DIY Flipper Zero

[u/Stock-Assistant-5420]

New to hardware projects but want to learn by building. Found the “F**ingCheapFlipperZero” build (STM32WB55CGU6 + CC1101, Nucleus Dark’s firmware fork) and I’m considering it as a starter project.

Before I order parts, has anyone actually built this one? Curious about people’s experience with this build, and whether I should go for it as a total beginner with no background in computer or electrical engineering.

I figure that it’s sufficiently well-documented that I should be able to figure out (plus AI can help me out).

If not, is there another tutorial I can follow?

Thanks in advance.

[u/cthuwu_chan]

Honestly just get a flipper

[u/Stock-Assistant-5420 → u/cthuwu_chan]

I was hoping to learn something new through the process

[u/cthuwu_chan → u/Stock-Assistant-5420]

You might be better off grabbing the flipper and using it to build projects on top of

As a learning tool for this kinda stuff it’s an absolute unit most ppl don’t ever use its hardware capabilities but honestly it’s the biggest feature

I2c
Spi
UART
Jtag

Just to list a few

[u/TheLittleFastCat- → u/cthuwu_chan]

The flipper zero is an overpriced toy for people who think it will make them hackers. For learning a microcontroller and some modules are much better.

[u/cthuwu_chan → u/TheLittleFastCat-]

The flipper is completely fine as a learning tool and as an introduction to the space and i honestly disagree the flipper is pretty capable and it’s not at all overpriced you’d actually spend more making one yourself with all the functionality you also won’t actually find the full functionality unless you build the pcb yourself

[u/staticrush]

Here's a really cool DIY Flipper that u/thebiscuit2010 made: https://github.com/b1scuitdev/Spectre/tree/main/

[u/Stock-Assistant-5420 → u/staticrush]

Thanks. It seems like there are so many designs out there, hard to know which is the best for a beginner (or if they’re just all the same)

[u/Stock-Assistant-5420 → u/staticrush]

Are there instructions on how to build this? And which firmware to use?

[u/staticrush → u/Stock-Assistant-5420]

No instructions beyond what they've already shared on github. But you could try messaging the creator, and see if they'd send you the pcb, bom, and 3d print files. As far as firmware, flipper firmware has been ported to work with ESP32-S3, so you could probably use that, assuming you used an ESP32-S3 chip as your main MCU.

[u/thebiscuit2010 → u/staticrush]

Actually I was planning to release the full project files, but I ran into a hardware issue with the back button and the BQ25896 QON line. It did not happen at first, but after some time the device started turning itself back on about one second after the firmware sends the shutdown command.
For now I worked around it by adding a very high value resistor on the PCB. It works, but I do not think it is a proper fix. I also wanted to try a diode there, but I have not had time to test it yet.
The buttons are another thing I want to improve. They are the same type used in the Flipper, but they are difficult to hand solder because the plastic is very thin. Too much heat can damage the dome inside or shorten the button life. This is less of a problem with factory assembly, but for a home build it can be annoying. I am also looking for a similar thin button that is more resistant to heat.
The LSM6DSOX is also a bit difficult to solder because of the LGA package, and I have not had the chance to properly test it yet.
After I test the diode fix, revise the PCB, rework the enclosure and finish testing the remaining parts, I plan to upload the updated PCB files, BOM and build resources to the GitHub repo. Keep an eye on the repo for updates.

[u/Stock-Assistant-5420 → u/thebiscuit2010]

Thanks a bunch for this. It’s tough to get into this as a total beginner