A Raspberry Pi 2 laptop!

This is a step by step guide on how to make a Raspberry Pi laptop by yourself!

Step 1: Intro.

Okay, I got my Pi2 yesterday. And straight away I got an idea in my mind, ‘Why can't I do this?'
And I started building.

Step 2: So, the parts.

The parts were all from eBay. As I'm from India, shipping was pretty fast.. the monitor etc.. came from Shanghai, I got within 3 days with express shipping.

1. Car Backup Monitor 4.3″
2. Raspberry Pi 2
3. Chisel F2 Mini keyboard with touchpad
4. An 3.5mm to 3RCA connection cable
5. A 5V 2.1A Power Supply
6. A LM2596 dc-dc boost converter.
7. An old keyboard box
8. Some M2.5 nuts and screws
9. A good case for the Pi with mounting holes
10. Lots of patience
11. A weekend of spare time.
LETS GET STARTED!A Raspberry Pi 2 laptop!

Step 3: Firstly, format your SD card before going any further.

Download Win32 Disk Imager and SDFormatter. Format the SD card to the FAT32 system.
Then, considering you use a straight away Raspbian image, locate the .IMG file and burn it to the SD card.

Step 4: The case..

Choose a good strong case.

Step 5: Mount the Pi

Mount the Pi into the keyboard box using the 2.5mm screws.

Step 6: Monitor power…

Add the boost converter to the mix. Connect a 5v source to input, and a multi meter to the out. Adjust the screw near the blue component till you reach 12v at atleast 300-400milli amps.
Now, add a 2.1mm barrel connection (male) to the output. The jack is a included component with the monitor. Connect the inputs to the pin no. 4 and 6. Take care. I'm not mentioning gpio no. One wrong connected wire will fry both the display and the Pi.A Raspberry Pi 2 laptop! schematic

Step 7: Video source..

If you're using NOOBS, some extra work. For imagers, pretty fast. Connect the 3.5mm to 3 RCA jack to the TRRS port on the Pi. Now depending on your cable, you might have to reverse the video and right audio cable. Or worse, you might have ground and video out reversed on the cable. If the latter is the case, cut open the cable and using a multi meter, check the pin out of the 3.5mm jack.

Step 8: Audio..

For audio. Just use a 2 RCa to 3.5mm female port. I prefer to go diy.

Step 9: Connect the keyboard, mount the display, and you're good to go!

As above, never try to reverse ground and power.

 

For more detail: A Raspberry Pi 2 laptop!


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

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