Cheap Small Form Factor Bench PC - The Zotac ZBox Nano P (CI320)

Buy: Zotac ZBox Nano P Cl320 on eBay

Over the past few years, I’ve went through 3 different setups for my “Bench Computer”. The system that I use to power by USB oscilloscope (Hantek 6022BE), Logic Analyzer (HiLetgo), as well as the necessary software, such as programming an Arduino or Ateml Chips, and designing my circuits and PCBs, etc.

In the beginning, I simply used my desktop PC, a Ryzen 5 based system. While it’s obviously convenient and powerful enough for the task, it comes with a couple drawbacks. For one, you’re tethered to wherever your desktop happens to be, they’re not exactly known for being portable. To clarify, I don’t want something designed for full portability, just something I can move around my workspace easily if necessary.

The second one for me was the risk of damage if I do something stupid. We all make mistakes, and what if something I do happens to fry my oscilloscope or other analytical device I have hooked into my PC, and that intern damages my very expensive PC? So I wanted to move away from using my desktop for that type of work. I also knew I wanted to keep it as inexpensive as reasonably possible.

I had considered just buying an old laptop, that solves both problems, but presents a couple more of its own. Used laptops with the necessary connectivity and power to do what I want are still relatively expensive, and while they are designed to be portable, they are still larger than what I want for my limited workspace, and I do 99% of my work at home so no need for that level of portability. Also, I wanted to be able to use a standalone monitor, my eyes aren’t getting any younger, I have no need for a built in display. So, the laptop idea was shot lived.

Next, I decided to try out the Raspberry Pi 4 B 8GB, an absolutely amazing little low power single board computer that has enough horsepower for most of what I want to do when it’s configured properly and supplied with the proper supporting hardware. I bought one and installed it in an Argon M.2 case, dropped in a 128GB SSD, and installed the latest Pi OS. It ticked almost all the boxes, it was small, as portable as I needed to be, and could run most of what I needed.

For a several months, that little Pi 4 did the job very well, but eventually two things started nagging at me. The first being that I wanted to use the Pi 4 for some different projects, and they had gotten nearly impossible to find, and you’ll notice I said it could run “most” of what I wanted it to do. The problem is, some software that I like to use just won’t run on the Pi because it’s an ARM based computer, and I simply do not have the skills to make them work on my own.

So I was pretty much left with just one other solution, a small form factor x86 based computer. I could still run my OS of choice, Ubuntu, but since it was x86, I would have no problems getting all the software I wanted to use up and running. With that in mind, I started shopping around online, and ran across the Atomic Pi. An x86 Intel Atom based single board computer that was originally designed to power a home robot that was ultimately never produced. I had never heard of the Atomic Pi, but I figured it would be fun to DIY my bench test computer, and if I liked the Atomic Pi, I could also use one for a special project I had been wanting to do, but that’s a different story.

The Atomic Pi has some short comings I had to work around, and you can check that out over on the AP’s project page, but in the end I managed to get it up and running Ubuntu and all the software I wanted. Again, I used it for a couple months, but again a couple problems ate away at my OCD. The most nagging to me was that by the time I had the project done, it grew into something considerably larger than the Pi 4 due to all the supporting “external” hardware needed to make up for the AP’s shortcomings. I needed to use a USB3 to SATA adapter so I could run the AP off an SSD instead of the limited 16GB of internal eMMC storage or a painfully slow SD card. I also had to wire in a 4 port USB hub to add connectivity so I could plug everything in. Lastly, I had to come up with a way to power the Atomic Pi. Once I got it all crammed into a case, it worked great, but was still larger than I wanted. The second issue was it’s limited 2GB of non-upgradable DDR3L RAM, though that was less of a concern considering the software I was running on it.

This is where the story comes full circle, after my OCD sent me down these various rabbit holes, I happened to notice you can pick up used SFF (Small Form Factor) PCs on eBay for around $50. Basically, laptop style hardware crammed into a tiny box, setup to run more like a desktop. I knew these existed, but I really never gave them much thought because I had always assumed they were all junk and never used them outside of work. I was never really impressed by them, but I figured maybe if I had one to play with and configure on my own, it should work for my needs. It would take me right back to a desktop PC, just a considerably smaller one.

