Rasptop in a box?

[Windmill]

I'm wondering if it would be possible to find a cheap 7" or 10" LCD screen and use that with a Raspberry in some kind of wooden box to make an easily and highly configurable low-cost laptop.

It'd be a little slow compared to all this quad-core stuff, but usable, and you could have any power supply you liked: a 6V. gel-cell topped up by a solar cell array, 5 NiMH D cells, 4 alkaline D cells, a car battery via a regulator, or mains.

The LCD might require some kind of voltage stepup device; 6v. to 12v. DC, or to 120v. AC (since monitors often run on 110-250v. AC).

A dongle could give Internet access via 3G or a hot spot, a Linmodem might give dialup access for use where there's only a phone line, a TV screen could be used where available, and a mini wireless keyboard could control it all (I just bought one with an optical trackball, scroll wheel, and nearly full keyboard for about 16.00 - nifty, works with Ubuntu, may well work with Raspbian).

The whole thing could be quite low in its power requirements.

Maybe some energetic young guy is already doing something along these lines and has thought it through a bit more?

Isn't this the sort of thing the designers had in mind for darkest Africa (or at this time of year darker Scotland) ?

[Ericp]

I was reading an article on this and they said there were loads of screens with HDMI interfaces that were being used with Rpis. Seems you will be spoilt for choice.

Seems quite an interesting project.

[The Natural Philosopher]

think its all for sale as a kit somewhere

[Theo Markettos]

Google 'Motorola Lapdock'.

Theo

[John Rumm]

Th Pi can also drive the industry standard LCD interface directly IIRC - so its easy to hook up phone style LCDs etc. Someone did a dinky 4" tall arcade machine using one, and running MAME.

[Bob Eager]

Our students have just built a floor standing two player arcade console with a nice big LCD screen, powered by a Pi.

[newshound]

An £80 7 inch android tablet gives you much of this in a very compact package.

[Brian Gaff]

This is the kind of thinking that produced the 80s micro computer boom of course but unfortunately a lot of the people in the world are not used to more sophisticated gear so any development like this has got to be really cheap or it will just be a curio. Brian

[Windmill]

That would probably take care of the power consumption problem which use of a standard LCD monitor would cause. Or an LCD display which could use ambient light, when bright enough, instead of a backlight, might help. Though I suppose LED backlights could be less power-hungry and easier to adjust for lower power when not needed. Not cheap though?

[Windmill]

But modifiying it is less easy!

[Windmill]

The problem may be in finding an LCD as inexpensive as an Rpi.

[Windmill]

Seems to cost more than the Rasp, and might be difficult to connect to it.