I am impressed too because i was trying to build my own steam deck from a mini pc but it turned out really bad because i havent found a small enough laptop battery
These videos are really helpful to get an understanding of the development process, I'm on very early stage of building my own one cause most of the handhelds out there don't match my requirement, Your NucDeck and RetroLite projects are a massive help. Thank you very much for these!
Glad they are proving useful to you! I wanted to make sure everyone has a good understanding of what's involved before they attempt to build their own as some of the PCB work is probably a bit tricky for beginners!
amazing project , i enjoyed the technical side , im currently working on a smartwatch with esp8266 and a round oled display ,your videos give me alot of inspiration and help replenish my enthusiasm when i hit a road block !
Glad I'm giving you some motivation to continue! That sounds like a cool project too! Are you sharing your progress anywhere? Some of the guys in my discord would definitely be interested!
@@cncdan im not sharing my progress with anyone simply becoz i dont think anyone would be interested the app is way farther than the hardware since im a software developer mainly and im waiting for some parts for now. i have a defined set of goals (i want time ,calendar ,push notifications , media control , and more than a week of battery life ) since i dont need features like heart rate monitor and speakers or gyros and stuff like that , i thought no one would be interested. i just want a replacement for my "pebble steel" smartwatch that died a few months ago. but i will post a demo video on discord once i have a working prototype
Software dev trying to build their own hardware is definitely the kind of content so many of us have been dying for. Wishing you luck! Hope we can definitely get a video someday, subbing to be safe
Thankyou! They won't all be this tech heavy but I need people to know what's involved before they dive in and buy parts to build their own. Hopefully this video does a good job of illustrating that for them!
I love seeing DIY projects like this because it really pushes the technology foward and experiments with possible futures for the prospect of handheld pcs, keep up the good work!
This series has been great. The work you've done on the project is awesome, and I really appreciate the series' nice balance of quick and concise content while still showcasing all the ups and downs of iterative design. Great job all around, I can't wait to see how it all comes together in the final version.
Saw the article about this on hackaday. The comments there are disappointing. Nearly everyone is a damn critic (in a bad way) lol and completely missing what a marvel this achievement is. Very impressive work, by the way. People like you show us how we're living in an exciting age of computer tech. 😊
Thanks for the kind words! I don't expect everyone is going to get the point of this, but I'm grateful for those who do! I've learnt a lot on this one so hopefully the next one will be another big step up in terms of functionality and quality!
Its something I hope the manufacturers of the other systems pay attention too. I think it has its place on ANY handheld gaming system so you have constant access to battery information without interfering with gameplay!
Since you're using the Pi Pico which can act as a USB HID device, have you considered implementing the USB HID UPS class? This would allow windows to have the battery info without needing drivers, allowing it scale power usage to conserve battery as well as shutdown safely to avoid over-draining. I know in another comment you mention using the pico instead of the RP2040 by itself for ease of construction, but board houses to sometimes have part population services as well. Once board designs are finalized you could consider something like crowdsupply, or just a large group order and have the boards completely pre-manufactured.
That's something I didn't realise was possible. Have you got any good resources where I can learn about the USB HID UPS class? I've had a bit of a google but I haven't found anyone using a pico for this purpose yet and writing a library for it may be a bit over my head at the moment, but I'm definitely interested to learn about it. As for the rest of your comment, I'm definitely aware I can have the boards pre-assembled but they are often quite expensive in short production runs so I figured I would try and minimise the amount of tricky soldering wherever possible so most people should at least be able to build one or two of the PCB's themselves, even if they have to leave the complex ones to a fab house. A group order is definitely a possibility once I have the design fully finalised though!
I cheated and got a cheap 8th gen NUC motherboard with Iris (its got a board fault with no power to the USB ports), but the fan is huge and now I have to redesign the back shell to fit it 😂.
I think I remember trying an 8th gen model in here when I was designing it. Should be able to just straighten up the taper on the sides of that middle section a bit and it should fit!
Hopefully very soon! I've had a busy month so haven't made much progress on this but I will be doing another video in the coming weeks covering some software stuff and some of the testing I've been doing in the meantime. I'm hoping to get a final revision of the power management board designed over the christmas break so I can wrap this project up early next year and move onto an upgraded version!
amazing! personally i'm excited about all the future mods folks will come up with not to mention most of the stuff here can probably be modified for other uses something like a mini laptop/cyberdeck's
honestly it seems like it wouldn't take too much to shove any number of small Single-board/industrial computers into that case, though you might have to print an appropriate center-section for it. That's NEAT. I assume the controller just comes up as a USB device?
Yep, controller is USB. The power management system is entirely independent of the NUC too so you'll retain battery monitoring etc regardless of what system you put in it. A few resistor changes on the power managament board and you can configure it for a different battery configuration (1 to 4s) and then just use a buck/boost to get 5v from there for a raspberry pi. This is something I plan to explore in the future!
@cncdan that is neat! (Wonder how Windows gets power management data from battery management circuits anyway. UART/serial maybe? If it where something that mundane, adding it might only be a *minor* nightmare. Though that aux screen is awesome). That's the power of 3D printing and cheap prototyping services for pcbs.ill have to keep an eye out for the release revision
I was super excited when I saw this series a few months ago. I'm even more excited to see your further progress. I'm curious if it'd possible to use an OLED screen and aside from having to swap out a hdmi port with a fpc connector would there be other limitations to using a newer more powerful nuc? In my mind i could see something more powerful or on par with the current PC handhelds. Anyway, your work is very inspiring. Thanks so much for putting in the work to share.
