Propeller inside a laptop

copter

This idea came after I ordered a new ThinkPad laptop, but due some misinformation it came without any kind of keyboard light (no ThinkLight or back-lit keyboard). After trying to solve the issue with manufacturer without any success I started to think what would be the best way to add this feature myself. I have been looking from the web and some people have successfully added ThinkLight type of lighting to their laptop using ATtiny chip, which has been then hooked into caps lock key LED for control (like here: http://spritesmods.com/?art=keybled&page=2).

Model which I received doesn't have any caps lock led (just OSD) or any other LEDs that can be controlled with user input (no LED with scroll lock or num lock either). This makes the job a bit more difficult, so I started to wonder if I could solve this problem by integrating Propeller P8X32A-Q44 inside my display bezel right on top of the LCD, where is some extra space. Combining this chip with suitable small EEPROM and FT232BL UART + adding internal wiring straight to one of my USB ports would give me serial interface that I could then use for controlling my keyboard light, that would be naturally hooked up into one of Propeller pins. All this I could pretty nicely fit inside my LCD casing + make a place for keyboard light above LCD, just need to use small components. Sure this would cost me one USB port, that I cannot use externally anymore, but that's not a problem since there's 3 ports so I would still have 2 which is enough for me.

Anyway after coming up with this I started to think that what else I could do with Propeller when placed inside my laptop, since just controlling one LED is quite lightweight job for such a powerful chip. Any ideas how I could utilize this chip more or any other ideas for improvement?

I don't want to start making much holes into my laptop (just for the LED), so getting external access to the pins etc is not possible.

Mike Green

Since you're going to be using one of the USB ports for the Propeller, you could remove the USB connector from the PCB and use the opening in the case for a connector for some of the Propeller I/O pins

mindrobots

You guys are really tempting me to crack open on of my old laptops.......STOP THAT!!

copter

Mike Green wrote: »

Since you're going to be using one of the USB ports for the Propeller, you could remove the USB connector from the PCB and use the opening in the case for a connector for some of the Propeller I/O pins

Very nice idea! Need to check how the connector is built, but I guess I could have 3.3v and GND in two of the pins and then have 2 I/O pins exposed. This way I could just plug different boards into this connector. Maybe I could expose even 3 pins if I put GND just into connector shielding.

Circuitsoft

Which Thinkpad did you get? X120e? I've considered it as well, and I'm starting to think it may make sense to just hook it up alongside the display backlight.

copter

This model is ThinkPad Edge E130, very similar as X120e. I had first generation X120 about two years ago, but that generation had very power consuming + slow AMD CPU, so battery lasted only about 3 hours which didn't cut for me since I travel a lot and work in random places without power outlet. I'm a long time ThinkPad user and as my primary laptop I use ThinkPad W520, but it's a bit big when it comes to working while in flight etc, so I decided to get another laptop for these purposes and decided to try Edge series for the first time. I think this my 7th ThinkPad in a row after 90's and also first without ThinkLight, which I have always believed to be in every ThinkPad. It seems I was wrong even tho its mentioned in the specifications at Lenovo site.

So because this is my secondary laptop I can affort to open and modify it a bit..

Circuitsoft

Mentioned in the specs? Odd. I have the one with the AMD E350. Before that, had a T23, 770, and 360cse. Battery life isn't fantastic, but it's not horrible either. From what I understand the Edge and SL series both have the IdeaPad firmware/BIOS, so you don't get the true ThinkPad feel.

Anyway, I also kind of miss the ThinkLight, but I also see that there isn't much of a place for it. My next will probably be a T4xx; my roommate gets >12Hours battery life with his 9cell T420 battery.

Circuitsoft

Another idea that I'm playing with now is to make a line of LEDs that I can glue/place just inside the top of the LCD bezel. Figure I can build a PCB for it. Since OSHPark sells in batches of 3, maybe I'll send you one.

copter

Regarding battery life this E130 laptop is pretty good. Lenovo states 8½ hours, but as usual its marketing speech. I get about 7½ - 8 hours, so I'm pretty happy with it when comparing that this weights only 1.54kg (3.40 lb) and there's no extra battery sticking out from the back. Core i3 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, integrated WWAN etc, so pretty perfect while on the road. My W520 then has a lot heavier setup (Core i7-2820QM, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD RAID etc) and that sits on my docking station at the office with 3 displays and always travels with me too, but goes into cargo bay with rest of my luggage, so I open it when I get to the hotel, customers place etc.

