[Arm-netbook] 15in EOMA-68 laptop

[joem]

> anyone else skilled in 3D CAD/CAM design: would you
> be interested to do an open hardware design for an EOMA-68 laptop that
> takes a 15.4in LCD?  we have someone who can do the PCB so that's
> covered - it's the casework design that i'm looking for.
> 
> if we can get to the point where 3D renderings can be done, then we
> can put those onto a kickstarter proposal, get some cash in and make
> it happen.
> 
> the client's requirements (yes i know gordan: it'll have dual LVDS so
> you can put in your favourite 1920x1080 LCD :) are:
> 
> * 1440x900 $40 15.4in LCD with a LED backlight (not CCFL)
> * a webcam at about the same resolution
> * EOMA-68 compliant
> * 4000mAh battery
> * aluminium or magnesium alloy case
> 
> i've added a few others such as:
> 
> * 3 USB ports
> * low-profile Ethernet jack
> * mSATA card slot
> * 2 MiniPCIe slots (USB-only) one for 3G with a SIM card, the other for WIFI
> * MicroSD
> 
> that's it.  very simple.  it _should_ be possible to get this down to
> only 15mm thickness at the widest point.
> 
> thoughts?
> 

Why not start a Wings3D open source project for all the parts?
http://www.wings3d.com/

The world of 3D design has also changed a lot since openscad arrived on
the scene.

Basically its solid geometry written up like computer programs
http://www.openscad.org/

So in theory everyone who wants to contribute, just adjusts a text file
and renders to get best visual object. Because the text files reveal the
geometry of the objects, many eyes can watch the files to make sure
nothing important engineering wise has been missed.
(Harder to do with cad files.)

The world of 3D printer is also changing because the key elements are
all out of patent. The best is stereo lithography machine with 25 micron
resolution:

http://formlabs.com/collections/all

There is also 3D scanner 
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/photon-3d-scanner
with 0.2mm resolution for scanning in essential items such as batteries
with leads to discover best fit.