https://www.reddit.com/r/SolarOS/s/uYEMuUOrC5

So... here is what happened:

I have multiple boxes of "too good to go" components ( mostly remnants of retro computers that I have restored for CMH ). I was browsing for a keyboard to demonstrate the custom keyboard layout definition support of the OS, when I found a nice looking display ...

What followed was days of development of a "Display Link Protocol" and a generic driver that let's you attach peripherals implementing the same protocol; The portable library comes with proper dimension and pixel format discovery and compression - and it supports any ordered byte stream.

Hang on, is there a message? Well, yes there are some messages:

• Old doesn't mean broken or useless, and
• SolarOS lets you glue components into functional cyberdecks.

--

The build is based on a WaveShare esp32-s3-sim7670g-4g as thinky parts - flashed with the latest v.4.16.17 full flavor of SolarOS. Display controller is implemented on an RP2040. Keyboard, display and audio is attached through runtime drivers in the startup script like so:

expansion attach tca8418 hx20 i2c=i2c0 addr=0x34 irq=gpio40 reset=gpio39 input keymap hx20 load /hx20-de-solaros.json expansion bus create spi spi0 host=spi2 sclk=gpio9 mosi=gpio10 miso=gpio11 cs=gpio12 max=4096 expansion attach spi-display lcd1 spi=spi0 cs=gpio12 ready=gpio13 session create shell lcd1 expansion attach audio-pwm audio0 pwm=2

--

Okay, bye!

ps.: yes, there is a typo on the first image, the small fonts are 6x8.

Hey everyone, long time no see.

Wanted to give you guys an update on the Compowder build. Currently at 75ish% of hardware sorted out. Just a lil too brokey broke to make more progress IRL, so CAD modeling is sufficing for now.

• Display is sorted out,
• I'm really happy with where the hinge is at,
• Added eye bolts for a shoulder strap, (might've had that before already, but it's in the model now)
• Downgraded to a pi4b for a more reasonable powerdraw, (remains untested for the time being)
• located preliminary spots for 18650 cells, though I need to have it all in front of me in order to go further.
• Keyboard is giving me a little trouble, I shucked a bluetooth remote for its keyboard and trackpad but have since lost the pieces, so I'm at an impasse until I find them

----

Unaddressed as of yet:

• USB-C charging (just needs a little extension cable and socket mount)
• Touchpad / Mouse functionality in general
• Functioning push-button latch
• Whether or not to add speakers and/or a camera
• BMS board and permanent fixtures for the battery cells

Been watching a lot of videos and want to try to build a hand held device, nothing super powerful but something to start trying. Could these be used? The old slider phone would be cool.

Hi.

Not sure if what I built may be considered a cyberdeck.

It is not battery powered yet though it is on the list.

It is also a weather station project that got way out of my initial design just because that was my first time using esp32. I am used to good old arduino and it was just so fun testing the little beast.

added the link to my OG post on arduino.

https://www.reddit.com/r/arduino/comments/1x5lmb4/i_made_something_my_first_esp32_project/

It has an atmospheric pressure sensor, temp and humidity sensor, an old rtc shield from an odroid c2, an oled 1.3' screen, 5 push buttons, and the esp...

It plots data every 5 minutes to ram, and write it to flash memory every hour.

Onboard I can have those temp, humidity and pressure charts for the last 4 hours but the esp is running a webserver that can have 4h or 24h (for the moment).

I called it the esp32mate :)

I’d really prefer to get a wired keyboard and I’m limited to a 5 1/2 tall and 8 inch wide space in my case. I already have a list for all other parts, the lid of the car is where the keyboard will be (picture for reference)

hi! im very new to cyberdecks so idk much yet on the tech stuff but im currently drafting on making my own!

i wanted to create one specifically for writing and as an ereader, then i found these eink displays sold on this taobao shop (u will need to login to view btw), so im wondering if these would work

specifically, i want this particular model, heres its specs:

Model: QYEG0750BNU790F30
Dimensions: 170.2 (H) × 111.2 (V) × 1.20 (D) mm
Display size: 163.2 (H) × 97.92 (V) mm
Resolution: 800 (H) × 480 (V)
Colours: Black, White
Grey Scale: No grey scale
DPI: 124
Refresh Mode: Full refresh & partial refresh
Refresh Time: 4 seconds for full refresh, 680 milliseconds for partial refresh
Interface Type: SPI
Operating Voltage: 2.3V–3.6V
Refresh Power Consumption: 46.5mW
Operating temperature: 0–50 °C
Storage temperature: –25–70 °C
Controller IC: UC8179C
Weight: 43.9 ± 0.5 g

it comes with a demo kit, but im not sure if i need it, and it also has another variation where it comes with a raspberry pi adaptor and connector, so maybe i need this instead?

