Home
An open source 3D printed laptop based around a Raspberry Pi 4. A reference design which is suitable for daily use that is free to use, change and sell. Made with cheap, easily accessible off the shelf parts. The design is modular, easy to experiment with, repair and upgrade with high quality documentation.
Single board computers are getting more powerful and cheaper every year, you can run a functional everyday PC using a Raspberry Pi 4. An open open source large screen laptop which is well designed, simple to construct with easy to source parts will allow people to learn about electronics, 3D printing and open source and make unusual variants which aren’t commercially viable.
- Everything created is free to use, change and sell (CC BY-SA, GPL 3.0 etc).
- The reference design is suitable for daily use as a laptop to encourage adoption.
- Made with cheap, easily accessible off the shelf parts.
- Modular, easy to experiment with one aspect of the laptop, repair and upgrade.
- Made accessible through quality instructions that don't assume a high level of knowledge.
- Keep the warranty on components used e.g use a bluetooth media keyboard (with integrated trackpad) which slots into the body of the laptop
Much of the work has been done:
- Existing community innovating in the hats and software for single board computers especially Raspberry Pi e.g Raspbian OS or Ubuntu Mate
- An existing community have designed many of the 3D elements e.g 3D printed hinges
- Generic batteries are really cheap e.g rechargeable AA batteries. 16 AA rechargable batteries have a high capacity.
- Very cheap spare parts, a new Raspberry Pi charger is £5
-
Reference version, a well designed, simple to construct version with easy to source parts that people are able to change and adapt to their needs.
-
Laptop for people with specific needs would allows people to customise the layout of their laptop for specific physical needs eg the position of ports or trackpad, additional or alternative input devices etc.
-
Ruggedised laptop, commercial ruggedised laptops are extremely expensive, ruggedised laptops cold be used for:
- children, with an additional handle like an OLPC and nice colours
- for environments with potential for impact damage and dirt
- for humid environments
-
21 inch laptop/desktop hybrid, many people use a laptop at home and want something large to watch films on but portability isn’t that important. Large screen laptops are kind of expensive, good quality screen laptops are all kinds of expensive. Desktop monitors are very cheap and lots are available second hand for under $20. A 21 inch laptop which can convert to a desktop using a removable bluetooth keyboard and a 360 degree hinge to allow ‘stand’ or ’tent’ mode.
-
Super nerd laptop Bring some of the ideas of the Sysadmin Laptop to life, mechanical keyboard, lots and lots of ports etc
-
Tamper evident secure laptop, physically locked laptop with innards and ports only accessible by opening laptop or damaging the case, the case has unique or intricate design that is hard to replicate.
-
48 hour battery laptop: lots and lots of battery capacity for people travelling a lot, without regular access to mains electricity etc.
-
Frankenstein's laptop, often laptops can be uneconomical to repair if a single component breaks, e.g keyboard or trackpad. Takes the guts of a dead laptop and reanimates them in a new case which allows cheaper alternative components to be used.
-
Phone laptop phone as laptop's brain, connect via standard USB connection to allow phones with different USB connections to connect.
-
Non 3D printed case, a version of the laptop using other materials to make the case for people without access to a 3D printer
Many technical issues are unanswered
- Not clear how to power screen and pi together from one set of batteries
- Not clear which screens would be possible to use e.g laptop screens, desktop screens, screens with specific power requirements etc
- Not clear how wires pass between the screen part of the laptop and the base
- How to add speakers
- How to add a microphone
- Mk0.0: A plan; introduction, design principles, potential versions, research fo potential components.
- Mk0.1: Show the component working together but working off mains power, basically just a RP desktop computer with a bluetooth media keyboard in a case for the bottom half of the laptop. STL files are on Github with simple instructions of how to assemble.
- Mk0.2: Show the components working together and working off some kind of battery, this will make clear which components can be used and are needed, if a desktop monitor panel can be used etc. Simple but complete instructions.
- Mk0.3: Show the Mk0.2 version fitted into a laptop case, a first working version of the design, updated STL files are on Github, simple but complete instructions.
- Mk0.4: A redesigned laptop case based on what was learnt from Mk0.3. Updated STL files are on Github with good quality build instructions. The first really usable version.
- Soon
- How to power RP 3B+ and large screen from set of AA batteries?
- How to turn desktop monitor screen into laptop screen that connects to RP?
- Raspberry Pi 4
3D printed in parts, printable on small printer e.g 150x150
- See list of existing Raspberry Pi based laptops with compatible licenses below
- Magnetically secured opening, magnets secured into front left and right edges of case by putting magnet in little pit and then glueing a lid on
- Lip on the bottom of the case like a Macbook to make it easy to open the lid
- Design mount points for screws with M3 nuts super glued in, possibly a recess for a M3 nut and then a cover glued on top
- Single board computer well protected inside, maybe additional case, no parts of the board sticking out. Take layout from existing case e.g this one.
- Battery connections https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:331394
- Clear Raspberry Pi branding with the Raspberry Pi logo on the lid
- Prototype 360 degree hinge: M3 bolts and screws, four parts to connect to the laptop and one long bar. Connected using M3 screws and two nuts on the end, glued washers where parts rub together, 8 washers per hinge, little channel under the washer for glue. Not sure if measurements for holes are correct to allow free movement yet
- A cable chain which could be adapted to protect the screen wires, 2, 3
- M3 washer dimensions
- M3 hex nut dimensions
Commercially available Bluetooth All in one media keyboard (with integrated trackpad) e.g Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard with Integrated Track Pad
- Cheap screen from a monitor (would require AC to DC conversion of some sort?)
- Or cheap off the shelf standard screen?
- How to power the screen? https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/the-eagerly-awaited-raspberry-pi-display/
- Don’t know
- Don’t know
- Raspberry Pi webcam
- Raspberry Pi Zero webcam?
- AA high capacity x16 or more? Or a LIPO battery or something else?
- How can the laptop understand battery capacity?
- Existing project https://www.raspberrypi-spy.co.uk/2013/02/running-a-raspberry-pi-from-6-aa-batteries/
Don’t know
- If charging through RP then RP charger
- If not then USB C
- Use an UBEC? e.g https://desertbot.io/blog/raspberry-pi-battery
- Don’t know
- Magnets?
- Catch? (Would this also trigger sleep?)
- Ports on the RP should be sufficient but additional ports could be added by using an off the shelf USB hub e.g https://www.anker.com/products/A7516011
- Mini Raspberry Pi Handheld Notebook by adafruit: CC BY-SA
- Raspberry pi laptop by surferboy: CC BY-SA
- Raspberry Pi 7 inch Laptop by Slowmo5o: CC BY-SA
- Raspberry Pi laptop for general everyday use by Mountainmanmachinest: CC BY-SA
- Budget solid Raspberry Pi laptop with 7 inch screen by bingliang: CC BY-SA
- Raspberry Pi and Arduino Laptop: CC BY-SA-NC
- PiTop: CC BY-SA-NC + GitHub repository
- Yet Another Raspberry-pi Laptop (YARL): CC BY-SA-NC-ND
- Novena:
- OMILEX TERES:
- **RasPSION
- **hgTerm