Beginning Lecture

Making a robust wearable is not about the CPU boards, the case, or even the hard disk (though these help). In fact, the most care needs to be taken in the connectors and clothing. Be very meticulous and clean with the connectors (esp. power jacks). Design the clothing to be comfortable and secure during daily work. If possible, ask for assistance/advice in soldering and packaging from an experienced hardware hacker. (However, note that the author of these instructions is actually a software person :-)

Needed Time

Once all the parts are collected, putting together a basic machine takes about 3 hours with a decently equipped lab (power supply, soldering station, etc.). Changing the connector on the Private Eye takes a bit of time, but is highly recommended for convenience. Customizing the display mount can take a few minutes or several hours depending on which method is desired; however, the mount provided by the supplier is HIDEOUS, so doing something, ANYTHING different is highly recommended.

Copyright 1997, Thad Starner and MIT

Warrantee (or lack thereof)


Last modified: Sun Mar 16 21:18:29 EST 1997