Unusual question

[LMC]

I have been on this forum seeking information for a home build but circumstances have changed leading to this question. I am a truck driver and I wonder if a PC, a tower or mini- ATX could be used in the sleeper of a truck. Such a truck has both air ride suspension and air ride cab so that it rides much like a car. I can power this machine by a converter and use a UPS. I believe the system would be all right with the possible exception of the HD. So, place the machine on an air cushion with others on the sides? Use an external HD? This PC would only be used when the vehicle is stopped. Also, is it possible to attach a cell phone and dial up my ISP so as to access the internet and receive email? Or some other method? I realize a laptop is preferred for this type of use but they are expensive for the same performance and not upgradable. And I don't need it to be truly mobile. I appreciate your advice.

[avx]

Hello LMC,
To answer your first question, Yes. Any computer, as long as you have the room for it, can go into a truck. Micro-ATX is an option, but I dont know if your like me, and have pretty big hands, and during the ride if a component happens to fall out, you might have to pop your case open and place it back on the mobo, which can be a bit of a pain in the butt with a micro ATX, with all the wires and hardware being right on top of each other.

Your HDD should be no problem, I would just get a standard ATX case and place it in the drive rails, the HDD is usually secured with 2 or 4 screws, and they hold it in place. The same also goes for your PCI cards which attach to your motherboard and screw into place in the back, for a secure hold. What I might do if I was in your position is get a standard ATX tower, but instead of standing it straight up, maybe lay it on its side, for a broader, more stable base, with maybe a small cusion underneath it. Your a truck driver so I assume you are also a very good driver, and wont be doing much bumpy riding, especially with the air suspension. I dont even think air cusions would be necessary for the case...I would use a pillow and some rope, but that is of course up to you. I would definetly put a lot of thought into securring the monitor though, the last thing you would want is for it to fall off the desk or anything. As for the cell phone internet...I cant help you there, but what I can tell you is, you might want to be sure and get a mother board with blue tooth technology. You can access wireless networks and pick up signals in the area to go online. Hopefully another member will respond with more info on your internet access question and elaborate on blue tooth for you, because I havnt really been keeping up with it that much, and I wouldnt want to give you the wrong information.

[z3frog]

Maybe use a laptop hard drive in the build? They should be a bit more shock/ vibration resistant than desktop hard drives...

[glc]

Why lay a tower case on its side? Just get a desktop style case. You will want a LCD monitor.

Your cell provider may offer a dedicated data plan for direct access to the Internet - at higher speeds than using the phone as a modem to dial up an ISP. They will offer either a dedicated data card or a connection kit for your phone through USB. The data card will probably be PCMCIA, but you can get a PCMCIA reader for a PC or maybe they offer a USB data card.

[LMC]

Thanks for the replies. I remember the DOS days when there was the park command for transportation. I don't know if the new generation of HDs are more tolerant of knocks and vibration and I have not been able to find a similar instruction in Windows. The cabinets in a sleeper are usually tall and slim, so the idea of placing air cushions around and inflating them, taking care to allow air circulation. I'm picturing an LCD monitor, light and thin but again, I don't know about its fragility in this application. I'm curious about this blue tooth, I'll do a search and see what it is. In any case, I asked this question with an eye to the future, I don't know if I'll go this way or not.

[glc]

The park command was for MFM hard drives. IDE drives are self-parking when you cut the power.

Bluetooth is not a long range technology - maybe 30 feet. It's used to interface the PC with close by devices, it's not going to find the Internet for you. You *can* use it to interface with a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone instead of a cable. No need to get it built into the motherboard, USB Bluetooth dongles are only 20 bucks.