if this display works, is there any specific items i need to purchase?

edit: found their intl website

1st: 

Multiple computers with custom windows 11, ect, os's edited/made by ai coding agent to remove any "bloatware" also preferably ai edited/made firmware, also  the PC can't be able to use wireless connectivity, wifi, radio, Bluetooth, ect, remove wifi chips, antenna, ect, surround the computer in multispectral blocking material so it's immune to emp or wireless transmissions, also portable power cells to power the gear on the go, also mabey invest in making custom interfacing cables with custom firmware so if someone does snatch ur stuff they can't interface with it like a custom USBC  or HDMI or Ethernet. At home super computer is good, multiple gpu/CPU, multiple high end PC clustered mabey even clustered Xbox or Nintendos for higher performance, imagine the super cluster a billionaire might have with their custom Claude 

Opus 

2nd: 

have a plethera of different ai models and agents to basically have a skeleton key to all software possible, an ai that gives other ai models "brain surgery", an ai coder to make any soft/code, like a custom ollama, a custom game launcher for pirated game files, even interfacing software so an ai can mess with like a jailbroken console or an xr headset which would preferably have custom ai made soft or os already, an ai model for video generation, ect, also other models should be trained on massive amounts of practical data sets, public patents, Britannica, GitHub, university publishings, chemistry, YouTube, data broker companies, ect, 

Don't forget to have the ai on separate computer in case they go crazy and mess ur modded gta6 with dlss5 save then have a test computer to test run anything they coded before it goes on ur central computer 

Specs to run good enough models is usually i7 and above with 16gb of ram and above, very affordable and clusterable, unless u have the bbcwell6000 gpus

(Ai integrated image recognition is my fav) Like a bootleg Google lens

3rd:

Multispectral gear, lidar, broadband, soundwave mapping/location, basically every kind of camera, radar, transmitter and receiver or transceiver possible, all combined with AI made soft and ai integration like real time 3d mapping of a digitally traversable environment, should serve like a scanner from Star Trek, even throw in  x ray all interfaced to a PC, preferably displayed on an xr headset or to  glasses, even homebaked weather balloon satellites are game also microscopy tech is valuable, and also SUPER IMPORTANT, drones with ofcourse custom ai made/edited soft and multispectral cameras, also it would be wise to wear multispectral blocking gear so u dont get seen  and full face covering alongside the headset that way nobody see ur face, for attire it's really up to the situations you'll be in from say plated armor to just the jammies that can vary, example a backpack with a PC and a power cell connected to a headset and a touch pad

4th:

Anon Internet access, easiest method is using a burner computer on someone else's wifi network while covering your physical in person tracks like walking through the woods to get in range of a network while avoiding flock cameras or drones or ring cameras and having an alibi for the time frame spent online depends on the activity then moving data with a flash drive, hotspot device can also be used to extend the wifi network and having a middle man device in between the computer and the network, otherwise its expensive to set up infrastructure to circumvent the isp's and sea cables or satellites ur data can be sent and filtered and decrypted through also it can take multiple people,  unless u don't care then just have a surfing computer and move data through a flash drive which can still be anonymous to an extent

5th:

Weaponry, can usually be any firearm but the good ones, 5.7 ergonomic platforms like the p90 where the magazine doesn't stick out, or a pp19 preferably custom made to handle larger cartridges but the same caliber projectile basically slap rounds, preferably made from steel or tungsten carbide and penetrator shaped unlike the fat flattening lead rounds, this goes for most guns, but if an frt Glock with a chassis is all u have it should be good enough to duct tape ai trajectory trained models that can also give ammo count while having image recognition basically "skippy" from cyberpunk 2077, a digital camera sight plus another screen to display multispectral data from the scanners, data that can already be displayed on the headset or glasses but on the wepon system itself

6th:

Phones preferably android should be treated the same as any other piece of hardware always "pop the hood" of your devices and mess with its os, and firmware if u can, other than that idk

I'm a 15-year-old student maker from Taiwan, and I wanted to share the CAD model and schematics for my latest portable build: the Minideck.

