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Fallout Cyberdeck

Cyberdeck + Fallout = Pip-Boy basestation

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Jeff Bezos bringing Fallout to TV has inspired me to build a cyberdeck capable of withstanding a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland

EMP-hardened with a conductive shell, double faraday fabric layers, and Flex Seal insulation. Offline data libraries, navigation, signals intelligence, aircraft tracking, weather data reception, radio, and long-distance communication capabilities. Powered by a LiFePo4 battery, it has 2x Raspberry Pi 4Bs, RTL-SDR, HackRF, all housed in a Pelican iM222 Storm case. Technical components include a 2TB external HDD, truSDX HF QRP, DigiRig, Teensy 4.1, touchscreens, Nukalert sensor, and a keyboard.

Capabilities

  1. Build to withstand a nuke - I mean, not a direct hit obviously - would probably need a bigger case for that. But it is hardened against the effects of an Electromagnetic Pulse which is a side effect of a nuclear detonation. When the case is closed, it forms a complete conductive shell around the interior electronics. The interior of the case has a double layer of faraday fabric (held in place with rivets and conductive tape). The stock Pelican O-ring was replaced with a conductive gasket and the O-Ring slot was lined with faraday tape, and all potential weak spots were painted over with a water based Nickel conductive paint. Then, the interior was lined with Flex Seal (yeah that guy), to create a rubberized insulation layer, so the shielding isn’t shorted. Lastly, ferrite chokes were placed on many of the wires inside the case as a last line of defense. 
  2. Offline Information Library - Hundreds of GB of information saved to the hard drive (Wikipedia, Medical Cooking recipes, Ted Talks, WikiHow, etc.)  saved and served locally via Kiwix
  3. Offline Navigation and Positioning- World map tiles downloaded and working locally with the embedded GPS antenna
  4. Signals Intelligence - prebuild SDR apps (just swap antennas) 
    1. Aircraft tracking via ADSB & RTLSDR 
    2. Receive HighRes NOAA weather information and data via GOES geostationary satellites  
    3. AM/FM radio receiver
    4. Programmable Transmit capability with HackRF
  5. Offgrid Long Distance Communication - plug in HF antenna and use Digital modes like JS8Call to communicate cross country (potentially internationally) without relying on Cell infrastructure or even satellites.
  6. Battery & Power - Internal (12Ah) LiFePo4 battery much safer and longer lasting than Li Ion. 3 switchable Power domains to minimize power draw based on use case. Typical lasts >14 hours with no recharge. 
  7. Radiation detection - detection of radiation levels via Nukalert sensor
  8. Modest compute and extensibility - 2x Raspberry Pi 4Bs with 2x USB 3.0 ports

*Technical Specs moved to components. its a working list im actively updating*


System Design 

At a glance - Raspberry Pi v4 as the client, Raspberry Pi v5 as the server, and Teensy 4.1 acting as a microcontroller 

ClientPi:

  • Handles user interface operations, including keyboard inputs.
  • Developing a graphical user interface (GUI) for service control via MQTT.
  • Establishes direct connections with truSDX & Digirig through USB, with potential workload delegation to ServerPi.
  • Maintains a direct Ethernet connection to the server, bypassing the need for a router with a static IP address.

ServerPi:

  •  Main memory is 500GB SSD (NVMe) for boot data, map tiles, and file storage. 64GB SD card is utilized, with a dedicated 16GB section configured as swap memory to augment RAM (very useful for bypassing RAM bottleneck for OSRM ! -- more detail to come)
  • Orchestrates a master control process via MQTT, primarily functioning as a subordinate to ClientPi by managing micro-services within Docker containers for hardware flexibility.
  • Self-powered USB 3.0 hub within an AUX power domain

Teensy 4.1:

  • Integrated with a GPS receiver and streaming data to a TFT display. Plans to relay GPS coordinates to ServerPi for navigation.
  • Future expansions may include integrating an air quality sensor and additional sensors for enhanced functionality.

Software Services (air-gapped)

Controller*

  • Head honcho to run MQTT communication and logging.

Navigation

  •  Map tiles for the entire planet stored on the SSD. Downloaded for free with OpenStreetMaps! served
  • OSRM  US west coast (blocked by OOM when i tried any bigger  - yes even with 8Gb RAM and 16GB Swap mem). Provides point-to-point routing services for the US West Coast through OSRM.
  • ***[enters fantasy] 30cm-resolution satellite imagery [exits fantasy] 

Wiki

  • Running Kiwix server, to host >250GB of .zim files utilizing straight from the SSD

ADSB

  • Pretty...
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bottom_faceplate.step

CAD file for bottom faceplate

step - 222.64 kB - 05/05/2024 at 06:44

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tp_dxf.dxf

CAD file for top faceplate

AutoCAD DXF - 14.80 kB - 04/25/2024 at 06:24

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View all 34 components

  • Physical Case Design

    Eric B05/05/2024 at 07:52 0 comments

    Top & Bottom Faceplate Design

    I used FreeCAD to design the plates and validated the initial versions with 3D printer. I also discovered that open-sources the interior shell CAD files (score!) - so I imported them into the FreeCAD project, which made it much easier to get proper alignment. After many rounds of 3D printing and PLA burned I sent off the design files to be laser-cut. I also 3D printed some of the internal structural supports and other misc. pieces (like the cup for the nuke alert sensor). I then bathed them in Flex Seal to maintain ruggedness and watertight-ness.