So, after doing a lot of searching around, I settled on a used Zotac ZBox Nano P Ci320, an quad-core Intel Celeron based PC with ample USB connectivity, the ability use 2.5 inch SSDs, and can have up to 8GB of DDR3L RAM installed. It has a nice small footprint, about the size of a CD jewel case stacked 3 or 4 high, and can run absolutely everything I want with ease. It ticked every box!

So why share this long winded story? Just to say that even though I probably should have gotten to this destination a lot quicker, and that it should have been obvious to a hardcore computer geek like me, but it’s not always about the destination. Sometimes the journey is where all the fun and discovery is waiting to be had. I got to dive into the Raspberry Pi 4 and see what a wonderful little device it is. I discovered the Atomic Pi and found out it was the perfect fit for a special project I have been wanting to do for my wife. I also got to familiarize myself with Linux (Ubuntu), a skill that has been seriously lacking. Lastly, I finally got to give SFF PCs a fair shake, and not just think of them all as the crappy little computers many of us are stuck using at work. When configured properly, they are actually very capable little machines for a lot of workloads, including mine!

In the end, I got where I needed to be, I had fun, and I learned a lot along the way. That’s why I do many of the projects that I do, to learn and have fun, as with any hobby I find it relaxing, even if I do change my mind several times along the way.

Now, let’s take a look at the ZBox Nano Ci320 and see how I have it configured.

Zotac ZBox Nano P Ci320 Specs and Configuration

I picked my unit up for about $45, free shipping, on eBay. It appears to have been one of many that came as a bundle someone had bought as leftovers from a corporate upgrade. It’s common for companies to hire 3^rd parties to come in and do system wide upgrades and then take all the old hardware off their hands. That old hardware is often sold off somewhere as bare-bones deals or refurbished machines. Mine came with a 2GB stick of RAM installed, no hard drive, no power supply, and no wi-fi antenna. Not a big deal since all of these things are still easily obtainable or I already had it on hand.

I happened to have an extra new 120GB Kingston SSD I had bought and never used, giving me more than enough space since all it’s running is Ubuntu and the software to power my test, design, and programming equipment.

I knew I could modify any decent 19V power brick to plug into the ZBox, as long as it can supply the amperage and watts needed to keep it stable. In my case I got a cheap 19V 3.42A 65W rated brick, soldered on the proper barrel jack, and used that to power the unit. I had previously powered the ZBox using my DIY bench power supply, and knew how much it actually drew and needed to be stable under load.

 

NOTE: I tested the power brick BEFORE using it to power the ZBox, just to ensure it wasn’t faulty so it wouldn’t damage the ZBox. It always good practice to test these cheap power supplies before you use them on anything of value. Mine was actually running a bit under 19V at 18.85, but that’s more than enough for this unit’s power demands.

Next, I picked up a cheap 8GB stick of Team Group DDR3L 1600 RAM to max out the systems supported memory. The installed 2GB that it came with was enough to get up and running, but I didn’t want to thrash the SSD using the swap file, so maxing it out to 8GB solves that problem and gives me the best performance possible. Also, I should note the units max support memory speed is 1333MHz, but 1600 RAM works fine of course, it will just run at 1333. 

 

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Finally, I installed Ubuntu 20.04 on the SSD, updated everything, then set about installing all my software and configuring it the way I wanted. It’s a snappy little system for what I am asking it to run. Software like OpenHantek6022, PulseView, EasyEDA, Fritzing, SDR++, ArduinoIDE, etc. As well as browsing the web, shopping, and watching videos as needed.

 

When it was all said and done, I ended up with was a nice small form factor computer that now handles all of my “hobby” work and testing, that meets all my criteria, and doesn’t trigger my OCD. It keeps my much more expensive desktop PC safe, and finally it opens up the Pi 4 and Atomic Pi for other projects, so it’s just a win all around.