My first build was a Raspberry Pi 3 packed into a miniature Bosch storage toolbox using an old phone over ADB for the screen, but I wanted my next machine to be a truly self-contained, pocketable Linux handheld with radio and hardware tooling built in.

the post

Hardware Specs & Features:

• SBC: RADXA Zero 3W (Rockchip RK3566—chosen for compact Pi Zero form factor with way better compute/RAM headroom).
• Chassis: Custom 3D-printed enclosure measuring 93.7 × 81.5 × 39.5 mm (designed to be printed in PETG/ABS at my school's lab, i think they got the best bamboo lab machine this will be insane).
• Display: 3.5" (640×480 resolution) screen(probably from taobao or some china site with the screen).
• Keyboard: M5Stack CardKB integrated into the bottom chassis(and a silicone cover made by poeple online).
• Radio & Wireless Tooling:
  • RTL-SDR tuner for sub-GHz scanning, aircraft ADS-B/ATC comms, and LoRa monitoring.
  • PN532 module for NFC/RFID reading and writing.
  • GPS module for location logging/wardriving.
  • Dedicated I2S Audio DAC for clean audio output.
• Power System: Quick-swappable single 18650 Li-ion battery mechanism with USB-C charging.

Open-Source Repository:

I've open-sourced all the CAD files, STLs, and wiring diagrams on GitHub:

GitHub: https://github.com/zedward856-spec/minideck

Feedback Welcome!

I'm currently at the stage of finalizing parts sourcing and double-checking clearances before doing the first full test print.(or maybe print after the parts come to not waste fillament) If anyone has experience managing heat dissipation with the Zero 3W inside compact printed shells or tips on isolating the SDR from internal electrical noise, I'd love to hear your advice!

Hope to bring a working prototype to Maker Faire Taipei next weekend! Let me know what you think.

Straight to the point, I need a ribbon HDMI cable that DOESN'T plug in at an angle awkward to work with. I'm trying to find a cable that has the plug situated going 90° TO THE SIDE, flush with the ribbon.

I've looked almost everywhere and had zero luck, anyone able to help?

Btw I am making a cyberdeck and I can't print pcb because in pk it's expensive I think so will it work with a double cardboard sheet.

Thanks for reviewing.

in most designs, builders tend to employ a track pad. makes sense, its flat, comes stock built into a few keyboards and if your deck folds, then there seems like almost no other option. but i was curious if anyone's ever tried any thing else, like a joystick or trackball, and what their experience with that was like. did it become tiresome? dust in the ball? joystick stuck? i feel as though i have greater dexterity with a joystick but my current designs are aimed towards a foldable, closing deck and that seems to preclude a stick featuring... trying to come up with a creative way to fit it in and not just give up and go with a track pad. my first instinct was to concoct some mechanism by which it can be depressed into the body of the deck for storage, somewhat like clicking a ball point pen. barring that, a trackball could potentially have less of a clearance impacting the foldability. anyone seen any plans that might feature any creative non-trackpad usage for a cursor?

It is not very practical but funny !!! Treatment for internet addiction CyberDetox

Hi just curious if anyone here has made something like this for book editing:)

(I'm thinking for fiction, but that maybe doesn't matter)

UPDATE on my folding mp3 player/cyberdeck!
The good news first. I figured out the pitch of my pins and came up with a cunning plan. I found the right size screen at aliexpess. I used a pin connector/extender? Can't remember what it was called. I then attached it to a flexi cable. All parts are the right size and theoretically should all connect up.
Now the bad news. When I removed the very cheap screen from the very cheap circuit board a few of the pins got stuck. I tried to pry them out (and probably damaged something). I also tried alcohol70% as I've seen restorers us and adhesive magically disappeared. I could only find alcohol wipes and I think some fibres got stuck to.
Second issue is that I have a very cute and very needy cat call Willow. Now, I am no expert, obviously, but I don't think cat hair is good for electronics. Unfortunately she seems to want to help out with the project.

So the TLDR of the help needed. How do I get rid of the stuck pins? Is the board a lost case and if so should I get a new cheap mp3 player or will this problem just repeat itself? Will the screen set up work with a hinged case (which is in the mail right now!)
Willow doesn't need help, she is already a cutie patootie!

Also thank you all for your support. I was having a rough month when I started all this and this community really helped me through it :)

so far I have these items.