    To keep the top and bottom plate strongly anchored to the case, I went with the OEM Pelican base bezel (this thing is thiccc)  to secure the bottom plate. And for the top plate, I cut my own out of an  AL L bracket from home depot  because i didn't feel like blowing another 80 bucks on a chunk of aluminum! Both support brackets were riveted  through the pelican case. This came after the initial Faraday shield layer but before the & Flex Seal layer.  The rivet holes were painted and/or covered with conductive fabric & tape. 

    When the plates came in I sanded them down, primed them and spray painted them blue, and added Fallout vinyl decals.  There was a misalignment in the top left fan cutout which happened when deburring - pretty sure this was my noob CAD screwup but I ended up getting a replacement for free - thanks  SendCutSend!

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Discussions

e64 wrote 04/22/2024 at 19:14 point

why not faraday box? , why not 18650 AND lipo AND solar panel (step up-down from 1V to 24V for other source power)

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eric B wrote 04/23/2024 at 00:51 point

I went with the pelican to keep it portable, durable, and watertight. also for this build lifecycle & durability >> energy desity and i had the case real estate so Lifepo was the clear (albeit more expensive) choice.

for v1, I intentionally avoided all cable routing through the case exterior since theyd become antennas for an E1 induced massive voltage spike frying the connected circuitry. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

e64 wrote 04/25/2024 at 16:43 point

But even lining the inside of the box with metal foil is enough

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eric B wrote 04/25/2024 at 19:28 point

No - a cable port would make the system much more vulnerable unless there’s an SPD or high sat ferrite  ;)


from CISA EMP vulnerability report :

“…EM protection for electrical POEs, including all power, communications, and control penetrating conductors whether shielded or unshielded, should be provided with main barrier transient suppression/ attenuation devices….”

  Are you sure? yes | no

Federico wrote 04/22/2024 at 16:54 point

That is SO cool!!! I have so many questions... Are you planning to add more details?

- Hardware list (I see what looks like a KVM?)

- Software used (I wish we had free weather satellites in EU :/ )

- Construction details (Switches, connectors, panel, etc....)  How did you cut the panels, decorations, etc.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eric B wrote 04/23/2024 at 00:50 point

Yes i am planning to! -  currently sidetracked upgrading from RPI4 to 5  lol. But I will be making periodic updates and filling in the color here as i come up for air

That is a independently powered USB hub connecting to one of the raspberry PIs to handle current draw from SDRs and HDD


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Federico wrote 04/28/2024 at 11:10 point

What materials are the faceplates (plastic/metal)? Did you use a CNC service for them (to get an idea of the cost)?

How much does everything weight? I was thinking a RPI 400 could be used for the frontend PI and save a little weight from the mechanical keyboard (maybe less robust OFC)

  Are you sure? yes | no

e64 wrote 04/29/2024 at 09:59 point

in shelter You probably have different power. meybe 3.7 18650 but 3 diferent size and one very old.

meybe AA, meybe solar panel usb or 12V car battery

step up-down from 1-24V is optimal ;)

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eric B wrote 05/05/2024 at 06:39 point

@Federico , the top and bottom faceplates are made from laser-cut 5052 H32 aluminum, 0.063 inches thick. I had them made for about $100 (US) total

And it's definitely not lightweight, at 20.8 lbs. But it definitely feels structurally sound — like it could be run over by a car and keep working lol 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Federico wrote 05/05/2024 at 10:57 point

@Eric B It sounds very sturdy. I am thinking how to make a version of this slightly lighter in weight, ideally attachable to a MOLLE backpack without breaking your back if you have to do a long trek session.

I leave you some thoughts, maybe you'll be inspired for a V2 version in future :D 

- From your pictures it looks like there is a whole keyboard, including the case. Some weight could be saved by using only a PCB (i.e. https://drop.com/buy/drop-alt-v2-mechanical-keyboard-pcba) and embedding it in the panel.

- Some resource constraint management for the containers (i.e. a lightweight Kubernetes using https://k3s.io/ and https://keda.sh/docs/2.14/concepts/scaling-deployments/ to shut down unused containers) might allow to fit everything in a single 8GB PI5, reducing the energy cost (a smaller battery?) and maybe allow the system to fit in a smaller case.

- Make the battery external, using a connector on one of the panels like the HF ANT one. It would make it easier to transport it, and following @e64 suggestion a dc-dc converter (i.e. https://www.amazon.co.uk/HOMELYLIFE-Converter-Regulator-Supplies-Transformer/dp/B09PTPFYC7) would allow to attach ANY kind of DC power source. Detaching the battery would also protect the battery from passive currents discharging it when not used.

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gruven haus wrote 04/22/2024 at 16:41 point

I signed up just to give you KUDOS!! 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eric B wrote 04/23/2024 at 00:33 point

Thanks!

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rich.quackenbush wrote 04/19/2024 at 17:58 point

Wow - amazing work! I love it!!!!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eric B wrote 04/20/2024 at 01:42 point

Thanks!

  Are you sure? yes | no

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