Seeking a challenging project for Raspberry Pi 3? Check out this Raspberry Pi Laptop using the official touchscreen and a 3D printed case.

This dinky Raspberry Pi laptop is simply fantastic. It’s a portable Pi project which combines the official 7-inch touchscreen to create a small laptop. If you’re looking to build a device with a small form factor for coding on the fly, this could just the ticket.

Maker Surferboy is the designer of the Raspberry Pi laptop, and has uploaded his blueprints to Thingiverse. The bill of materials (BOM) includes the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, the Raspberry Foundation display, plus an RII mini wireless keyboard and touchpad. The whole kit and kaboodle is held together with a 3D printed case.

If you’re not an experienced maker, however, you may want to sit this one out. The designer makes plain that that “this is not an easy project”. Skills required include a basic understanding of electronics and soldering.

You’ll also need to be prepared to remove parts from your Pi, which will completely void your warranty. “I accept no responsibility for any damages you may cause during this process,” says Surferboy. Consider yourself warned!

 

Raspberry Pi Laptop is Fruity Pocket Computer

To build the Raspberry Pi Laptop, you’ll need to begin by taking apart ports and connecting wires. That’s because Surferboy’s design doesn’t attempt to place all the Pi’s interfaces next to the outside of the case.

Instead, he’s removed the Ethernet and USB ports, and wired the USB connections directly to the keyboard, display, and a couple of external ports on the right-hand side of the case. This leaves the finished laptop with no Ethernet port for a thinner overall package.

The second key thing to note is that Surferboy ”will not go over every step of this build but I will try and give you a basic idea of how it goes together.” That may involve a fair amount of trial and error for the brave of heart.

The estimated costs for the entire build are around $140. This includes the computer, display, and keyboard. But if you don’t have access to a 3D printer, having it fabricated by a third party 3D printing service may drive up the cost even further.

Find the full details on Thingiverse to decide whether you’re up to the challenge.