Recently I shared details about a cyberdeck inspired by the Fallout universe, and while the final result is wonderful from every point of view, the truth is it took the effort of two people, and some of its components are relatively expensive. In contrast, Caleb Holloway's T3rminal presents a more accessible configuration, based on a Raspberry Pi 4, a compatible screen, a generic Bluetooth keyboard, a UPS to simplify its power-on, and a 3D-printed case.
A fundamental condition behind any cyberdeck is that we must build it. Obviously, nothing stops us from acquiring ready-to-use components, but the exploration, the combination, the trial-and-error process… that’s what takes us into cyberdeck territory. When in doubt, the good news is that there are many open projects online that we can follow and/or reproduce without much difficulty. One of them is T3rminal, a cyberdeck by Caleb Holloway that uses a modified Raspberry Pi 4 as its base, and other easily accessible elements.
T3rminal, a Solid “First Cyberdeck” with Raspberry Pi
In addition to the Raspberry Pi 4, Caleb used a PiSugar S Plus (which works as a UPS and makes the Raspberry Pi portable), a Pi TFT 50 compatible screen, a mini Bluetooth keyboard (the Pi4 has support, so a dongle isn’t necessary), and an 18650 battery to improve the cyberdeck’s autonomy. Caleb also took the trouble to share a case on GitHub, so anyone can download the relevant files and print the pieces locally.
By far, the most complex part of the project is reducing the size of the Raspberry Pi 4, eliminating its Ethernet port and the USB ports that come from the factory. Caleb removed the Ethernet support from the equation, and decided to use simple low-profile ports for USB connectivity. The Raspberry Pi can be very finicky when it comes to desoldering/resoldering so many ports, but it’s not an impossible task.
Needless to say, the sky is the limit. We can use a larger or smaller screen, another keyboard, change the case design, connect a different type of battery, modify its dimensions to avoid having to remove ports, add a hinge and turn the T3rminal into clamshell… in short, many possibilities, and on a budget we can call reasonable. Link below!
Access the tutorial: Click here
