I'm amazed this form factor was never revisited. With the current tech we have available, you could fit a fairly powerful but low power ARM computer in there.

Having used these devices and their predecessors 15 years ago or so. The theft proof isn't just about how hard it is to take the device itself. Back in those days they would open the case and steal the memory/cpu/storage. With thinclients that's not an option. And even if they stole the whole device, there is very little you can do with it without the whole server infrastructure. You needed signed binaries to run on the default OS and the device was underpowered even for it's day. Also, the lack of user-accessible local storage meant that even if the device was stolen, there wouldn't be any valuable/sensitive data on it. The management software uses mac-based licensing, so even if the device gets stolen, you just report it as such to ChipPC and it get's permanently banned.

I wonder how many of these things are sitting in walls abandoned in Old corporate buildings that people walk by every day and have no idea what they are

Looks like ChipPC now make an updated version that runs Windows 10 and has all modern interfaces like USB3 and HDMI etc.

My dentist's office used these briefly years ago. They were quickly abandoned for a typical Dell USFF box strapped to the wall, occasionally over the top of the plug PC. Amusingly, the "anti-theft" is so effective they had to leave them behind when they moved offices this year. I imagine these are going to be a general societal menace well into the future...

You could power them using PoE so they took up even less space. I used them in a couple of them in some Cat3 containment labs where desk space was measured in many thousands of dollars a square foot. Basically used as terminals for remote desktop because when the room was active I didn't want to be going in to resolve support issues. They worked really well.

Fun fact: Wyse is now a subsidiary of Dell (Dell Technologies Inc.).

Server based computing was really the original model of major computer deployment. In the UNIX days of the early 1970s you used a 'dumb terminal' to access the computer, and it was a time sharing system. Having your own stand alone system was the revolution of IBM and its aptly named "Personal Computer".

Honestly... these were an absolute win in heavy industry applications. I installed dozens of them in steel manufacturing plants for system displays, notification screens and equipment controllers. Super heated steel produces an absolute s**t load of interference and, obviously, a load of dust. We installed them in 12mm thick steel housings with remote air intakes/exhaust to provide shielding with low power displays in polycarbonate cases. Power delivery was simple using shielded CAT lines and the outlet was protected with a silicone boot. Last time I heard there's still a number of them running sensor systems and a few machine diagnostics.

Nice little computer. I once installed a Raspberry Pi into a plug socket. so in the same vein. I always find windows CE devices interesting I keep meaning to have a play with some more 'modern' CE devices.

My school used these exact JackPC's in a couple of our computer labs, and sure enough they connected via RDP to a Server 2008 Terminal Server!

Newer style thin clients often have an Intel Atom or AMD APU and are way more reusable for projects today. Can run stock Linux and be used as a mini server or emulation/video set top box. They often originally came with Windows 7 embedded to be used as a remote desktop client.

I remember seeing ads for this computer in magazines years ago, and forgot it until I watch this video. Such amazing form factor, with today arms processors it will be amazing to see again this king of computer

You know there's businesses out there with dozens of these, completely unused because they abandoned them for NUCs when the last IT guy quit

Ok, so this is the old version. I actually made one of these back in 2011, I think, but I used an ARM system running Ubuntu Desktop. It worked perfectly for me and I used it as my office desktop for a number of years. But it's funny when you refer to web browsers as "very light-weight", because they are some of the heaviest and least efficient software products on the market for the things that these devices are designed for. But I made a web browser server on which I would run the actual web browser and then stream its screen to the client. But it worked very well and these types of computers should've been everywhere by now.

Very interesting little device, shame you couldn't get it to run any software, would have been cool to see Doom running on it.

Chip PC and JackPC ( a brand of Chip PC) are still going strong. For someone in IT their systems were way ahead of the competition.

It's theft proof because nobody would want to steal it

I've seen thin clients but this is super cool. A new one with modern i/o would make a cool nas server, especially since you can't turn it off! 😁

Nice to have a new video from you. Wow what a weird little thin client

I love how at the end you were like yeah i dont want to set up a rdp service*which doesnt take long. Just totally kind of done with it and it was evident haha

Ahh, think I temped in a place that was kitted out with these, or similar, around 2001? Didn't quite realise what I was looking at back then.

With XP you can choose to have a much more basic look without all of the soft colorful borders and all else. I think that may even be in newer versions of Windows. You know that Metro UI that was in Windows 8? It is still there in modern versions of Windows but turned off by default. You can turn it on very easily in taskbar settings somewhere. That is if you actually liked it. They could just as easily give you the same choices with all of the other annoying aspects of their GUI. I could imagine everyone going back to a more Windows XP look. The only difference is that some really old hardware for XP does not work on newer versions of Windows. I had a scanner that would not work on any version of Windows later than XP. I finally bought a more modern one and donated that other thing to Goodwill since it is still functional with a driver.

You could possibly run these on a separated Poe switch to the rest of your network and build a switch power down cycle to save power over night

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I'm loving that bag - getting proper flashbacks to portable projectors in the early 00's...

