It’s not every day that an open-source, portable Linux handheld computer gets announced, so I couldn’t resist placing an order for the DevTerm by ClockworkPi back when we first learned about the stylish little terminal, which includes a 1280 x 480 screen (double-wide VGA) and a modular little thermal printer.
Of course, the global semiconductor shortage combined with shipping slowdowns led to delays, but things did ultimately come together for the project. I’ve always been a sucker for small-format machines, especially ones that come as a well-designed kit, and that means I can tell you all about what it was like to put it together and turn it on. There’s a lot to look at, so let’s get started.
A Well-Designed Kit
Assembly of the DevTerm makes for a good weekend or afternoon project. Clever design of interlocking pieces and connectors means there is no soldering required, and assembly mainly consists of clicking together hardware modules and plastic pieces according to the manual. Anyone with experience assembling plastic model kits will get a hit of nostalgia from cutting plastic parts off their sprues, and snapping them together.
Illustrations in the manual are good, and genuinely clever mechanical design makes for a very friendly assembly process. The use of self-centering parts, and pegs that themselves become self-aligning bosses, is pretty slick. No tools are required, and with the exception of two small screws for securing the processor module, there are in fact no hardware fasteners at all.
Of course, some parts are delicate and not entirely foolproof, but anyone with experience in electronics assembly should have no problem whatsoever ..
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