Every wife should have a Kitchen PC

Well, It finally has happened. The internet is chasing us everywhere so the kitchen needed a proper upgrade. This project is about providing media, music and internet acces to our kitchen as it’s the centerplace of our small family and our small appartment. Small being the keyword here.

I should mention from the very start, this is not a project I built from scratch. I already had most of the parts by repurposing parts I gathered for a different project that I gave up on. Other than that, it’s just as much work and money spent as any project built from the ground up. Read on for details.

My wife used to keep her aging laptop on the kitchen table. Whenever she wanted to check her emails, find some recipe or buy something online she would turn it on and wait for Windows to load. Sleep wasn’t an option as the battery was dead and unplugging it would have erased the RAM. The power cable was in the way. The whole experience was even more cumbersome because our 1 year son needed frequent attention and any internet-related tasks were being interrupted a lot, then eventually forgotten. It was clear that even with a laptop at hand, things weren’t easy. Besides, the space occupied by that laptop on the kitchen table was significant (the countertop area is too precious for that). And we have a wetwall in our kitchen that’s a bit oversized and from the first day we moved in (about a year ago) I knew something had to be done about that. So I wondered if I could fit a computer in there. And I did. Here’s the story.

Step 1: Wife’s requirements.

We all have to pay attention to our wives, right? So she needed a PC with Internet access for recipes, e-mail, music and photo sharing. Maybe a few chat sessions but she’s too busy anyway for that. As our kitchen is so small we had to order custom-made furniture and it turned out very pretty (and expensive) so a new requirement kicked in: to be able to integrate perfectly without being obvious. The input devices would have been a problem. Keyboards get dirty in a kitchen. They actually don’t belong there at all. So the only viable option was a touchscreen. She was reluctantly OK with that, she never used one before.

Comments

[CatalinRO]

Nice project! I don't have available such hardware thought. A few days ago I talked to a friend about such device for kitchen, we were thinking that the cheapest tablet should qualify for the goal + some speakers. Anyway you gave me the start on this :)

[invisiblelight386]

Very nice. Putting one of these on a cabinet door would work great.

[claudiopolis]

Yes it would. But you'll need to really reinforce the hinges as the while thing is heavy. Also, furniture shock absorbers would be also needed. You don't want to slam that door.

[mitchellduffy]

I am a dude who has use for this too. It seems a bit sexist to say that every wife should have one. What about husbands being in the kitchen? Let's get out of the stoneage.

[claudiopolis]

Believe me, I'm using it more than my wife does. She says it's too addictive. Whenever she uses it "just to check her e-mails" she ends up an hour later with sore hands from browsing online shoes catalogs. I'm no sexist. This project was built for her. And I do cook every once in a while. She doesn't like that because I'm messy when I do and "unable to avoid using all the dishes I can find". Luckily, the end result still keeps me around :-)

[hbaderman]

couldn't you have just used a tablet like a galaxy or ipad? same price, built in functionality?

[claudiopolis]

All the components were already in my stock. So no financial stress because of that, these were pieces I gathered in two years time with no particular use for them at that moment. But I knew those will come in handy someday.

So here are the reasons:

1. A tablet has a small screen. No matter the brand. This one is 17".
2. A tablet has built-in OS, no software upgrades for the newt generation of OS'es while this one runs Win7 and expecting Windows 8. I can change the OS whenever I like with Linux or even OSX Leopard (Yes, I tried, it works on this hardware but it was slow)
3. The wife's used to Win7. No further explanations needed.
4. The tablet is not upgradeable. Meaning you're stuck with the hardware it features. This ITX Atom PC cand be replaced or upgraded with a SSD, faster RAM, etc.

[nb109]

No, forget them. This is FAR more awesome than just dropping some tablet in and calling it a day. This has a lot more room for upgrades and customization in both hardware and software and looks really amazing.

You did an excellent job and have definitely inspired me.

[TheRealDutchOwner]

2 Is false, the Galaxy tablet comes with Android which can be upgraded. But the other points make sense.

[gdawgtuk]

I am doing this same project at home actually and I am using the windows 8 Dev copy. The screen is 17 inches but I am making a few changes. I am making a similar frame but on the top middle the frame will have two USB ports made possible by dollar store USB Male to female cords. That way you can load info via flash drive or what have you. I took apart a webcam to put into the top of the frame so that the computer can unlock via facial recognition and I put a mic on the bottom. The left and Right parts of the frame have speakers for pandora music. With an extremely simple mod, the screen is powered off of the power supply for the computer, so I don't need to do anything else but plug in the computer and I am golden. I used a E-350 which is a low power (13 watts) Dual Core APU which will handle the graphical interfaces extremely well. As an APU it's a CPU and videocard combined. It can play Mass Effect 2, so it can definitely function with the GUI of windows :). I put 8GB of gamer ram in there because it was on sale for $24.99. I may post something on it. It was inspired by this idea, but it is definitely taking it to the next level.

