It's an interesting idea to use Framework parts in totally custom enclosures. I, too, find Raspberry Pi and such to be a bit too limited.

I think this shows how much framework changed notebooks in general. It doesn't have the freedom that desktop PCs have but now we can literally build our own notebooks ourselves. Hopefully something like this comes to smartphones and other devices.

This video is so great on so many levels. As a 60 yo who's been involved with electronics since 1980, I'm amazed at what is being done today. You have to have so many skills to not only design and build a project like this, and then your video is top notch. Really cool, my projects aren't even in the same universe. I feel like a team of people is behind this channel, but I trust you that it's just you. Some people are gifted.

This is the kind of custom build I think of whenever the modularity of Framework is mentioned. It shows just how versatile such a platform is, and that you don't need to be limited to just their options for the chassis the parts fit into. And when framework releases a motherboard with a better processor, you can just swap it in knowing that everything will still be in the same place as the old one. A laptop with a practical CPU upgrade path that isn't just "buy a new one" has been needed for a long time and it's finally here.

This is one of those rare examples of someone making their own system and it genuinely looking like it's come from a big manufacturer somewhere... This is impressive, in appearance and design, I genuinely love the look of this.

The framework actually uses an internal USB for the keyboard/fingerprint reader and you can get breakouts for it so you dont need to loose a usb port for input. Framework also is going to start selling an eDP cable so you dont need to give up the other port for the display.

"Cyberdecks" in Neuromancer, Cyberpunk, and Shadowrun were described as basically being keyboards. Maybe a little thicker than typical keyboards. With many special function keys/controls, large (book-sized) slots for storage modules, and a phone jack. But without any kind of display - since, of course, a decker/jacker/hacker is completely immersed in some sort of virtual/cyber environment. (You could always pay extra to install a display screen. So the rest of your team would be able to see your situation and progress.)

As a kid I remember drawing what I would later learn was a cyberdeck. I was obsessed with not just the functionality but the blocky look as well. Really cool! Maybe I'll actually build one of these one day

You've just convinced me that the world needs laptops with cinema wide screens. It's a little amusing that the old portable computers from back in the day got unusually close to this on accident.

instead of black electrical tape, because it will turn into goo over time, consider using something like 'liquid tape' or whatever brand. great build!

The aesthetics of the exposed guts on the back is absolutely approved of from here. Right on the dot with the cyberdeck theme, if you ask. in stead of the trackball I personally would have gone for the IBM trackpoint. I'm old enough to have used and appreciated that little gem and can still this day still recommend it. Love the energy, love the design, love the recycling!!!!1!1!11!! Also, first vid I see and an immediate subscribe.

You are so organized and neat. You did what probably hundreds of employees in a large company did. Genius!

You can implement scroll with another mouse button. Hold that button and the trackball can scroll up-down *and* left-right. This is how Lenovo Trackpoint works. I would love to fork this project and design it with a Lenovo Keyboard. The missing trackpoint is the main thing keeping me from trying a Framework TBH. I even considered an HP with a track point, but they didn't have the middle button for scroll. Great project! I liked your useful inclusion of a dock and Arduino. You got 2 USB A, a USB C, and HDMI ports for your trouble.

Happy to hear an upgrade in the audio departament - your workshop medium shots does not hurt my ears anymore, like they used to in your previous videos. Important note here: I write this 'nitpicking flavoured' part of the comment solely because you asked for suggestions (mine is: keep up with the good quality audio and thank you for doing so!) But apart from that - I'm just blown away by your passion, quality control (both in product design and video production), and straight to the point attitude. Thanks for sharing all that! I love it and will stick with your channel for sure. Kudos from Poland! :)

Your choice to put the hinge screws into the base metal just put you head and shoulders above probably 98% of laptop designs. Very cool!

I love it, Great video outlining your design process and execution. The one feature I didn't expect and loved, the extra display inputs. Awesome idea for a potable computer!

I love this cyberdeck. There are plenty projects on here, but this one is both cool, and practical day to day. Very inspiring!

Loved every minute of this video. Absolutely brilliant design and it was a pleasure to watch being built! I didn't know Framework sold just the boards but now I am super intrigued. Best Cyberdeck to date!

Incredibly cool, imaginative and well executed. Good job man!

This is one of the most incredible and capable portable computers I've seen. It can do anything, program stuff, has very good performance and even can take video input! I clicked on this video randomly from my main youtube page and got amazed by your skills and ideas.

A idea for the swappable connectors. The tiny sucction cups that you get with some bathroom hooks and stuff for windsheilds might fit and give you some leverage. Cool video.

For scroll wheel you could use the trackball and one of the unused apple keys to switch between modes. Or add a button to the arduino to change between scroll wheel and mouse pointer movement

It's awesome seeing Framework components used like this! Great job on the build. 👍

Fantastic work! I must say, i found the editing, and all the orange cyberpunkey schematic drawings with the console display font very pleasant to watch.

A great video. I also love the aesthetic of the old computers being fairly old myself - my first computer was a ZX Spectrum! This would have seemed bleeding edge tech, just going back ten years, so it's not that far out there. Very entertaining video.