Regarding ThinkPad "feel" etc, I know that Edge series is a bit more targeted towards small businesses and cheaper price point, but still I wanted to give it a try since there was such a tempting offer from this model. Regarding BIOS + bundled Lenovo software (ThinkVantage, Power Manager and other ThinkPad tools) I cannot find anything that's missing when compared to W520, so all seems OK there too. When booting the unit all looks like booting a "normal" ThinkPad. Keyboard and TrackPoint / UltraNav (mouse) are same as in ThinkPad X230 (same FRU number), so when typing / pointing it feels the same. Only noticeable difference that I have seen so far is the missing ThinkLight and different overall design. Unit feels good and stable, not anyhow "too plastic" etc. This leaves me only with missing ThinkLight as a problem.

Story regarding "missing" ThinkLight is that this unit doesn't have it, but Lenovo site states differently. Lenovo doesn't have any shop etc nearby, so I didn't have a chance / time to try it before I ordered. I checked offer that I got from this model from our local re-seller, checked CPU, RAM, HDD, WWAN etc unit specific information from there and then looked general model information from Lenovo site, where it was said that ThinkLight is included (and it in promo pictures it was visible that shortcut for this exists in the keyboard). After this I placed an order, got the unit couple days after and spent a day installing software and customizing it to my needs. When the first moment came that I needed to turn on ThinkLight, it didn't work. It's shortcut is still printed onto the keyboard (Fn + space) since the FRU is the same as in X230 (like it was in promo pictures too), so I thought that my ThinkLight is malfunctioning. Called to Lenovo support, talked with 3 guys who didn't have a clue what's wrong with my unit and they promised to solve the issue and call me back. After 2 days I received information that my unit doesn't have a ThinkLight at all and they confirmed that even they had internal documentation that said that it's included in this model.

In ThinkPad Edge series ThinkLight is back-lit illuminated keyboard, not traditional LED on top of LCD, so it wasn't possible to see does the LED exist or not (sure I would have seen that).

So that's the story, but this gave me a perfect opportunity for this project, so something good did came from this also.

Regarding the LEDs I cannot see nothing wrong with having some extra controllable LEDs, so maybe I should add some and figure out use for then at later point when I have rest of my setup working.

EDIT: Link to Lenovo specifications http://support.lenovo.com/en_FI/product-and-parts/detail.page?DocID=PD024686

potatohead

I love Thinkpads and have ran the Smile out of every one I've ever had. My older one is just finishing it's run as my Prop station. Replacing it with some HP thing I got for free, only until this one gets old enough to re-purpose.

Putting a Prop in a laptop is an awesome idea, but if it's just to get the little light, can't you just repurpose the Wi-fi switch? Just saying.

copter

potatohead wrote: »

Putting a Prop in a laptop is an awesome idea, but if it's just to get the little light, can't you just repurpose the Wi-fi switch? Just saying.

If this model would have a hardware Wi-Fi switch, I think we wouldn't be having this conversation. Unfortunately it doesn't exist in this model either, so that is not a possibility.

I would like to do a lot more with Propeller in this project than just control one LED and that's the reason why I started this thread.

So far it looks that I'm going to:
1) control keyboard light as planned
2) have some other controllable LEDs that I can then use for example in other hardware / software projects for notification etc
3) have one USB port converted as I/O port for straight breadboard etc attachment to laptop

Also I started to wonder should I include acceleration / motion detector too somewhere inside casing. They are pretty small and by using it I should be able to trigger events, launch programs, automate events etc for example by tapping different sequences into the laptop casing. Utilizing that I could at least enable / disable keyboard light without software.

Circuitsoft

I think you can make use of the accelerometer already in the laptop (HDAPS). I know there's a Linux driver that presents it as a Joystick interface, and that you can also read it directly with the Thinkpad_ACPI driver, though that may not be supported on the Edge/SL.

SRLM

Why not just hardwire the LEDs with a switch in line, and bypass the Propeller entirely? I think you're overestimating the amount of internal space that you have available, unless you take out a hard drive or memory stick. Plus, if you decide that you really do want a Propeller in there then you can easily replace the switch.