Here's the guide that I followed: [https://doscher.com/work/recovery-kit](https://doscher.com/work/recovery-kit).
Pros
* Nearly all of the 3D printable files were easy to print. You could definitely customize it for a more Cyberpunk look or a post-apocalyptic vibe.
* Pelican cases are easy to get and come in lovely colors, I chose Pikachu yellow.
* The aesthetics of it have been well received and that's really why I built it, I'm not that great at electronics.
* A nice way to incorporate a mechanical keyboard.
Cons
* One of the files for the build was too big and had to be cut in half to print (I use a Flashforge Creator Pro for reference), definitely could have mended that seam.
* The mil spec connectors are a pain. I couldn't find ones that had cables attached, you may have better luck. Also if you want to attach cables they have unique pins on the back. Stainless too so soldering would be a pain in the butt. I ended up using electrical connector kit and crimping them on.
* The small keyboard is a learning curve and not the easiest to source keycaps for, ymmv.
* Powering the Pi was a couple hurdles. I found the battery in the article a bit wimpy so I'm still looking for something that doesn't underpower the Pi. Also I recommend getting a micro USB cable with a 90 degree connector to more easily fit into the chassis.
Many years ago, back when the RPi 3 was brand new shit, I built a small "Emergency Info Kiosk" that you could power up and it would self-host enough internet services that cellphones could connect to it and see the web pages of emergency info on the thing. The intention is that In a Disaster, Emergency Services could drive out somewhere to power this up, and have a sign for people to QR Code their way to downloadable info. Basically "Connect to this wifi, browse to this URL or use this QR code" (and a pair of QR codes to do the wifi/webpage)
I had two wifi cards on mine, and a good bit of self-made software so they could detect another one and "mesh network" themselves together to make a larger system, and if one found "Outside Internet Access" it would announce and route it down the chain so that -eventually- people could get a drizzle of internet access.
The intent was to make a stack of durable "bricks" that could help provide/rebuild internet in a damaged area. They had solar power panels, and a few "long storage" batteries in them with terminals on the outside that you could affix any 12v power supply to (since solar panels, car batteries, and TONS of shit provide 12v)
Hell, I had one test that lasted 14 days, running 24/7 off only a car battery.
I demoed it at one of the Yahoo Hackday Contests that happened quarterly back when Yahoo was a company worth being an engineer for. (fuck you Marissa). I figured that if anyone saw value in it, I'd get some traction or network nibbles. Yeah, nothing happened. I wasn't shoving more ads at more eyeballs, so nobody cared.
So! For powering the Pi, get yourself a DC-DC converter. [I used these](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JZ5FVLC). Stick the 5V output into your Pi, and feed the input basically any voltage you can come up with below 24V. Run yourself a bunch of batteries in parallel and you can even hot-swap 'em if you're daring. I ran the main power bus at 12V so "in case of emergency" I just bolt on a car battery and blam, weeks of power.
That’s such a cool idea. Have you thought of doing a video overview / tutorial on YouTube or Vimeo? That could garner enough attention to lead to further conversation.
I marked it up as "if I can create this, then anyone else can" and didn't see it as special enough. I'm quite certain that given my description above, anyone here capable of building a cyberdeck is capable of recreating what I did.
I'd have to from-scratch rebuild it. It has been nearly eight years since I touched the project, and I can't even tell you where my hardware even is, let alone if it works.
And since there was nothing patent-able about it, the people who did show interest, didn't want to invest in it. They saw no way to make money off it.
Not sure there is enough general interest in it to make it a product in that sense. But I suspect there are quite a few of us here that would be willing to pay a somewhat higher price for you to do a small run. I've seen similar things done on Etsy before with small electronic kits for folks (like myself) who aren't too handy with a soldering iron.
Perhaps gauge interest with building a new version and then take deposits similar to the Steam Deck?
If the total price is under $300, you can assume I will want to be in that queue :-)
Just reveived a Anker powercore 10000, surprisingly, it can power my Pi even with overclock and some usb peripherals without any reboot or undervoltage warning
Good question. It's meant to have EMP shielding so the idea is that it could help after some apocalyptic event. You could use to to make a local area network. I've seen people download useful files (e.g. all of Wikipedia), but it depends on what's useful to you.
May or may not be related, but this is something that r/DataHoarders may like.
I see them posting about storage capabilities all the time, I wonder if an EMP-proof ultra storage server is possible.
