Laptops are not really my forte, but I don't see why this couldn't be
accomplished.

>1) Is there any laptop available that can be configured to boot up
>automatically when it receives power?

A manufacturer should be able to provide a customized BIOS that will do
this, or a work around, like a signal to a NIC.

>2) Can we easily rig a laptop to receive 12V power directly from an
>external battery bank?  I believe the answer to that is yes, but I would
>like some details on how to do it.

You could do this with a big UPS = Uninterrupted Power Supply.  Plug your
Laptop into a charged up UPS and let the 110 to 12 volt convertor run off
the UPS. You would have to find away to disable any warning beeps. But
there must be cleaner ways to do it. Just a really large external battery
designed for the laptop.

>3) Do high-quality, laptop-sized, video capture cards exist that can
>capture images from an external analog camera via a BNC or RCA plug-in?

Yes, laptops have very good video cards in them. You could also use an
external USB capture device for this.


>4) Is there an easy way to turn the monitor completely off while the
>laptop continues to run so we can reduce power consumption during remote
>operations.

Laptops operate like this by default. You can be running your laptop, close
the top, so the monitor goes off, and the laptop keeps running.


>5) Is there a laptop that has the features listed above that also has
>easily swappable internal hard drives?

They are not hard to swap out, but I have never seen a laptop drive bay
that is designed for this, like a desktop swap able drive bay. Maybe a
specialized laptop. Hard drives require power, no way around that. But
maybe a low powered hard drive plugged into a UPS
Could you just write the data to a flash memory card, up to 1.5 GB? I
assume you will be compressing this on the fly to something like mpeg-4.


  There are special laptops that are made for working in the field,
scientific work, or even hazardous work.  I just bought a IBM ThinkPad for
my sister and had it custom built to my specifications.  I have seen
geologists use laptops, to monitor earth movements, in remote stations,
running off solar power.

  What I would do is pose this question to Dell, IBM and Gateway's
commercial division, and make sure you come at them as representative from
a government agency.  Let them figure out the best way to build it. If you
take a new laptop, and use it in a way it wasn't designed for, then you
would probably void any warranty or support. Better you tell them what you
want to do, and let them come up with a proposal to meet your needs. Then
you would end up with something that they would support. If they can't do
it they will know who can.

Good luck with it!

Rode
The NOSPIN Group
http://freepctech.com



At 12:47 PM 7/13/2004, you wrote:
>I work for the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game and I have a rather unique
>application in mind for a laptop computer, but I've been unable to find
>a make/model that suits my needs.  I'm hoping someone here can help me.
>
>I want to use a laptop computer to record digital images of salmon
>passing by a remote video camera placed alongside a clear water stream.
>I

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