This would be a great form factor for building a PC into your furniture. Desk, sofa, recliner chair, beds, dressers, book cases, and so forth.

my doctor office had that in the early 2000s

In the mid 2000s I worked at a ChipPC importer/distributor. These devices were interesting to use, but ultimately was just another thin client, and therefore a solution looking for a problem.

Thanks for reviewing this, chap! I had one of these in my spares box for a time but never got it working because it didn't have the proprietary ethernet connector or the back-box, and I couldn't find what voltage of PSU to connect in the front! It was eventually given away to someone else, and I understand it found an ongoing use with them as a living room endpoint for an HTPC built on an old 6U server sat in their garage! 😇 Just one thing though: If you have a system/VM running WinXP Professional to hand, this will happily run a WinNT 5,0 RDP server that'll accept incoming connections from other PCs (And Jack PCs) on the network and is good for testing stuff like this. Used to be a godsend for me when it came to running a few headless boxes I had at the time! 😀 Finally: Absolutely loving the dragon graphics here! They're _sooo_ darn cute! 🥰🐲😇

I think the modern-day equivalent of this would be the All-in-one PC.

I'm sure they're designed to be turned on and off via the PoE system instead. Like, if it boots as soon as theres power, they can force a reboot remotely and what not.

The small form factor PCs from companies like Minis Forum are perfectly suitable almost as a drop in replacement for the hardware of this wall mounted tiny PC. They also stack the PCBs to reduce the size of their computers.

I know of a college that uses thin clients for all of the library computers (which when I was there were a pain to use as some of the virtual desktop environments were faulty, and would fail to log on, I frequently had to reboot it when trying to sign in so that I could try and connect to a virtual desktop environment that actually worked correctly) And I am certain I’ve seen thin client laptops before, I seem to remember the school I went to in 2012 had laptops that would initiate a Remote Desktop connection when you signed in (that school even had a thing where you could sign in to a virtual desktop from home)

Whyyyyyy mounting one to the monitor stand was perfect lol!

Could you not have a full bridge rectifier tied into the DC legs and run off the AC lines in the wall? That would make everything so much simpler

as an IT guy, I would've loved if these caught on.

Imagine if someone crammed an M1 chip, and a decent sized ssd into that plate. It would be the ultimate family desktop.

Regarding PoE always being powered - what you'd want to do is plug the device into a managed PoE switch, rather than that injector. The server could then remotely power-down the devices at the end of the day and turn off power delivery, and start them back up in the morning. Might be interesting to make a Raspberry Pi CM4-powered version.

This form factor is the funniest thing I've ever seen, it made me laugh out loud. I love it.

Cool video, I had no idea PCs like this existed!

8:54 regarding the power consumption overnight, most businesses who used these or use POE powered devices in general; would have managed POE switches which you could set schedules for to power down devices overnight to conserve power.

Definitely a conversation I would be having at the vr black cat about this type of old equipment

You could just quickly setup RDP on any Win10 and newer PC just in the settings.

10:10 Heh, the music makes me feel like I just joined the Black Cat on VRChat

Power savings could be done centrally through the Switch Infrastructure by disabling PoE outside business hours

You could just pull on the screwed in vga plug

That is a really cool profile and design. The poe support is the cherry on top. Really the only way you could do better would be an all in one poe powered thin client.

True story from my work place. A colleague who was a field technician once told us that they got an incident where a server reported a broken RAM stick. Not a big deal, he thought, I order the spare parts, drive to the customer ( a post office) and replace the faulty part. When he arrived at the Post office, none of the workers knew of any server of ANY sort. But yet, he could be accessed, he could be pinged.... just no one knew where it was. After a few weeks of research, they found out that the server was INDEED there. Neatly surrounded by dry walls. The post office was resized and the workers didn't think much about "relocating that big metal thing with the loud fans and the blinking lights" and instead put up drywalls around it. When asked what was behind the walls, they just shrugged their shoulders and said something about "ventilation shaft", so no one questioned their answer. When the drywall was ripped open, the server was right there. Sitting in 130°F hot air, but still functioning.

interesting but see no difference to just putting it on the back of an monitor or alternatvely using an aio

I can totally see this used in a hospital setting.

I feel like this would have been great for business oriented hotels, at least in the earlier days of mobile computing

Just remembered Michael MJD received one as a viewer donation.

i remember been shown one of these in college, When we did our mcp for windows XP, i think the college were evaluating these, but i don't think the idea ever came to fruition . We were amazed back then when we saw how small it was. i could see them been out of date very quickly sadly.

Basically it's a 2010s version of the terminals that were so common in the 1980s. They just renamed "mainframes/minicomputers" to "servers."

I use to have one of these. its a odd thing, but very neat!

