XBMC laptop

APHawkes · Post by **APHawkes** » Fri May 02, 2008 10:46 am

Hello all!

This is my first post, but I've been doing some pretty major reading here and from Ben's projects. Whew, what a wealth of information!

So, I have set it in my mind to build an Xbox Laptop. I know, not very original, but I have most of the materials, so why not? It should be fun. Now, I'm not out to make something awesome but will accept making something interesting. So, the plan is to buy very little, as little as possible, actually. Here's my materials.

Xbox v1.0 (I think) soft-modded (No, I'm not going to chip it)
Gateway FPD1510 LCD Monitor
NTSC -> VGA converter
Sintra - White, 3mm. About 18"x48"
Sheet metal from old computer cases.

This is my draft of how it may look. Something like this, anyway.

I'm still deciding on a color scheme (something white/silver probably), but I want to do a XBMC theme because I haven't seen one yet and I think it's an awesome project. My plan is to use all the standard xbox internals, just re-arranged to be wider and flatter. I'm hoping I can avoid putting an enormous lump on the back of the screen to house the LCD driver board. We'll see. Anyway, any thoughts, questions, or encouragement is welcome!

Website · Post by **Life of Brian** » Fri May 02, 2008 12:13 pm

Sounds like you're being fairly realistic about this project. I like it!

WhatULive4 · Post by **WhatULive4** » Fri May 02, 2008 2:48 pm

A breath of fresh air!

Negative_Creep · Post by **Negative_Creep** » Fri May 02, 2008 3:34 pm

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/104608

LoyalistRevolt · Post by **LoyalistRevolt** » Fri May 02, 2008 6:58 pm

What program are you using?

WhatULive4 · Post by **WhatULive4** » Fri May 02, 2008 7:47 pm

LoyalistRevolt wrote:What program are you using?

I'm assuming by the picture that it is called sketchup. Maybe this?

APHawkes · Post by **APHawkes** » Mon May 05, 2008 2:58 am

Yes, that drawing was done in Google SketchUp. My primary reason for using this product is because it's free, not because I particularly like it or have any experience with it.

Thanks for the link about the wireless keyboard with touchpad, but I think I'll keep things wired. I've been looking at the dimensions of all the components and all the wireless multi-media keyboards I've come across are simply too bulky. I think I may even ditch the touchpad completely - everybody I know has a mouse for their laptop because they hate touchpads.

For a keyboard, it'll probably be an Apple USB model. They're the thinnest I've seen, and they go naturally with the white/silver theme. I'll have to ditch the number pad, though. Oh well.

As it is right now, the "base" is going to be around 14.5" wide, 12" deep, and 2" tall. As for the "top", it's going to be just over 1" thick. The driver board for the LCD is simply not moving - it'll be on the back of the LCD. So, I have to decide whether to make the whole top that thick, or have a "hump". Another option is a curved back, but I'm not sure about that option either. We'll see.

When I get some free time I'll post a picture of the layout of the internals.

APHawkes · Post by **APHawkes** » Mon May 05, 2008 10:50 am

Here's a sketch of the internals. Not much to show, really, but it gives an idea.