the breakout board is there for people to experiment with this kind of
concept, but please be under no illusion about the comprehensive nature of
the task that you're taking on.
firstly: you are likely to need to do some reverse-engineering of the
battery. this is potentially dangerous as a short-circuit could cause a
lithium fire. also if you disregard the safety protocols built-in to the
battery: again, lithium fire.
secondly: related to the above, you will need to create a battery charging
circuit. this will take perhaps around 3-4 months if you are an experienced
electronics engineer. you cannot just "drop in any old off-the-shelf
circuit" because they're customised to the specific battery. you *might*
get lucky with a search and find that someone else has done this, but if you
get it wrong: again, lithium fire.
thirdly: the screen requires extremely specific voltages for the backlight
and for its input signals. this is something that you are likely to require
a custom circuit for. you will be extremely unlikely to obtain an
off-the-shelf circuit for it. cost in time: around 2-3 months of electronics
engineering expertise.
fourthly: the keyboard will require reverse-engineering. you will likely
have to purchase another keyboard in order to dismantle it and trace its
circuits. once you have done so, you will then need to create your own
keyboard matrix controller circuit, followed by writing the firmware. cost
in time: around 2-3 months of electronics engineering expertise *and*
software engineering expertise.
fifthly: you will need to reverse-engineer the touchpad. this may be easy
(if it's USB-based), if it's I2C it will be harder to do, and will require
firmware to be written.
sixthly: you will need an audio circuit, suited to the impedance of the
speakers. this may be easy to achieve using an off-the-shelf USB-based audio
amplifier.
at the end of all of this you have something that cost a fortune in terms of
effort, to make *ONE* device for *ONE* person... yourself!
are you getting the message yet? you're looking at around a *YEAR* of effort
here! just to do what... take an *older* design of laptop and "save the
environment"?? naah, that's totally naive: the cost alone to the environment
of the *food* that you'll be eating over the next year will be far in excess
of the value of the laptop.
basically, please don't do it. yes it's fun do consider doing, but in terms
of usefulness for effort expended, you would be much better off helping to
create an alternate-sized EOMA68 laptop housing.
plase: take the older laptop, find some way that you can continue to put it
to good use. if you personally can't use it, give it to someone who can.