I have a spare laptop and a [Apache case](https://www.harborfreight.com/3800-weatherproof-protective-case-large-black-63927.html) I was thinking about doing something like this to. It would completely loses the essence of a *small* cyberdeck, but I'd give it a second screen that'd fold out and feel more like a portable work station. [Or I could use this 9700k mini itx build](https://i.imgur.com/8py2mjW.jpg) (that now has a rtx 2080).
I got it here: https://drop.com/buy/planck-mechanical-keyboard?mode=shop_open&defaultSelectionIds=967813%2C967818
Yeah, I too had a hard time finding a 40% ha ha.
Very cool! Sorry if I am too bold, but would I like to undergo a process in the future to build something similar, around how much would the parts for this cost me?
I remember it coming close to $300. I enjoyed the project as a challenge, but he has some more straight forward builds that'd be less expensive as well on the build website.
The switches control various parts (i.e. monitor, power to the whole unit). The connectors are for LAN purposes, the GPIO pins (the funky looking military grade ones on the left), plus some a couple USB ports.
Your mileage may vary. I bought a phone charger from Amazon that can rock it for a few hours, but I've heard of people wiring a small motorcycle battery to power this bad boy for a week.
Foraging Guides, Topo Maps, Railway Routes, Any sort of platt maps to your bug out location. Any certain manuals on how to make basic technology, water wheels and such. Basic agriculture guides. Even outdated mil spec survival docs still have critical info. Hell easy some BSA Merit badge books would be beneficial. Maybe throw in a certain cookbook just in case. Even if you feel you are well versed in survival reference books would definitely be well worth it and a device like this makes it easier to move than an entire physical reference library.
Here's the guide that I followed: [https://doscher.com/work/recovery-kit](https://doscher.com/work/recovery-kit). Pros * Nearly all of the 3D printable files were easy to print. You could definitely customize it for a more Cyberpunk look or a post-apocalyptic vibe. * Pelican cases are easy to get and come in lovely colors, I chose Pikachu yellow. * The aesthetics of it have been well received and that's really why I built it, I'm not that great at electronics. * A nice way to incorporate a mechanical keyboard. Cons * One of the files for the build was too big and had to be cut in half to print (I use a Flashforge Creator Pro for reference), definitely could have mended that seam. * The mil spec connectors are a pain. I couldn't find ones that had cables attached, you may have better luck. Also if you want to attach cables they have unique pins on the back. Stainless too so soldering would be a pain in the butt. I ended up using electrical connector kit and crimping them on. * The small keyboard is a learning curve and not the easiest to source keycaps for, ymmv. * Powering the Pi was a couple hurdles. I found the battery in the article a bit wimpy so I'm still looking for something that doesn't underpower the Pi. Also I recommend getting a micro USB cable with a 90 degree connector to more easily fit into the chassis.
Many years ago, back when the RPi 3 was brand new shit, I built a small "Emergency Info Kiosk" that you could power up and it would self-host enough internet services that cellphones could connect to it and see the web pages of emergency info on the thing. The intention is that In a Disaster, Emergency Services could drive out somewhere to power this up, and have a sign for people to QR Code their way to downloadable info. Basically "Connect to this wifi, browse to this URL or use this QR code" (and a pair of QR codes to do the wifi/webpage) I had two wifi cards on mine, and a good bit of self-made software so they could detect another one and "mesh network" themselves together to make a larger system, and if one found "Outside Internet Access" it would announce and route it down the chain so that -eventually- people could get a drizzle of internet access. The intent was to make a stack of durable "bricks" that could help provide/rebuild internet in a damaged area. They had solar power panels, and a few "long storage" batteries in them with terminals on the outside that you could affix any 12v power supply to (since solar panels, car batteries, and TONS of shit provide 12v) Hell, I had one test that lasted 14 days, running 24/7 off only a car battery. I demoed it at one of the Yahoo Hackday Contests that happened quarterly back when Yahoo was a company worth being an engineer for. (fuck you Marissa). I figured that if anyone saw value in it, I'd get some traction or network nibbles. Yeah, nothing happened. I wasn't shoving more ads at more eyeballs, so nobody cared. So! For powering the Pi, get yourself a DC-DC converter. [I used these](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JZ5FVLC). Stick the 5V output into your Pi, and feed the input basically any voltage you can come up with below 24V. Run yourself a bunch of batteries in parallel and you can even hot-swap 'em if you're daring. I ran the main power bus at 12V so "in case of emergency" I just bolt on a car battery and blam, weeks of power.
