ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ม.ค. 2025
- As the finale for the ZenDeck series, I decided to wrap everything up with a condensed version of the entire project from start to finish to make it easier to follow for newcomers to the channel!
If you enjoyed this video and want more details about any individual aspects of the project, make sure you check out the rest of the videos in this series and feel free to ask questions in the comments!
I've got a fair bit of tidying up to do of the files, but I'm aiming to have the project up on github by the end of this year!
Customize your designs with Cheap & quick PCB/3D printing/CNC machining at PCBWay: www.pcbway.com/
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I just randomly got this video recommended, but I can confidently say this man is a bad ass
same wtf lol
Just the TH-cam algorithm doing its thing. Obviously its found the right people, thanks for watching!
same, awesome vid bro
Just incase, there is a vid about some guy who made a ps4 portable on his garage.
💯
I'm a Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go user, so this was a great recommendation of a video, lol. Massive respect for being able to crank out your own gaming machine yourself, that looks so close to the ones built by multi-million-dollar companies and factories. It's a massive feat.
There's certainly room for visual improvement.
Streamlining things a bit more and whatnot.
But this should do very well indeed!
why do you have both?
Thankyou! Glad you enjoyed it!
@@AyushGupta-wn6zd I would say because windows plays everything that the deck doesn´t. The deck is good for what it does but only playing a limited STEAM lib only is a downside to me since i have games on other platforms like Epic and MS store.
@@yasirrakhurrafat1142at this point its not because of a lack of talent or trying, but more so just supply chain constraints & small scale.
Most companies wont be buying off the shelf components. They will make every thing as per their requirements & then send orders to amd/tsmc & lg for chip & screen specs. Heck steam literally has a bespoke SOC in the deck.
This is awesome
Because now you could swap out the main board and upgrade as new tech comes out and not have to replace the whole unit
yeah exactly 👌👌
Would be a lot easier to upgrade with a framework main board. Still a really cool concept!
@@Schmaglow what you mean by framework mainboard?
@yudhaa Framework is a brand name
I've watched countless videos of people makin their own steam decks, and with every video, its been a steady and progressive upgrade with each itteration. This is the best video of a self made steam deck project i have seen to date. YOU'VE DONE AN AMAZING JOB
Thankyou!
I concur
Turned out damn good, looking forward to the file releases because I might need to take some "inspiration" from your shoulder button designs
Will do my best to get them up ASAP!
This is absolutely fantastic. Fun idea for a business. Make a shell with and partner with a mini PC company and build the first user upgradable handheld. Definitely a huge DIY community that would love to able to build out and mod, but don't have the skills to design and code for things like a BMS
Soooo...microsoft said their handheld is going to take a while still lol.
They need to hire him.
@85crazytechlaz
Wdym super late? Handhelds were around for almost as long as home consoles. They will just keep improving. Switch 2 for instance will only be 3 years old in 2028, with a lite version likely to release
I mean, obviously right?! They need to overhaul an OS that makes sense on a handheld.
If someone from Microsoft is reading this, happy to help! Shoot me a message! 😉
@@Cleric-Heretic What he's doing is the equivalent of the prototyping process, and nowhere near as thorough as a commercial product. Microsoft would also have to arrange Production and distribution which add considerable time.
Man, you really learned after the NucDeck. All the wiring is cleaned up, and it looks like it runs better, more ergonomic, and easier to modify the internals (if needed).
This is awesome!
Thankyou! Yes, definitely some big improvements this time around!
Absolutely beautiful! Great job Dan. What a journey it has been.
Thankyou! A journey it definitely has been!
Talk about how dang much you've learned with the NUCdeck, this appears to have been a complete breeze comparatively!
So excited to see this and gives me inspiration for something similar.
Keep on!
I did steal most of the power management from the NucDeck design, so yes it was a bit easier this time around!
HOLY MOLY! The quality of that is astonishing. I can't believe how much you fit into a 12 minute video. I'd love a deeper dive into each of those components (both the 3d printed parts, and the PCBs).
