Quick Booting Mini HTPC Build
If you’ve read my previous post about the HTPC/NAS I put together last year, you’re probably wondering why I wouldn’t just use that as my HTPC box, since it does have full media center functionality. Although it has all the necessary power and isn’t very big, it’s still significantly bigger and has a lot more running on it than something I’d want to put under my TV.
For this project, I wanted a box no bigger than my Direct TV receiver that booted up faster than the Xbox 360 we currently use to watch movies, and isn’t nearly as picky about the video formats. Additionally, this device needs to be able to crank through 720P/1080P video files of BluRay quality. Since powerline networking (the device I was previously using feeds the network signal over the power lines) doesn’t have the requisite bandwidth to do this smoothly, 802.11N wireless capability was also a required feature.
Enter the Jetway Mini-Top…
This tiny box packs a dual-core (1.8ghz) Intel Atom processor, but also the Nvidia Ion 2 graphics card with 512 megs of dedicated graphics memory. With wireless included, this is the perfect box for the job!
Since this device needs to run both smoothly and boot like an appliance and not a computer, I finished out the parts list with the following:
The most important of those two components is definitely the solid state drive (not that the computer would run without the RAM but the SSD is the differentiator here). This allows the device to access the data it needs to boot and run almost instantaneously instead of relying on a slower hard drive to spool up. Since I store all of my media remotely on the media server we only need enough space on the drive for the operating system and the library database. 30 gigabytes is more than enough for this task.
The physical assembly was a piece of cake. After screwing the two rails to the side of the SSD, both it and the RAM simply snapped into place. Four more screws to secure the drive and the case simply slides back on! Below is the assembly beside a deck of cards for scale:
The device is so small that it is by far, the smallest of the three devices under my TV:
With everything plugged up the last (but not least) step was to install the OS and software needed for it to do its magic. Using a thumb drive and a bluetooth keyboard, I installed Ubuntu 10.10 64 bit using the mini iso. This keeps the extra software down to a minimum and allows you to install exactly what you need. One thing I did struggle with here is that for some reason the installation kept installing GRUB (the software that tells Linux how to boot) to the thumb drive instead of the computer. This caused quite a few headaches and a couple of re-installations before I realized that I’d have to trick the setup by pulling the thumb drive for this step.
As for the actual installation of XBMC? Due to the relative new hardware and the fact that both Ubuntu and XBMC just put out new versions, the cutting edge nature of all the components here did require a somewhat customized installation. Rather than plagiarizing the hard work of a few individuals on the XBMC forums, I’ll just link to the step-by-step instructions put together specifically for the Jetway found here. I’d like to take the time to thank both Speed3229 and Josh4trunks for doing such an awesome job with those instructions!
Finally the moment of truth, will it work and will it do so smoothly? The answer is a resounding “hell yes”! After turning the device on and telling it where to find my media on the network I have a fully functioning HTPC that meets all of the requirements outlined at the beginning of this post. The device is extremely fast and gives me a beautiful interface. The best part is, it can all be controlled via my smartphone using XBMC Remote (similar apps available for iOS and Android, your mileage may vary) from anywhere in the house. I still purchased a media center remote for my wife and guests to use but it works just as well either way.
On a final note, this did take some minor tweaking of XBMC to get it exactly where I wanted it. Using the Jetway with the configuration above, the audio output has to be specified as “HDMI” with the device being “HDA NVidia hdmi” in order to get sound over HDMI and “AC3″ capable receiver needs to be unchecked unless it’s hooked up to a capable receiver. Other than that, XBMC has a word of plug-ins and options available so everyone’s setup will differ a little!
Hi, did you ever figure out if the Mini-Top can be coaxed into supporting power on a USB port? How are you powering it back on other than using the included remote? Harmony?
So far I have still had to turn it on with the original remote, which is a little frustrating. The MCE remote that I bought works perfectly in all aspects other than that. What I think I will do next since I have way too many remotes anyways is purchase a Harmony and program it to send the “Power On” command from the original remote and all the other commands from the MCE remote, assuming that *is* indeed possible (since I haven’t used a harmony before).
Yeah, that was what I was afraid of. I pretty much have the same setup as you and also have an old school Harmony XBOX 360 remote which I still think is inferior to a class MCE remote.
I was tempted to check and see if there are any odd workarounds such as using a powered hub, etc. etc. but I doubt it will have any impact.
I also assume we didn’t miss any mysterious jumpers on the Jetway’s mobo that would enable USB power on sleep?
I questioned Jetway on this “bug” back in September. Here was their response:
=====
Re: bug report — USB activity doesn’t power up from sleep — JBC600C99-52W-B Mini-Top Series
Dear customer,
Thank you for contacting Jetway Computer Corp. We are committed to creating the best customer experience possible. One of the first ways we can demonstrate our commitment to this goal is to quickly and efficiently handle your recent request.
Regarding your question, the Mini-top doesn’t have USB stand by power at this point. That is the reason it cannot support USB wake up feature.
We hope this update has been helpful. However, if you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our Technical Department.
Man that stinks. It sounds like the best option might be the universal remote option then. I guess until then there will be an extra remote sitting around.
Thanks for sending that reply my way though!
You got my hopes up there for a bit!
Last comment, I only revisited this issue because I just moved and was stuck once again performing the “how do I minimize the number of remotes” configuration game.
Last time I solved the problem by just using the Mini-Top as an Win7 MCE server and let Wake-on-Lan do its thing. WoL works perfectly. Then I watched all TV via an XBOX and buried the Mini-Top in the closet. I used the spare programmable “TV” button on the MCE remote to turn off the AV receiver and let the HDTV power itself down.
I think I’m heading back to that same solution! I just can’t believe Jetway used an MCE incompatible IR receiver and there is no power on the USB ports.
Otherwise, a happy customer.
Yea using that goofy IR receiver was a mind boggling choice!
WOL is actually the *best* choice for me as a primary way of turning the system on because of the fact that I can use my phone to both send a WOL packet and as a controller for the system but I had some issues getting that to work as well. It could have been the router though. The fact that it works perfectly for you encourages me to keep trying! That might be my solution.
My Newegg.com comment about WoL:
=====
…
Cons: USB ports don’t seem to have power in S3 suspend mode so I’ve been waking it up via the blinking power button.
If you disable the “EuP Function” in the BIOS you will get an option to allow WakeOnLan.
Magic Packet wake-on-lan works fine.
I’ve sent an email to Jetway tech support to see if a BIOS update is possible to enable USB power on S3 or if the issue is simply operator error on my part.
…
You know I had set the WOL up on my phone, tried it once to no avail and moved on to other things. I got home tonight, opened the app up again, hit the button and BAM, it’s up and running! Glad you mentioned this to me again, the included remote is on it’s way to the closet.
Thanks man!
Huzzah!
One more thing, I *think* that the eSATA+USB combo port is by definition an “eSATAp” port (?). This could be useful for storage expansion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESATAp
Dave, awesome post. I was considering doing this exact same thing about 4 months ago but didn’t have the cash. Now you’ve cut out all the hard work for me!
Ps- also check out my latest comment in your advanced htpc post
Hey make sure you check out that forum that I mentioned in the article if you go this route. Since I wrote this there have been further improvements to the installation process including some recommended SSD tweaks and even a series of scripts to automatically set this box up! I highly recommend taking a look, it will be very helpful.
Remote control is the bomb in recent times. I’m always in need of mobility but likewise calculating power and remote control is the solution. Excellent info appreciates