- A comprehensive new Raspberry Pi tutorial has appeared
- It shows you how to put together your own cyberdeck
- You can pick up all the necessary parts for around $250
If you're looking for a DIY computing project to tackle, the official Raspberry Pi site just shared a step-by-step guide to putting together your own cyberdeck: a broad term that applies to any bespoke device made to order, and designed to meet a need that conventional tablets, phones, and computers can't.
This particular cyberdeck (via Notebookcheck) is based on a Raspberry Pi 5 device with a Bluetooth keyboard attached, with everything packed inside a hard Pelican-style case that provides easy portability and protection against the elements.
"The case defines the cyberdeck," explains maker Brian Corteil, who wrote this guide. "Past builds have used old pocket computers (including their original keyboards), briefcases, mint tins, wooden boxes, and prop replicas."
To the Raspberry Pi 5, case, and keyboard you also need to attach several other peripherals — including a display, so you can see what you're doing. The finished creation has a built-in power supply too, so you're ready for off-grid life.
Parts and pricing
The instructions written by Corteil aren't too daunting, and are laid out in a way that's easy to follow step by step — though if you're a complete beginner to Raspberry Pi systems and cyberdeck construction, you might want to start with something simpler.
Various supports to go inside the Pelican case will need to be 3D-printed, laser-cut, or otherwise built as needed. Then it's a question of getting everything connected up, including the screen and the storage.
The components you need for this build are helpfully listed in the guide too, together with links to retailers in your part of the world. I added up all the suggested parts and got to affordable grand total of $250.09 (about £184 / AU$348).
This guide is also featured in issue 168 of the Raspberry Pi Official Magazine — a cyberdeck special — which you can read online for free. If you find yourself bitten by the bug there are plenty of other cyberdeck projects you can have a go at, including builds that fit inside a clamshell phone form factor and come with six screens attached.
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