I have a newer NUC (8th gen i7). The fan is much much larger, looks just like a Ryzen 7840 MinisForum "NUC" (see the video ETA Prime just did.). It looks like it might fit with a little grille for some airflow and a bump out for the fan in the bottom side bevel. It was a 15 hr print so I might cut the holes for now (I need to do that anyway to measure for them). I forked the github as Switch Nucdeck, or NUC switchdeck, I forget 😅. I am also re-designing the case to use Switch rails on the side because knock off Joy cons are cheaper than custom PCBs and I wanted to be able to play with the wireless controllers off the system. (Like a Legion Go. Come to think of it the Legion Go controller might be a nice upgrade if they are compatible at all)
Yeah, this is eventually the plan. I started with this nuc due entirely to budget limitations but I'm planning to upgrade once everything is working. Swapping to an OLED would at a bare minimum require changes to the housing design.
Awesome, make sure you share some pictures of your progress! I'll be interested to see what you do with the power management since that is all contained within the back of the controller at the moment!
@@milescarter7803With a 8 inch screen instead of 7 it should give you more room and easier to fit in the batteries and NUC behind it so you can achieve the tablet form factor.
Making it any thinner would require a custom cooling solution for the NUC. Not out of the question, but I tried to minimise the changes to the nuc where possible to make it an easier build!
Super interesting project! I'd go for it (i have a 3d printer farm, soldering and assembly workshop), but I have absolutely no idea what kind of a NUC would work with this?
Go for it! I've used a 7th gen i5 NUC just because they were relatively cheap on the used market and I wasn't sure how successful the project would be initially so I didn't want to drop a heap of money on a newer one. The idea is that you should be able to use most of the NUC's available, just with a minor change to the rear cover and outlet plate. Keep in mind however that some of the higher end NUC's use a lot more power so they may need their TDP capped to stay within the abilities of the power management system.
@@cncdan Yeah, I'll see what I can find here on the used market as well. Too bad the NUCs are not much better or cheaper than something like the Framework Mainboard (you can get the lower end i7 1165 one for 299 right now).
Yeah, this one is really only for the Intel NUC's. Most other mini PC's aren't well documented so I'm not sure if they can be run straight off a battery like this one can. I'm considering a revision using an AMD mini PC though so stay tuned!
I tried Holoiso back when I first started the project and driver support just wasn't there for this older intel CPU. I will be investigating other software options once the hardware is complete!
We can also use a chromebox with windows to make it more cheaper to build. Awesome stuff, planning to build similar to this one using a Tbao Mini PC Ryzen 3 2200u but cancelled it because steam deck is now available in my country (PH).
I think the chromeboxes are a bit bigger than a NUC, so it may not be a drop in replacement for my design. It would however be doable if you were designing one from scratch!
Didn't even know that was a thing! Looks like it would fit, but I'd have to get one and test it to see what the power consumption is like to know if my power mangament system is up to the task.
@@cncdan I figured you would probably pass on it because the power consumption would be higher but when I saw you worked out the power management I thought it would be great to see what it could pull off.
Yeah I'm definitely interested in it as a possibility. Could cap the TPD easily enough to ensure it didn't damage anything. I'll have to look at some benchmarks and see how it performs compared to some of the newer NUC's
@@cncdan might be a toss up between performance and efficiency. It's also several years old at this point so I'm sure it's pretty inefficient. 11th gen and higher will have the integrated Iris XE graphics which will be more efficient but may not be as performant.
This is incredible so well done. It looks so professionally made. You should try get a job with one of the pc building giants as you could teach them a thing or two. That tiny screen looks great too.
What is the IMU? It looks like an mpu6050. I would consider swapping out the mpu6050 with the BMI160 because it is a lot better and its a dollar, that is, if you are using the 6050.
Yeah it is a 6050. I've just ordered a BMI160 so I can have a look at it. Looks like it's got a compatible pin order so I should just be able to swap it over
i like this the cool part is in theory should you want to upgrade all it would take is replacing the back plastic plate for one compatible with whatever nuc you upgrade to
Very cool project 👍. My only question is what Intel Nuc is used in this project exactly?. And is it also possible to use something based on the AMD platform?. To sum up, I think it's a great project. Even in terms of the approach to small details, it is impressive. Congratulations, I will definitely follow this project.
AMD would be a better choice as Linux based distros can be used without any additional hustle. Not for every game perhaps, but indies, oldies and some spicy emulation could and should be done on such platforms. Also could be cool if a 5g router found its place in the design for a fast internet and as a result - remote play to bring those AAA titles to life on a handheld.
@@lateralol It depends on the person what, and how they want to use it. For me personally it would be more convenient. I don't think I need to explain to anyone that thanks to the use of AMD, you can use the interface, and everything else that SteamOs offers.
@@cncdan well you don't have to do it now and not with your current version of the device. It is however something to keep on your radar for future versions, if you plan on having more iterations that is :) otherwise, absolutely sick stuff, keep doing it!
Haha actually, that's a pair of ringtail possums. I didn't notice they were even there until I was editing and figured hardly anyone would notice so I left it in. Guess I have more work to do on possum proofing 🤣
Its a 7th gen i5 NUC. The idea is that you should be able to use any NUC form factor mini pc with minimal modifications to the design. Just the rear and top covers may need slight adjustments for other models!
