TIPS Foxconn-like cheap, small PC with PCI slot?

AndyInNYC

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I'd like to replace my old, repurposed machine (the network jack seems to have become flaky) with a small box. I like the price and form factor of the foxconn machines, but I use a Digium TDM400. Do I have any inexpensive choices?

Andrew
 

Jay Deal

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Used and / or refurbished Dell or HP SFF (Small Form Factor) PC from eBay, Newegg or other outlets. They are real PC's but have a very small footprint and lower power usage. The SFF usually have at least one PCI slot but stay away from the USFF as they usually don't. You can pick up a Core 2 Duo 2.66ghz with 2GB Ram and no hd for as low as $65.00 shipped. Throw in your own old hard drive and you are ready for business for under $100.00.
 

AndyInNYC

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Jay,

I'm seeing the Dell Optiplex 745 for about $60. From the picture this appears to have 2 slots in the back (but I can't quite tell). The price is certainly right. Do you (or anyone else) have any knowledge if this will fit a Digium TDM400?

Andrew
 

rossiv

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There are a few different form factors of the 745. Off of the top of my head, there's USFF, SFF, Desktop, and Mini Tower. Depends which one you are referring to.
Looks like the TDM400 is a full-height card, so I would think only the mini-tower. IIRC the Desktop only fits half-height, and the SFF and USFF don't have slots. Not 100% sure on the SFF.
 

AndyInNYC

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Sorry - to further the confusion, my card is a TDM800.

The Dell site: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/optix/en/opti_755_techspecs.pdf
seems to say that the 755 SFF has 2 slots: PCI-E and PCI with a max Height x Width of 2.731 x6.6.
I can't find anything (yet) online to tell me the dimensions of the TDM800. I can't take the machine down now and whip out the tape measure <g>.

Anyone have a black belt in Google to get me a physical measurement?

Andrew
 

rossiv

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Still a full-height card, though. The slots in the SFF and Desktop are half-height. Only one with full-height slots is the Mini Tower. (<<Note my edit...brain fart)
 

Jay Deal

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Oh that's a bummer. The SFF and USFF are the smallest "real" PCs that I have come across. You could always get one of those PCI bus extenders that provide a card, cable and cage to bring the PCI installation and connection external.....but that additional cost ruins the whole goal anyway. There might be something that works in the thin client category but I don't have a lot of model knowledge background to direct you anywhere. And the thin clients probably don't have enough oomph to push a PBX around anyway.

As far as I can tell, if you wanna get small with your CPU and you wanna run a PBX on it, the only way to get FXO or FXS capability for it is to go external with either an ATA or gateway. Then you don't need to worry about PCI connectivity. And this is obviously the only way if you run something really small like the RASPBX or Cubox as USB FXO and FXS devices have not proven reliable enough based on my research.
 

AndyInNYC

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My Digium card has hardware echo cancellation - after the software versions I've used I don't ever want to go back. Until I switch to SIP only throughout the house I guess I need a 'real PC'.

Andrew
 

AndyInNYC

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dghundt,

Thanks for the input. The case, however, is $50 + shipping. The Dell discussed above, albeit larger, is $65 delivered. I either want something really small and cheap or I'm just going to get a refurb/end of lease 'standard' PC and drop it in place.

I haven't had any network port issues since I redid my install (gained a newer release and dropped an SDD in the machine instead of an HDD). Everything is working for now. Probably get a Dell to put in the corner until the day it is needed. $65 is cheap insurance.

Andrew
 

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