Daily Cup of Tech

As I spend some time getting to know my Gumstix better, some project ideas are starting to come to me. I am really starting to see some of the potential that is in this little computer.

Here is a list of some of the project ideas I have. At this point, I really do not know whether or not I will attempt all/any of these projects or even if they are feasible but it sure is fun to brainstorm.

• KVM over IP with integrated SSH VPN tunneling. The ability to securely revive a dead computer or even make BIOS level changes to a system from anywhere in the world via the Internet. Could even potentially integrate PPPoE or UPnP to bypass or go through some firewalls.
• Home Monitor. Embed Gumstix devices into the house and have them work together to monitor and manage different aspects of the home.
• Embedded Web Based Controller for Non-Networked Devices. Create a modular Gumstix device that can sense and monitor a number of different factors (e.g. temperature, humidity, voltage, etc.) and then create a web interface for it so that it can be inexpensively integrated into consumer electronics.
• Terminal Server Terminal. A simple terminal that can connect in to any of the standard terminal services (e.g. RDP, Citrix, NoMachine NX, LTSP, 2X ThinClient, VNC, etc.). Could simply be a port of ThinStation.
• RC Car/Airplane Autopilot. Control an RC vehicle via GPS to perform various tasks withing human intervention.
• RFID/Magnetic Card Processor. Be able to read and decode these devices.

There are probably a lot of other things out there that could be done but at this point, that is what I have. What other things do you think I could be doing with the Gumstix?

Similar Posts:

• On Training
• Gumstix: The Beginning
• DIY Bluetooth Antenna
• High End Router, Low End Hardware
• Vista Coming Soon, but what about Server Longhorn?

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10 Responses to “Gumstix Project Ideas”

1. Faust-C Says:
   July 27th, 2007 at 7:15 am

   I hope you get any of those to work! cause thanks to you im hoping to use gumstix in a idea of mine. and i do think you can accomplish any of those. I know that if there is a MS house watching software i know that you can use gumstix!

2. Jonathan Rothwell Says:
   July 27th, 2007 at 7:28 am

   What about using it as some kind of mini SSH server? It could be used as a sort of proxy to get your way around firewalls, or perhaps as a sort of gate to SSH servers on the other machines in the network.

3. Tim Fehlman Says:
   July 27th, 2007 at 11:27 am

   @Faust-C:
   Glad to be an inspiration.

   @Jonathan Rothwell:
   I hadn’t thought of that and it would probably be a really quick build and design since and SSH server comes with Gumstix out of the box!

   Tim

4. Dave Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 10:48 am

   Wow…very cool ideas, and I do really hope you move forward with ANY of them.

   Using Gumstix as an embedded controller for otherwise “dumb” devices makes incredible sense - you get a single interface spec for controlling any device type.

   Wish I had more time right now to delve into this and contribute. Maybe this winter (sorry-it’s summer, way too many “distractions” this time of year)

5. Tim Fehlman Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 10:53 am

   @Dave:
   I hear that re: summer distractions. Plus we are starting to plan a move for next spring so you know that my time will be disappearing.

   I just wish that I could do this whole blog thing full time and not have to worry about paying the bills.

   Tim

6. Tom Says:
   August 1st, 2007 at 10:38 am

   How about a KVM to IP front end to turn any KVM into an IP accessible device? I hate having to sit in front of a PC when I can get to the BIOS of my Sun boxes remotely.

7. Dave Says:
   August 1st, 2007 at 11:08 am

   @Tom-
   are you saying the gumstix would connect to the local keyboard/mouse/video ports on a KVM, rather than a physical mouse?

   What a fantastic idea!

   What would it take to do this, other than say an OS running VNC/Reverse VNC?

8. Tom Says:
   August 1st, 2007 at 2:44 pm

   This is what I’m thinking of: KVM over IP

9. Rajiv Says:
   March 18th, 2008 at 7:31 am

   Not to be a stick in the mud, but what you are thinking of should not be external to the PC itself. Example: You VNC can do only so much, but it cannot reboot/reset (hard or soft) or even edit/change BIOS. A VNC or KVM will be an external interface.

   If you truely want to configure / control your PC then you need to integrate the gumstix into your PCI or some other interface, where it can have actual control over the PC.

   On SUN / HP and AIX systems they have their own controller integrated into their bus (s-bus, pci, scsi or whatever) So once we logon to their RSC/LOM or whatever each vendor calls it, we can control the entire computer remotely without having to worry about the console or video not responding.

   -GGR

10. Wongdai Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:56 am

    Imagine what you could do with one of these, integrated with an Arduino? Easy reticulation controller comes to mind for e.g., and many other interesting devices (remote keypad for door locks…)

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