It's been a hot minute since I last made any real progress on the AXE 1770 (two damn years, YIKES!). 2020 was nuts, moving house was nuts, and moving and then rebuilding my very most favorite hackerspace (Freeside Atlanta) and seeing to it that it's tools worked and roots took hold in it's new planter bed took priority over my schmexy cyberdeck. I did try here and there to make progress on it, but it was slow going when i found the energy and time for it.

This was my first attempt at a screen enclosure. I'd gotten an official lattepanda delta 7'' touchscreen, and made an enclosure from handyboard, laser-cut acrylic, and a keyboard bottom shell I chopped up with a table saw and glued back together. This is an excellent and cheap way of making an enclosure for thin projects by they way! Unfortunately in the process of moving hackerspace and home I managed to lose the screen, and had to mothball this route, as I couldn't source another of the lattepanda screens. :(

Thankfully? I had a chromebook which had been around the block, seen it's share of use and abuse, and was getting quite long in the tooth. It was destined for ewaste or a dumpster, so I pulled it to bits and looked up it's LCD panel model, and managed to find a cheap and cheerful LCD to whatever-ya-like video controller! Only problem was it's a 10' screen and didn't have any obvious good way to mount it in a pleasing way to the AX 170 shell without sicking out the side or obscuring a cartidge slot. BOOO! At least I have a slim portable VGA/composite/hdmi monitor now. Maybe it'll live in another project.

Since I couldn't figure out a satisfying mount for the big screen the project just sat to one side mocking me here and there, and i assumed I'd have to buy a new screen kit for it.

Cut to a few days ago, I was tidying the gordian knot of cables at Freeside and happened across a circa-2011 RCA portable clamshell dvd player, with a familiar size of screen on it. It didn't play DVDs bit the screen worked, and i thought i might cannibalize it if i could pull the same hdmi panel controller trick on it.

Thankfully, a very awesome member at Freeside noticed me gnawing on the screen, and when i explained my plan he pulled a deus ex machina, and happened to have an exact-fit replacement for the screen that was already made to take hdmi and dc power without a fuss!

I added some standoffs, chopped open a hole i  the shell for the ports, and am currently here:

Just a quick mockup with the new screen vaguely in place, and a 'shooped display for effect.

Next up, finding a suitable set of hinges, making a cool rear cover that fits the ax170's look, and seeing if i can get it all fit together!