The MediaSlab by Soapbox1858
Nishika Cybersystems - MediaSlab M-6400
After lurking on r/cyberdecks, cyberdeck.cafe, and the discord server for months I finally decided on a plan for a deck I wanted to build. I am really inspired by all the decks I've seen, both the impractical and practical. I decided I wanted to make something that will be comfortable for me to use, and something practical enough that I might actually use it. As cool as I think the RPIs and dev boards are I just know I won't have much use for a machine running on one. I need a full windows PC and/or android apps for what I do on a computer.
So I settled on building my deck around my phone. Currently a Galaxy Note 10+. Which makes it more of a "cyberdock" I guess. I already had a Logitech K830 Bluetooth keyboard with trackpad that I was given as a gift. It is a pretty decent and expensive (overpriced) device that I did not want to permanently modify, and I wanted the ability to use it without the deck so I designed the deck to grab on to the keyboard and be easily removed with a hex key.
The main chassis was 3D printed in PLA, coated with XTC-3D epoxy, sanded and painted.
Rather than design a bracket and mount to hold the phone, I decided to opt for something readymade so it would be more secure and reliable. I used a 50mm arca plate mount normally for a tripod, and a phone holder designed for an arca plate, that locks down to secure the phone, while also rotating. When not in use the mount can be removed and strapped to the side of the deck to make everything more compact.
For the bottom of the deck I printed a mold to cast polyurethane rubber gripper pads. I also decided the wrist pad needed something extra so I designed and printed a pad, which I made a silicone mold of and cast in the same amber rubber. I carefully applied aluminum tape where the pads would go so when they are glued on the tape would reflect more light to make the amber rubber pop.
Inside the deck is a USB-C hub that has 3 USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, and an HDMI output. I opted to use extenders to mount all those ports on an IO back plate. I also installed a 1TB external hard drive. I originally planned to put a battery bank inside, but dealing with passthrough charging options turned out to be a headache and budget concern. So for now the deck is designed to use external power.
For the aesthetics I wanted to make something that looked well used, and customized. Something that started life as a factory made product, but had been modified and personalized. I hijacked the name "Nishika" from the Nishika N8000 camera I have in my collection. (The company was created in the US to "sound Japanese" back in the 80s and make their gimmicky 3D camera seem more premium.) The Mediaslab would have been originally meant as a deck for "Medias" within the cyberpunk universe. But in my case acquired secondhand by an artist and customized for his needs. I designed a corporate logo, product badge, and serial number plate which I printed, laminated, distressed and applied to the deck.
The completed deck can be used with just the phone screen, plugged into any HDMI display to use DEX as a desktop. Or it can cast a desktop wirelessly to any miracast display. It can also be used with any computer with a USB-C port of course.
Check out my build log (#soapbox1858) on the Cyberdeck Cafe discord for more details on the build process.