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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : An upgradable laptop in this modern world....
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
This is quite interesting! Upgradable laptop.... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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Mixtel90 Guru  Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6798 |
After seeing that video Apple is so far down my list that every model they have made has dropped off the bottom completely. I wouldn't even consider used Apple laptops at bargain prices. If I had the money I'd pre-order one of these immediately because, quite simply, this is how laptops should be made. :) Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3150 |
>Upgradeable On the other hand, some months ago I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad i7 T440s off of ebay, like this $99 one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225629313684 I upgraded to 12GB (the maximum). I had a special purpose, but tried it as my main laptop (it is much lighter than the old one). I'm a fairly heavy user, but it works perfectly. I bought a second one because I like to have a backup, bought a third one for my wife, and a fourth one for a relative who had been accessing the internet through his xbox. On that one I had to replace the RTC battery. So for under $500US, I got 4 highly satisfactory, fast, light laptops. I've only bought used for over a decade now, and have been quite happy. YMMV. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6798 |
I've nothing against buying or even scrounging s/hand tech. I do it myself. :) However, if I've bought something I feel that I therefore have the right to mess with it and no manufacturer should be allowed to lock me out by any means - it's my gear, I've paid them for it. It's not theirs. Fair enough if I've specified and paid for, say, an IP68 phone - I expect it to meet or exceed IP68 and I realise that there will be some sort of sealing going on, but I won't accept that the seal should prevent access to the insides. I know very well that you can make IP68 (and even long term sea water immersible) equipment without gluing everything together. It's been done for many years now. [RANT] I wish UK companies disposed of their tech stuff at affordable prices while it still has useful life in it. It doesn't work like that here. Everything has to be run into the ground or until it's so outdated that it's not worth paying for. Or, while it's still good, it's snapped by specialist companies and sold at about 75% of full market price. Not much filters down to the amateur experimenter. I sometimes look at US forums where they say "Why buy that cheap rubbish when you can get a s/h <some posh name> for peanuts"? By the time those peanuts have traveled from the US to the UK the price has more than quadrupled, that's why. "Only $35 + shipping and taxes" can be well over $200 by the time it gets here. If something is to be shipped by US Post then give up. The shipping charges only start at 10x the item value. If they'll ship to the UK at all, that is. While I'm on one... How do nteinc make money? I've been trying to find NTE2633 and NTE2634 transistors. They have no distributors outside the US and will only sell to US, Canada and US Virgin Islands. Well, that was the other day. I can't get their web site at all today. Maybe they've gone. [/RANT] . Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 4247 |
There are Philips equivalents, but probably just as hard to get. I may have some in a drawer somewhere... BFQ232 and BFQ252 These can be found on E-bay. Volhout Edited 2023-06-22 00:38 by Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6798 |
Well spotted! I can get those from Cricklewood Electronics in the UK. :) Not cheap, but still cheaper to use a video amp followed by those than most of the proper buffer amplifier chips. I'll have to save up my pennies... Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2129 |
What's it cost? normal people don't mess with their laptop/toaster/washing machine. just use it. what happens if they go bust? |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6798 |
It's expensive - as is an Apple laptop - but what did you expect? However, you can change the battery yourself and swap a USB-C socket for a USB-A if you want to. Or a COM port. Or take a USB-socket out to plug an audio jack in its place. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2129 |
I got a Dell I5 used laptop from Vulu for £105 only 250G sdd but changeable as is the battery and could add more. not a better screen though. |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3150 |
Seems like the hard way to go about it (as well as expensive). You can change the battery on almost every laptop I've ever had (same with memory and hard drive/SSD on most); adapter cables for USB-A to C and vice versa are cheap; USB audio modules are $2-$3. What's the actual benefit? The thing I have most wanted from the laptops I have owned going back to the early 90s is for them to be lighter. The T440s fits the bill for me--and that's something a fixable laptop is not likely to be able to have fixed. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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| stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2129 |
My used laptop is much lighter/slimmer than my other laptops using 18650. phone battery. lasts hours. win 10. hdmi and vga out. no blue tooth it seems though |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6798 |
I'm not quite sure that you are getting the idea though... It's not just that the laptop can be fixed, it can be fixed and upgraded by the user with no special tools, chemicals, glues, workshop equipment. You can change the hard drive while sitting on a train if you have somewhere to pop the screws (and the base screws are captive). Above all, you are *encouraged* to upgrade it rather than buy a new one. Removed parts can easily be re-used on a different one. Yes, it's expensive, but there's nothing else on the market that has those abilities. That same shell might be kept for ten years or smore, with multiple upgrades and repairs done by the user at no additional cost other than that of the parts and no sending it away to get it fixed. It's a laptop that you *own*, not rent from a manufacturer. As for the ports, you could have a RS485 port or a fibre optical port or a PicoMite port module (they all plug into standard USB-C inside so third party manufacturers can make them). You do need to have one USB-C port accessible while it's not being used to plug the charger in though as there's no charging socket! Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 3804 |
Olimex make a laptop which I think you're meant to be able to upgrade. It's self-build IIRC. I stopped taking much notice at that point as I don't want to do that and anyway like others I buy used ones and stick Linux on them. Cheap & very fast. John |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6798 |
Cost isn't the issue here. It wouldn't matter if it cost 10,000,000 UKP. It's the ethics of there being a proper, usable laptop that doesn't look like a pile of cheap junk, is completely under the owner's control and isn't totally locked into one particular manufacturer for life. On those grounds, funds permitting, I would buy one. In reality I'm happy to use my second-hand ancient laptop until it finally dies then I'll throw it out and probably buy another ancient second-hand laptop. Incidentally, Framework also offer their system as self-build I think. You choose the modules you'd like and they send you a box of bits to assemble and put your own OS on. It's customised from day one by you. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2350 |
the price is high, in good part, because of the small volumes they will sell - compared to other more mass-market offerings. i do like the concept, but personally buy used netbooks for my 'portable computing' needs for around nz$60 each. i've got (slightly more than) several of these. HP stream 11: N3060 processor, 4gb RAM, 64gb eMMC flash, 2x USB, HDMI video out, micro SD slot, WiFi A and N, bluetooth. in my experience, the biggest killer for laptops of any variety is the (inevitable) battery failing. buying a replacement battery is usually not economic. there is no good reason why: (a) onboard battery power shouldn't come from 4x or 6x 18650 cells in normal spring-clip holders. while this would add to the thickness a little, it would not be by much, and, (b) charging should be from any simple/generic 'dumb' 12v DC source. with the netbooks i use, i am sorely tempted to design some sort of 'backpack' bolted under the machine to extend the case that can hold two banks of 18650 cells to replace the 2x internal 'pouch' cells. unlike most, the HP BMS can tolerate cells being disconnected and reconnected without permanently disabling itself. cheers, rob :-) |
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| stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2129 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeCdBVHYa_8 |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6798 |
A seriously cool system... :) Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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