A whole PC? More like a *hole* PC

Enjoyed this video - first time watching your channel - but I feel like nobody's talking about that subtle nod to Michael MJD with the music choice when you hit your technical difficulties 😅

I installed a bunch of these that were used with a point of sale system in a restaurant. Cabling was a nightmare when it was said and done. Had to use USB to RS232 adapters for the printers and cash drawers. Since everything was on the counter tops there was cabling and adapters everywhere.

For office appointment scheduling, medical information, and basic office work this was an interesting way to set up an office environment. Minimizes chances of theft, and people playing games during company time lol

I'd love to see something like that offered as part of a broadband install

Neat idea, I guess, but the one obvious disadvantage is that it is not at all portable. Far less portable, in fact, than a full-sized tower.

if you go for the free evaluation unit is it actually free or no and do you have to return the pc after evaluation

Giving me SheevaPlug nostalgia...

had those at mcdoanlds for our kitchen video system

If you have a leak in the walls you ain’t safe there 😃

It's funny how we are just coming back to the mainframe-terminal framework.

I suppose in an office building, you would probably hook these up to a manageable poe-switch and then turn them off by disabling ports.

What a strange little computer. Very interesting though!

I guess this concept was not a huge success. Keeping the device at this formfactor looks very expensive. Keep in mind: A complete setup needs stll a Monitor and keyboard- Why hinding the computer in the wall?

Do-it-yourself wall 🧱 mount with Raspberry Pi.

Oh hey! How did I miss this video. It's that lil' guy!

Thumbnail and title alone gave me idea of like HDMI and USB (Maybe usb-c to which you connect dock ?) connection in wall socket that connect to one central computer/server. Wanna sync files ? Connect to the wall ! Watch a movie ? Connect to the wall ! Gaming ? Connect to the wall ! Grete idea as long as you don't think about it !

this video spiraled big time 😆

I'll have to see if I can find one of these. It could also RDP into a Linux box. That's great how you've got the full demo/sales kit.

Power management could be handled at the switch level, or it’s possible the software supported scheduling, WoL, etc.

To the comment about not being able to turn it off, it may be that offices with many of these deployed used PoE switches with control software that could shut PoE power off on a schedule. Power is killed at 6pm and returned at 7am, so as long as you didn't have any overtime, you'd be fine. 😁

Having deployed over 150 of these things in an industrial environment, I can say that the sliding contacts are a pain in the butt after a few months. Even a slight bump may break the ethernet connection. We had to disable the speed autonegotiation on our PoE switches to avoid constant reevaluations... If they weren't been replaced anyway because of resolution and speed issues we'd consider soldering pigtails directly to the contacts and cover everything with epoxy...

If that could be a Powerful Windows 11 NO Bloatware PC then that would be the most POPULAR mini-PC ever

At least with a Desktop PC most of your cables are hidden at the back.

Now someone needs to mod this so it connects to a PC somewhere else in the house using fiber optic, Linus Sebastian-style

Well that look upgradeable!😂

"Use a knife and cut it out of the wall" Try that one anywhere in the world that *doesn't* use shitty plaster walls.

I wonder if this would be useful for home automation

I remember these. I wanted to get some for the home to be media computers. Sadly just not enough horse power for that. Might be able to build a Rasberry Pi device like it now.... humm

I'm perplexed, why not just build this into... or stick it on the back of... a monitor. Certainly interesting for hiding a little computer in plain sight... I guess.

Power state would be controlled by the poe switch to power it off and on for the day

With modern day miniaturized tech this kind of seems like a good base concept for schools Robustness through simplicity of system, few reasons to run really more than a browser and maybe a text editor for an education computer There is no reason for mobility in schools, in fact mobility enables theft concerns so this way even schools in "at risk neighborhoods" could be equipped with enough Computers to provide access and the regular reasons why that would be a problem wouldn't apply, but funding for something like this would be needed And It allows for regular Buisness/Education Server based Domain OS Services as it can act as the terminal for virtualization All in all probably a not that profitable but neat concept if it would have been further pursuit

If one of these does get stolen, that’s known as jack-jacking.

That's some pretty impressive equipment considering how long ago it came out and its overall size.

It should be fanless and in any case the cavity should be opened up with the noggins above cut for venting or else a fan cut into the wall cavity itself.

Having used the thin client system at my university before, it likely sleeps automatically when you're logged off (if correctly configured) and you could down the power over ethernet system outside of office hours

@ 15:37 - there is no ram in the 'server' lol. Maybe that's why it's not posting? You can use them beep codes to identify why it's not posting.

Fiber optic KVM switch so you can mirror access to your pc from kilometers away.

Looks like something I would leave in the university

Could Windows CE join a domain? If so, cunning use of Group Policy to configure a proper thin-client-for-RDP-or-Citrix setup and you'd be grand. The form factor is a bit of a novelty, but it's definitely not a terrible idea

would like to see a full installation to the server and the operation on this. I have this wall and 3 other single chip clients

I also have a small footprint setup. My pc is inside my keyboard, it's a raspberry pi 400

in my old corp we had one of these on the shelve when i started in 2011 and still in 2022

Raspberry pi style mini PCs in this form factor would be cool