Scratch Build Web enabled bedside table (webside table) (Software development... Haha) Jan 09

[steveo_mcg]

Well its boredom time, i've fancied embedding a computer in some furniture for ages now so i'm going to put a very old laptop in one of Ikeas finest bedside tables. Not for any particular reason not even sure if i'll use it when i'm done but it'll kill time.

Ikeas finest


Plan is to embed the screen into the top of the table and then secure the motherboard to the bottom of the top panel where it will hopefully be mostly hidden.




The motherboard and screen have been salvaged from a circa 1804 toshiba satalite p1 laptop with a full 64mb of ram and no hard disk to speak off. The motherboard is fairly skinny though so mounting it shouldn't be a problem but its bloody huge especially when its stuck beside my epia.



I can't remember how good the screen is exactly,not great is probably the best i can come up with till the new power pack arrives doesn't really matter for this though.

[modgodtanvir]

Haha, nice one That does appear to be a fine piece of furniture... lets hope it looks better when you're through with it

I'll be keeping an eye on this,
MGT

[steveo_mcg]

Well stage one is mostly done. Suitable sized hole cut in the top panel, i love working with pine. I took longer to set up and tidy up than it did to cut the hole working with mdf makes jobs like these take for ever.



rough cut to see how it fits and where i need to thin it a bit further, again pine wonderful stuff. Some 80grit and a sanding drum on the dremel makes short work of any kinks in the cut.




Cleaned up the cut and the top surface to removed some rubbish picked up from the workbench and the tool/pencil marks. And then refit the panel not a bad fit.





That'll have to do the top till my plastic order arrives. Going to cover the top section in 2 or 3mm perspex panel backed with some black vinyl with an area cut out for the screen, this should give a degree of stealthing to the screen.

Next job, make a quick box for the motherboard to fit in. Then come up with a way to secure it and the panel to the top section. back to mdf for the motherboard box but i'm not entirely sure how to secure the screen since i want to at a very slight angle to it so its a bit more readable.

[WakoNako]

That looks cool.If it works, do you have plans to upgrade and replace?

[specofdust]

Loving the idea. I've often felt that a bedside computer was a good idea. Personally I just control stuff from my bedside using a wireless mouse (in addition to my wired one). But it's not a great solution. This could end up being really awesome imo.

[steveo_mcg]

Thanks for the encouragement folks lets hope it turns out ok.

MGT:I was thinking about this although it is beautiful piece of antique
furniture, its rubbish-ness is actually an advantage for this situation since it sits quite low to the ground and as such leaning out from bed your above it so it doesn't need a very steep angle to view it.

WakoNako: I'm not sure if I would or not, trouble is that being beside ones
head it really really needs to be passively cooled a whirring fan would likely give one a head ache where it is. Ideal solution would be a lower epia with a touch screen and some x11 gear but I think that’s getting ahead of my self.

Spec: I was pretty much banned from having a full PC in the bedroom a while ago. Wife complains I have plenty of computers in the spare room to use so this is my only real way of sneaking it in as long as it meets criteria one, virtual invisibility. Besides this goes along with my current philosophy of using multiple low powered
machines instead of one all purpose box.

My largest concern at the moment is it being just too slow. Obviously its not going to cope with video or flash, it should manage mp3 and simple web sites but to make it really useful I think I’m going to have to make it aggregate a couple of information sources on to one page. For example have the news headlines and local roads information in one section, another with the weather and another with new emails and a small bottom one for displaying network information etc. Then of course its still a web browser so it can be pointed at another site on the web for better or worse.

The laptops last incarnation was a terminal so all it had to do was serve up the display from the server however I don't have network access in the bedroom so I’m going to have to run wireless which doesn't cope so well with ltsp. Any way the power pack should arrive in a few days so we'll stick dsl (damn small Linux) on it and see how we get on.

[bigsharn]

I've always wanted something basic to use DSL on, but everything I have is fully capable of XP and Ubuntu

Mind, I suppose I shouldn't complain

[wharrad]

Wow, though I reconised that motherboard! Just turned the PII version into a photo frame. I haven't quite gotten around to the software yet, but have the same idea as you. I'm thinking the ever useful samurize maybe on 2000?

