I'm really tempted to build a modern computer into an HP Jornada case. I really miss that form factor. It's pocketable yet has a usable keyboard.
On one hand, it would’ve been cool.
On the other hand, at the time netbooks were becoming common and were essentially taking the spot of those kind of devices (jornada 728 etc).
Its screen is nice, and there looks to be plenty of room inside. I have been keeping an eye on options for putting something else inside. Its mostly the power delivery for the display that I think is beyond my skill that's holding me back.
https://community.frame.work/t/i-converted-a-macbook-into-a-...
But now I'm just thinking of it as a solid box with nice screen and keyboard attached.
https://www.cultofmac.com/how-to/exchange-your-cracked-macbo...
But I like the idea of re-visiting Macbook plastic chassis w/ new inside.
I would love to know what the weight is in the end.
Can the old Macbook chassis lead to a lighter weight computer than the current 1.23kg Macbook neo and Macbook air?
Not the corners for me, but the "feet" of the topcase digging into the palmrest, which would splinter the plastic, then you'd have holes in the case and jagged plastic splinters digging into your wrist as you typed, not enjoyable.
This: https://ismh.s3.amazonaws.com/2014-02-24-macbook-topcase.jpg is exactly what mine had, on both sides.
Shame because it was the last macbook that was really easy to upgrade: the battery was removable (with a simple lock), and behind it were the RAM and 2.5" drive slots.
The next generation was not that hard but you had to unscrew the entire bottom shell, and the battery was glued.
It was my first Apple laptop and I have fond memories of using it during my college years.
Did the same years later buying up first gen iPod Nano and trading them in for sixth gen because of the battery recall.
that said, practice soldering, the insulation on those wires[0] and the sheer distance that they wicked solder upwards makes me really wonder how much heat got dumped into those tiny pads!
[0]: https://fb.edoo.gg/assets/images/image06.jpg?v=86ae0ddf
Long term, that may need to be redone. Really want less exposed wire in the final product, tin the tips of the wire first so they don't suck up the solder and trim to the appropriate length(only a bit bigger than the size of the pads at most). This is a good example on tinning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPF4wpXX9Q And if you need to expose a lot of wire then just use some heatshrink so it's not exposed once you're done.
In a perfect world, you'd want to remove all the existing solder and then re-solder everything. But de-soldering can be its own skill and isn't always strictly necessary. Just something more to work toward.