This totally reminds me of the Toshiba Lbretto from the 90s! I remember seeing it as a kid and wanting one (despite not having any use for it at the time) 😅

This is super cool! Was waiting when a scene for this will start popping up, hopefully others get inspired by you.

I was thinking about a laptop with a small factor like the Steam deck but without the controller layout, this is amazing thanks for sharing!

Well done Ben! Also using it as a KVM is going to appeal to tons of makers. A scroll wheel on the left edge would be nice.

This is such a neat build! One design suggestion for your next iteration: when you're trying to make a semi handheld device, it's really useful to split your mouse buttons out to the opposite side of the enclosure from your trackball/pad/stick/whathaveyou. This lets you click and drag things relatively comfortably with both thumbs.

Pretty cool project! Best outcome of this video is “Computers should be fun“ 😊 Thanks for showing!

I love this project! I'd love to see a version 2 that solves the main problems you ran into (hinge, exposed PCB and wires, etc).

I would buy that if it existed as an official product. The aesthetics, design, size and mobility is spectacular.

Really cool project! It's common to see DIY electronics projects, but it's rare to find one that genuinely looks fully thought out and very usable! Great one!

This level of DIY engineering is fascinating. Wonderful display of creativity, hardware and software application.

I've been wanting something like this so I can make a portable live streaming rig. I highly doubt I'll be able to get my hands on any of it but I have toyed with this very idea of a techdeck since I was a kid and you just showed me it's possible...idk if I'm gonna dive down this rabbit hole again or just find another way at this point, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who think this is a good idea. Subscribed, bells on, and looks like the framework main board is gonna be the spicy part, but man it'd be worth trying to save up for.

Such an awesome build. Well done. Would AutoHotKey allow you to map those Mac buttons to functions? Also, as much as I love trackballs, I wonder if one of the Thinkpad style TrackPoint input would be a better option since it is more compact and, if I remember correctly, pressure sensitive for how fast the mouse moves. All in all, this is probably my favorite custom build projects I have ever seen. Well done!

Congrats on the build: really well thought out, and I think very much in the spirit of the framework ecosystem!

That is one amazing machine you made there. Wish I could have one. Love the form factor too.

This is one of the best DIY projects I've ever seen on UKposts.

Great project! It turned out really well. I have one of those trackball modules as well. Apparently there's a pinout that will make it work on USB as well. I used to use an old piece of software called Applekeys which provided keymapping for the Apple Pro keyboard in Windows. I have no idea if it'll work on Apple's newer hardware, but it's something to look out for. To make the slide in modules easier to remove, you could mill a shallow notch on the underside, so you can hook your thumbnail into it.

I love seeing the things people come up with. This definitely does not disappoint! Very cool.

Amazing use of framework parts and one sick build! keep it up!

Loving your build. v2 could be: custom keyboard utilizing QMK, custom made pcb and chok switches. You could use custom layout, remove unnecessary keys, add some chords, home row mods etc etc... Overall smaller design, remove hinges, let it be flat. Trackball is a nice touch, but consider lenovo trackpoint since keyboard could be custom made. Could be fun and open source portable terminal that outperforms smth like devterm.

I like your idea, and even more the fact you turned this idea into a real useable computer 🙂 Given its Framwork h/w roots, I guess running Linux should not be a problem

Dope cyberdeck, dude! I'm glad you made your video and I'm glad I found it!

I love it, BY FAR the cleanest, nicest Cyberdeck build I've ever seen

Very cool! But please don't use black electrical tape, it will turn into a sticky mess after a while, which will be very difficult to remove if you have to disassemble device again! Acetate cloth high temperature tape is best for this applications!

Hi Ben, randomly stumbled on this video, one thing you could look into is Cerakoat. Would be pretty cool to color your raw aluminum. They have lots of crazy colors. I would recommend the air dry kind you can spray it with a small cheap HVLP gun harbor freight sells. I did a bunch of car parts two weekends ago that turned out killer! Cheers. Cool project!

The fact that this kind of device is buildable now is so cool. Good call on using the framework PC.

That's awesome! Really clean looking and functional. You could probably glue little tabs to the port modules so you can pull them out without opening it.

Impressed! Hoping ARM chips make their way to PCs and to Framework, we could have a passive version of this in a few years with little to no perf hit

hey you can try to somehow make the shift button change the trackball into scroll wheel, maybe connect the apple keyboard to the arduino with the trackball alltogether and then you could also remap the mac specific keys ? not sure if thats doable (usb host on arduino)

That's for sure, one of the best diy projects of the UKposts. Amazing project.

Amazing product ❤. Love the form factor .it's handheld nature . And the ability to work while still holding it

Definitely wanna see a version 2 of this!! Challenge: Version 2 must use a corsair keyboard, and have a streamer setup style(stream labs, capture card feature, and use some sort of audio xlr input with compatibility to an audio mixer)

7:42 as a 3d print hobbyist, i can confirm this is true 😂

Fantastic! I always wish more laptops and portable devices would let you use the screen for another device. Adding the integreated arduino is great too. I love that it actually plays a role in the function of the computer.

This is the coolest thing I've seen someone do with framework parts yet!

