Dewalt Raspberry Pi Development Laptop

Ok let me start by saying I LOVE Dewalt tools. I buy dewalt any time i can, even my toolboxes are black and yellow. The initial reason for this project was to contain all of the parts i would need to have to use a raspberry pi into a unit that could be taken home or on the road with me.

Step 1: Parts Required

Here are the Parts I used to build this.

1. Case I used a dewalt case i purchased off of ebay
2. Raspberry Pi 3 -- Amazon $36.50
3. LED Screen - I used a screen from a broken chromebook
4. LED Screen Driver -- Amazon - $29.58
5. 12V Dewalt Charger and Battery - I had an extra one and did not need to purchase one
6. Wireless Mouse -- Amazon - $8.99
7. Dewalt Component Case -- Amazon $5.98
8. Pi Cobbler - Amazon - $9.99
9. 12v Power Supply - Amazon - $9.59
10. 12v to 5v Converter - Amazon - $11.58
11. Mini digital voltmeter x 2 -- banggood
12. Panel mount USB extention x 3 -- Amazon - $4.10
13. Panel Mount Ethernet Extension -- Amazon - $6.89
14. Toggle switch- on - off x 2 -- Amazon - $8.99
15. Bluetooth Keyboard - i had an extra one from a tablet case. I found something very similar on Amazon here.
16. Diode x 2-- I used 100v 5 amp -- Amazon - $4.55
17. AC plug- I stole mine from a bad computer power supply. This is them on Amazon here.

Step 2: Remove Inside Drill Holder Plastic Thingys

First step is to take the Dewalt case and remove the plastic holder thingys that hold the drill and charger and such. Map out how you want to arrange everything first and then remove them. I used various tools but my multi saw seemed to work the best.

Step 3: Modify the Dewalt 12v Charger

Take apart the charger and hook up the positive and negitive to the points shown in the picture. this will give us 12v when a battery is plugged in. Now the charger will only put out 12 volts if the battery is in place, that is why i am using a 12 power supply as well.

Step 4: Install the Screen

I just used a couple pieces of wood that i cut to fit, and hot glued to the inside of the case. I would highly recomend plugging it all in and making sure everything works before you install it in the case. I have not had any issues but i have to assume that this driver does not work with every model of LCD.

Step 5: Finish Wiring

So, the drawing i made is really crude, but basically the ac power coming in from the side is connected to the dewalt charger to charge the battery and also to a 12v power supply. so if there is no battery then it will still run from ac voltage. I put 2 diode in line so that the voltmeters would display the correct voltage and not "bleed over", so to speak. I included the DXF file for the panel if you have a laser cutter. Or you could do the same thing with 1/8th in plywood or even cardboard.

Step 6: Make It Pretty

I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves on this part. I did add velcro to most of the loose parts inside to keep it from bouncing around. If you happen to have a silhouette cameo vinyl cutter then i included the file to make the cool sticker I put on the side. I cut two strips of nylon strap and put them in the corners to make it stay open. I used hot glue to attach these as well.

Step 7: Finished

I had a blast making this. It worked out so well i ended up making another one for my dad. I made this a couple months ago and i use it a lot, it works great. I hope you enjoyed reading my indestructible. If you like it please vote on it to win a contest. Thank you.

Comments

[ThriftStore Hacker]

Using a drill battery is brilliant! I have so many drill boxes in the shop with no tools in them. For some reason i always forget that they make AWESOME project boxes.

With a 12v battery input you could even use car power, solar, or a big SLA battery.

Check out my solar charger on steroids instructable. It may be a good setup for multicharging from just about any 12v source.

[wridley]

How long does it last on the battery?

[JamesD385]

the Pi alone should run 23 hours. The screen cuts it way down.

[MakrToolbox]

I haven't ran it dead, but i would say an hour and a half, maybe two, the screen pulls a lot of juice.

[JamesD385]

the use of the DeWalt battery is brilliant. I am planning a similar project that would not be possible without your information. Thank you.

[jgueydan]

This literally just made my year! I'm also a huge fan of Dewalt and cannot wait to start a project like this! Thanks for sharing!

[dewaltgirl]

Being a fellow DeWalt superfan, and an IT person, this is the ultimate in DeWalt porn! I modified a case a couple of years ago to do a similar project and never got it started. Great job!

[MakrToolbox]

Thank you, I love your username.

[awhy]

Great project! Forgive my dumb question. Why do I need the LED Screen driver if the Pi already has HDMI output?

[MakrToolbox]

because this a raw screen from a laptop, it does not have an HDMI Connection. picture attached shows a standard LED screen connection.

[josephchrzempiec]

Okay I'm officially Impressed Thank you for the share with us. I'm going to build a rugged Version of this one. Sorry I'm a Ryobi fan. But still a awesome job you did again thank you :)

[timeman2]

Should we assume the Yellow parts box is for storing the keyboard & mouse or did I overlook something? Great job!! I can think of many E-techs I know that would welcome this Idea and even come up some crazy new wrinkles. Thanks for your 'Ible!

[MakrToolbox]

The yellow parts box is for storing components, in mine i have various sensors, pots, and jumpers, etc. the keyboard sits on top of that. I made a video to better explain it and included it in the "ible".

[timeman2]

Ok cool! Thanks Makr Toolbox! Once again great job

[kibukun]

You know, I bet some foremen in the working industry have to use laptops, or eventually will. This would be a great idea to make them more durable!

[MakrToolbox]

I agree, i actually made a portable HDMI screen out of a smaller dewalt case, and i take it on jobs all the time. Works great and gets a lot of looks. I might make an instructible on that one of these days. If i remember ill take a few pics on monday when i get to the shop.

[imalan54]

What did you use for a keyboard? I don't see it listed in the parts list. Also where did you get it from? Great instructable!

[MakrToolbox]

The keyboard was part of a tablet case that had a bluetooth keyboard in it. I see them on ebay and amazon all the time very inexpensive.

[mortenlc]

This is AWESOME! I have a few of these cases lying around... Now I know what to do with at least one of them... If I ever get the time :-/

[Modern Rustic Workshop]

The idea is really cool and I love the Dewalt case.... Wish I could understand the technicalities behind it all!