[IC] High Resolution, High DPI Display

[DrinkTea]

Greetings Geekhackers!

As lovers of fine keyboards, many of you have high standards for your other peripherals as well. That’s why Sencha Electronics LLC. (really, I incorporated for this, it’s legit!) is proud to present the Minimax display!

What is Minimax?
Minimax is a 12.9 inch display for desktops and laptops
Minimax is minimal dot pitch for maximal clarity. Specifically, it’s a 2560 x 1700, 239 DPI, IPS display with a dot pitch of 0.1062 mm.  Standard displays have less than half the pixel density.

Why does high DPI matter?
On our computers We read, write, program, and troll Geekhack. The common theme is text. And when you’re looking at all that text you want it to be as clear as possible. Apple calls it “retina” but I just call it reasonable resolution (thanks, Linus Torvalds).

Are there any similar displays?
Many companies have recognized the benefit of such displays on phones, tablets, and occasionally laptops; but they’ve been slow to make their way into standalone monitors.
For desktops, your only options are expensive, non-portable and still lower DPI than the Minimax. If you want a portable display for your laptop your only options are low PPI.

So why do I want one?
These displays just “look” nice. The massive resolution in a small size looks incredible. Text is crystal clear. With a Pixels Per Inch count approaching print media everything is a joy to read.

How would I use this with a desktop/laptop?
We will either include a stand or you can bring your own(depending on feedback). If we include one, it will be like a tablet stand.  It will also work with most existing tablet stands.
You can use a standard VESA stand. Since they are light, we will have an adapter to mount 2-3 to a single VESA mount, Voltron Style.

OK, so how much?!?!?!
That depends on the final design. Our goal is under $450 $400. And I don't mean $399.99.
Edit: Looking at it, I think $450 was a bit high, even for an upper bound. It might be closer to that if we make a model with a machined aluminum case, though. But that would be v2.


Specs summary:
Screen size (diagonal): 12.9 inches.
Resolution: 2560 x 1700
PPI: 239
Inputs: Displayport
Power: Mini USB (Plug into a wall charger for 100% brightness).

So, who’s interested?
Are you interested in a kit or something fully assembled?
Would you like a stand built into the display or as an attachment?
Do you see yourself using this more with a laptop, desktop, or both?

Here’s a video made by the PCB designer!

If you’re interested or think you might be, please fill out this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16AMzQO-NVlaIHiAg92IvwQ_uvJatXQLk1Fx11zRp9VA/viewform

Project status(updated frequently):
The PCB is done. The display works.
A case prototype will be ready within two weeks.
We hope to start production by the end of february
Currently, there are issues using the display on Apple computers running 10.8 and 10.9 that have ONLY Intel graphics. We are working to solve this and may offer a bounty. Please contact me if you think you can help.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, I'm all ears. This will be updated frequently. Thanks for reading!

[Pacifist]

Dam thats a small size

[Hak Foo]

It would be difficult to build a workstation around it.

[DrinkTea]

It would be difficult to build a workstation around it.

The aim is to use it as a second display with a laptop, a secondary display on a desktop, or use a lot of them together.
Personally, I like the idea of using it as a dedicated reading display, since I read a lot of academic papers.

[Pacifist]

It would be difficult to build a workstation around it.

The aim is to use it as a second display with a laptop, a secondary display on a desktop, or use a lot of them together.
Personally, I like the idea of using it as a dedicated reading display, since I read a lot of academic papers.

Its nice, but is it worth $450? Maybe at $200 I would consider it, but I can get IPS monitors for $300

[DrinkTea]

It would be difficult to build a workstation around it.

The aim is to use it as a second display with a laptop, a secondary display on a desktop, or use a lot of them together.
Personally, I like the idea of using it as a dedicated reading display, since I read a lot of academic papers.

Its nice, but is it worth $450? Maybe at $200 I would consider it, but I can get IPS monitors for $300

$450 is an upper bound. This panel is actually IPS. I should add that to the main post. And what you're really paying for is the pixel density. It's awesome for work. Probably less awesome for gaming, unless you want to never need antialiasing again.

[dorkvader]

It would be difficult to build a workstation around it.

The aim is to use it as a second display with a laptop, a secondary display on a desktop, or use a lot of them together.
Personally, I like the idea of using it as a dedicated reading display, since I read a lot of academic papers.

Its nice, but is it worth $450? Maybe at $200 I would consider it, but I can get IPS monitors for $300

That depends on the final design. Our goal is under $450. Right now, we should easily clear that

It was said in the OP, the price is just a guess. Also, I don't think it's comparable to whatever $300 monitor you're thinking of.

