Sleek custom triple-screen Framework Laptop uses 4K 120Hz display in the middle with iPad screens on either side

There are some perks of DIYing your own computing rig. You can have the innards of choice tethered to a display and selected peripherals to go with it. YouTuber DIY Perks is taking this to a new level for the population of nerds who’ve been reeling under the bulk of multi-display laptops or lack of screen real estate on the slimmer notebooks.

DIY Perks has been amid some of the fanciest hacks. The engineer-turned-YouTuber has transformed an Android smartphone into a functional Windows laptop and even built a super slip, water-cooled PlayStation 5. Not resting on his past laurels, he’s back with another strange DIY creation: a triple-screen laptop.

Designer: DIY Perks

Adding multi-screen capability to a laptop has been tricky for many who’ve got their hands dirty in trying to deliver such a form factor. The ergonomics of a laptop are just not very supportive of this form factor and the result has generally been bulky and little convenient on the portable front.

Realizing the amount of bulk similar sized screens – on either side of the main laptop display – add to the structure; the modder here has used two iPad Retina displays in portrait mode. This reduces the fluff on the back and helps protect the screen more effectively.

For the triple-screen laptop build, the DIYer has used a 4K 120Hz panel in the center, with the two iPad displays on either side. Powered by onboard DisyplayPort cable modified to provide enough power to run the screens. The entire contraption is powered by a customizable motherboard from a Framework Laptop, which has been specifically engineered for the modded system.

After assembly of the innards, paired with the screens, the whole thing is neatly packed within a 3D printed housing topped with a specially printed gradient finish for an attractive look. Clipped to a pair of foldable legs, this display system can be used as a triple-screen setup with peripherals of choice. Though the credibility of this build to be passed as a laptop is meager; it is portable enough to carry as a laptop. Steady it on its stand, pair it with the keyboard and mouse you like and you have a worthy computing rig on demand.

The post Sleek custom triple-screen Framework Laptop uses 4K 120Hz display in the middle with iPad screens on either side first appeared on Yanko Design.

World’s First PlayStation 5 ‘Slim’ is a water-cooled gaming console that’s less than an inch thick

Not everyone seems to like the PlayStation 5 design. It’s either too alien-looking, or too large for people (even though it’s the most popular gaming console in the world)… so engineer and YouTuber DIY Perks decided to scale it down. The PS5 Slim is one of his many strange DIY creations, but probably his most ambitious one yet. He pulls apart the console, strips it of its parts, and repurposes the deconstructed PS5 to make it about as thick as a DVD case. The end result measures less than 2 centimeters, making it the slimmest console ever made. Yes, it’s even slimmer than the Nintendo Switch, which measures over an inch, if you include the height of the analog joysticks.

The process isn’t as simple as you’d think. In fact, it isn’t simple at all, and Matt Perks (yes, Perks is actually his surname!) even recommends you don’t try this one at home. In the process of making this build, he even irreparably damaged one PS5 unit and had to ditch it for another console that was given to him by D-Brand. The entire process involved carving out a new thermal solution for the PS5 by creating a special water-cooled chamber for it, separating the power management system, and ditching the fan and heat sink on the original. A lot of cutting, gluing, welding, soldering, machining, and polishing later, Perks unveiled the new PS5 Slim. It’s MUCH thinner than the original (although its power brick is SIZEABLE), and here’s the best part – It’s more efficient than the original too, reading drastically lower temperatures on the components! This is a one-off build and you’ll probably never get your hands on it, although if anyone from Sony’s watching, here’s a marketing pitch for you – MAKE THE PS5 SLIMMER!

Designer: DIY Perks

This rebuild has to be one of Matt’s most impressive ones so far, because it wasn’t as simple as rearranging components. Matt literally had to redesign the entire console’s architecture from scratch. The result is beyond impressive, as you see both consoles side by side (below).

The PS5 Slim, as Matt calls it, clocks in at under 2 centimeters, or about 3/4th of an inch. It uses copper not just for its interiors but also the outside, resulting in better thermals while maintaining that low thickness – something that wouldn’t be possible with plastic.

The project started with ripping a PlayStation 5 apart to take out its motherboard (below).

The motherboard, with its power management and heat sinks clocked in at just under 6 centimeters, which just wouldn’t do for what Matt was trying to achieve. He stripped away everything except the motherboard, which he then proceeded to construct his version around.

To make his build slim meant revisiting how the PS5 cooled. Water cooling seemed like the most efficient alternative, and it started with creating a special copper brick that would pull heat away from the SoC.

