‘DevTerm’, A Retro Modular Raspberry Pi Terminal Unveiled

The "DevTerm" is a new portable computer designed with an extremely retro aesthetic.

The device is a modular, open-source computer with a 6.8 inch, 1280 x 480 pixel IPS display, a keyboard, and a battery module as well as an optional built-in thermal printer.

The device, made by Clockwork, is designed to be a programming machine that highlights open hardware thanks to its modular design.

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Modular design, retro aesthetic

The DevTerm contains a ClockworkPi v3.14 mainboard with a slot for a computer-on-a-module. It also has USB-A, USB-C, micro HDMI, and 0.13 inch (3.5 mm) audio ports, GPIO pins, and a battery. An "Ext. Module" board features speakers, a fan interface, a camera interface, and extra ports.

The system supports five different modules, with specs ranging from 1GB of RAM and a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor to 4GB of RAM and a hexa-core chip with Cortex-A72 and Cortex-A53 cores. As Liliputing reports, it is likely that more will be added in the future.

The DevTerm can be pre-ordered starting at $219. Its most affordable model is powered by a Raspberry Pi Computer Module 3, while other versions feature custom modules made by ClockWork.

The bad news is that the company won't begin shipping the DevTerm until April 2021, meaning that its fanciers will have to wait to receive one of the devices.

Retro gaming, programming prowess

As Liliputing indicates, the people at Clockwork are the brains behind the GameShell, a modular handheld game console that greatly resembles Nintendo's Gameboy and allows owners to download thousands of games.

The DevTerm's keyboard features 67 keys. A mini trackball replaces the traditional touchpad, while three mouse click buttons are position just below the space bar. Y,B,X,A buttons and direction buttons positioned next to the keyboard do give the device a distinct gamer feel.

Clockwork says it plans to publish schematics and design materials for the DevTerm on the GitHub page for the project under a GPL v3 license.

The machine's incredibly customizable nature means it could no doubt be put to good use as a retro gaming machine as well as a nifty programming tool.