Building A Modern, Yet Retro Workstation Computer

For a while now, I've been working on a little project to make general computing a little more affordable and rugged. By "a while", I mean about 5 years. In 2020 I had this idea to build a modern, useful, cartridge based computer system to help me escape the brain rot nonsense of the modern age of social media, and now, AI. A computer, based on modern hardware, that boots from rugged data cartridges, using modern high speed data connections, that just does the basics very well. Want to play a game? Stick the game cartridge in and turn it on. No internet, no updates, no software changes to worry about. Simple. Same for software, video, audio libraries, and even entire operating systems. My dream computer system. Just computer, no nonsense.

I've been buying up these interesting little computer systems made by Raspberry Pi. I started with a Raspberry Pi 4, then a Pi 400, and now the Pi 5, Pi 500, and Pi CM5. The Pi 5 is the current system I'm working with. I own a few of the Pi 5 systems now, in various form factors, and they're nearly fast and useful enough for the average person to just use. The main limiting factor is the wimpy graphics processing unit(GPU). Sure, it can play back some 4k video and some games, but not well enough for general use. Adding a more powerful GPU has been a game changer and allowed me to build a system that I can use for everything that my engineering laptop is overkill for.

One of the best things about this system is that it can load from USB, built in memory, or micro SD cards. The plan is to create custom cartridges that have large amounts of industrial data storage, hook the SD card connector to a cartridge connector, and boot the system from the cartridge. The cartridge contains ALL of the software needed for the system, so storing a system, EXACTLY as it was, is very easy. Put in a cartridge, install the needed software, develop the entire project, then put it on a shelf for long term storage. It will be exactly as you left it, and guaranteed to run, as long as there are no major updates to the hardware of the computer. It would just work.  Not only does the cartridge hold software, it can contain all sorts of custom hardware, including things like industrial serial ports, USB hubs, audio hardware, speakers, displays, high power relays to switch power outlets on and off, lights, sensors, or a fart spray dispenser. The system could detect the light levels of the room and change the brightness or even scenery in a game, detect changes in atmospherics pressure and warn of changing weather patterns, or include a buzzer or speaker that doesn't require the TV or audio system to be powered on. Whatever is needed. 

So with that long and rambling intro out of the way, I feel I can finally talk about my development workstation, pictured above. It's a 1990s Packard Bell computer case, gutted and being prepared to hold the industrial computer system, power supply, graphics card, and custom hardware. The Monitor is a cheap Lenovo monitor that has some features that are easier on the eyes. The keyboard and number pad/calculator are 8bitdo retro units that just make me really happy. The trackball mouse is a Logitech that I've had for quite a while. The mess of circuit boards on the left are the rest computer and the graphics card. 

The goal is to stuff every single feature I could ever want I to the giant old case, make it pretty and usable, and start developing other devices and projects on it. It's going to have a dual cartridge slot where the CD drive used to be. One cartridge to boot the system, and the other to program other cartridges. USB and audio ports will replace the old floppy disk drive on the left. The front fan will get replaced with a really nice speaker and a small subwoofer, and the various buttons and lights on the front will get hooked up to the new computer. An external Blu Ray burner will be used to make sure discs work with the software, and to burn backup discs for long term storage. When done, this will be a very modern, unique computer, with a very fun retro look. It will get paired with a shipping label printer and a dot matrix invoice printer for shipping orders. A nice webcam and external microphone will be added for video conferences. It's meant to show that the Raspberry Pi computer can be a viable every day solution for most general purpose use, and many specialized use cases. 

Currently, the mess of computer boards on the desk is working and quite usable. It's a proper modern computer that runs websites, plays HD video, plays complex video games, and does nearly everything I need to do already. I could actually just use it as my every day computer right now. Even with the old, low power graphics card, it's a very viable system. I plan to upgrade the processor module to the top tier to give myself more memory, run it faster than stock, and add better cooling to help it run faster and live longer. It's a test bed for the platform I'm developing into an eventual product, but far more capable to speed up development and make it a little easier to use every day. 

The cost for this system is surprisingly low. I don't have every little piece added up yet, but the bulk of it is accounted for. The processor module is $85 USD. The main board is $20. The cooling system is $6. Power supply is $40, case is $50, keyboard was $100, trackball is $40, numberpad/calculator was $40, and the monitor was $70. Total was $351, if my lazy mental math is correct. The core computer, without the monitor and accessories, was about $200. That's the main board, processor, cooler, power supply, and case. Not bad for a basic computer. Another $50 gets a nice graphics card, plus the $50 or so for the graphics card adapter. So about $300 for the computer itself, ready to go. You can build a nice modern computer for close to that price, probably with more processing power, assuming you can find the right parts in stock. Most of the parts in this system are either industrial parts, available in the thousands from Mouser, readily available anywhere, or dirt cheap on eBay. This should make it easy to get parts in most places and keep older graphics cards out of the trash.

The next step is to build a smaller version of this, in a tiny custom case, with a working cartridge slot. That prototype will be used to apply as an exhibitor at Open Sauce 2026, which is a massive tech and science expo put on by a fun group of scient enthusiasts from YouTube. That prototype has to be done ASAP to get it ready to apply in January. I plan on going to the event, even if I don't get an exhibitor spot. I used the application deadline as my deadline to get this project up and running. I find that having hard deadlines makes it far more likely that I'll get stuff done.

This project has been on my mind for over 5 years now and it's time to get it done. The idea of having my own little business has been haunting me since 2013. It's all very much over due and I'm just forcing myself to get it all done. My body is failing in a few rather annoying ways, which will mean that my time working with my body is coming to an end pretty quickly. It's time to start working with my mind. What better way than to use interesting technology to solve interesting and important problems? In 2020, I designed, built, programmed, and deployed a custom water heater controller for an off grid camper pulled by an electric car. We lived in that thing during the COVID lockdown, and that little controller made sure we always had hot water without draining the batteries. It had a touch screen with colorful buttons and could even be updated and controlled through anything with a USB port and access to a terminal program. It kicked off my love for programming and computer hardware design and set me on the path I'm on today. I plan to revisit that project and release it to the people who live in vans, on boats, in off grid cabins, and anywhere else that needs prioritized battery and energy management systems. This computer stuff is just a fun way to build the skills needed to bring it all together.

It's been quite a long time since I've written consistently, and I'm a bit distracted today, so I hope this was a good read. More updates to come.