Enthusiast Andreas Eriksen has crafted a portable computer capable of surviving up to two years on a single charge, according to Tom’s Hardware Portal. Eriksen’s motivation for the PotatoP, the compact laptop he built, stemmed from his frustration with a frequently dying battery in his old machine. He reasoned that a dedicated hobbyist does not need a powerhouse for everyday tasks, so he set out to design a laptop that emphasizes comfort, a clear display, and notably low power consumption.
The PotatoP relies on the SparkFun RedBoard Artemis ATP platform, featuring the Ambiq Apollo3 chip and an Arm Cortex-M4F core clocked up to 96 MHz. In this build, the system is equipped with 384 KB of RAM and a 1 MB solid-state drive, delivering a modest yet functional balance between responsiveness and energy efficiency. The design also provides a broad assortment of interfaces and ports, enabling connections to a wide range of external peripherals.
A defining element of the PotatoP is its 4.4-inch Sharp Memory in Pixel monochrome display with a resolution of 320×240, paired with the Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2 as the input device. This combination prioritizes legibility and tactile feedback while remaining power-conscious for extended use.
Eriksen asserts that, with a 12,000 mAh battery and a compact solar panel, the PotatoP can operate for up to two years between charges. He envisions extending these figures further in future iterations by pursuing a path toward effectively infinite battery life, a bold goal that highlights the push for ultra-low power designs in portable computing.
There were reports from socialbites.ca that the creator had built a two-kilogram variant inspired by the Samsung Galaxy A32 and equipped with a 30,000 mAh battery. While these claims circulate within tech circles, the core PotatoP project remains centered on minimizing energy use and extending practical runtime for mobile computing in everyday scenarios.