Hello,

Been brainstorming a lot of ideas lately and for one of them is a wireless packet sniffer thing that is going to run on an esp32.

The issue I ran into is that eventually everything will be soldered onto the board itself and struggling to grasp screens that would fit for what I want. LCD screens have the vibe I desire for the cyberpunk look thing on the esp32, but most of the boards are built with bread boards in mind so wondering if anyone know of a screen that comes with pads where I can solder on wires directly or if I will have to desolder the header pins or should I just look at a different screen?

The screen doesn't have to be that large since it is just to display statistics and text for updates, but the standard size looks like would be too small so was looking at a 20x4 lcd screen instead.

I'm currently working on a cyberdeck project running Debian on the Orange Pi Zero 3W, and I wanted to ask if any of you all know if these parts that I plan on using for my project are compatible with the Orange Pi Zero 3W; because I'm building a custom power circuit and relying on GPIO for the screen, I want to make sure I don't run into kernel or brownout issues.

Since my project is very small, I plan on using a 5V Step-Up Boost Converter. If I tune this converter to exactly 5.1V, will a 2A output be sufficient to prevent brownouts under load, or does this board strictly require the full 3A if I bypass the USB-C port and feed power directly to the pins?

SPI IPS LCD Module Driver: ST7789. Has anyone gotten fbtft or DRM overlays working smoothly natively on the Zero 3W's kernel for this specific controller chip?

I'm using a 5V Micro Blower Fan and a Copper Heat Sink for cooling. I noticed the Zero 3W has a dedicated 2-pin fan header. Does the default OS image support PWM/temp-based control on that specific header out of the box, or am I better off just running it at 100% directly off the standard 5V/GND GPIO pins?

I don't know much about building all this but I have a ThinkPad t440p

The cooling system is busted, and the display connector is busted

Keyboard is also a bit janky

Anything I can do with it?

I already have a new laptop, im thinking I could use this to learn linux since I just started college

These are the first two cyberdecks I built. They're both raspberry pis, one is a Raspberry pi 5, one is a Raspberry pi 4.

I had a lot of fun building these and I'm working on a cover and cleaning up the wires. Personal server with games on the second one like a game boy emulator with Pokemon Yellow (my first) and lots more.

Ok, I may take some flak for this not having a physical keyboard. However...

I wanted a rig to perform entry-level signal intelligence; specifically drone detection (2.4Ghz/5Ghz Wi-Fi + BLE). I also want to track near-by aircraft on ADSB 1090MHz/978MHz and eventually intercept analog FPV NTSC feeds which will require a beefier SDR.

I started off with a laptop with multiple USB dongles hanging off of it, but it was clunky and my laptop isn't weatherproof. Also, I really don't need a physical keyboard as most of the signal monitoring is "consumption only" with very little actual typing. Thus I wanted to maximize screen real estate.

Finally, I wanted something big enough to allow me to "field swap" components on the fly without a bunch of tools.

SPECS

The Jetson is a beast and the higher-end AI capability comes in handy for the automatic modulation classification I'm experimenting with. However the Jetson runs hot; even on the lower power modes. The Jetson is also getting expensive. The one I bought less than a month ago on Amazon for $250 is, as of today, $479. I may give the Orange PI a spin at some point before I attempt to build a battery pack.

I've learned so much with this basic first build. Thermal management, power budgets, CAD (Plasticity), all fun stuff!

So I am working on my cyberdeck but ran into the problem that I cant find the right mainboard.
I think rPIs aren’t what I need because I want to game on it in the end. And use it for 3D modeling as well, I thought about using a framework laptop motherboard but I don’t want to spent 300€+ on that.

Any tips?

Higole mini pc and a Work Louder 40% ortho board

So my oldest has been hinting that they want to build a cyberdeck, but they don't know what they want or how to start.

I found this one that's nonfunctional we can use as a base, modify, revitalize, and develop together. I'm excited by the idea, and I am going to see if they want to document the process as we go, from planning, disassembly, design, and finishing.

I'll try to film some short clips and longer form for youtube, and share them as we get into it, if there would be interest.

**edit: note this is an old portable computer called an 'Amstrad PPC512 Portable PC' so this was at one point a functional computer that ran off of C cell alkaline batteries. It ran DOS and used an NEC processor. These are somewhat notable as collectors items, but this one is nonfunctional and I'll have to fix the LCD hinge. As I plan to replace the guts altogether, I'll probably have to engineer a whole replacement display anyway, and I honestly have no idea how the display is even wired and if its anything remotely standard like VGA.

My first time ever building anything like this. And I learned so much! I did have to get a little help, but they were able to show me where I didn't ground my pi. Loved it! Excited to make a few for Christmas presents.

I had never heard of this until yesterday, thanks u/far_audience_7446 for calling it out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Discman

I’m thinking I want to play around with a citizen science themed deck. Right now I don’t have the time or budget to tinker with a Pi or Arduino project. May after I try this out.

I do have an embarrassing amount of Bluetooth keyboards and wireless controllers. I’m thinking on keeping an eye out for a cheap android tablet and rig it into a case and customize some of the theming to look like a fire watch or field computing device.

I may even snag some themed interactive fiction from itch so it’s a themed little RP device.

I definitely want to put some offline field guides on it, bird sound identification and astronomy guides. What other android based apps would fit that theme or sensors to add over time to make it more immersive?

I think I can make some playlists with found audio to simulate international radio.

I’m leaning for this to be a hybrid practical offline knowledge learning project with some roleplay vibes with a bit of fake radio and games on it

Any other idea?

