Linux Cyberdeck Design

Thought for 41 sec

There’s still a moderate amount left before this is a full manufacturable board. The first-pass schematic is started, but we are not ready for PCB layout/manufacturing yet.

Main things still left to figure out

Display connection
- Exact Waveshare 6.25" DSI LCD-B connector pinout
- DSI lane count
- Backlight power/current
- Touch interface, if any
- Correct FPC connector part
Battery and power
- Exact 10,000 mAh battery pack
- Battery connector/current rating
- Battery protection/NTC details
- Confirm charger settings for that pack
- Validate 5 V boost converter can handle CM5 + LTE + display + USB-A peaks
Protection parts
- USB-C ESD protection
- USB-A USB 3.0 ESD protection
- HDMI ESD protection
- SIM card ESD protection
- Possibly battery/input fuse or protection
Regulator final values
- Final inductor part numbers
- Capacitor voltage/package choices
- TPS61288 compensation check
- Thermal/current margin check
- Layout-sensitive switching-node constraints
CM5 details
- Decide whether to add RTC backup for CM5 VBAT
- Decide whether to expose nRPIBOOT/service pads
- Confirm GPIO assignments for LTE, audio, IMU, keyboard wake
LTE/SIM7600 details
- Confirm exact SIM7600G-H-M.2 hardware guide handling for VDD_AUX and VDD_1V8
- Confirm LTE/GNSS antenna connector placement strategy
- Add SIM ESD
- Add RF/layout keepout rules
Keyboard board
- Main-board FPC is planned, but keyboard PCB itself still needs to be designed
- Need switch/keycap sourcing
- Need keyboard RP2040 schematic/firmware pin map finalized
Mechanical basics
- Rough board size
- Port locations
- Battery location
- Screen/keyboard placement constraints
- Mounting holes
- Antenna placement/keepouts
PCB layout setup
- Stackup choice, likely 6-layer because of USB 3.0, HDMI, MIPI DSI, RF, and power density
- Controlled-impedance rules
- Differential-pair rules
- Power trace/current rules
- Thermal copper areas
Bring-up and manufacturing prep

Test pads
Debug headers
Board bring-up checklist
BOM cleanup
Footprint review
DRC
Gerbers/BOM/pick-and-place

My estimate

Schematic is roughly 55–65% figured out.

Full board readiness is more like 30–40% complete, because layout, power validation, protection, display details, and mechanical constraints are still significant.

The biggest blockers are:

Exact display connector/pinout
Exact battery pack
Power validation for the 5 V rail
ESD/protection parts
Mechanical board size/port placement
Keyboard PCB design

Once those are decided, the remaining work becomes much more straightforward.

Power, display, protection

Find display pinout

Validate power rail

Add protection parts

Add test pads

Review battery connector

Files

Schematic

Layout

3D View

Architecture Risk Review — Linux Cyberdeck

Summary Recommendation

Use Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 for the cyberdeck carrier. Do not start with a raw RK3588S2/RK3588 BGA plus discrete LPDDR4x layout unless the project scope is explicitly a high-risk compute-module development program.

Why Raw RK3588S2 + LPDDR4x Is Not Recommended

A raw RK3588S2 design is dominated by high-speed compute-board risks rather than cyberdeck feature design:

Fine-pitch BGA escape routing.
LPDDR4x length matching and impedance control.
DDR power integrity and timing validation.
PMIC selection and strict power sequencing.
Boot flash/eMMC integration.
Linux BSP / bootloader bring-up.
Thermal design for a high-performance SoC.
HDI/microvia manufacturing cost and rework difficulty.
Likely multiple board spins.

For a portable cyberdeck, the product value is in integration: power, screen/keyboard, LTE/GNSS, LoRa, audio, enclosure, antennas, and Linux configuration. A SOM/SBC lets the design focus there.

