If it's not already been stated here in the comments - ZIM is open software. I make my own zim files constantly. You can setup how deep you want to go, you can override whatever limits you want to regarding outside weblinks and files, etc. So long as it's capable of it (like you're not going to be able to download YT videos by trying to zim it because of proprietary protocols), you can make a copy of it. I have a bunch of websites copied offline with tons of great info that are not posted to the general Kiwix. You can easily update the device you have you're showing in the video. It's a computer at its core. The only issue is storage. All this stuff takes a ton of drive space, so you'll likely need an external drive or 5. :) I made my own little emergency cyberdeck with a slot that has a USB C connector mounted in the back, so I can swap out USB 1TB SSD sticks. I've got entire libraries of videos, music, books, maps, and full websites with files. Some of those take nearly an entire drive by themselves. Having Meshtastic built in is nice as well - I've had fun with that. I wish it would take off here in the US like it has in the UK. Good video, but I think there is a LOT more available to you than you think. Have a good one, and thank you for all of your efforts!
pinning this because i want to reference it later lol; do you have a link or something I can look at to help me learn how to work with zim? i tired on my own to build my own files, but i kept failing using pi. also, great info in this comment in general. thank you!!!
Geez man, even whatever it was I wrote got disappeared - I wonder if it is just using the other words for "look for"... so anyway, rather than type all the useful stuff, look for something called wget - 2 - zim, without the spaces. It might even be the command 'wget' that it's freaking out about I dunno. If so, I will try spelling it out somehow lol. Find that info and it is super easy. There are a couple of much more in depth ways to go about it, but I have found it to be plenty good, and so much easier it's not worth messing with anything else.
Is there any way to be able to get links to your library or would you be willing to sell copies? I’m currently compiling a library for underprivileged and inner-city youth to get familiar with prepping
@@rayacareal Good grief, I see my last attempt at a reply was also removed. I'm not sure how I'm going to reply without it being removed. I'm assuming YT is yeeting it due to any variation of a naming convention I've tried. No, you don't need to buy anything. I'm going to see if I can post some simple instructions somewhere and try commenting again here.
I'll be building this atop a SFF Dell Optiplex soon. My thinking is: By using a machine that was mass-produced and can be found in a myriad of offices, spare parts will be in no shortage. Maintainability is just as important as the information inside, because if you can't maintain the machine, the information is at constant risk of loss or damage. I'm basically sacrificing light weight and small size vs your design, in exchange for longevity.
I don't know how much that hardware costs, but it doesn't seem that expensive, and that software is pretty much all free I mean it's cool that someone sells this, but it just seems waaaaay too expensive, and I've seen much similar devices with more features built for much cheaper.
Definitely can be built for MUCH cheaper. The main selling point for it is that it's a pre-built package. The biggest barrier to entry for devices like this is the time associated with learning how to build it. FPV drones are currently experiencing the same market change; previously, you could only get into the hobby building a quad yourself. Now, it's commonplace to buy pre-builts for any expertise. I do recommend for those who have soldering and technical skills (as well as time and a little bit of programming might help), to just build one yourself! Though, if you're like me that is fairly busy and rather just trust someone with more experience to do it, then I might recommend a pre-built.
@@josehnegrete well but one of the points of an apocalypse pc is actually the 3d printed parts. Stuff will eventually break so preferably you want a package that can easily be fixed and printing spare parts as long as there is power or even just having the stl files is kinda in the same line of thinking. F.e. often cyberdecks have often redundant connections if something fries so as long as the SBC survives you can salvage everything. But great video though keep up the good work :D
@@hinnifreaxxx i agree with all of that! redundancy is important. I would say that having 3d printed parts isn't great. rather, i would prefer having parts that CAN be 3d printed in the future. nothing too complex, durable so you won't have to worry about replacing but replacableif you need them to be.
@@josehnegrete yeah so having the stl files / a blue print would be nice. I saw someone building a cyberdeck with wood in a pelican case which is basicly the opposite side of the spectrum. Personally i wanna build one eventually that has a lot of connectivity runs a small linux package has all the info that yours has and has some redundancy basicly so that if it breaks you can repair it if it fries you can make a new one so maybe a system on an SD card makes most sense.
Some people don't have access to tools, hardware stores, and the extra space to create one from scratch. Doesn't mean they can't make it theirs through customization. Building a gaming pc will always be cheaper than buying a triple A gaming console.
To me nothing I've seen on youtube is really a cyberdeck. I always imagined a cyberdeck as a keyboard, 75% keyboard sized with a small screen. You take it with you and instead of using a screen you use trodes and your conscioussness goes into cyberspace. But for our modern purposes a powerful mini PC built into a 75% keyboard case. That works with a type of VR glasses would be perfect
there was a cool one on etsy that looks liek what u taklking about but it got taken down and the new website is super shady and customer support wont respoond
Doesn't look hardened against EMP. All the main documents could be stored on a series of solid state SD cards as backup and the primary on a solid state SSD. The whole thing could be done with a debian build on a low-power config, perhaps with LORAWan networking gear available for post-apocalypse networking.
Avantgarde Labs, the creator of the device, does a faraday bag that fits the device to protect against EMPs. I would love however yes, if backup memories were provided in case of data corruption. Outside of that, I thing having LoRa would be a perfect improvement to this, as other devices such as the Base Station mentioned do provide this.
Bro, EMP is as good as fictional. Although it is possible to make one, having a good range than can effectively damage electronics would require an insane amount of energy to produce and a crazy huge coil size. This is exactly why you never see this weaponized anywhere in real world. And its very easy to counter - a simple faraday cage will protect any electronics inside.
@@randominternetviewer166 there are specific yield nukes which can be configured specifically for EMP burst, AFAIK China has an unknown number of such devices but others probably have them as well. Chinese doctrine apparently mentioned conditions under which they would be used - this may include intentional infrastructure destruction to power grids and communications infrastructure, probably mainly focused on civilian disruption. If they had "hot war" against a near peer they may be tempted to use them
@@rebcommando587 oooh dear - that's the approach and attitude I definitely and wholeheartedly recommend to any of my competitors indeed. FWIW - EMP is a weapon whose use is within several military doctrines already, that it's not been widely used yet tends to reflect a lack of conflict with a high-tech opponent; it simply reflects the lack of escalation of conflict with such an adversary to date. I am aware of Chinese PLA doctrine (discussed in their military forums as a way of quietly publishing threats to near peer adversaries) where they mention the use of a high altitude EMP warhead over India for instance; to obliterate national power and communications and data infrastructure which industry there intensely reliant on for their offshoring and outsourcing industries alone. But back to the core of your point - how many situations have you had, say, this week - where you've had to live off-grid isolated from the internet and reliant on a stored cache of expertise and knowledge to survive? Has it been, say, half a dozen times given it's already Saturday?
*buys emp hardened metal case for my t430 with an i7-3740qm, an 8tb ssd, another 8tb ssd in an adapter taking up the media bay, a 2tb m.2 in the expresscard slot, a 1.5tb sd card in the card slot, and a modified slice battery the user can swap cells out on in under 2 minutes*
$688... just buy a used Panasonic Though book... You can do the same things with more capabilities! My cyberbeck is a Samsung Galaxy S22, Samsung Galaxy Tad A9+ with Samsung Dex integrated, trifold bluetooth keyboard with TouchPad and pen... The Tab A9+ has 8 cores 8GB ram 128GB internal storage with 1TB SD card full of survival, off grid living and power, medical, dental, surgical, and pharmaceutical drug, manuals books and videos... finally, a 50000 mAh battery with solar panels. I am running SDR software, offline maps, ATAK, foreign language translation tools... and much more all stored in a EMP shield breifcase for much less that $688. Soon I will be adding in LoRa for emergency messaging system.
You could definitely sell this to nature reserve guards, independent journalists going to warzones (or just people in war-prone areas), and geeks like me
This is cool. If one has to be portable this is a nice solution. I meet this need with a small library of books. The books aren't that portable, but I'm living where I can stay and don't need to travel.
