Build O Matic | Cyberdeck Cafe

BUILD-O-Magic

There's a lot to cover when it comes to building your very own deck so let's get started and yes the title implies there will be a fancy system builder and some day there will be, but not yet.

This section grows & develops as more group members report back about their experiences with various hardware so come back often.

PICK YOUR BRAIN!

The choice in Cyberdeck brains aka Single Board Computer aka SBC have grown substantially and with choice comes added confusion as to what the best option actually is.

PERIPHERALS

Many many things fall under this catagory so this list will never be complete. Keyboard and Mouse are your most basic yet best interface options for any computing device and the range in selections goes from ultra tiny to whole desktop sized and the price from $10 - $400 :-/

DISPLAYS

After picking a SBC you need to decide on what peripherals you want for interfacing with the deck, a display that's compatible with your visual needs, touch input too?, choose the size, resolution and interface (DSI, HDMI, DP-USB-C) are the most useful.

CASING MATERIAL

Now we must pick a method to build the casing, here's some great options. 3D printing, Hard Case, Sheet Metal, Expanded PVC Foam Board, Wood, Acrylic .

MY WALLET HURTS

All of this might be starting to sound like an expensive new hobby and the truth is it can really start to add up so let's take a moment to go over some budget options. Get creative with E-waste recycling. Thrift stores are a great resource. Check the bag section, you may find the perfect briefcase to base your deck around. Does $100-300 for a custom mechanical keyboard leave you feeling a bit sick? Again thrift stores have plenty of keyboards for -$10 and sometimes you find something unique like a trackball mouse.

I HAVE THE POWER!

If you decide to go mobile use one of the recommended options in the links below as we have already tested dozens of boards and found most to be lacking but some great options as well.

BUDGET OPTIONS

Use whatever power source came with the SBC or a compatible USB charger.
USB battery bank, mind your wattage requirements.

BETTER OPTIONS

Laptop style power brick in whatever voltage you need.
Lipo cell + Battery management and booster board.

WHY EVEN BOTHER?

Learn something, build something and have some fun along the way.

OPERATING SYSTEM

Time to research what the best linux OS for your SBC is.

LETS GO!

Think you're ready to get started? Join the forum and start your very own project log to keep yourself organized and productive. It's even more enjoyable when you can share this hobby in real time with others in our Chat room, there's no gatekeeping here and we are all inclusive, everyone is welcome.

RECAP

Pick a SBC.
Get a compatible LCD screen.
Choose your medium(duct tape + hot glue?) for constructing the case.
Other peripherals - keyboard, pointing device, speakers/headphones
Powering your device - mains and or battery.
Operating system, linux of some flavor.

The following list is a combination of recommended hardware provided by the community members.

*2020 supply chains are broken and hardware is in very limited supply to please excuse any dead links or out of stock items. Affiliate links are used whenever possible to help support this site and keep it ad free.

Works Of Fiction

Liquid Cool Detective Series

Technical Books

Pocket Ref 4th Edition - The most useful book ever written

Every Tool's a Hammer

SBC - Single Board Computer

Raspberry Pi 4 – 2GB/4GB

Raspberry Pi 3 A+

NanoPC-T4 RK3399 4GB

Z8350 Windows 10 Compute Stick 2GB DDR3/32GB

ODROID N2 SBC 4GB with Power Supply

Displays