What is your favorite board for a micro system?

Erik Nørgaard

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Mar 8, 2013, 6:53:27 PM3/8/13

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Hi!

What is your favorite mini/micro/nano/pico-itx platform for home projects?

I currently run a home server on an Intel mini-itx board but was looking
around for something fun to play with with the following specs:

- mini-itx or smaller, low profile
- fanless
- low power 12V external PSU
- 1 LAN, preferably 2
- 2 USB2/3
- Flash bootable, but with option for hdd boot
- GPIO would be fun
- hdmi out would be nice

I have tried VIA boards but found they were flacky...

Any suggestion regarding ARM vs Intel based?

Thanks, Erik

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Zane C. B-H.

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Mar 8, 2013, 10:23:08 PM3/8/13

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On Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:53:27 +0100
Erik Nørgaard <norg...@locolomo.org> wrote:

> Hi!
>
> What is your favorite mini/micro/nano/pico-itx platform for home
> projects?
>
> I currently run a home server on an Intel mini-itx board but was
> looking around for something fun to play with with the following
> specs:
>
> - mini-itx or smaller, low profile
> - fanless
> - low power 12V external PSU
> - 1 LAN, preferably 2
> - 2 USB2/3
> - Flash bootable, but with option for hdd boot
> - GPIO would be fun
> - hdmi out would be nice
>
> I have tried VIA boards but found they were flacky...
>
> Any suggestion regarding ARM vs Intel based?

Can't think of any off hand in that small of form factor, but I
strongly suggest looking to see what you can find running an Intel
Atom. I've been very happy with those and their related chipsets so
far for microATX boards.

signature.asc

Doug Hardie

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Mar 8, 2013, 11:43:38 PM3/8/13

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On 8 March 2013, at 15:53, Erik Nørgaard <norg...@locolomo.org> wrote:

> Hi!
>
> What is your favorite mini/micro/nano/pico-itx platform for home projects?
>
> I currently run a home server on an Intel mini-itx board but was looking around for something fun to play with with the following specs:
>
> - mini-itx or smaller, low profile
> - fanless
> - low power 12V external PSU
> - 1 LAN, preferably 2
> - 2 USB2/3
> - Flash bootable, but with option for hdd boot
> - GPIO would be fun
> - hdmi out would be nice
>
> I have tried VIA boards but found they were flacky...
>
> Any suggestion regarding ARM vs Intel based?

Look at the Mac Mini. Only has one LAN though. It does have a fan but I have never had it come on. Runs 9.1 (amd or i386) although booting is currently a challenge. I am working on that. It does require 120 VAC though.

Martin Alejandro Paredes Sanchez

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Mar 9, 2013, 12:36:57 AM3/9/13

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On Friday 08 March 2013 16:53:27 Erik Nørgaard wrote:
> Hi!
>
> What is your favorite mini/micro/nano/pico-itx platform for home projects?
>
> I currently run a home server on an Intel mini-itx board but was looking
> around for something fun to play with with the following specs:
>
> - mini-itx or smaller, low profile
> - fanless
> - low power 12V external PSU
> - 1 LAN, preferably 2
> - 2 USB2/3
> - Flash bootable, but with option for hdd boot
> - GPIO would be fun
> - hdmi out would be nice
>
> I have tried VIA boards but found they were flacky...
>
> Any suggestion regarding ARM vs Intel based?
>
> Thanks, Erik

http://www.pandaboard.org/

http://beagleboard.org/

Warren Block

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Mar 9, 2013, 1:19:23 AM3/9/13

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An interesting mini-ITX board was brought up in the forums recently:
https://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=38255

Four Ethernet ports! It does have a fan, though.

Eduardo Morras

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Mar 9, 2013, 6:24:25 AM3/9/13

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On Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:53:27 +0100
Erik Nørgaard <norg...@locolomo.org> wrote:

> Hi!
>
> What is your favorite mini/micro/nano/pico-itx platform for home projects?
>
> I currently run a home server on an Intel mini-itx board but was looking
> around for something fun to play with with the following specs:
>
> - mini-itx or smaller, low profile
> - fanless
> - low power 12V external PSU
> - 1 LAN, preferably 2
> - 2 USB2/3
> - Flash bootable, but with option for hdd boot
> - GPIO would be fun
> - hdmi out would be nice
>
> I have tried VIA boards but found they were flacky...
>
> Any suggestion regarding ARM vs Intel based?
>

I'm playing now with GK802, an arm based one. Freebsd don't run on it :( and LAN is wifi b/g/n + bluetooth

https://www.miniand.com/products/GK802%20Android%20Mini%20PC

The advantage over similar ones is that internal flash memory is a micro sd card, so you can build your os on other machine "plug it in"

> Thanks, Erik
>
> --
> M: +34 666 334 818
> T: +34 915 211 157
> _______________________________________________
> freebsd-...@freebsd.org mailing list
> http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions
> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questi...@freebsd.org"

--- ---
Eduardo Morras <emor...@yahoo.es>

Arthur Chance

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Mar 9, 2013, 9:50:27 AM3/9/13

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On 03/08/13 23:53, Erik Nørgaard wrote:
> Hi!
>
> What is your favorite mini/micro/nano/pico-itx platform for home projects?
>
> I currently run a home server on an Intel mini-itx board but was looking
> around for something fun to play with with the following specs:
>
> - mini-itx or smaller, low profile
> - fanless
> - low power 12V external PSU
> - 1 LAN, preferably 2
> - 2 USB2/3
> - Flash bootable, but with option for hdd boot
> - GPIO would be fun
> - hdmi out would be nice
>
> I have tried VIA boards but found they were flacky...
>
> Any suggestion regarding ARM vs Intel based?

Depending exactly how small you want it, how about a Raspberry Pi Model
B? Dirt cheap, 1 LAN, but you can add others via USB if you want
(although it will never be high performance), 2 USB, HDMI output, GPIO,
boot from SD card. Even runs FreeBSD (although still being developed).

Jason Fortezzo

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Mar 11, 2013, 7:07:46 PM3/11/13

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On Sat, Mar 09, 2013 at 12:53:27AM +0100, Erik N?rgaard wrote:
> What is your favorite mini/micro/nano/pico-itx platform for home projects?
>
> I currently run a home server on an Intel mini-itx board but was
> looking around for something fun to play with with the following
> specs:
>
> - mini-itx or smaller, low profile
> - fanless
> - low power 12V external PSU
> - 1 LAN, preferably 2
> - 2 USB2/3
> - Flash bootable, but with option for hdd boot
> - GPIO would be fun
> - hdmi out would be nice

I'm using the Intel DQ77KB Thin Mini ITX board and it almost meets all of your
criteria. The heatsink has a fan but it is silent (even after 12 hours
of Prime95). This board has AMT so when used with a vPro capable CPU
(I'm using an i7-3770S), you get all sorts of nifty OOB features.

I'm using ESXi 5.1 right now but I'm pretty sure it would boot FreeBSD
fine.

--
Jason Fortezzo
fort...@mechanicalism.net