On-the-go Desktop

Here’s a desktop you can take with you. [Rbean] built it at a hackerspace in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (go Badgers!) using very basic materials and techniques. The utilitarian construction of the wooden body reminds us of Cub Scout tool box projects. It features an open space in the top which house the keyboard and mouse during travel. The blue strap lets you sling all forty pounds over one shoulder, but we’d also love to see a thick dowel to go along with the toolbox concept we’ve got stuck in our mind.

The lower half of the case is removable, serving as the mounting area for what looks like a mini ITX motherboard, hard drive, and full-sized power supply. As you can see the LCD screen mounts to the side of the box which allows you to rest the unit on its side and protects the display if the whole thing were to be knocked over. [Rbean] mentions that he’d like to try another revision using aluminum instead of wood, but we like this version. The only thing we’d want to see added is a set of speakers mounted inside the case on either side of the monitor.

22 thoughts on “On-the-go Desktop

  1. It’s the tablet PC principle – a portable PC that weights as much as a granite tablet.

    Nice construction. I wonder how well this thing copes with the unwanted ingress of metal filings or sawdust.

    PS. is that one of those awesome IBM clicky keyboards?

  2. @DeadlyFoez — this does make sense for certain applications. I’ve got this 4-port T1/E1 PCI card that I would love to have installed in a portable platform for field testing, but sadly few laptops have PCI slots.

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