Converting my old Acer 5920G into a Console - The Basics

I already wrote about this idea in the gemlog ¹ and I also assembled a quick-n-dirty partslist ² (which I promised to update and didn't); but I want to give it the project a proper place and a bit more detail.

The Basic Idea

Why Bother

Ever since as a teenager I found an Atari 800XL and an Amiga500 just dumped on the street, I have been infatuated with the look of old computers. I am also discovering how "underpowered" computers are actually quite powerful, given you have clear expectations and tailor the software to your hardware. With ESP32's and Raspberry Pi's we see more and more 'single purpose computers', and with the insane and unhealthy things we use computers for there is significant pushback with "distraction free" devices: dumb phones, or things like the FreeWrite. ³

Then there is also the idea of Permacomputing, which I like more and more. I hate waste, and I absolutely love bringing presumably "useless" things to life. I really believe in buying second hand and in repairing things. Sometimes it is because I can grow attached to certain things on an emotional level - e.g. I had my first 386 computer for AGES, and I really loved it, or e.g. I never intend to part with my first pair of boxing gloves.

So I have this old Acer 5920g, my first computer that I bought entirely out of my own money, the first computer I actually worked for. It's a pretty reliable, albeit not the most convenient machine to carry around. I have no use for it, really, but I am wondering whether I could upcycle it properly, and turn it into a console / cyberdeck like machine.

Junk Only

Part of the idea is an exercise in recycling junk. I want to keep the price really low, and use the least amount of new things on the inside. Whenever I can I will buy second hand things, or recylce materialss. I want to rescue as much stuff from the landfill as possible. Admittedly, I won't be able to recylce 100% - e.g. I think the video card is busted in the laptop and it will likely need a replacement.

No moving parts

No moving parts means greater portability, no noise, and possibly fewer points of failiure.

The moving parts in the current laptop are:

• HDD: this can be replaced with an SSD
• CPU / GPU fans: The processor has, according to Intel,⁴ a TDP of 35W, so I should get away with a cheaper heatsink

Parts I Have Thus Far

The Laptop itself:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 1.83 GHz
• 15.4" screen at 1280 x 800 pixels
• 4 GB DDR2-SDRAM 2 x 2 GB
• 320 GB HDD
• AMD Mobility Radeon HD 3470 0.25 GB (Dead)

An activation locked iPad 3 I bought off eBay:

• Screen
• Battery (if I want to keep it)
• WiFi antenna etc
• Speakers

Parts I Need To Get:

• New GPU. Possibly upgrade to HD4650 1GB but any MXM-II card would do (~ £30)
• Gigantic heatsink (£50 tops)
• Mechanical keyboard I can turn into a keyboard panel
• Mountable USBC sockets
• LCD Display board for the iPad screen (£15)
• Pogo Pins (£2-4)
• HDMI Breakout connectors (£2)
• USBC power delivery supplies
• Possibly an extra ExpressCard module to add USB 3 ports (that I can then turn into USBC connectors).
• Flat ribbon cables for connecting things around
• A clue about making the case.

Stuff I need to build

• The case. In two minds about this. Either something 3D printed, or actually CNC carved. Or, something made out of wood: CNC milled or made up of bamboo ply boards.
• Possibly a frame for the screen to match.

Hardware Ideas

• As noted above, something that resembles those beatufilly designed computers of old. The Atari 800XL and 600XL remain the best designed computers in my eyes, as far as aesthetics go, ⁵ but the Commodore +4 is pretty sweet, too.
• Detachable screen. I'd like to add an iPad screen to it, but I want to convert the iPad screen to use a 20pin pogo connector for HDMI. It would have its own slot on the top / on the back.
• Built-in mouse / trackpad. This is tricky as they're difficult to get. And those indulstrial-type "keyboard with trackball" modules cost an arm and a leg.
• Physical switches, knobs, sliders. Everything that can be controlled via a phyisical slider controller, should be. I might need to wire up an ESP32 as a "multimedia keyboard" controller.

Software

Again, in two minds about this. I would wish to keep the power consumption and heat to the minimum; so I am inclined to go terminal first, and build a custom TUI as a launcher, which would then give me options to open terminal-based / TUI based things. Software I would want available:

• Neovim
• WPUnix possibly
• Some kind of calendar
• Some kind of e-mail client
• CLagrange / Offpunk for Gemini browsing
• w3m or carbonyl⁶
• An eBook reader of some sort

=> ¹ My Journal, 2024-05-19: "The Level of Tech Insanity in 2024". | ² Parts list | ³ FreeWrite | ⁴ Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5550 | ⁵ GemiPedia: Atari 8bit Computers | ⁶ Carbonyl