Humboldt Makerspaces/Library Makerspace/Upcycling of common laptop parts

This article documents possible DIY uses for common laptop parts that might otherwise go to waste from a broken laptop or one that has outlived its standard use case. This documentation was completed as a part of a Cal Poly Humboldt Library Makerspace internship in 2024-2025.

Laptops are incredibly complex and often somewhat expensive devices, and yet like in much of the rest of our consumer electronics industry, are eventually discarded when a vital component breaks or they can no longer meet the demands of the user. We see laptops as a single, medium-term consumable unit, but in reality they are made up of several distinct components. As such, they can be repurposed in the event of a critical failure in any single component. The failure of certain components can be worked around, like an external monitor or keyboard in place of those failed components, but laptop components can be repurposed even in the event that those workarounds are untenable. Each project documented here operates under the assumption that the user does not wish to repair or work around component failure, but rather repurpose parts of the device.

The Reusable Office Supply Exchange (R.O.S.E.) at Cal Poly Humboldt redirects some of the university's e-waste stream and distributes the usable computers to students in need at no cost. However, they may also have partially functional laptops that could be repurposed as described here. The e-waste bins around the university campus can also be gleaned for broken computer parts, but do so at your own risk.

The cells of a laptop battery can be re-used as the cells of a rechargable power bank, like in this guide.

• 22.5W Type-C Charging Module
• 20AWG Soft Silicone Wire
• GD900 Thermal Paste
• 20mm Fiber Glass Lithium Battery Insulation Tape
• 18650 Battery Insulation Gasket Barley Paper
• High Temperature Anti-Static Insulation Tape
• AMTECH Lead-Free Solder Flux
• Antistatic Solder Paste Brush
• Fnirsi FNB58 USB Tester

There are discussions taking place on the forms for Framework, which seeks to make modular, sustainable laptops, about creating a plug-and-play case for their 13-inch laptop's battery so it can be re-used as a power bank without any risky modification of the battery pack.

Laptop displays typically follow either the LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signaling) or eDP (embedded DisplayPort) protocols.^[1] Controller boards^[2] can be purchased for both standards. It is important, especially for LVDS displays, that you purchase the correct board (search online with the display serial number) with the right resolution and connector to ensure that it is compatible. That said, most laptops today use eDP, which has 3 common pinouts:

• standard 30-pin
• touchscreen 40 pin
• "high-res" 40-pin

A quick visual inspection of your eDP panel and knowledge of the function of your device should suffice here, but searching with the specific display serial number will ensure that you get the right controller board. Hackaday user Arya has a wonderful guide on several common eDP controllers. An off-the-shelf controller board is the most accessible option here and suitable for most use-cases, but more information on laptop display re-use can be found in Arya's in-depth Hackaday guide series.

Keyboard re-use is significantly more complicated than batteries and displays because it requires knowledge of the embedded keyboard firmware, which is proprietary.^[3] Once the pinouts (where the circuitry goes to what key) are known, however, it is as simple as creating an Arduino-based controller for the keyboard much like any custom mechanical keyboard project. For determining the pinouts and more general information on laptop keyboard re-use, see this guide. An Instructables user has also made a guide with a similar goal.

Repurposing the motherboard of an otherwise broken laptop is by far the easiest application of an otherwise broken laptop that turns on when attached to external power and has a working hard drive. Whether the keyboard, battery or display is broken, or any other component that renders it useless as a mobile device, it can still be used as a desktop or server. If a cleaner solution is desired and the hardware allows it (no sensors that prohibit standalone motherboard use), the user can fashion a case for the motherboard, like the developers of the Framework 13 laptop have done with their open source mainboard case. Some possible uses include:

• personal media server (ex: Kodi box)
• Network attatched storage (NAS)
• Minecraft server
• web server