Definitely agree if you’re not moving, this isn’t as necessary. It’s a solution to a portability problem, though the built-in battery bank isn’t a terrible idea to have at home for charging items in a power outage.
The real value in this product is the stored data. Not the OS, not the computer and not the packaging. It's an interesting idea worth exploring further: I imagine a FOSS project that will bootstrap a basic OS for you and pull all data from the web. And on top of that the user should be able to define their own sources. And it should run on any PC. That way it's more flexible and detached from any hardware. I am a firm believer in the Unix philosophy: do one thing and one thing well. For example a user could buy a Panasonic ToughBook, a Jackery PowerBank along with solar panels and some external SSDs for back up and would have a more flexible, powerful system that's devoid of a single point of failure.
From my understanding, Kiwix OS runs also on window, Linux, Mac, etc. The issue here is that the raspberry pi device is limited to certain repositories, meanwhile the PC OS versions have full rein on what they can install (assuming there’s a .zim file for them). I actually installed a zim reader on my personal computer, so I also have huge amount of info saved there.
Thanks for the video. I installed Debian linux on a cheap, all plastic exterior, Acer laptop (Acer Aspire 3 R3-471T), and then installed kiwix as an app (not in Kiosk mode). I launched kiwix, then downloaded my content (the entirety of Wikipedia snapshot from 6 months ago, medical wikis, ifixit videos, etc). If I remove the Acer case and put the innards into a waterproof protective case like a pelican or similar casing, I'd essentially have the same thing. It takes some fabrication skills, but doable, and will probably be cheaper than $700. Thoughts on GPS during end times - GPS systems may not work, so information about navigating by stars, learning how to navigate on land without digital tools, would be nice to have as content on your cyberdeck.
@@josehnegrete Not a big issue, I did purchase one and do plan to do some modifications that I know can me made and hopefully more. Sadly I dont make or post content so if anyone else is interested in something the same, they will just have to bite the bullet like I did nad buy one. I do love the concept behind this system and my attempts to make one of my own fell short, mostly lazyness and my 3d printer being used for other things. Thank you for the reply though.
I would definitely recommend you try and build your own, with all of the missing functionality you mentioned. Also look into local AI LLMs like llama2 or gemma. It would be a great learning experience and make for a great video!
Language models sound so freaking exciting, but I know I'll fail. When I was in high school I had trouble in the electrical section of my automotive class. In college I had trouble with comp sci 1 & 2. I will let other more experienced people figure out the details so I can make subpar review videos online lol
256gb is not sufficient. Also, read only defeats the concept of a survival wiki in a box. Being able to update information would be more useful. Also, as i type this......he says to keep it over 75% battery to avoid degradation. An apocalypse knowledgebase needs to be dynamically updateable. A laptop with a traditional OS, and a solar powered battery/charging setup would be cheaper, and more resilient in a SHTF situation than this device. This is an overprced toy for cosplay prepper types.
I Love the idea of it. But went a different route. (like our host did) Got a (Used) rugged laptop [Panasonic ToughBook]with 2 drives (both 1TB, M.2 & SSD) and an extra battery. (for $350 on eBay) Started with Debian 11, Downloaded Wikipedia, Project Gutenberg, kiwix (App), a collection of military & survival manuals - etc. All freely available (found the list on a survivalist youtube site - forget the name) Using Organic Maps for offline maps... And a Mylar bag for (Some) EMP protection. As long as I don't go swimming with it, I figure I'll be in decent shape. Should pickup a small solar panel, maybe next visit to harbor freight...
For the other things you want to store, I would buy an old laptop! I got a Thinkpad x240 for 40 euros that I am transforming into my Italian learning machine. It has an Italian layout keyboard so its perfect for practicing typing, storing my notes while I learn, communicating in Italian with all the accented letters I need right on the keyboard, and it has a swappable battery AND an internal one so I can swap the battery to extend it's life without turning the system off.
@@josehnegrete true. I hear they have new eink displays ghat can do video. The quality isn't amazing but you can read small text in a video which should be enough for survival scenario. You could also have a hdmi and plug in a second display for video or cast/send to a phone. Would keep the battery consumption low.
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems that there is very little that this device can do that can't already be done way better with a smartphone. Phones are a marvel of engineering; screen, battery, power management and charging circuitry all integrated into a tiny package that is rugged and extremely reliable. They are also small and cheap enough that you could easily have one or more extra devices as backup. You would be much better off filling that Pelican case with a couple of your old phones, some portable chargers, and a bunch of flash drives and microSD cards containing backups of the data. Throw a mini keyboard in there too if you think you will need one. This cyberdeck is cool, but it is little more than a Fallout fantasy.
I think the whole point of this giant suitcase is the huge Wikipedia back-up inside it. Really, think of this luggage-looking thing as a local encyclopedia, compared to a website that you need internet and an internet-capable device with a battery, just to access it.
@@Pickelrye That's my point - you could put a local copy of those files on a phone just like you could on this contraption. You can get 1TB microsd cards now, and you can also supplement with an external SSD if you feel you need more than that. Wikipedia (compressed articles with no media) is 22.14 GB. There's just nothing this device can do that can't be done more reliably with a phone, at a fraction of the size, weight and cost.
Essentially, this thing IS what you described. The Pi board is about the size of a cellphone. You can easily copy the files from the current SD card into others for backup. From there, you mentioned adding a keyboard which this already has, and portable chargers, which this is currently running but you can always add more. The device has space inside for upgrades, but you are mentioning the exact same thing, just a stripped-down version of it. I like the ACID because it's easier to read material off of it than a iPhone; it's the same reason people buy Kindles over reading books on their mobile devices. Screen size and ergonomics are great. Yes, I will definitely still have my phone on me when SHTF, but in the meantime, I think this ends up being a good alternative. There's nothing wrong with the phone method you described! But yes, some of us like the cyberdeck Fallout fantasy, especially since all roads lead home :)
@@josehnegrete It just seems to me like it would be less reliable. I am a big fan of the Pi; i was an early adopter in 2012, and currently own about 15 of them. The Pi itself is very reliable, but when you cobble something like this together, it's not going to be a finely tuned package like a phone. I'd rather take out the guts of that case and just fill it with several identical phones. Don't get me wrong, it's really cool, it's just not what I would want if the s really did hit the f.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but KIWIX is not an OS, the raspberry pi 4 should be running its own Raspberry PI OS, formerly known as Raspbian OS, KIWIX on the other hand is an application. Maybe the developers made the configuration on the OS to boot directly into KIWIX sort of like a KIOSK mode but those things could easily be changed and make full use of the OS. Has the SD Card been soldered to the Raspberry PI? You could easily replace the SD card with your own build. All in all, I find the construction of the unit top notch, the simplicity and minimalism of it looks gorgeous. The ABS plates laser cut, the 10 inch touchscreen display, the high quality buttons. Please help me out here in determining what the issue with the device that impedes using the full capability of the OS, thank you.
@@LuisGonzalezConrad so kiwix installs as its own OS I believe, but it’s based loosely on raspberry OS so it still has limited command functions. At the moment, it does boot as a KIOSK mode. The sd card is not soldered, so it can easily be replaced! I am actually currently running regular Pi OS in it and using it as a daily driver backup :)
Practical, no-nonsense layout, and great build quality. What else is there to say? Yes. A proper large screen! I must have watched hundreds of CD videos: this is one rof the best ones.
This device is a cool starting place.... but I feel like people could accomplish so much more than what this is. Also, I feel like this thing should have some kind of mounted solar panel on the lid that's been waterproofed to some degree to really ensure sustainability.
oh 100000%! this is not THE solution for most people. I definitely think if you can build it, then you shouldn't buy it. And yes, needs solar power. but then it comes into the issue of "do you want a turn-key?", or do you want the easiest way to get into the prepper-space by buying things seperately.
@@josehnegreteyou are exactly right, and your replies are very informative. It’s hard walking a fine line between turn key ease of use and customization.
