Modding a Corporate Imaged Dell Optiplex 7070 into a laptop for traveling?

[connorkincaid]

7 minutes ago, thrasher_565 said:

This honestly seems like the most surefire way. Really like this suggestion. 

[thrasher_565]

1 minute ago, connorkincaid said:

This honestly seems like the most surefire way. Really like this suggestion. 

ya i agree

 

might not get sued or jailed when cough... might

Edited June 16, 2021 by thrasher_565

[connorkincaid]

2 minutes ago, thrasher_565 said:

ya i agree

 

might not get sued or jailed when cough... might

Well I think this particular solution might enable them to keep most if not all of the parts intact in the same form, at least compared to other possible solutions. I think what needs to be considered, is that if you ARE going to do this, that you need to try and leave the smallest footprint behind when modding it. 

[tkitch]

31 minutes ago, connorkincaid said:

If you were stopped by an officer, YES, then you need to notify them right away (dashcam).

This one I'd question, as it's been confirmed by the Supreme Court that recording police is completely allowed, and they can't say no.

[connorkincaid]

1 minute ago, tkitch said:

This one I'd question, as it's been confirmed by the Supreme Court that recording police is completely allowed, and they can't say no.

They CANNOT say no. However, in particular states you do have to let them know that you are recording. They cannot ask you to stop recording however. Therefore as a default, it is probably good idea to let them know that you are recording, unless there is an exigent circumstance that would lead you to believe that they would try to compromise the recording, etc. 

[tdkid]

4 hours ago, connorkincaid said:

You don't get it. Dashcams and police interactions are ENTIRELY different than recording a phone call with an employer OR really anyone else. They are TELEPHONE laws. 

 

Laws concerning dashcam recordings in your vehicle on a public motorway do not fall under the same law. You can record video and audio in public as much as you would like. 

All cameras do not fall under the same law. 

 

If you were stopped by an officer, YES, then you need to notify them right away (dashcam).

 

Wikipedia isn't a reliable source, but the sources that are at the bottom of the page are reliable, and if you'd verify them and check it out, you'd see that I'm correct! I was simply trying to give you something to look at so that you could understand, but I guess that didn't really work. 

 

Thank you! Have a nice day. 

If you want to talk about completely off topic and wrong info, there are other sites for that. And as a repo agent I think I would know more about property and privacy laws than most others, even lawyers because most deal with it once it a while, I deal with it more times I one day than most will in their entire careers.

 

YES all cameras DO fall under the exact same law. why? because there is no such thing as video recording. photography is one of my hobbies and as a hobby i learned this years ago. "video" is playback of pics taken so close together flashed in front of your eyes so quickly its looks like its moving. its why its called FPS (frames per second)

 

if i was stopped by an officer i would NEVER need to tell them that i am recording them. do they tell you that you are being recorded or is it because they are police you know or assume they are? 

 

thjank you for proving me right.

[RaddyKewl]

4 hours ago, tkitch said:

I'd say:

Buy a sizable Pelican case, or a very durable briefcase sized case.

 

Mount a LCD To the top of the case.

 

Mount the tiny to the bottom of it.  Externally mount a power connector, and such.  use that as a "laptop"

That could work. Might be bulky, but it would put everything into a single enclosure.

[tdkid]

5 hours ago, tkitch said:

I'd say:

Buy a sizable Pelican case, or a very durable briefcase sized case.

 

Mount a LCD To the top of the case.

 

Mount the tiny to the bottom of it.  Externally mount a power connector, and such.  use that as a "laptop"

that is a really good idea and one i never would have thought of.

 

or maybe buy an igloo or yeti cooler so it can be water cooled easier. lol

[thrasher_565]

the briefcase idea is the best. you might be able to find a smaller one but i dont no. it would depend on how big of monitor you wanted and how small of a keyboard you want.

 

then it looks like the psu / brick looks like a barrel plug what size i dont no you have to find that out then get and panel mount connector drill and mount it

 

de pending if you wan usb panel mount, headphone jack, Ethernet or w/e you might need too

 

you can probably find a blue tooth mouse and keyboard thow you will need to charge them now and then.

 

hope it has an ssd and not an hdd as hdd ant really meant to be tossed around

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by thrasher_565

[RaddyKewl]

So my company replaced my desktop with another desktop. Similar form factor and functionality, but has a different image that isn't as locked down as the previous computer. I opened it up and the internals look about the same as the Dell. A benefit of an HP is that I can use 3rd party power adapters, so I can keep the one they supplied at home, and buy another one for travel. Hopefully I can mod the power adapter to work with both the computer and the LCD screen, if it can't be powered off of USB-C.

HP 800 G4 EliteDesk

[tkitch]

one thing you can do that might help (long term) they sell bent metal "monitor mounts" for those.  (HP / Dell / Lenovo) 

 

one of those would make it easy to swap between boxes.  They'll all look a little different, but will look like this:

[jaslion]

The desktop + a portable monitor and small keyboard + mouse should work just fine for travelling.

 

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-MB169B-1920x1080-Portable-Monitor/dp/B013XFJKGI/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=portable+monitor&qid=1624449347&sr=8-8

 

I don't see the issue here and why everyone is making it so complicated? This is legit what I had to do for 2 users a while ago since they needed systems with a built in serial and parallel port but on the go capable. All fit into a small laptop bag or backpack no problem.

 

All you need is a power plug and that is it. If you need a battery you can use those smaller portable battery packs should give you an hour and a bit of battery life.

