“Rasti Computer” is a detailed GRiD Compass tribute made from Framework innards
Enlarge / Penk Chen's Rasti Computer, built with 3D printing, Framework laptop internals, and a deep love for the first laptop that went to space. (credit: Penk Chen)
If I had to figure out what to do with the insides of a Framework 13 laptop I had lying around after today, I might not turn it into a strange but compelling "Slabtop" this time.
No, I think that, having seen Penk Chen's remarkable project to fit Framework parts into a kind of modern restyling of the Grid Compass laptop, I would have to wait until Chen posts detailed build instructions for this project... and until I had a 3D printer... and could gather the custom mechanical keyboard parts. Sure, that's a lot harder, but it's hard to put a price on drawing unnecessary attention to yourself while you chonk away on your faux-used future laptop.
The Rasti Computer, which Chen writes is "derived from the German compound word 'Rasterrahmen' (grid + framework)," has at its core the mainboard, battery, and antennae from the highly modular and repairable first-generation Framework laptop. It takes input from the custom keyboard Chen designed for the chassis, with custom PCB and 3D-printed keycaps and case. It sends images to a 10.4-inch QLED 1600*720 display, and it all fits inside a bevy of 3D-printed pieces with some fairly standard hex-head bolts. Oh, and the hinges from a 2012 13-inch MacBook pro, though that's possibly negotiable.