[Latin00032]

This is interesting. What kind of display does it use? IPS? What's the refresh rate?

[DrinkTea]

This is interesting. What kind of display does it use? IPS? What's the refresh rate?

What do you mean what kind? It is IPS. Refresh rate is 60Hz, but as shown in the video it can be overclocked to 80.

[do_Og@n]

I use a 2560x1600 30 inch display and the text looks AMAZING on that so I can only imagine what it will look like on such a small display.

Depending on the end price ($450 feels steep only because of the size) I am interested.

[Loligagger]

Possibly interested. How are things like black depth, panel uniformity, calibrated color accuracy, etc?

What about including a vesa stand?

[pasph]

Text will  be defined but very little

[eth0s]

This is pretty interesting.  I would seriously consider buying one.

$450 for a monitor that has 2560 x 1700 resolution, 239 DPI, IPS display with a dot pitch of 0.1062 mm, sounds cheap actually.

I'm just worried that the text will be too small.  My eyes get worse every year, and I'm having trouble with small printed text now, so I don't need a monitor that I can't read without reading glasses.

[DrinkTea]

Text will  be defined but very little

That's a common misconception, but you can scale the text and it looks beautiful. Day-to-day I use a retina MacBook pro running at full resolution with only the text size changes and two IBM T221s on my office computer running Linux Mint.
When we ship the monitor we will include instructions how how to scale everything to your preference.
I tried the prototype on windows 8.1 using different scaling on each display and I was pretty happy. It should also be possible to make it run in "retina mode" on OSx as well.

[DrinkTea]

Possibly interested. How are things like black depth, panel uniformity, calibrated color accuracy, etc?

What about including a vesa stand?

This panel should be pretty good on those counts. But those are good points and I would like to test that.

We will include some kind of stand depending on what people want, but if you're talking about a standard desk-mount VESA stand we may leave that up to you so you can get exactly what you want. You might also have the option to have a stand included in the multi display mounting kit. Individually, the displays are too light to use on some stands (like the ergotron LX, for example).

[DrinkTea]

I use a 2560x1600 30 inch display and the text looks AMAZING on that so I can only imagine what it will look like on such a small display.

Depending on the end price ($450 feels steep only because of the size) I am interested.

Regarding price, please note that what I'm giving is an upper bound. I don't want to give people unrealistic expectations and then have the price higher than what they thought. However, I'm also open to giving discounts on purchases of two or three.

[tp4tissue]

Most into-it computer people don't want to sit in front of a tiny screen / laptop unless they have to..

even though the resolution is high... The small display makes for far greater eye strain.

Not sure of the purpose of this display.... 

just because "you can"  doesn't mean "you should"


Agree, it's very cool... it's essentially a tablet screen, but cut bigger.

[JaccoW]

Most into-it computer people don't want to sit in front of a tiny screen / laptop unless they have to..

even though the resolution is high... The small display makes for far greater eye strain.

Not sure of the purpose of this display....

just because "you can"  doesn't mean "you should"

Agree, it's very cool... it's essentially a tablet screen, but cut bigger.

My thoughts exactly. Especially considering I can get this display for less than half that price...
Sure, no IPS, 15 inch and thicker bezel. But still full-hd, and only needs a cable instead of a little box on the pc's side.

But it is definitely a cool thing.

[DrinkTea]

Most into-it computer people don't want to sit in front of a tiny screen / laptop unless they have to..

even though the resolution is high... The small display makes for far greater eye strain.

Not sure of the purpose of this display....

just because "you can"  doesn't mean "you should"

Agree, it's very cool... it's essentially a tablet screen, but cut bigger.

My thoughts exactly. Especially considering I can get this display for less than half that price...
Sure, no IPS, 15 inch and thicker bezel. But still full-hd, and only needs a cable instead of a little box on the pc's side.

But it is definitely a cool thing.

Not sure if you guys are just trying to threadcrap or not, but I'll treat these as serious concerns.

• I can understand comparing this to other options, but it really is a totally different product with a different purpose
• "FullHD" is a silly marketing term. Even on a 15 inch display it's only about 140 PPI. The difference between this and that is huge. You really need to see it in person, though.
• I'm not sure what you mean by little box. It can be powered by USB and if you have Displayport you're good to go
• I don't know why you think smaller display is related to eye strain. The size of onscreen elements is what matters.
• For a laptop, it's similar in size to your screen. And for a desktop, it is mean to be used as a secondary display or several of them tiled together.

