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Framework Laptop Mainboard Powers Custom 60% Mechanical Keyboard

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It's like a Commodore 64 with a lot more oomph.

CJ from Elevated Systems has created an all-in-one 60% keyboard with a Framework Laptop mainboard inside for a truly unique cyberdeck creation that he posted to YouTube. The unit is powered by an Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor which has 4 cores, 8 threads, and can reach speeds as fast as 4.7GHz.

The design was inspired by the Commodore 64, resulting in its compact footprint. CJ has dubbed his new creation the CJ64 which is neatly featured in the top left corner of the keyboard.

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The setup is designed with a few ports accessible from the outside including a USB port for a mouse, an HDMI port for video output and input for a power cord. With the Framework's modular design, he could change those ports out for other options later. The Framework website has additional information about the board used in this project including specifications and additional options like DIY kits.

Framework Laptop

(Image credit: CJ, Elevated Systems)

The 3D-printed housing was created from scratch using Fusion 360 and was designed to not only provide a mounting system for the main board but also establish exterior port access. This project is a really fun repurpose of Framework hardware and, as fans of the Raspberry Pi 400, we can’t help but appreciate the hard work.

To get a closer look at this project and the assembly process, check out the original tutorial shared to YouTube by CJ and be sure to follow Elevated Systems for more cool projects.

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Ash Hill
Ash Hill
Contributing Writer

Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • BillyBuerger
    I love this. Obviously it's similar to a Pi 400 and I've seen other people integrate a Pi or something similar into a keyboard. But the Framework laptop makes an ideal system to use in something like this. It definitely has me thinking of trying something similar.
    Reply
  • dalek1234
    I read the title 5 time s and I still can't figure out what that sentence means.
    Reply
  • GenericUser
    dalek1234 said:
    I read the title 5 time s and I still can't figure out what that sentence means.

    Framework is a modular DIY laptop company/design. They're saying the mainboard from a Framework laptop is being used as the basis for a custom "60% mechanical keyboard", which is a keyboard that only has 60% of the keys that a standard keyboard has (so no numpad, F keys, etc.) . So a Framework Laptop Mainboard is Powering a 60% Custom Mechanical Keyboard.

    I hope none of that comes across as condescending, just trying to break it down.
    Reply
  • dalek1234
    GenericUser said:
    Framework is a modular DIY ...

    No condescending-ness detected. Thanks for the explanation; and the few letters, here and there, you injected into what the title that it should have been, is appreciated too.

    cheers!
    Reply