Tag Archives: Raspberry Pi

This chunky palm-sized DIY laptop cleverly hides a split ergonomic keyboard

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We’ve seen our fair share of small laptops over the past years, some of them made and sold by actual manufacturers, while others are works of love and passion by hobbyists. Tiny laptops, sometimes called palmtops, have the advantage of portability over normal notebooks, but they are terrible when it comes to comfort while typing. You can only cram so many keys in such a small space, forcing designers and users to perform finger acrobatics to activate additional keys. That’s not even considering yet the ergonomics of bending your wrists to fit your fingers in such a cramped space. That is the problem that this bulky “palmtop” tries to address by miraculously fitting a slightly more comfortable keyboard in a 7-inch space.

Designer: Daniel Norris

This contraption isn’t called the Chonky Palmtop for no reason. Unlike other DIY laptop projects, this one makes no qualms about being a large plastic brick. It’s not going to be usable on your palm, though you probably won’t use it like that anyway. After all, what makes this special is how it tries to make typing a bit more comfortable on a laptop of this size.

The secret is that it splits the keyboard into two halves, adopting a layout that is similar to those ergonomic keyboards you’d find in the market. Those, however, are giants compared even to regular keyboards, so the designer that created this wonder of engineering adopted a sliding mechanism that allows the halves to fan in and out as needed. Even this kind of keyboard layout is still no match for a proper typing tool, but it is loads better than the cramped keyboards on some 8-inch laptops.

That mechanism is one reason why this machine is so “chonky,” but it isn’t the only culprit. A full-sized Raspberry Pi 4 is used, along with additional components for the battery and the controller for the 7-inch touch screen display. Very few compromises were made, so these pieces are used in their full form, leading to a very large chassis to house everything. That and the keycaps themselves are your chocolate keyboard sizes, adding to the overall height of the laptop.

As with most DIY computers, assembling this one takes a lot of effort and soldering work. Fortunately, the thinking and designing involved are already done, and Daniel Norris generously lists almost everything you need. What software you run on this thing really depends on you, but the RPi itself is quite preferential to specific flavors of Linux.

Of course, it does raise the question of whether you’d even want to use a computer of that size for your everyday needs, but it also raises the need for better computer keyboards in general. Hopefully, laptop designers will figure out a mechanism like this that will enable ergonomic keyboards to fit in cramped spaces, making portable computers less of a pain, literally.

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Someone managed to fit an entire Raspberry Pi computer inside the body of a cassette

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This isn’t a throwback. If nothing, it’s actually a throw-forward. Designed to show how far we’ve come in a span of 4 decades, this cassette has a fully-functioning Raspberry Pi computer inside it running a ZX Spectrum emulator inside it. Hacked together by Stuart Brand, the cassette pays tribute to his first-ever computer, the ZX Spectrum. The ZX Spectrum was an 8-bit personal home computer developed by Sinclair Research. Ironically enough, Stuart would write programs on the ZX Spectrum and store them on cassette tapes. 40 years later, the entire ZX Spectrum computer can practically fit inside the same cassette’s plastic body, with a few minor adjustments made to allow the parts and ports to line up perfectly.

Designer: Stuart Brand

Making use of his time between jobs, Brand decided to head down to his garage and brush up on his tinkering and coding skills. “I wouldn’t have had a clue how to build any of this stuff before lockdown,” he said. “It goes to prove that you never know what you’re capable of until you give it a go.”

Faced with a space constraint, Stuart chose the Raspberry Pi Zero W for the project. “Cassette shells make for a great form factor,” he said, “I started with a plain black spare cassette shell and used a small hand file and side cutters to remove the plastic supports in preparation for fitting the heatsink.” The heatsink (shown at the top of the article) was created from scratch too, using a sheet of scrap metal and a bandsaw to fashion the crude shape of the metal heatsink. A Dremel, needle files, and fine-grit sandpaper were used to finesse the shape.

