Linux Handheld Packs Dual Batteries So It’s Never out of Juice [Hackaday]

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There was a time — not so long ago — when a handheld terminal would have been an expensive and exotic piece of kit. Now, all it takes is a Raspberry Pi and an off-the-shelf TFT display, as [ZitaoTech] shows us.

Admittedly, we are now seeing these all over the place, but this build looks well thought out. It looks suspiciously like a Blackberry, which isn’t a bad thing. It also has an interesting dual-battery system that lets you swap between two identical Nokia BL-5C batteries without missing a beat.

The device looks like a Blackberry because it uses the Q10 or Q20 Blackberry keyboard. There is a pass-through switch that lets you use the keyboard and pointer as a USB device on a different host computer.

Rounding out the design are three USB ports, an I2C port, and a TF card slot. Size-wise, the device is about 140 mm tall and 82 mm wide. The thickness is less than 16 mm. Even with the batteries, it weighs a lot less than 200 grams.

In the “Something-you-can-try” directory, there are images for Windows 3.1, mini VMAC, and — of course — DOOM. As you might expect, most of the project is 3D printing the intricate case.

We’ve seen similar projects, including one that has a case inspired by the ZX Spectrum. Then there is Beepy.