This guy crammed a laptop into an Altoids tin
Popular Science...
Leftover Altoid tins are staple components in all types of handy, DIY projects. Once you eat the mints, the aluminum containers routinely house basic first aid kits, miniature speakers, sewing accessories, and even watercolor paints. But for the YouTuber Exercising Ingenuity, one specific use came to mind.
“Have you ever looked at a tin of Altoids and thought, ‘That looks like a tiny computer?’” he asked in a video on May 9.
Of course, whether or not you imagined the same endeavor is beside the point—because the creator went ahead and did it. The final result may not be the most versatile pocket computer ever designed, but it definitely is one of the most portable.
Exercising Ingenuity was particularly inspired by cyberdecks, which first rose to prominence among hackers during the 1980s. The term originated in William Gibson’s landmark 1984 science fiction novel Neuromancer, and basically boils down to a rugged standalone laptop (with a little bit of punk flare thrown in for good measure). Most actual cyberdeck projects are built with an emphasis on utility and resilience, but Exercising Ingenuity’s chief goal was to make his variant as small as possible.
The problem wasn’t finding an appropriately tiny CPU and LCD screen—a Raspberry Pi Zero and an old, two-inch display both did the trick. Instead, the more difficult challenge was cramming a mechanical keyboard into the pocket-sized tin. That required learning how to construct a diode matrix configuration typing input, then individually assembling and soldering each key on his keyboard. Although the time-lapse video makes the job look incredibly frustrating and hard on the fingers, the YouTuber swears it was a “really enjoyable part of the project.” To each their own.
From there, it was a matter of designing a flexible 3D-printed interior frame and cramming everything into the tin. This was easier said than done, and required the hobbyist to trim down as much wiring as possible while also soldering parts like the UPS board and LCD display directly onto the Raspberry Pi. Despite literally and figuratively cutting every possible corner to make room for all of the components, the final result still required swapping out the tin’s hinges with slightly larger replacements to ensure the case could close shut.
With every hurdle cleared, it was simply a matter of booting up the contraption to give it a test run. Exercising Ingenuity says the final product worked flawlessly, and he was even able to program a small motor to run using his Altoid cyberdeck. Actually typing on the keyboard still looks like a labor of love, but the overall result remains very cool. Its inventor even made all of the designs available online for free, in case any aspiring cyberpunks are looking to recycle an old mint tin.
In The Workshop, Popular Science highlights the ingenious, delightful, and often surprising projects people build in their spare time. If you or someone you know is working on a hobbyist project that fits the bill, we’d love to hear about it—fill out this form to tell us more.
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