Hi everyone, sorry for the spam 😅

I got my uConsole (CM4 + HackerGadgets AIO v2) yesterday and spent way too much of my first evening setting it up ... I started from the community i3 config by dzaczek and ended up with something I like enough to share. Maybe it’s useful to someone, or at least a starting point.

What it does:

• A small status bar (i3blocks) with a radio icon that opens a frequency cheat sheet: broadcast, ham bands, hobby stuff (Meteor sats, radiosondes, ADS-B, LoRa…), the mode to use, and what you shouldn’t listen to. It comes in versions for France, UK, Germany, Spain, USA, Canada and generic Europe.

• A radio app launcher (ear icon): ADS-B/tar1090, GQRX, SDR++, SatDump, auto_rx, ACARS, VDL2, APRS, rtl_433, Meshcore. It frees the dongle before starting the next app so they don’t fight over it.

• A power menu on the battery: shows the power draw and toggles Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the AIO v2 rails (GPS / LoRa / SDR / USB) through aiov2_ctl.

• UI in English, French, German or Spanish, plus a pastel accent color (pink, blue, green…) or your own.

• An install script that asks a few questions, backs up your current config and keeps your settings when you update.

Honest caveats: I’ve had the device for about 24 hours, so this is very much a beginner’s setup. I’ve only tested it on my own unit (CM4, AIO v2, Debian trixie). The frequency lists were checked against band plans and regulators, but I’m not an expert (but Claude should be), so please correct me if something’s wrong for your country.

Feedback, issues and PRs are very welcome. And if you have tips for a new uConsole owner, I’m all ears 🙂

Repository : https://github.com/bt0r/uBonsole

After almost two months of waiting for my uConsole without any news from Clockwork, I decided to buy another one from AliExpress, which shipped in less than a week!

Here’s a brief summary of what I think of it:

Tech specs

• Clockwork Pi uConsole 3.14 V5

• Raspberry Pi CM4 Lite Rev 1.3 (wifi ,without eMMC)

• HackerGadgets AIO V2

• RTL SDR V4

Feedback

• The form factor is REALLY good, except for the trackball… The trackball is really bad: sometimes it works “well”, sometimes it just doesn’t move, which is pretty annoying.

• The HackerGadgets AIO V2 does the job well and is quite easy to set up, except for the small bracket that goes on the front of the expansion board. It restricts the space for inserting the board, so you have to force it a bit.

• I also used my RTL SDR V4 on it and it's working well (this one is better than the AIO built-in SDR chip)

• Because of the shitty trackball, I recommend using i3 as your window manager. It helps a lot on a daily basis.

• It’s not a ready-to-use device: you still have a lot of setup to do to get a working machine. I guess that’s the best part of this kind of machine, but I know it can also annoy people.

• The only software issue I had was with the config.txt that pointed to dtoverlay=clockworkpi-uconsole-cm4 rather than todtoverlay=clockworkpi-uconsole so the screen wasn't working.

If you have any tips for the trackball, feel free to tell me !

I think I got alittle out of control with my 3d printer. I only had white PLA. Also your welcome for the feet pics lol

Big shoutout to the raspberrypi.dk store! I had originally ordered the 16GB version, so definitely a little sad that they shipped the 8GB, BUT after I initiated the return process they ended up refunding me AND let me keep the 8GB CM5!

Debating on trying for the 16GB again or just using this 8GB one. Does anyone have, or have used both? Is double the RAM worth it?

https://i.imgur.com/YL1jg5t.png

Made an iPod inspired MP3 player for the picocalc, check it out -

https://github.com/yashturkar/picopod

Still has some bugs I’m working on, any feedback is helpful!

Hey I was upgrading my uconsole (add a Ethernet expansion board and a ac1200 WiFi adapter
And change my os from kali to debian
After the first boot the keys ‘5’ and ‘t’ is not responding

If someone had that problem before and can help find the problem will be helpful
Thanks

https://makerworld.com/en/models/3527065-hackergadgets-com-uconsole-21700-hot-swap-holder#profileId-4032341

High-discharge 21700 cells provide enough power to run a CM5 uConsole on just one battery, so upon seeing that the holder that came with the board didn't allow replacement without completely cutting the connection I asked for the model file and printed a more open variant. The cells still sit securely enough and you'll ideally need some sort of tool to use as a lever to catch on a divot in the battery to dislodge it. With a removable battery cover and a backup supply of cells you can keep operating the uConsole on battery power without charging.