[claudiopolis]

The next level of Mass Effect 2, maybe. If you can figure out how to play it on a single-touch touchscreen.

You see, necessity is the mother of invention. Should my wife requested a Mass Effect 2 compatible setup with facial recognition, fancy speakers, 8Gb RAM and so on, I would have made everything possible to get closer to that.

Instead she barely visit a few websites a day, checks her Live e-mail account and the weather. That's about it. Her mobile phone pictures are downloaded via Bluetooth. USB connections are not really needed but are available in the cabinet under the screen. A webcam would have been useless as she never uses it. Don't get me wrong, your setup is great, I was considering a E-350 APU myself but I realised it would have been way overkill.

A better use for those money would have been a Toshiba GoFlex Satellite hard drive. That's a wireless-N, self-powered, 500Gb HDD. Put it anywhere around the router's range and you have a backup destination/cell phone storage/video and music stream provider no matter where you put it. That's what I'm waiting to be delivered.

[gdawgtuk]

I have an HP Mini 311 with a 1.6 Atom (which is now hackintoshed) but it did not handle Windows 7 very well at all, even with Nvidia Ion Graphics, so I aired on the side of caution for what machine I got. The machine may seem like overkill right now, but I am going to have this in there for years. I want to make sure it can handle the advancement of flash, HTML 5, etc down the line. Mass Effect 2 was more or less an easy way to reference what it is capable of doing in terms of performance.

I have a wireless bluetooth keyboard with mouse functionality built in that I haven't had use for in a long while so that will be perfect for this unit if I ever need to do anything more than a single touch interface will handle. One other slight variation I am adding is using a PicoPSU. The 80Watt one will suffice for this just fine. The E-350, though it's dual core and has a decent ATI card, only uses 18 watts. I believe it may be possible for it to go higher than that, but 80 watts is more than enough. I also modded the LCD controller panel to be powered off of the computer as opposed to requiring it's own power supply, I power everything by simply turning the computer on. I used my broken laptop's screen which is a 17" LED back lit, beautiful display. I believe it only uses about 20w. PicoPSU is nice for both saving power and the fact that it is completely silent. (For those who need some perspective on this, a 32" Sharp LCD TV can use up to 165W of power watching Digital TV channels. My touch screen, PC, etc will safely use less than 65w)

I don't think the webcam is exactly overkill. A programming friend of mine made a program that will allow my computer turn off the screen and conserve power, but when the webcam detects movement it powers everything back up. The screen isn't exactly in my kitchen, but on a wall right outside it. I have a hallway that comes from the bedrooms to the kitchen and this wall faces down the hallway on the edge of the kitchen entrance. So in the morning when I walk out of my bedroom to go make coffee, the screen will quickly power back up and I will be greeted by my appointments and news and such. I think that is a pretty cool feature for the $1.99 cost of a webcam. I also use Prawler so if I am on vacation and someone walks in front of the camera it will take photos every 500ms and instantly email them to me. So, God forbid, if someone broke in, they would have to go in that hall and I would get notice anywhere I am at to call the cops.

The mic is there for voice commands, and the speakers are for Pandora and such.

The Motherboard I got also has 2 USB ports that can charge Ipads and such even if the PC happens to be off. Those are going to be mounted under my kitchen cabinets so I can easily plug in my phone and what not if I'm needing to charge it.

Sorry, lots of typing. I wanted to explain in more detail the reasons for the decisions. I appreciate this guide though, it gave me the initial idea.

P.s. That program actually increased ALL performance on my Netbook. Between just jumping from one site to another, minimizing....EVERYTHING. Since it's all integrated it seems to help everything by going to 400mhz instead of 166mhz.

[kc0444]

First of all sorry for bringing this old tread back up but I was wondering if you could send me a copy of that program (if your friend will allow it). PM me for my email if you agree to send it.

[claudiopolis]

Do not use that. It's known to cause problems in the long term. The cooling system will not handle the increased temperatures and the battery will drain much faster.

[hintss]

put windows 8 beta nao!

[claudiopolis]

To be honest I think it sucks. Will wait for the final version but as it is I have a hard time explaining my wife how the METRO look is revolutionary. For instance, if you want the computer to sleep you need to go in three places, making 4 or five clicks. That's stupid, she'll just ask me why and I'll have no real explanation.

As it is, Windows 7 is still the best option for her. We'll see.