Let us know what you use - not going to steal any ideas, honest

[steveo_mcg]

Well seeing as i'm off ill (choked with the cold) I decided i do some more of this. I've made the mdf motherboard holder I'm still not sure how to mount the motherboard but i'm thinking some long machine screws and using the spacers that came with the motherboard.

Any way here's the tray.


Mis-measured slightly at the tray is longer than the sides but since thats at the back its not going to be noticed.








This is the front, not exactly how it'll be seen as i've yet to centre it. The plan is to put a bit of pine across the two ends to hide the electronics behind however i think i'll leave the back as is to allow lots of air flow, i might put some mesh over to stop larger items and cats noses from getting in.


Software, i'm still not sure on. It'll run a very striped down linux (debian etch) as the base but tbh its not going to be very useful as a general computer being as it is a hand me down from Noah. So i'm thinking a custom web page have the sever aggregate everything and then the table just has to display it, if its kept mostly text it should be fine. The thread is here if any one has any ideas feel free to contribute.

Edit:
Result found a local place that sells plastics, just got the acrylic and the vinyl for less than postage from most places

[Hamish]

so uh, how are you going to control it? wheres the mouse/keyboard/touchscreen?

[steveo_mcg]

Well after a quick trip down leith I got my extra materials. One peice of cut 3mm clear acrylic and one meter of sign vinyl


The acrylic being pre-cut has saved me hours since there is virtually no chance i'd get that done first time on top of that it cost less for those two peices than postage from most web sites. Easter Road plastics if any one is interested and local.




So next job is to cut the vinyl to rough size


then trim the rough edges off using the acrylic as a template



next to cut the hole to the size of the panel while still hiding the edges of the panel and the rough cuts around the panel in the top i used the old frame from the laptop, measured from each edge to the inside of the frame.


This should be enough it might need some trimming once the power pack arrives and i can see the screen properly. This is also one of three peices i cut from the sheet of vinyl and probably not the one i'll use since its got a crease in one corner which might ruin the final effect.


Its not a bad fit even at a draft.


Its a bit difficult to see the screen under the perspex between the covering film and the flash but you get the idea.





Not a bad days modding given i'm choked and feel like i've got a second skull trying to fit inside my head...


For control i figured i'd make it easy on my self and use an old wireless mouse and an on screen keyboard at least for this version. Depends mainly what happens on the software side.

[wharrad]

You know I'm following this!

Sorry I haven't given much input in the software side... When I look into it I'll report back (the P2's fairly low powered too).

I understand that you might want a rest and use a wireless keyboard, but a great addition would be a couple of touch sensitive buttons under the acrylic. Say an up/down/left/right/enter/back going through the serial port. Maybe a bit of work, but will be quite classy IMO.

Looking good though!

[steveo_mcg]

This is so crying out for some qt110's but tbh i'm not sure if I really want to for this one, its some thing i may add. Mean time i need some ideas for a switch panel on the side to relocate the motherboards power/reset buttons and lid open/closed toggle also i want to relocate the variable resistors for the backlight control and volume. I'm also considering adding some led's to the acrylic to act as a night light these would also need a button on the switch panel.

[simosaurus]

lookin great man!

[dark_avenger]

coming along nicely keep up the good work (y)

[Xtrafresh]

nice idea! i have a soon-to-be-junked laptop aswell (vista capable though), mind if i steal the idea?

[Hazardous]

As a certain somebody is known to say: "I'm lovin' it"®©

[steveo_mcg]

Well today has turned into a exercise is frustration. The gods were kind and delivered my cf adaptor and my power pack. But as we know the gods are fickle and quick to anger, I can only get the bloody laptop to turn on one in 50 attempts, it seems my sacrifice was unacceptable. The damn thing works I can get it to the bios every now and again I think it has a dodgy connector as it seems to work when the machine is at a certain angle which i can't replicate every time! And to make it worse i'm still dying of the worst (man) flu ever and standing over a work bench with a temperamental laptop is severely trying.

[flare]

looking very cool man. such a good idea

[nannycakeole]

A bedside table....?
You are completely bonkers. And I love it!