Thanks! This was mostly just a recap that's lighter on details for the purpose of reaching a larger audience. If you want more details, there's an entire playlist with 9 other videos as I worked through the project! th-cam.com/play/PLy9j9_dmmg2TrMOIG65j3nOELqgDXPkkn.html
@@cncdan Sorry, yes I saw those after I made my comment. What an amazing set of videos. One question I had was how you set on the different button types? I think I've see two types you've in other projects, and I'm not sure on the terminology. One is like an interleaved pattern on the PCB that the button completed the connection of (I think it might be called 'conductive rubber membrane'), and another is regular low-profile push switches, with a sandwich of a membrane and a cap. Yet another I've seen in someone else's videos look like bubble switches, but still use a membrane + cap.
What an amazing build buddy! People like you deserve much respect for putting yourself in such a dificult situation. Much love from Brazil!
Your work is amazing, may I ask why you feed the HDMI out and back in as opposed to adjusting the shell size to keep it all internal?
Thanks for the Super thanks! I would've replied earlier but a storm here today plunged us back into the dark ages for most of the day 🤣 I kept it all internal on my previous project by removing the HDMI port on the PC and replacing it with an FFC connector. I could've moved the PC down further in the housing on this one but then I wouldn't have had external access to the USB ports on the top of the device. The port removal option is probably the best way to do it but its a risky undertaking and renders the PC useless if you ever need to take it back out of the handheld (in the event of an upgrade for instance).
@@cncdan you still can move the pc board further down without losing the external USB ports. just make a tunnel in the plastic going down some inches that accomodates a regular USB cable of common thickness
I dont know if the pc board has another HDMI or not, but the same applies
just pull the board down, redesign the case to have a rectangular plastic tunel around the external doors, then the case ends on the ports anyway and you can still connect any cable you want
that's pretty damn impressive! good job! here's a new milestone for you: learn micro soldering and get the proper equipment. then you'll be able to remove every single port and connector from pcbs and replace them with fpc to make your assembly even thinner!
I assembled all of those PCB's besides the PC obviously, I've got a reasonable grasp on soldering 😉 I aim to make these projects the least intimidating I can and removing a bunch of ports from a mini pc that cost hundreds of dollars isn't most peoples idea of fun 🤣 I'm definitely considering doing another build in the future and maybe I'll go a bit crazy with it and remove ports and make custom coolers etc. Would make for a cool video!
@cncdan well I don't mean for it to be an incentive for others to try and do something like this, obviously! But going crazy with the build will make a good content for sure!
You're amazing. This whole video left me speechless.
Keep doing what you're doing!
Thank you for the detailed collection of such a project, I am from Russia, our bloggers do not do such things, I am a former owner of Nintendo Switch, and my friend is the owner of Steam Deck, I always wanted to collect something similar, but I did not have enough knowledge and extra money to make mistakes, and I did not want to buy a finished product, I wanted to make a portable console of my dreams. And your videos gave me the opportunity to implement this avoiding mistakes. Thanks again)
Much love and respect.Been following you from the start. From Brunei
Thankyou, appreciate the support!
I loved this series so much- great work! I think a cool project would be to make an opensource handheld that streams from your existing pc using 60GHz mmWave technology. So essentially just a battery powered oled display that you can put into existing smartphone controllers for mobile gaming. So if you were playing a game you could just switch display to the handheld and continue gaming. This way you could also utilise your pc hardware to get great performance and it would be much lighter and only really the display to power
The video and build quality are crazy hope to watch your sub numbers climb as more people find this challenge awesome job!
Thanks! Always trying to improve so I'm glad that's coming across in the videos!
Incredible job brother. Your skills as a builder as well as a TH-camr have improved massively. I'm so proud of you for how you have incorporated and grown your skills into this hobby. You deserve far more subscribers than you have now. Keep up the good work, I look forward to seeing your next project! Maybe you can dabble more into portablizing the PS5 or Xbox Series S in your next build for an extra difficult challenge! Whatever you decide to do will be excellent I'm sure! Good on ya bud!