[RaddyKewl]

I could do that, but it's just a lot of things to carry, plus a bunch of wires strung out on a table, bothering other people and attracting attention at a Starbucks. Basically, I don't wanna be this person:

 

Now if I could take that portable monitor and a mini keyboard plus the computer and fit it into a custom built enclosure, that could work.

[RaddyKewl]

I think I'm gonna go with the Pelican Case



https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1085-Laptop-Case-Black/dp/B0069IY9A4/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=laptop%2Bhard%2Bcase&qid=1624489973&sr=8-3&th=1

One of the portable monitors, though I have a feeling I can't get video over the USB-C port due to the computer being locked down, so I'll need one with HDMI.

 

And a wired USB keyboard.



Then I can just mount everything in the case. Probably have to drill some holes, and dremel slots for ventilation. Depending on the screen I get, I might have to get some kind of plexiglass to protect the screen from getting smashed when I close it with the computer and keyboard inside.

[Blue4130]

55 minutes ago, RaddyKewl said:

I could do that, but it's just a lot of things to carry, plus a bunch of wires strung out on a table, bothering other people and attracting attention at a Starbucks. Basically, I don't wanna be this person:

 

Now if I could take that portable monitor and a mini keyboard plus the computer and fit it into a custom built enclosure, that could work.

My (probably unpopular) thought is that the dude one the laptop in the background is just as bad. It's called "work from home", not work from random coffee shop. 

 

I accept it if you are a traveling salesperson or such, but if you are a work from home drone, just finish your work at home, then go out and enjoy a coffee as a reward. Why go somewhere with so many disctractions? 

[RaddyKewl]

2 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

My (probably unpopular) thought is that the dude one the laptop in the background is just as bad. It's called "work from home", not work from random coffee shop. 

 

I accept it if you are a traveling salesperson or such, but if you are a work from home drone, just finish your work at home, then go out and enjoy a coffee as a reward. Why go somewhere with so many disctractions? 

Because I work 5 days a week, and get limited PTO, and I want to travel hundreds of miles away to beaches, theme parks, and other interesting places. Continue to work while I travel, and when I'm off for the day, I can go find something cool to do for the evening. Then take a day or two off when I have something major I want to do.

[Blue4130]

25 minutes ago, RaddyKewl said:

Because I work 5 days a week, and get limited PTO, and I want to travel hundreds of miles away to beaches, theme parks, and other interesting places. Continue to work while I travel, and when I'm off for the day, I can go find something cool to do for the evening. Then take a day or two off when I have something major I want to do.

Like I said, my opinion might not be popular, but what you describe sounds like a vast majority of the working class. Work 5 days, have 2 days off. That's why holidays were invented. 

[RaddyKewl]

Not the most ideal solution, but I think I can make it work. The PC is a little thicker than I had planned for, so I’ll need some padding between the PC and the screen, when the case is closed. Not sure how a keyboard will fit in this either.

 

I also need to work out a way for the back of the case to stand up on its own. Either a kickstand or maybe a hydraulic/pneumatic piston would suffice. Kickstand would take up more space on a table, potentially annoying other people at a Starbucks.

 

Cable management is gonna be a challenge as well. I can splice a power cable or a USB cable rather easily, but don’t think I’d do well with an HDMI cable. Need something with angled heads, and a short cable length. Would also be drilling holes to run the cables between the top and bottom clamshells. Wish I could do it without cutting out a large piece to fit a plug through.

 

LCD panel and the computer itself have VESA mounts, so I can bolt them right to the case.

 

This computer does not output video through USB-C, but it gives me enough power for the monitor, meaning I don’t need a separate power brick.

 

[thrasher_565]

On 6/23/2021 at 3:49 PM, RaddyKewl said:

I could do that, but it's just a lot of things to carry, plus a bunch of wires strung out on a table, bothering other people and attracting attention at a Starbucks. Basically, I don't wanna be this person:

 

Now if I could take that portable monitor and a mini keyboard plus the computer and fit it into a custom built enclosure, that could work.

haha i think this is a meam haha

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by thrasher_565

[tkitch]

23 hours ago, RaddyKewl said:

Not the most ideal solution, but I think I can make it work. The PC is a little thicker than I had planned for, so I’ll need some padding between the PC and the screen, when the case is closed. Not sure how a keyboard will fit in this either.

 

I also need to work out a way for the back of the case to stand up on its own. Either a kickstand or maybe a hydraulic/pneumatic piston would suffice. Kickstand would take up more space on a table, potentially annoying other people at a Starbucks.

 

Cable management is gonna be a challenge as well. I can splice a power cable or a USB cable rather easily, but don’t think I’d do well with an HDMI cable. Need something with angled heads, and a short cable length. Would also be drilling holes to run the cables between the top and bottom clamshells. Wish I could do it without cutting out a large piece to fit a plug through.

 

LCD panel and the computer itself have VESA mounts, so I can bolt them right to the case.

 

This computer does not output video through USB-C, but it gives me enough power for the monitor, meaning I don’t need a separate power brick.

 

Okay so:

 

1) Get a thicker case.  You'll be happier, and less likely to smash the screen.

 

2) wireless KB/M.  Leave the nugget plugged into the tiny, and you can keep the board / mouse outside of the case if you choose.

 

3) Screen Support:  Nylon straps on the inside of the case, from top to bottom:

 

 

[RaddyKewl]

Nylon straps would keep it from opening flat, but it won’t keep it from closing on itself, if someone bumped into it. Would need some stronger support.

 

I’m planning to use a wireless mouse, but having a separate keyboard is more stuff to carry and taking up more space on a tabletop.