(2025-12-01) My take on cyberdecks
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The winter has come, and I'm returning as promised. Throughout the no-post
November, I have remembered another long-forgotten obsession of mine: DIY.
And I also remembered a trend among some DIY+cyberpunk folks: building
cyberdecks.
So, what's a cyberdeck in the first place? In the original cyberpunk novels,
these were the devices with some kind of brain-to-net interface to jack into
the cyberspace. IRL though, the broadest definition of a cyberdeck is: "a
DIY portable PC in a non-standard form factor for specialized or general
usage". While this technically is true, I'd add some more constraints to
this definition. You see, a lot of cyberdecks I've seen online have been
built with full access to manufacturing facilities like 3D printers or even
CNC machines. Which, in my opinion, contradicts the entire cyberpunk vibe.
So, I personally define a true real-world cyberdeck as a DIY portable PC
that:
1) has a non-standard form factor,
2) is hand-assembled from existing scrap/spare parts with minimum outside
sourcing,
3) once assembled, is fully autonomous but modular enough to replace **any**
part with ease.
So... I tried assembling something according to this definition. Of course, I
still had to order most peripherals but the "brain" of the system was
something I already had: a Raspberry Pi 5 with 8Gb RAM. As the case, I chose
a cheap Mano Standard toolbox; as the screen, a 7" Waveshare clone with HDMI
and touch; as the power bank, I settled upon something from Sandberg with
the continuous power function, so that I could plug an external source in
and out without turning of the Pi itself. The keyboard was a bit of a
problem but I found some 60% mechanical wireless "gaming" one, which barely
fits but the case still closes. Other than the keyboard, every other
component gets "sandwiched" in place: powerbank to the bottom, then the Pi
itself, then the display. I also wired out a C-C cable to charge the bank, a
USB3 extender from the Pi to connect other hubs and peripherals, and a USB3
extender from the bank to connect the Pi power itself. Why? Because, as you
know, Raspberries don't have a power switch, so that connection doubles as
one to conserve the powerbank energy when not in use. To prevent jiggling, I
tried hot-gluing velcros inside the case, but that turned out to be rather
unsuccessful. I think that enough wiring inside would prevent it much better.
Overall, I think I'm rather close to implementing what I envisioned here.
Obviously, I'll also need some external storage to transfer large files like
ZIM archives of Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg there. Luckily, I have a
Gembird M2 SSD enclosure that I can use with my old 512GB SSD from this very
Thinkpad. This is one of the few other things that still can fit there.
Again, should I ever need to replace the SSD itself, it's a matter of
disconnecting the enclosure and replacing the innards of it. Modularity
looks like the greatest strength of this build.
Then, some stickers for overall aesthetics and I'm done with it. Will I
actually use it? Of course I will. This is gonna be my main backup computer
for all non-work activities, built out of both necessity and curiosity. And
I hope the concept will prove itself over time.
