Project:DIY Laptop

This is a page for a project consisting to design and build a laptop from scratch.

The base electronics would be standard (bought/salvaged PC parts) but the hull and structural elements would be homemade.

3D models and instructions would be made freely available under open source licences of course.

The project is an idea by Endy and is currently not started.

Previous work

This: [1] [2] <- they designed their own motherboard and power board...

Creating a sound internal layout (no space lost, easy to assemble/disassemble, good ventilation and thermal distribution, pleasant form factor)
Actually making a hull that is robust and not too heavy.
- I am thinking of metal but high quality plastic like ABS may be a better option... but do we have any hardware to work with that.
- Or even fancy stuff like composites... at least those can be machined
- Wood could be a cool option, in a totally different style :)
That's part of the hull, but extra care for the hinges and the screen panel's reigidity.
Energy related stuff: choosing the right battery + connector, designing/finding and using the electronics for handling charging, regulation, energy management (ACPI and stuff), etc. (well probably not a major difficulty but just something I don't know yet)
- It is probably unrealistic, but for a further design it would be totally awesome to experiment with alternative power sources, such as fuel cells.