Plans to turn a rugged phone case and mini keyboard into a mini-laptop cyberdeck.
This project was built specifically around the Google Pixel 8 Pro with GrapheneOS, The Rii i4 Mini Keyboard, and the OtterBox Defender Case and Holster for the Pixel 8 Pro.
Many of the links on this page are affiliate links for which I may receive some sort of commission. I have purchased all of these products myself at full retail price and found them useful enough for this project to recommend them. Brand names featured on this page are for reference only and I do not represent these companies or claim any trademark. The author is not responsible for damage to devices or parts that occur due to reproducing this project.
- Rii i4 Mini Bluetooth/USB Keyboard
- Adhesive Velcro / DualLock Strips (2x sets) - I trimmed down these "Command" brand fasteners
- Some kind of phone case with removable holster. This project was designed around the Pixel 8 Pro Otterbox Defender.
- M3x45mm Screw / Lock Nut Combo
- 5mm Inner Diameter x 2mm O-Rings (4x)
Please reference assembly photos below.
- Use a 3D Printer to print i4-Keyboard-Attachment.stl and Phone-Holster-Attachment.stl
- Align the 3 holes on the keyboard attachment with the two holes on the holster attachment such that they will close in a "clamshell" motion
- While threading the long screw through the holes, place one rubber O-ring between each plastic joint so that all four are placed in the hinge. These add friction to the hinge.
- Attach the nut to the end of the M3 screw. Do not tighten it all the way yet.
- On the OtterBox holster, rotate the belt clip so that it is across the short way of the phone, opening away from the volume buttons
- Remove the protective backing from two adhesive velcro strips and affix them to the Phone Holster Attachment
- Attach the mating fasteners to the ones on the holster attachment
- Carefully use a utility blade, razor, or knife to trim the velcro to size before removing the protective backing from them
- Carefully align the holster and press it to the mating adhesive velcro strips
- Remove the battery cover from the Rii i4 mini keyboard
- Align the Keyboard Attachment to take the place of the factory battery cover
- Carefully but firmly snap the keyboard attachment into the battery cover latch to hold it all in place
- Insert your phone into the holster
- Pair the Rii i4 keyboard to your phone via Bluetooth
- Gently tighten the lock nut and screw to increase hinge friction to meet your preference. Over-tightening may cause the hinge to break.
- (Optionally) trim excess length from screw using a cutoff wheel or grinder, taking care not to damage the threads, if desired.
Holster-Attachment-Parts.stl and KB-Attachment-Parts.stl contain individual pieces of each component. You can use TinkerCAD, Fusion360 or Blender to "cut" and "paste" these pieces together and extrude or shrink the arms as needed to fit a variety of holster and device combinations. As-is, this kit works the same on the OtterBox Defender combo for the Google Pixel 8 Pro, Samsung Note 20 Ultra 5G and Google Pixel 3XL without modifications.
Reports of working and non-working configurations are welcome via the GitHub "Issues" feature. Please make use of the upvote "thumbs up" reactions or keep the discussion in-thread if there's a similar configuration already noted. I may add a section to the README that contains known-working configurations. I am very interested in whether this works as-is for Pixel 9 devices with OtterBox Defender cases.
These are a few of the attachments I've gotten a lot of use out of.
- Mini USB3 Hub for attaching multiple accessories at once
- Stubby USB-C Port Extender because the OtterBox case can get in the way of some USB-C accessories
- Right-Angle USB-C OTG Adapter for connecting USB-A devices
- NESDR Nano 3 Mobile SDR starter kit for portable wireless reception and radio hacking
- Stubby SDR Antennas decent receive performance in a small package
- 6" USB-C Cables extra-short cables for USB-C accessories
- ZipIt Monster Pouch or something similar to carry small accessories in. Be sure to make it fun, though.
These tools won't make you a hacker, but you can try to look like one! Apps that try to force the display into portrait mode (like Instagram) will often work better in Split-Screen mode.
You can find most of these in the play store, Aurora store, or APKPure:
- Termux - A Linux Shell with installable CLI tools
- ConnectBot - A minimal SSH client
- SDRTouch - An easy-to-use Software Defined Radio tuner app for analog signals
- SDRAngel - A Powerful Software Defined Radio app
- WiGLE - The definitive Wardriving app
- Wifi Analyzer - Map wifi signal strength and troubleshoot congested channels
- nRF Connect - A powerful Bluetooth multi-tool
- NFC Tools - Read, copy and write NFC tags
Pull requests or feature requests to support different phones, holsters, or keyboards will be ignored and closed without feedback. Please fork the project and make the necessary changes yourself if you want to change the models in this way. The project is permissively licensed (MIT) and I really don't care if I get credit or compensation for your derivative work.