Recycle Bricked Chromebook using Raspberry Pi

dori2o

I've acquired 2 Raspberry Pi Zero W boards, including header pins, from ebay for less than £10 for the pair inc delivery (thanks to people who cannot spell when they list items on Ebay). They normally retail with the header pins at around £13 each plus postage.

One of the Raspberry Pi (RPi) I am going to be using to build a music server for my stereo which has UPNP/DLNA capability (For those who don't understand this is the ability to stream music wireless from a PC or connected external storage device using my wireless internet connection) I'll do this together with (for now) a 128gb flash drive which will hold part of my music collection, with the idea to eventually change this to an external hard drive which will hold my entire collection which currently stands at approx 270GB of music which is mostly in a lossless audio format.

This means I can stop running my PC as a server as I do now which is expensive when it's on all the time and not good for the PC, and run a server 24/7 and it will cost pennies per month given the very small power input of the RPi and the powered USB HUB. (both run on 5v/2a so use very little energy at all)

I can also stream music via my phone, tablet, laptop by installing the same software that is being used by the server etc as long as I'm on the same wireless network.

Eventually I want to create a full media server with a RPi 3 which will allow me to stream video as well utilising software such as PLEX or Kodi or similar, and will hopefully eventually allow me to set up other video streaming services, i.e Netflix/Amazon.

I'm also thinking about possibly building a FTP/NAS or similar system, again using a RPi or possibly another small form system such as an Orange Pi or Arduino etc to allow access to my media from outside of the home network. This will allow us to stream movies or access other content/documents if we stay away from home, for example if we go away to a hotel I'll be able to stream movies etc without having to take an external hard drive or flash drives with me.

I know I can use PLEX to stream media but there may be other documents I need to access.

Anyway, I've gone a little off topic, I need a project for the 2nd RPi Zero W and I was wondering about utilising a broken Acer laptop we've had sitting around in the house for the past 4 years.

The laptop is actually a chromebook (It runs Google Chrome OS and not Windows)

It's broken due to the fact that I've encountered the known issue with the BIOS becoming corrupt. I've tried the solutions provided by ACER and Google to try and reboot/Refresh the BIOS by booting using a USB flash drive but it's in a permanent loop and will not recover.

I'm wondering if it would be possible to re purpose the laptop using the 2nd RPi Zero.

Does anyone know if this would be possible?

My idea is to check the model number of the screen, get the control board for the screen (assuming I can't utilise the one within the chromebook, and connect it to the RPi via HDMI, or if necessary via HDMI to VGA etc.

I plan to mount the RPi in a case and mount the case to the lid of the laptop.

Alternatively I have wondered if it would be possible to squeeze the RPi into the laptop case itself, then run the cables to the screen by modifying the case and lid?


Finally I'd like to be able to use the keyboard of the laptop as an input for the RPi.

I assume the keyboard currently connects to the laptop via a ribbon connection. Would it be possible to get this converted to a USB connection?

If not I may find myself detaching the screen entirely from the laptop and using it like a tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

If anyone has any experience with this, or has any idea's or opinions they'd like to share (other than things like , 'Why waste your time', 'why not just but a laptop', etc etc), I'd be grateful.

By the way, just to explain. At work I'm doing more and more IT/Digital based work and I'm pretty good at using Office software to produce high quality charts, presentations, animations and other documents, I'm pretty good at writing VBA code for macro's and creating tools that staff use to assist with their day to day work, I created and maintain an information HUB, and I'm beginning to design Apps via Microsoft Power Apps, again that staff can use once we roll out Office 365.

What I don't have is much other coding experience and the idea of these projects is to begin looking at coding and other IT/Digital processes and start to understand it.

With the very significant change into the digital world that my employer has taken in the past 2 or 3 years, and which has a continued plan for the next 15 years, it may be an opportunity for me to change roles, take a promotion, etc, etc.

I could just buy a book and read through it completing the exercises in the book etc, but where is the fun in that. At least this way I'm getting some practical experience, I'm spending very little money and also trying to recycle something rather than just dump it.

Any help, advice, comments are appreciated.

pramsay13

Might get more help here:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/

forgotmyname

Got bored after you told us what your going to do with the pi and didnt even get as far as the actual question.

Scrolling down i see PLEX, HDMI, Flash Drives, Laptops??

Is there actually a question in there?

