/MainboardTerminal

A Retro-style Computer with a Modern Core

MIT LicenseMIT

Mainboard Terminal - A Retro-style Computer with a Modern Core

Mainboard Terminal is not just any cyberdeck, it's a full-feature PC powered by Framework's Mainboard. It has a 5" (1080x1080) round LCD, a fully 3D printable case, and is compatible with OLKB Preonic mechanical keyboard.

The Design

I've always wanted a terminal with a round screen, with the Mainboard product and its 2D drawing released, I finally had the chance to build one. And yes, it runs Spacewar! :-)

Electronics

Software

Everything works out of the box with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, which is nice.

  • Setting for the display

      xrandr --newmode "1080x1080R" 82.50 1080 1128 1160 1240  1080 1083 1093 1111 +hsync -vsync
      xrandr --addmode DP-1 "1080x1080R"
      xrandr --output DP-1 --mode "1080x1080R"
    
  • Patch CoolRetroTerm to increase screen curvature (optional, purely aesthetic reasons)

    Edit app/qml/ApplicationSettings.qml and change the following property:

      readonly property real screenCurvatureSize: 2.0
    

3D Printed Parts

Everything is (loosely) held together by 5x2mm magnets in my build (again, for purely aesthetic reasons). You might want to add holes for screws & other cutouts to utilize those USB4 ports.

Be sure to check out the 2D drawing released by Framework if you want to do further customization.

Paint color used in the build: Tamiya paint PS-57 (Pearl White) and TS-30 (Silver Leaf).

Copyright and License

Copyright (c) 2022 Penk Chen. All rights reserved.

All files are licensed under MIT license or CC BY-SA 4.0, see the LICENSE for more information.