The 5mm interior of the cassette meant Stuart had to hack together his solution. To ensure that the PCB of the Raspberry Pi Zero W didn’t end up peeking out through the cassette’s two holes, he ended up carving out a portion of the PCB, ensuring the illusion was complete. Thankfully, this didn’t affect the functionality of his computer. “I lost some GPIO ports, but it was well worth it to get the tape looking right.” Stuart then cleverly used the top and the bottom of the cassette to house his ports, allowing you to easily connect cables to the device and get it working. That required a bit of cutting and sanding too, although it didn’t do anything to the cassette’s front profile, leaving it looking exactly the way it should. In fact, to complete his build, Stuart even printed labels that he would then stick on top of the cassette! He now uses his ZX Spectrum Pi Cassette as a ‘pick up and play’ device whenever he fancies “a quick bash at some old school gaming.”

Sadly, though, there aren’t any schematics for others to build their own ZX Spectrum Pi Cassettes. Describing himself as a haphazard tinkerer with little electronics experience, Stuart went into the project headfirst, with little planning or detailing, and with the entire process effectively mapped out in his head. “I don’t have any schematics to share,” he apologizes, “and never measure anything.” His only standing advice to people looking to emulate his build is to “leave far more room for cables than you think you’ll need.”

Stuart’s build was featured in this month’s official Raspberry Pi magazine MagPi issue 116.

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Pockit is a tiny modular computer that’s not only cute but also useful

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The dream of a modular computer you can keep in your pocket has been around for quite some time now. The idea of simply swapping out components for features you need at a moment’s notice is the stuff of science fiction, and a few tech fans and companies, including Motorola and LG, tried their hand at bringing modular phones to life. None stayed around long enough to actually be commercial successes, but that never stopped tinkerers from making their dreams come true. A lot of DIY projects have surfaced looking like weird Frankenstein experiments, but this working prototype is not only usable but also a bit pleasing to look at.

Designer: Anil Reddy

Unlike other attempts at a modular pocket computer, Pockit’s white exterior hides most of the ugly circuits you’d associated with DIY projects. Instead of daunting pins and cables, the system makes use of magnets and POGO connectors, those golden circles you’d find in many mobile accessories these days, to make connecting and removing modules as painless as possible. You simply have to lift them up or place them near the connection points, and they’ll easily snap into place.

The point of a modular computer is that you can add functionality at a moment’s notice without having to replace the computer itself. That depends on the number and features of the modules available, and Pockit has quite a large collection, ranging from sensors to LED lights to screens and keypads.

With such an easy-to-use modular system, there is almost no limit to what a single Pockit computer can do. You can use it to control smart home appliances, create entertaining light shows, or set up an ad hoc security camera. While there are products designed for specific purposes, the advantage of Pockit is that you can use the came base for another purpose when your needs change.

Since it’s running on an RPi, you have a true computer available in the palm of your hands. If you’re fine with a small screen and thumb-typing like in the old BlackBerry days, it could serve you as a mobile computer. You can, of course, also hook it up to a larger screen and use it as a desktop.

Pockit’s magnet-based modular system does mean that it might not survive your pocket, despite its name. The chassis for the base and modules are 3D printed, so there is also a potential for using more sustainable materials other than typical plastic. There is no word yet on whether its designer will turn Pockit into a commercial product or release schematics as open source, but its very existence proves the possibilities of a modular pocket computer that is easy to use and looks quite charming as well.

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This DIY pocket computer will make you feel like a cyberpunk hacker once you’re done

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If you’ve dreamed of making your own computer that looked straight out of a movie set, all the planets and stars have aligned to make it happen.

Although things called single-board computers have existed before it, the Raspberry Pi can be credited for giving birth to a new generation of creators, makers, and hackers that democratized processes that were once available only to big companies. Every day, the world is greeted with half a dozen or so “hacks” that try to solve a problem or even solve a problem no one thought was even a problem, using only off-the-shelf materials assembled together in garages or basements. Not all of them turn out to be useful or even attractive, but some do pique our interests, like this DIY pocket computer that actually works like a regular computer.

Designer: Penk Chen

Called the Penkesu Computer after its creator, the ultra-compact device that resembles a bulky communicator from the good old Nokia days has a distinctive charm despite its unpolished looks. While you probably wouldn’t use it for serious work, the wide but short laptop has the makings of a cyberpunk prop, specifically a cyberdeck that’s often used by characters to access the net or other computers. If you’re into that genre and style, the Penkesu Computer will definitely tickle your fancy, and it will undoubtedly turn heads if you use it in some cafe.

