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  • Author Author: fustini
  • Date Created: Date Created
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  • Comments 48 comments
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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 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!

  • Earlier I posted a note about mounting a Pi on the back of a Lapdock with magnetic sheet. After that I set about making a much smaller and neater Pi. You can see the current result at http://www.kappa.me.uk/raspberry_pip.htm.

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Charlosimo wrote:

     

                           

     

    Has anyone had trouble with their keyboard? Everything seems to work fine, but when I get to the Raspberry Pi Configuration screen, none of my keys work. I've heard people say that sometimes this is caused by insufficient power, but I don't think this is the case when using a lapdock. Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated!

    P.S - I followed these instructions for my setup: http://rpidock.blogspot.com/2012/05/raspberry-pi-and-motorola-lapdock.html

     

                       

    RasPi talks to the Lapdock keyboard over a USB data connection from one of RasPi's full-size USB A ports to Lapdock's Micro USB hub.  If the cable+adapter combination that connects these has a broken data wire you'll have a dead keyboard.  See if you can plug together your various micro USB cables and use them as an extension cord with a standard PC USB keyboard or mouse.  This is a quick way to tell if all your wires are intact.

     

    The rpidock.blogspot instructions are for the RasPi Model B rev 1.0.  If you have a rev 2.0 (USB polyfuses F1+F2 missing) or modified rev 1.0 (F1+F2 populated with 0 Ohm jumpers) you don't need to use RasPi's Micro USB power jack.  You can get both +5V power and USB data over the Lapdock Micro USB plug to RasPi USB A jack using an unmodified USB cable.

     

    Also see my reply to Jay Lasoff on Jan 29 above.