Since Annike Tan (aka @UbeBoobey) posted her excellent thrifted mermaid cyberdeck, people all over have been excited to own their tech with recycled parts. And though hers might not have been the first soft-case cyberdeck, it’s heartwarming to see people building technology on their own time again, complete with bright 90’s colors and mint tin enclosures. I for one welcome our new maximalist cyber future.
The beauty of these decks isn’t just on the outside. It seems that companies forcing people to rent media they used to own and tracking users at every turn have soured a few folks on buying from big tech, and turned them to building their own devices instead. If that wasn’t rebellious enough, some are even trying to avoid purchasing the components themselves.
We’ve seen portable Raspberry Pi devices for over a decade and makers have been voiding warranties from the start. But after years of soldered batteries, glued cases, and forced obsolescence, it’s no wonder that people are claiming ownership over their digital lives. If you’re interested in scavenging up parts for your own personal machines, here are some builds that pull it off exquisitely.
Select a screen
You may be surrounded by slow laptops with working screens and tempted to harvest their glowy goodness for general use. The tricky part, aside from how delicate they are, is that the laptop won’t have an HDMI port inside itself to plug into. But don’t let that deter you! There are various DIY monitor builds out there proving how, with the right adapter, you can get some use out of these old screens.
Alternatively you can make like @tankgirltapes and go old-school with a CRT monitor, which also reuses a cooler for the enclosure. Not recommended for those who skip arm day.
Source some speakers
Eli Jorgensen gave a cheap record player a better life with the most colorful cyberdeck on the list. It’s a nice plus when a donated case comes with its own speakers.
You’ll need some input
Keyboards are everywhere. If you want a used one, they seem to grow on the shelves at secondhand stores. But you don’t have to settle for the first one you find.
Portable ones might be ideal for size, but make sure you leave a way to charge it. Expect a short delay for Bluetooth to connect. Get one with a trackpad if you don’t want to carry around a mouse too.
It’s also possible to reuse laptop keyboards with the right hardware, like this USB controller by Frank Adams. Or you can get inspired by a donor case like Matthew Dockrey (aka Attoparsec) and make uncommon input the whole point. While it’s beautiful, he admits it isn’t the most practical controller. He really leaned into the toy’s punch card interface and 11 built-in buttons: “You really have to want to use this thing.”
Power up!
Your deck can’t be portable without a battery. You might have noticed lithium batteries never quite standardized the way AA’s did (at least not in the US). But there are some exceptions if you get creative.
Drill batteries are one place where manufacturers pick a form and stick with it for a while. They aren’t the lightest thing in the world, but this cosplay deck by @Da-Ti still uses them for up to two hours of power.
If you have an old USB power pack then you’ve found a simple way to start, provided it has enough juice for you and doesn’t suddenly shut off without warning. Claudia (aka @bossbratbimbo) gutted one for this terrific mermaid shell deck, which even includes a custom OS to get the most bang out of a $20 Raspberry Pi 3.
This Pelican case radio deck thoughtfully adds a solar panel for long trips. It also adds salvaged LiPo cells in a somewhat hazardous spot. Alex notes: “Don’t type too hard or the solder joints on the back of the keyboard might stab the cells.”
Cobble together a computer
The hardest part to scavenge has got to be the brain. Despite the fact that we’re surrounded by “smart” things, most of the mainboards in our devices just aren’t compatible with other hardware. It sucks. But if you’re unable to source a new Raspberry Pi, here are some workarounds:
Unsurprisingly Will Haude of 3DBrooklyn, a design studio that creates custom products to for marketing campaigns and events, came up with a slick, custom look for their cyberdeck (featured), giving it boxy, old school Mac vibes. For the guts, this classy Retro futuristic style enclosure uses an old Mac mini and a touch screen display. It sits with the top facing forward and the ports on the left. There’s a printed button to reach the power button and the keyboard and mouse (a separate model that they also share print specs for) and, as shown in the IG slides below, you can add an additional display. They’ve handily provided the files for you to recreate the look on Makerworld. Though, admittedly by the makers, less portable than other builds, what it lacks in “pocketability” it delivers in Fisher-Price nostalgia, function, and additive manufacturing chops.
If carrying around an enclosure built around a whole mini computer isn’t your style, you could harvest a laptop motherboard. We wish they were all as easy to remove as the ones from Framework, who will also sell you just a board if you can’t find a donor. It certainly worked for the Rasti Computer by Penk Chen. Sure it’s more expensive than a Raspberry Pi, but also more capable.
On the other end of the price spectrum are ESP32 microcontrollers, which are practically everywhere. They’re so cheap you’d be forgiven for buying a new one, as long as you’re willing to sacrifice pretty much all of the functionality of a modern computer. On the plus side, you trade it for zero bootup lag, which is why Andy Warburton chose it for his GR3ML1N cyberdeck. The apps on its custom OS include a text editor, mini-synth, and a digi-pet. For digital minimalism, it’s hard to beat.
Somewhere between “runs Cyberpunk 2077” and “runs Tamagotchi” is the possibility of using an old phone. Sergiy printed a custom clamshell to fit their old Pixel 3 XL and a modular Bluetooth keyboard for their C-deck.
@priscilanassar also used an old phone but went for a more organic vibe.
Craft the case
Far and away, the easiest part to recycle into a build is the case. It isn’t a rule that your cyberdeck must be in a purse, but it’ll be in good company if it is.
Audrey Ember thrifted a case for her typewriter cyberdeck that she’s building so she can focus on writing without all the distractions that come from the usual devices. It features a custom journaling app that’s deliberately pared-down. Whats even more impressive is that she’s never built anything like it before, and is putting it together with zero coding experience!
@zinacodes found a gold natulus shell purse and somehow makes it look roomy.
Finally, going back to 2020, Kati (aka @miss.molerat) built her PinkPad computer out of a toy computer. Sometimes the choices kind of decide themselves.
This ended up being way longer than I planned, and there’s still more cyberdecks using thrifted parts than I could fit in. So go forth and make the task of finding them all even harder.
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