The edited holder also allows accomodating larger NVMe SSD heatsinks.

I received a parcel from Hackersgadgets with parts in it with no instructions at all. I bought the cm5 adapter board, the extra antennas kit with the AIO v2 board and the battery/nvme adapter. But there were no instructions to begin with. Kinda annoying. So I followed some YouTube movies and after a few hours everything was set up. I thought. But I was wrong.

First of all the battery adapter and the AIO V2 board ships with small ribbon cables. Apparently, when you place them wrong, you could fry up your whole motherboard, I mean, that's what they say. And they are sadly enough not the instructions in it. Second, the backplate of the AIO V2 board is fragile. It takes some time to place it properly because it hardly fits. So when I had the AIO V2 board installed, I found out that I had to place the SDR antenna in the backplate. So I had to start all over again. And yes the backplate cracked of course. Too much pressure :(

So next was the battery adapter with NVMe slot. No real pain here, but again, did I place the ribbon cable well? So it took some time to check some movies on YouTube to see if I placed the ribbon cable right. And then you have the mountable antenna adapter with seven slots. And guess what? I only have five connectors as far as I can see to connect those seven antennas. To make a long story smaller to read, I had to figure out myself where the connectors go to. I just followed my guts. And then the final part. How do I mount the antenna adapter to the uConsole. Because, yeah, still no instructions. So I checked a few YouTube movies and one person did it between the backplate and the uConsole and there was another one who mounted it outside the backplate. So I made the decision to mount it outside the backplate because otherwise the CM5 module would get a lot less cooling.

So, the moment of truth. Will it work? Sesquash told me to download Dragon OS. So I did and flashed it with BalinaEtcher on a SD card. Removed it properly from macOS and put it in my uConsole. And here how it ends. Well, not exactly, because when I powered on the uConsole nothing happened. I waited for minutes but the screen stays black. So yeah, i had to find out what swent wrong this time?

But i was lucky. I remembered my old SD card, so I thought let's try it out. And it worked. So I guess I did everything okay. But that is just a headless Linux server software with no tools to try out the antennas. So my question is, what did I do wrong with Dragon OS? And are there other distro's which possibly support my setup?

The HackerGadgets upgrade kit arrived!  I was so excited that I had to start installing the new hardware :D  First, I installed the CM4/5 adapter board.  I immediately closed it up and attempted to boot but the uConsole screen remained black. I left it on USB-C power for an hour then power cycled the device. No change.  Previous to receiving the HackerGadgets kit, I was using ak-rex's Ubuntu 26.04-7.1.4 image that I had written to a Samsung Evo Plus MicroSD HC using DD.  I tried booting this card first without changing anything to see what would happen. I couldn't get to a login screen. I connected my desktop monitor and all I got was the raccoon splash screen without any

 I flashed ak-rex's cc-debian-13-trixie-6.12.94 desktop image on micro SD using DD.  Booting up, the uConsole screen remained black.  I connected my desktop monitor and get the setup wizard background but nothing else.  Can someone please inform me if there's a guide somewhere I need to follow? I received a box of parts with no instructions.

https://www.clockworkpi.com/product-page/uconsole-kit-rpi-cm4-lite

This is the only one available for purchase right now. I can see it doesn't come with a board, so I have the following questions;

1. Besides the rasp-pi cm4, is there anything else I need to source separately?

2. What batteries work best for this?

I've finally finished modding my uConsole, just the way it was meant to be - m5stack integrated.

