That is pretty cool, I would not have the time, creativity and dedication to start something like that. Wanted to donate a nice comment. Best regards
FrameBook
81–90 of 99 posts
Re: FrameBook
#82> . i learned alot from this project, from how to solder,
This part is simply amazing, the "nothing is impossible" drive!
Re: FrameBook
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
could this not be solved by just getting a laptop and also carrying external kb and mouse?
I'd like it in a setup that makes usable as a portable without a lot of setup. IMO it is feasibly to disable the keyboard/trackpad and just put my keyboard on top but it isn't ideal.
This is so established a thing that it has a name: Sonshi Style.
https://dylanbaileywrites.medium.com/sonshi-style-an-obscure...
I have an external Thinkpad USB keyboard with full-travel keys, a built-in trackpoint, 3 physical buttons, and no trackpad. It cost me about £60 new, 3 years ago.
I use it with my MacBook Air when travelling, and a cheapo external USB-C screen with a broken laptop mount.
The MBA is slim, light, and 3 years on, its battery still lasts several days. It's perfectly able to do 8-10 hours of near-continuous use. But the keyboard and trackpad are awful.
So, external keyboard, external screen, pocket USB-C hub to connect them, which also gives me a spare full-size USB port and Ethernet.
If you don't need the battery life, I suggest investigating a ?20 era Thinkpad.
The X220 is quite portable and though the screen is small the keyboard is great and the range of ports good.
The T420 is moderately portable, has a decent screen and the i7 has a discrete GPU. Works surprisingly well with Wayland these days.
The W520 is not really portable at all but has a lovely big screen, tonnes of ports, and quad-core models have 4 SO-DIMM slots so 24 GB is cheap and 32 GB doable.
For all, get an i7 model, fit 2 SSDs and max out the RAM, and the result is perfectly usable in 2026 if you're a gamer or "influencer" who needs to edit video.
Cost, £200 or so.
And there's the 701 DS which has 2 screens, a numeric keypad, and a Wacom tablet built in.
Hard to find and expensive, though.
Re: FrameBook
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
Idk what the word for it is Hackintosh typically refers to running not-MacOS on apple hardware? Imo this project of removing almost all of the inner guts and using effectively a Frankenstein'd collection of things to reconstitute it into laptop needs a different word. If it were me I would choose Franekntosh
Hackintosh is running MacOS on non Mac hardware. During the time of x86 macos this was AMD or Intel PCs
> During the time of x86 macos this was AMD or Intel PCs
Still is.
A modern Hackintosh can run macOS 15 "Sequioa" and Tahoe still has x86 support and OCLP is working on it. It will happen in time.
Re: FrameBook
#85Wow, 64 GB of RAM. I'm really tempted to build a modern computer into an HP Jornada case. I really miss that form factor. It's pocketable yet has a usable keyboard.
I can only imagine a giant using the domestically-produced hardware of Lilliput.
Ha. I frequently visit this site to check out the latest little gadgets: https://liliputing.com/
Re: FrameBook
#86I love these project posts that take a design people enjoy and upgrade the guts.
I think they speak to the importance of good design in the objects we use the most. Function but also form.
When everything is mass-produced, everything is ill-fitting. Normalize tailoring.
Re: FrameBook
#87[deleted]
Re: FrameBook
#88I want a laptop form factor that is basically a briefcase with the display, computer and battery with space for a keyboard and mouse of some kind. I basically hate laptop keyboards/trackpads but want a portable computer. Plan on building my own at some point using frame.work components as the base but I haven't started on it yet. One day.
I want a lunchbox formfactor laptop that can be integrated into a Eurorack or used stand-alone.
Re: FrameBook
#89Can I just say again that I absolutely love what Framework's built/enabled? Between projects like this and things like the RISC dev board, they've immediately become the hacker supplier of choice. When they first debuted, I was skeptical they'd survive, but they've really shown you can build a successful company for a niche audience, and they've had a huge impact for the maker community.
DIYers are a core audience for us (along with Linux users), but actually we’ve had a lot of success with other audiences too!
Re: FrameBook
#90I remember these Macbooks did tend to break apart at the corners of the palmrests. But I like the idea of re-visiting Macbook plastic chassis w/ new inside. I would love to know what the weight is in the end. Can the old Macbook chassis lead to a lighter weight computer than the current 1.23kg Macbook neo and Macbook air?
> I remember these Macbooks did tend to break apart at the corners of the palmrests. Not the corners for me, but the "feet" of the topcase digging into the palmrest, which would splinter the plastic, then you'd have holes in the case and jagged plastic splinters digging into your wrist as you typed, not enjoyable. This: https://ismh.s3.amazonaws.com/2014-02-24-macbook-topcase.jpg is exactly what mine had, on both sid…
Mine had been upgraded from 4GB of RAM to 8GB, and I replaced the HDD with an SSD, and replaced the DVD drive with the original HDD for more storage. Was a nice machine for uni, I really loved it.