Thanks for such a wonderful complement! I'm happy with how the channel is progressing so far, I'm sure if I can manage a couple more really good videos\projects the subscribers will start to take off!
There's lot of difficulties in portablising consoles, espeically modern power hungry ones! I'm sure someone will do it one day but I'm also pretty sure that person isn't me 🤣 I've got a few cool smaller projects planned for the coming year just to try and build up some momentum and hopefully views/subs. I've got some awesome big projects in the back of my mind too but I will need sponsors and ad revenue to be able to make them happen!
@@cncdanwell until then, a coffee will have to do. I'm looking forward to your next project. Merry Christmas!
@@cncdan hey Dan I was thinking, what if you tried your hand at a clamshell design? I think it would be awesome and a challenge to reimplement your design into a new configuration.
This is the best diy steam deck i've ever seen i would legitimately buy one of these
THIS IS AMAZING!!! It looks so cool and advanced! Very much respect for u, this is honestly amazing looking and everyone who has watched the entire Zen Deck and Nuc Deck series knows that u put a lot of thought in this. I think I speak for all that this is amazingly done and hope that we can expect a guide video on how to make this amazing handheld PC!
I do am wondering if people who want to make this aswell (including myself) if the STL-files and PCB-boards are availible since the PCB-boards are costum designed. Also will there be a components list out there?
Thankyou! Yes, I'm intending to get it all up onto github in the comming weeks!
This is nothing short of amazing! Blurring the lines between DIY and shop bought
Well done
This is one of the best DIY HHPC builds that I have seen yet. Great attention to detail.
Thanks!
@cncdan No problem. Credit where credit is due. Ya know.
Def would LOVE files and an in depth guide on how to make! Looks great!
Working on it!
@@cncdan Yeah the 3D Print files woud be awesome on Thingiverse!
This channel should be hitting 100k+ sub by now, very underrated.
+1 sub for you here.
Thanks! Just takes time I guess. This video has had very good views (for me) so hopefully if I can keep this up it should grow quickly!
I can't change my tires on my car and this guy built a full steam deck just cuz he was bored lol
sick build dude!
Thankyou!
Your build is so similar to my own diy deck project. Aside from me using Razer Kishi boards for the input buttons and 6 21700 cells from a powerbank (idea is to double as a powerbank as well).
Really impressive work.
First time ive seen your channel.... TH-cam actually recommended me something awesome for once! Good job man!
Thanks and welcome!
An insane amount of work has gone into this and it looks awesome! Well done!
Thankyou! It was an insane amount of work. Looking forward to some shorter projects for a while I think 🤣
This is sick. Keep it up mate
10:15 those volume buttons being reversed would send me crazy
They are the same orientation as they are on my phone when in landscape? Either way, just swap the buttons over and its one line of code and they'll work the other way round!
I think a way to hide the hdmi adapter would be to design a "hump" that covers and protects it while also being a spot to mount/integrate a webcam, it would also be cool to be able to flip the webcam around to face forward giving it a sort of nintendo DSi function. or have two, one facing forward and one back.
Yeah, I thought about making a little clip on printed cover for it. I'm not too fussed on the webcam personally but you definitely could fit one in there somewhere as the ones built into laptop screens are absolutely tiny!
@@cncdan yes a simple cover to cover the back of the PCB and maybe protect that flex cable would be a good idea. congrats the ZenDeck turned out very good. Curious to see the new idea you have.
Wow this was brilliant, amazing design and build! You're very talented. Would love to know the details of that power management board. Did you build it?
I didn't understand why the HDMI connector was sticking out the top, it wasn't really explained.
