Touchscreen Eee addon revealed

Author: Gareth Halfacree
Published: 3rd June 2008
Comments (14) Stumble
The Mobile01 kit for the Eee PC comes with everything required to add a touchscreen to the popular 701.

The Mobile01 kit for the Eee PC comes with everything required to add a touchscreen to the popular 701.

If you've been wondering how to make Asus's diminutive Eee PC even more stylish, you might want to think about fitting a touch screen – and that's now easier than ever.

A new kit designed to offer solderless installation of a touch-screen on the 7” Eee PC 701 has been unveiled by jkkmobile via the hacker haven Hack A Day. The kit, provided by Chinese retailer Mobile01 provides everything you need to turn the Eee PC into a touch-screen enabled unit – and there's no worries about melting through important cables or burning your fingers, as it comes with all the connectors pre-made.

Although this isn't the first touchscreen mod for Asus's popular ultra-small notebook, it is the easiest. Using the USB headers already present on the Eee PC motherboard, the panel comes with a USB hub that fits internally in the Eee to ensure that the webcam – often the first victim when modders start to run out of free USB ports – continues to work after the panel is installed. While parts of the nine-step instruction list sound a little hairy – I was particularly concered regarding step 3, “bend the frame” - there's certainly a lot less to go wrong here than with your average touchscreen modification.

While this mod, like any other, will result in a thoroughly invalidated warranty, the very fact that it involves no soldering or cutting will make it more approachable for would-be modders lacking the experience or confidence to make a good job of soldering additional components to the micro-sized motherboard in the Eee PC.

The kit is expected to sell for around £40, with a version that includes a Bluetooth module on the PCB coming in at £50.

Anyone tempted to upgrade their Eee with a touchscreen, or are we all enjoying our two-year warranty too much to risk it? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Quote Mankz. 3rd June 2008, 08:26
£40 doesn't seem to steep at all. I could see this selling quite well.
Quote liratheal 3rd June 2008, 08:58
Hell, even I'd buy one of those.
Quote antiHero 3rd June 2008, 09:12
Seems like a cheap way to get a touchscreen out of a cheap 7" display
Quote The Jambo 3rd June 2008, 09:38
How long before there is another clone of the Eee with one of these pre-installed?
Quote Veles 3rd June 2008, 16:36
So is this a proper tablet screen or a PDA style touch screen?
Quote CardJoe 3rd June 2008, 17:40
Hm - I'm just not convinced that a touchscreen would be all that useful on something as diminutive and function orientated as the 701. I'd love one for the bragging rights but I just can't see where i'd use it in day to day life. Doodles maybe?
Quote Cthippo 3rd June 2008, 20:23
I saw these for sale on ebay. Seems like it would be a pain to use unless the screen rotated and folded flat like a real tablet. On the other hand, for the price, they may well be worth it.
Quote The_Beast 3rd June 2008, 21:43
^^ I can't agree more about the tablet idea


I would consider buying one if they make a touch-screen tablet Eee
Quote CardJoe 3rd June 2008, 23:08
Yeah - it'd have to be tablet. I really wish the EEE had piano hinges.
Quote 1st time modder 4th June 2008, 02:42
now i might consider an EEC for an in car computer..touchscreen.. especially with bluetooth.... hands-free answering and even recording of phone conversations!..... all easily tucked into the dash, and maybe if a cd player is needed.... usb one is an option...
Quote Cthippo 4th June 2008, 05:55
That's kind of what I was thinking, except as a navigation system. I'd like to get a GPS, but I want one with a big screen and no talking. the eee isn't a big screen, until you compare it to a GPS!
Quote 1st time modder 4th June 2008, 11:22
that would definitely add to it for sure.... all for about 100-125$. looks like im buying an eec and building a custom enclosure box so it can slide into the dash and or screen to glove-box, which houses the board. The low power requirements, mean for instance....running without the alternator/engine on for a period of time, like a normal stereo should if you want it TOO!
Quote mattthegamer463 8th June 2008, 20:09
I did the solder-full kit from eBay, anyone who has ever soldered at all could pull this off no sweat. I even added a little DIP switch in the modem port to allow me to turn the touchscreen on and off to save power when I don't need it. The ability to further mod the mod is great, so if you have any skill at all these kits probably aren't for you, but if you are a total n00b this is really your only option.
Quote 78th 9th June 2008, 08:23
hmmm... promising upgrade... but still, something that small is still a toy for me. i'd rather lug around a macbook pro any day.
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