I realize it's different, but don't jump to the conclusion that it's no good. Really, try one. You'll like it! I'm happy to provide any other information you want.

[tp4tissue]

Most into-it computer people don't want to sit in front of a tiny screen / laptop unless they have to..

even though the resolution is high... The small display makes for far greater eye strain.

Not sure of the purpose of this display....

just because "you can"  doesn't mean "you should"

Agree, it's very cool... it's essentially a tablet screen, but cut bigger.

My thoughts exactly. Especially considering I can get this display for less than half that price...
Sure, no IPS, 15 inch and thicker bezel. But still full-hd, and only needs a cable instead of a little box on the pc's side.

But it is definitely a cool thing.

Not sure if you guys are just trying to threadcrap or not, but I'll treat these as serious concerns.

• I can understand comparing this to other options, but it really is a totally different product with a different purpose
• "FullHD" is a silly marketing term. Even on a 15 inch display it's only about 140 PPI. The difference between this and that is huge. You really need to see it in person, though.
• I'm not sure what you mean by little box. It can be powered by USB and if you have Displayport you're good to go
• I don't know why you think smaller display is related to eye strain. The size of onscreen elements is what matters.
• For a laptop, it's similar in size to your screen. And for a desktop, it is mean to be used as a secondary display or several of them tiled together.

I realize it's different, but don't jump to the conclusion that it's no good. Really, try one. You'll like it! I'm happy to provide any other information you want.

Hi DT...

I am not trying to thread crap..


Ur right that the "size" of the onscreen element is as large or larger depending on how close you sit to the screen..

However, your eyes have to struggle to focus on things that are close up..

While things that are Farther away will allow your ciliary muscles (in the eye) to stay in resting position.

This muscle becoming tired is a large component of eye strain..


Which is why "generally"... the larger the display the better..

[DrinkTea]

Most into-it computer people don't want to sit in front of a tiny screen / laptop unless they have to..

even though the resolution is high... The small display makes for far greater eye strain.

Not sure of the purpose of this display....

just because "you can"  doesn't mean "you should"

Agree, it's very cool... it's essentially a tablet screen, but cut bigger.

My thoughts exactly. Especially considering I can get this display for less than half that price...
Sure, no IPS, 15 inch and thicker bezel. But still full-hd, and only needs a cable instead of a little box on the pc's side.

But it is definitely a cool thing.

Not sure if you guys are just trying to threadcrap or not, but I'll treat these as serious concerns.

• I can understand comparing this to other options, but it really is a totally different product with a different purpose
• "FullHD" is a silly marketing term. Even on a 15 inch display it's only about 140 PPI. The difference between this and that is huge. You really need to see it in person, though.
• I'm not sure what you mean by little box. It can be powered by USB and if you have Displayport you're good to go
• I don't know why you think smaller display is related to eye strain. The size of onscreen elements is what matters.
• For a laptop, it's similar in size to your screen. And for a desktop, it is mean to be used as a secondary display or several of them tiled together.

I realize it's different, but don't jump to the conclusion that it's no good. Really, try one. You'll like it! I'm happy to provide any other information you want.

Hi DT...

Show Image

I am not trying to thread crap..


Ur right that the "size" of the onscreen element is as large or larger depending on how close you sit to the screen..

However, your eyes have to struggle to focus on things that are close up..

While things that are Farther away will allow your ciliary muscles (in the eye) to stay in resting position.

This muscle becoming tired is a large component of eye strain..


Which is why "generally"... the larger the display the better..

Show Image

This generally shouldn't be any closer than a laptop and I don't think people strain more with those than desktops.
I think you are right about muscle fatigue, but I'm not sure how much that affects this case. I have a friend who is an ophthalmologist; so I'll ask him about this. But I can tell you from my subjective experience that using T221s, rMBPs and the early version of this display is amazing and I love looking at them.

[riotonthebay]

I've indicated interest in the form.

I think this would be great next to my rMBP. I work in a place where space can be an issue and it's necessary to move around, so workstations aren't a possibility. A reasonably portable, high-resolution, space-saving screen sounds great.

It's going to be tough for me to get in at $450, but that might change in a month or two depending on how far out these screens are.

[t2russo]

I do a lot of dual-screen text based stuff with laptops in limited spaces for work and this would be fantastic.  Once I get a personal one and my boss likes it, I could see picking up a pair or two for the office.

[DrinkTea]

I've indicated interest in the form.

