Changing Framework Laptops into Transportable Gaming Gadgets with 3D Printing

Beth Le, a designer energetic on Printables, a platform for sharing 3D printing designs, has launched the Beth Deck, a 3D printed gaming handheld that repurposes Framework’s 13-inch laptop computer mainboards. This challenge permits customers to assemble a transportable gaming gadget in roughly fifteen minutes with out the necessity for soldering, providing a novel mix of modularity and customization within the handheld gaming market.

The hand-held gaming sector options a wide range of designs, however many share comparable inner elements. Beth Le’s challenge stands out by enabling intensive personalization by the usage of Framework’s versatile mainboards, the design helps any 13-inch mainboard from Framework, together with fashions with Intel, AMD, and RISC-V processors. This compatibility ensures that customers can improve their gadgets as new mainboards are launched, enhancing the longevity and flexibility of the hand held system.

Meeting includes ten 3D print components and a complete components checklist, which incorporates screws, warmth set inserts, a gaming controller, USB-C dongles, an 8-inch touchscreen, and varied cables. The extra elements value round $150, excluding the Framework mainboard and 3D printing filament. Beth emphasizes the challenge’s accessibility: “The entire thing may be assembled in about quarter-hour and disassembled in lower than 2 minutes with no soldering, and all non-printed components may be bought.” This ease of meeting makes the hand held a sexy possibility for DIY fanatics looking for a customizable gaming expertise.

Integrating a Framework 13-inch mainboard and battery with a 3D printed shell, the hand held options an 8-inch 800p touchscreen and a repurposed cell gaming controller. Nonetheless, utilizing laptop computer elements introduces sure limitations. Overheating has been recognized as a possible concern on account of restricted airflow, and the absence of fan controls typical in devoted handhelds might affect efficiency. Beth plans to deal with these considerations in Revision 2 of the challenge, which can function a thinner design, a customized PCB for controls, and improved audio system.

The price of high-end mainboards, such because the 7840U priced at $699, may additionally deter some customers. Regardless of these challenges, the challenge is praised for its revolutionary use of modular elements and the potential for future upgrades, aligning with sustainable practices by extending the lifespan of current {hardware}.

Open-Supply Improvements in 3D Printing

Mrblindguardian, a blind Reddit consumer, pioneered an AI-based workflow that permits the design and 3D printing of customized fashions with out visible enter. Utilizing ChatGPT to generate descriptive suggestions and Luma AI to create preliminary designs from textual content inputs, Mrblindguardian efficiently produced a one-winged dragon mannequin on a Bambu Lab X1 3D printer. The method concerned iterative refinements the place ChatGPT offered descriptions of the 3D mannequin primarily based on screenshots from Luma AI, permitting Mrblindguardian to regulate the design accordingly. This methodology required collaboration with a sighted pal to confirm the ultimate mannequin earlier than printing.

Equally, Ken Pillonel’s improvement of 3D printed, open-source USB-C instances for AirPods. By offering a repairable case that provides USB-C performance to older fashions, Pillonel addresses e-waste and helps the right-to-repair motion. His use of selective laser sintering (SLS) expertise demonstrates how 3D printing can produce exact, purposeful elements with out the necessity for large-scale manufacturing sources.

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Featured photos showcase the Beth Deck Internals Uncovered and the Beth Deck subsequent to a Valve Steam Deck. Pictures through Beth Le.