Enthusiast mulls reviving Sony’s retro micro PC — Orange Pi CM5 planned as mainboard upgrade

A fan of Sony’s classic handheld Windows slider PC designs is planning a drop-in upgrade. On Friday, Tomsek68 shared his plans on Reddit, proposing swapping out the decrepit internals of a Sony Vaio VGX-UX Micro PC (circa 2006) with a custom PCB and assembly based on an OrangePi CM5.

If the above-outlined project works out, the old Intel Core Solo-driven Windows XP device from Sony Vaio will be transformed into a modern octa-core processor packed with portable Linux. Moreover, Tomsek may be interested in crowdfunding these drop-in replacement boards if they see signs there are enough interested backers.

Tomsek68 says they have two Vaio VGN-UX devices that are too old to repair or revive. The Redditor has spent several weeks remodeling the internals of the Vaio, which comes out of the outer shell in one piece. Ultimately, the intention is to fine-tune 3D models to duplicate these innards and prepare a new PCB to become the new heart of the device.

Citing his PCB design skills, the Redditor seems confident of a successful project providing a drop-in replacement capable of revamping and revitalizing a Vaio VGN-UX UMPC. Instead of completing the project according to his needs, Tomsek68 generously asks other UMPC subreddit readers for opinions.

Tomsek68 knows that some aspects of the Vaio VGN-UX are well past their sell-by date, such as features like i.Link and the Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo slot. However, they are polling the community about desirable new features, acceptable price points, and the optimal SBC for powering these reanimated Sony UMPCs. Nothing larger than a CM4/CM5 will suit explains the Redditor.

Redditor and PCB design hobbyist Tomsek68 specifically asked about a drop-in replacement upgrade board for these UMPCs. In other words, don’t distract them with requests for new screens, thumb boards, or other off-topic upgrades. As a reminder, the Sony Vaio VGN-UX devices launched with slide-out 4.5-inch 1,024 x 600-pixel XBrite TFT LCD touchscreens, a full QWERTY keyboard for thumbing, a fingerprint reader, plus cameras front and back.

Hopefully, enough people will be interested in these upgrade plans and subsequently respond to the Redditor’s Google forms to get this project off the ground. Should the groundswell of interest be sufficient (>50 units), Tomsek68 seems likely to move to crowdfunding.