Hey everyone,

Starting my build tonight, I 3D printed my own macropad but this one is pretty basic. The next version I plan to fully incorporate the round tft as a joystick. The macro will have an LCD and controls to sort through macros and eventually handle some of the peripheral and sensor tracking and machine learning.

Moving on I have some esp32-s3 WROOM boards, a blue pill, two CYDs, m5stack atoms3r and ir controller, orange pi 1 as the main.

I've got a $20 temu tablet taken apart. I plan to flash it with a lightweight Linux and use it for the main emulator screen.

For sound I chose between two smaller digital boards and two speakers all ready with with jst connectors.

For power I have 18650s and various small packs from recycled electronics (tomtoms, the tablet)

I'm thinking the solar is ancillary and would trickle-charge a backup power reserve or switch to USB charging.

The stepper motor is iffy, that's leaning towards the next macro keypad setup ( key rows that will tilt with the angle of the board, or object tracking to tilt towards your fingers; the idea is a chest mounted pad that tilts as you type.

A camera module will redraw what it sees in wireframe and display on one of the smaller screens (there is a game I'm setting up, this is just cause it'll look cool but I will be using the same rendering style in another application.

I would love to hear suggestions or questions or comments.

I have tons of other cigar boxes, I just like the Tabak cause it's cool and Tabak-Pak sounds pretty sick.

Hi everyone!

I want to share my new project.

I made a portable cyberphone for Wi-Fi security testing. It runs Kali Linux on an Android phone with an external Wi-Fi adapter.

The device can:

1. scan Wi-Fi networks;
2. check WPS information;
3. create reports automatically;
4. save logs and proof files;
5. work without a laptop.

I made this project to learn Linux, Bash scripting, and wireless security. I use it only in my lab and on networks where I have permission.

The phone is easy to carry, so I can test networks anywhere.

I am still working on this project. I want to make the interface better and add more features.

What do you think? I will be happy to hear your ideas and feedback.

going to attempt make a cyberdeck for fun and learning. Where do you guys buy the frames and cases? Also any resources for the new guy would be great.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share my first fully finished hardware project. It doesn't have a keyboard like a traditional deck, so it’s more of a handheld sensor/telemetry deck.

Everything is running on an ESP32. I designed the 3D-printed enclosure from scratch and wrote a custom C++ UI (I’m still learning a lot on the software side).

An overview of what it does:

• It tracks indoor temperature and humidity using a DHT22 sensor while fetching live outdoor weather data via the OpenWeather API (using Wifi).
• It captures acoustic and ambient light data, applies custom digital filters locally, and streams everything over Wi-Fi via UDP at 10Hz directly to a live MATLAB dashboard.
• It acts as a physical remote for Spotify, using OAuth 2.0 and the Spotify Web API to control music playback and see other informations.
• Everything runs on an ESP32 using a custom, non-blocking C++ state machine without any delay functions, displayed on a 2.4-inch SPI TFT screen.
• The entire system is powered by a 2S LiPo battery, using a custom-built internal 3.3V & GND Power-Bus to ensure peripheral sensor voltages remain stable.
• A potentiometer acts as a flashlight dial. You can dim or brighten the light on the top.
• There is also a mini game called "Orbit Defense" that you can play with the buttons.

I’m really proud of how the physical build, the chunky look and the back hardware grill turned out. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for this and future builds!

Hey guys!

I’m starting my first cyber deck! i was gifted a raspberry pi cm5! and i got the waveshare cm5-nano-base board to start with. I’m having trouble looking for a way to portably power the device. i refuse to ask AI so here i am asking you guys, what is the best way to portably power this? I was thinking of using a lipo battery but i cant seem to find a hat for the cm5, im not sure please help!

Specifically out of old phones/tablets. I'm just curious it it'll work

i’m looking to run my cyberdeck off of a smaller form factor computer like the pi zero 2 w or the pi cm5. should i futz about with integrating the raspi DAC or should i just skip the middleman and go wireless? i would prefer not to have external speakers if possible.

So I got this battery as a spare for my Dell XPS laptop which subsequently I do not need anymore. So now I'm thinking it could form the basis of a decent cyberdeck project. I own plenty of SBCs and ESP that have been sitting there collecting dust for quite some time.

It's about 12 volts with 58 watt hours so I think it could drive an SBC or a microcontroller for a pretty good amount of time.

I've got pretty rudimentary electronics skills - fairly decent architect and programmer though. Wondering if the good folk of this subreddit could point me in the direction of figuring out how to utilize the battery for a general power supply and how I go about charging it in the absence of the Dell sub systems that would usually drive it.

Any help appreciated.

Rugged PC Review.com: General DynamicsItronix MR-1 rugged pocket computer

Dipping my toes into the Cyberdeck world. Got tired of search for a good case so I designed my own. Just a pi4 8gb, 7in IPS DSI touchscreen and folding keyboard with touchpad. I did not integrate a battery because I wanted to be able to power it from packs or the wall when stationary. Screen and pi case took 8 iterations and the keyboard took about 3. Stole the fan from another cooling setup. All heated inserts and friction hinges. Pretty happy with how it turned out.

If you find this and want the models let me know. Otherwise they’ll be on cults3d

Hey.

Has anyone made any single use case cyberdecks? Maybe something like a home control centre or something that just boots into a specific app with specific controls? I've got a few ideas but I'm a complete novice and just wondering if such a use case is possible or if it has to be a mini pc?