Putting an x86 UMPC in a larger enclosure...

[CBONE]

with a bigger screen and battery.

I was mulling this over...

1. I can get an Atom Z5XX windows-installed touchscreen UMPC with ~5 in. screen fairly cheaply. Right around $200.
2. I would rather have an Atom Z5XX tablet in the 8 to 10 in. range, also cheaply. Definitely not right around $200.


Why couldn't I disassemble the UMPC and reassemble it in a larger enclosure with a bigger screen and bigger battery?

I don't want to add anything (no 3G, no GPS, etc.). I'm fine with the existing functionality. I just want a larger touchscreen and any perks that might go along with that. I couldn't find any examples of anyone doing this or anything like it.

In the existing UMPC, the components are mashed on top of each other, and is about an inch thick in the existing enclosure. If I were to use a larger screen and a wider enclosure, could I make the enclosure thinner (1/2 to 3/4 in)?

I am envisioning going from something like this to

[Alphathon]

I would imagine that it is possible, but difficult. The screen connector/interface is likelly to be propriatary so you may have problems there. If you can get one with video out (VGA, DVI, HDMI etc) though, you may have more luck (by buying a complete screen/monitor and gutting it). Would likelly be quite thick and heavy though. Of course I'm not the most knowledgable on these things, but that's my understanding.

Also, WTF is up with that guy's thumb? I really hope that picture is 'shopped.

[CBONE]

I would imagine that it is possible, but difficult. The screen connector/interface is likelly to be propriatary so you may have problems there. If you can get one with video out (VGA, DVI, HDMI etc) though, you may have more luck (by buying a complete screen/monitor and gutting it). Would likelly be quite thick and heavy though. Of course I'm not the most knowledgable on these things, but that's my understanding.

Also, WTF is up with that guy's thumb? I really hope that picture is 'shopped.

Do you mean the enclosure that I want to move to? That uses an IPEX 20347-340E-12 connector for the 8.9 inch AU Optronics B089AW01 V0 screen.

I'm looking at just getting an enclosure w/ the screen minus the mobo guts and peripheral boards. Hopefully I hear something soon.

[Alphathon]

As I said, I'm really not the right person to answer this (maybe I should've just not said anything in the first place, because I really don't have much more to say) but I was under the impression that the display circuitry in most laptops etc was integrated into the hardware like the GPU is, and only certain panels can be used with them. Of course I could be completelly wrong. As you can see on the left, I'm almost as new here as you are.

[tom61]

It's possible to transplant another LCD to another laptop/umpc, but it is a bit difficult to get working. You need either mod the BIOS to support the screen directly, or run custom display timing software, otherwise you get weird things like partial displays. Then there's the hardware side, getting a cable to go between the UMPC guts and the screen you intend to use is often quite daunting. It is very likely that the transplanted motherboard does not have a IPEX 20347-340E-12 connector to mate with that display. You'll need pinouts for both the display and the controller, and a full datasheet for both would be a good idea.

In the existing UMPC, the components are mashed on top of each other, and is about an inch thick in the existing enclosure. If I were to use a larger screen and a wider enclosure, could I make the enclosure thinner (1/2 to 3/4 in)?

Not really, most of that thickness is dictated by the battery and the screen's thickness. A few things could be moved, but things like Wifi cards actually slot into the motherboard directly, and then fold down (like laptop memory, if you're familiar with it).

Have you considered just getting a used 10" tablet with a different processor instead?

[vskid]

Where the heck are you getting a UMPC with an Atom CPU for $200?

[tom61]

Where the heck are you getting a UMPC with an Atom CPU for $200?

Perhaps a hacked Clarion MiND is the intended core. (despite being billed as mobile navigation device, it is pretty much an Intel Atom powered UMPC)

[bicostp]

By the time it's all said and done, it might be more economical to buy a used or refurbed netbook with a 9" screen and make a tablet out of that.

[samjc3]

By the time it's all said and done, it might be more economical to buy a used or refurbed netbook with a 9" screen and make a tablet out of that.

this. this. this.

[CBONE]

Where the heck are you getting a UMPC with an Atom CPU for $200?

There are a ton of UMPCs out there with Atom CPUs other than the N270s. You can find a ridiculous number of those for 350 to 400+ (which is a rip, Intel was practically giving those away). You just need to look harder to find the desperate resellers in the $200 region. For whatever reason, people don't like the lower speed Z5XX series. I suspect that they believe it should be able to run World of warcraft or crysis, while decoding 1080P video. Plenty of refurbs that people brought back when they realized that XP on a 5 inch 800x480 screen sucks if you don't know what you are doing, companies that went out of business selling a rebadged commercial flop that short-sighted people didn't realize the potential of, etc.

[CBONE]

By the time it's all said and done, it might be more economical to buy a used or refurbed netbook with a 9" screen and make a tablet out of that.

Maybe. That doesn't sound nearly as interesting, though and it's been done before.

I got a line on a touchscreen with enclosure and battery on the cheap. Getting more info before I pull the trigger.