Raspberry Pi’s Compute Module line has long been underrated. Each Compute Module is a single-board computer, but it lacks all of the ports (USB, Ethernet, CSI, etc.) found on the normal full-size Raspberry Pi models. The advantage is in the “card” form factor with an edge connector, which you can slot into a custom carrier board, resulting in a very slim final product. But Raspberry Pi isn’t the only game in town and LattePanda has single-board computers, too. Ben, of the Ben Makes Everything YouTube channel, used a LattePanda Mu to create this compact cyberdeck.
People turn to LattePanda when they need more power than a Raspberry Pi can offer or when they need an x86 processor, rather than an Arm processor. While Arm has come a long way in recent years, compatibility is still hit-or-miss when it comes to operating systems and software. Because it has an x86 processor, like most computers, the LattePanda Mu can run Windows or any popular Linux distro, along with all of the programs supported by those operating systems.
As with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module, the LattePanda Mu needs a carrier board to actually function. LattePanda does sell carrier boards, but Ben wanted a custom carrier board with only the components and ports he needed and nothing he didn’t. That ensured that it was as slim and compact as possible. DFRobot has KiCAD PCB files ready to go as a starting point and Ben modified those. His design has two M.2 slots (one for an SSD and one for a Wi-Fi module), plus all of the other stuff a computer needs, like USB ports (don’t tell Apple).
Ben also designed his own custom ortholinear keyboard (instead of using an Apple Magic Keyboard, because apparently that makes people mad). Power comes from a repurposed battery pack and the display is a DFRobot 11.6” touchscreen LCD with full HD resolution.
From there, Ben spent a lot of time designing the really nifty enclosure. It is stylish, with a carry handle on the left side. Most of it is 3D-printable, but the side panels are CNC-milled and anodized aluminum. There are even arms that fold down to tilt the whole unit up and the keyboard slides out, almost like on a server rack KVM.
There were several challenges along the way, but one stood out: audio. Ben’s carrier board was supposed to support audio output, but that didn’t work quite right. His solution was to cram a USB sound card into the enclosure and that worked well.
The finished device looks fantastic. It is both stylish and functional, and isn’t like anything you can purchase at Best Buy.