Can you make a smaller one with an Intel ComputeStick? I've used Core-M3 3Y60 (basically an i3 7100, but 1GHz slower) and is pretty good and uses less power. I like this idea.
Yeah you definitely could. I considered the compute stick for this, but since the most powerful ones are still pretty slow I decided to go for a platform that had more upgrade options for once the project is complete.
I tried tomb raider in an earlier video, it runs great on full settings! GTA V is a tricky one because even though it released that long ago, its been constantly updated so it is a pretty heavy load on a PC like this. I haven't bothered trying because I've seen a few other people test it on more powerful systems without much luck.
Рік тому+1
This is awesome that you are able to do the job of a whole company only by yourself. I believe if you put more performant pc in it, it would be amazing. Can you program it so it wont charge battery more than 60% when plugged in to preserve battery health? Its not necessary but may be a good idea for some users.
Yeah, I will look into upgrading the NUC once the project is complete. It was hard to justify spending more money than I did on a NUC just to rip it apart and stick it in a device I wasn't even sure would work, which is why I used a fairly old one to begin with. Yes, any battery level should eventually be an option you could change, once I have the battery management fully working.
They've only just recently become available in Australia otherwise it's an option I might've considered originally! Yes, definitely a possibility but will need to be a complete re-design!
Is there any chance that in the future, you'll release a newer version for sale as a kit made up of pre-soldered "modules" that could be connected together by the user without many tools? maybe a bit bulkier but more modular for use with their own nuc? Similar in practice to the Clockwork Raspberry pi products, of course more complicated and expensive. but still. Anyways, it's a very cool project. Congrats. 👍🏻
Pretty unlikely unfortunately! I suspect supplying kits for something like this would end up being a pretty time consuming and joy-killing experience. I'm kind of hoping someone with some mass-production experience will pick up the completed design and produce a few. As long as I'm credited for the design, I'll be happy to see it happen!
I saw your release trailer for this thing and been going back and watching previous episodes. This is such a cool project! I'm in the process of making a handheld using a raspberry Pi zero 2w, and was thinking about using your 3D printed buttons. Out of curiosity, why are the ABXY buttons different heights?
The buttons are different heights to match the tapered side profile of the housing. I've provided .STEP files for all the parts which are easily modified in any parametric cad software such as fusion 360, so you should be able to fix the heights on them to all be the same if you wish!
I'd really recommend swapping out the MPU6050 with the BMI160 module or a BMI270 chip, they're a lot more accurate and drift a lot less when calibrated.
Where did you buy the 19-pin connector, I can't find it and what module do you use to increase the voltage to 19v? These episodes are very interesting.
Any 19 pin 0.5mm spaced fpc connector should work. Mine came from DigiKey but most electronic component suppliers should stock them. I'm not actually increasing the voltage to 19v. This NUC accepts a voltage range from about 12-20v so I'm running it straight from a 4s lithium battery with a custom designed battery management system for charging and power path management.
Terror of Hemasaurus!!YES!!!! Love this bad boy! Gave me vibes of me and my cousin playing Rampage... Man; i would pay for this kit ready to assemble; do you consider selling these??
Great work , hopefully you can figure out a way to make a kit for the less technically inclined. A portable PC that doesn't cost 1000s and is user repairable/replaceable would be awesome 👍.
Not really planning to produce kits at this stage as they'd probably be more expensive than some of the existing options due to the low volume. I'm kind of hoping someone picks up the design once it's complete and mass produces it to make it cheap so we can save some NUCs from e-waste!
Actually nuts that you've fit 6000mAH into this! Well done mate. I wonder if there's a small thumbpad module you could integrate into one of the controllers to make desktop browsing easier 🤔
I find the joystick mouse is actually pretty good, but if I found a small enough trackpad module I'd consider it on the next one! Its 4s, 3000mah btw. Roughly 50 watt hours!
Nice job :) If vsync is enabled, the driver will cap the game at the refreshrate of the monitor (uncapping fps is mainly useful if you need a lower input lag, more relevant in esports)
Yeah, I'm aware of how Vsync is supposed to work. The unusal thing with Ori is that with vsync disabled, it still wouldn't go over 60fps even though the hardware is capable of it.
Thankyou! Its a shame AMD hasn't been in the game with mini computers for long enough for there to be used ones available in my area as I probably would've gone that way otherwise. Maybe for the next one!
I really like the idea behind these systems, however upon looking into the hardware, I realised they relied on an Intel NUC mainboard, which is discontinued as far as I can tell. Is there a clone that can be readily purchased that will work reliably with all the other software/hardware you've designed? Or is the NUC still being produced by a company besides Intel? Or are we just at the whim of the surplus/used market?
The plan was always to be able to use second hand NUC's to keep the cost down. Having said that, I believe ASUS is supposed to be picking up where intel left off so we may get some newer systems in the same form factor in the future! There's also all the AMD mini pc's that are everywhere at the moment. Trouble is they don't fully conform to the NUC form factor so a different design will probably be needed to make use of them!
Tried it when I first started the project but I couldn't get it running due to lack of driver support for the older intel CPU. I will look into some other options in the future once I have finished the hardware side of things.
This is something I'll be able to figure out soon. I've lost track of what I've spent so far but once I have a complete bill of materials I will be able to add it all up.
I wanted to know but will you be releasing different versions of this for the other generation of nuc or will it be left for the person to figure out how to connect everything to the custom PCB?