Above, Matt shows off his water-cooling chamber, which will be attached to the motherboard. The hollow channels will help direct water to all the right places, allowing it to keep the PS5 Slim cool.

Managing the water and the power unfortunately meant the PS5 Slim would need a massive brick at the other end. Luckily this could be hidden away near the power source, so the overall PS5 still retained its incredibly slim avatar.

The result even saw a performance boost, singe the PS5 Slim registered much lower temperatures while operating under the same conditions. An estimated reduction in 20°C meant the PS5 Slim could push peak performance without the dangers of overheating!

The post World’s First PlayStation 5 ‘Slim’ is a water-cooled gaming console that’s less than an inch thick first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sony PS5 gets a DIY vintage hardwood case in this video by our favorite Youtuber. Watch the video!

Matt, of DIY Perks is back again with another custom hack that you can build in the comfort of your own home. This time, the handyman YouTuber designs and constructs a wooden case for his new PS5. DIY Perks starts his process off by disassembling the casing of PS5 to keep only the core of the unit. Left with a compact and thin inner structure, the bulkiest aspect of the PS5’s internal workings is the cool and heat sink. Since the core of PS5 cannot remain leveled on a flat surface, DIY Perks evens out the structure with a few hexagonal PCB pillar supports. Then, using long screws, the PS5’s power supply latches and securely fastens on top of the leveled-out inner structure. DIY Perks then takes a sheet of carbon fiber, a tough layer of woven crisscrossing carbon fibers, to form the case’s base plate.

Carved into the base plate, DIY Perks creates holes where the rest of the PS5’s components fit. Next, DIY Perks mounts the system’s fan onto the carbon fiber baseplate, overlaying the fan with a grill to prevent anything from getting caught in the fan’s blades. Divided into two halves, the fan pulls air in through both sides, allowing airflow drawn from the heat sink to exit through the carved hole in the carbon fiber base plate. To direct the airflow from the heatsink to the fan, DIY Perks uses strips of foam, a cue taken from Sony.

With the inner system securely fastened to its new carbon fiber baseplate, DIY Perks begins work on the system’s American walnut wood case. Using a Japanese saw blade, DIY Perks carves angled edges on the walnut wood to create a cubic frame. Before situating and locking the PS5 into place within the wood frame, DIY Perks etches holes for the USB cables to reach their port located inside the wooden frame, on the PS5 system itself. Leaning on the holes he previously carved into the carbon fiber base plate to mount it onto the wooden frame, both pieces easily merge with one another.

With the rear side of the case still exposed, DIY Perks uses a CNC router to carve port slits that work as vents for the system to remain cool. Finally, DIY Perks looks to carbon fiber once more for the case’s lid, where he relies on CNC milling to carve a vent for the fan out of miniature hexagon shapes, marrying them to the walnut frame with matching hexagonal wooden inserts. The refined walnut look of the case is certainly a step away from the original metallic and custom brass casing for the PS5. Understated and sophisticated, the new case from DIY Perks doesn’t demand your attention like the original shiny metallic case, but the rustic elegance of the walnut wood blended with the durability of carbon fiber definitely keeps it.

Designer: DIY Perks

The combination of walnut hardwood framing and carbon fiber covering gives the custom PS5 case a retro feel.

Without a flat surface, when the PS5 is laid horizontally, it doesn’t fit in entertainment consoles.

DIY Perks began by disassembling his PS5.

The cool and heat sink is the bulkiest part of the gaming system.

In order to level out the inner structure, DIY Perks inserted brass washers with varying heights on both ends of the system.

Matt took to a carbon fiber base layer to form the system’s bottom covering.

Matt inserted a grill for the fan’s opening to permit and promote airflow.

Additionally, he inserted a foam strip to direct the airflow.

Using a saw blade to cut the walnut framing’s sides, Matt created a wooden border for the PS5 case.

Hexagonal port holes help to keep the inner workings of the PS5 cooled down.

Here’s how to turn your old Android smartphone into a fully functional Windows laptop





Your smartphone probably has more computing power than most laptops! It’s literally a computer that fits in your pocket, so in the event that you find yourself with an old smartphone or a new-but-busted device, YouTuber Matthew Perks (of DIY Perks) has a handy way of turning it into a bonafide laptop. The procedure is simple and works with phones that have a USB-C output, letting you hook together external displays and other devices. In his endeavor to turn the smartphone into an actual laptop, Matthew does bust out his power tools, so be warned… this smartphone/laptop transformation definitely needs some work, but it’s better than throwing out an old phone and spending another $800 bucks on a budget laptop.