I think this would be great next to my rMBP. I work in a place where space can be an issue and it's necessary to move around, so workstations aren't a possibility. A reasonably portable, high-resolution, space-saving screen sounds great.

It's going to be tough for me to get in at $450, but that might change in a month or two depending on how far out these screens are.

Thanks! At this point we're looking at less than that. I just need to get final costs for the PCB and case to be absolutely sure. I am hoping to have the OSX issues ironed out by the time we ship. Otherwise, I'm going to put a bounty of one free display for whoever can provide a fix..

I do a lot of dual-screen text based stuff with laptops in limited spaces for work and this would be fantastic.  Once I get a personal one and my boss likes it, I could see picking up a pair or two for the office.

Awesome. If you could fill out the form so I have all of this in one place I'd be thrilled. This reminds me that I am willing to give discounts for buying multiple displays at time as well as referral fees if anyone you tell about it makes a purchase.

[JaccoW]

Most into-it computer people don't want to sit in front of a tiny screen / laptop unless they have to..

even though the resolution is high... The small display makes for far greater eye strain.

Not sure of the purpose of this display....

just because "you can"  doesn't mean "you should"

Agree, it's very cool... it's essentially a tablet screen, but cut bigger.

My thoughts exactly. Especially considering I can get this display for less than half that price...
Sure, no IPS, 15 inch and thicker bezel. But still full-hd, and only needs a cable instead of a little box on the pc's side.

But it is definitely a cool thing.

Not sure if you guys are just trying to threadcrap or not, but I'll treat these as serious concerns.

• I can understand comparing this to other options, but it really is a totally different product with a different purpose
• "FullHD" is a silly marketing term. Even on a 15 inch display it's only about 140 PPI. The difference between this and that is huge. You really need to see it in person, though.
• I'm not sure what you mean by little box. It can be powered by USB and if you have Displayport you're good to go
• I don't know why you think smaller display is related to eye strain. The size of onscreen elements is what matters.
• For a laptop, it's similar in size to your screen. And for a desktop, it is mean to be used as a secondary display or several of them tiled together.

I realize it's different, but don't jump to the conclusion that it's no good. Really, try one. You'll like it! I'm happy to provide any other information you want.

Never said I didn't like it.
But I did just read an article about a 31,5” 4K/UltraHD screen and that too has a ppi of 140 and people are already complaining that things are getting too small for regular desktop use in it's current form. Even with scaling. Link, in Dutch if you want.

I am asking you to "sell" your product to me, tell me what makes it special and what I could use it for.
Not to bring you down but to help you improve by thinking about the difficult stuff.
For example, what are you basing your price on?

Otherwise it is just a really cool toy for a very specific niche... that is not entirely clear.
An expensive toy even... like pretty much everything on this forum. 

But back on topic; what kind of latency are we talking about? Brightness? Glossy or reflective?

[Loligagger]

How many mm is the bezel? Seems pretty thin so you could possibly do something crazy like grid four together to make a pseudo 5120x3400 screen.

Not like my GPU has enough displayport outs for that anyway.

[IvanIvanovich]

Size wise I have been looking for something pretty close, but mostly at 1440xwhatever. It's just about right to use in portrait with my 27". At $400 price point though... I don't know...

[lcs]

another cool thing that I can't get because I live in Brazil

[DrinkTea]

Never said I didn't like it.
But I did just read an article about a 31,5” 4K/UltraHD screen and that too has a ppi of 140 and people are already complaining that things are getting too small for regular desktop use in it's current form. Even with scaling. Link, in Dutch if you want.

I am asking you to "sell" your product to me, tell me what makes it special and what I could use it for.
Not to bring you down but to help you improve by thinking about the difficult stuff.
For example, what are you basing your price on?

Otherwise it is just a really cool toy for a very specific niche... that is not entirely clear.
An expensive toy even... like pretty much everything on this forum. 

But back on topic; what kind of latency are we talking about? Brightness? Glossy or reflective?

That seems like an issue with having the wrong scaling settings. You should be able to scale to get any size you want. And also note that more software is moving toward resolution independence.