@@josehnegrete I don't know how it became a trend but heterodynamics are a thing - there are some tracks that, by their nature and name, are more background. This isn't just for you, it's just I am seeing it on lots of channels where they put in a background track and, maybe bad software, lack of understanding of waveforms, you start getting audio glitches in the digital edit - it's weird because youtube never had this before, but now it is becoming a trend lol. maybe most people don't notice it idk. anyway thanks
All well and good until you actually have to recharge this thing. In an actual apocalypse scenario, I won't expect us to have a lot of access to electricity - so this becomes unusable in a couple days. A better design would be, to have foldable solar panels built in with adequate power output that can recharge it full in a couple hours. And another good addition would be some access to receive radio signals.
There's definitely space in it to hold items inside! I would say that I don't LOVE the idea of having built-in solar panels. What makes them effective is surface area, which this device doesn't have. I definitely would consider solar panels, but having them stay static or in a pack where they can be accessed when needed, but put away when not.
with a bit of basic electrical knowledge, you can make a usb C to 12v DC cable with crocodile clips. connect the clips to any car battery (no shortage them) and get the battery recharged. Buy some foldable solar panels to recharge the car battery and you have power for at least a couple of years.
Can you tell me where the other computers are called? I’d like to know even though the computer that you’re talking about is completely amazing but I would like to know the other ones too.
While I think this is a very cool laptop, I’d honestly recommend picking up something like a Panasonic toughbook cf-19/18. They’re very cheap used, like 60-100 dollars, have easily replaceable batteries and hard drives, touchscreen (cf 19), gps, and are relatively weather proof. Overall a very reliable laptop for very cheap.
Those toughbooks are great! I just liked the full waterproofing of the pelican style cases, but I did mention those laptops are killers and are a great consideration when looking at the ACID.
@@dafoex The last time I tried a cyberdeck project, I got frustrated and the project sat on my shelf for 2 years before I gave it away for parts. I will definitely look at organic maps!!!!!!!!
I don't see how this would be a better alternative to simply getting a rugged tablet like a Tab s4 pro and simply downloading kiwix onto it. The value comes in the information, and the information is open source. You could copy the kiwix database onto any smartphone and it's just as usable. If anything, the tab s4 pro would be superior because it has the ability to run it without a battery allowing you to connect it to any third party power source without the need to worry about battery failure after 5ish years.
I think the prospect of having it in a pelican case makes it essentially weatherproof and one less thing to worry about. If not, then a rugged dell laptop would also be just as useful
i feel like the charging would be done at "base", along with this device. they're meant to stay in the same locations, but are also portable if needed.
@@josehnegrete better off with having a solar panel built into the lid, huge powerbank in the bottom and a cellular (for gps) 2tb ipad (with keyboard case) with all the maps and books you need preinstalled. Could even have shows movies and music to keep you occupied when you have nothing to do.
it was a joke :( but one big issue i think about is that all of my family lives across the state, or even across borders. having a map to reference would be HUGE, especially for those dumb like me if the power fails. I currently keep a state map in my car, but it wouldn't hurt to get a larger database.
Well, it's just a rugged case with a computer full of free software like kiwix And the build quality is questionable: i didn't see the internals, and the ruggedness of a computer, especially the impact resistance depends more on internal construction rather than "amateur" appearance of a 3d printed pieces.
What I'm gonna do is this: Just buy a dozen high capacity flashdrives or whatever and universal adaptors, and have the flashdrives be both bootable as puppy linux or smthn and have the whole library on them each. Just find some working devices and either boot onto the os on the stick if its password locked, or you can just plug the usb in and browse the files on the native os the system came with if it lets you. Maybe top this off with a solar kit and lots of rechargeable battery banks and universal battery adapters. This way you'd have a lot of versatility, I think. You could just cannibalize and replace shit as needed, without being restricted to this one thing. Maybe have your computer as part of the "starting kit", in addition to the other stuff, so we have a long lasting base model for a while, and then my shit would come into play later on when things start breaking down.
I'd sell it with a solar panel, and converter, you have about 24 hours. After that you need electricity to charge it....if the grid goes down , well that's 24hrs ,Then your going to need a reliable power source....
Mainly aesthetic, but also for their durability. Due to the way the layers are placed, and depending on the material, it's really not a good idea to use 3D printing for longevity. 3D printers are mainly for prototyping, not manufacturing. There is unfortunately a 3d printed part in this device, but I forgot to talk about it in the video :(
Bro u can download the whole Wikipedia wiki how, how to fix it etc. rn for free, move it to sd card and here u are. Oh, if u are an iphone boy, so buy yourself a normal phone or use a card reader with laptop. And you don't need some abrams laptop for survival.
@@josehnegrete biggest fear is power grid going down, battery >> knowledge, but on second thought in defense of these devices, people "can" make solar panels or alternate sources using guides from this device before ifs battery runs out, but during such apocalypse, even potatoes will be sold for much higher prices (since it can generate mild electricity) let alone solar panels, then if you have these 2 things, you need to protect the device and charger, so you will also need some trusty weapon to defend your place, that should be also included in this kind of package
Nice, but should use a METAL case! Why? If you truly use this for its intended purpose, then EMP might be a factor and a closed metal box is a good bet for shielding computers!
@@MR.REEFFER I read them! And I also just purchased the Base Station to review, and now I’m broke again lol but if that doesn’t go well then we can talk
So the device essentially runs it’s own “O/S”, which doesn’t allow new info or devices to be added. However, the device internally is just a Raspberry Pi. I’ve since taken out the SD card and installed regular Pi OS, which DOES read and allow you to access thumb drives through the extra USB ports. The issue is that, regular Pi OS does not have the survival material pre-installed (though it can be found and downloaded online fairly easily), and it also requires disassembly of the device’s front screen panel. Overall, it’s a cumbersome task to constantly change USB sticks (and to even make it to where they’re even be able to be read in the first place)
I tried before, but this was much easier. Yes, it's easier to make your own in the same way I should have my own farm for sustainable food, and my own water collection system. I live in an apartment and I have a full time job, so I don't have the resources or time often.
I know I'm going to get hate for this but I'm going to say it anyway. If our civilisation falls apart, having a computer is going to be the least of your worries.
so on top of it all you can have it behave like a pirate box.. I haven't played with it in years , it used to run on Arch. Information is invaluable but communication is key. You'd have both. Not that you can do that 100 different ways running any webserver and a hot spot. Its the chat, I think is important the average person doesn't know how to operate Software Defined Radio/HAM , so the chat would be more 'survivor' friendly. Since its the end of days and all today. . Better put it in a faraday quick !
You may want to get a cheap rugged laptop i purchased a Getac v110 installed a 1TB hard drive and purchased a second battery. The laptop cost me $120 usd then I spent another $200 on parts and I have a good tough laptop that is core I7 with 16gb ram and able to do anything I need.
Ahoy! I built something like this for my server cluster 3 pi cluster built in BBU 5 port GB lan 4 TB drive and IP 68 water resistance no screen though :) its more like a server for the end of the world I built mine from scraps and 3d prints and a 15 usd for fake pelican case from china happy to show if i can send you a small video :) it runs website/ streaming/file sharing/network hosting wifi dns/dhcp and so on and some projects :) cool video :) thanks mate
@@josehnegrete th-cam.com/users/shorts70jGsivx4zI?feature=share here is sneak peak :) but i have issue with heat management, i can only run for like 9 hours completely closed :) before i start getting overheating issues. but you know not easy to solve with out water cooling loop. i wonder how acid does after 9 hours or so ? i don't see any vents there.
Those Dell rugged laptops seem a bit expensive. I picked up a 7404 i7, 16gb for about 250, threw in a $50 1tb SSD and dual boot Windows 10 and Kali on it. Of course if you're not technically inclined and have the money to burn, sure, go ahead.
Definitely for those not technically included. I had a rough time just installing Raspberry Pi OS lol. Even though I got it to run, I couldn’t imagine installing triple boot OS, cyber tools, and .zim repos :(
The creator does sell a faraday case that fits the device on his website, which is linked in the description! From my understanding, that will survive EMP :)
It seems to be running Raspberry Pi os. You could probably put Ubuntu on it quite easily since it is a Raspberry Pi, but Raspberry Pi os is still good.
