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
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
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Open Decisions Before Schematic — Linux Cyberdeck
Architecture-level decisions are closed by the user's confirmed decisions. First-pass schematic capture has proceeded.
Schematic Status
- Main CM5 carrier schematic blocks are now placed and wired for the first pass.
- See Schematic Capture Status for implemented blocks, final ERC exceptions, and layout blockers.
Still Open Before Layout
- Confirm exact Waveshare DSI LCD connector/pinout before wiring DSI.
- Re-add USB/SIM/HDMI/connector ESD protection with verified pin mapping.
- Validate TPS61288 5 V boost sizing, thermal margin, and compensation.
- Choose final 10 Ah battery connector and protection strategy.
- Review 3V3_PERIPH / CM5 GPIO_VREF sequencing and back-power risk.
Closed Since Last Review
- Keyboard layout direction is now confirmed:
- Preonic-style 5 x 12 ortholinear.
- Terminal-biased base layer.
- Ctrl on home-row corner.
- Two thumb Space keys.
- Sym on both thumbs.
- Sym layer clusters missing ASCII on the right hand.
- Fn layer includes F1–F12, brightness/volume on arrows, and nav cluster.
- Matrix/RP2040/FPC plan captured separately.
- Enclosure CAD is deferred intentionally.
Non-Blocking Items Remaining
These do not block schematic capture:
- Tact switch/keycap exact part sourcing.
- Final enclosure CAD:
- Hinge selection.
- SMA bulkhead exact placement.
- Antenna keepout volumes.
- Service hatch.
- Battery retention.
Schematic Start Assumptions
- Use the confirmed requirements as the source of truth.
- Keep keyboard switch/keycap footprints flexible until sourcing is finalized.
- Use mechanical placeholder zones for hinge, antennas, SMA bulkheads, and service hatch until enclosure CAD resumes.
Schematic Status
Still Open Before Layout
Closed Since Last Review
Non-Blocking Items Remaining
Schematic Start Assumptions
