Build Your Own Mini-ITX Laptop

A do it yourself guide to getting the parts needed to build your DIY laptop
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What is this site
This site is dedicated to the living-room-floor construction of a DIY (Do It Yourself) Mini-
ITX based Laptop Computer In case !ou are "ondering #living-room-floor-construction#
means !ou can build one of these nearl! an!"here and Mini-ITX is described in the $%&
This site la!s out a detailed description of the parts that are needed for such a pro'ect(
"hat I personall! recommend( and a specific )o"-to on its* construction This site is far
from a comprehensive guide but gets prett! close
!irst Things !irst
+uilding !our o"n laptop from scratch can be one of the most re"arding e,periences an!
person "ho modifies or builds an!thing can have Imagine the pride from building
something that until no" has been a propriatar! bu!-onl! device )aving something that
onl! a couple people out of more than - billion have and having done it !ourself is a
bragging right in man! areas( gee.s and la!men ali.e There are man! things to consider
"hen building !our o"n laptop /ead the pages listed at left including the $%& and see if
this is something that !ou might li.e to do $or those of !ou "ho have built their o"n
arcade machines( go carts( computers( robot( and0or other electronic device( this is the
.ind of pro'ect that !ou probabl! "ould have fun "ith
If !ou are not sure !ou "ant to build !ourself a homemade laptop then ta.e a short loo.
around and see if this is a doable pro'ect for !ou The process of building one ta.es a lot
of trial and error and can ta.e a long time %lso the needed parts can be e,pensive and
hard to find( but having one built e,actl! the "a! !ou "ant and built from standard parts
can be "orth the cost
Chec. out the $%& page at left or Clic. here to see the pros about building !our o"n
Laptop 1till curious2 3ood 4h! are !ou still here and not loo.ing through the
instructions2 4ell if !ou are lost or don*t .no" "here to go there are lin.s at the bottom
these pages directing !ou to the ne,t step
"ow Do I get #tarted
The 5avigation +ar at left provides pages of "hat .inds of parts to get and "hat !ou "ill
need to build !our ver! o"n personal laptop or Clic. here to see "hat to get
$uestions % &o''ents
If !ou have an! 6uestions or comments please email me at di!laptop7!ahoocom
Site last updated January 19, 2005.

