Ready! Model 100 portable PC kit half way to funding goal

Ready! Computer Corporation has an interesting project on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. The firm’s founding Model 100 PC is a barebones of sorts, but the bare bones are in the shape of a 1980s wedge shaped home computer with ultra-wide screen display across the top of the wedge and room for various single board computer (SBC) and compact computer motherboards within.

The stated major goal of this project is to supply a framework that allows for the building of “a premium, well-made, modular, portable system you can repair yourself”. The Model 100 PC comes with basically everything but the core performance components of a computer. Thus, it offers the following:

• North American Made Aluminium Enclosure with durable non-metallic side panels
• Ultrawide 1920×480 Touch-screen IPS LCD with HDMI input and USB power/data
• 5w+5w stereo neodymium speaker system
• 64 key mechanical keyboard with per-key RGB
• Universal PCB mounting plate for standard SBC 5v/12v formats (RPI, 4×4, NUC, etc)
• 12 Universal Port Panel Mount cutouts
• 4 SMA/RP-SMA high-gain antenna couplers
• Guitar strap compatible side strap locks
• READY!OS Free and Open Source Debian based Linux OS

As well as the above kit, starting at CAD$299 on Kickstarter, there are options to buy full systems based upon the Raspberry Pi or even a ‘Gaming Capable’ AMD Ryzen V1605b APU SBC with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD (CAD$1,399). Then there is a ‘Gold’ version of the AMD Ryzen SBC model with added walnut side panels for CAD$1,999 if you are really enthusiastic about this device.

Thanks to the modular nature of the Ready! Model 100 PC it can furthermore be kitted out with ports that make it a good choice for musicians, radio amateurs, sysadmins, AV producers, and more.

Ready! is halfway to its CAD$200,000 goal at the time of writing, but there are only five days to go. If it raises enough funds / pre-orders it is estimated that Ready! Model 100 PCs will start to ship this April.