You missed out so much that you can use a Pi for and if leaving a PC on 24/7 is bad wont leaving a Pi on for that long be equally as bad?
I bet my 24/7 PC lasts longer than your Pi.

AndyPix

You would probly get more replies if you broke your long wall of text down into short answerable questions .. For example :-

dori2o wrote: »

I assume the keyboard currently connects to the laptop via a ribbon connection. Would it be possible to get this converted to a USB connection?.

No

spadoosh

I dont see the point in using a computer to recycle a computer in to a computer. I like the learning principles but you can do learning doing something practical as opposed to do just doing something for the sake of learning.

Personally i would be looking at making some google calendar based notice board, weather station and news feed. Building a basic button menu to flick between (ok its a computer but given a specific role.)




Id recommend hunting down the closest hackspace to you. Theyll probably run coding courses. If not an option try contacting universities who will probably have coding groups.

https://www.hackspace.org.uk/

theres fablabs/makerspaces and other types of 'creatives' groups that will also to some degree look at coding.

were

like the others say, your rambling post is too long and few make it to the end

dori2o wrote: »

The laptop is actually a chromebook (It runs Google Chrome OS and not Windows)

It's broken due to the fact that I've encountered the known issue with the BIOS becoming corrupt. I've tried the solutions provided by ACER and Google to try and reboot/Refresh the BIOS by booting using a USB flash drive but it's in a permanent loop and will not recover.

https://www.biosmaster.co.uk/ there us also a ??.de company from where you can buy replacement pre-programmed bioses often for under £20

My idea is to check the model number of the screen, get the control board for the screen (assuming I can't utilise the one within the chromebook, and connect it to the RPi via HDMI, or if necessary via HDMI to VGA etc.

the screen voltage converter is often in the screen. it uses power from the psu often on the mboard. The display formatting is done on the motherboard. Doubt you, or many could pull this off.

If there is a controller board conversion for the screen on ebay, you must power this and cable it in.

I plan to mount the RPi in a case and mount the case to the lid of the laptop.

Alternatively I have wondered if it would be possible to squeeze the RPi into the laptop case itself, then run the cables to the screen by modifying the case and lid?

mount probably equals hot glue (providing it does not get too warm) or sliicon glue etc. Usb cables, power cables?
Not that workable... Again screen psu + pi psu. Doubt you also will pull this off.

Finally I'd like to be able to use the keyboard of the laptop as an input for the RPi.

I assume the keyboard currently connects to the laptop via a ribbon connection. Would it be possible to get this converted to a USB connection?

Yes it it possible, is it possible for you to do it, probably not. You need the cable connectors, the cable connection detail, the data outputs for when they key are pressed, then you need to decode these. Only then can you build the electronics to convert it to usb

If not I may find myself detaching the screen entirely from the laptop and using it like a tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

The antenna wires for Bluetooth and wifi are often in the lid, but the bluetooth is socketed or attached to the mboard.

...or opinions they'd like to share (other than things like , 'Why waste your time', 'why not just but a laptop', etc etc), I'd be grateful.

By the way, just to explain. At work I'm doing more and more IT/Digital based work and I'm pretty good at using Office software to produce high quality charts, presentations, animations and other documents, I'm pretty good at writing VBA code for macro's and creating tools that staff use to assist with their day to day work, I created and maintain an information HUB, and I'm beginning to design Apps via Microsoft Power Apps, again that staff can use once we roll out Office 365.

What I don't have is much other coding experience and the idea of these projects is to begin looking at coding and other IT/Digital processes and start to understand it.

With the very significant change into the digital world that my employer has taken in the past 2 or 3 years, and which has a continued plan for the next 15 years, it may be an opportunity for me to change roles, take a promotion, etc, etc.

I could just buy a book and read through it completing the exercises in the book etc, but where is the fun in that. At least this way I'm getting some practical experience, I'm spending very little money and also trying to recycle something rather than just dump it.

Any help, advice, comments are appreciated.

I feel this is way out of your league. It is mostly electronics, not computing or programming.

If you had the diagnostic equipment, did get it working, and it may take you years to build the circuits, get the timings right, and add extra boxes to get it all to work.

When you finish, think it wont be pretty. Think the word 'Frankenstein'

You will learn more beneficial things by replacing the bios on the acer and putting hyper-v or vSphere etc. on the server and running virtual servers to do the functions you want

use these underpowered pi's for published products