Build your own Laptop

Kai

Hello,

Finding myself with a lot of spare time ive been thinking about building myself a laptop. I hear you all laughing already but im doing this as more of a learning experiance rather than designing a mobile supercomputer.
So basically im looking for any comments, advice, links to where i can get cheap laptop components. Also im probably not the first person to try this so i want to know of any past failures/successes.
I have good hardware and software knowledge having built 2 Desktop Pcs and have repaired numerous others so assembly shouldnt be too much of a problem. [Notice the optimism, ill give it a week of failed boots before that goes]

Oh yea i have no parts or anything yet so advise on what i should start with would be appreciated. im basically hoping to have it run win 98 with internet access and other similar apps, no heavy Image rendering or high detail Games.

Gerry

I won't laugh, tempting as that is, and try to be practical instead. You'll have a slight difficulty with the case no? Theres no standard for the layout of a laptop motherboard, and they aren't generally on sale to the public. The only way you'll be able to get a board or case is by knowing someone in an it department who can order direct from the manufacturer, or perhaps on e-bay if you are feeling adventurous. Whichever case you buy will dictate the motherboard choice and vice versa.

In short its a horribly impractical thing to do. If you are really good with electronics, the only route I could think of would be to make your own case, buy a screen, put a mini atx board like the shuttle fv24 into it. It wouldn't be super thin, but I suppose you could call it a laptop if you put enough work into it.

Lastly the fact that you want to run win98 on it tells me you haven't really kept up with the times. Why on earth would you put so much effort into building a machine, and then run that awful piece of crap on it when win2k is available?

Kai

Your right about the Case, most seem to be proprietary to the manufacturers so thats why im looking for advice on a good base system which will lead to the best Finished item if you like. I use win2k and XP on my Desktop Pc so i could put that onto the laptop when i get it built but i was aiming for win 98 due to system requirements.

On an interesting note i found this site
http://www.ruggednotebooks.com/
Kinda cool looking but would pull your arm off carrying them around.

Typedef

buy a screen, put a mini atx board like the shuttle fv24 into it

I've thought of building my own laptop in the past, the thing is that the case itself with a screen is worth somewhere in the region of £1,500 old money. That's what a replacement case cost Gateway give or take on a current laptop model.

Thus you have to go and buy a mobo, hard disk, screen & case (expensive) and then by some benovalence of the gods, make it all work, without breaking anything.

Get an OEM.

RicardoSmith

If I was you I alter your aim slightly and make it a portable desktop. Buy the smallest mini atx components you can and custom build a case and with a compnent lcd screen.

That said this is all goingt o be a lot more expensive than jsut buying a laptop, so you'd have to ask yourself what would be the point?

thegills

I know a colleage that went down this road before so I can offer the following advice,
1. Purchase the following itemPC Supply International
2. Install and commission one of the 2 desktops you have constructed
3. Move into a bungalow

Regards
The Gills

ironape

I've thought about this myself a few times. It's a tricky one. I had a laptop literally disintegrate on me. It's in about ten pieces in a box somewhere, the plastic of the case just cracked and chipped off until the machine was unusable. The guts of the machine itself are fine. I looked at the ruggedised ones, but they're too expensive.

So just recently I found these guys who sell little motherboards. They come with such things as ethernet, sound, vga, compact flash support, lcd support, tv out AND they're as small as 3.5 in. They run off 5v and they dont need a fan which is great because my old laptop would start wheezing every ten minutes when the fan kicked in.

So I have this old monochrome lcd that was from some old machine (a victor?) that I could hook up to it and use it as a command line machine on the go and hook it up to a tv/monitor when I'm at home. I was wondering about the possibility of spinning up and down the hard drive when I wanted some data off it and just running the os off a compact flash card (to save on batteries + the life of the HD). anyone know about this?

although this probably would all prove to be very difficult and probably not work out

criticism ne1?

Ape