I'm imagining using it as a reading monitor on a desktop. Just put your text on, scale it until it's comfortable, pull the display as close as you want and away you go. I read a lot of papers so I'd love this. Or if you program a lot it could be helpful. I am considering trying to use many smaller monitors instead of one or two big ones to see if that helps me organize my work space better. Also, a lot of people are using their laptops as desktops. So, if you want a second monitor, why use one made for the distance you sit from a desktop. This will go nicely next to a laptop.
It is also light enough to take with you. For example, when I ride Amtrak, I like to work in the cafe car. The table's big enough for another small display. This would be great. Same goes for people who could use a second display in a coffee shop. I think it's best for people using a high DPI laptop already since the using one of those other portable displays with a high DPI laptop would be mighty disappointing.
And I'm sure there are other great uses I haven't though of. If anyone thinks of one, please post it here!

The price is based on my costs, which I haven't finalized yet. Given that this will be a small batch product, at least at first, per unit prices for parts aren't the best, and fixed costs aren't spread out as much as I'd like. I'd much rather overestimate than underestimate. And I do want to bring costs down. It's not like if I can save money on I'll pocket all of that as extra profit either. I really do want to provide a good product that you're happy buying and I'm happy selling. So as soon as I get a better handle on my costs, I'll update you guys.

The brightness is listed as 400 nit. It looks like it's semi gloss. No grainy anti-glare coating but not as a shiny as some screens out there. I don't know yet about input lag or pixel response time, but it does run well at 60Hz, and as shown in the video, at least some of them overlcock to 80Hz with no problem.

How many mm is the bezel? Seems pretty thin so you could possibly do something crazy like grid four together to make a pseudo 5120x3400 screen.

Not like my GPU has enough displayport outs for that anyway.

On the top, and left, about 3mm. On the right, about 5, and about 7 + room for the cable on the bottom. You might be able to use an MST hub if you really want to. Or get a cheap second card with displayports if you're using it for 2d.

Size wise I have been looking for something pretty close, but mostly at 1440xwhatever. It's just about right to use in portrait with my 27". At $400 price point though... I don't know...

Again, I think $400 is on the high end. I needed to give some idea of a price but don't want to disappoint anyone by guessing too low. It's better to price it surprisingly low than surprisingly high.

another cool thing that I can't get because I live in Brazil

We might be able to work something out for international shipping if you're willing to pay for it.

[lcs]

We might be able to work something out for international shipping if you're willing to pay for it.

The problem is that besides shipping I would most likely pay a ridiculous tax

One solution I can think of is that if you're going to sell them 'continuously' I may be able to get one when someone goes to the US

[DrinkTea]

We might be able to work something out for international shipping if you're willing to pay for it.

The problem is that besides shipping I would most likely pay a ridiculous tax

One solution I can think of is that if you're going to sell them 'continuously' I may be able to get one when someone goes to the US

Looking to, at the very least, do a few rounds.

[Pacifist]

How much power does this thing draw from USB? I might use it as a mobile display for a raspberry pi

[darkfire32]

Put my interest down on your google docs. Looks really interesting but to be fair, I don't think I will buy these if they exceed 200 bucks for one. Sorry, but I don't want my student debt to rise any higher.

[DrinkTea]

How much power does this thing draw from USB? I might use it as a mobile display for a raspberry pi

Maximum power draw for the panel is 9.57 Watts. 4 for logic, 5.57 for the backlight. The board draws very little. USB 2 could power it at partial brightness. I know some USB ports are designed to handle more, but you'd need to check. It is displayport only though, so you'd need to make sure the raspberry pi supports that. We had issues with HDMI, both in terms of getting something that could convert the signal as well as licensing.

Put my interest down on your google docs. Looks really interesting but to be fair, I don't think I will buy these if they exceed 200 bucks for one. Sorry, but I don't want my student debt to rise any higher.

Totally understand. $200 is probably lower than we can do, but hopefully we'll provide something compelling enough for you to reconsider.

[dorkvader]

I got a chance to see the prototype in December, and I was really impressed!

[jalaj]

Which type of protective material will be used over the led ips screen?

[DrinkTea]

Which type of protective material will be used over the led ips screen?

For desktop use we don't need any protective material. We are investigating clear acrylic, other plastics and glass to be used when traveling. Another option was to sell a carrying case or protective cover so that those who want to carry it around can protect the panel but not drive up costs for desktop users.

[thegagne]

What would be really nice is for a case that lets you connect them bezel free (removable bezel on each side?) for diy multipanel.

[DrinkTea]

What would be really nice is for a case that lets you connect them bezel free (removable bezel on each side?) for diy multipanel.

The bezel will already be very thin but we can certainly consider that. Although with that level of access to the internal if you open it I couldn't take a return if anything goes wrong.

[osi]

Definitely interested here. If the price can come down a tad. Is there a possibility of lower resolutions with a price reduction?

