3D Printed Raspberry Pi Laptop Kit That Anyone Can Build

The tech geek in me is very inspired by 3d printing and the Raspberry Pi. When I saw this DIY 3D printable Raspberry Pi laptop kit, I knew I wanted to share it with you. If you’ve ever wanted to build your own affordable laptop, and gain some rad DIY skills in the process, you will like this. It’s called a Pi-Top, and when you’re finished building it, you’ll have your own Raspberry Pi Model B+ powered laptop.

One of the neat things about this kit is that it allows you to either 3D print the computer parts you’ll need, or you can use pre-made parts if you don’t have access to a 3D printer. The idea behind the Pi-Top goes much further than just building a laptop though.

When your laptop is complete, you’ll be able to use it as the foundation for countless other creative projects. The educational applications are endless. The Pi-Top team plans to provide free lessons to further educate people about hardware and software innovations. The idea is that you increase your knowledge over time, and then you use that knowledge to inspire and create your own tech projects and products.

As you can see in the pictures below, a clear sliding panel allows access to the Pi. You will use a fully integrated laptop keyboard and trackpad (instead of a Bluetooth keyboard), which adds to the user experience. You’ll even learn how to program on the latest Raspbian OS.

According to cnet, “The laptop kit doesn’t just include the Raspberry Pi board and case. It also includes a battery with over six hours worth of power on a single charge, Wi-Fi antenna for connectivity out of the box, a fully integrated laptop keyboard with track-pad, a 13.3″ 1366×768 HD TFT LCD screen and the latest Raspbian OS.”

The only bummer part about all this is that you can’t order your own Pi-Top Kit now. The team plans to launch their crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo on October 14. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those campaigns that far exceeds the team’s expectations. You can stay up-to-date on their progress and see a ton more pictures over on the Pi-Top Facebook page.