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Mainboard Terminal

Mainboard Terminal is a retro-futuristic all-in-one computer built around a Framework Laptop 13 Mainboard, featuring a distinctive 5-inch round LCD display. Created by hardware designer Penk Chen — a self-described digital nomad from Taiwan based in Tokyo, known for the CutiePi tablet, Penkesu Computer, and Rasti Computer — the project was inspired by early computer terminals that used circular cathode-ray tube oscilloscope displays12.

Penk described the motivation simply: "I've always wanted a terminal with a round screen. With the Mainboard product and its 2D drawing released, I finally had the chance to build one."1

The project went viral on Hacker News in May 2022 and received coverage from Hackster.io, Adafruit, Yanko Design, TechEBlog, heise online, MiniMachines, CNX Software, Mike Shouts, and 3Dnatives3456789.

Design​

The Mainboard Terminal is housed in a fully 3D-printed case with a curved silhouette designed to evoke early CRT oscilloscope terminals. The case is held together by 5×2 mm magnets, chosen for aesthetic reasons — making it easy to disassemble for cleaning the fan or adding hardware. Penk notes that builders may want to modify the design to add screw holes and cutouts for the USB4 ports1.

The 3D-printed parts were painted with Tamiya model paint: PS-57 (Pearl White) for the body and TS-30 (Silver Leaf) for accents1.

Bill of Materials​

ComponentDetails
MainboardFramework Laptop 13 Mainboard (starts at $399)1
KeyboardOLKB Preonic Mechanical Keyboard MX Kit V3 (~$140)1
Display5" round LCD, 1080×1080 resolution (sourced from AliExpress/Taobao)1
Case3D-printed (STL and STEP files provided)1
Assembly5×2 mm magnets

Display​

The circular 5-inch LCD has a native resolution of 1080×1080 pixels — technically a square panel with a circular mask. Setting it up under Ubuntu 22.04 requires creating a custom xrandr mode1:

xrandr --newmode "1080x1080R" 82.50 1080 1128 1160 1240 1080 1083 1093 1111 +hsync -vsync
xrandr --addmode DP-1 "1080x1080R"
xrandr --output DP-1 --mode "1080x1080R"

To enhance the retro aesthetic, Penk runs Cool Retro Term, a terminal emulator that simulates CRT phosphor glow, scan lines, and screen curvature. The curvature effect was increased by patching app/qml/ApplicationSettings.qml to set screenCurvatureSize: 2.01.

Keyboard​

The build uses the OLKB Preonic, a 60% ortholinear mechanical keyboard — meaning keys are arranged in a uniform grid rather than staggered rows. This complements the retro terminal aesthetic1.

Software​

Everything works out of the box with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, requiring only the custom display mode configuration1. Because the Framework Mainboard is a full x86 platform, any desktop operating system can be installed — unlike Raspberry Pi-based cyberdeck projects that are limited to ARM-compatible software5.

Penk demonstrated the terminal running Spacewar! — one of the earliest video games, originally developed in 1961 on the PDP-1 minicomputer, which also featured a round oscilloscope display18.

Open Source Files​

All design files are published on GitHub under the MIT license and CC BY-SA 4.01:

FileFormat
3D-printable partsSTL files in model/STL/
Editable CADSTEP file (Mainboard-Terminal.step)

Builders are encouraged to consult Framework's official Mainboard 2D drawings for further customization1.

Creator: Penk Chen​

Penk Chen (GitHub: penk) is a hardware designer and digital nomad from Taiwan, currently based in Tokyo. He is the creator of several notable open-source hardware projects2:

ProjectDescription
CutiePi TabletCommercial open-source Raspberry Pi tablet
Penkesu ComputerRetro handheld PC (Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, 7.9" display, 48-key ortholinear keyboard) — 2,106 stars10
Rasti ComputerGRiD Compass-inspired Framework mainboard laptop with custom keyboard — 236 stars
ruha.camera3D-printable retro-style Raspberry Pi HQ Camera — 518 stars
MattbookFramework 13 UMPC (collaboration with 2disbetter)

The Mainboard Terminal was Penk's first Framework mainboard-based project, followed later by the Rasti Computer which evolved the concept into a clamshell laptop form factor with a custom-designed keyboard and larger 10.4" touchscreen2.

ProjectDescription
Rasti ComputerPenk's later Framework mainboard laptop with GRiD Compass design
MattbookFramework 13 UMPC by 2disbetter with Penk's keyboard design
Penkesu ComputerPenk's earlier Raspberry Pi-based handheld
Framework Tablet3D-printable tablet case for Framework Mainboard
Beth DeckFramework mainboard handheld gaming PC

Technical Details​

DetailValue
CreatorPenk Chen (penk)
LicenseMIT / CC BY-SA 4.01
Stars8311
Forks121
Contributors1 (penk)1
CreatedMay 9, 20221
Last pushSeptember 14, 20221
Framework Community thread3 replies, May 20223

Footnotes​

  1. penk/MainboardTerminal — GitHub ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21

  2. Penk Chen GitHub Profile — GitHub ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Mainboard terminal - a retro-style computer with a modern core — Framework Community (May 2022) ↩ ↩2

  4. Penk Chen's Mainboard Terminal Packs a Framework Mainboard Into a Retrofuturistic, CRT-Like Box — Hackster.io (May 10, 2022) ↩

  5. This funky retro-futuristic computer is actually a laptop in disguise — Yanko Design (May 14, 2022) ↩ ↩2

  6. A CyberDeck with a round display and a full computer inside — Adafruit Blog (May 13, 2022) ↩

  7. Mainboard Terminal Custom Computer Looks to be Straight from a Science Fiction Movie — TechEBlog (May 11, 2022) ↩

  8. Selbstgebauter Retro-Rechner – das Mainboard Terminal — heise online (May 17, 2022) ↩ ↩2

  9. Penk présente le Mainboard Terminal — MiniMachines (May 10, 2022) ↩

  10. penk/penkesu — GitHub ↩