
MNT Reform: DIY portable computer - mntmn
http://mntmn.com/reform
======
bradfa
Tiny quibble, but it's mentioned more than once in the article that the NXP
i.MX6 is an "ARM9" processor. It is not.

i.MX6 uses ARM Cortex-A9 which is very different from ARM9.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM9)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Cortex-A9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Cortex-A9)

~~~
mntmn
You are right, although I found only one place where this was stated. It is
corrected now. Thanks!

~~~
bradfa
There's also "ARM9" in the "fake amazon" pic from the article:
[http://mntmn.com/reform/photos/fakeamazon.png](http://mntmn.com/reform/photos/fakeamazon.png)

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nwah1
I prefer desktops because they are more modular, which gives me the ability to
precisely choose components and upgrade incrementally. This also helps foster
a competitive marketplace without thirty layers of vendor lock-in.

However, I'm not against laptops intrinsically, and if someone could make a
modular one I'm all for it. When paired with a docking station connected to
multiple monitors, keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc then laptops lose most of
their downsides in terms of productivity and ergonomics.

My love of mechanical keyboards is a limiting factor, of course, but this
keyboard looks half way decent.

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flavio81
This is just fantastic, because it gives us laptop owners a way to prevent
"planned obsolescence". I'm very sure many of us HN readers would like not
only to repair our computer ourselves {which can already be done with regular
laptops, to a certain extent}, but also to _upgrade_ them fully.

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Animats
This is very much like the Novena[1] laptop from 2014.

[1] [https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-
kosagi/novena](https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/novena)

~~~
mntmn
Yes, I referenced the Novena multiple times in the article. I also read
bunnie's book, The Hardware Hacker. While Novena is a brilliant pioneering
effort, you have to spend 550$ only on the board, though. Our board is less
ambitious and cheaper, though, and we target a complete DIY package including
a "chassis" in the 500-600 EUR range.

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equalunique
Exciting project! That thing looks like a lot of fun.

I agree on the trackball.

I'm interested in having something like a XD75RE ortholinear keyboard on it.
Using all 1x1 keys should simplify the build.

~~~
gcoda
i have DIY ortholinear keyboard. 1x1 spacebar, and lots of usefull buttons
under my thumb, i was thinking about making it low powered portable device
which can work as a regular keyboard, onion or raspberry with small powerbank
an 7" screen. I really hate modern laptop keyboards, we can make them so much
more usefull and convenient, but yet, all fancy new devices come with ancient
typewriter layout which was result compromise resulted from engineering and
mechanical challenges. We have no mechanical challenges now, but still using
misaligned, less usable keyboards, why?

Pure opensource device would be really nice, i am not willing to waste money
on MS Surface(it can run linux well, and i can use my keyboard with it) or
experiment with low powered cheap raspberry, should be enough for typing
notes, communication, and vim, something more powerful with proper keyboard,
or just a tablet would be perfect for me

~~~
khedoros1
I hate the tiny key travel, flat keycaps, removal of pgup/down/ins/del, and
putting the function keys as secondary functions of media keys I never use.

> We have no mechanical challenges now, but still using misaligned, less
> usable keyboards, why?

Inertia. And I have trouble finding an intuitive reason why an aligned grid
would make typing easier; just sounds like something slightly different for my
muscle memory to adjust to. I can imagine something like the combination of
aligned keys spread into a slight arc shape being nicer, just because of the
angles involved.

~~~
gcoda
Grid is a bit more intuitive for me, i am not sure how curves and arcs will do
for me, grid is really easy mental map, befor this grid keyboard i was not
10-finger typist, now i am, even on regular keyboards.

Biggest downside of regular keyboard - spacebar lots of useless space, put 5
buttons instead of one, your thumb can push a lot of buttons while other
fingers do not leave home row, make 2 of them space, shift, ctrl, backspace
buttons under your thumb. This is main reason ErgoDox or Kinesis are good, and
regular backspace and return key position sucks, keeping index finger on J
while pressing Backspace with pinky is a challenge that moves your palm.

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pkamb
I'd go with a ThinkPad X60 or T60 keyboard + trackpoint plugged in via the
ribbon cable. Hundreds of them on eBay + many loyal fans looking for a modern
housing.

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holtalanm
This is really cool. I've wanted to do something similar for a while now. I've
lately just taken to buying stupid cheap laptops from chinese manufacturers.
That way if they go belly-up I'm not out more than a few hundred dollars.

I may have to try building one of these sometime though.

~~~
zipwitch
I keep having similar thoughts as well. Something based around a raspberry pi,
with a thinkpad style keyboard, including the pointer stick. Then have a small
(~7inch) touchscreen and you're good to go.

I've been inspired by this:[https://gizmodo.com/heres-a-pretty-legit-
gibsonian-cyberdeck...](https://gizmodo.com/heres-a-pretty-legit-gibsonian-
cyberdeck-1787039243)

~~~
bovine3dom
Have you heard of the GPD pocket [1]? It's not so far from what you describe,
although I often find myself wishing it had an extra inch or so: the keyboard
is pretty cramped.

[1] [https://www.windowscentral.com/gpd-pocket-
review](https://www.windowscentral.com/gpd-pocket-review)

~~~
zipwitch
I hadn't heard of the GPD (thanks for sharing). I have been keeping an eye on
the Gemini: [http://www.zdnet.com/article/a-retro-computer-brings-
touch-t...](http://www.zdnet.com/article/a-retro-computer-brings-touch-typing-
to-a-smartphone/)

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gandreani
An e-ink option is mentioned but I wonder where they can even find a supplier
for the screen. I looked but could never find one.

And I love this. I would buy one in a heartbeat

~~~
jerrysievert
it looks like 9.7" e-ink displays are pretty easy to source, I wonder if a
bezel around it would help move toward an e-ink display.