It’s not for sale, though, but makers and hackers will probably love even more the fact that you can make one yourself. Penk Chen has generously provided the exact list of materials and components to buy, as well as the pattern for 3D printing the enclosure. Almost anyone can freely follow in his footsteps, though you’d at least need to have access to a 3D printer.

There might be a bit of soldering involved, though a lot of the parts also just need to be plugged into each other. It isn’t a trivial project for beginners, but there are also variants of this kind of DIY project that are more involved and more complicated. It’s an endeavor that will definitely generate a euphoric feeling of satisfaction when completed, earning you your “hacker” badge.

The best part? This isn’t just a prop or toy device. The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W inside can actually run a full Linux-based operating system. You won’t be flying with it, of course, but it can still let you get stuff done, complete with a hacker feeling.

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The Thumby Is the World’s Smallest Game Boy

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The whole point of game systems like the Nintendo Game Boy was to make them small enough to carry in your pocket and play on the go. But what if you’ve got really tiny pockets?.. or really tiny fingers? Then you need the Thumby!

Created by TinyCircuits, the Thumby is by all accounts the world’s smallest handheld gaming system. It measures just 1.2″ x 0.7″ x 0.3″ and packs a Raspberry Pi RP2040 processor, 2MB of onboard storage, and a tiny 72×40 OLED screen. It’s also got a really small D-Pad and two buttons, but there’s no way I’d be able to push the right ones with my ape-like digits.

It comes pre-loaded with five retro-inspired games so you can start playing right away, but it’s also fully programmable. Connect the Thumby’s Micro USB port to your computer, and you can create your own custom games using MicroPython or the Arduino IDE. Plus, it’s built on an Open Source platform, which means modding and tweaking are encouraged. TinyCircuits also made it so you can play head-to-head by connecting two Thumbys with a link cable.

Best of all, Thumby won’t break the bank. You can pre-order a Thumby on Kickstarter now for just $19 for the classic grey color or $24 in a color case.

 

The folding iPhone may be more of a reality than concept, thanks to this YouTuber’s rough prototype

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If there was one person on the planet I’d trust with hacking together a folding iPhone, it’s Scotty Allen. Based out of Shenzhen (and for a good reason), Scotty has a penchant for tinkering with electronics and we’ve even covered some of his exploits before, including building his iPhone entirely from scratch, and even adding a headphone jack to the iPhone 7 after Apple famously removed the beloved feature.

Of late, Scotty’s been obsessed by the idea of a folding iPhone, so much so that he decided to embark on the journey of making one. Now this video is by no means anything close to what Scotty’s gearing for (and he even talks about the obstacles against him), but it’s an introduction to this new journey he’s planning on taking, and he even has a resourceful hacker-friend who can help him realize this dream.

So what is the video about? In short, Scotty managed to get his hands on a flexible display that he hooked to a control board and subsequently to a Raspberry Pi 4. The Raspberry Pi was then instructed to mirror an iPhone’s screen, bringing the familiar home page to the flexible display. The flexible OLED doesn’t even have a digitizer module, which means it doesn’t register touch functions either. Unfortunately, that’s about as far as Scotty’s gotten, because it isn’t as simple as putting a flexible display on a rigid iPhone and calling it a folding device. Both pieces of hardware need to communicate seamlessly, and Scotty mentions how difficult that can be, given that the protocol MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) isn’t exactly accessible to everyone and that you really need to be a major player to get access to the documentation and the NDAs. Moreover, iOS itself is a closed-source operating system, which means building a device that’s iOS-compatible is another challenge altogether. However, Scotty seems determined… and as someone who’s literally built an entire iPhone from scratch by buying parts off the roads and markets of Shenzhen, he’s quite literally positioned to be the one guy who can beat Apple to the punch when it comes to building the first folding iPhone!

Video Credits: Scotty Allen

The Ready! Model 100 is a Raspberry Pi enclosure for cyberpunk enthusiasts

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Thanks to their diminutive size and low-power consumption, single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi can come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve seen DIY enthusiasts like Guy Dupont put a $10 Raspberry Pi Zero W into the shell of a 2004 iPod Classic t...