A Pi Laptop That Is a Slice Above

The Raspberry Pi line of single-board computers is unquestionably one of the most important and versatile sets of tools available to hardware hackers and makers of all stripes. These tiny computers power just about every type of gadget that you can imagine (and plenty that you cannot imagine as well!). In recent years, they even made their formal debut as a respectable desktop machine with the release of the Raspberry Pi 400 computer-in-a-keyboard.

Given the portability and energy-efficiency of Raspberry Pi computers, it may come as something of a surprise when one first realizes that they have not really made much impact in the world of laptop computing. Sure, you can find plenty of unusual tablet-like devices or science fiction-inspired cyberdecks that members of the Hackster community and beyond have built, but there is very little by the way of polished, professional-looking laptops. You know — something you can carry on to a flight without first having to endure a lengthy questioning session with a suspicious TSA agent?

Helmar Waiczies, a 3D printing enthusiast and member of the Hackster community, set out to right this wrong by building the Ultimate 10-inch Touchscreen RPI5 Laptop. Not only does this laptop look great, but it is built entirely of commercial, off-the-shelf components and a 3D-printed shell, so anyone with a bit of making experience can craft their own. Waiczies has even been kind enough to write-up this detailed assembly guide to make the build a breeze.

At the core of the laptop is a Raspberry Pi 5 8GB computer. If you do not have that exact model, you could substitute another, or even a Raspberry Pi 4 if you want. Of course the more powerful of a model you use, the better the laptop will perform. This was paired with a Waveshare 10.1-inch Capacitive Touch Display, which adds both a comfortably-sized screen for viewing and a modern form of input. With a Waveshare PCIe to M.2 Adapter Board, Waiczies was also able to connect an SSD drive, which significantly improves system performance and reliability when compared with an SD card. A Fintie Bluetooth Keyboard was selected to provide the user with a pleasant typing experience, and the remainder of the parts list mostly includes a variety of adapters, cables, and power management hardware.

The case was custom-designed using a CAD application, then was brought into reality with the help of a high-quality 3D printer. It was carefully designed to perfectly fit each component, and care was taken to properly vent everything for cooling purposes. Ergonomics were also carefully considered when making the sleek-looking case, so it should also be nice to work with. Assembly does look like it could be a bit of a bear, but there are lots of pictures and instructions in the tutorial, so that should be enough to carry those playing along at home to the finish line.

If you want to be able to hack on the go without looking like you hacked together your computer, The Ultimate 10-inch Touchscreen RPI5 Laptop might be right up your alley. And if access to a high enough quality 3D-printer, is holding you back, Waiczies does offer printing services that may be of interest to you.