Raspberry Pi — I just can’t stop fiddling with it. Fresh from setting it up as a media center and with a retro gaming console, I’ve recently begun to consider the device’s capabilities as something more important. ,

You may have seen one of our previous posts about unusual uses for the Raspberry Pi. . One was to use it as a computer in a low-budget space program, which would make the Pi more portable than most computers on earth! However, it should be noted that there are several ways a grounded Raspberry Pi can free itself from its power supply and its compact little Perspex or Lego case. and use it like a real laptop.

That doesn’t mean the Raspberry Pi can exist without a power supply, an HDMI cable, and a USB keyboard—of course, if you’re using your computer for mundane tasks, you’ll need all of these, and maybe more…

Raspberry Pi + Kindle = Kindleberry Pi

Two of the most compact names in computing — wouldn’t it be great to put them together?

As it happens, there are several ways a Raspberry Pi can be paired with a Kindle reader, the latter becoming a display for an inexpensive mini-computer that needs to be battery-powered or mains-powered.

portable raspberry pi

Due to regular updates to the Amazon Kindle range, you will need to make sure that the model you are using is the same as the one listed here, otherwise problems may occur. In other words, we cannot be held responsible for something going wrong with any device if you made a mistake.

If you own a Kindle 3 (model with a built-in keyboard), then you will no doubt be interested in learning more about the original Kindleberry Pi project, in which you can quickly establish a wireless connection between two devices to create an electronic display for your Raspberry Pi.

Reading books on Kindle Paperwhite? An edit to the original project also lets you connect the Pi to the Paperwhite — and it’s wireless this time!

What about other Kindle devices? Well, things are changing, so submit a query to Google…

Motorola Lapdock

Using a Kindle as a Raspberry Pi display can be quite labor intensive, but you’ll be severely limited in what you can do — it’s command line or nothing, unfortunately — and there’s no mouse support.

how to make raspberry pi portable

For more control over your Raspberry Pi, why not connect it to a Motorola Lapdock, a sort of «blank» laptop used to dock Android phones that can be purchased online for less than $100. With the right USB and HDMI cables, you can connect the Pi to your laptop, even using the mini computer on the laptop’s battery.

Port Raspberry Pi Project

A third option that addresses the power requirements of laptops that don’t come with onboard batteries is the Port a Raspberry Pi project, details of which can be found in Instructables.

portable raspberry pi

Using a portable DVD player and wireless portable keyboard, as well as a rechargeable portable UPS and various cables, the Port a Raspberry Pi project has successfully turned the Pi into a computing device that can go in and out of the length of a network extension cable. to the big, wide world.

The Port Raspberry Pi project is arguably the most complex of the three listed here, so if you’re planning on trying it out, read the Instructable link and comments carefully before you get started!

Conclusion: Pi is now portable

I have noted the constantly surprising nature of the Raspberry Pi several times in these pages, but the extraordinary ingenuity that this little computer inspires in people is truly amazing.

I know for a fact that from my meeting with Eben Upton of the Foundation that the developers are just as surprised (albeit excited) but ultimately the sheer flexibility of the computer is a testament to their design.

The fact that this tiny circuit board can be connected to such completely different displays and act as a portable computer is very interesting, and I hope it hints at the future possibility of ad hoc interconnection between different hardware…

Image credits: unmodified Amazon Kindle 3, portable DVD player

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