Hello, I live in Germany. When I saw your NucDeck I immediately wanted to recreate it. Are there already circuit diagrams and files? Please let us know. I'm already printing the case. greetings from Germany
3 out of the 4 PCBs are now up on GitHub, ready to go. I'm working on what is hopefully the final BMS revision so I should have the project completed soon!
I wonder if choosing Ryzen APU wouldn't be better for you and battery life. Great technical skills and a lot of work put on into the project. Good job!
You're right, it probably would be. They aren't very common around my area though so finding a second hand one proved pretty much impossible and I couldn't justify the spend on a brand new one without knowing I could make it work. Now that this project is almost complete though I'm thinking about some options for the next revision so stay tuned 😉
Great work here! Will you be splitting your time revising this and working on a new project? Or are the next couple months focused on upgrading your NucDeck!
Unsure yet. I've still got a little bit of work left to do before I can officially call this one complete. I may have a look at doing some upgrades on it but ultimately I think there will be a V2 in the works in the not to distant future as I have learnt a lot from this one and I have some changes I'd like to make that can only be rectified with a full re-design!
Hi CNC Dan. Do you think this is possible with a framework of using Batocera OS, which is a retro emulation OS running everything from Atari to Xbox 360, and even steam games? I’m thinking of doing this myself, but with a framework pc and Batocera Linux, as well as your pcb designs and framework speakers and batteries.
There was a video getting around a few weeks ago of someone who built their own portable console with a framework mainboard, so yes, I'm sure its possible. As for running any variety of linux on it, that's just something you'll have to try but I suspect it should be fine!
Wow this is really cool. I always wondered it could it be done and I guess we have a model answer here. Btw, Framework sells just the mainboard standalone. Not sure if it is too big to make a handheld from it.
The technical stuff goes over my head but seeing this project over the months and it continuingly getting better is very interesting.
Glad you're enjoying it!
Dude. I cannot tell you how impressed I am by your dedication and drive.
All the awesome comments help me keep going, so thanks!
I am impressed too because i was trying to build my own steam deck from a mini pc but it turned out really bad because i havent found a small enough laptop battery
These videos are really helpful to get an understanding of the development process, I'm on very early stage of building my own one cause most of the handhelds out there don't match my requirement, Your NucDeck and RetroLite projects are a massive help. Thank you very much for these!
Glad they are proving useful to you! I wanted to make sure everyone has a good understanding of what's involved before they attempt to build their own as some of the PCB work is probably a bit tricky for beginners!
Looks great Dan, that gamepad/battery controller is so over the top and I love it.
So do I! I keep finding more stuff to program into it. Can't wait till I can get the battery indicator to actually work!
This is such a clean build, love it. Man that shell looks so 🔥!
Gentlemen... hats off please. This man created THE perfect cloud gaming, retro gaming machine using a goddamn NUC. Hats off sir...
Thankyou! Nothings perfect though! I've already got some ideas for the next one lol
Brooo this is amazing!!! I’m sure I’m with the 1000000 other people that would love to purchase one!
Maybe one day!
@@cncdan I want one!
amazing project , i enjoyed the technical side , im currently working on a smartwatch with esp8266 and a round oled display ,your videos give me alot of inspiration and help replenish my enthusiasm when i hit a road block !
Glad I'm giving you some motivation to continue! That sounds like a cool project too! Are you sharing your progress anywhere? Some of the guys in my discord would definitely be interested!
@@cncdan im not sharing my progress with anyone simply becoz i dont think anyone would be interested
the app is way farther than the hardware since im a software developer mainly and im waiting for some parts for now.
i have a defined set of goals (i want time ,calendar ,push notifications , media control , and more than a week of battery life ) since i dont need features like heart rate monitor and speakers or gyros and stuff like that , i thought no one would be interested.
i just want a replacement for my "pebble steel" smartwatch that died a few months ago.
but i will post a demo video on discord once i have a working prototype
Software dev trying to build their own hardware is definitely the kind of content so many of us have been dying for.
Wishing you luck!
Hope we can definitely get a video someday, subbing to be safe
The completed build really is something.
Thanks!
Great project. Love the idea of convert a Nuc in a portable console. Excellent work.
Thanks!
this deserves a gold star. awesome work!
Thankyou!
I have no idea about the tech thing, but I think what you doing is amazing job.
Thankyou! They won't all be this tech heavy but I need people to know what's involved before they dive in and buy parts to build their own. Hopefully this video does a good job of illustrating that for them!
I love seeing DIY projects like this because it really pushes the technology foward and experiments with possible futures for the prospect of handheld pcs, keep up the good work!
This is ultimately my aim with projects like this. Thanks for watching!
This series has been great. The work you've done on the project is awesome, and I really appreciate the series' nice balance of quick and concise content while still showcasing all the ups and downs of iterative design. Great job all around, I can't wait to see how it all comes together in the final version.
Thanks, glad you're enjoying it!
Wow sir, your knowledge is beyond amazing, you deserve to be a billionaire.
Thankyou!
Man you deserve the true gaming awards more than big companies
Thanks!
Saw the article about this on hackaday. The comments there are disappointing. Nearly everyone is a damn critic (in a bad way) lol and completely missing what a marvel this achievement is.
Very impressive work, by the way. People like you show us how we're living in an exciting age of computer tech. 😊
Thanks for the kind words! I don't expect everyone is going to get the point of this, but I'm grateful for those who do! I've learnt a lot on this one so hopefully the next one will be another big step up in terms of functionality and quality!
Amazing man! Much love from 🇵🇭
Thanks!
