Onboard five-inch monitor

[TheAnachronaut]

Fellow VICtims, would you like to have a VIC that you could carry into a classroom, flip the lcd screen up, and take notes with? This is my goal, but I need help making five mighty mods:

First, I want to install a five-inch or larger screen on the inside of a Compumate keyboard cover, (the smoky plexiglas type): I’ve seen tiny screens attached, but all too small to be useful. I think the Compumate keyboard cover could accommodate a good-sized screen for the VIC. It would have to be very thin to fit between the plexiglass keyboard cover (when closed) and the keys themselves. If you have never seen a Compumate cover, it is a box that fits directly over the actual keyboard. It has a base that attaches to the VIC (oe 64) with black mirror tape, just above the keyboard. The base is shaped to hold a pencil or to serve as a tray for anything you might need to read or refer to while using the VIC. I think that would be a great place to mount a screeen, and the tray could route wires into the computer if the monitor’s controller could fit inside the underside of VIC’s top shell. (I’ve seen Ben Heck do similar things using portable game system screens). Also, we could hide an on switch and adjustment switches in the same tray, even a reset button, ets .

Second, I want to power the VIC using DC only, for portability. This is for battery power. A rechargeable cell would be wonderful, but don’t you think having good old-fashioned C or D cells would be more authentic? I’m sure there would be plenty of room in a CR model VIC.

Third, how about powering an internal SD2IEC with DC, for practicality? It could have the best productivity software like VIC-WRITER or WORDCRAFT 20 installed for instant access. Of course, the ideal wold be to have an internal 1541 disk drive installed, but even the CR won’t have room for that (would it, or a 1571)?

Fourth, let’s put a half-depth ram card into the expansion slot with a half-size box around it, so this VIC will have a full compliment of memory, including a battery, and the back will be flush, so we can put a carrying handle or strap on the clean back. Covers for other back ports would add to the clean look of the unit. Maybe a WiFi modem could even be squeezed smoothly into the back as well.

Finally, and this may be the hardest, I need to find a smooth software solution for reading my Commodore writing on or transmitting it to other people’s devices.

I know I’m crazy, but this is my dumb little dream.
Yours, Mark

[Gyro Gearloose]

Have you ever seen 5 inch LCDs that screw on to the Sony PlayStation 1?

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Psone-with-lcd- ... SwyhVcp~Ri

I'd power the thing with a LiPO pack.

You're making a SX-20 it seems...

[TheAnachronaut]

Have you ever seen 5 inch LCDs that screw on to the Sony PlayStation 1?

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Psone-with-lcd- ... SwyhVcp~Ri

I'd power the thing with a LiPO pack.

You're making a SX-20 it seems...

Gyro,
Thanks for responding!
The PS1 is a great idea and would provide a speaker too. LiPO pack is also a great idea.
When you say SX-20, are you referring to the luggable version of the 64? Yes, but this would be much lighter and more portable. There’d never be room for a disk drive, but maybe an internal, pet-style tape drive could be installed on the back! No, that would never work; the motherboard is in the way. Yes, an SX-20 is what I want to build, a VIC laptop.
I am even thinking it MIGHT even be neater to have a portable PET than a VIC, a Porta-PET. (I’ve wanted to make one of those awesome PET emulator disks for the VIC, but haven’t gotten my XU-1541 working yet). Then I’d need a new nameplate.
Great improvements to my idea, thank you!