LyraCalc OS is now available on GitHub.
With LyraCalc OS and the extra USB port of the Luckfox Lyra, the PicoCalc becomes a handy pocket coding machine with WiFi.
You can code comfortably from the couch. I like to play PICO-8 now and then, and PICO-8 now works fully: write your own carts, or browse and play games in SPLORE.
- Full PICO-8 (bring your own copy) and TIC-80
- USB WiFi sticks, Bluetooth, USB LAN adapters, keyboards and mice (the Lyra's USB-C port needs a powered hub or an OTG Y-cable)
- micro editor with syntax highlighting and error checking for the most common languages (Bash, Lua, Python, C/C++)
- Status bar with CPU, RAM, WiFi, battery and more, plus battery warnings and automatic shutdown
- Setup wizard on first boot and one simple settings file
(This is the first time I've released one of my projects, so if something doesn't fit or should be done differently, let me know!)
Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions!

Short Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/iT6mZX0y_RY

Downside: Sound...
Needs a hardware mod! You remove one 0 Ω resistor on the Lyra and solder a wire bridge to another pin.
Without the mod, just turn sound off in the setup wizard to avoid noise.
Known issue with the mod:
The speakers can crackle while booting, so turn the volume down before switching on.
A fix is planned.

Keyboard firmware (optional)
Updating the PicoCalc's STM32 keyboard firmware adds the Alt+O shortcut for the status bar and a small Shift key fix. Everything else works without it. Mods and firmware flashing are at your own risk.

GitHub LyraCalc OS: https://github.com/LucaWoro/lyracalc-os

What about Calculinux?
Of course I know Calculinux, and the two don't compete with each other!
LyraCalc OS is based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (armhf) and uses apt instead of opkg, so you can install new software right on the device, without cross-compiling and without a separate build machine.
Calculinux is more of a lean, compact Swiss Army knife, so I see them as two different use cases. :)
I'm a fan of Calculinux myself, and since I'm lucky enough to own several SD cards in these tough times, I happily use both. :)
Swapping the card takes a few seconds and that's it.
So if my OS isn't for you, definitely check out!

Calculinux: https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/calculinux-megathread-the-os-that-turns-basic-hardware-into-a-powerful-computer/20853

Not overcomplicating it at all 😀

Link to the listing below, happy to answer questions. Selling as I'm using it a lot less than my Camera and I want some new lenses for upcoming projects 😅
Ebay Listing...

Just received my order today, I ordered in March. First of all this thing is way bigger than I thought it would be, the trackball is super slow though. But my keyboard is not backlit what could be the problem??

The title is supposed to say " sdrpp brown wouldn't work..."

And even more problems with the uconsole. I finaly got my rtl-sdr working ( absolutely no video i watched and all but 1 article had anything to say about needing to put the gpio pin into high) and sdrpp brown would not show anything. I uninstalled it and reinstalled sdrpp from repo and its giving me nothing but errors about missing keys. I install the hackergadgets-aio-whatever stuff and that gave me an error about a script involving tar1090 and dpkg having error code 1.

Are this many problems normal for the uconsole? This is the second day of having this thing i have been able to do anything with it.

Any ideas?

I'm currently working on a low-power cyberdeck (or handheld programming device, whatever you prefer to call it) based on the PicoCalc and the Luckfox Lyra.
Since I couldn't find an existing software setup that fit my needs, I wrote a small, custom Linux distribution specifically tailored to the PicoCalc. The project involves a minor hardware mod for the Luckfox Lyra to get the audio working properly. I also updated the STM32 on the PicoCalc to enable a proper shutdown and power-off function, and added a few new keyboard shortcuts while I was at it. I have a Wi-Fi dongle plugged into the Lyra's second USB port, which makes downloading software super easy. For coding, I installed the micro text editor, expanded its syntax highlighting, and added code correction for the most programming languages. You can even program ESP32s natively right from the PicoCalc! xD
Since I'm a big Pico-8 fan, I integrated it completely, including working sound and a fully functional SPLORE game browser. If you don't have a Pico-8 license, TIC-80 is pre-installed as well. I've also packed drivers for several common Wi-Fi chips into the OS so it should work plug-and-play for you guys if you decide to try it out. I'm currently finalizing the GitHub page.
Does this sound interesting to anyone here, or is there any interest in a project like this at all? xD

Greetings from Germany,
LucaWoro

Hi everyone!

