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A project log for Modular OTS Cyberdeck Creation Kit

A suite of printables designed around using (mostly) off-the-shell parts to make your own custom computing platform/ Cyber Deck/ Lapdock

sp4mSp4m 04/23/2023 at 05:590 Comments

Hello! I got a little burnt out after my previous push and had to take some time off. In the previous month, I had the good fortune to find both a last gen apple 60% keyboard and touch pad in the garbage. 

The apple magic touch pad and 60% keyboard are very thin and light, giving me an easy option for implementing a left-hand, analog touch control. You'll see what I'm getting at.

Here is is, naked. I am trying a unibody print, with cable access panels on the bottom.

The position of the track pad allows for one handed operation for vertical and horizontal scrolling, and there's enough surface area exposed that it's still a convenient multi-touch track pad.

The Green module there is the 'MoKin' USB Hub. It was the first USB hub I bought for my steam deck, and my favorite, in terms of connection density.

.... and I just realized that I failed to replace the rear module mounting holes.
Fortunately, I've been working on this project for so long, everything is modular. more or less.

1. Export "Hole Cut" component from earlier copy of project.

2. Save "Hole Cut" component to same project space as the "Apple Ecosystem" chassis above.

3. Right Click, and Insert into current project.

4. Profit


There we go!

As a prototype print, I didn't build it with additional tolerances for the keyboard and touch pad. I want to see how well then fit without "wiggle room".

-----Update!



The theory is sound... it looks like it's supposed to, but I have all the anticipated failures.

1. The components don't fit, I need about 1mm 'wiggle room' on all sides. It's easy to get a tighter fit for things like this, just add a layer of foam tape. It's very hard to widen a nook on a 3d printed part.

2. Printing as a single part was successful, but there are a few places where leftover support material is hard to remove, and impacting the fit.

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