Maker's Raspberry Pi Build Adds Swivel Screen With Recycled ThinkPad Hinge

Raspberry Pi
(Image credit: Sleepless_Engineer)

We've seen some cool Raspberry Pi desktop rigs, but this one stands out and swivels! Created by a maker known as Sleepless_Engineer, this project uses an old swivel hinge recycled from a Lenovo ThinkPad to create an adjustable screen.

Sleepless_Engineer's system stores a Raspberry Pi 4 and screen inside a custom, 3D-printed shell. To fit everything inside, the USB and Ethernet ports had to be resoldered from the Raspberry Pi. This allowed additional space to store the battery and keyboard.

According to Sleepless_Engineer, the Pi 4 was ideal due to its Micro-HDMI support. This cable was apparently easy to route through the ThinkPad hinge, taken from an X201 model. The project also uses a Blackberry trackball breakout module.

There may be plans in the works for an updated edition. Sleepless_Engineer indicated an x86 single-board computer would be preferred.

Anyone interested in recreating this project can find all of the 3D printable files on Thingiverse.

Check out our list of Best Raspberry Pi Projects for more cool creations from the maker community.

Ash Hill
Freelance News and Features Writer

Ash Hill is a Freelance News and Features Writer 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.