Surface Pro 3 Desktop Docking Station Mod

thingiverse

Turns your Surface Pro 3 in to a Desktop Computer by just sliding it in sideways. For this thing I disassembled the original SP3 Doking Station (which was kinda hard and probably voided the warranty, but pfff... who cares? its a dock...) and only kept the lower case, PCB and connectors. I hotglued a USB extention cable and a mini DP to HDMI adapter in the upper slots. I haven't been using the Docking Station for a while, so i decided to make an expermient. Microsoft claims "the Surface Pro 3, the tablet that can replace a laptop." It did! I don't have a Desktop anymore and use the SP3 as my main machine now. Then the question came up: "Can it replace a Desktop as well?" I didn't use the Docking Station because: it uses lots of desk-space (when a monitor is added) still creates a cable-salad ontop of you desk I had problems with scaling between the SP3's own Display and the 27" 1080p Display the Typecover sometimes gets caught in the mechanism I use this Docking Station for about a month now and I need to say: It makes my Desk nice and tidy, is even easier do slide in than the original and works a treat with multiple monitors. It's probably the smallest and most portable desktop computer I ever had. The only problems i had so far were it's power limitations of a mobile CPU and GPU. I'm still working on a release button, an option to mount it horizontally (unterside of Desk) or vertically (side of drawers like in pic) and support for a regular charger, so you don't need to disassemble a dockingstation. Important Note! To successfully make this thing you need following things with your SP3 to work: Surface Pro 3 Docking Station Surface Pro 3 Type Cover The Docking Station's Warranty will probably be void (depending on how nicely you remove the bottom sticker). Before diassembling the Docking Station, you need to connect it and set the external monitor as main monitor, since the SP3 will be closed and facing towards a wall. Main Advantages Tidier on your desk and uses less space (because I want to use my G510's G-Keys for quick OpenSCAD programming, without having an extra keyboard or having to remove it all the time) easier to slide in (The Type Cover doesn't get caught in the mechanism and as simple as putting it in a bag or a drawer) less problems with scaling (because Windows still didn't fix it properly) Fan is less annoying since it's unter the desk Turns your Surface even into a 3-way hybrid! Tablet, Laptop and Desktop! Awesome! Easier to switch to a real desktop since the cables are at the right place