This keyboard is not full sized. Taken no account for cooling in hot climates and humid ones for that matter. There are other problems I see with this actually working in a shtf situation. Just as a example of what I mean. My current cyberspace apocalypse ready deck is based on a industrial thin client that has massively over the top passive heatsinks off the shelf runs off 12v power and other more usable and practical features.
I think the Pi runs fairly good even in hot environments; even if, it's generally rated to only throttle to 1GHz, or even 750MHz worst-case-scenario. It's more likely to run hot if it were running advanced programs, to which the ACID has done. Doing read-only should keep it fairly safe and comfortable. However, I do wish it could run off more than just the built-in power. 12V power is nice! Does it run for a long time on it's own power, or does it always need external?
Absolutely. The Pi itself is $45, memory card probably $25, Nanuk case $75, screen probably $50~, keyboard probably $25, battery bank also probably $50-75. I think for those who don't have the tech skills to put it together, as well as want something that's a CLEAN build with good cable management and custom face plates, then this is why you would buy it. I definitely encourage those who can build it to do so! If anything, you'll learn a lot about maintenance and can customize it to your own liking. I however don't really have the time to spend, since I have tried and failed in the past and ultimately burned out on the project.
The problem with all of these apocalypse cyberdeck things is that they have a disposable/project computer at their core. Interesting concept if it had a more durable source of compute.
@@josehnegrete I am a different guy, but I am also looking into it too. Those rectangular prism shaped Mini PCs would be a more durable source of compute.
Thats a massive oversimplification. For one, the plague of unreliable capacitors that we tend to think of was largely due to specific manufacturing defects. The Xbox clock capacitor is known for failing, but playstation capacitors of the same age are more reliable for instance. For two, capacitors tend to wear out more if they aren't used/charged, i.e. any device that you're actually using will last *_far_* longer. For three, the 10-20 years estimate is like most dates and undersold, heavily weighting harsh, high temperature conditions compared to more favourable ones. You can buy laptops from 2001 that work fine even despite being kept in pretty piss conditions electrically. (Battery left at 0%, caps left at 0%, likely left in some dank basement, etc.) For four, different types of capacitors have wildly different wear rates. Electrolytics are the more infamous ones, but those are growing increasingly rare in consumer electronics. (Its entirely possible there isn't a single one in this entire box, though it probably does use them in the power supply it may not ) For five, if you're really concerned its not that hard to stock extras, though be mindful of proper storage procedures if you do since, again, electrlytics wear *_more_* when left uncharged. For six, harvesting caps from other scrap devices is always possible. For seven, if you're genuinely of the belief that you wont have any other computers more than two decades on then at that point your concerns ought to be cancer, congenital heart failure, etc. Even benign things like diaherra are killers without modern developments, so when you're pushing retirement age without any medical care that should probably take priority. For eight, printers exist. If there are any issues with this its the lack of proper wired connectivity for file transfers and backups to and from other devices, not cap failure.
If I manage to survive post-infrastructure-collapse with this for more than 10-20 years, I should have built up enough skills by then to not depend on it for survival anymore. Maybe I'll replace some parts every 10 years or so if the grid hasnt collapsed yet and its just been sitting in my bugout bag. But this shouod really only be necessary for the time period immediately following collapse; it's not a long-term solution and shouldn't be seen as such
@@euroclydonftw9676 That's a good consideration, and I'm tempted to try it... I guess my biggest worry is that you add more points of failure with a second pi?
If it's not already been stated here in the comments - ZIM is open software. I make my own zim files constantly. You can setup how deep you want to go, you can override whatever limits you want to regarding outside weblinks and files, etc. So long as it's capable of it (like you're not going to be able to download YT videos by trying to zim it because of proprietary protocols), you can make a copy of it. I have a bunch of websites copied offline with tons of great info that are not posted to the general Kiwix.
You can easily update the device you have you're showing in the video. It's a computer at its core. The only issue is storage. All this stuff takes a ton of drive space, so you'll likely need an external drive or 5. :)
I made my own little emergency cyberdeck with a slot that has a USB C connector mounted in the back, so I can swap out USB 1TB SSD sticks. I've got entire libraries of videos, music, books, maps, and full websites with files. Some of those take nearly an entire drive by themselves. Having Meshtastic built in is nice as well - I've had fun with that. I wish it would take off here in the US like it has in the UK.
Good video, but I think there is a LOT more available to you than you think. Have a good one, and thank you for all of your efforts!
pinning this because i want to reference it later lol; do you have a link or something I can look at to help me learn how to work with zim? i tired on my own to build my own files, but i kept failing using pi.
also, great info in this comment in general. thank you!!!
Geez man, even whatever it was I wrote got disappeared - I wonder if it is just using the other words for "look for"... so anyway, rather than type all the useful stuff, look for something called wget - 2 - zim, without the spaces. It might even be the command 'wget' that it's freaking out about I dunno. If so, I will try spelling it out somehow lol. Find that info and it is super easy. There are a couple of much more in depth ways to go about it, but I have found it to be plenty good, and so much easier it's not worth messing with anything else.
Is there any way to be able to get links to your library or would you be willing to sell copies? I’m currently compiling a library for underprivileged and inner-city youth to get familiar with prepping
@@rayacareal Good grief, I see my last attempt at a reply was also removed. I'm not sure how I'm going to reply without it being removed. I'm assuming YT is yeeting it due to any variation of a naming convention I've tried. No, you don't need to buy anything. I'm going to see if I can post some simple instructions somewhere and try commenting again here.
YT won't allow a link, so the best I can think of trying for now is to look for all one word - 'double you'get dash 2 dash zim
Looks totally not too pointlessly heavy and clunky. Perfect for a 50-mile hike! Let's see that hike with this thing in the next video.
Dang, I thought you had like thousands of subscribers based on the video quality.. Great content, keep it up bro!
@@larikari1615 this shit made my day 😭 time to make more videos, thank you so much for the motivation 🫡
@@josehnegrete I'm glad to hear that :D
I'll be building this atop a SFF Dell Optiplex soon. My thinking is: By using a machine that was mass-produced and can be found in a myriad of offices, spare parts will be in no shortage. Maintainability is just as important as the information inside, because if you can't maintain the machine, the information is at constant risk of loss or damage. I'm basically sacrificing light weight and small size vs your design, in exchange for longevity.
Ooooh I hadn't even thought about maintainability. That's a great way to go about it.
I don't know how much that hardware costs, but it doesn't seem that expensive, and that software is pretty much all free I mean it's cool that someone sells this, but it just seems waaaaay too expensive, and I've seen much similar devices with more features built for much cheaper.
Definitely can be built for MUCH cheaper. The main selling point for it is that it's a pre-built package. The biggest barrier to entry for devices like this is the time associated with learning how to build it. FPV drones are currently experiencing the same market change; previously, you could only get into the hobby building a quad yourself. Now, it's commonplace to buy pre-builts for any expertise.
I do recommend for those who have soldering and technical skills (as well as time and a little bit of programming might help), to just build one yourself! Though, if you're like me that is fairly busy and rather just trust someone with more experience to do it, then I might recommend a pre-built.
@@josehnegrete well but one of the points of an apocalypse pc is actually the 3d printed parts. Stuff will eventually break so preferably you want a package that can easily be fixed and printing spare parts as long as there is power or even just having the stl files is kinda in the same line of thinking. F.e. often cyberdecks have often redundant connections if something fries so as long as the SBC survives you can salvage everything. But great video though keep up the good work :D
@@hinnifreaxxx i agree with all of that! redundancy is important. I would say that having 3d printed parts isn't great. rather, i would prefer having parts that CAN be 3d printed in the future. nothing too complex, durable so you won't have to worry about replacing but replacableif you need them to be.
@@josehnegrete yeah so having the stl files / a blue print would be nice. I saw someone building a cyberdeck with wood in a pelican case which is basicly the opposite side of the spectrum. Personally i wanna build one eventually that has a lot of connectivity runs a small linux package has all the info that yours has and has some redundancy basicly so that if it breaks you can repair it if it fries you can make a new one so maybe a system on an SD card makes most sense.
