What to do with spare laptop?

[Biscuits]

Like the title says, I have a spare laptop just collecting dust...I have been racking my brain trying to think of something to use it for and it dawned on me that I could repurpose it for my homebrew set up, but this is where I hit a brick wall. I see a lot of people using Raspberry Pi and Arduino for really cool stuff, but not much on an old windows-based PC.

Throw some ideas at me please.

 

[thelastleroy]

Not being cheeky;

You could use the laptop to program an Arduino in your brew space to run your equipment. This would save you running around your house while changing the programming, flashing etc.

I think that a windows-based brewing system controller would be more trouble than it's worth. The Arduino is pretty robust, and resets instantly with the push of a button. AND you can't surf homebrewtalk on your arduino while your brew cycle is in some critical stage of temp control or something, causing a crash.....

I say use it to program a dedicated, discrete microprocessor. Then use it to fart around on during mash/boil etc.

 

[TheMadKing]

take it apart and use the hard drive magnets to make a stir plate! (definitely being cheeky)

 

[Hoppity]

You could reformat and load Linux, saving you licensing upgrades forever.
A digital tap list would put it to good use.
You could make it a dedicated recipe database local to your brewery.

 

[flars]

A Vet could probably make good use of it.

 

[Biscuits]

A Vet could probably make good use of it.

A Vet as in a pet doctor or a Vet as in of the Military?

 

[slym2none]

Turn it into a server.

Or yeah, just use it to dick around when you are brewing...

 

[Hello]

A Vet as in a pet doctor or a Vet as in of the Military?

Tell me you're kidding.

It's a good idea. Or use it in your brewery. It's windows, so it's basically junk anyway.

 

[slym2none]

Tell me you're kidding.

It's a good idea. Or use it in your brewery. It's windows, so it's basically junk anyway.

You are one of them Apple-types, are ya?

If so, I don't want to share my home-brew with you one day anymore...

 

[BigBlock]

I repurposed an old P4 desktop from~2002 for my hmi. You can download igss free 50 or other preferred hmi program and put together a user interface to talk to a dedicated plc, arduino, pi, etc that is executing the automation routine.

 

[Hello]

You are one of them Apple-types, are ya?



If so, I don't want to share my home-brew with you one day anymore...

And I won't go to the mall with you. You're gonna be sad.

 

[ffaoe]

Back when I wasn't living in a gun hating communist state, we would use something like an old laptop as target practice. Remove the hard drive, set it out on the range, and fire away!

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Things I've done with old laptops...

1. Use as a second screen for new laptop
2. Re-image with Chromium...bam!...Chromebook(-ish)
3. Donate
4. 1# Tannerite on keyboard from about 50 yards.....waaaaay cool.

 

[slym2none]

And I won't go to the mall with you. You're gonna be sad.

I think I already am...

 

[Hello]

I think I already am...

High fives and hugs are free here, man.

 

[slym2none]

 

[Smellyglove]

How about just using it as your brewery-laptop? You could get a cheap screen and mount that on the wall, and make some kind of stand to hold the laptop. Recipes, youtube-videos, music, streaming a game etc while you brew. Add some kind of remote desktop capability and you can access your recipes from everywhere.