Practical Architecture Options

Table

Option	Description	Pros	Cons	Recommendation
Raspberry Pi CM5 + custom carrier	Use CM5 module with custom carrier for connectors/power/radios/display/keyboard	Strong Linux/display ecosystem, avoids DDR/PMIC design, good fit for Waveshare DSI display	Still requires high-speed carrier design and careful power/battery architecture	Selected direction
RK3588/RK3588S/RK3588S2 SOM + custom carrier	Use validated compute module with custom carrier	Higher performance/NPU potential	More vendor BSP/display risk for this screen	Superseded by CM5 choice
Raw RK3588S2 + LPDDR4x board	Full custom compute board	Maximum integration	Highest risk/cost, HDI/DDR/PMIC/firmware burden	Not recommended for first build

High-Risk Unknowns

Compute Platform

Exact CM5 SKU is still needed: RAM, eMMC size, wireless/non-wireless.
CM5 gives useful USB, HDMI, MIPI, PCIe, GPIO/I2C/SPI/UART/I2S, and Ethernet PHY interfaces.
Main carrier input to CM5 is 5 V; design for up to 2.5 A CM5 peak plus all external loads.
Thermal solution and enclosure airflow/conduction path still matter.
Raspberry Pi OS/display support is lower risk than arbitrary RK3588 SOM BSP work.

Display / Keyboard

Display candidate is Waveshare 6.25inch DSI LCD (B): 720 x 1560, 2-lane Raspberry Pi-style MIPI DSI plus I2C Goodix touch.
CM5 is a strong fit because this display is documented for Raspberry Pi-style DSI overlays.
Remaining display risk is exact cable orientation, connector mapping, and whether the chosen CM5 DSI port/overlay setup is supported as intended.
Keyboard direction is now a custom PCB inspired by M5Stack CardKB dimensions and interface behavior.
CardKB reference is a 5 V I2C keyboard at address 0x5F, but a custom Linux cyberdeck keyboard should likely use USB HID unless always-on/wake behavior requires I2C or an embedded controller.

USB Topology

USB-C role must be defined.
Internal USB users may include LTE, keyboard/touch, RP2040, debug, and possibly display.
A USB hub may be required.

LTE/GNSS

SIM7600G-H-M.2 needs 3.3–4.2 V with 2 A-class burst capability.
Requires SIM/eSIM path, RF antennas, possible diversity antenna, GNSS active/passive antenna decision, and RF layout keepout.

LoRa

Frequency band and region must be selected.
Antenna location must be planned away from LTE, GNSS, display metalwork, and battery.
Decide whether RP2040 is controlled over USB, UART, or another interface.

Battery / Thermal

RK3588-class devices are not low-power microcontroller systems.
Battery and enclosure thermal path must be designed together.
USB-C PD is strongly recommended for a usable charge/run experience.

Minimum PCB Stackup Direction

SOM/SBC carrier with HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, RF, and multiple power rails: 6 layers recommended.
Raw RK3588S2 + LPDDR4x: 8+ layer HDI/microvia likely required.

Suggested Next Architecture Baseline

Select the exact Raspberry Pi CM5 SKU.
Use the Waveshare 6.25inch DSI LCD (B) after confirming CM5 DSI connector mapping, cable orientation, and overlay support.
Design a custom keyboard PCB slightly longer than CardKB; default to USB HID plus optional wake/control lines.
Use USB-C PD sink + charger/power path for the large tablet-style battery.
Add USB hub if internal USB device count exceeds compute platform ports.
Use external or enclosure-mounted RF antennas for LTE/GNSS/LoRa rather than relying on board-edge antennas buried inside metal/plastic near the display.

Information Needed From User

Preferred compute route: SBC, SOM carrier, or raw SoC.
Exact screen/keyboard model/manual/photos.
Battery chemistry/capacity/runtime target.
USB-C role and PD requirement.
HDMI role: internal, external, or both.
LoRa frequency region.
Antenna strategy.
Enclosure dimensions and cooling approach.

Summary Recommendation
Why Raw RK3588S2 + LPDDR4x Is Not Recommended
Practical Architecture Options
High-Risk Unknowns
Compute Platform
Display / Keyboard
USB Topology
LTE/GNSS
LoRa
Battery / Thermal
Minimum PCB Stackup Direction
Suggested Next Architecture Baseline
Information Needed From User