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What will I ha(e to get
The M+ should be a Mini-ITX form factor( one should probabl! use the ne" 8I% 9:I% M1
series motherboard-- lo" profile( standard( ver! lo" po"er( ever!thing on board
including C:; 4ith the C:; onboard it cannot get .noc.ed loose and saves cost on the
board These can be had bet"een <==M)> and ?@3)> This ma! be slo" for some of
!ou but the C:; is designed for po"er and stabilit!( not performance You can get a
soc.et AB= Mini-ITX board and put a celeron in it but the po"er needs are higher than
most of these mini po"er boards can handle This board also uses 1CDIMM DD/ 1D/%M
mounted underneath the motherboard The ITX boards are eas! to find( the M1 series is
finall! out The M1 1eries have no bac. panel save 83%( eth=( and C$ but there are
pinouts for all the ITX goodies( that*s "hat ma.es it thin 4ith this board there is no
flopp! channel so an e,ternal usb flopp! "ill have to be mounted inside the case if !ou
"ant oneD the same for a :CMCI% card slot (If thic.ness isn*t an issue than the 8I% MII
?@=== is a good choice because it has the :CMCI% built in and the C$) Lo" profile
passive heatsin.s can reduce the overall height to less than an inch
;se an e,ternal universal batter! mounted inside( and not the s6uare foot things "ith
fans because it is alread! going to be thic. and there is space inside for a standard si>ed
batter! Ma.e sure to get a Lithium batter! because other"ise !ou "ill have to let it
completel! discharge before !ou plug it bac. in The po"er bric. that comes "ith this
"ill be the e,ternal po"er pac. If !ou are e,ceptionall! talented and can ma.e a DIY
batter! then this can help !our construction The batter! "ill plug into a :1; daughter
board that can plug directl! into the M+ and not add much height but ma.e sure !ou get
a batter! "ith a voltage compatable "ith the :1; You can use a more po"erful po"er
suppl! but then !ou have to find a batter! "ith matching voltages or as aforesaid ma.e
!our o"n These :1; daughter boards can be hard to find but are out there I suggest
setting the :1; ne,t to the M+ to save height
Laptop drives are eas! to find as "ell as the /%M The slim drives do need the adapter(
these are not too hard to find either $or the E+ and mouse there is a #1lim-Mini#
.e!board out b! Fipp! that is thin( narro"( and should "or. "ell and 'ust bu! a touchpad
to mount belo" it 3ate"a! occasionall! sells a laptop st!le E+-M1 combo for a tablet of
theirs that loo.s a lot better
The screen should be an LCD #.it# that comes "ith inverter( controller( :1;( and cables
4hen !ou get one ma.e sure that it has the controller as a part of the screen and that
it connects via a 83% connector There isn*t room for a :CI controller in here if !ou are
"orried about it being a slim machine 1ome of these .its don*t have the :1; but the
one on the the 4hat I ;sed page can be rigged to connect directl! to the psu daughter
board
The lights and button(s) can be bought at an! electronic store or 'ust rob them from an
old case There are places on the net "here the pinout headers can be bought if the!
don*t come "ith M+ Chec. out the 4hat I ;sed page for a good site to bu! these from
