A 3D printed Steam Machine using Lenovo Legion Go hardware. I developed this because I bought a cheap Legion Go which had a faulty screen, instead of paying Lenovo to fix it I decided to design a screen-less version of the Legion Go.
Backstory
I purchased a Lenovo Legion Go on eBay for £115 which was a steal even though it had a faulty screen (the bottom half of the screen had static noise and wouldn't go away)
The device was out of warranty, I tried changing the resolution and refresh rate in Windows but that didn't fix the issue. I then read online that some users had fixed it by running specific commands in Bazzite, unfortunately those commands didn’t fix the problem for me. I also tried to replace the screen with one from AliExpress but it behaved the same so it most likely wasn't a display panel issue and probably a software or other hardware related issue.
The device still worked with an external monitor so I could have used the device as is but since I had already removed the screen I decided to take it one step further by designing an enclosure to house the internal electronics.
My main reason for developing this was to learn some basic 3D modelling skills to develop something unique.
Development & Design
With the device fully disassembled I 3D modelled a Base with integrated standoffs. The standoffs had to align with the mounting holes on the Legion Go’s motherboard/audio board and fan holes. To secure the Legion Go components to the Base, I heat-set M2 threaded inserts into the standoff holes. It took a few prototypes to get the positions of the holes where I wanted them. The alignment of the standoffs isn't 100% perfect but it’s accurate enough to hold the Legion Go components securely in place.
The Base also includes a slot to hold the battery in place, this battery slot has gaps in the bottom section where the battery sits which allow you to place ‘pull-tab battery adhesive strips’ in a vertical orientation along the battery. If you need to remove the battery you can pull down on the pull-tabs of the adhesive strips to remove the adhesive.
I made the design modular so I could prototype the Top/Bottom panels independently of the main shell. This saved me having to re-print the entire shell to make small adjustments to the faces of the device that have cutouts.
The Power Button and 2 Volume Buttons are also 3D printed and must be placed into the Top Panel before it is screwed into place. I decided to print the Power Button in red and the Volume Buttons in white. Unfortunately the positions of the volume buttons are swapped so the left button is ‘Volume Up’ and the right button is ‘Volume Down’. The reason for this is because the orientation of the device has been flipped (the bottom surface of the Legion Go Steam Machine is where the screen of the Legion Go originally was positioned)
If you want to print the Lid in the same multicoloured way that I have shown in the photos then you need a printer that can print using multiple colours. All of the white parts of the Lid are raised at a height of 0.35mm higher than the rest of the surface of the Lid so you'll have to configure your printing software accordingly.
Would I recommend doing this?
No, I wouldn’t recommend this if you have a perfectly functioning unit. I could see this potentially being used in the following scenarios:
You have a very cosmetically damaged device (smashed screens or broken controller rails, even then you probably won't want to make this)
You enjoy tinkering and have got your hands on the spare parts required to make this
You want to develop further mods based on this model
Potential Issue using Windows
I tried the device with Windows and did notice that when I started games that it didn't always open on my monitor and that I had to tab into the game almost as if the Legion Go was seeing its own internal monitor as the main display even though it wasn't connected. I didn't do much testing within Windows though so perhaps I didn't configure my monitor correctly.
I have had no issues with SteamOS though and it runs great.
Disclaimer
As a disclaimer I won't be responsible if you break your device or cause harm to yourself by making this so proceed at your own risk! Only make this as a very last resort, this is aimed at people comfortable with assembling electronics.
This has been more of a personal project than anything else, and it’s far from perfect. I also can’t speak for how easily this can be reproduced. I’ve been using the same 3D printing supplier for all my prototypes and I took measurements directly from those prints so results may vary when using different printers/filaments. All of the parts were printed in ABS since it handles higher temperatures better than other filaments. Printing in PLA would probably cause the shell to warp.
While the Legion Go Steam Machine works I can’t guarantee it’ll continue working in the future. For example, Lenovo could release a BIOS update that prevents the device from booting if certain internal components aren’t detected, so that’s something to keep in mind.
I was able to update the BIOS from SteamOS (with the Steam Machine assembled) to the BIOS Version N3CN38WW (released June 2025) using the method described in the Bazzite documentation which uses the fwupdtool command. The device did hang on a black screen for a very long time so I did press the Power Button down which I know is a very risky thing to do during a BIOS update. I had a keyboard plugged into the device and I noticed the keyboard RGB was flashing so I believe the Legion Go was power cycling so I left the device for a while and eventually got the Lenovo Logo pop up with a progress bar. I was able to get into the BIOS to confirm the new BIOS version. I am running only Steam OS so perhaps dual-booting is a better option to update the BIOS from Legion Space.
What do I need to build this?
You will need:
A 3D Printer (or access to one) that can print with ABS filament. You will need a printer that can do mutli-coloured prints if you want the Lid to be like the one shown in the photos.
26 M2 5mm screws (more info on the type of screws needed is detailed below)
Pull-tab adhesive battery glue strips to install the battery (the same type that is usually installed in mobile phones and is installed in the original Legion Go device)
A soldering iron that can heat-set the threaded inserts (I used a Pinecil V2 with a threaded insert attachment)
A screwdriver
Small flat and rounded files (for filing the cutout slots in the top/bottom panels)
A dust filter material which can be taped to the underside of the Lid to prevent dust from entering the unit. I bought a dust filter intended for a 120mm computer fan and cut it to size.
Isopropyl alcohol is useful to loosen the glue under the flex cable which connects the motherboard and audio board. It's also useful for removing the old thermal paste if you decide to repaste the CPU.
Kapton Tape (to stick the dust filter to the underside of the Lid)
Honeywell PTM9750 (optional, but I applied this to the CPU while I had the device apart)
The screws I used look like the photo below, the underside of the screw head is flat. I used this screw type as tapered screws might dig into and damage the motherboard.