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🛠️ The video showcases the creation of a custom Cyberdeck using a Framework laptop motherboard, providing a fully capable Windows computer with unique features. 00:28 📝 A Cyberdeck, inspired by William Gibson's term, is essentially an artisan-crafted computer with a unique design and features, allowing for individual interpretation. 01:37 💻 Framework is a company that produces laptops with a modular and upgradable design, allowing users to build, upgrade, and repair their laptops themselves. 02:05 💽 The chosen hardware for this Cyberdeck is based on a Framework laptop motherboard, offering good performance and modular IO system, making it suitable for customization. 04:09 🖥️ The Cyberdeck features a 2400x900 IPS display, which allows a more usable 8x3 aspect ratio compared to 32x9 displays, and it's capable of being powered and supplied with video via a single USBC cable. 05:32 🔍 The Cyberdeck incorporates a mini Optical trackball and uses an Arduino to interface with it, providing a unique navigation method. 06:28 🎛️ The device maintains the swappable expansion port cards, offering additional functionality and customization options. 07:50 🛠️ The device's housing is created by 3D printing a skeleton and using aluminum plates for a sturdy yet aesthetically pleasing finish. 08:32 🏭 The aluminum plates can be cut and customized with various tools, making them accessible for DIY projects. 09:55 🎮 The device is equipped with additional video inputs, allowing it to function as a monitor for other devices, and the external buttons can be customized for specific functions. 16:55 🎮 Despite its unconventional design, the Cyberdeck offers good performance for various tasks, including playing games like Doom and Overwatch 2. Made with HARPA AI

He...he made a laptop...

This is one of the more cool and useful projects I've seen in a while. Very cool in my opinion.

I absolutely love it my friend. I also appreciate your take on the uniqueness of our computers from the past... I do miss the 90s.

Man, that is brilliant. I'm really glad to see the content like this. It looks like now I want to create something like that too, lol. Hope, I'll have a time soon. Respect

Seriously nice build there and well done presenting it. Framework is finding a new life in unexpected ways,

Awesome! I will never get tired of cyberdeck builds.

This is a really nice build, great video!

This is nuts AND extremely satisfying to watch :) Good work!

awesome job! I think your lil project is super cool!!

Love the Arduino integration and the fact that you can connect a Raspberry Pi to the monitor. Really cool tinkering machine

This is such a cool idea and project. Nicely done. First time on your channel and video. Keep up the good work. I subscribed!

Well done! Nice attention to detail.

Love the trackball mate. You could probably make a shroud for it for transport that you could double-use to have it note directly on a surface, so that you get good airflow (although, considering the thickness of alumininum, it wouldn't be necessary).

Dude, this is so cool! I just learned how to swap and clone an hdd to sdd and I thought I was cool. I have so much more to learn. Thanks for the great video.

This is one of coolest thing I saw on UKposts for a long time

This is beautifully done! I'am going to do this build.

Amazing piece of kit and it just looks beautiful. Whenever you decide to make more of these and sell them, I’ll be first in line to buy one!

Hello Hello From Canada!!! That was a fun episode and the Cyberdeck looks incredible. I don't usually subscribe to a channel on the first video I watch, but this is one of those clever and inspiring projects that made me want to see more. I can't wait to see what I find next so keep up the awesome content. I hope you have good luck with your channel and stay safe healthy and happy. 🤘😁👍

Nice work. The one thing you added, that after you did it, makes you wonder why every laptop doesn't have it, is video in.

I really love your channel and I am so happy to have found your channel. I am no expert in building stuff, but you are an inspiration

This thing is awesome. Great job, I'm definitely subscribing.

First video I’ve ever seen from this channel.. SUBSCRIBED!

this is so cool. i am planning on building something similair but with either a dell mobo or a raspberry pi(maybe even do both. who knows) the idea of having a small pc on the go instead of a bulky laptop sounds so cool to me and the fact that its home build is even more unique.

Incredible work man, great job!

Amazing work Ben.

This looks fantastic. Great work

It’s very cool that you open sourced the hardware design.

Immediate thumbs-up with the mention of the TRS-80 Model 100. Always thought that was the perfect form factor for a portable. Except for maybe tilting the screen slightly toward the user. This whole project sounds interesting as hell.

Awesome video, I just discovered your channel and subscribed! Looking forward to all the content to come!

This is incredible. Thank you!

First time seeing your videos and i fricken love it! Great work and super cool design

Awesome build my friend. I remember the days when computers and electronics all looked different . It was a much cooler time. Keep up the Amazing work. 😎

Love it dude! Great job.

i love this type of content i remember watching people take windows 7 era laptops and try to make them smaller before 3d printers

Glad you used the trackball mouse. I miss that type so much.

This reminds me of some electronic music making devices called groove boxes. I like your design and appreciate the nostalgic look.

Wooww definitely sick build and designs, love it

Love the idea of using the Framework motherboard. I'm using a Pi for a custom build and now I'm thinking that Framework might be worth switching to for v2, due to some of the issues I've encountered. But also Pi5... It's good to have options!

I love this, and am envious of your CNC mill.

Wow! You did a good job! I'm very impressed.