Hi Dimitar,
I believe there are other possibilities than using an older PC. I bought an industrial single board computer based on an ATOM CPU and used Windows 7 Embedded
as OS. I am delighted with the results.
A google search for 'industrial single board computer' will reveal dozens of different manufacturers each with a range of products. When I searched I was interested
in boards that offered a PP and at least one PCI slot. Even with that thinning of results there were still plenty of choices. It seems that all offer multiple USB, RS232,
SVGA, HDMI and so on... Most offer alternate power supplies as well, the model I selected has an ATI supply socket and a 12VDC input. If you can't find a combination
that suits it because you can't wade thru the confusion!
The advantage that these products offer is that they are new and commonly use high speced components for reliability, they are after all meant to be embedded into
kiosks, industrial machines and similar where reliability is very important.
In interests of reliability these devices use an embedded OS, you don't want a user accessing the internet on your photo printing kiosk for instance. The Tormach link
in this thread is well placed. They use Windows XP embedded and mention 15000 components to be managed/included, quite a mission, but a worthy result, namely
a robust OS suited to the task. Windows 7 Embedded Standard is a more recent variation of the same theme and is much easier to author and was therefore my choice.
You can choose 'compatibility mode' and end up with what appears to be a complete Windows 7 OS that you might buy off the shelf or you may choose some minimal
install suited to a controller. The authoring tools are very useful and with a little practice very flexible. Many of the options are for automating production when a
manufacturer is producing thousands of devices and can be ignored by you and I.
My computer has a 64G SSD, I like it, quick and reliable. I use the built in PP and the exact PCI card you mention in the PCI slot with no problems. The drivertest
and oscilloscope show that my controller board is at least five times better than I could ever coax out of my old XP machine. By better I mean reduction in timing
jitter.
I spent about $1200 NZD, say 720 Euro on this setup so its not cheap. Looking back over the purchases I made I realize I could have done much better price wise
seeking out 2nd hand etc on EBAY and depending on how sneaky/dishonest you are with Microsoft! In relation to the amount I've spent on quality components for
my mill it is not to bad.
Craig