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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!

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:

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):

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:

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

My cables and connectors (from left to right):

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:


 

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.

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  • Very nice setup!  I really don't understand why the lapdock didn't catch on.  It seem like a really nice solution.  Of course, if they were really trying to sell it for US$500 that would explain it.

     

    I've been intrigued by the Atrix Lapdock for some time, but haven't done anything about getting one mostly because I can't seem to find detailed specs anywhere.  Amazon.com (USA) has an AT&T Laptop Dock for Motorola ATRIX 4G - Retail Packaging listed for US$100, but I can't tell if it's the same thing you have.  Maybe you could check the model number 65242 and/or ASIN = B004M17D62.

     

    One detailed spec that's missing is the screen resoluton.  Would you know what it is?

     

    Thanks!

  • in reply to johnbeetem

    Yes very nice setup.  I'm utilizing the efficient cable configuration (RPI Model B rev 2.0) in your last picture.  Do you have control of the Lapdocks keyboard/touchpad? So far I haven't been able to get that operational.

    thanks,

    J

  • in reply to Former Member

    Jay Lasoff wrote:

     

                           

     

    ... I'm utilizing the efficient cable configuration (RPI Model B rev 2.0) in your last picture.  Do you have control of the Lapdocks keyboard/touchpad? So far I haven't been able to get that operational.

    First, the obvious comment just to make sure:  In the last picture, the USB cable goes from the Lapdock's Micro USB plug to one of RasPi's full-size USB A ports.  Make sure you have it hooked up that way.  It won't work to use one of Lapdock's full-size USB A ports or RasPi's Micro USB power jack.

     

    Otherwise, there are three likely possibilities: (1) the RasPi USB A port is bad, (2) the USB cable and/or adapter is bad, or (3) the Lapdock itself is bad.

     

    1.  Try hooking up a keyboard to the unused RasPi USB A port and see if that works.  If it doesn't, RasPi may have a bad LAN9512 chip or a bad connection.  You might also try hooking up a USB hub to RasPi to see if a keyboard and mouse both work.  This verifies that RasPi knows how to talk to an external USB hub, so it should be able to talk to Lapdock's internal hub.

     

    Try both RasPi USB A ports.  I have heard of RasPis with only one working USB A port due to faulty connections.  I have also heard of RasPi USB ports that worked with a mouse but not with a Lapdock cable -- probably a case of an iffy contact on a RasPi USB port.

     

    2.  Test your Micro USB female to USB A male cable + adapter.  The easiest way to do this is to plug a Micro USB male cable into the Micro USB female end of your cable and see if you can use the combined cable (plus any other adapters you need) with a USB keyboard or mouse on a PC.  You might have a broken data line in your USB cable or adapter so power gets through fine but data doesn't.

     

    3.  I have heard of Lapdocks with a broken keyboard and/or trackpad.  User "o19" at the RasPi Forum found a loose connection inside his Lapdock and was able to fix it: I made a Raspberry PI Laptop.

  • in reply to johnbeetem

    Thank you for your logical steps of troubleshooting John.  It turns out I have a flaky micro female USB>USB adapter.  Reseating it several times, it would work sporadically.  Fortuneatly I had a ordered few spare adapters on the way from China so I didn't have to wait too long and now it's working like a champ.   A linux laptop for under $100, not too shabby.  My next challenge is running a video edit sw package.. we're having fun now ...  thanks again!

  • in reply to johnbeetem

    I have run into a problem with the trackpad/keyboard not working in my setup as well.

     

    My issue is that it was working for all of two minutes before it died on me. I ordered the blackberry micro usb cable splitter as well as the micro usb f to usb m adapter sold by DX. I thought it was just a faulty adapter at first but then I cut one of the micro usb m ends off and soldered on a usb m in its place and it fully powers the rpi but the keyboard/trackpad still cannot be read.

     

    Also, the light for the trackpad is on but the caplocks light does not go on anymore. It did for those first two minutes.

     

    I'm not sure if anyone else has ran into this issue with the cables I am using but I heard that you are a great guy to ask.

     

    Thank you, John!

  • in reply to Former Member

    Joseph Weiner wrote:

     

                           

     

    I have run into a problem with the trackpad/keyboard not working in my setup as well.

     

    My issue is that it was working for all of two minutes before it died on me. I ordered the blackberry micro usb cable splitter as well as the micro usb f to usb m adapter sold by DX. I thought it was just a faulty adapter at first but then I cut one of the micro usb m ends off and soldered on a usb m in its place and it fully powers the rpi but the keyboard/trackpad still cannot be read.

     

    Also, the light for the trackpad is on but the caplocks light does not go on anymore. It did for those first two minutes.

     

    I'm not sure if anyone else has ran into this issue with the cables I am using but I heard that you are a great guy to ask.

     

    Thank you, John!

     

                       

    That's very strange that it stopped working after two minutes.  Usually if the Lapdock Micro USB powers the RasPi OK but there's no keyboard/mouse it means that one of the USB data lines is broken or the lines are shorted or reversed.  However, since it worked before and you've tried alternate cables, it's likely something else.  I suggest going through the usual steps to try to isolate the problem.

     

    1.  See if RasPi works OK with a standard USB keyboard.  It may be that your RasPi SD card got corrupted somehow and it won't work with any keyboard.

     

    2.  If you have the right cables and/or adapters, see if you can connect a standard USB keyboard to RasPi or to a PC through the Lapdock USB cable by extending it using a Micro USB cable and whatever adapters you need.  This will ensure that the Lapdock USB cable is hooked up correctly internally.

     

    3.  Try both RasPi USB A ports.  Maybe one of them has out-of-spec contacts and isn't making good contact.  Sometimes twisting the connector to force better contact helps to diagnose this.  Sometimes a cardboard shim helps make better contact.

     

    4.  I have heard of at least one Lapdock with a loose internal keyboard/mouse connector.  Opening up Lapdock and reseating the connector cured the problem.  The link is to the main Lapdock discussion at raspberrypi.org.  It's really long so it's hard to find things.

     

    5.  You can check cable continuity using an Ohmmeter or multimeter, with power off.  I find that safety pins make good probes for tiny contacts such as Micro USB.  It would be useful to check USB data line  continuity between the RasPi PC board and the female Micro USB cable end that plugs into Lapdock.

     

    I helped some other users with USB keyboard/mouse issues in the comments to this 'blog.

     

    Regarding the Lapdock LEDs: whether the trackpad is on or off is controlled by the Lapdock, so it makes sense that its LED is independent of USB.  OTOH, the keyboard needs a USB connection to control Caps Lock and similar LEDs.  It's probably held in a power-down mode until it receives control messages from the USB host.

  • 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

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  • 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

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