1편부터 7편까지 계속 지켜보고 있었습니다. 정말 잘 보고 있고 계속 응원하고 있습니다. 이러한 영상과 팁들을 올려주셔서 감사합니다.
Glad you're enjoying them!
It's definitely a awesome project hope you enjoyed it I am now going to see previous episodes now I found your channel right now!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I just want to say that this is awesome
And I just want to say, thankyou!
Love the battery 🔋 window screen
Its something I hope the manufacturers of the other systems pay attention too. I think it has its place on ANY handheld gaming system so you have constant access to battery information without interfering with gameplay!
Да, чувак, у тебя прямые руки! Растут оттуда, откуда нужно! Продолжай!!!
i just started watching this and i already know this is gonna be sick
It's only going to get better!
Since you're using the Pi Pico which can act as a USB HID device, have you considered implementing the USB HID UPS class? This would allow windows to have the battery info without needing drivers, allowing it scale power usage to conserve battery as well as shutdown safely to avoid over-draining.
I know in another comment you mention using the pico instead of the RP2040 by itself for ease of construction, but board houses to sometimes have part population services as well. Once board designs are finalized you could consider something like crowdsupply, or just a large group order and have the boards completely pre-manufactured.
That's something I didn't realise was possible. Have you got any good resources where I can learn about the USB HID UPS class? I've had a bit of a google but I haven't found anyone using a pico for this purpose yet and writing a library for it may be a bit over my head at the moment, but I'm definitely interested to learn about it.
As for the rest of your comment, I'm definitely aware I can have the boards pre-assembled but they are often quite expensive in short production runs so I figured I would try and minimise the amount of tricky soldering wherever possible so most people should at least be able to build one or two of the PCB's themselves, even if they have to leave the complex ones to a fab house. A group order is definitely a possibility once I have the design fully finalised though!
Fantastic project I enjoyed every min of it!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I cheated and got a cheap 8th gen NUC motherboard with Iris (its got a board fault with no power to the USB ports), but the fan is huge and now I have to redesign the back shell to fit it 😂.
I think I remember trying an 8th gen model in here when I was designing it. Should be able to just straighten up the taper on the sides of that middle section a bit and it should fit!
Hey man i absolutely love this, any timeline for when the final revision will be done because i would absolutely love to takle this project !
Hopefully very soon! I've had a busy month so haven't made much progress on this but I will be doing another video in the coming weeks covering some software stuff and some of the testing I've been doing in the meantime. I'm hoping to get a final revision of the power management board designed over the christmas break so I can wrap this project up early next year and move onto an upgraded version!
@@cncdan amazing! I'm looking forward to it!
amazing! personally i'm excited about all the future mods folks will come up with not to mention most of the stuff here can probably be modified for other uses something like a mini laptop/cyberdeck's
Me too! Keen to see what everyone comes up with!
honestly it seems like it wouldn't take too much to shove any number of small Single-board/industrial computers into that case, though you might have to print an appropriate center-section for it. That's NEAT. I assume the controller just comes up as a USB device?
Yep, controller is USB. The power management system is entirely independent of the NUC too so you'll retain battery monitoring etc regardless of what system you put in it. A few resistor changes on the power managament board and you can configure it for a different battery configuration (1 to 4s) and then just use a buck/boost to get 5v from there for a raspberry pi. This is something I plan to explore in the future!
@cncdan that is neat! (Wonder how Windows gets power management data from battery management circuits anyway. UART/serial maybe? If it where something that mundane, adding it might only be a *minor* nightmare. Though that aux screen is awesome).
That's the power of 3D printing and cheap prototyping services for pcbs.ill have to keep an eye out for the release revision
I think it would be a great platform for use with the framework laptop motherboards as well.
This thing is a work of art! Very cool!
Can you please write the list of games you've played in this video?
I'll do that when I'm next in front of the computer! I'll add them to the video description and comment here again when I've done it
I was super excited when I saw this series a few months ago. I'm even more excited to see your further progress. I'm curious if it'd possible to use an OLED screen and aside from having to swap out a hdmi port with a fpc connector would there be other limitations to using a newer more powerful nuc? In my mind i could see something more powerful or on par with the current PC handhelds. Anyway, your work is very inspiring. Thanks so much for putting in the work to share.
I have a newer NUC (8th gen i7). The fan is much much larger, looks just like a Ryzen 7840 MinisForum "NUC" (see the video ETA Prime just did.).
It looks like it might fit with a little grille for some airflow and a bump out for the fan in the bottom side bevel. It was a 15 hr print so I might cut the holes for now (I need to do that anyway to measure for them). I forked the github as Switch Nucdeck, or NUC switchdeck, I forget 😅.
I am also re-designing the case to use Switch rails on the side because knock off Joy cons are cheaper than custom PCBs and I wanted to be able to play with the wireless controllers off the system. (Like a Legion Go. Come to think of it the Legion Go controller might be a nice upgrade if they are compatible at all)
Yeah, this is eventually the plan. I started with this nuc due entirely to budget limitations but I'm planning to upgrade once everything is working. Swapping to an OLED would at a bare minimum require changes to the housing design.
Awesome, make sure you share some pictures of your progress! I'll be interested to see what you do with the power management since that is all contained within the back of the controller at the moment!
@@milescarter7803With a 8 inch screen instead of 7 it should give you more room and easier to fit in the batteries and NUC behind it so you can achieve the tablet form factor.
Making it any thinner would require a custom cooling solution for the NUC. Not out of the question, but I tried to minimise the changes to the nuc where possible to make it an easier build!