I had other options for the HDMI, you could remove the port from the mini pc but that's a risky opperation and renders the PC useless if you decide to remove it from the handheld later (to upgrade, for instance). So I came up with a solution that works and doesn't get in the way too much. As for the power management, yes its my own design. Here's a video that explains it a little better! th-cam.com/video/iNtEfR5Lb-k/w-d-xo.html
The first video I saw from your channel. Amazing, crazy conent. That design makes the APU/MAINBOARD part quite modular 🤔
each video is getting better and better... single handed making dreams come true .We need guys like you on the forefront of this handheld gaming stuff to help even out the industry.❤🎉
Thankyou, doing my best!
I am watching you from France and frankly, it is a beautiful project, well done.
I’m so glad I stumble upon your video, it’s just a stunning build. I wouldn’t mind making a version of my own. I don’t own a CNC machine yet, but I do have a 3-D printer. Thank you for all your hard work.
Glad you enjoyed it! The housing is definitely printable so you should be able to give it a go once I get the files up in the next couple of weeks!
Easily one of the best and most interesting videos I've stumbled upon, thanks man!
Glad you liked it, thanks for watching!
I hate how easy you made this look! Fantastic job!
Thanks! This is my 6th DIY handheld game console since about 2020, so while it may look easy I've had a lot of practice before this! It also took almost an entire year to finish this off, but it definitely does look easy in the video!
Pretty amazing the quality of content that u are giving us, thank you ! Interesting, informative and really creative
Dude, u did a god job 200% congratss for that huge project u did dude, it's just awesome
Thankyou!
2:01 A man of culture I see.
it’s a 10 year old meme
this is nuts, well done man. would be awesome with steamos on it!
Know what would be really crazy?
A discrete GPU in one of those things. You can sacrifice an NVMe slot and get a pcie adapter(m.2>pcie), or even use thunderbolt if one's got it.
Heck even an MXM GPU...., could all be cool. Would probably have to be steam deck x Nintendo DS type of design though
MXM GPU in handheld = bye-bye 19V rail
First time I've seen someone include rumble in their custom console build. Awesome video as well, very well done
in regards to the paint, another alternative could be hydro dipping or vinyl wrapping
It turned out amazing! I guess a lot of companies are going to have a stressful business week!
Can‘t wait for a Ryzen 8000 video, as I mentioned in your discord, 18w ppt on the witcher high settings 60 fps in 1280x800p ;)
Best of luck in the future
GG Dan!
I have to say very well done. I love to watch DIY Projects and this one is the best one I've seen so far.
Would love to see some comparison versus the Steam Deck! (I think if you would've chosen Linux as example Nobara with KDE or Bazzite you could get better performance!)
Thanks! I did try Bazzite and found the performance was a tad better, but it also consumed more power than windows did. There were some weird touchscreen issues when I did try it so I went back to windows but I'll give it another go one day! th-cam.com/video/SA3pJInefBA/w-d-xo.html
I don’t even know how you could do it, but a transparent case for this would be so cool to be able to see all the work that’s inside
This was a crazy watch. So impressed. Amazing work.
Congrats, this project is amazing!
I've been searching for this for weeks and now youre here. You're a blessing
Glad you found it then!
Dude I am so glad that you're still building amazing things! Every now and then I'll get a feeling that I should design something but then reality sort of kicks in and I'm reminded why I stopped doing this! Although we all know what your next one truly should be: the SMACH Z! lol
Good to see the improvement on video quality. Good job Dan 🎉
Thanks! Always trying to improve where I can, so glad its coming across!
Wow the final product is amazing, but you could put that hdmi internally that would make the console so much better
I loved everybit of this journey from the very beginning. Keep up the great work bro!!!
Thanks, will do!
Wow! You really make this look easy! Fantastic job on everything! Valve should hire you to be a part of their creative team.
Btw, what’s the name of that dubstep track you used during your reveal? I really dug it!
i have massive respect for you dan 😁 may i make a suggestion with the installation of back buttons 😁
SO grateful to youtube for recommending this gem to me
Thanks for watching!
Seriously liked how this ended up as!
The weird little stick out bit on the top is a little odd. But also adds some "cyberpunk" to the design.