Some people don't have access to tools, hardware stores, and the extra space to create one from scratch. Doesn't mean they can't make it theirs through customization. Building a gaming pc will always be cheaper than buying a triple A gaming console.
DevTerm Kit RPI-CM4 Lite is going to be my doomsday cyberdeck. Runs off replaceable 18650 lithium-ion batteries. At $279, it's a great deal.
NEAT. I’m guessing you just gotta make sure it’s in a safe case (as all cyberdecks need), but it running on 18650s is a huge deal.
The Emperor and the Tech-Priests would like to have a word...
my personal stc
To me nothing I've seen on youtube is really a cyberdeck. I always imagined a cyberdeck as a keyboard, 75% keyboard sized with a small screen. You take it with you and instead of using a screen you use trodes and your conscioussness goes into cyberspace. But for our modern purposes a powerful mini PC built into a 75% keyboard case. That works with a type of VR glasses would be perfect
there was a cool one on etsy that looks liek what u taklking about but it got taken down and the new website is super shady and customer support wont respoond
Doesn't look hardened against EMP. All the main documents could be stored on a series of solid state SD cards as backup and the primary on a solid state SSD. The whole thing could be done with a debian build on a low-power config, perhaps with LORAWan networking gear available for post-apocalypse networking.
Avantgarde Labs, the creator of the device, does a faraday bag that fits the device to protect against EMPs. I would love however yes, if backup memories were provided in case of data corruption.
Outside of that, I thing having LoRa would be a perfect improvement to this, as other devices such as the Base Station mentioned do provide this.
Bro, EMP is as good as fictional. Although it is possible to make one, having a good range than can effectively damage electronics would require an insane amount of energy to produce and a crazy huge coil size. This is exactly why you never see this weaponized anywhere in real world.
And its very easy to counter - a simple faraday cage will protect any electronics inside.
@@randominternetviewer166 there are specific yield nukes which can be configured specifically for EMP burst, AFAIK China has an unknown number of such devices but others probably have them as well. Chinese doctrine apparently mentioned conditions under which they would be used - this may include intentional infrastructure destruction to power grids and communications infrastructure, probably mainly focused on civilian disruption. If they had "hot war" against a near peer they may be tempted to use them
Because people casually get hit by emp bombs daily
@@rebcommando587 oooh dear - that's the approach and attitude I definitely and wholeheartedly recommend to any of my competitors indeed.
FWIW - EMP is a weapon whose use is within several military doctrines already, that it's not been widely used yet tends to reflect a lack of conflict with a high-tech opponent; it simply reflects the lack of escalation of conflict with such an adversary to date. I am aware of Chinese PLA doctrine (discussed in their military forums as a way of quietly publishing threats to near peer adversaries) where they mention the use of a high altitude EMP warhead over India for instance; to obliterate national power and communications and data infrastructure which industry there intensely reliant on for their offshoring and outsourcing industries alone.
But back to the core of your point - how many situations have you had, say, this week - where you've had to live off-grid isolated from the internet and reliant on a stored cache of expertise and knowledge to survive? Has it been, say, half a dozen times given it's already Saturday?
Please do a video showing the internal build.
*buys emp hardened metal case for my t430 with an i7-3740qm, an 8tb ssd, another 8tb ssd in an adapter taking up the media bay, a 2tb m.2 in the expresscard slot, a 1.5tb sd card in the card slot, and a modified slice battery the user can swap cells out on in under 2 minutes*
$688... just buy a used Panasonic Though book... You can do the same things with more capabilities!
My cyberbeck is a Samsung Galaxy S22, Samsung Galaxy Tad A9+ with Samsung Dex integrated, trifold bluetooth keyboard with TouchPad and pen... The Tab A9+ has 8 cores 8GB ram 128GB internal storage with 1TB SD card full of survival, off grid living and power, medical, dental, surgical, and pharmaceutical drug, manuals books and videos... finally, a 50000 mAh battery with solar panels. I am running SDR software, offline maps, ATAK, foreign language translation tools... and much more all stored in a EMP shield breifcase for much less that $688. Soon I will be adding in LoRa for emergency messaging system.
not to mention tough books are already battle tested lol
You could definitely sell this to nature reserve guards, independent journalists going to warzones (or just people in war-prone areas), and geeks like me
Definitely just in the geek category myself lol
This is cool. If one has to be portable this is a nice solution. I meet this need with a small library of books. The books aren't that portable, but I'm living where I can stay and don't need to travel.
Definitely agree if you’re not moving, this isn’t as necessary. It’s a solution to a portability problem, though the built-in battery bank isn’t a terrible idea to have at home for charging items in a power outage.
The real value in this product is the stored data. Not the OS, not the computer and not the packaging. It's an interesting idea worth exploring further: I imagine a FOSS project that will bootstrap a basic OS for you and pull all data from the web. And on top of that the user should be able to define their own sources. And it should run on any PC. That way it's more flexible and detached from any hardware. I am a firm believer in the Unix philosophy: do one thing and one thing well. For example a user could buy a Panasonic ToughBook, a Jackery PowerBank along with solar panels and some external SSDs for back up and would have a more flexible, powerful system that's devoid of a single point of failure.
From my understanding, Kiwix OS runs also on window, Linux, Mac, etc. The issue here is that the raspberry pi device is limited to certain repositories, meanwhile the PC OS versions have full rein on what they can install (assuming there’s a .zim file for them). I actually installed a zim reader on my personal computer, so I also have huge amount of info saved there.
Thanks for the video. I installed Debian linux on a cheap, all plastic exterior, Acer laptop (Acer Aspire 3 R3-471T), and then installed kiwix as an app (not in Kiosk mode). I launched kiwix, then downloaded my content (the entirety of Wikipedia snapshot from 6 months ago, medical wikis, ifixit videos, etc). If I remove the Acer case and put the innards into a waterproof protective case like a pelican or similar casing, I'd essentially have the same thing. It takes some fabrication skills, but doable, and will probably be cheaper than $700. Thoughts on GPS during end times - GPS systems may not work, so information about navigating by stars, learning how to navigate on land without digital tools, would be nice to have as content on your cyberdeck.
ah i hadn't even thought on GPS not working if SHTF. good point D:
I would to see a breakdown of what the inside looks like, mostly because I want to see if there is ways to modify it just a bit.
if i get more comments i can make a separate video, or if you're really that interested i can just record something real quick lol
@@josehnegrete Not a big issue, I did purchase one and do plan to do some modifications that I know can me made and hopefully more. Sadly I dont make or post content so if anyone else is interested in something the same, they will just have to bite the bullet like I did nad buy one. I do love the concept behind this system and my attempts to make one of my own fell short, mostly lazyness and my 3d printer being used for other things. Thank you for the reply though.
Well played, sir.
🫡
Good review! I kinda like the DIY versions a lil bit more for the tech savy! Hope yah make your own survivor cyber deck.
Currently learning to one day do my own :)
I would definitely recommend you try and build your own, with all of the missing functionality you mentioned. Also look into local AI LLMs like llama2 or gemma. It would be a great learning experience and make for a great video!
Language models sound so freaking exciting, but I know I'll fail. When I was in high school I had trouble in the electrical section of my automotive class. In college I had trouble with comp sci 1 & 2. I will let other more experienced people figure out the details so I can make subpar review videos online lol
Question, what's that ai llm thing you mentioned?
@@mdredheadguy1979 a "local language model", so something like ChatGPT but run on my device.
@@josehnegrete oh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
The base station now features LLMs
256gb is not sufficient. Also, read only defeats the concept of a survival wiki in a box. Being able to update information would be more useful. Also, as i type this......he says to keep it over 75% battery to avoid degradation. An apocalypse knowledgebase needs to be dynamically updateable. A laptop with a traditional OS, and a solar powered battery/charging setup would be cheaper, and more resilient in a SHTF situation than this device. This is an overprced toy for cosplay prepper types.
I Love the idea of it. But went a different route. (like our host did)
Got a (Used) rugged laptop [Panasonic ToughBook]with 2 drives (both 1TB, M.2 & SSD) and an extra battery. (for $350 on eBay)
Started with Debian 11, Downloaded Wikipedia, Project Gutenberg, kiwix (App), a collection of military & survival manuals - etc.