[Timofte Andrei]

nice job...actually what are the system specs?... and is it support flash player? :D if it's able to run flash, you can actually use it as a tv to watch some online tv channels :) anyway, good luck and greetings from Targu-Jiu :)

[claudiopolis]

Well, greetings from Sibiu, neighbor :-)
The system specs are detailed in one of the steps. It's a Intel Atom ITX system. Yes, it runs flash. Tv channels are forbidden by my wife herself. She said that I'll starve to death if she catches HBO on that. :-)

[Timofte Andrei]

interesting...so the next step is to put a screen on a fridge door :) nice project we are waiting for new projects good luck

[claudiopolis]

Fridge door is hard to hack. You need cooling for your system and that's not to be taken from the fridge (condensation sets in). You need power and that's calling for a power cable wired inside the door from the outside. That's both ugly and unpractical (think how much until that cable breaks, being bent each time you open the door) Then the fridge will work longer because your system warms its door. And finally you need a good sturdy fridge. And a lot of credit from your wife as she'll see you drilling that fridge door a lot :-)

Actually there are fridges already with built-in display, internet access and so. But since we're meeting here, I doubt any of us can afford one. :-)

[Timofte Andrei]

i was just saying that's all :)) i know that drilling the fridge door it's not a good thing if you really use that fridge every day :P but i wanna give you a little idea: you should try to develope that "wall integrated" PC to use it i don't know...to make some automatisations of your house like starting a fan if the humidity in the kitchen is rising or turning on and off some lights and so on :) those are just small ideas, but if you have time and cash the possibilities are endless :) have a good time :)

[eggplanthunter]

instead of drilling into the fridge door, you could find the thinnest LCD you can find and slap it on there with a nice box frame. An appropriated LCD from a laptop may do the trick.

Or you could do the same with a tablet, although it's a bit less elegant.

[jeremiahthebullfrog]

Another question... Is the frame cut from standard aluminium? as it appears to have a slight curve to it. I tried using a wooden picture frame but its too thick so doesnt make the touch/scrolling very pleasant experience. Thanks again for your help and advice

[claudiopolis]

The frame is made from a flooring element. The kind that covers the height differences. Sorry I do not know the english term. You can find such aluminium profiles in hardware stores, in the ceramic tiling section. It's ment to cover a level mismatch between a ceramic tiled floor (bathrooms or kitchens) and the rest of the house.

[Notherjack]

The term used in the US stores would be a transition strip. Nice instructable BTW Thank you for this inspiration which I hope to do in my own rather small kitchen.

[jeremiahthebullfrog]

Funny enough when I was in the hardware store I saw some of them and thought would be a good idea. In the end though I just picked up a thin piece of wood edging and sprayed it silver, not as nice but it'll do temporarily. Apart from that its all in and lokoing good, just desperately waiting for the touch screen to arrive :P
Thanks again for everything :D

[jeremiahthebullfrog]

I'm in the process of building one now and I'm really excited about it. I'm hoping its going to be half as good at least. One question... Where did the wallpaper background come from? could you post it on here or email it to me please? Cheers :)

[claudiopolis]

somewhere on the internet, I googled "italian cuisine". Over it it's the Omnimo skin.

[jeremiahthebullfrog]

Thanks I shall check it out shortly. Yeah I downloaded omnimo and looks pretty good. Project is on its way, unfortunately I busted the touchscreen so had to order another :-\ thanks for the inspiration :D

[Coff33Bre4th]

I found out a few months ago that if you go to dev.windows.com you can get Windows 8 for free. And by the looks of it, it is very touch-friendly. Perhaps you could try this

[claudiopolis]

I knew that. I even tried it. But it's not finished yet. Maybe the beta release will be better. Thanks anyway!

[TheRealDutchOwner]

Nah, it's only a preview for developers. But it shows it will work like Omnimo. And have more apps than Omnimo because of the App Store :)

[Coff33Bre4th]

How did you manage to get the Metro-style tiles like Windows 8 on the desktop? That's sweet!

[claudiopolis]

Read step 4, the software part is described in there. :-)

[Coff33Bre4th]

Oops. I read it once and forgot it was there.

[Arliem]

I have built a PC for my wife to have in the kitchen but this is much cooler. I will be ordering the touch screen overlay asap and a spillproof keyboard might be a nice addition to make notes on her adjustments to recipes easier without worrying about spills and contamination, or one of those silicone keyboard covers that can be tossed in the dishwasher.

[gdawgtuk]

Thank you for sharing this awesome idea. I think I will make myself one. You mentioned that you use an Intel GMA950. The netbook I am using right now uses the same thing. Go to http://www.gmabooster.com/download.htm and download GMA Booster for your card. You can overclock it safely from 166mhz to 400mhz and it makes the entire experience faster. Web pages don't lag, Youtube streams flawlessly, Netflix runs great and games even run faster. All those things would lag before the tweak. It should make the overall experience a lot smoother for that puppy.

[claudiopolis]

Thank your for sharing that piece of software. I'm not that tempted to use it as the kitchen PC only lags because of the processor/HDD/RAM speeds. Most of the webpags are static so no lag there. The few youtube videos we watch on it don't lag at all. So there really is no need for that booster right now. But anyway, thanks for sharing!

[mannydelrio]

would the monitor itself be water proof?? as in the touch screen ?? and would it work ??

[claudiopolis]

There is no such thing as a waterproof monitor. Splash-proof, maybe, but not waterproof (except for military use or some toughbooks). And the touchscreen in not waterproof either, my waife takes care not to operate it with wet hands. It's not normal, anyway...