Mainboard Terminal – A Retro-Style Computer with a Modern Core | Hacker News Reader

Mainboard Terminal – A Retro-Style Computer with a Modern Core

github.com

203 pointsingve40 comments

Feels very much in the realm of Love Hultén’s design language.

All it’s missing is a half sphere dome lens in front of the panel.

https://www.lovehulten.com/

Wow! These are all real things! I thought they were photoshop mockups, but no they seem to all be physical devices. I am not convinced that all the switches and dials actually function, but still these are beautiful.

The bio says he’s a woodworker so probably yeah. Also there’s a shot of Kanye West playing on one of his devices…

Wow! The Apple Mac [1] and the PET are gorgeous! Absolutely love them.

[1] https://www.lovehulten.com/goldenapple.html

[2] https://www.lovehulten.com/petdelux.html

That's a fun use of a round screen. Round screens are made for automotive gauges. You can even get round touchscreens.[1] There's potential for a round phone, as a teen fashion accessory.

[1] https://www.displaymodule.com/products/dm-tftr34-359

The Motorola Aura[1] had a round screen. There was also going to be a round wooden FirefoxOS phone[2] but it never launched in the end.

[1] https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_aura-2562.php

[2] https://liliputing.com/2015/03/runcible-is-a-circular-firefo...

If I could find an SBC that could fit in this footprint/also drive that display, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

It says [0] "Working on Respberry Pi with DM-ADTTR-014" (some adapter)

[0] https://www.displaymodule.com/products/dm-tftr34-359

This may have sprung from this thread, but: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31395379

It would be neat to build a phone in the form factor of a pocketwatch.

One Black Mirror episode had these really cool round phone-like devices: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTg1NDE1MTEzMF5BMl5B...

When I first saw that episode, those devices reminded me of Nest thermostats.

If you want to display a square Terminal as round circle maybe use this technique: https://www.shadertoy.com/view/3dsSWs

I wonder how interace design would change if round screens were the norm (eg if they were more economic to mass produce for whatever reason).

Absolutely phenomenal keyboard choice, too. If you haven't tried an ortholinear keyboard, get thee to Drop.com and get a Preonic.

Ortho keyboards are awesome, and the Preonic is very easy to assemble.

It took me some commitment to be able to type on one effectively - and then swapping back to a normal layout was frustrating, but after a while you can swap between both without much of a hassle. I like them both for different applications, but also I just like changing things up sometimes.

I always cycle out my keyboards. I alternate between using a Planck with Boba U4Ts, a Preonic with Halo Trues, and the Macbook keyboard. I'm adding a Nyquist to that list soon, just need to decide if I want to use Bobagums/NK_Silk/NK_Cream or fully commit and make some Holy Bobas.

It's a really nice way to add variety to the relative monotony of my day-to-day, and my carpal tunnel has seriously improved.

I tend to stick to linear switches. I think I've tried them all (all of the popular and semi-popular ones, anyway, not necessarily the random japanese ones) - most of my keyboards have them. I also like different styles/layouts like Alice, Splits, Ortho's, and more standard.

My fav is a 40% alice.

I usually have different keyboards for different types of activities, or games. I like playing Path of Exile on an Ortho as an example. But World of Warcraft I play on a larger keyboard, 65%. Programming is alltogether different, where general web browsing/forum commenting/twitter I am not so picky.

What is the advantage of a keyboard like that?

It's compact, more ergonomic, easier to touch-type on (no need to remember offsets), and it looks really really cool. If you were pitching it to a VC, you'd call it KBRD, pronounced "Awesome"

I'm excited to see more cool projects like this based on the Framework mainboard.

Also just released today from the Mainboard developer program: https://github.com/brickbots/framedeck

I'd buy one for the novelty (if the price is ~$1,000), but I'm unlikely to try building one.

Still, very cool and quite fun.

I wonder if it makes sense (if you want a circular display) to instead use the same display as a NEST.

screenshots without running the xscreensaver radar ping is such a cop-out

This is really lovely, gives me ST: TOS vibes. There are also some CRT-like video filters (shaders), that could be nice on this too.

> gives me ST: TOS vibes

My first thought was "low budget retrofuturistic Sci-Fi filmmakers will love this!".

Great work, love the design!

I now want to write a steam punk style sci-fi movie just to see these machines in it! :-)

Next step obviously is the dual round screen of the iconic CDC 6x00 console.

Dopes.

What was the final BOM cost?

How much was the actual screen?

Can you daisy-chain multiples of the screens? What would it take to make same but with three round screens?

There is a parts list with links in the github. Based on the prices for similar screens on aliexpress its about 150 USD for just the round LCD panel

I think that original set of XDA canvas keycaps is probably another ~$100 nowadays

I saw the link to Alibaba... it gives a RANGE for the screens.

I want the OP actually paid. Kthx.

I guess you can try to contact the GitHub user directly, he's actually included detailed contact information.

How do you enter braces or square brackets with that keyboard?

Hold down modifier, those keyboards have 'planes'.

Ie the keys on either side of spacebar switch between layers.

the round screen is very not retro to me. it's not .. anything, it's just round.

I am pretty sure it's inspired by the pdp-1. There is a picture showing Spacewar. For reference, the original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacewar!

ok but how many people have ever played SpaceWar on a PDP-1?

Maybe it is "retro" but it isn't nostalgic. steering columns on cars from the era would pierce your chest in a very mild 20mph head-on collision, and that's "retro" I guess and again not very nostalgic.

I guess I don't understand the appeal of a perfectly circular display. carry on, this is my problem I guess.

It's retro because it's been 'round the block.

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