Great job Dan! I would love to see you tackle anything but use one of those cheap ili9341 LCD screens, or something more budget but I'm just rambling looking forward to the next video!
I've used one of those in my little Gameboy build. Take a look through my shorts for it. I'll be revisiting it at some point probably next year and the screen is something I want to try and upgrade as I actually wasn't happy with the ili9341 based screen I used
I feel that using the trackpads compresses the joysticks and d-pads into inconvenient positions. I would prefer to have virtual trackpads like PS Portal. I think PS Portal's grips are better and the joysticks in better positions, but for my girlfriend who has shorter fingers it would suit her better to have joycons like the switch. I hope I helped so you can improve your design even more! Good luck with your amazing project!
How can a guy like this make something that looks so close to an actual product without tens of millions in R&D... Absolutely mind blowing
i dont think steamdeck has that much rd......
do u think every new laptop released has millions in rd?
ridiculous, only the semiconductors themselves would be that much
also, do u really think making a fukin product is this easy? this isnt even making thing, this is just repackaging, but i admit at least some small pcbs in there were actually "made"
if an actual company sold u this, u should be mad
Simply brilliant. So much work but you did an amazing job. Good work fella.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Actually wild stuff. Great build and good to see another Aussie TH-camr out there
Cheers! Shame there aren't that many of us out there. I'd love to one day be able to do an Aussie version of the Maker secret santa that some of the bigger channels do!
Wow, great job my guy!
Thankyou!
@cncdan you still can move the pc board further down without losing the external USB ports. just make a tunnel in the plastic going down some inches that accomodates a regular USB cable of common thickness
I dont know if the pc board has another HDMI or not, but the same applies
just pull the board down, redesign the case to have a rectangular plastic tunel around the external doors, then the case ends on the ports anyway and you can still connect any cable you want
There's no enough room at the bottom of the PC. I even made tiny USB PCB boards to connect to the internal USB ports so I could have it as far down in the housing as possible. The only way you are getting that HDMI inside without making the whole thing bigger is to replace the HDMI ports with FFC connectors like I mentioned in the other comments. It works, but its a scary step a lot of people didn't like so I came up with a less destructive alternative!
Words cannot describe how amazing this is.
Man, the possibilities of one making their own handheld PC is endless.
Now I'm imagining something like this project of yours, but an ARM-based SBC, kinda like a Raspberry Pi. Kinda.
Take a look back through some of my other videos. I co-designed something called the Retrolite CM4 which is basically a switch lite sized raspberry pi powered handheld game console. The other guy I worked with has gone on to make a second version of it with a more powerful SOC and a much better display!
@@cncdan Will do!
For the next housing you should spraypaint it with conductive carbon paint and then electroplate it for a premium feel and look.
This was random in my feed, but this is freaking cool. (subbed) I do have one suggestion how about a magnetic cover to go over the top sticking out part which also hides the other ports when they don't have to be used. Does some of the heavy resource hungry games work on it like some of newer AAA games run on it? If you don't mind saying how much did this build cost? If you dont want to answer that one no biggie.
Not sure why the algorithm pointed me to you, but Im sure glad it did. Sick build.
Thankyou! The algorithm really does know what its doing.... some of the time 😂
Other than the hdmi connector poking out this a really clean build it's almost like a company 1st prototype.
to this day im still amazed people can make better products in their garage than a multimillion company.
Would love to see more details of your CNC, looks awesome!
I really should do a video about it one day!
That was awesome! For the next device, maybe an Oculink port would be a good idea.
Another idea is a slide-out keyboard because virtual keyboards suck. Just like how an analog stick isn't a replacement for a trackpad.
That's a really impressive achievement. Congratulations :)
Am an electrical engineer and machinist as well, your skill set is very very impressive as a fellow maker you have my respect
Thankyou! Although I have worked a few years as a CNC opperator in the past, I am not a qualified machinist and I'm definitely not an electrical engineer! Just experience I've gained from working on projects like this for a long time and lots of trial and error!
