Since the Raspberry Pi began its long run in the computing market, one of the first things users decided to do was adapt the mini computer into a laptop form factor. Over time, we've encountered projects like Pi Top, PiKasa, and PiBook, but now a new case has been added on Thingiverse, designed especially to accommodate the official seven-inch panel that the foundation sells through its commercial partners.
Turning a Raspberry Pi into a laptop isn't complicated, but it does present some hurdles. The game plan splits into a display, an internal and stable power source (let's say, a battery pack), two input devices (keyboard and mouse), and a case to hold all the "spaghetti". In general, the most delicate point tends to be the case itself. Most available designs adapt to the components their creators had at hand at the time, making reproduction difficult. Therefore, the more "generic" the case profile, the wider its reach should be.
A New Case on Thingiverse
That's how we get to this new case that appeared on Thingiverse, courtesy of user "surferboy" on that portal. Installing the Raspberry Pi requires a bit of advanced surgery, namely, the removal of the USB and Ethernet ports. The screen is the official seven-inch model with touch support sold by the Raspberry Pi foundation, and as for the keyboard and mouse, it's based on the popular Rii i8 model with Bluetooth and integrated touchpad. This keyboard doesn't escape surgery either, since according to the description, you have to remove its battery and connect it directly to the 5V available via GPIO, as well as disassemble its receiver and solder its connections to the USB pins.
Power Concerns
Honestly, I have doubts regarding power. Using GPIO to power the screen "and" the keyboard at the same time might put too much pressure on the Pi, and if it's a Raspberry Pi 3, even more attention is needed. Personally, if I were to reproduce this project, I'd do it with the Raspberry Pi Zero. Something like that would require the replacement of the official screen, because the Zero doesn't have the DSI connector, but there are other models (even more affordable) that work with GPIO without problems.