None of the original Legion Go screws were reused except for the three that secure the heatsink to the motherboard. I also replaced the SSD screw, since the original screw was very tight and got stripped when I tried to remove it. To replace the SSD screw I used a 3mm M2 screw of the same flat-head type as shown in the photo above.
Installation Guide
Ensure the battery is completely disconnected from the Legion Go. The Legion Go then needs to be completely disassembled.
Install all 26 threaded inserts into the holes/standoffs of the 3D printed Base.
The motherboard then needs to be connected to the audio board using the flex cable. Screw in the motherboard and audio board into the Base. Screw the fan in place, the fan screws into the standoffs that are taller than the other standoffs.
Before you install the heatsink you may want to change out thermal pads and repaste the CPU. Install the heatsink to the motherboard. (I re-used the original heatsink screws that were installed in the Legion Go).
The battery can be secured to the shell using pull-tab adhesive battery glue strips in the positions where there are gaps in the bottom part of the battery slot. Do not connect the battery connector to the motherboard at this point. See details below for how I positioned the adhesive strips.
Screw the Top/Bottom Panels in place with the 3D printed buttons in place. You will have to slightly widen the screw holes in the Top/Bottom panel so it lines up a bit better with the threaded inserts, I used a thin rounded file to slightly widen the hole. You will need to slightly file away around the USB-C ports of the Top/Bottom Panel to get it to line up with the motherboard USB-C ports. I also recommend filing around the power and Volume Button cutouts of the Top Panel a little with a flat file in order to allow the buttons to press easily (you may want to file away at the SD card slot to make it bigger but I didn't bother as my dock as a micro SD card slot. I had issues with one hole in the Top Panel which was misaligned and when I screwed it in all the way it would cause the Top Panel to bend so I had to settle by screwing in that screw less than the others, you might encounter the same issue and you might be able to remedy this by filing away at the screw holes in the Top/Bottom Panels. See details below for the correct orientation of the buttons.
Install the Wifi and Bluetooth antennas, and the power LED. See section below for instructions. Installing these components are optional and the Legion Go will work without the antennas and power LED however these are useful features to have.
Insert the battery connector into the motheboard. At this point since the battery is connected you risk damaging the motherboard if you touch the motherboard. You need to be careful in the next step to not drop any screws onto the motherboard when securing the Lid to the shell.
I stuck the dust filter material to the underside of the Lid where the vent holes are positioned. I used Kapton Tape to do this. Lastly I screwed the Lid in place using 4 screws.
Reference picture of the Legion Go Steam Machine assembled without the lid, antennas, or power LED.
Positioning of the battery glue strips
Battery adhesive strips should be placed in these locations which allow for the battery to stick to the Base and also for easy removal of the strips if the battery needs to be removed.
Correct orientation of the 3D printed buttons into the Top Panel
The base of the 3D printed buttons have 3 sides that extrude out, those 3 sides allow the button to be clicked but not pulled out.
Installing the Power LED
I added the power LED back in a way that didn't involve me having to remodel the Top Panel.
With the battery connector first removed I placed a layer of Kapton Tape underneath where the Power LED will be located. I then taped the Power LED in place so that it is position centrally within the first air vent when the Lid is closed. It looks quite cool as you can see the Power LED through the vent.
Connecting the WiFi and Bluetooth antennas
After some experimenting I found that there are 3 antenna wires that are needed for the WiFi & Bluetooth to work. The black one is for WiFi and the grey & white are needed for the Bluetooth to work.
I plugged in all 3 antenna and positioned the end of the antennas to be near the first vent hole to improve signal quality. I used Kapton Tape to tape off any electronic areas around the antennas because the antennas have some metal parts which I didn't want to short on any nearby components. I also applied some Kapton Tape directly to the ends of the antennas just to make sure no shorts occur.
It's not the prettiest but it is functional.
How I use this device
I use the device with a 'UGREEN Steam Deck Dock, 9-in-1 Docking Station' and an '8BitDo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless Controller'.
Future Improvements
Here are some things that could be improved with this model:
The screw holes for the Top/Bottom Panel don't line up exactly with the Base threaded inserts so require a little bit of filing and widening of the holes. The screw hole countersinks in the Top/Bottom panel could be made wider too as I did have some issues screwing in the panel screws all the way without the screw catching the edge of the countersink hole.
The Bottom Panel has flex in it so I should have added another threaded insert in the bottom of the battery slot so that the middle section of the Bottom Panel screws into the Base too however the flex isn't noticeable when the Lid is installed. The Top Panel suffers from the same flex but there isn't much room to add an extra threaded insert in that area.
The Base could be made a bit smaller as there is a small gap between the motherboard and right side inner edge but this would require changing the Lid and Top/Bottom Panels too. I could have reduced this gap but I think it's good since it give some room for the SSD to breath.
The Tinkercad Files
Here are the Tinkercad files if you wish to make your own modifications:
You should be able to select the entire model and click ‘Ungroup’ allowing you to modify the model.
FAQs
Why? The screen was faulty, I got my hands on cheap hardware and wanted to practice 3D modelling in Tinkercad. I also got inspired by the Steam Brick developed by @barad_1640372 so I wanted to develop something similar but for the Legion Go.
Can you access the BIOS without a screen? Yes, when connected to an external display you can access the BIOS and also navigate the BIOS using a keyboard.
What are the dimensions & weight? The dimensions are roughly 21.3cm x 13.1cm x 2.2cm and weighs around 440g.
Credits
I used the USB-C Cutout Template model by @Jellypowered to create the USB-C holes in the Top/Bottom panels. Thanks for allowing others to use your model!
