{"id":5147,"date":"2023-09-06T15:39:28","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T15:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picockpit.com\/raspberry-pi\/?p=5147"},"modified":"2023-11-08T09:06:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T09:06:06","slug":"paragon-project-mike-hornes-extremely-mini-cyberdeck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picockpit.com\/raspberry-pi\/paragon-project-mike-hornes-extremely-mini-cyberdeck\/","title":{"rendered":"Paragon Project: Mike Horne’s Extremely Mini Cyberdeck"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Mike<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever wondered how small you could get your computer? Well Mike Horne has managed to create one roughly the size of – what else? – a banana! It’s his extremely mini cyberdeck and it’s a perfect project to include in our Paragon Projects series!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike has managed to fit a full cyberdeck inside a mini flight case and has posted a full blog post <\/a>on his website about the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve featured a number of cyberdecks in our Paragon Projects series<\/a>, but if you\u2019re new to the world of cyberdecks, they are typically portable computers that people make with an eye towards aesthetics.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"An
Credit: Mike Horne<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For this project, Mike has been kind enough to share an outline of the hardware and software he used in developing this extremely mini cyberdeck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardware<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first thing you’ll need is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W<\/a>, because that’s what the cyberdeck runs on at its core. Mike decided to hook that up to a LiPo battery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike also used a Pimoroni Enviro<\/a>, which is a BME280 sensor that can detect heat and air quality. Through some ingenuity, Mike decided to use his Enviro+ to power the Pi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After connecting all of that to a 5″ LCD screen from Waveshare<\/a>, Mike then determined that it was necessary to drill the screen to lid in order to get everything mounted properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the blog post, Mike details the quest to find a working keyboard for the cyberdeck. Ultimately, Mike found that Bluetooth wasn’t as reliable as a 2.4GHz keyboard – no surprises there.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Cyberdeck
Credit: Mike Horne<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Did you think I was exaggerating about how small this cyberdeck is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes it perfect for traveling and <\/em>perfect for hacking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A cyberdeck like this is not only fantastic for having a portable workstation, it’s also fantastic for specific projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, you could use this for penetration testing or other (ethical) hacking activities. Indeed, Mike decided to go with Kali Linux (a hacker’s best friend).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can check out the GitHub here<\/a>, where Mike uploaded the code for the project. You’ll need Python 3.6 or newer to run the code, but the idea is that it provides two distinct modes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mode A gives you everything from the Enviro – heat, air quality, etc. Mode B gives you the the stats on the CPU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, it behooves me to mention here that you could also use PiCockpit to check out all this information<\/a>, which would be an entirely free service for up to five of these cyberdecks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even without PiCockpit, this project will definitely serve your cyberdeck needs well!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"An
Credit: Mike Horne<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like all of Mike’s projects, I love the creativity and practicality of this extremely mini cyberdeck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the world of cyberdecks, there are those who create their cyberdeck cases with 3D-printers and those who create their cases with prefabricated stuff. (Mostly, though, people use both, of course).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite cyberdeck projects tend to be those made with prefabricated cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want more details about Mike’s journey to create this cyberdeck, you can check out his blog post on the cyberdeck here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, as always, if you want to see more Paragon Projects, you can click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where would you go with a super small cyberdeck?<\/p>\n