All freely available (found the list on a survivalist youtube site - forget the name) Using Organic Maps for offline maps...
And a Mylar bag for (Some) EMP protection.
As long as I don't go swimming with it, I figure I'll be in decent shape.
Should pickup a small solar panel, maybe next visit to harbor freight...
definitely think that if you can make something custom for your specific needs and wants (and cheaper), then go for it 100%
@@josehnegrete Yup - everybody's got their own needs & preferences. Always looking for ideas....
For the other things you want to store, I would buy an old laptop! I got a Thinkpad x240 for 40 euros that I am transforming into my Italian learning machine. It has an Italian layout keyboard so its perfect for practicing typing, storing my notes while I learn, communicating in Italian with all the accented letters I need right on the keyboard, and it has a swappable battery AND an internal one so I can swap the battery to extend it's life without turning the system off.
definitely doing this lol
for something like this a color e ink display would be more rugged and the battery would last so much longer
then no videos :/
@@josehnegrete true. I hear they have new eink displays ghat can do video. The quality isn't amazing but you can read small text in a video which should be enough for survival scenario. You could also have a hdmi and plug in a second display for video or cast/send to a phone. Would keep the battery consumption low.
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems that there is very little that this device can do that can't already be done way better with a smartphone.
Phones are a marvel of engineering; screen, battery, power management and charging circuitry all integrated into a tiny package that is rugged and extremely reliable.
They are also small and cheap enough that you could easily have one or more extra devices as backup.
You would be much better off filling that Pelican case with a couple of your old phones, some portable chargers, and a bunch of flash drives and microSD cards containing backups of the data.
Throw a mini keyboard in there too if you think you will need one.
This cyberdeck is cool, but it is little more than a Fallout fantasy.
I think the whole point of this giant suitcase is the huge Wikipedia back-up inside it. Really, think of this luggage-looking thing as a local encyclopedia, compared to a website that you need internet and an internet-capable device with a battery, just to access it.
@@Pickelrye That's my point - you could put a local copy of those files on a phone just like you could on this contraption.
You can get 1TB microsd cards now, and you can also supplement with an external SSD if you feel you need more than that.
Wikipedia (compressed articles with no media) is 22.14 GB.
There's just nothing this device can do that can't be done more reliably with a phone, at a fraction of the size, weight and cost.
Essentially, this thing IS what you described.
The Pi board is about the size of a cellphone. You can easily copy the files from the current SD card into others for backup. From there, you mentioned adding a keyboard which this already has, and portable chargers, which this is currently running but you can always add more. The device has space inside for upgrades, but you are mentioning the exact same thing, just a stripped-down version of it. I like the ACID because it's easier to read material off of it than a iPhone; it's the same reason people buy Kindles over reading books on their mobile devices. Screen size and ergonomics are great. Yes, I will definitely still have my phone on me when SHTF, but in the meantime, I think this ends up being a good alternative. There's nothing wrong with the phone method you described! But yes, some of us like the cyberdeck Fallout fantasy, especially since all roads lead home :)
@@josehnegrete It just seems to me like it would be less reliable. I am a big fan of the Pi; i was an early adopter in 2012, and currently own about 15 of them.
The Pi itself is very reliable, but when you cobble something like this together, it's not going to be a finely tuned package like a phone. I'd rather take out the guts of that case and just fill it with several identical phones.
Don't get me wrong, it's really cool, it's just not what I would want if the s really did hit the f.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but KIWIX is not an OS, the raspberry pi 4 should be running its own Raspberry PI OS, formerly known as Raspbian OS, KIWIX on the other hand is an application. Maybe the developers made the configuration on the OS to boot directly into KIWIX sort of like a KIOSK mode but those things could easily be changed and make full use of the OS. Has the SD Card been soldered to the Raspberry PI? You could easily replace the SD card with your own build. All in all, I find the construction of the unit top notch, the simplicity and minimalism of it looks gorgeous. The ABS plates laser cut, the 10 inch touchscreen display, the high quality buttons. Please help me out here in determining what the issue with the device that impedes using the full capability of the OS, thank you.
@@LuisGonzalezConrad so kiwix installs as its own OS I believe, but it’s based loosely on raspberry OS so it still has limited command functions. At the moment, it does boot as a KIOSK mode.
The sd card is not soldered, so it can easily be replaced! I am actually currently running regular Pi OS in it and using it as a daily driver backup :)
niceeee. u motivated me to build somthing similar out of my new pi 5
NICE, best of luck :D
Practical, no-nonsense layout, and great build quality. What else is there to say? Yes. A proper large screen!
I must have watched hundreds of CD videos: this is one rof the best ones.
This device is a cool starting place.... but I feel like people could accomplish so much more than what this is. Also, I feel like this thing should have some kind of mounted solar panel on the lid that's been waterproofed to some degree to really ensure sustainability.
oh 100000%! this is not THE solution for most people. I definitely think if you can build it, then you shouldn't buy it. And yes, needs solar power. but then it comes into the issue of "do you want a turn-key?", or do you want the easiest way to get into the prepper-space by buying things seperately.
@@josehnegreteyou are exactly right, and your replies are very informative. It’s hard walking a fine line between turn key ease of use and customization.
good video but the trend of background music over speech is absolutely abhorrent as there's all kinds of glitches and dynamics and odd sounds created
im working on getting the audio less in the way :(
@@josehnegrete I don't know how it became a trend but heterodynamics are a thing - there are some tracks that, by their nature and name, are more background.
This isn't just for you, it's just I am seeing it on lots of channels where they put in a background track and, maybe bad software, lack of understanding of waveforms, you start getting audio glitches in the digital edit - it's weird because youtube never had this before, but now it is becoming a trend lol. maybe most people don't notice it idk. anyway thanks
What if it were possible to exchange storage devices, similar to how people used to swap cassette for games?
So while you can change the boot I/O, you unfortunately have to disassemble the device :( currently possible, but not practical.
Wonder if you can dual boot into another environment. Dont want to be limited soley to Kiwix
definitely wish you could dual boot. can't at the moment.
All well and good until you actually have to recharge this thing. In an actual apocalypse scenario, I won't expect us to have a lot of access to electricity - so this becomes unusable in a couple days. A better design would be, to have foldable solar panels built in with adequate power output that can recharge it full in a couple hours. And another good addition would be some access to receive radio signals.
There's definitely space in it to hold items inside! I would say that I don't LOVE the idea of having built-in solar panels. What makes them effective is surface area, which this device doesn't have. I definitely would consider solar panels, but having them stay static or in a pack where they can be accessed when needed, but put away when not.
@@josehnegrete yup. Exactly why i said "foldable solar panels". 7-8 inch 4pcs pannels should be sufficient enough to recharge it.
with a bit of basic electrical knowledge, you can make a usb C to 12v DC cable with crocodile clips. connect the clips to any car battery (no shortage them) and get the battery recharged. Buy some foldable solar panels to recharge the car battery and you have power for at least a couple of years.
Love the video man truly underrated
bro this comment got me the energy to post more, THANK YOU!!!
Can you tell me where the other computers are called? I’d like to know even though the computer that you’re talking about is completely amazing but I would like to know the other ones too.
Is there an internal faraday cage within the case because given the name of it, it should have 😁 (I didn’t notice if that was mentioned
no faraday :( you can buy an external storage one but that's extra
The only thing I would have done differently would be to make the case metal to shield the electronics from EMP.
I know a lot of people are making quick faraday cages for their devices with copper lining. That’s for future me to figure it out lol
Does the case, when closed, afford a level of emp protection or not?
no :/
the lack of antena conectors for radio etc is criminal .
100% agreed. currently exploring other devices that might have radio!
@@josehnegrete awesome content btw
@@myname-mz3lo yo this made my day, thank you so much
While I think this is a very cool laptop, I’d honestly recommend picking up something like a Panasonic toughbook cf-19/18. They’re very cheap used, like 60-100 dollars, have easily replaceable batteries and hard drives, touchscreen (cf 19), gps, and are relatively weather proof. Overall a very reliable laptop for very cheap.