Cf course since this is !our build !ou can add L9Ds( light "ire( or an!thing else to
personali>e it Most laptops have built-in fan controllers so one "ill have to be added to
.eep the machine 6uiet and cool at the same time
The hard part "ill be custom building the case and figuring out "here to run all the
cables The cables from the E+ and Mouse are about a meter long so the have to be
tuc.ed some"here or cut and spliced to fit( same "ith the video cable Chec. out 1tep
$our on the )o" To page for a good suggestion
If !ou "ant a port replicator0doc.ing station there is a good one here
The overall po"er of this s!stem "hile pla!ing a D8D is around GH-H= "atts and less
than A= "hen at idle It "ill be about the same dimentions as an industriall! built laptop
but be about t"ice as thic. This one measures about A=cm , A=cm , Bcm (?@#,?@#,A#)(
I .no" it is a little thic. but it is not too bad The parts "eighs about ??-?@ pounds or a
little over H .ilos plus the custom case
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What Did I )se
4ell for the M+ use one of 8I%s M1 ?@=== boards for I@?= from
httpJ00"""shentechcom0viaep?@apcl?html
You can bu! the DD/@-- 1CDIMM /%M almost an!"here %t
httpJ00"""e"i>com0detailphp2nameKD@--1C@H- @H- M+ is less than IG=
%s for a )ard Drive I used a @=3+ LHmm G@==rpm 5oteboo. )ard Drive "ith ID9
adapter You can use an! brand or storage but the! "ill all be about I-=( I?= more for
the adapter httpJ00"""e"i>com0detailphp2nameKDM$;@=3+T
$or the Cptical Drive I used the :anasonic 1lim 1lot Load D8D0CD-/4 Combo Drive
found atJ httpJ00"""pcalchem!com0productMinfophp0productsMid0ALNBO?B for I<=(
I?= more for the adapter
The LCD 1creen Eit is a ra" gathering of parts that I have to ma.e m! o"n be>el for
$ind it hereJ httpJ00storeearthlcdcom0snl0cA?<BB=0scB0categor!GG0it%0id-HL0f
This is about IA==
$or the :1; I got the I-= :4-<= from httpJ00"""mini-bo,com0p"-<=htm I used this
one because of it*s "ide voltage input( I could use nearl! an! batter!
The fan controller is a :!ramid 8 from
httpJ00"""cra>!pccom0Merchant@0merchantmv21creenK:/CDP:roductMCodeK<@<?A f
or I@H
The mouse is a $ello"s brand touch pad "ith assignable buttons( scrolling and >oom( and
a *Touch3esture* feature The place I bought this is no longer selling them but !ou can
find one hereJ httpJ00"""ama>oncom0e,ec0obidos0%1I50+====GF-M=0crisscross-
@=0refKnosim0?=@-@<?<AAB--=H@?=L Mine cost me I?H from 4al-Mart b! the "a!
The .e!board has hot .e!s( << .e!s and can be found atJ
httpJ00"""'rcom0Q/:roduct:ageprocess2:roductKAL<?@@H for I@H
The batter! has it o"n batter! charger "hich is the po"er bric. for the "hole machine
It has an output voltage of ?G8R?B8 it*s capacit! is ??<4h(4att-hour) $ind it hereJ
httpJ00"""bi,netcom0e,nobapo<=html for I?B=
% good site to find the connectors for the pinout headers is
httpJ00"""front,com0 Ma.e sure !ou get the internal parts :rices var! b! "hat !ou
"ant to add
The :CMCI% slot is an internall! mounted e,ternal ;1+-to-:CMCI% adapter I don*t .no"
if this is linu, compatable !et but !ou can find it hereJ
httpJ00"""evalueaddedcom0datasheetasp2midK?HHGA for IH=
%nd the flopp! drive is also an internall! mounted e,ternal I@H at
httpJ00"""e"i>com0detailphp2nameK$D-M:$<@9

