Modern PCs are like cell phones in the early 2000s — they just keep getting smaller. Check out this custom micro PC put together by maker Matt Deeds; Deeds is using an Intel NUC Mini PC as the main board for his project, rather than the popular Raspberry Pi. It folds up into a compact design and even sports a handle so it’s easy to tote around.
It has a built-in 5-inch OLED display and is powered by a USB Type-C PD battery while adds to its mobility. The idea wasn’t just to make something small but also to create something that would be useful to have on the go. The Intel NUC Mini PC has just enough juice to power more practical computing sessions than something smaller.
This particular model features an Alder Lake N100 CPU which is a 12th gen processor. While it isn’t quite the latest CPU on the market, it’s still modern enough to offer good performance at a lower cost. The Intel-based Mini PC also doesn’t require much power making the PD battery an optimal choice for mobility.
The screen is mounted to the unit using some custom designed 3D-printed components that enable to hinge open and closed. The hardware is attached to a piece of laser cut ABS measuring in around 6mm thick, rather than inside of an enclosure or housing. The handle was cut into the ABS frame, as well. This open design both adds to its visual appeal and aids a bit in the way of cooling.
Software-wise, you can run anything on this PC you like. In this case, Deeds is running Windows but you could always experiment with something else like Linux. For Deeds, the appeal of this machine was to have something that was capable of running a mainstream OS like Windows on the go.
If you want to get a closer look at this project, check out the breakdown and build details over at Hackaday. Deeds was kind enough to share plenty of information for those interested in how it goes together or possibly creating something similar of their own.
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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.
