SB Components Ltd is a group made of engineers and designers in the UK specializing in Raspberry Pi cases. The team decided that adding a few more components could turn a single board computer into a functional maker laptop, and set out to make that happen. The design requirements were portability, ease of use, and customization. On top of this they wanted a tool that could teach users about programming and making or to give experienced makers an engaging project. Their project, the LapPi, is currently running a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the first production run.
LapPi comes with 5 inch and 7 inch screen options, 8 Ohm 5 watt speakers, keyboard, the acrylic case, a Raspberry Pi 3B+, and a 3800 milliAmp hour battery. Current test results from the company say that the battery should last 180 minutes when idle and 60-100 minutes when in use between charges. The documentation also notes that the system is compatible with any version of Raspberry Pi from Pi Zero to current. The 7 inch LCD has a 1024x600 resolution and the 5 inch is 800x480. A Raspberry Pi Camera Module v2 with Sony IMX219 8-megapixel sensor, power adapter with 5 Volt 2.5 Ampere output, HDMI cable, micro USB cable, and HDMI adapter are also included. One nice design touch is the idea that everything was designed to be packaged in a box suitable for most mailboxes.
The LapPi is entering a moderately crowded market of single board computing laptops, but I like the idea that this is a teaching tool that becomes a functioning computing tool. It’s also interesting to see a company focused on cases to make the logical jump that a laptop is a functioning case with a few more components added. The campaign is already funded and ends on November 18, 2018.