DIY handheld PC uses mechanical keyboard, Game Boy pieces, Raspberry Pi

Article note: Man, this thing is getting traction in the media. It _is_ far and away one of the most polished and practical machines of it's sort if seen, but lots of people are building little custom machines in odd form-factors. Most of that activity is under the "cyberdeck" name.

Enlarge (credit: Penk/Github)

If someone is using a handheld PC these days, it's almost certainly a smartphone. But a Raspberry Pi has a way of bringing out an enthusiast's retro side. Add in some old console parts and a true mechanical keyboard, and you've got a DIY PC that can fit in the palm of your hand.

Called the Penkesu and shared via GitHub by a user known as Penk Chen, the project is described as "a homebrew retro-style handheld PC." It uses a 7.9-inch touchscreen with a 400 x 1,280 resolution and a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. Other electronic parts include a 3.7 V Li-Po battery and Adafruit PowerBoost 1000C for power.

Chen 3D-printed the PC's chassis and shared the corresponding STL files and STEP file. The maker also used replacement hinges for the Game Boy Advance SP to allow the PC to fold shut.