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Man Builds DIY Cellphone Using Raspberry Pi

Posted by Soulskill on from the apple-already-sued-for-patent-infringement dept.

Photographer and software engineer Dave Hunt has posted an article about his most recent project: a DIY cellphone based on a Raspberry Pi (he calls it a PiPhone). It has a touchscreen dialing interface for making calls, and it's built with off-the-shelf components. The total bill of materials clocks in at about $158: $40 for the rPi, $35 for the 320x240 touchscreen, $15 for the LiPo battery, $48 for the GSM module, and about $20 for miscellaneous other minor parts. Hunt says, '[The GSM/GPRS module] allow us to send standard AT commands to it to make calls, hang up, send texts, data etc. Overall a very clever module. Towards the bottom of the white PCB, you can see the SIM Card, which allows the module to associate with my local GSM network, and it’s using a regular prepaid SIM card, bought in my local phone store for €10. Below the GSM module, you can see the on.off switch and a DC-DC converter, which converts the 3.7volts from the LiPoly battery to 5volts needed by everything else.' He points out that the phone is not terribly practical, but it's a neat project. Hunt has done several others, including turning the Raspberry Pi into a controller for time-lapse photography. He'll be publishing the code he wrote for the PiPhone next week.

19 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. i mad a doorbell out of my pi by NemoinSpace · · Score: 5, Funny

    It guides the user through a series of steps to download tunes off the internet and create their own custom ring. The fedex guy thought it was great.
    The cops just kick the door in.

    1. Re:i mad a doorbell out of my pi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Make it play the COPS theme bad boys, when they, kick it in.

  2. Wait, it'll never work! by Virtucon · · Score: 2

    it doesn't have the catchy logo nor the rounded corners!?!? Also isn't a cell phone covered by like 250,000 patents?

    He's takin our Jerbs!!!

       

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    1. Re:Wait, it'll never work! by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      One can only hope that he does.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Wow, a brick! by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

    Not only will nobody try to steal that stack of electronics, but if they did try to mug you for it, you could hit them with it.

    Besides removing that header connector, it could also have the USB connector desoldered, and one of those tiny wifi modules could be soldered directly on there, perhaps after having the connector part of the board cut down with a dremel. That would give you the option to do WiFi SIP as well as GSM.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    1. Re:Wow, a brick! by dos1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      For WiFi SIP you could just use phones like Neo900, GTA04 or maybe even Freerunner. Each of them will give you better battery life, better performance (except Freerunner) and won't require you to run proprietary software on them, unlike Raspberry Pi.

      Such DIY project is very nice thing to do as a part of your hobby, but any practical usage will be killed by lack of proper power management.

    2. Re:Wow, a brick! by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Such DIY project is very nice thing to do as a part of your hobby, but any practical usage will be killed by lack of proper power management.

      I thought we all understood that a project like this wasn't really practical, only an amusement. That's what the first bit of my comment was about. But the second part was about making it better, because why not?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Wow, a brick! by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Well, considering the amount of bloat, crap, surveillance and simple bullshit the average phone runs that you can't get rid of (short of risking a bricking), I'd say he should be on par with contemporary "smart" (I'll use the term loosely here) phones.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:Wow, a brick! by morgauxo · · Score: 2

      And then it wouldn't have a USB port anymore.

  4. Smartphone? by insanecarbonbasedlif · · Score: 2

    That's a bit of a stretch... it doesn't even play Candy Crush.

    --
    Just because I doubt myself does not mean I find your position compelling.
    1. Re:Smartphone? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Informative

      See how smart it is? Smarter than a LOT of cell phone users already!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. And evidently his website is also running on pi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    nt

  6. So, really... by NoMaster · · Score: 4, Insightful

    $40 for the rPi, $35 for the 320x240 touchscreen, $15 for the LiPo battery, $48 for the GSM module, and about $20 for miscellaneous other minor parts.

    So, really this is "Man Builds DIY Cellphone Using DIY Cellphone Module".

    --
    What part of "a well regulated militia" do you not understand?
    1. Re:So, really... by dos1 · · Score: 2

      Any other interpretation is basically impossible, so well...

    2. Re:So, really... by timeOday · · Score: 3, Informative
      Well it's all a matter of degree. The phone is impressive. On the other hand, the prefab GSM Module is really the core of the phone.

      Oooh, car analogy time! This is like a kit car where you use a Chevy or Ford engine and transmission. Very few hobbyists go further than that, and if they do, they aren't hobbyists by the time they're done :)

    3. Re:So, really... by artor3 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Were you expecting him to fab his own chips? Maybe he should grow his own silicon wafers while he's at it. Although, if he really wants to make a DIY phone, he must first invent the universe.

  7. Re:Time to hire some suicidal Chinese workers... by dos1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    There's no need for that.

  8. "PiPhone" by Arancaytar · · Score: 2

    Apple is going to sue him so hard he'll think he's Samsung.

  9. Re:Slashdotted phone number? by grub · · Score: 2

    I think he's mixing his Arabic and Roman numerals. 3500 readers is about right for 2014.

    --
    Trolling is a art,