piBrick PocketCM5 – An open-source handheld Linux computer kit for Raspberry Pi CM5
piBrick PocketCM5 – An open-source handheld Linux computer kit for Raspberry Pi CM5
Publish Date: 2026-06-11 03:30:00
Source Domain: www.cnx-software.com
Designed by Indonesian maker Ahmad Amarullah (amarullz), the piBrick PocketCM5 is an open-source hardware handheld Linux computer kit built around the Raspberry Pi CM5; it’s basically a smartphone-sized Linux machine with a physical keyboard and touchscreen. It is for developers, makers, and system administrators, for tasks such as general experimentation, embedded development, and remote access.
We have seen other handheld terminals and pocket computers based on Raspberry Pi SBCs and Compute Modules over the years, such as the PocketTerm35, DevTerm, Carbon’s CyberT, Pi Slate, and many others. However, the piBrick PocketCM5 is based on the latest Raspberry Pi CM5 and features a 3.92-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, a physical BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard, and various expansion options.
piBrick PocketCM5 specifications:
- Compatibility – Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5 and CM5 Lite)
- Auxiliary MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 for keyboard/trackpad input, rotary encoders and buttons, USB HID (keyboard/mouse) emulation, and accelerometer data processing
- Storage
- MicroSD card slot
- M.2 NVMe socket for SSDs (2230 or 2242 sizes)
- Display
- 3.92-inch AMOLED touchscreen (1080×1240, 90Hz, 500 nits) with 5-point touch and Asahi glass
- MIPI DSI interface
- Video Output
- Full-size HDMI output
- Micro HDMI output
- Camera I/F – Front camera support via MIPI CSI interface (compatible with Raspberry Pi Zero Camera modules)
- Audio
- Integrated USB sound card with amplifier
- Built-in stereo speakers
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Microphone (integrated via the BBQ20 keyboard)
- Networking – Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5.0/BLE support via Pi CM5’s wireless module
- USB
- USB 3.0 Type-C port with charging support
- USB Type-C 2.0 port for peripherals and charging
- USB 3.0 Type-A port
- USB 2.0 Type-A port
- Internal USB 2.0 expansion header
- User Input
- BlackBerry (BBQ20) QWERTY keyboard with integrated trackpad (serves as a mouse)
- Side rotary encoders with push switches
- 5x Volume,…