Designer: DIY Perks

The laptop basically runs a desktop version of your smartphone’s OS. In Matthew’s case, he relies on a Samsung S8 which comes with Samsung’s DeX, a feature that lets the phones run a desktop-like experience. If you find yourself without a Samsung phone, there are plenty of apps on the Google Play Store that provide a similar visual experience. The laptop is a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster, with a display from AliExpress, a repurposed Bluetooth keyboard from Amazon, and a power bank that powers the laptop itself. Moreover, you can charge the power bank too using a hacked-together charging port, and the laptop’s construction routes power to the smartphone itself as well, keeping both machines running.

The solution is decidedly MacGyverian. It’s thick and clunky because it uses actual metal panels and L-sections to come together – after all, you can’t compare a DIY builder to a billion-dollar laptop company with a supply chain, can you? That being said, the laptop looks and functions just as you’d expect it to. It runs apps and programs, saves files, accesses the internet, and even has cellular features! Given that it’s an expanded version of a smartphone, I’d probably not use this laptop for heavy-duty tasks like playing games or mining bitcoins. That being said, this DIY laptop is perfect for minor tasks like browsing the internet, replying to mails, or just using it as a multimedia machine for your next movie night… and yes, built-in Bluetooth means you can even hook it to a fancy set of speakers!

DIY invisible PC design with this masterclass to build a desk that hides an entire PC + operating system!

Matt, of YouTube’s DIY Perks, has his own ideas to pass the time with quarantine. That’s to say, he built an invisible PC. Well, he constructed a desk with an interior that stows away a fully-operative hardware system for desktop computers. The outer shell of his invisible PC consists of two main materials: hardwood and aluminum sheeting. Matt used two sheets of aluminum to give his desk structure since they are less than half the thickness of wooden materials and can produce a bend-free design. In order to achieve this, Matt placed wooden beams along the perimeter of one of the two sheets of aluminum, drilled pilot holes, into which he inserted machine screws for a secure attachment. With the insertion of wooden beams along the perimeter, the desk has an interior space with a height of 44 millimeters, which is just enough to contain the components needed for PC operation, AKA the nitty-gritty hardware business.

Inside the belly of the beast, an internal height of 44 mm allows room to house a power supply, cooling system, graphics card, and motherboard. Since standard ATX power supply units are too big to fit within a height of 44 mm, Matt used a 1U power supply. The motherboard, MSI Tomahawk comes with its own long list of specifications. Moreover, Matt installed a CPU and its cooler, Noctua NHL9X65, to the motherboard before mounting it. His solution for an internal cooling system was positive pressure, which occurs when 40 miniature fans blow air into barriers of plastic strips, which guide that airflow towards the PC heatsinks.

Typically, a graphics card gets mounted directly into express slots on a motherboard, but since Matt needed to remain within the 44 mm height parameters, he decided to lay his graphics card, RTX 2070, horizontally and adjacent to the PC’s motherboard, using an extension cable to connect the two pieces of hardware. Since effective graphics cards are pretty thick, with the fans rising well above the allotted 44 mm headspace, Matt unscrewed his graphics card’s fan and shroud so that he was only left with a bare heatsink. Lastly, he added a platform for the hard drives or SSDs and made it so that they can easily be removed and replaced, which can be accessed from underneath the desk. The only internal hardware that was too tall to fit within the 44mm height was the motherboard, for which Matt carved an aluminum cutout. This allows Matt to easily access the motherboard for future hardware updates or upgrades.

With quarantine keeping me inside my tiny apartment, DIY home projects have filled up some time and channeled some pent-up creativity, but we all have our limits. While I was busy building wooden photo frames and simple chests, Matt constructed a desk that hides an entire PC operating system, which keeps wires organized and your working surface clean, an impressive feat for the non-designer. While the urgency or need for a design like this isn’t particularly strong, Matt managed to build a desktop ideal for busy offices or speaking events that require tidy presentations. Following suit and constructing my own invisible PC is tempting as his construction process was insightful, but for the time being, I think I’ll stick to my simple hinge chests and leave all the hardware business for the professionals.

Designer: Matthew Perks

Specifically, Matt used a 500w Seasonic L1U unit, which is a lot quieter compared to other industrial level power supplies.

With all of his hardware components laid out, Matt then drilled mounting point holes to fasten each part to the aluminum.

Speaking on the desk’s internal cooling system, Matt says, “Fans on the CPU side, for example, push air into [the PC’s] central area and the only way [hot air] can escape is either through the CPU’s heatsink or a little bit through the PSU.”