I love the project, i have been following it since the beginning and it's very interesting, and it came out great. Will we get some performance benchmarks maybe? maybe a direct comparison to the steam deck, running some heavier games on it etc.
I'd need to find a list of games that have already been benchmarked on the steam deck and see if I own any of them. I can tell you now it won't have the performance of the steam deck with this APU but there's nothing to stop you using a newer mini pc except cost!
Very good you have done an excellent job man I'm proud to see how far this has gone
Thanks!
You made some design choices throughout that I would have loved to see put through their paces in the end, just to get a better idea of how it turned out.
There is an entire playlist of other videos on the project that cover most of the choices in greater detail. If you have any specific questions let me know and I'll do my best to answer! th-cam.com/play/PLy9j9_dmmg2TrMOIG65j3nOELqgDXPkkn.html
This is amazing the time and effort to perfect your work is really awesome. Thank you 😀
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely amazing work.
Thankyou!
That is some clean looking work, amazing.
Thanks!
great project cant wait to see what will you do with the future chips that are coming out
Thanks! I'd love to upgrade it to a more powerful system at some point in the future!
If the paint doesnt hold up, have PCBway make a shell in a clear tinted material so you dont have to paint it.
Great project and design.
I would've used the deck stick/button layout, it's far more comfortable to have the sticks closer to the display, as they are used more often.
Thanks! Controller layout is largely a personal preference. There does seem to be quite a few people who are fans of the Wii U layout and I'm one of them, although I've never actually held a steam deck in my hands so I have no point of reference for comparison sadly!
Yooo, this is so cool! All your hard work definitely paid off.
Thanks, I'm really happy with how it turned out! Can't wait to get stuck into something a bit different now, I need a break from handhelds for a bit!
might be one of the coolest things i've ever seen. this is awesome work
Thanks!
incredible work CNCDan, wow!
The only thing I'd want to change about it is that the HDMI cable comes out of the unit, I wonder if there is a way to put a header on the PCB of the PC directly ? 🤷♀
truly amazing!!
Sure is, I did it on the last project! Just remove the HDMI port from the PC and replace it with an FFC connector. Theres a few reasons I didn't do it this time but I mainly wanted a more reversible option so the PC can be recycled as something else down the track if I decide to upgrade it!
Wow. YT algorithm served up and I immediately subscribed. It’s guys like this that give me hope for humanity!
Been a great journey! Turned out amazing
Sure has! Looking forward to some less stressful projects for a little while 😅
Ever thought of incorporating transparent shoulder buttons like those on a PSP?
Also, swap the rumble motors for haptic motors to save space.
I considered those little haptic motors, but they just don't rumble like a big rumble motor does! I could easily make the shoulder and triggers transparent if I wanted, but the light would shine through from the LED joystick surrounds
I love the full size USB 3.0 ports on the top.
Amazing vid! Just wondering why you chose the 16:10 ratio 800 res and not 16:9 1080p? Also....subscribed:)
Choices of displays for hobbiest are slim at best unfortunately. I used the display I did because I felt it was the best option I could get especially for the money. I'm actually perfectly happy with the resolution, its crisp enough for this size. It still works out to be 188 PPI which is still finer than a 15.6" 1080p laptop screen at 141 PPI so its far from bad!
amazing handheld build!
Thankyou!
it has a gamecube vibe, such a fine piece of work, gj
Thanks! Yes the colour is quite gamecubish!
7:04 you probably could use UV resin to thicken up the plastic by brushing it on and curing it and repeat until it works for you. Like on the inside, unless that'll make things complicated? This is just an idea for the future of course if you want to try it out😊
Probably not worth the hassle in this particular instance as the plastic needs to be thin there so if I thickened it up the trackpad may not sit flat in its pocket. Its a good idea though and does make me wonder how well the resin would stick to the HDPE!
This is so f*ing cool bro nice job 👍
Thanks!