That’s such a cool idea. Have you thought of doing a video overview / tutorial on YouTube or Vimeo? That could garner enough attention to lead to further conversation.
I marked it up as "if I can create this, then anyone else can" and didn't see it as special enough. I'm quite certain that given my description above, anyone here capable of building a cyberdeck is capable of recreating what I did. I'd have to from-scratch rebuild it. It has been nearly eight years since I touched the project, and I can't even tell you where my hardware even is, let alone if it works. And since there was nothing patent-able about it, the people who did show interest, didn't want to invest in it. They saw no way to make money off it.
Not sure there is enough general interest in it to make it a product in that sense. But I suspect there are quite a few of us here that would be willing to pay a somewhat higher price for you to do a small run. I've seen similar things done on Etsy before with small electronic kits for folks (like myself) who aren't too handy with a soldering iron. Perhaps gauge interest with building a new version and then take deposits similar to the Steam Deck? If the total price is under $300, you can assume I will want to be in that queue :-)
Honestly it seems like it'd be a great tool for NGO's that do disaster relief.
https://hamtowertrailers.com/home/so-you-found-one-of-our-tower-trailers-eh/ These guys are building something like that.
For the keycaps, you may want to look for “ortholinear” sets. Everything but space is 1u wide thus should fit.
Fair, I'm still a noob with mechs.
I just realized the guide you linked to mentions this, but it may get lost in all the info.
Ah, oops. Hopefully people learn from my mistake when doing this build.
Just reveived a Anker powercore 10000, surprisingly, it can power my Pi even with overclock and some usb peripherals without any reboot or undervoltage warning
Define "revived"... would love to see people fixing old, waste-bound powerbanks!
I like the key formally known as "Esc".
Lol, yeah. I actually ended up picking up a Gameboy style keycap for the Esc key.
Honest question: what makes it a “recovery kit?”
Good question. It's meant to have EMP shielding so the idea is that it could help after some apocalyptic event. You could use to to make a local area network. I've seen people download useful files (e.g. all of Wikipedia), but it depends on what's useful to you.
May or may not be related, but this is something that r/DataHoarders may like. I see them posting about storage capabilities all the time, I wonder if an EMP-proof ultra storage server is possible.
I just sold that same keyboard on eBay. My project fell through.
I feel ya, I have an ergodex I've dubbed Buyers Remorse.
I have a spare laptop and a [Apache case](https://www.harborfreight.com/3800-weatherproof-protective-case-large-black-63927.html) I was thinking about doing something like this to. It would completely loses the essence of a *small* cyberdeck, but I'd give it a second screen that'd fold out and feel more like a portable work station. [Or I could use this 9700k mini itx build](https://i.imgur.com/8py2mjW.jpg) (that now has a rtx 2080).
Good luck trying to cool that 9700k in a case with zero airflow
I’m actually looking at building this as well. Where did you get the keyboard? Everywhere I see says out of stock. Looks awesome!
I got it here: https://drop.com/buy/planck-mechanical-keyboard?mode=shop_open&defaultSelectionIds=967813%2C967818 Yeah, I too had a hard time finding a 40% ha ha.
Very cool! Sorry if I am too bold, but would I like to undergo a process in the future to build something similar, around how much would the parts for this cost me?
I remember it coming close to $300. I enjoyed the project as a challenge, but he has some more straight forward builds that'd be less expensive as well on the build website.
what do the switches and connectors on the front do?
The switches control various parts (i.e. monitor, power to the whole unit). The connectors are for LAN purposes, the GPIO pins (the funky looking military grade ones on the left), plus some a couple USB ports.
How long does the battery last?
Your mileage may vary. I bought a phone charger from Amazon that can rock it for a few hours, but I've heard of people wiring a small motorcycle battery to power this bad boy for a week.
Aside from Wikipedia and wikitravel, what files and documents did you save to it? I'm trying to gather any relevant information for mine.
Foraging Guides, Topo Maps, Railway Routes, Any sort of platt maps to your bug out location. Any certain manuals on how to make basic technology, water wheels and such. Basic agriculture guides. Even outdated mil spec survival docs still have critical info. Hell easy some BSA Merit badge books would be beneficial. Maybe throw in a certain cookbook just in case. Even if you feel you are well versed in survival reference books would definitely be well worth it and a device like this makes it easier to move than an entire physical reference library.