Prices are USD without shipping because shipping is ery dependant on location.
"ow Did I Do It
3o to m! )o" To page to see one "a! of doing it
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"ow Do I Build It
4hile there are as man! "a!s to build one of these as there are imaginations( I "ill
discuss ho" I did it Cne suggestionJ put the parts together on a static pad (or
something that "ill prevent a static buildup) and test the s!stem Ma.e sure it "or.s the
"a! !ou "ant it to before !ou put it together because !ou "ill get prett! aggrevated if
!ou get it all together and it doesn*t "or.
$or the screen hingesJ I suggest robbing some stiff hinges from an attache case(
suitcase( etc If !ou .no" "here to find good ones email me and I "ill post it Cr !ou
can t!pe it or an! suggestion in this bo, and clic. 1ubmit
I9 - usersJ the bro"ser does not support this form so use the email lin.
#tep One -Layout-
I figured the best "a! to design m! o"n laptop "as to base it on the general la!out of all
laptops The vie"point of this description is from the top "ith the screen pointing to"ard
the builder
-- T91T $IT %LL :%/T1 +9$C/9 YC; %TT%C) %5YT)I53 --
The measurement of the base of this machine "ill be about ?@ s6uare inches (A= s6uare
cm) 1ince the M+ is the largest part at about B#, B# I put it in the top left corner That
leaves about H# space on each side
1ince the batter! is B<#, GG# I put it in front of the M+ This "ill stic. out to the right of
the M+ about ?# so to the right of this I put the shortest deviceJ the :CMCI% ;1+-to-
:CMCI% adapter It is prett! thic. so it is b! itself Cne could remove the casing to
shorten it if it "as "anted
%bove the :CMCI% slot are the usb flopp! and the LHmm hard drive 1tac.ed together
the! are less than ?# thic. and are @H# "ide %bove these is the D8D0CD combo It is
H# s6uare so it fits nicel! ne,t to the M+ Test fit the adapters( there are several .inds
out there and some are bigger than others I suggest special cables that do the adapting
li.e "hat can be found at Mini-ITXcom
If !ou "ant !ou can put the )DD and $DD under or over the D8D0CD and put the :1; in
place of the aforementioned parts instead of being plugged directl! into the M+ I
recomend this setup because then the fan controller can be placed near the :1;( batter!(
and motherboard "here the heat comes from
I have made a primitive outline dra"ing of this step here
#tep Two -Layout-
5o" that !ou have the s!stem part laid out !ou "ill need to la!out the peripherals Cn
top of the s!stem !ou can la! the .e!board at the top of this second level "ith the
touchpad belo" it 4e "ill tal. about the be>el in 1tep $our (%s for spea.ers I haven*t
found a "a! to amplif! or find room for them so if !ou have an! ideas please e-mail
me) The LCD monitor is a rough screen but it can me mounted as a third level over the
.e!board and mouse 'ust li.e an! other laptop
#tep Three -&ase-
)ere is the tric.! part If !ou are not hand! "ith building models and soldering then !ou
might "ant a little help )ere !ou "ill need a modeling .it "ith pudd!( cement( e,acto
.nife or ra>or( file( and sand paper
$or another perspective on a custom case chec. out the +antam :C The easiest "a! to
build a case is to use plastic sheets (li.e the sides of an old %T case) and cut them "ith a
'ig or recipricating sa" Ma.e sure to .eep the edges straight so !ou dont have to use
the putt! Ma.e an open top bo, Cnce !ou set the s!stem parts inside !ou can
measure e,actl! ho" tall the sides need to be because this isn*t going to be the same
from s!stem to s!stem I recomend ma.ing the side a little higher 'ust in case (it is
easier to remove some than add some) Cn the bottom ma.e sure !ou have a plastic
insulator bet"een the motherboard and the case The standoffs can be standard or
custom( ho"ever !ou li.e Don*t forget to cut out a section for the ram and fassion a
removable doorD I li.e the idea of pilfering an old to!*s batter! door for this 1cre" in the
boards and ma.e mountings for the drives (this varies 6uite a bit so use that "onderful
imagination of !ours) Cnce the drives are in and !ou have made the holes for the
pinout header connectors (if !ou have an!) !ou can ma.e the lid Do not seal the lid but
fashion a clasp or non-magnetic latch (magnets can corrupt data on the )DD) %lthough
mini hinges aren*t prett! the! are effective and can be had for not much The lid is
"here !ou "ill mount the .e!board and mouse Cn top of this "ill be the be>el "here
!ou can hide the meter long cables of the .e!board and mouse You can glue the parts
on but then the! are not easil! replacable that "a! I suggest 'ust using G small drops of
glue( one on each corner to hold them in in case of replacement that "a! there is
minimal damage to the case (If !ou come up "ith a better "a! e-mail me and I "ill
post it here)
#tep !our -Be*el-
The be>els( those things that ma.e laptops loo. nice and slee. +uilding these is not a
necessit! but the! do ma.e the loo. of !our DIY machine a little easier on the e!es To
ma.e the bevels !ou can use a miter sa" or a table sa" You might "ant to tr! this on a
scrap piece to ma.e sure that it doesn*t melt the plastic If that doesn*t "or. use the file
You "ill need to build t"o or three of these be>els The screen "ill be the easiest Qust
ma.e a surrounding bo, "ith the front be>el This be>el can be made in pieces li.e a
picture frame and assembled together ;se the sandpaper and e,acto .nife to ma.e the
edges smooth 1ince the screen "on*t ta.e the full breadth of the lid !ou can strip a mic
and mount it ne,t to the screen if !ou "ant
The be>el on the .e!board and mouse can be eas! or hard to ma.e The hard "a! is to
ma.e it a single piece The eas! "a! is to ma.e a be>el for each part Ma.e sure the
underside of the mouse be>els is hollo" so that !ou have room to hide the cables from
the .e!board and mouse (assuming !ou haven*t cut and spliced them) %gain the e,acto
.nife and sandpaper "ill be helpful here
Does this part get easier
4ell no" that !ou have read the ho"-to-build-!our-o"n-case section chec. out the
%ttache 1erver to see a much easier "a! to ma.e !our laptop case +e"areJ this voids
the idea of having a thin laptop but this server loo.s might! cool
Odds +,+ -nds
You can chec. out the 1pecs of this s!stem( :ictures of these parts( or some of the
$re6uentl! %s.ed &uestions about doing this pro'ect &uestions or comments2 9-mail
me at di!laptop7!ahoocom
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Submit Suggestion






