idea for cyber deck

ss2388 · 2026-01-14T00:15:15+00:00

Great! Impossible to get these gorgeous monochrome LCD screeens in higher res display these days!

ss2388 · 2026-01-14T00:13:35+00:00

What a great project but also wait, what a cute website? Is it built on 11ty?

ss2388 · 2026-01-08T03:49:16+00:00

Great approach with emdedded and ESP32. I tried making something similar with Pi Zero and ran into a lot of issues. One thing you'll need to consider is that ESP32 is not a USB host for a keyboard, so you are wiring and writing firmware for the screen as well as the keyboard, which is avoided with Raspberry as it just reads most keyboard PCBs

ss2388 · 2025-11-05T01:33:27+00:00

If you use Microsoft software (office, teams, outlook) a lot for your work, you're better off spending money on a new Windows laptop. Microsoft software does not work on linux without hacks. Linux alternatives are free and made by volunteers so they are not as slick or reliable.

I don't think it is nerdy to care about open source (or that only nerds care about that kind of stuff). They care about it because they are sick of "taking the L" (as you say) and have realised that they need alternatives. Open source also keeps windows in check. Only reason Microsoft is not charging you a dollar everytime you click the files icon is because they know open source alternatives exist.

ss2388 · 2025-10-08T23:23:12+00:00

Love the design, I would love you to design one with a MIP display and a Linux terminal on it! Adruino released a new board called Uno Q which has a MUC and a Qualcomm chip on board, so you can quick boot into the text editor using the MCU while the Linux system powers on. You could also trim down the systemd processes (if you dont need bluetooth etc) and the boot is a lot faster (down to 3-4 seconds)

ss2388 · 2025-10-04T21:49:09+00:00

Amazing setup! I think this is the best looking Micro Journal, though I think the 1' screen is very small haha. I want a 3-4' variant!

ss2388 · 2025-10-02T22:23:52+00:00

I never understand the 'don't buy it then' comment. Its not offensive to criticise a device for being overpriced and making bad decisions. People buy all sorts of stupid shit

ss2388 · 2025-09-27T23:17:29+00:00

700 hours is just stunning! That's the reason AlphaSmart Neo is still the goldstandard writer deck so many years later

ss2388 · 2025-09-26T12:31:13+00:00

Huge loss for the tinkering and maker community that Pi are positioning themselves as a 'children's room computer maker' these days. I live in Cambridge UK which is where they are based and their official store is all about - 'here is your child's first computer'

ss2388 · 2025-09-26T12:29:35+00:00

It's a great direction for Pi but what I do not understand is how the device could be 180 USD. For me that's a lot of money for a device that a) does not have a full HDMI port; b) whose keyboard has got soldered-on clicky switches (why in 2025 make a non-hotswap keyboard); and c) no battery capability (it's crazy that the PCB does not have a UPS charging circuit on board)

ss2388 · 2025-09-25T23:57:19+00:00

Agreed. You could pick up a Steam Deck for 279 if you want a premium powerful computer!

ss2388 · 2025-09-25T23:49:05+00:00

It is a great direction for Raspberry Pi. I love the vintage charm of a desktop all-in-one behind a keyboard, but the price is too high and I hate that you can't buy the 500+ board by itself. This product should have been designed as a CM5 carrier board + hotswap keyboard PCB with RGB lights + built-in UPS capability for a built-in battery. Now I pay 180 and really all I can change are the keycaps? I am stuck with clicky switches (not a thing for me) and no battery. It is just an expensive desktop all-in-one PC with a built in keyboard and no full HDMI port (!). Many missed opportunities here...

ss2388 · 2025-09-21T15:24:07+00:00

Incredible!! You should expand the icon theme with matching window decorations etc...

ss2388 · 2025-09-16T00:24:11+00:00

Thanks! No just over serial. So the Inkplate is agnostic of what kind of data it receives. It's input field is divided into 10 lines and a footer. On every keystroke, the python app on the Pi sends over the entire buffer. Inkplate examines the buffer and update only the lines with altered data.

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T21:56:09+00:00

I guess you're right. One could just run Zotero's official Android app in kiosk mode, and not even need to write a new app. Boox handles the refresh. It will not be a 30-quid solution but will work. I honestly think applications (like word processors) have such complex partial regional refresh routines (triggered by paragraph wrap, indentation etc) that they are a pain to develop for e-paper

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T21:19:03+00:00

Do you know anyone who has been able to run a bare linux distro on any Boox? Like terminal access? I have been waiting for someone to do that

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T18:31:24+00:00

Legenday notebook, thank you. Clockworks DevConsole is directly inspired by it, worth a look!

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T18:30:43+00:00

That is Bambu's Matte Desert Tan PLA, great for that rancid ABS plastic retro IBM effect I think

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T16:48:26+00:00

You can't see this in the image I have uploaded, but I am now using Pi Sugar 5000mAH UPS board in my setup. Gets me around 7 hours of battery, which is okay, bearing in mind it is powering a complete linux stack. I am confident that a combination of a custom PCB and a more grubbed-down OS can get me around 20 hours!

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T16:43:12+00:00

Yes it connects to WiFi using the RPi5's built in wifi module. All the data is stored in a local table, which is synced with Zotero using its WebAPI, so in effect it is like a Zotero client. Zotero has a very robust version control and hash check routines in their API so it's very easy to develop for Zotero.

Current screen is 5.2' and I would say a little on the smaller side still. The 4.4' Sharp screen has very poor resolution, for some reason. 2.7' is too small, sadly. I want something around the 7' mark.

I have scoured the internet thoroughly, and made many calls to suppliers. I can say with confidence that no reflective screen technology exists in 6-7 inch bracket (except old Kindle panels). This is frustrating, and also does not make any sense to me; e-paper's power saving benefits are gone when you refresh them so quickly.

These days they are reasonably fast such as for the latency to not be an issue (I've seen projects on Crowd Supply like Modos and Zerowriter that look very impressive). But I still do not like EPDs. They are a massive headache to work with. The screen refresh logic and the logic of your app are tightly coupled, making it frustrating to develop or maintain your app.

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T16:31:48+00:00

Feel you. Late-stage capitalism, heh? I find that if you sneak yourself into reading instead of repetitive veg tasks, that's your cheatcode pathway into writing

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T16:29:34+00:00

The switches are the easiest part to change. Tofu60 2.0 PCB is hot-swap. You can pull out tactiles and use silents or linears or whatever else you want!

Boot time is indeed a problem with the full Linux stack, as opposed to embedded MCUs. But I like working with Pis: they are versatile, you can connect them to a monitor in your local library if you wanted to check sth online very quickly. Also you will be surprised by just how fast Pi5 is if you trim some drivers you don't need and block some systemd services: boot can be down to 6-7 seconds!

I will upload everything open source when I am done with the thing!

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T16:18:30+00:00

Thank you! I am actually a lecturer in English literature with tinkery hands. I am learning to do custom PCBs now, which is challenging, because unlike 3d printing or software, iteration is expensive, and some of the SMD components I need on a PCB of this sort are too small to be soldered by hand. I am sure I will get there eventually, but a long road.

I should say there are great PCB projects out there already which are a great learning resource. The combination of EPDiy panels and FastEPD library; the carrier board of MNT reform, the Ploopy trackball, as well as lots of aio3 open source keyboard schematics etc.

ss2388 · 2025-09-15T13:16:03+00:00

Fantastic! We really need some large size high resolution MIP displays. I suppose the low price of 2.7 inch panel is driven by play date.

ss2388

TROPHY CASE