pictures ?

Im thinking of making holder (or backcover)to hold n900 on my mountain bike. Only think what`s keeping me back is, I don`t have touch probe to digitize n900 yet (I got promise, that should by one available in month or so).
If is there any chance you have digitized your one, and you are ok with sending my the model, I can start sooner.
I don`t have plans to make money from it, So in return I can send you back drawings/model of this holder.

Is a excelent idea to expand wifi reach and how about making some space in the back cover to posibly add the necesary wiring for the compass and the giroscopy to i2c bus? like it says in "n900 hardware hacking" then the n900 would be more than loaded to compete with any other smartphone/tablet.

I was thinking about the possibility to have engraved custom text/logo It's additional pass & tool change for machine, so I'm still not sure about feasibility of it.

Thanks a lot for Your kind words. Well, I wasn't assertive enough to open "pre-order" program - honestly, whole process of building CNC machine was done very slowly, as I've been buying parts only when got spare money + dividing it between few hardware projects Now, as the machine is complete, same goes for backcover/full body project - I'm buying materials and tools (mainly, milling cutters as CNC tool bits) as money permits.

If You or other awesome people would really like to speed up development and trust me enough, pre-order sounds like good idea (next to traditional donations). I'm thinking about some special bonus for pre-ordering people - maybe custom engraved logo/text from first part of this post is appropriate here, as a special "thank You"? What do you think?

In any case, for people seriously interested in pre-ordering, PM me please. But, please consider, that it *is* going to need time before being available - maybe even few months. Of course, pre-money would shorten time much, but without unholy miracles. Also, I must take into accounts appearance of possible problems during actual manufacturing (can't predict everything, probably), so unexpected delays may (and probably will, considering Murphy's Law) occur.

WARNING, feature bloat

Seriously though - full sized USB port inside cover would be doable, but without extending device length (*not* thickness, length!), it could be easily connected only via testpads beneath battery - as long as we don't want to force users into doing soldering under magnifying glass after buying body replacement(and we indeed *don't* want this ). Ho ever, testpads approach doesn't have common mode choke - it isn't crucial feature of USB 2.0 (lacking this won't fry Your chip), but indeed useful for everyday high-speed use. So, while forcing USB port somewhere into body sounds trivial (*if* space permits it), no good way to connect it to N900 mainboard without soldering iron and microscope Unless someone comes with ingenious idea, we must skip this one.

2.5 mm charging port got same restrains here - easy to implement inside body cover, no good way to connect it beside testpads. Utilizing those properly (to allow external charging port and/or additional USB port) would require some specially crafted testpads "module", with spring plates touching required pads, when body cover is assembled on mainboard. Doable, but would complicate whole design as hell, require crafting small and simple PCB circuit externally = increasing amount of work and money required, probably to 200$ or more for full body replacement, instead of 150$. I'm not sure if enough people would be interested in so hardcore implementation

solarpanel - no way, maybe in version 70

I would be afraid that whole kickstand (default one, found in N900 backcover now) could break. But if it's working for You, why not? I think that, with enough "creative usage", new kickstand could be used this way too, despite being bigger and more stable.

I'll post photos of my machine in few days. As for prototypes, of course, when they're going to be ready

My machine uses CAD and CAM, converted to gCodes. It's powered by LinuxCNC project (formerly called EMC2). It can use 3D models, if they're convertible to gCodes (via CAd or CAM again), preferably using FOSS programs. There is commercial software that can be used to convert (with better or worse effects) non-CNC compliant models into proper ones, yet, I'm dedicated to only FOSS usage in this project (not to mention, that, as usual, FOSS programs are working better in most cases, even in such specialized thing as CNC)

BTW, currently my machine operates @ 3 axises, which allows me to create backcover & full body replacement, if I change object mounting few times during worktime. Yet, my steep-driver support 4th Axis, which I'm planning to add in future (as axis used to rotate object, allowing full 3D shaping without re-mounting).

Aluminum stylus isn't good idea - it would scratch screen/screen protectors *very* fast, compared to plastic one. Of course, one can design aluminum stylus with plastic tip, yet, the latter sounds more like thing for 3D printer than CNC machine (much machine time/power and material needed to mill required shape of tip - it would result in overpriced stylus, 10$ or so, from top of my head )

As for full body replacement & weight, as I've said it's going to come, and weight shouldn't be much different (little heavier, but nothing significant, not to be considered as a problem).

Would love to help, but I also doesn't have touch probe, designing everything by hand (well, mouse...)

Well, that would require one to (somehow) solder compass/whatever to i2c buss. Extending body to have place for such thing would make N900 *really* bulky - but I see no problem for one to use version with big back cover, and put additional module instead of 2nd battery. There should be enough place for both module and wiring. Ho ever, I don't see any way to make enough space for both dual battery and some fancy module, at the same time keeping size sane Of course, epic modders could use other type of batteries (smaller) and make, for example, 2300 mAh dual battery & place for compass at the same time... But it's not directly related to body replacement.

[off-topic]BTW, haven't You though about using compass via bluetooth, in similar manner that N900's bluetooth wrist watch is created? AFAIK, You can put whatever You want, if it use i2c interface - including gas probes or whatnost[/off-topic]

@All
Really thank You for Your feedback and support! It overcame my wildest calculations for this project

I think what you have done so far Estel is awesome in itself. DIY build of a CNC miller - Wow! I trained on them back in the 80s (never touched one since though).

Would be extremely interested in a post (off topic, natch) of the machine project.

Also very interested in what you are proposing for the N900. A replacement back cover with an improved kickstand would be really great. A full alu reshell would be gorgeous, but I fear it would be out of my price range, though.

Have you considered developing a case for the Raspberry Pi as well - I think there may be a market there!

Interested in a large version for dual battery. If it could also feature the 2.5mm charging connector to spare the USB port would be totally awesome.

If you can't have the nice springs to connect to the test pads, I'd be fine with wires that can be soldered. In fact, it could be even better- easier for you and easier for the modders.

BTW, another idea: what about recessed conducting pads, like on dect phones cradles?

I like a lot of the suggestions being posted here but what I really would like is to be holding the same device I am now but just sexier. It simply doesn't need anything else. Can you get around the stylus slot with your machine? And to make it complete, would it be possible to include a screen bezel aswell with MAEMO instead of N***A etched on it?

Once we receive this thing, how much expertise will it take to actually install it? If much, I suggest you add on an optional installation fee for those who don't want to mess with it, we send our device(s) to you or someone you appoint, who does the installation and sends it back.

I'm assuming the full body one will need a teardown to the system board.

Think he was suggesting that you have 4 little tiny bumps on the surface, one protruding up from back surface near each corner.

The bumps would be like the little rubber feet you see on laptops to lift the back off the surface it is sitting on.