gonna find an industrial screen cheap anywhere, but you could use a gray scale if you wanted to go even cheaper, like, less than 100$. hard disk~whatever price you want, but there's some rather cheap 20 gig laptop drives floating around. i quoth US dollar cause i have no idea where you are, and there's some better prices than canada, curently, or i'd quote canadian to really throw you off.

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Reply to
jim dorey

On 2005-02-23, jim dorey wrote: [...]

[...]

This is an interesting approach, and I certainly should have thought of it myself. But I can do one better -- why bother with an expensive industrial open-frame panel? There are now very cheap (

Reply to
Randall Nortman

If you can find someone to make a case. Then have a look at

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This just need 5 volt dc powersupply, a harddisk and a case The price is for the 6,4" is belov 900$ A harddisk 2.5" belov 100 $ Powersupply 50 $

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/ Peter Andersen
/ Skanderborg
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Reply to
Peter Andersen

I use the FRED from

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They sell also a version for wall mounting. It has 800 x 600 Pixels and

8 inch. They have also a pricelist on the net (in EUR).

Greetings

Ernst

Reply to
Ernst Murnleitner

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