What I mean is-
- You probably have a dead, chonky Thinkpad
- You use a pre-built x86_64/Arm/RISC-V SBC, or design entirely new motherboard around the case
- Replace the ports with modern options
- Use modern Li-ion batteries
- Swap the display with newer matte IPS panels, or pOLED, etc
Any one who has worked on a project like this?
there were some restomods, like the X62.
I wanted to do something similar with a 2007 17" macbook pro. they have LOTS of space inside and the keyboard, touchpad, camera, etc are all USB, so reusing them would be easy.
The Panasonic SV1 looks very similar to the 2007 MacBook Pro. It has that post-95 Japanese business laptop vibe. And it comes with the latest Intel Core Ultra 1 processor. And it is also semi-rugged!
And personally, the Macbook 2006 looks really stunning. It reminds me of how Asus tried to copy the same chonky hybrid workstation with their own touch of gaming book in their Zephyrus line of gaming laptop.
About the IBM devices, I was probably not even born, which sucks. But the closest thing I could experience was the Compaq laptops from the pre-2010s era.
yeah, I wanted a board from a busted laptop and then transplant it along with the battery - plenty room inside.
then, all you’d need is a display controller that attaches to the motherboard’s HDMI and drives the display, those are like $20 on aliexpress. everything else is USB and can easily be soldered to USB connectors; the later unibodies would be way more difficult in that regard.
all there’s left is to incorporate some USB hub inside and that’s it.
