MechBook Pro

Status:
    Date Started: Aug 2024
    Date Completed: N/A

Introduction

Back in 2024, I was buying laptops to upgrade and/or fix, to then sell on for some minor returns. This was with a range of laptops, but typically lower-end ones as they were cheaper and lower risk. During this process, I encountered the Mid-2010 MacBook Pro. I have never owned a MacBook, and rarely used them, but I was impressed by Apple's aluminium unibody design, and had some thoughts...

From my previous projects, it can be seen that I like mechanical keyboards, and by this point Framework Laptop mainboards had been on the market for a while. So I was thinking... I can take a chassis that I like (and which has plenty of space inside), some modern hardware, and perhaps a mechanical keyboard. How could I not pursue this idea?

Design (Progress)

I haven't had much time to work on this project between 2024 - 2026 due to all my commitments during university, but now I should have more time! There are a lot of small tasks involved and a decent amount of experimentation to see what works. For now, I can present some of the current development (although designs are all subject to change).

First things first - make a mechanical keyboard that can fit in this form factor based on desired ergonomic modelling:

Mechanical Keyboard PCB
Mechanical Keyboard PCB

And its prototype frame - determining features, checking dimensions and figuring out a mounting solution:

Mechanical Keyboard Frame
Mechanical Keyboard Frame

Modelling of internals in MacBook CAD. The height of the body (with lid closed) is 2.41 cm; so far things should fit:

3D CAD model of the MechBook Pro internals
3D CAD model of the MechBook Pro internals

Turning the trackpad in to a USB device isn't that simple:

Photo of trackpad conversion electronics
Trackpad Conversion Testing

Design (To-Do)