Super interesting project! I'd go for it (i have a 3d printer farm, soldering and assembly workshop), but I have absolutely no idea what kind of a NUC would work with this?
Go for it! I've used a 7th gen i5 NUC just because they were relatively cheap on the used market and I wasn't sure how successful the project would be initially so I didn't want to drop a heap of money on a newer one. The idea is that you should be able to use most of the NUC's available, just with a minor change to the rear cover and outlet plate. Keep in mind however that some of the higher end NUC's use a lot more power so they may need their TDP capped to stay within the abilities of the power management system.
@@cncdan Yeah, I'll see what I can find here on the used market as well. Too bad the NUCs are not much better or cheaper than something like the Framework Mainboard (you can get the lower end i7 1165 one for 299 right now).
Looking goooood a real sharp piece of work you got
Thanks!
Wow this is wonderful awesome to see you running the stats
I'll try and ensure I'm running onscreen stats for all my future games testing. Didn't realise until recently how much people appreciate it.
Dude what a sick build, I take it this setup will be compatible with any Nuc Preferred. Either way I love that build
Yeah, this one is really only for the Intel NUC's. Most other mini PC's aren't well documented so I'm not sure if they can be run straight off a battery like this one can. I'm considering a revision using an AMD mini PC though so stay tuned!
This is amazing man!
Cheers!
Screen look so nice running Ori🎉
Sure does!
I’d like to start my own 3D printed Nucdeck at some point. Does any 4x4 mini pc work or specifically the intel/ASUS ones? Also Amazing work!
Anything that is the "NUC" form factor should be acheivable with minimal modification to the design!
@@cncdan Great, Thanks!
Amazing Work Respect.
Thankyou!
I love this! But I can't help but wonder why you'd run Windows instead of the new Steam OS which is already optimized for portable gaming devices.
I tried Holoiso back when I first started the project and driver support just wasn't there for this older intel CPU. I will be investigating other software options once the hardware is complete!
We can also use a chromebox with windows to make it more cheaper to build. Awesome stuff, planning to build similar to this one using a Tbao Mini PC Ryzen 3 2200u but cancelled it because steam deck is now available in my country (PH).
I think the chromeboxes are a bit bigger than a NUC, so it may not be a drop in replacement for my design. It would however be doable if you were designing one from scratch!
Amazing work, just insane what some people can do, keep going with content like that!
Thanks, will do!
Can you fit this in an Altoids Tin next time? Apart from that, nice work mate!
Maybe, but would have to be careful that the battery doesn't short out on the tin as they are very dangerous you know 🤣
Great series! Btw, is it possible to strip down the rpi pico down to rp2040 instead of having the dev board inside?
Absolutely. I only included the full sized pico in an attempt to make the PCB easier to assemble for beginners.
Just amazing man, mad respect!
Thankyou!
Congrats 👏🏼 is so beautiful 🤩🤩
I liked the little screen 😍 is genius!!!
Glad you like it!
Exquisite work my friend! I wonder how the 8th gen NUC with the AMD RX540 in it would run. They still sell on Amazon.
Didn't even know that was a thing! Looks like it would fit, but I'd have to get one and test it to see what the power consumption is like to know if my power mangament system is up to the task.
@@cncdan I figured you would probably pass on it because the power consumption would be higher but when I saw you worked out the power management I thought it would be great to see what it could pull off.
Yeah I'm definitely interested in it as a possibility. Could cap the TPD easily enough to ensure it didn't damage anything. I'll have to look at some benchmarks and see how it performs compared to some of the newer NUC's
@@cncdan might be a toss up between performance and efficiency. It's also several years old at this point so I'm sure it's pretty inefficient. 11th gen and higher will have the integrated Iris XE graphics which will be more efficient but may not be as performant.
@@cncdanid definitely love to see that
awesome project! fantastic idea!
Glad you like it!
This is incredible so well done. It looks so professionally made. You should try get a job with one of the pc building giants as you could teach them a thing or two. That tiny screen looks great too.
Thanks! I do already do design work for a living, just for much larger less portable things 🤣
What is the IMU? It looks like an mpu6050. I would consider swapping out the mpu6050 with the BMI160 because it is a lot better and its a dollar, that is, if you are using the 6050.
Yeah it is a 6050. I've just ordered a BMI160 so I can have a look at it. Looks like it's got a compatible pin order so I should just be able to swap it over
i like this the cool part is in theory should you want to upgrade all it would take is replacing the back plastic plate for one compatible with whatever nuc you upgrade to
And the top plate. But yep, you've got the idea!
@@cncdan yes that too would prove most usefull in such a upgrade lol
Very cool project 👍. My only question is what Intel Nuc is used in this project exactly?. And is it also possible to use something based on the AMD platform?. To sum up, I think it's a great project. Even in terms of the approach to small details, it is impressive. Congratulations, I will definitely follow this project.
It's a 7th Gen i5 nuc at the moment. I'm planning to upgrade it to something newer (maybe an AMD if I can find a reasonably priced one) once I'm done!
AMD would be a better choice as Linux based distros can be used without any additional hustle. Not for every game perhaps, but indies, oldies and some spicy emulation could and should be done on such platforms. Also could be cool if a 5g router found its place in the design for a fast internet and as a result - remote play to bring those AAA titles to life on a handheld.
@@lateralol It depends on the person what, and how they want to use it. For me personally it would be more convenient. I don't think I need to explain to anyone that thanks to the use of AMD, you can use the interface, and everything else that SteamOs offers.
