This Custom Micro PC Features an Interesting Form Factor

Whether because of consumer preferences or a lack of manufacturer creativity, we tend to see products come in similar form factors. In the early 1980s, most personal computers looked liked over-sized keyboards. Today, every smartphone looks almost identical. Go to a party and ask everyone to put their phones in a pile, and you'll have a difficult time finding your own. The same is true of tablets and most laptops. It is, frankly, pretty boring. That's why it is so refreshing to see this unique micro PC designed by Matt Deeds.

This fits many of the criteria that we might use to define a cyberdeck, except that it doesn't have a built-in keyboard and instead requires an external wireless model. But it is very difficult to describe its design, because it doesn't look like anything else we've seen before. When folded up for transportation, it is long and narrow with a carry handle on one end. When in use, the screen flips up for easier viewing. It looks more like some kind of lab instrument than a computer and we really appreciate the unconventional approach taken by Deeds.

Unlike most of the cyberdecks we see, which utilize Raspberry Pi single-board computers, this takes advantage of an Intel NUC Mini PC. That means that it can run the standard Windows 10 or 11 desktop OS. Power comes from a 20,000mAh USB-C powerbank. A DIY uninterruptible power supply setup allows for charging or two power sources, then feeds the PC and the display separately. Deeds doesn't provide details about the display, but it appears to be a high-res LCD around 7".

Most of the structure of the frame comes from laser-cut sheet of 6mm-thick ABS plastic. A few 3D-printed parts help with mounting and protecting the components.

This project will be polarizing, but it illustrates the important of DIY builds. Deeds was able to create the computer he wanted instead of relying on what manufacturers provide based on consumer focus groups.