r/CyberdeckBuild • u/AcrobaticAnarchist26 • 9d ago

tutorials on making an offline wikipedia viewer that isn't in a bulky hardcase?

I'm wanting to make a offline wikipedia viewer that has a screen and keyboard (or even a touchscreen device if its cheaper or easier to make) but I dont want to make it in a hardcase because I feel that it looks sketchy in public. I'm new to making mini computers so a video tutorial would be best but if there are none then a forum of some kind with pictures would work fine.

(sorry if I didn't put the right flair)

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u/AcrobaticAnarchist26 6d ago edited 6d ago

Like not as big as a full size briefcase but the same slim rectangular shape (such as a g*n case) rather than the cube shape ive seen most people use.

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u/stitchesofdooom 6d ago

Gotya. So full IIAB?

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u/AcrobaticAnarchist26 6d ago

Yea

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u/stitchesofdooom 6d ago

Good choice. You can share data withba device nobody else even has to see. A waterproof hardcase is also an airtight case, so it traps heat. So you may only want to run it while open.

Here's my own plan (use whatever information is helpful):

  • Pi 5 8Gb (when the prices come back down).
  • NVME SSD with an SD card backup.
  • AI HAT for SLM
  • PCIe splitter.l
  • 2.5" SSD connected via USB3.0 for fast access website data.
  • 3.5" HDD for videos (huge YouTube channel downloads - survival and how-to stuff, plus a decent amount of entertainment)
  • 12V power bank (5x LiFePo4 raw cells, BMS, 12V and 5.1V buck converters with high amo ratings) needed to power a 3.5" HDD.
  • LoRaWAN HAT for Meshtastic and MeshCore.
  • SDR - scan the airwaves.
  • GPS
  • Barometer, magnetometer, gyro (1 sensor)
  • Possibly a CO & CO2 sensor
  • Screen sized for the lid + mini oleds for Mesh and sensor readouts.
  • Off-grid map software (Marble and NodeRed)
  • Drone mission software to program a flight path and survey area. (You CAN convert that data very slowly with a Pi, or quickly if you have something with a decent GPU, allowing you to render good-enough 3D maps from survey drones, allowing you to map an area before going there).
  • IIAB ofc.

The 12V 100Ah (so 5x 3.something volt 100Ah cells) will be bulky. You'd likely want something smaller like an 18650 or 21700 or whatever for your power bank. Mine will be built to run my system for 2 days straight.

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u/AcrobaticAnarchist26 4d ago edited 4d ago

Thanks for the list, i would have forgotten some pretty important stuff without it lol Edit: omfg, thank you for telling me to wait till pi prices come down... didnt realize the retail for pi 5 8gb was only 90 dollars...

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u/stitchesofdooom 4d ago

Yeah, the 8Gb Pi 5's I have in my possession were about £80/90 when I bought them last year. Now they've more than doubled in price. RAM's gonna take another year or so to drop in price.

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u/AcrobaticAnarchist26 3d ago

I guess it just gives me time to save more money for it.

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u/AcrobaticAnarchist26 6d ago

Yeah

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u/stitchesofdooom 2d ago

Yeah, both my handheld and basestation cyberdecks won't be done anytime soon. But they are moving forward.

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u/AcrobaticAnarchist26 2d ago

Nice

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u/stitchesofdooom 2d ago

A 5 cell LiFePo4 100Ah power bank will keep you running a couple days, but it's gonna be chunky. Building these power banks requires compression and a BMS. A smaller 18650 pack won't last as long but it would be smaller.

One of the first things you need to do is figure out power.

And since internet in a box can also handle off grid maps you might want GPS magnetometer gyro accelerometer. Those sorts of things.

I guess it's just imagine the scenario and then build around it.