1

I always wanted to make a Raspberry Pi laptop and when I saw the various videos and tutorials on how to use the Atrix Lapdock to make one I was impressed. The one problem that I had was that when using this setup, you have the Pi with some cables hanging out the back and no enclosure to put it in. So, I looked around and couldn't find any enclosure for the lapdock or any way to put the Pi inside of it. So my question is: can (or should) I put the Pi inside of the Lapdock, or can I design or find a case to suit it (so there aren't wires all over the place)? If this is a repeat question (although I don't think it is) please link me to a solution. If there is something existing that I missed please tell me.

Thanks!

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

I've got some experience with using the Pi together with a Lapdock, and know some other people that have done it as well. Provided you have a Rev. 2 Model B or later, you can back power the Pi from the Lapdock, so you only need two cables, the HDMI and micro USB.

Short cables, less than 30 cm, are best at removing that cable clutter. Around 15 cm is best if you can find them thin enough that they remain flexible. A micro-hdmi extension to a HDMI to micro-hdmi adapter works well. With this, even if the Pi is hanging out the back, you can generally safely move things around. The best tidy solution I've seen is to stick the Pi to the back of the Lapdock's screen. Suguru reportedly works pretty well for that.

One more thing to keep in mind is that when opening/closing the Lapdock lid the power to the Pi cuts off momentarily. A 5V super capacitor hooked up to the +5V and GND GPIO pins solves this problem nicely.

Some photos:

Improve this answer
2
  • If I was to use Sugru, how exactly would I go about sticking it to the back of the Lapdock? The tweet that picture is from is not very helpful.
    – user3832611
    Commented Jan 25, 2015 at 15:53
  • Two or more ways. 1. use sugru to hold mounting nuts (pic above) or small hex standoffs . 2. use sugru to hold the corners of the board directly
    – lxx
    Commented Feb 12, 2015 at 22:49

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.