Yeah, AMD would've been cool but they just haven't been in the mini PC game that long so finding a cheapish used one wasn't possible.
@@cncdan well you don't have to do it now and not with your current version of the device. It is however something to keep on your radar for future versions, if you plan on having more iterations that is :) otherwise, absolutely sick stuff, keep doing it!
amazing work! love the idea.
Thanks!
dude, this is pretty awesome that you built your own handheld. Also, cat tail at the end of the video XD
Haha actually, that's a pair of ringtail possums. I didn't notice they were even there until I was editing and figured hardly anyone would notice so I left it in. Guess I have more work to do on possum proofing 🤣
great job man!
Thanks!
That is mighty impressive I must say, congrats 👍
Thanks!
I'd love to buy a "electronics kit" if you come around to make it! I got a 3d printer but no way of making the PCBs haha
Pretty unlikely, but I will certainly make sure to update you all if its something I end up doing!
Hi mate, lovely build! What mini pc did you use and where can I find it?
Its a 7th gen i5 NUC. The idea is that you should be able to use any NUC form factor mini pc with minimal modifications to the design. Just the rear and top covers may need slight adjustments for other models!
@@cncdan Cheers thank you :)
Can you make a smaller one with an Intel ComputeStick? I've used Core-M3 3Y60 (basically an i3 7100, but 1GHz slower) and is pretty good and uses less power. I like this idea.
Yeah you definitely could. I considered the compute stick for this, but since the most powerful ones are still pretty slow I decided to go for a platform that had more upgrade options for once the project is complete.
That looks great. Can you test 7th gen AAA games like Tomb Raider 2013 or GTA V?
I tried tomb raider in an earlier video, it runs great on full settings! GTA V is a tricky one because even though it released that long ago, its been constantly updated so it is a pretty heavy load on a PC like this. I haven't bothered trying because I've seen a few other people test it on more powerful systems without much luck.
This is awesome that you are able to do the job of a whole company only by yourself. I believe if you put more performant pc in it, it would be amazing. Can you program it so it wont charge battery more than 60% when plugged in to preserve battery health? Its not necessary but may be a good idea for some users.
Yeah, I will look into upgrading the NUC once the project is complete. It was hard to justify spending more money than I did on a NUC just to rip it apart and stick it in a device I wasn't even sure would work, which is why I used a fairly old one to begin with. Yes, any battery level should eventually be an option you could change, once I have the battery management fully working.
Terrific video awesome information
Glad it was helpful!
any thoughts of doing this with something like framework?
They've only just recently become available in Australia otherwise it's an option I might've considered originally! Yes, definitely a possibility but will need to be a complete re-design!
@cncdan would be awesome, especially with the upgradeability. I just don't know if size wise, it's feasible, but awesome work as always .
Is there any chance that in the future, you'll release a newer version for sale as a kit made up of pre-soldered "modules" that could be connected together by the user without many tools? maybe a bit bulkier but more modular for use with their own nuc? Similar in practice to the Clockwork Raspberry pi products, of course more complicated and expensive. but still. Anyways, it's a very cool project. Congrats. 👍🏻
Pretty unlikely unfortunately! I suspect supplying kits for something like this would end up being a pretty time consuming and joy-killing experience. I'm kind of hoping someone with some mass-production experience will pick up the completed design and produce a few. As long as I'm credited for the design, I'll be happy to see it happen!
This is amazing. Id love to see a project like this for a ryzen 6800h mini pc next oh my goodness.
So would I 😉
I saw your release trailer for this thing and been going back and watching previous episodes. This is such a cool project! I'm in the process of making a handheld using a raspberry Pi zero 2w, and was thinking about using your 3D printed buttons. Out of curiosity, why are the ABXY buttons different heights?
The buttons are different heights to match the tapered side profile of the housing. I've provided .STEP files for all the parts which are easily modified in any parametric cad software such as fusion 360, so you should be able to fix the heights on them to all be the same if you wish!
@@cncdan Oh I see. Awesome, thanks for the response!
So is this kit going to be for sale? This so awesome.
Thanks! I will make sure to let everyone know if I decide to do kits!
This is super interestin! Would you please make a video on how to build a game streaming handheld from a phone? (Kind of like the playstation portal)
I feel like that genre is pretty well covered already, but I may have another idea for a simple DIY handheld in the future so stay tuned!
Do you plan to eventually include trackpad(s)?
Although I would like to, not on this one as I simply don't have room. Perhaps on a revision 2?
Great job, well done.
Thanks!
I'd really recommend swapping out the MPU6050 with the BMI160 module or a BMI270 chip, they're a lot more accurate and drift a lot less when calibrated.
Yeah I've had a few people suggest some other IMU's already so that is something I will be looking into!
Good job, man
Wishing you to reach the desired result
Thankyou!
Where did you buy the 19-pin connector, I can't find it and what module do you use to increase the voltage to 19v? These episodes are very interesting.
Any 19 pin 0.5mm spaced fpc connector should work. Mine came from DigiKey but most electronic component suppliers should stock them. I'm not actually increasing the voltage to 19v. This NUC accepts a voltage range from about 12-20v so I'm running it straight from a 4s lithium battery with a custom designed battery management system for charging and power path management.
Terror of Hemasaurus!!YES!!!! Love this bad boy! Gave me vibes of me and my cousin playing Rampage... Man; i would pay for this kit ready to assemble; do you consider selling these??