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chx
This has a PCIe x1 if I gather correctly. Not sure how would you attach a USB
C chip to that.

Speaking of, I really would love if someone assembled a tiny computer with an
USB C socket on one end and an M.2 key M (just PCIe 2.0 x2 is enough) with a
simple copying firmware thus creating an external enclosure for M.2 key M
disks. As Intel does not allow selling Thunderbolt enclosures empty there
really is no other way. But, this could work and while 10 gbps is not the
fastest, it's still quite a bit faster than 6 gbps SATA... Right now, the
cheapest you can get is the BOXNUC7I3BNK and then probably run networking over
Thunderbolt which is stupidly limited to 10gbps as well...

~~~
mntmn
You probably mean USB 3.1 for which PCIe 2.0 x1 Bandwidth seems not
sufficient, but USB-C can also serve USB 2.0 and charging independently of
that, or am I wrong?

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Pfiffer
Notably this is the same person behind InterimOS[0], which is a from-scratch
OS targeted at the raspberry PI.

0: [http://interim-os.com/](http://interim-os.com/)

~~~
unkown-unknowns
That link has an interesting write-up which includes a story about a computer
he made himself using a micro-controller and then it goes on to talk about
making the OS for the Raspberry Pi and also has some criticism of the
Raspberry Pi. Would recommend reading.

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morganvachon
Interesting. It's a bit of reinventing the wheel (Novena, Pandora/Pyra), but I
can definitely see the appeal. This is a way to truly "own" your own system,
because you have complete control over every aspect of its existence.

~~~
sp332
The Novena is a really cheap reverse-engineering work station but it's also a
really expensive underpowered laptop. I think this is a different class of
device.

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freekh
This is exactly something I've been looking to do for myself. Highly
inspiring!!!

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jaclaz
A side note, and probably I am completely wrong, but wouldn't it be possible
to use/find a suitable pre-made "normal" mini keyboard?

It seems to me a lot of work to assemble even the keyboard, switch by switch
and cap by cap...

For a small project I made (using an old decommissioned "thin client") I used
and el-cheapo (paid it some 5 Euro) mini USB keyboard, and while surely it is
not a model M, it feels much better than a number of "recent" laptop keyboards
(with 0 or almost 0 key travel) I happened to try.

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akhilcacharya
This is really cool! One of my dreams is to own a modern Tandy 100/200 - a
hackable, portable ARM machine that preferably lasts forever (hopefully the
battery thing is straightened out..)

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blacksmith_tb
Two rows of function keys! That's an interesting design decision, I suppose as
long as you have the real estate, why not.

~~~
mikejmoffitt
There is only one row. The one below the top is a strange and alien one called
"number keys".

~~~
blacksmith_tb
Sure, I am used to them being doubled up on laptops, nice to have dedicated
keys for a change.

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mwcampbell
Interesting. Does this have a built-in speaker or speakers? What about a
headphone jack?

~~~
mntmn
The first prototype doesn't have speakers, but I want to include some in the
second prototype. This is something that I missed putting in the article. For
sound/headphone jack, I am currently using a tiny Renkforce USB audio adapter.

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yipopov
It was very mature of them to admit defeat on the trackpad and put a trackball
on it instead.

A lot of big PC manufacturers really shouldn't bother putting trackpads on
their computers until they manage to manufacture or source a decent quality
one.

~~~
mntmn
Happy to see the love for trackballs here. I was using a trackball as a relief
from hand joint pain and found it kind of nice and more exciting than a
mediocre trackpad. (But: the idea is to have the input/pointing device of your
choice!)

~~~
O1111OOO
Looking at the thickness of the device (I do realize you want to thin it out a
bit), I would use the area as a storage bin for a wireless mouse:)
Seriously... I'm not kidding - I can't get comfortable with anything else.

I can imagine having a sliding panel in that area that closes securely and
seamlessly - so as to blend nicely with the casing.

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jlebrech
why reinvent the wheel on keycaps?

I want to turn my 60% keyboard into a C64 clone and the full keyboard would
have fit in there. also would have just used an ipad for a screen.

~~~
sspiff
Openness of their component parts was a key goal. Reusing a legacy keyboard
and using a super-closed platform like an iPad to get a display going seems
really counterproductive in that regard.

Additionally, how would you link the iPad display linked to an i.MX board in
the first place? Some kind of remote desktop app? Sounds like a terrible
solution to me...

~~~
equalunique
Amazon sellers have replacement iPad screens going for less than $50.

Open source display adapters do exist: [https://hackaday.com/2014/03/12/an-
open-source-ipad-display-...](https://hackaday.com/2014/03/12/an-open-source-
ipad-display-adapter/)

~~~
unkown-unknowns
Someone in the comments linked a cheaper alternative:
[http://abusemark.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&...](http://abusemark.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=47)

Seems that the firmware for this cheaper alternative is not open source but
from what I gather it doesn't need any proprietary drivers on Linux. Since it
interfaces over Display Port and USB I don't think it should be able to do
anything nasty so the closed firmware doesn't matter much IMO.

It's not clear to me whether either of the one you linked and the one I linked
has touch support.

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agumonkey
Nice attempt, too many regressions.

Needs just a bit more aesthetics, compute* and ios.