Laptop Specifications
Processor
- VIA C3 1.2 GHz / VIA Eden ESP 800 MHz or 1.0
GHz processor
Chipset
- VIA CLE2 !or"# $r%d&e
- VIA V'823( So)"# $r%d&e
System emory
- 1 **+2 S,*IMM soc-e"
- .p "o 1G$ /e/or0 s%ze
!GA
- In"e&r1"ed VIA .n%C#ro/e AGP &r1p#%cs 2/ MPEG-2
Acce3er1"or
"#pansion S$ots - 1 PCI 4!o" )sed5
%n&oard I'" - 2 6 .3"r1*MA 133/100/ Connec"or
%n&oard LA( - VIA V'103 10/100 $1se-' E"#erne" PH7
%n&oard Audio - VIA V'11 c#1nne3 AC8 9( codec
%n&oard T! %ut
- VIA V'122A 'V Encoder
- V:oc)s :S;<3 'V Encoder 4M1n)=1c")rer ,p"%on135
%n&oard CF - VIA V'20( .S$2.0 C: $r%d&e
)ac* Pane$ I+%
- 1 VGA por"
- 1+>-;< LA! por"
- 1C: S3o"
%n&oard I+% Connectors
- 3 .S$ Connec"ors =or .S$ 2.0 Por"s 42 por"s =or
:3opp0 ? PCMCIA5
- :ron"-P1ne3 A)d%o Connec"ors 4M%c-%n 1nd L%ne-,)"5
- C* A)d%o-%n Connec"or
- 1 $)zzer
- 1 SM $)s Connec"or
- VIP Por" Connec"or 4VIP05
- :I+ Connec"or
- CI+ Connec"or 4S2%"c#1@3e =or A$/MS5
- B1-e-on-LA! Connec"or
- CP. :A!/S7S :A!/:A!3 Connec"ors
- 1 Connec"or =or LV*S/''L/*VI P1ne3 1nd VIP1
4M1n)=1c")rer ,p"%on135
- 2 Ser%13 Por" Connec"or =or 1/2 Co/ Por"
- 1 PS2 Mo)se Connec"or
- 1 PS2 Ae0@o1rd Connec"or
- 1 SP*I: Connec"or
- 1 Connec"or =or S-V%deo/Co/pos%"e/SCA+'/Co/ponen"
47P@Pr5
- 1 A)d%o P%n He1der; L%ne-o)"C L%ne-%n 1nd M%c-%n 4S/1r"
<.1 S)ppor"5
- A'6 Po2er Connec"or
)I%S
- A21rd $I,S
- 2/;M@%" =31s# /e/or0
System onitorin, -
ana,ement
- CP. Do3"1&e /on%"or%n&
- B1-e-on-LA!C Ae0@o1rd Po2er-onC '%/er Po2er-on
- S0s"e/ po2er /1n1&e/en"
- AC po2er =1%3)re recoDer0
Form Factor
- M%n%-I'6 4 310er5
- 1( c/ E 1( c/
Hard 'ri.e - 20G$ 9.<// ;200rp/ !o"e@oo- H1rd *r%De
%ptica$ 'ri.e
- P1n1son%c 8E 1E 2;E S3%/ S3o" Lo1d *V*/C*-+B
Co/@o *r%De
'isp$ay - 12.1F Ac"%De M1"r%E ':' 102;E(8 +eso3)"%on
Power - 80 B1"" 11D-30D MI!I-I'6 dc "o dc conDer"er
)attery - L%"#%)/C 1DC 111 B#C ( #o)r c#1r&e
/ey&oard - ouse
- In"erne" M)3"%/ed%1 88 Ae0 ? 'o)c#P1d 2/ Scro33C
Goo/C Ges")re
F$oppy 'ri.e - S3%/ .S$ 1.;;M$C 2.88M$
PCCIA - 1 '0pe I / II PC C1rd S3o"
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MENU
Home
What To Get
What I Used
How To
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FAQ