This would be great for travelling. Especially those times when one needs to work on a 'headless unit'.

Would the display support a connection coming from an adapter such as DVI of HDMI?

[DrinkTea]

Definitely interested here. If the price can come down a tad. Is there a possibility of lower resolutions with a price reduction?

This would be great for travelling. Especially those times when one needs to work on a 'headless unit'.

Would the display support a connection coming from an adapter such as DVI of HDMI?

Right now we are focusing our efforts on this model. We can possibly use other panels in the future. Currently getting quotes for parts so I'll have a better idea of the price soon, but I do think we can drop the price a bit.

There are issues with licensing HDMI and at the time the board was being designed, certain parts we'd need for it weren't available anyway. In the interest of keeping costs and size down as well, we only have native displayport, but I have found dual link DVI to DP converters that should work. I am going to get one to test.

[graboy]

I have already made a few posts about this website here, but this thinkpad forum may also be intrested in the product. They often hack in 2048x1536 (4:3) displays into older thinkpads, running the numbers quick I could see the Minimax fitting well into a 13.1' 16:10 x301 or x201 laptop, DisplayPort convinently happens to be included on these models, so with a bit of soldering a cable could be run internally to a new screen.

[DrinkTea]

I have already made a few posts about this website here, but this thinkpad forum may also be intrested in the product. They often hack in 2048x1536 (4:3) displays into older thinkpads, running the numbers quick I could see the Minimax fitting well into a 13.1' 16:10 x301 or x201 laptop, DisplayPort convinently happens to be included on these models, so with a bit of soldering a cable could be run internally to a new screen.

Neat! Are you a member there? If so, do you think you could link to this thread, since I'm not sure how much forums appreciate a new guy coming in and starting off with a sales pitch. Or I could try. Which forum would it be best to post on do you think?

[dorkvader]

Which type of protective material will be used over the led ips screen?

For desktop use we don't need any protective material. We are investigating clear acrylic, other plastics and glass to be used when traveling. Another option was to sell a carrying case or protective cover so that those who want to carry it around can protect the panel but not drive up costs for desktop users.

Also note that acrylic will block less light across the visible spectrum than [untreated] glass. Treated glass is very expensive.

I was just thinking the other day about a "docking station" type concept to hold the panel.

[MarkPharaoh]

I really want to like this idea as it's a real pain to fit a 2nd 20+ inch monitor on my workstation, but the price just seems prohibitive considering the kinds of use a monitor like this would have in a workstation.

Best of luck though, hope there's a sizable interest!

[DrinkTea]

I really want to like this idea as it's a real pain to fit a 2nd 20+ inch monitor on my workstation, but the price just seems prohibitive considering the kinds of use a monitor like this would have in a workstation.

Best of luck though, hope there's a sizable interest!

Well, when you think about it, the closest you can get to the pixel density of this is the 24 inch dell 4k display, and that's $1300. Area-wise, that's about 3.23x the size of this. So, on a cost per area basis this should be the same or less. And this is portable, whereas that isn't. And this wouldn't require any difficult MST configuration.

I realize people want it to be as cheap as possible, and like I've said, if I can bring the price down from $400 I will, but you have to make the right comparisons when talking about the price. It's kind of a new thing and it's tempting to try and find things to compare it to, but I really don't think any such comparison will be 100% accurate.

I hope there's interest too! Seems like we have a solid, growing following so far. I'm really looking forward to showing all of you the complete prototype as soon as it's ready.

[DrinkTea]

I saw an prototype case today. It's coming along nicely and I'll post pictures soon.
For those of you who would use it while travelling, how important is thinness and where do you imagine the most convenient plug locations to be?

[Melvang]

If  you go with acrylic for a cover over the panel please have some sort of scratch resistant coating as from my experience acrylic scratches pretty easily and is a major pain to buff/polish out.

[dorkvader]

If  you go with acrylic for a cover over the panel please have some sort of scratch resistant coating as from my experience acrylic scratches pretty easily and is a major pain to buff/polish out.

it's always a tradeoff. PMMA is good for a panel cover, as it permits more light than pretty much any other polymer. PolyCarbonate is a bit tougher, but transmits less light and is much more expensive.

It may be possible to include an aluminium front plate, but the case would have to be designed differently, and you'd most likely end up with visible screw heads or considerable added expense.

So it all depends on your use case and what options you want. I expect there'll be some options & customizeability, and that despite that, not everyone will be satisfied.

[shrapneL]

Definitely interested! Would be awesome to have as a second display for reading and such!