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My SECRET Computer……

nicklmg

if you load up that RPI4 whit Android i think that would be the best solution.
You get access to goole services, apps and much more.

And if you find 5V inside the monitor you just get one wire to the monitor.

 

/Dan 

 

 

/SnurrDass

ASUS/i7/32/1080ti

HPE Sl4540 20c/32

HPE DL180 G9 24c/128
HPE ML350 G9 24c/512

Storinator45 V2 Unraid i7/64/

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Well. Some monitors have USB hub. That means we can power Raspi internally. In case of my old HP LP2475W USB ports are on separate board. So I can disconnect them from hub and hook up two ports from raspi board.

 

For less visible HDMI cable I would use probably HDMI flex cable. For example: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32865096456.html With some small cover it could look like plug for unused port.

But better variant is LCD with cable cover like on Samsung 32" UH850 .

 

Actually, in this case Raspi maybe directly fit under cover. So no mods needed at all. And you have perfect access to everything.

 

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IMO, Windows "Compute Stick" or Chrome OS based "Chromebit" are better hidden and does not require heavy modification.

 

While we are at it, since the the monitor already has VESA mount, why just get a an Intel NUC (or any VESA compatible mini PC) and mount it on its back? Much better performance and no network lag.

"Mankind’s greatest mistake will be its inability to control the technology it has created."

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I hate to be that guy but to be truly stealth how come the power and video signals were not installed internally? The raspberry pi 4 has a 5.1V/3A PSU wall wort. To power the unit:

  1. If the monitor is DC supplied from an external brick, install a DC/DC converter to downconvert (what i assume to be 15V to 21V) to 5V. Then upgrade the external brick to account for the extra load
  2. If the monitor is mains supplied, tap off the the IEC 60320 C14 to draw AC and install an AC/DC PSU to convert to 5V.

In terms of signal connection, a small jumper from the RPI 4 HDMI output could be connected internally to the monitor either by soldering to the existing signal connections or replacing one of the hdmi inputs.

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@nickmlg And why didn't you guys use a Pi 4 in the first place ? 

You can take a look at all of the Tech that I own and have owned over the years in my About Me section and on my Profile.

 

I'm Swiss and my Mother language is Swiss German of course, I speak the Aargauer dialect. If you want to watch a great video about Swiss German which explains the language and outlines the Basics, then click here.

 

If I could just play Videogames and consume Cool Content all day long for the rest of my life, then that would be sick.

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8 hours ago, SkyHound0202 said:

IMO, Windows "Compute Stick" or Chrome OS based "Chromebit" are better hidden and does not require heavy modification.

 

While we are at it, since the the monitor already has VESA mount, why just get a an Intel NUC (or any VESA compatible mini PC) and mount it on its back? Much better performance and no network lag.

This.  You're wasting time doing anything but attaching a NUC to the back.

Workstation:  13700k @ 5.5Ghz || Gigabyte Z790 Ultra || MSI Gaming Trio 4090 Shunt || TeamGroup DDR5-7800 @ 7000 || Corsair AX1500i@240V || whole-house loop.

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Laptop: HP Elitebook 840 G8 (Intel 1185G7) + 3080Ti Thunderbolt Dock, Razer Blade Stealth 13" 2017 (Intel 8550U)

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6 hours ago, AnonymousGuy said:

This.  You're wasting time doing anything but attaching a NUC to the back.

No. This is not the point of the video. The point of the video is to use a monitor that's sitting there doing nothing and put a small computer in it for less than 100$. Something that maybe you'll use once a week or once a month only but that can come in handy when you actually need it.

 

If you're browsing the web, watching youtube, or just streaming games the RPi 4 is good enough. They never said that this should be your main computer, just maybe a backup solution if you 3000$ main rig dies or you need to make repairs ont it. Of course using a NUC or mini PC would be better, but when it will be faster you won't have a great gaming experience on it unless you put something quite bigger on a VESA adapter. The nice thing here is that you can actually hide the PC inside the monitor.

 

After all you're free to make your own version of it, but the video focused on quick, cheap, pratcical solutions. He even mentioned the Lattepanda if you have some money to throw out of the window.

 

And for those saying they should've linked the 5v power directly to the Pi GPIO, again, this is supposed to be easy for everyone that has an old 1080p monitor sitting doing nothing. It's not about frankensteining the monitor's PSU, but more like easily putting a little computer in it, that you could upgrade along the line if you wanted to. And powering a Pi 4 from the USB ports wouldn't be enough for the 2.5 amps it requires under load.

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@nicklmg

Followup request!

 

Let's see a follow-up on this where you hook up several Pi4 "thin clients" like in this video, that all run steamlink to one "mainframe" with virtualization. Would this be possible? Can you play a match of CS:GO or so against eachother? What would the performance be like? Even playable?

 

Sort of like "8 (or is it 10?) Gamers, 1 CPU" meets this video. Will 4 GPU's be enough with a beefy Ryzen or Intel CPU? Is this something for AMPERE? Doable now? Actually, are "mainframes" the future?

 

Edit: Like Linus puts it in the video at 10:51 - are we there yet? :)

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I'm actually thinking of using something like this to replace my current HUD in my front hall. That lil intel computestick is really riding the strugglebus

5950X/3080Ti primary rig  |  1920X/1070Ti Unraid for dockers  |  200TB TrueNAS w/ 1:1 backup

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Sure, why not. Here's my work in progress. I'm here because of the video.

 

It's not an iMac. It was at one point.. someone killed it. I bought the frame, repaired it.. bought glass for the chunky 2010 iMac and build in a new monitor, an apple tv, and a stereo amplifier into the frame..

 

It uses the original power cord for power, and I'm currently in the process the get my hands on some original IO ports to use the displayport and the ethernet for the internals.. maybe the audio jack as well.. but my current stereo amplifier does not support it. Maybe upgrade to USB-C... who knows..

 

DO NOT attempt to do this on a 21.5" iMac as I did by mistake. It is close to impossible to get stuff to fit in there. Apples engineers did some magic there to fit the parts.

 

Still some work to be done on it. But it's a pretty decent monitor.. with some features.

 

Initially wanted to build in a graphics card... but it's not a 27".. and, yeah.. it was not even remotely possible.

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