A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field.

[SaintChachi]

As a new DJI owner, I wanted something to take into the field with me in order to make changes as needed to the unit itself. I do have an old Windows laptop, but it's bulky and heavy as well. I came across the HP Stream 7, a FULL Windows 8.1 tablet in a compact form. They are normally $99, but are on sale for $79. Heck, Windows 8 by itself is $119! Included is a full year of Microsoft Office (again, full version) which normally is $69. So, I rolled the dice and bought one. I'm glad I did. I won't give you a review of the tablet itself, but plenty of reputable websites can do that for me.

I purchased the tablet, a leather case from ebay (with a compact bluetooth keyboard included) and a USB to micro USB adapter for less than $125. I've been a professional tech for 20 years, but I still can't believe that. This isn't some watered down version of Windows like RT, or a cellphone OS like Android or iOS - but a full copy of Windows on a quadcore tablet for less than the cost of Windows itself! [Note: The USB to micro USB adapter is required to hook the HP Stream 7's own micro USB to the Phantom's micro USB.]

I hooked everything up, and it works just as it should. If you are looking for some great compact field gear to run you Phantom, replace a laptop, or anything you might want a Windows PC for consider one of these. I bought mine from the Microsoft online store directly.

Below is a pic of everything working.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!AHb0utNlFt2paso&v=3&ithint=photo,jpg

 

[IflyinWY]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Well done SaintChachi, and thank you for sharing.

I found the tablet here:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msu ... .308781500
The price wouldn't show until I added it to the cart, and 79 American clams... nice.

I couldn't find the case with keyboard though. Any chance of posting links to the goodies that make up your package?

Do you know if this will pick up the WiFi from the GoPro?


Thanks again

 

[4wd]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

It's good at the US price.
I see it is £99 here, about $150!

 

[lake_flyer]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Just ordered one for 99Euro. Great deal, I needed Office 365 anyhow, which is 69Euro so the tablet comes just with it, almost for free.

Thanks for sharing this!!!!!

 

[Hughie]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

The price was £75 in the UK at one point last month, but is now back at £99
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tablets/ ... tablets-go

 

[gword256]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

32gb SSD. May I ask how much space is left for applications?

I think my Win7 install already busts that amount!

 

[SaintChachi]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

To answer a few questions -
IFlyWy - search on ebay for "Stream 7 case". You'll find quite a bit to look at based on colors & free add-ins offered. You'll see some that are even less than $15, but those are almost all coming from China. (these are all made in China, so don't that deter you) If you don't mind the shipping wait, they're a steal. I bought mine from a US seller, so it only took 3 days to get but was more expensive. I don't know about the GoPro WiFi ability. It does have full WiFi though, so if the program will run on your PC it will run on this. If not/then not of course.

Gword256 - After installing Office 365 and the DJI Vision 2+ program I've got 15GB of free space. The Windows 8 version installation doesn't have any of the usual (insert any brand name here) add-on software that eats up space. It's Windows 8.1, and that's about it, so it's nice & compact. It does have a micro SD card slot, so you can upgrade storage at will.

 

[Mako79]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Nice find saintchachi.

I bought an asus t100 transformer 64gb full windows 8.1 and has detachable keyboard and pad. Has a decent battery and I think they retail $250usd or less.

The laptop comes out to the field when i need to diagnose or test.

 

[IflyinWY]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Thanks again SaintChachi, great find, great info.

I found a case and keyboard on Amazon for $36.
http://www.amazon.com/Infiland-Stream-T ... h-Keyboard

 

[stan]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Is this tablet equipped with USB that can be connected to phantom or other USB things?

 

[barefootbeachcombing]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

You can get it at a slightly lower price by following this.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/36761 ... ipping.htm

 

[capodrone81]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

in for 1 thank you OP for post... great find..

my windows 98 machine in my backpack was on its last leg anyways... lol

 

[capodrone81]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

To answer a few questions -
IFlyWy - search on ebay for "Stream 7 case". You'll find quite a bit to look at based on colors & free add-ins offered. You'll see some that are even less than $15, but those are almost all coming from China. (these are all made in China, so don't that deter you) If you don't mind the shipping wait, they're a steal. I bought mine from a US seller, so it only took 3 days to get but was more expensive. I don't know about the GoPro WiFi ability. It does have full WiFi though, so if the program will run on your PC it will run on this. If not/then not of course.

Gword256 - After installing Office 365 and the DJI Vision 2+ program I've got 15GB of free space. The Windows 8 version installation doesn't have any of the usual (insert any brand name here) add-on software that eats up space. It's Windows 8.1, and that's about it, so it's nice & compact. It does have a micro SD card slot, so you can upgrade storage at will.

if you upgrade storage can you save to sd card phantom rc assistant , p2 assistant, and iosdmini assistant?

keeping built in storage free? I looked but could not find the maximum sd card size for media drive

 

[SaintChachi]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Stan - it does have a micro USB connection, and comes with a micro USB to standard USB cable which doubles as the charger. You can run any USB devices that work in Windows, and in order to connect to the Phantom you'll need a USB to micro USB conversion cable. In my photo you can see the black micro USB cable connected to the tablet, and the white conversion cable hooked into the Phantom.

Capodrone - the largest microSD I've seen online that works is 64GB. I've used 32GB myself without a problem. You can install normal Windows programs onto removal media just fine. You can also set you default locations for downloads/file saving/etc to the microSD as well. It should be easy to keep the C: drive fairly clean with a little diligence.

 

[lake_flyer]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Ordered at Microsoft.com yesterday and it's going to be delivered by UPS this afternoon.
Incredible.

 

[Jebus]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Great find! I'm pretty sure I'm going to go ahead an order one as well, but quick question...

I'd love to use this to replace my laptop to transfer video from my GoPro/DSLR SD or microSD cards to an external USB harddrive. Is it possible to connect these two devices at the same time and use this to transfer stuff back and forth?

*edit* - I guess a person could use the built in microSD slot, but what about an SD card?

 

[lake_flyer]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

external card reader.

 

[Jebus]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

external card reader.

Yup... but is it possible to connect the external card read AND the USB harddrive at the same time in order to transfer/backup files?

 

[SaintChachi]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Jebus -
I would assume that it would work fine, provided you have a USB hub connected to the micro USB on the Stream 7. You can buy USB hubs with a micro connector for the Stream 7, and normal/mini/micro USB connections for your devices.

 

[Jebus]

Re: A compact PC for connecting to your Phantom in the field

Jebus -
I would assume that it would work fine, provided you have a USB hub connected to the micro USB on the Stream 7. You can buy USB hubs with a micro connector for the Stream 7, and normal/mini/micro USB connections for your devices.

Makes sense. I think I'm gonna give it a try. Thanks again SaintChachi!