Those toughbooks are great! I just liked the full waterproofing of the pelican style cases, but I did mention those laptops are killers and are a great consideration when looking at the ACID.
I dont see any for that price, as much as I would like to
On the thing about maps, try Organic Maps
You can also build your own Cyberdeck to suit your needs? I didn't even know prebuilds were a thing?
@@dafoex The last time I tried a cyberdeck project, I got frustrated and the project sat on my shelf for 2 years before I gave it away for parts. I will definitely look at organic maps!!!!!!!!
I don't see how this would be a better alternative to simply getting a rugged tablet like a Tab s4 pro and simply downloading kiwix onto it. The value comes in the information, and the information is open source. You could copy the kiwix database onto any smartphone and it's just as usable. If anything, the tab s4 pro would be superior because it has the ability to run it without a battery allowing you to connect it to any third party power source without the need to worry about battery failure after 5ish years.
I think the prospect of having it in a pelican case makes it essentially weatherproof and one less thing to worry about. If not, then a rugged dell laptop would also be just as useful
The hardest thing will be carrying the solar panel everywhere!
i feel like the charging would be done at "base", along with this device. they're meant to stay in the same locations, but are also portable if needed.
looks like a Raspberry pi driven device... Better buy a Panasonc?
would need a waterproof one
@@josehnegrete A saw a waterproof Chines noname one... (if you have to dive...)
Sounds like a cool concept, but without having an open operating system is dumb.
Yeaaah its a super limiting factor :(
@@josehnegrete better off with having a solar panel built into the lid, huge powerbank in the bottom and a cellular (for gps) 2tb ipad (with keyboard case) with all the maps and books you need preinstalled. Could even have shows movies and music to keep you occupied when you have nothing to do.
TFW you need a map to get to Starbucks.
it was a joke :( but one big issue i think about is that all of my family lives across the state, or even across borders. having a map to reference would be HUGE, especially for those dumb like me if the power fails. I currently keep a state map in my car, but it wouldn't hurt to get a larger database.
Well, it's just a rugged case with a computer full of free software like kiwix And the build quality is questionable: i didn't see the internals, and the ruggedness of a computer, especially the impact resistance depends more on internal construction rather than "amateur" appearance of a 3d printed pieces.
I will definitely consider doing an impact resistance test in the future lol
@@josehnegrete I would like to see this, especially if you keep the test reasonable
What I'm gonna do is this: Just buy a dozen high capacity flashdrives or whatever and universal adaptors, and have the flashdrives be both bootable as puppy linux or smthn and have the whole library on them each. Just find some working devices and either boot onto the os on the stick if its password locked, or you can just plug the usb in and browse the files on the native os the system came with if it lets you. Maybe top this off with a solar kit and lots of rechargeable battery banks and universal battery adapters. This way you'd have a lot of versatility, I think. You could just cannibalize and replace shit as needed, without being restricted to this one thing. Maybe have your computer as part of the "starting kit", in addition to the other stuff, so we have a long lasting base model for a while, and then my shit would come into play later on when things start breaking down.
1:28 I’ve never seen anybody do air quotation marks that way 😂
Bro throwing up gang signs
I'd sell it with a solar panel, and converter, you have about 24 hours. After that you need electricity to charge it....if the grid goes down , well that's 24hrs ,Then your going to need a reliable power source....
I'm definitely wanting to get solar power, because yes I definitely agree POWER is the biggest issue here lol
A little confused what's wrong with 3d printed parts other than maybe the aesthetic
Mainly aesthetic, but also for their durability. Due to the way the layers are placed, and depending on the material, it's really not a good idea to use 3D printing for longevity. 3D printers are mainly for prototyping, not manufacturing.
There is unfortunately a 3d printed part in this device, but I forgot to talk about it in the video :(
Good. But you need a faraday cage for the EMP that comes along with modern nukes. All that’s moot if you don’t protect it
Avantgarde sells a faraday bag that fits the ACID on their website; just found that out recently :)
where can i download all of the information and articles that he has on this?
kiwix has a repository of info, but IIAB is a good resource too.
did you EMP-proof it tho?
The owner of the device sells a faraday cage for it! I've just been too busy to buy it lol
Bro u can download the whole Wikipedia wiki how, how to fix it etc. rn for free, move it to sd card and here u are. Oh, if u are an iphone boy, so buy yourself a normal phone or use a card reader with laptop. And you don't need some abrams laptop for survival.
only issue with these devices is they don't have integrated solar charging
@@ChandravijayAgrawal seems to be a universal critique from most comments
@@josehnegrete biggest fear is power grid going down, battery >> knowledge, but on second thought in defense of these devices, people "can" make solar panels or alternate sources using guides from this device before ifs battery runs out, but during such apocalypse, even potatoes will be sold for much higher prices (since it can generate mild electricity) let alone solar panels, then if you have these 2 things, you need to protect the device and charger, so you will also need some trusty weapon to defend your place, that should be also included in this kind of package
somehow, use another processor to add to it, reusing the keyboard and screen ect that you just cant use if no internet
Wouldn't it be possibe to just build one instead?
Nice, but should use a METAL case! Why? If you truly use this for its intended purpose, then EMP might be a factor and a closed metal box is a good bet for shielding computers!
Would it just work if it was completely metal?
Hey bro I don't know if you read these comments on old videos but I was wondering how much would it be if I payed you to build me a cyberdeck
@@MR.REEFFER I read them! And I also just purchased the Base Station to review, and now I’m broke again lol but if that doesn’t go well then we can talk
Needs a solar panel topper
100% agree!!!
So does the “nothing can be added” include thumb drives/ usb sticks?
So the device essentially runs it’s own “O/S”, which doesn’t allow new info or devices to be added. However, the device internally is just a Raspberry Pi. I’ve since taken out the SD card and installed regular Pi OS, which DOES read and allow you to access thumb drives through the extra USB ports. The issue is that, regular Pi OS does not have the survival material pre-installed (though it can be found and downloaded online fairly easily), and it also requires disassembly of the device’s front screen panel. Overall, it’s a cumbersome task to constantly change USB sticks (and to even make it to where they’re even be able to be read in the first place)
It is basicly a storrage server with Display
wheres the track pad and io?
doesn't have one; definitely needs one :/ all controlled through the keyboard
You would learn more and be better prepared if you made your own, even if it did not look as good.
I tried before, but this was much easier. Yes, it's easier to make your own in the same way I should have my own farm for sustainable food, and my own water collection system. I live in an apartment and I have a full time job, so I don't have the resources or time often.
@@josehnegrete True, but with this, you will likely need that knowledge when it hiccups.
You could have built it yourself for a lot less.
100%!!
Isn’t that how most products work?
Is this model based on Pi 5 or Pi 4?
Pi 4!
@@josehnegrete thanks for the video and thanks for the reply. Hopefully they're working on a pi5 version
@@phillipperez3358 the creator is sending me some parts that he considers an "upgrade". We'll have to see how those perform!!!
@@josehnegrete sweet. I'm looking forward to it. I subbed
Is it emp proof?
No, but it can be :D
Is it waterproof?
closed yes!
I know I'm going to get hate for this but I'm going to say it anyway. If our civilisation falls apart, having a computer is going to be the least of your worries.
@@redpillcommando no it looks like a lot of the comments don’t like this thing so you’re good lmao
@@josehnegrete I guess to be fair I should add that it is a very cool little computer.
so on top of it all you can have it behave like a pirate box.. I haven't played with it in years , it used to run on Arch. Information is invaluable but communication is key. You'd have both. Not that you can do that 100 different ways running any webserver and a hot spot. Its the chat, I think is important the average person doesn't know how to operate Software Defined Radio/HAM , so the chat would be more 'survivor' friendly. Since its the end of days and all today. . Better put it in a faraday quick !
Definitely want this device with Arch and some LoRa networks
You may want to get a cheap rugged laptop i purchased a Getac v110 installed a 1TB hard drive and purchased a second battery. The laptop cost me $120 usd then I spent another $200 on parts and I have a good tough laptop that is core I7 with 16gb ram and able to do anything I need.
