It is to those bygone laptops that Michael Mayer has turned when creating his own portable classic. Named the Portable Pi 84 – by virtue of being driven by a Raspberry Pi 4 computer – it takes inspiration from the machines that had very clear central hinges. It also sports a fun, red colouring and has a widescreen display that is more than large enough to be productive.
This little device includes a mechanical keyboard that, Michael says: was his primary motivation for making his retro marvel. Having first cut his teeth learning BASIC on a Sharp PC-1260, he quickly became a fan of portable computers and snapped up many more. But when, in recent years, he sought to revive his interest in such machines, he said he’s been left disappointed.
“I have tried Raspberry Pi and Linux-compatible portables and laptops but I’ve never been really satisfied with their keyboards,” he says.
Unlike the laptops that were available in the 1980s and 1990s, Michael’s contemporary version packs a real punch thanks to the use of a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B computer. He is considering making use of Raspberry Pi 5 in the future for greater power.
The ortholinear mechanical keyboard has 47 keys and it uses the Raspberry Pi Pico W running KMK firmware powered by CircuitPython. It’s possible to fit any keycap or switch to this keyboard, but Michael bought an inexpensive set of blanks from Amazon.
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