.arts .i/tures
Clic. on these pictures and !ou can visit the site "here I got the part These lin.s are
also "ritten out on the 4hat I ;sed page in case !our bro"ser cannot vie" these lin.s


These pictures belong to the sites where these parts come from. The sites can
be found on the "What Did I Use" page.
A Basi/ .i/ture of #tep 0

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MENU
Home
What To Get
What I Used
How To
Specs
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FAQ







!A$ - !re1uently As2ed $uestions
03 "as this a/tually been built4 or is it all theory
:artiall! 1ome of it is completed "hile the rest is still being built
53 #ounds li2e a lot of bother3
4ell( !es it is +ut the fact that !ou built it "ith !our o"n hands to e,actl! !our specs
and "ants more than ma.es up for it
63 Is it e7pensi(e
Yes The cost of building the one in progress is about I?=== ;1D Don*t leave !et( read
SG
83 !or a 90::: you /an get a ni/e new laptop3
True but here is "here the investment meets savings If something fries or !ou "ant an
upgrade than !ou are onl! out I@== ma,( !ou don*t have to bu! a ne" propriatar! part
from one place( these are universal parts that can be had from man! different stores
across the "orld
;3 Is there a way to build it /heaper
Yes but not "ithout sacrificing something You could save I@== b! not using a batter!(
ma.ing it a des.note +! using lesser parts li.e @G, CD( ?=3+ )DD( no flopp!( no
:CMCI% slot( lesser processor( and a smaller LCD !ou could cut that I?=== cost in half
<3 This is a (ery low powered 'a/hine3 Why would I want to build one
The fact that it is lo" po"ered means much longer batter! life Imagine sitting on a si,
hour plane ride and not have to charge !our laptop Lo" po"er also means less heat is
created( ma.ing it less bugg! and the components "ill last longer
=3 Is this a low spe/ 'a/hine
5ot reall! Chec. the spec page and see "hat "onderful things come "ith Mini-ITX
boards
>3 Are you a 1ualified te/h or ?ust a guy in his garage
+oth I am a technician for a small computer store and build and modif! computers
m!self Man! people "ho build and modif!( li.e me( use Mini-ITX boards Chec. out
some other pro'ects atJ

@3 &an I ha(e you build 'e one and send you the 'oney
5o 4hat "ould be the point if !ou didn*t Do It Yourself
0:3 What if I ha(e 1uestions
That*s "h! !our here isn*t it2 4ell if none of this $%& ans"ers !our 6uestions then e-
mail me I "ill help ho"ever I can M! address is di!laptop7!ahoocom
003 What Operating #yste' /an this run
4indo"s and Linu, Distros "or. "ell and immediatel! Mac C1 can be used "ith a Mac
C1 emulator for linu, (1ince Mac and Linu, share ancestors this is possible) It can be
do"nloaded fromJ
httpJ00"""sourceforgenet0pro'ects0basilis.0
053 What is that annoying stuff flying around the s/reen and at the 'ouse
It is an html effect that I thought "ould be interesting If enough people e-mail me that
"ant it gone I "ill turn it off This featue has been removed because of comments and
the consumption of resources it ta.es on older machines (li.e mine)
063 Are these real 1uestions or did you 'a2e these up
These are real 6uestions( including this one
083 You 'ention Mini-ITX a lot3 What is it Are you affiliated with the'
Mini-ITX is a :C form-factor li.e %T( %TX( and $le,%TX Mini-ITX is also a
revolution in computing ma.ing :Cs smaller and more stable "hile using less
electricit! Chec. out Mini-ITXcom for a better description %s for affiliated( no(
'ust a fan This site and this laptop "ould not be possible "ithout inspiration from
these gu!s

0;3 "ow is the .#) so s'all and how does it wor2 sin/e /o'puters are D&
powered
The :1; is DC The po"er bric. outside the computer li.e on an! laptop does
most of the "or. so it needs less stuff to do "hat it does as long as the
bric. is there
0<3 "ow do the floppy dri(e and .& &ard slot plug inside if they are )#B
The front ;1+ header on the motherboard doesnTt have to go to the outside of
the :C
0=3 Why not /lose the gaps in between the parts for a s'aller si*ed 'a/hine
There are going to be a lot of cables inside here
0>3 In step one4 why is the fan /ontroller on top of the .#)
The fan controller is a p!ramid shape and is mounted upside do"n over the
:1; board.

0@3 &an I download your site
Yes( I have uploaded a :D$ document of this site here
5:3 Why are there adds at the top of your site
+ecause I haven*t gotten around to getting a dot com address !et
503 "ow do you power the L&D s/reen
It has a barrel connector for the po"er( 'ust snip this off and add a G-pin mole,
connector
Where did you hear about this site
I li.e to here "here m! "or. is popular so please let me .no" "ho !ou are and "here
!ou heard about this siteJ
9-mailJ
4here !ou found this siteJ

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| This site is for information only and is not a comprehensive guide. H
'#%s s%"e @)%3" 1nd #os"ed =or =ree @0 :reeBe@s.co/. C3%c- #ere "o &e" 0o)r o2n =ree 2e@s%"e.
Let me know.