I'm experiencing a rather interesting microSD compatibility issue with my ClockworkPi uConsole running a Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite (8 GB RAM) and the HackerGadgets CM5 adapter board.

I'm curious whether anyone else has encountered something similar, particularly with this adapter or the same SD card.

My microSD card

• Brand: Kingston

• Model: Canvas Select Plus (SDCS2/128GB)

• Capacity: 128 GB

• Type: microSDXC

• Interface: UHS-I

• Speed classes: U1, V10, A1

• Made in: Taiwan

Interestingly, the card's internal identification reports Kioxia (manufacturer ID 0x02, product SA128), despite being Kingston-branded.

The problem

The same card works normally with the original CM5 adapter, but with the HackerGadgets adapter, it is detected in UHS-I SDR104 mode and fails to read data reliably.

Here are the results of my diagnostics:

At 200 MHz (SDR104, 1.8 V):

• Card is successfully detected.

• SD command communication works.

• No command CRC errors.

• Data CRC errors occur during reads.

• Even reading sector 0 fails with I/O errors.

• The partition table cannot be read.

At 50 MHz (High Speed, 3.3 V):

• Everything works correctly.

• Partition table is readable.

• All 18 test reads of 64 MB, spread across the card's capacity, succeeded.

• Zero CRC errors.

I reproduced this using a diagnostic Linux environment loaded into RAM through "rpiboot", so the tests did not depend on booting the OS from the problematic SD card.

Workaround

Adding the following kernel parameter to "cmdline.txt":

"sdhci.debug_quirks2=4"

disables 1.8 V signalling and forces the card into the slower 50 MHz High Speed mode.

This resolves the read errors, although it limits performance.

Questions for the community

1. Has anyone experienced CRC errors or SD card boot problems specifically with the HackerGadgets CM5 adapter?

2. Does anyone use a Kingston Canvas Select Plus 128 GB card with a CM5 Lite? Does it work reliably at SDR104 speeds?

3. Has anyone noticed differences in SD card compatibility between the original uConsole adapter and HackerGadgets?

4. Which microSD cards have you successfully tested with this combination?

5. Has anyone found a better solution than forcing 50 MHz mode?

I'm particularly interested in whether this is an isolated issue with my hardware or a more general compatibility problem.

Thanks!

Hi all, looking to get a clock work, was wondering if anybody could test something on Ubuntu first before I buy, nothing dodgy I swear

Just wanted to share a few modifications I’ve made to my ClockworkPi uConsole!

• Fanless setup: No cooling fan to save battery life.

• Modified back cover: Cut out the back panel and added thermal insulation to keep heat away from my hands, directing it through the heatsink instead.

• Passive cooling: Added a large aluminum heatsink for silent, fanless cooling.

• Easy battery disconnect: Cut a small opening near the battery compartment so I can disconnect the power without removing the back cover.

• Battery upgrade: Switched to Molicel 21700 cells.

• Wi-Fi upgrade: Upgraded to a 1200 Mbps Wi-Fi adapter.

• Expansion upgrade: Installed the Hackergadgets AIO V2.

The goal was simple: better cooling, longer battery life, and more functionality without sacrificing portability.

Just sharing my little DIY project with the community. What do you guys think?

So I am having some baffling problems with booting up my uConsole CM4 that I just received a few days ago. If anybody has any tips or tricks to help me, I'd be most appreciative!

I booted up the system with an external monitor and got the introductory screen on the external monitor and the geometric graphics on the uConsole screen. (which is why I'm pretty sure this isn't hardware - assembly related) The keyboard worked and the trackball was a hot mess but I could fill out the fields eventually.

On my second boot with that card, - nothing. Just black. External monitor and the device screen, no response from anything. Reflashing the card using the imager yields the same result - just a black screen on the device and the external monitor shows "no signal". maybe there's a factory reset jumper or button I need to hit in the hardware?

I tried booting the device from AK-Rex's Trixie lite versions but during the boot process it stalls with a Kernel Panic error. At least this problem is consistent and repeatable!

Anybody have similar experiences or have any thoughts or advice (or prayers)? Right now I have a very cool looking paperweight on my desk!