The number of projects based on the Raspberry Pi is enormous, but the most popular ones teach us how to turn the tiny Pi into a complete computer. With the help of external elements such as 3D printers, batteries, and special chargers, it's possible to adapt the Raspberry Pi hardware to almost any configuration. One of those configurations is PiBook, which essentially places us in front of a hand-assembled laptop.
The original goal of the Raspberry Pi is to create an economical environment for developing software, and it aims to place as many modules as possible in classrooms around the globe. The best part is that the Raspberry Pi turned out to be extraordinarily versatile, and users use it for almost anything. With each new generation, the Raspberry Pi has managed to improve both its performance and its cost. This only expands its possibilities. I believe that at the beginning, none of its creators could have imagined a Raspberry Pi transformed, for example, into a laptop. Three years later, we discover things like the PiBook on the Web.
Francesco Barbieri published through his YouTube account last March a timelapse of the complete construction of his PiBook. In total, it took him about a week, but the video doesn't demand more than seven minutes. We can clearly see in the case a precision job, with minimal adjustments to incorporate all the pieces, and a bit more effort on the hinges. The keyboard appears to have been extracted from a MacBook (a 2007 model if I'm not mistaken), however, it wasn't possible for him to reuse the trackpad, due to the lack of drivers. The PiBook also doesn't have internal speakers, although it's a minor detail, easily solved with the use of headphones.
On the Web you can find another variant called PiBook, but it adopts a completely different strategy, which is to create the case with a 3D printer, and use a wireless charging system for its internal battery. Regardless of the path you wish to take, I believe that both are excellent projects to expand the role of a Raspberry Pi.
