You might want to start at part one or part two of this four part developing story about making my own e-reader out of an Apple iBook 500 and some eBay parts. Or simply browse my corporate but cool website
Part 3 - Foamcore Case
After some deliberate measurements and figuring where everything would go, I'd come up with this simple two-part box to hold the eBook. The outside measurements were 9" x 11.5" x 1" deep. Just a half-inch wider than a sheet of paper. Had I used a thinner material, I might have gone even smaller.
In this case, I cut the box as two 3-sided parts. i added an extra inch to each length to compensate for the sides. For this demo, I used really thick foamcore, so some post-cutting fitting was done.
If I decide to go into mass production refine it again, I might have the top and bottom made out of plexiglass or sheet metal. In this design, each side gets a bit of strength from the 2 folds, and sealing the sides with tape makes the whole package very durable & strong. The touchscreen and display also add some strength to the box.
In action, from an angle, with a flash blowing out the monitor.
In action, from the opposite angle, with a flash blowing out the monitor, again.
The back, with the power button brought out to the upper right corner.
The side - with the hole for the speaker port right in the middle of the side.
Booting again - note the icons for the ports on the front, almost mirrored corrently for thier placement on the back. Used as a visual aid for plugging in items. Not used in the final product.
An example of how it might be stored in a bookshelf. The power cord goes into the unit on the bottom, and only the cable sticks out to let it sit square on the table.
In desktop mode...
Booting again.... Ever so slowly...
Desktop without keyboard.
Desktop with keyboard, me about to type!
Come Back for Part 4!
Come back in a few days for the fourth and final part of this developing saga for the final wooden casing and finished eBook!