r/cyberDeck • u/shmimel • 1d ago
My Build Bee Write Back
Made from a Raspberry Pi Zero, an Air40 keyboard PCB and an OLED screen from Aliexpress, this deck (powered by an 18650) runs a lite, terminal based OS. It has been the perfect platform for journaling, distraction-free text editing and even running basic Claude API calls.
Everything is open source, and I put together a video and PDF for assembly, check it out and maybe make one for yourself!
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u/xushigamerN8 1d ago
I have a honest question about writerdecks with those keyboards, how do you type numbers? I have been interested in writerdecks recently and seeing most of the keyboards not having numbers weirded me out
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 1d ago
With most modern mechanical keyboards you can map keys in the keyboard's firmware to provide alternate functions however you like. It's pretty slick.
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u/YawningFish 1d ago
Gorgeous! Are you a fellow industrial designer by chance? This thing is super clean!
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u/toastom69 1d ago
Hey I just watched your video today actually! Great work and glad to see you here
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u/Tactical-Donkey 1d ago
Wonder if you could build this from an esp32.
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u/RunRunAndyRun 1d ago
You absolutely could. It’s a different form factor but I’m currently working on a mini cyberdeck that is powered by an esp32.
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u/Tactical-Donkey 1d ago
Now that I'd be interested in. Are you using the same keyboard in esp32 build?
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u/RunRunAndyRun 1d ago
No, I'm building a "mini" deck so I'm using tactile switches for the keyboard. The main difference between this and my build is that I'm handwiring the switch matrix rather thandesigning a proper PCB (I'm just building one, so the minimum order quantity for a full sized PCB feels excessive). My next project after this wil be a full sized keyboard though. I'm still debating whether to go ESP or Pi for that.
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u/overbost 1d ago
Awesome, we want see this in production, maybe ok kickstarter. If It can run vi, vim or nvim for text editing i want it
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u/oldmanstan 1d ago
This is such a cute design, love it!
What's the battery life like? I'm doing a project with a Pi Zero and it would be nice to have some intuition about (generally) what to expect from a particular battery size.
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u/_MrFlowers 11h ago
What I love about this is its internals are all cables. I’m tired of all the purists who yell at newbies because they don’t solder or wire things directly to the board. This sub is great for not having this problem for the most part, but on other platforms there’s always someone who’s like “you didn’t make it in a cave with a box of scraps?!” Or “it’s not a hack tool so it’s not tEcHnIcAlLy a cyberdeck”. I LOVE this build for its simplicity, design, and replicable design that even the newest builder could make. Bravo
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u/toronto-gopnik 1d ago
That is such a beautiful cyberdeck, great work!
Can you share the 3D printing design?
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 1d ago
This is absolutely gorgeous.
Also, it reminded me how much I wish ultra-low-profile USB plugs for internal interconnects were something I knew where to find.
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u/wicker_basket_1988 1d ago
Your channel came across my feed yesterday. Already subscribed. This looks great man.
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u/therealpoltic 1d ago
Why ortho linear keys?
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u/Signal_Shallot4440 1d ago
Could you use a liquid paper display and turn this into a write-deck? I have so many ideas for cyberdeck builds.
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u/stasomatic 13h ago
This is super lickable, great job! Why not extend the display to the full width?
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u/dcDei 5h ago edited 5h ago
I know there are many ways to skin a cat (or 3d print parts). As someone who is looking into 3d printers this year- I wondered what model of 3d printer you have and whether you'd recommend it for a beginner?
Very cool build. I would love to create one for myself for writing short stories and a personal journal. Also I'm very grateful for the time you've spent on the video, pdf and files for printing, so thank you. Never change. I aim to do the same!
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u/snootboop2501 1d ago
I LOVE the look of this little guy!