A cyberdeck is a portable computer system, usually combining a screen, a keyboard, and a small computer in a custom enclosure. The name comes from the cyberpunk idea of carrying a complete computing terminal around. On a similar note, I recently wrote about my mobile development setup. It is surprisingly capable, but the on-screen keyboard takes up a large proportion of the view. This leaves less room for the terminal and makes typing commands, navigating files, and reviewing generated changes more awkward than it needs to be. So I decided to adapt it into a little cyberdeck.

The important design considerations were:

• A small and lightweight form factor which could fit into a pocket.
• An external keyboard.
• A cheap and modular design with components that could be reused in other setups.

A folding enclosure

Inspired by popular online cyberdeck designs, I started by trying to build a folding enclosure like an old flip phone or handheld games console. For this, I hollowed out a book which seemed like it would make a stealthy and characterful case.

At first this approach seemed to be going well, but the difficult part was installing some kind of torque hinge that could hold the two halves at a useful angle. Building a hinge small enough for the available space, while still giving it enough resistance to support the screen, proved much more difficult than I had anticipated. At this point I realised I was overengineering the problem. I did not really need an adjustable viewing angle, so I started to think of a simpler approach.

The simple version

I switched to a flat piece of cardboard and attached a spare phone case and keyboard to it with industrial Velcro. Velcro has always been one of my favourite materials for DIY projects because it holds remarkably well while allowing individual components to be separated when needed.

This version was simple and worked really well. While I couldn’t adjust the angle, this was less of a problem than I initially assumed, since people usually fold out handheld devices to a flat plane when in use anyway.

Refining the look

For the final step, I replaced the cardboard with an ultra-slim power bank. This made the whole project look much cleaner while adding additional charging capacity.

Conclusion

The result is a practical interface for the tools I already use: a development setup that solves one of the most irritating limitations of coding on a phone, the on-screen keyboard. The modular design also means I can reuse the handheld Bluetooth keyboard to control my phone while it’s mounted elsewhere, such as on my desk, or connect it to a completely different machine altogether. The added power bank can similarly be reused to charge my other devices while on the move. There’s lots of room for expanding the system in the future. For instance, I may explore alternative fastening techniques, such as MagSafe.

This project reminded me that a useful design does not need to be complicated. The book enclosure was more ambitious, but the flat version was faster and easier to build, as well as being better matched to what I actually wanted.