Hasta La Ideas

There’s a lot one can do with LEGO and 3D printing, but creating a working laptop with a mouse and keyboard (that are as good as the real thing) is another level of DIYing. YouTube channel Brick Machines is all about crafting intricate builds using just LEGO bricks, and this time, the creative builder has gone a step further with this advanced DIY.

Taking an assortment of LEGO bricks, getting your idea together, and then proceeding with stacking the bricks is something most DIYers can do. This builder takes it to another level with the added step of actually creating the LEGO bricks painstakingly one brick at a time using a Bambulab 3D printer. The only prefabricated parts used here are the Technic MOC’s, discontinued Mindstorm kits, electronic parts, wires, display screen, and other components that can in no way be 3D printed.

Designer: Brick Machines

I would call this a well-rounded LEGO build that’s done from scratch, having the option of replacing existing parts with upgraded design variants or replacing any chipped parts that need replacement over a period of time. Of course, there’s always the freedom to 3D-print the bricks in other colors for a more appealing design. Interestingly the LEGO laptop can do most of the tasks any other normal laptop can do including playing games, browsing the internet, creating Word documents, watching your favorite Netflix show, or simply listening to music.

The keyboard and mouse use a magnetic X/Y track for precise movement and a Hall Effect sensor to detect the accurate positioning of the mouse pointer and the button clicks. Both of these come with RGB lighting, so the designer has left nothing to nitpick about. The same level of detail follows in the operating mechanism of this laptop for complete authenticity. There’s a built-in biometric authentication system, the display is touchscreen to keep up with modern requirements, and a large trackpad with cool RGB lighting for the custom-built mouse.

DIYer admits that the mouse design can be improved further if there is a ground connection to the whole thing. For this, a commenter proposes connecting the ground connections to the same wire, and it’ll be an easier fix. That being said, the working LEGO laptop is a project any avid geek needs to follow completely to get an idea for creating a similar intricate design. I just wished the creator explained a bit more about the step-by-step process in detail, as the video doesn’t have any transcript or spoken words for a better understanding of the advanced build using electronics.

The post 3D-printed LEGO laptop with a biometric authenticator, touchscreen display and RGB mousepad – beat that! first appeared on Yanko Design.