Mainboard Terminal - A Retro-style Computer with a Modern Core

Mainboard Terminal is not just any cyberdeck, it's a full-feature PC powered by Framework's Mainboard. It has a 5" (1080x1080) round LCD, a fully 3D printable case, and is compatible with OLKB Preonic mechanical keyboard.

The Design

I've always wanted a terminal with a round screen, with the Mainboard product and its 2D drawing released, I finally had the chance to build one. And yes, it runs Spacewar! :-)

Electronics

• Framework Mainboard https://frame.work/products/mainboard
• OLKB Preonic https://drop.com/buy/preonic-mechanical-keyboard
• 5" round LCD https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2255800078247026.html

Software

Everything works out of the box with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, which is nice.

• Setting for the display

    xrandr --newmode "1080x1080R" 82.50 1080 1128 1160 1240  1080 1083 1093 1111 +hsync -vsync
    xrandr --addmode DP-1 "1080x1080R"
    xrandr --output DP-1 --mode "1080x1080R"
  

• Patch CoolRetroTerm to increase screen curvature (optional, purely aesthetic reasons)

  Edit app/qml/ApplicationSettings.qml and change the following property:

    readonly property real screenCurvatureSize: 2.0
  

3D Printed Parts

Everything is (loosely) held together by 5x2mm magnets in my build (again, for purely aesthetic reasons). You might want to add holes for screws & other cutouts to utilize those USB4 ports.

• STL files
• Editable STEP file

Be sure to check out the 2D drawing released by Framework if you want to do further customization.

Paint color used in the build: Tamiya paint PS-57 (Pearl White) and TS-30 (Silver Leaf).

Copyright and License

Copyright (c) 2022 Penk Chen. All rights reserved.

All files are licensed under MIT license or CC BY-SA 4.0, see the LICENSE for more information.