Flip Your Previous Netbook Into A Touchscreen Pill
Tablets are taking up the portable-computing market, however that doesn’t imply the netbooks that they’ve changed are ineffective. It’s potential to jam the processing energy and battery lifetime of most netbook fashions right into a smaller, touchscreen-equipped bundle. The undertaking could be very easy: Take away a number of elements, add a touchscreen overlay (about $80; MyDigitalDiscount), reseal the machine in its new pill type, set up a driver, and calibrate the display screen. And in case you use an outdated netbook you’ve gotten mendacity round (or purchase a used one), it prices a fraction of the value of a brand new pill.
STEP 1
Disassemble The Netbook
Take away the bezel and backing from the show so the LCD panel and its cables are uncovered. Then take away the keyboard and trackpad from the netbook. (This may increasingly contain eradicating screws from the bottom of the netbook and prying off the highest case with a flat instrument like a putty knife.)
STEP 2
Flip the LCD Panel and Apply the Touchscreen
Flip the netbook’s uncovered LCD panel round to position it over the world the place the keyboard and mouse was once, taking care to keep away from damaging the panel’s cables. (For some fashions, you could have to unplug these cables and plug them again in.) Subsequent, take away the paper on the again of the touchscreen overlay to disclose the adhesive, and place it on prime of the LCD panel.
STEP 3
Join the Touchscreen
If the netbook has an inside USB port on its motherboard, join the touchscreen overlay’s USB cable to it. Exterior USB ports can be utilized as effectively, however this can trigger a cable to stay out of the machine. Observe: This step could differ with sure fashions, so remember to seek the advice of the directions that got here with the touchscreen overlay that you just bought.
STEP 4
Reattach the Bezel
With every part in place, reattach the bezel to the entrance of the transformed netbook. Some fashions will match, however most would require an adhesive. If there’s an excessive amount of area between the bezel and the bottom of the netbook pill, fill it in and seal the 2 elements along with Sugru ($18; sugru.com). Let the machine dry for twenty-four hours.
Observe: If elements of the bezel cowl the touchscreen, take away them earlier than reattaching the bezel.
STEP 5
Set up The Touchscreen Drivers and Calibrate the Show
Join a keyboard and mouse to the newly modified netbook pill, and set up the drivers that have been included on the disc with the touchscreen. As a result of these drivers come on a CD, you could want to repeat them to a flash drive utilizing one other laptop or hook up an exterior optical drive to your netbook pill. As soon as the drivers are put in, run the calibration instrument and use a resistive stylus to calibrate the touchscreen overlay. (I like to recommend utilizing a retractable stylus like the type made for the Nintendo DS, that are cheap and simple to search out on-line.) This course of, which includes urgent and holding completely different spots on the display screen, takes solely a few minute.
WARNING: Don’t cowl any areas the netbook makes use of for air flow. Unvented warmth can harm the machine and injure the person.
Time 1 day
Value About $100
Problem 3 out of 5
