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  • Author Author: fustini
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Raspberry Pi laptop

fustini
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My last post showed how I assembled a portable Pi using a 3.5" composite LCD.  Well, I've got a better option this time around, the Motorola Atrix lapdock!

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The Atrix lapdock was originally intended for Motorola's Atrix Android smartphone.  It didn't sell very well for it's original purpose, so you can pick one up for around to $50 to $100 on eBay and Amazon.  I ordered mine from eBay for $50 (shockingly my seller is now listing at $199).  It was listed as refurbished but is in great condition.  The beauty of its 11.6" HD display is a stark constrast to my 3.5" composite LCD:

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I recommend checking out this insightful blog which details how to use it with the Pi: Raspberry Pi and Atrix Lapdock.  Adafruit also has a helpful video from Becky Stern on how to hack together an appropriate USB cable:

 

 

However, the USB cabling described in the above blog and video is only needed for Raspberry Pi's that have F1/F2 polyfuses.  "Fresher" Pi's now have either 0-ohm resistors on F1/F2 (Model B Revision 1.0 + ECN0001) or no F1/F2 pads at all (Model B Revision 2.0).  More info on the board revisions is on the Foundation's blog.  I got a Pi from MCM Electronics last week, and it has 0-ohm resistors (labelled "000" in the upper right corner of the board):

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With those polyfuses gone, the Pi can be powered via it's USB host ports as an alternative to the micro USB jack.  This is great for the Atrix lapdock as it was designed to both power the Atrix phone and connect it to USB devices over the same connected.  This means that no USB cable modifications are needed at all.  Here's my setup:

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A close-up of the back of the lapdock with micro HDMI on the right and micro USB on the left:

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My cables and connectors (from left to right):

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I highly recommend buying an Atrix lapdock while they are still available for cheap.  Beyond the Pi, it can be used as a HDMI display for an array of other devices, too.

 

[UPDATE: check out Raspberry Pi lapdock tricks]

 

[UPDATE: I received a male Type A to male Type A adapter from Amazon and a HDMI Male to Micro HDMI Female Adapter from DealExtreme.  Along with the micro HDMI extension cable that came with my lapdock, the result is a more compact setup without long HDMI or USB cabling:

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Cheers,

Drew

http://twitter.com/pdp7

 

 

 

Product Name*DescriptionSupplier
Raspberry Pi Model B Raspberry Pi model BRaspberry Pi
Buy Now
Pre-Programmed 4GB SD Card 4GB Class 4 SD card preloaded with Debian 6 LinuxSamsung
Buy Now
Motorola Atrix Lapdock w/included cablesSelf contained battery powered unit with display, keyboard and trackpadMotorola
HDMI Male to Micro HDMI Female AdapterMale standard HDMI to female micro HDMI adapterImported
USB A to A Male CouplerUSB type A to A male couplerDistributed By MCM
Buy Now

 

*Products and resources listed are listed to help members build their own Pi Projects. They are suggestions and listed for educational purposes. For substitutions of any parts, please post a question asking the original author.

  • in reply to fustini

    I ordered all the cables and connectors listed above, and had to sit "patiently" until they all came in from China.  Seemed to take forever!  Then, today I received the last connector and set about getting the system up and running.  At first, I didn't understand the male-to-male USB cable or how it fit into my configuration.  I have a Raspberry Pi B+ (512mb) that I ordered from MCM Electronics a few weeks ago.  I connected the HDMI and micro-USB power to the Pi and my machine fired up instantly (well, as instantly as possible).  But I could not get the lapdock's keyboard or trackpad to work for the life of me.  Then, I read Drew's post above, plugged in the "extra" male-to-male USB cable from the lapdock's USB port to a USB port on the Pi, and "Voila!" instantly began working!  My config requires three connections to the Pi, but it works like a champ and I couldn't be happier with a sub-$100 computer and video player.  I've also gotten a Wi-Fi adaptor for less than $10 from MCM so I have a complete netbook for less than $100.

     

    On a side note, trackpad sensitivity in OpenElec leaves a ton to be desired, it drags the cursor.  Trying to figure out how to increase its sensitivity...

  • I have got to thank you big time. I read the information you provided and it was very helpful! I had an Atrix 4G for quite some time and tried different methods of getting the Pi to work with it. When I read your post about the HDMI cable I purchased a better HDMI cable and better USB cable from Amazon. I hooked it up and opened the lid. Nothing happened! I did get a message that there was no HDMI signal! I never had that pop up before. I moved the USB connection slightly and it started. You cannot imagine how happy I was! Thank you! It is working great. I actually have a Pi laptop. My next goal it to get it working with Gentoo.

  • I finally got all the parts to try this out, everything powers up fine, but I can't use the trackpad or the keyboard? Any thoughts?

  • in reply to johnbeetem

    You need to port the Trackpad and Keyboard into the Raspberry Pi using the USB ports provided on the Pi. There's a plug on one of the sides I think if I remember that allowws the pi to use the tracad and keyboard. If you don't want to do that. You will need to buy a keyboard and mouse sepratley. Sorry for spelling mistakes

  • in reply to Former Member

    It appears the Lapdock 100 is not simple.  User procount at http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=6747&start=713 is able to get his Lapdock 100 working with RasPi by going through an amazing sequence of steps reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg machine.  I don't think anyone has been able to get a Lapdock 500 working.

     

    Your external USB port is most likely not the problem.