Definitely thinking about just doing this lol
Books exist... I think people fail to remember that computers, internet, etc was not common place 30 years ago... we did fine.
yeah but we also had a lower life expectancy lol
@@josehnegrete True. If the cyberdeck can do medical infrastructure as well you are on to a winner.
Our life is expectancy in the US is declining, new technology doesn’t necessarily equate to human advancement.
just imagine! what if they find it in Mad Max world! Boom 🤯
lol....can be made for quarter of the price with the right knowledge...Nonetheless, if it had pi 5, it'd be a pretty sweet device
Ahoy! I built something like this for my server cluster 3 pi cluster built in BBU 5 port GB lan 4 TB drive and IP 68 water resistance no screen though :) its more like a server for the end of the world
I built mine from scraps and 3d prints and a 15 usd for fake pelican case from china happy to show if i can send you a small video :)
it runs website/ streaming/file sharing/network hosting wifi dns/dhcp and so on and some projects :)
cool video :) thanks mate
This is what most people do I feel like, especially if you use Kiwix. Backup servers for the end of the world can be lifesavers.
@@josehnegrete th-cam.com/users/shorts70jGsivx4zI?feature=share here is sneak peak :) but i have issue with heat management, i can only run for like 9 hours completely closed :) before i start getting overheating issues. but you know not easy to solve with out water cooling loop. i wonder how acid does after 9 hours or so ? i don't see any vents there.
Would open source this? I’d be interested in a full video 💜
How much drop proof?
@@DBCooper3 top scared to check with my one copy, would need another one to check lol
Those Dell rugged laptops seem a bit expensive. I picked up a 7404 i7, 16gb for about 250, threw in a $50 1tb SSD and dual boot Windows 10 and Kali on it. Of course if you're not technically inclined and have the money to burn, sure, go ahead.
Definitely for those not technically included. I had a rough time just installing Raspberry Pi OS lol. Even though I got it to run, I couldn’t imagine installing triple boot OS, cyber tools, and .zim repos :(
what of an EMP occurring would it survive
The creator does sell a faraday case that fits the device on his website, which is linked in the description! From my understanding, that will survive EMP :)
Want❤ not the laptop, just for society to collapse 👍
What ram can you upgrade to?
@@DBCooper3 can’t upgrade ram :(
If we could put ubuntu or even kali on this... DUDE...
Dream machine
It seems to be running Raspberry Pi os. You could probably put Ubuntu on it quite easily since it is a Raspberry Pi, but Raspberry Pi os is still good.
Why not get a cheap laptop, download everything and put in a Faraday cage?
water proof, but mainly the build looks great. you can definitely get more mileage on laptops without worrying about water
@@josehnegrete valid point about the waterproofing
small problem, raspberry pis don't last that long compared to a normal pc. not that good in apocalypse scenario
This keyboard is not full sized. Taken no account for cooling in hot climates and humid ones for that matter. There are other problems I see with this actually working in a shtf situation. Just as a example of what I mean. My current cyberspace apocalypse ready deck is based on a industrial thin client that has massively over the top passive heatsinks off the shelf runs off 12v power and other more usable and practical features.
I think the Pi runs fairly good even in hot environments; even if, it's generally rated to only throttle to 1GHz, or even 750MHz worst-case-scenario. It's more likely to run hot if it were running advanced programs, to which the ACID has done. Doing read-only should keep it fairly safe and comfortable.
However, I do wish it could run off more than just the built-in power. 12V power is nice! Does it run for a long time on it's own power, or does it always need external?
You can build it for 1/3 the price.
Absolutely. The Pi itself is $45, memory card probably $25, Nanuk case $75, screen probably $50~, keyboard probably $25, battery bank also probably $50-75. I think for those who don't have the tech skills to put it together, as well as want something that's a CLEAN build with good cable management and custom face plates, then this is why you would buy it.
I definitely encourage those who can build it to do so! If anything, you'll learn a lot about maintenance and can customize it to your own liking. I however don't really have the time to spend, since I have tried and failed in the past and ultimately burned out on the project.
just download all the software which is free, and put it on a tablet
but waterproof D:
This video makes me NOT want this cyberdeck.
:(
nice entertaining video , thumbs up
Thank you so much!!!!!
The problem with all of these apocalypse cyberdeck things is that they have a disposable/project computer at their core. Interesting concept if it had a more durable source of compute.
what did you have in mind for something super durable?
@@josehnegrete I am a different guy, but I am also looking into it too. Those rectangular prism shaped Mini PCs would be a more durable source of compute.
Wouldn't trust an sd card for critical information
yeaaaaaaaa that's a huge issue for me at the moment. at least at the moment it is read-only, so it's much less likely to fail.
No reliable resource?? How about a book
how many books would you need to hold all of the info in this, or how would you make that waterproof
ok but can it run doom
YESSIRRRRR
Make sure you reinvent pen and paper first, because in 20 years, those capacitors will start failing.
Thats a massive oversimplification. For one, the plague of unreliable capacitors that we tend to think of was largely due to specific manufacturing defects. The Xbox clock capacitor is known for failing, but playstation capacitors of the same age are more reliable for instance. For two, capacitors tend to wear out more if they aren't used/charged, i.e. any device that you're actually using will last *_far_* longer. For three, the 10-20 years estimate is like most dates and undersold, heavily weighting harsh, high temperature conditions compared to more favourable ones. You can buy laptops from 2001 that work fine even despite being kept in pretty piss conditions electrically. (Battery left at 0%, caps left at 0%, likely left in some dank basement, etc.) For four, different types of capacitors have wildly different wear rates. Electrolytics are the more infamous ones, but those are growing increasingly rare in consumer electronics. (Its entirely possible there isn't a single one in this entire box, though it probably does use them in the power supply it may not
) For five, if you're really concerned its not that hard to stock extras, though be mindful of proper storage procedures if you do since, again, electrlytics wear *_more_* when left uncharged. For six, harvesting caps from other scrap devices is always possible. For seven, if you're genuinely of the belief that you wont have any other computers more than two decades on then at that point your concerns ought to be cancer, congenital heart failure, etc. Even benign things like diaherra are killers without modern developments, so when you're pushing retirement age without any medical care that should probably take priority. For eight, printers exist.
If there are any issues with this its the lack of proper wired connectivity for file transfers and backups to and from other devices, not cap failure.
If anything, the battery bank would likely fail after a few years. Though to be fair, it is a fairly easy part to replace in the build :)
If I manage to survive post-infrastructure-collapse with this for more than 10-20 years, I should have built up enough skills by then to not depend on it for survival anymore.
Maybe I'll replace some parts every 10 years or so if the grid hasnt collapsed yet and its just been sitting in my bugout bag.
But this shouod really only be necessary for the time period immediately following collapse; it's not a long-term solution and shouldn't be seen as such
You’ll worry about finding food before a bag of gold let alone plastic and computers. God bless
There is probably a recipe for that.
is a rasbery pi that has a lipo and a hard drive , and a plastic case ,, anyone can build
and i definitely encourage anyone who can to save money and build their own lol
Not EMP proof😊
they sell a faraday case for it now!
i would like something like this with an actual usable keyboard rather than those useless chicklet buttons that every laptop comes with these days.
YEP 10000%. I have a custom keyboard i use for my current pc, and have seen other builds that use better keyboards.
Why not run kiwix on a smaller second pi, and connect a larger pi to it with it's own apps?
Also, I would prolly try to use a numpad as the keyboard to save space. You know like them old phones without the keyboard.
@@euroclydonftw9676 That's a good consideration, and I'm tempted to try it... I guess my biggest worry is that you add more points of failure with a second pi?
@@josehnegrete With a single pi, can you download info with a flash drive?
@@euroclydonftw9676 idk to be honest with you D:
Raspberry pi in a pelican case 😂
yep lol
It's a portable kiosk which, except for the information it already contains, is useless.
:(
Lol ok karen
Technically true.
I mean, it's entire purpose is to be a portable rugged kiosk