Indonesian maker Ahmad Amarullah has released the piBrick PocketCM5, a fully open-source handheld Linux machine built around the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5. Schematics, PCB files, STL enclosure models, and firmware are all published under GPL-3.0, with the design hosted on GitHub and mirrored on OSHWLab. The board was laid out in EasyEDA Pro, and Amarullah estimates the raw component cost at around $172 (€159) for anyone willing to source parts and solder. The project has also received OSHWA certification (UID ID000014), a formal verification from the Open Source Hardware Association that all hardware, software, and documentation meet the open-source hardware definition.
The device pairs a Raspberry Pi CM5 (or CM5 Lite) with a 3.92-inch AMOLED touchscreen running at 1080x1240, 90Hz, and 500 nits behind Asahi glass, driven over MIPI DSI. Input comes from a BlackBerry BBQ20 QWERTY keyboard with an integrated trackpad, two side rotary encoders with push switches, and a row of user buttons. A Raspberry Pi RP2040 sits between the controls and the CM5, translating keystrokes, trackpad motion, and accelerometer data into standard USB HID events, which means no custom kernel drivers are required and the firmware itself is open for remapping. That input layer is maintained in a dedicated firmware repository, separate from the main hardware files, so builders can fork and modify just the input layer without touching the rest of the design.
Storage covers both a microSD slot and an M.2 NVMe socket sized for 2230 or 2242 SSDs, and video can be pushed out over full-size HDMI or a secondary Micro HDMI port. Wireless is handled by the CM5's Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 radios, while wired I/O includes a USB 3.0 Type-C port with charging, a second USB-C 2.0 port, USB-A 3.0 and 2.0 jacks, an internal USB 2.0 expansion header, an I2C connector, and a GPIO breakout. There is a front camera connector compatible with Raspberry Pi Zero camera modules, integrated stereo speakers with a USB sound card and amplifier, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an RTC with battery backup, and a JST-PH 2.0mm header for a recommended 5000 mAh LiPo cell. The chassis measures 145 x 80 x 19.6 mm (5.7 x 3.1 x 0.8 inches) and ships at roughly 500 g (1.1 lbs).
Software is whatever the CM5 will normally boot, so Raspberry Pi OS, Debian, Ubuntu, Kali, or any of the other ARM64 distributions targeting Broadcom's BCM2712 will run with full desktop support. That puts the PocketCM5 in the same conceptual neighborhood as the DevTerm, CyberT, and Pi Slate cyberdecks, but with a smartphone-sized footprint and a hardware QWERTY rather than a slab touchscreen.
The assembled kit is listed on Tindie at $240 (€220) and includes a populated mainboard, the AMOLED panel with flex PCB, the speaker board, the BBQ20 keyboard, and an SLA-printed enclosure set with mounting hardware. A Full Camera Kit adds a Pi Zero camera module. Builders still need to supply their own CM5, heatsink, battery, NVMe or microSD storage, and operating system image.
