The Hacker's Handheld

Sometimes electronics hobbyists make things just for fun, and at other times there is more purpose behind the hacking. Redditor MadMax5151’s recent project fell distinctly into the latter category. MadMax5151 needed a handheld Linux computer with a battery that would last a full day for work in the field, but commercial devices meeting this requirement are hard to come by.

So MadMax5151 got busy hacking together a custom handheld computer. It is powered by a Raspberry Pi 3 B+, which was chosen because it can run Kali Linux. This was a hard requirement for MadMax5151’s work. A custom battery pack was created from 18650 rechargeable batteries to supply 14,000 mAh of power for all-day use.

The Raspberry Pi’s USB ports were removed to make the computer a bit slimmer, and an SSD controller was soldered directly to the Pi for a more reliable storage option. A sizable LCD display was hooked up to the system, along with a commercial keyboard with a trackpad, to handle I/O. An external high-gain antenna was also included in the build to monitor wireless signals in the area.

All of the hardware was fitted into a custom, 3D-printed case designed using Fusion 360. An internal fan keeps everything cool, even under stress.

The case is pretty chunky, and at over 1.5 pounds, it is pretty heavy as well. However, the computer does everything MadMax5151 needs it to do, and the battery lasts all day long. It’s hard to beat the DIY option when you’ve got some highly-specific requirements, like MadMax5151 does.