Great work , hopefully you can figure out a way to make a kit for the less technically inclined. A portable PC that doesn't cost 1000s and is user repairable/replaceable would be awesome 👍.
Not really planning to produce kits at this stage as they'd probably be more expensive than some of the existing options due to the low volume. I'm kind of hoping someone picks up the design once it's complete and mass produces it to make it cheap so we can save some NUCs from e-waste!
@@cncdan here's hoping 👍
Great project, thanks for the in-depth explanation.
Glad you're enjoying it!
Actually nuts that you've fit 6000mAH into this! Well done mate. I wonder if there's a small thumbpad module you could integrate into one of the controllers to make desktop browsing easier 🤔
I find the joystick mouse is actually pretty good, but if I found a small enough trackpad module I'd consider it on the next one! Its 4s, 3000mah btw. Roughly 50 watt hours!
Nice job :)
If vsync is enabled, the driver will cap the game at the refreshrate of the monitor (uncapping fps is mainly useful if you need a lower input lag, more relevant in esports)
Yeah, I'm aware of how Vsync is supposed to work. The unusal thing with Ori is that with vsync disabled, it still wouldn't go over 60fps even though the hardware is capable of it.
Amazing soldering and PCB design, too bad Intel has no good apus for handhelds
Thankyou! Its a shame AMD hasn't been in the game with mini computers for long enough for there to be used ones available in my area as I probably would've gone that way otherwise. Maybe for the next one!
Awesome dude!
Thanks!
I really like the idea behind these systems, however upon looking into the hardware, I realised they relied on an Intel NUC mainboard, which is discontinued as far as I can tell. Is there a clone that can be readily purchased that will work reliably with all the other software/hardware you've designed? Or is the NUC still being produced by a company besides Intel? Or are we just at the whim of the surplus/used market?
The plan was always to be able to use second hand NUC's to keep the cost down. Having said that, I believe ASUS is supposed to be picking up where intel left off so we may get some newer systems in the same form factor in the future! There's also all the AMD mini pc's that are everywhere at the moment. Trouble is they don't fully conform to the NUC form factor so a different design will probably be needed to make use of them!
If its meant to be a Steam Deck like device why not use HoloISO?
Tried it when I first started the project but I couldn't get it running due to lack of driver support for the older intel CPU. I will look into some other options in the future once I have finished the hardware side of things.
Good job. One question: How much would it cost, approximately, to purchase all the components and assemble this project?
This is something I'll be able to figure out soon. I've lost track of what I've spent so far but once I have a complete bill of materials I will be able to add it all up.
I wanted to know but will you be releasing different versions of this for the other generation of nuc or will it be left for the person to figure out how to connect everything to the custom PCB?
Thank you For sharing !!! I want to ask about the product Intel Nuc you use in Video.
The one in the video is a 7th gen i5 with 16gb of ram
amazing look amazing performance, well done indeed
Thanks!
Hello, I live in Germany. When I saw your NucDeck I immediately wanted to recreate it. Are there already circuit diagrams and files? Please let us know. I'm already printing the case. greetings from Germany
3 out of the 4 PCBs are now up on GitHub, ready to go. I'm working on what is hopefully the final BMS revision so I should have the project completed soon!
Hi Dan whats about the file for the Raspberry Pi Pico. 😊
where did you get that screen, i want to do projects like this but raspberry pi displays are not what i need at all
I wonder if choosing Ryzen APU wouldn't be better for you and battery life. Great technical skills and a lot of work put on into the project. Good job!
You're right, it probably would be. They aren't very common around my area though so finding a second hand one proved pretty much impossible and I couldn't justify the spend on a brand new one without knowing I could make it work. Now that this project is almost complete though I'm thinking about some options for the next revision so stay tuned 😉
that is amazing project im ever seen about handmade consoles 🤩😶😮😮😮🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
Thankyou!
Great work here! Will you be splitting your time revising this and working on a new project? Or are the next couple months focused on upgrading your NucDeck!
Unsure yet. I've still got a little bit of work left to do before I can officially call this one complete. I may have a look at doing some upgrades on it but ultimately I think there will be a V2 in the works in the not to distant future as I have learnt a lot from this one and I have some changes I'd like to make that can only be rectified with a full re-design!
wow dude this is insande good work
Thanks!
Really cool video could you have a video of just showing it off?
Yep, I'm planning to do that once it's complete. Hopefully only one more episode of working on it before that!
@@cncdan ok sounds really cool
Hi CNC Dan. Do you think this is possible with a framework of using Batocera OS, which is a retro emulation OS running everything from Atari to Xbox 360, and even steam games? I’m thinking of doing this myself, but with a framework pc and Batocera Linux, as well as your pcb designs and framework speakers and batteries.
There was a video getting around a few weeks ago of someone who built their own portable console with a framework mainboard, so yes, I'm sure its possible. As for running any variety of linux on it, that's just something you'll have to try but I suspect it should be fine!
Amazing job, many thanks for the content)
Glad you're enjoying it!
Would love to see this with a new AMD APU like a 7840u with something like Oculink to get some good eGPU support going!
Me too!
Wow this is really cool. I always wondered it could it be done and I guess we have a model answer here. Btw, Framework sells just the mainboard standalone. Not sure if it is too big to make a handheld from it.
I was going to say this. The framework board would be cool as well.
Yeah, they've only just recently become available in Australia. Definitely something I'll consider for the next version!
amazing work !
Thanks!
This would be awesome for emulation! 😁
Sure is!