state of the mnt desktop reform prototype. it's a box with some electronics integrated into the side panels that turn the laptop motherboard into a standalone computer with upgradeable cpu/ram modules. need to order all the components to have blinkenlights and button etc now, and decide on final material options.
now i need to understand how much material quality/polish people want in the case parts vs how much they're willing to spend. i would love also a full aluminum case with nice anodizing but it'll be spendy. the current approach is to have an economical version with 3d printed main case (need to get quotes for various materials now) and lasercut 2.5d alu top plate with countersinking is pretty affordable now.
(opinions welcome!)
so we can probably get the main case 3d printed from recycled PETG in slovakia (so EU) for around 27 euro per piece at a low batch size of 50, and the aluminum plate would be like 3 euro. with port pcbs and thermal pad we would arrive at maybe 45 eur bom, so with 30% margin and 20% vat we could arrive at something between 70-80 eur sale price (depending on labor and how much else is in the kit, i guess we put in the thread inserts and rest is DIY)
classic reform motherboard 3.0 is around 140 eur BOM (at 100x batch) with all its expensive components. rcore (rk3588 module) is also quite costly at low qty. complete computer BOM would be around 450 EUR for 16GB and 550 EUR for 32GB (remember this is all without labor and package). sale price would end up ~ 710 EUR for 16GB and 870 EUR for 32 GB machine incl vat.
@mntmn i want it.
@mntmn I very much want mntpocket would definitely get a desktop. But dropping more than $500 on anything computer related isn't happening for me right now.
Fwiw I don't think the pricing is too high for what you're doing. I love the kit and specs.
@mntmn not a potential buyer so my opinion might be worth zero, but I loved the original reform's acrylic cover and since this can be hung to a wall, maybe it makes even more sense here.
@qwazix could be another option but has bad heatsinking properties, so would require some other heatsink. with the current solution, this large alu plate is a cheap and effective way for cooling
@mntmn what about a sandwich of aluminium plates for the sides, may be a cheap enough option.
@mntmn I'd really dig an anodized aluminum case, even if it's a bit pricier. Any idea when it might be available?
@mntmn I've seen the prices that result from small quantities and milled aluminum frames/cases. In my opinion it's not worth it for such a desktop case, 3D print and the aluminum plate is fine.
@mntmn maybe think about sheet metal case, that is very cheap and sturdy and looks pretty premium
@timonsku yeah i wanted to ask you anyway! i'm ungeduldig to get this one out the door though, we can make another sheet metal version or do the pocket desktop version with sheet metal first
@mntmn its super quick to do tbh. Takes a couple days for sample qty. There are a couple local quick turn services for this.
@mntmn
That sounds good to me. I don't need a super duper premium case...
@mntmn
I am a potential customer as I will soon have a spare A311D CPU module that I'd like to put to use. One option would be a media and/or NAS station, basically to replace a Raspberry Pi. That will be especially relevant should I decide to upgrade the mainboard in my reform.
3D-printed case + Al top sounds good to me for what I want to do. No need for anything more fancy though I do appreciate a quality built for potential future projects.
Will probably wait a bit before I buy though.
@mntmn personally I'd go for the cheapest option if I got one because it'd be in a closet or something
@mntmn question about classic mb 3.0: will installing this f#*k up my install?
I still run original sw with only minor patches for battery. If installing the new motherboard requires full re-install I need to prepare backups in time
@morl0ck it should normally just work
@mntmn Now *this* is interesting! I definitely can't justify buying a new laptop, but a small yet powerful ARM desktop/server looks like a good enough reason to hand over some of my money to you 
@mntmn My own Datapoint: I want the case for my A311D based Kodi setup. I would prefer a high-quality case made from aluminium and would happily pay ~200 EUR for such a case. But I'd also buy it if it were "just" PETG plus aluminium plate. :)
@mntmn recycled + made in the eu sounds great!
@mntmn A printed case seems fine for me, this would go to a place where it is mostly unseen anyways (thanks to the mounting option) - so unlike a laptop where a prefer a sturdy quality build i'd be more price sensitive for this device.
would get one with a Reform MB 3.0 and an A311D to run Debian stable from https://reform.debian.net/
@mntmn I assume the 3D printed part will be (is?) open source?