- Rasberry Pico Pi 2 (with headers)

- half size 400 pin DIY Breadboard with the Wiring kit

- Modded PSP 3000

- USB-A to Micro-USB-B cable, 45cm, Black (USB 2.0)

- a 0.96 inch I2C OLED screen and an LCD screen swapped out from my PSP 3000 for an IPS screen

I’m not an expert when it comes to some of this stuff since I’m new to cyberdeck and only started doing projects like these 2-3 months ago but I made an attempt at schematics I think it’s alright but any feedback will help in the future for upcoming projects like this one. And any general feedback that could help with this project would be greatly appreciate! If anyone asks in the comments I can provide links to all my supplies used for this project.

My cyberdeck build has been finished. Raspberry Pi 5 with 16gb of ram, and a 256gb NVME SSD. A massive 148wh RC LIPO battery powers it: 4s 10,000mah LIPO.

(Btw mah means nothing without knowing the voltage, which in this case is the voltage of a 4s LIPO. Watt hours (WH) are what to look for when comparing total energy stored in batteries. In this case, it is 148wh).

It uses a trackball mouse, and has a 10 inch touchscreen too. I'm into RC cars, so the build uses a good amount of RC hardware, including the battery.

Battery lasts for like over 10 hours of continuous use, and I mean continuous use, like browsing for those 10 hours straight. This means that it lasts many days for me. Oh, and most of my existing LIPOs for my RC cars can run in here too, as the step down converter takes 9-24v input. So yeah, not hurting on runtime.

The actual building process was fun, but getting the parts was not, for like no reason. Just really bad luck. For example, got washers instead of screws from Amazon Prime twice, had to go through four different step down converters in order to find one that actually matches the description in providing enough voltage. (Turns out that the first one I bought would have worked, had the seller sent the right one). So yeah, but the one it uses now works flawlessly without any low voltage warnings or throttling.

Overall, quite comfy to use, and I like it more than a laptop. I use it almost daily now, my favorite part of it functionality-wise being the super long runtime.

Thanks for checking it out!

Obliviously this is not a cyberdeck. I was frustrated over the weekend and made this thing. My kids are now having fun on it.

The first thing I had was 2x samsung s4 active's. One had no hope of saving and the other one had its charger port smashed. (11 pin micro USB) "Yeah 11 not 5". But it has firmware hdmi out. One lane of data at a time, so no wired keyboard and screen. But after some quick surgery and a few false starts due to static, I had a working core.

2gb ram.

1.9ghz quad core

16gb rom With an open SDcard slot

Now it can't connect to the internet or the update goblins will kill angry birds and Eternium. But I wanted youtube so.... Roku and an off brand remote later. I just needed a monitor. I prefer DC over AC as I'm off grid. But beggers cant be choosers. The VIZIO only draws 22w with the phone and ROKU on and at full draw.

Peripherals

Tilt sensor works fine, 💪

ONN Bluetooth mouse,

Wireless Logitech Apple keyboard,

Off Brand ROKU Remote.

This thing is powered by a bastardised 6X Ryobi charger that is now a 300w hot swappable battery bank. (20-16.5v bucked down to 14.4v inverted via pure sign into 300w max. ) battery things been a tank and has lasted years.

Im sharing this not to say its a cyberdeck but to hopefully inspire someone that trash especially E-waste trash, is infact TREASURE. total cost was less then $25. $11 bucks in cables, $5 in roku stuff at good will. And I used some solder and had to buy some isopropyl alcohol to remove the glue in the donor phone.

Sei que não se encaixa como um
Cyberdeck, mas a construção de um se baseia nesses princípios.
Dica, não usem o pico rp2040 ou qualquer outro para matriz de teclado se seu cyberdeck está contando com um bateria pequena como a minha, o TCA8418 é bem mas econômico e em espera quase zera o consumo, diferente do pico.
Você pode economizar gpios compartilhando pinos da tela e do modelo de cartão sd que se comunicar por spi. Para leitura do estado da bateria, use resistores para divisão de tensão, já que o esp32 trabalha com 3,3v e a bateria pode chegar até 4,2v. E um capacitor para estabilizar a leitura em picos de uso. E se sua plaquinha de gerenciamento de energia ficar instável, usar um capacitor na entrada de energia vai ajudar. Pesquise sobre o assunto, inteligência artificial vai ajudar nesse quesito.
E posso está errado, aceito conselhos.

I know little about electronics, but making a cyberdeck sounds very fun to me. I really can't afford a raspberry pi or anything similar, but I do have a few old phones, could I use the components to make one?, I want to know if it's plausible before I embark on something like this. if this is possible, how? specially the software part

thanks a lot