modmap

A growing index of community mods for the uConsole. Always updating.

All Modifications

Heatsink + Thermal Tape (CM5) Two layers thermal tape on CM5 SOC + small heatsink. Drops ~10°C under load.

CM4 Riser + Thin Thermal Pad Replace thick stock pad with adapter riser + thinner high-quality pad.

3D Printed Cover w/ Fan + 10Ah Custom rear cover: 30mm fan, heatsink, fits 10,000mAh battery. Replaces metal back.

Thermal Paste Upgrade Gelid Extreme, Fujipoly 15W/mK, or HY910 on SOC hotspot areas.

GPIO Fan via FPC Ribbon Fan driven from GPIO using 40-pin FPC ribbon cable to breakout board.

PWM Fan (Upgrade Kit) PWM connector on adapter board. Compatible with Pi 5/CM5 fans. Fixed speed on CM4.

Copper Shim Mod Thin copper shim between CM module and thermal pad for better transfer.

HackerGadgets AIO V2 All-in-one: RTL-SDR, LoRa SX1262, GPS/GNSS, RTC, USB Hub, USB 3.0, RJ45 Gigabit.

Openterface KVM Card HDMI in 4K@30Hz, USB HID, BIOS-level access. Open-source. Portable server KVM.

uHub — 3x USB-C Card Open-source: 3 USB-C ports, overcurrent protection, internal FFC, speaker support.

uEther — Ethernet + USB-C 10/100 Mbps Ethernet (LAN9500) + USB-C. Open source MIT license.

RJ45 Gigabit + USB 3.0 Board Upgrade kit board: Gigabit Ethernet direct to CM, USB 3.0 (CM5 only).

4x USB-A Hub (3D Printed) External 4-port USB-A with 3D-printed mount bracket and 180° connector.

Flush USB Hub (Budget) Low-profile hub wedges into notch behind uConsole. Cheap. Watch antenna clearance.

WiFi Antenna Swap Eightwood 2.15dBi, Waveshare, or Pi official. RG178 cables + RP-SMA adapters.

External SMA Antenna Mod u.FL to SMA connectors modded inside case. Aluminum + kapton tape RF shielding.

3D Printed Antenna Mounts Micro and mini mounts on Printables. Clip-on or screw-mount for external antennas.

Tapped M6 SMA Holes in Shell Drill + tap M6 threads in top shell for SMA connectors. Loctite to secure.

Internal USB Hub + SDR Implant Solder internal USB hub + SDR dongle to internal traces. Route antenna through case.

4G LTE Module Official LTE CAT4: HSDPA/HSUPA, HSPA+, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS. Global carriers.

AC1200 WiFi (Monitor Mode) MediaTek MT7921AUN. Monitor mode for pentesting + packet capture. Fits AIO slot.

Alfa Wireless USB (Internal) Notch battery board to fit Alfa adapter. Solder female USB inside. External antenna.

RPITX Radio Transmitter GPIO4 via upgrade kit RPITX connector for radio transmission. Experimental.

Bright Orange Antenna Module High-vis orange antenna for field visibility. Custom painted or 3D printed.

High-Capacity 18650 Selection Quality 3500mAh+ cells, Ø18±0.5mm, 65-69mm. 3-4hr runtime. Avoid re-wraps.

10,000mAh Battery Mod Single 12x60x100mm 10Ah pack in custom 3D-printed back. Massive runtime.

NVMe Battery Board NVMe slot (2230-2280) + battery compartment. Reverse protection LED.

Battery Board Trimming Cut battery tray PCB to make room for internal SDR/WiFi mods.

USB Power Bank Tether Continuous power from USB bank for desktop use. Avoids battery drain.

Retro Faceplate (Amiga/C64) 3D-printed faceplate: Commodore Amiga or C64 vintage aesthetic.

Clip-On Back + Antenna Mount PLA back with integrated WiFi antenna mount. V2 clips on, no tools.

Open Source Case Framework STEP files for community modification. Base template for custom enclosures.

Custom Paint / Recolor Repaint shell: army green, matte black, cyberpunk. Stock paint peels.

CNC Aluminum Back Plate Machined aluminum rear panel. Premium feel + thermal conductivity. STEP available.

Carrying Case / Sleeve Padded sleeves, hard cases, custom-fitted options for travel.

Overclock CM4 to 2GHz arm_freq=2000, gpu_freq=600+ in config.txt. Stock 1.5GHz is sluggish. Never OC CM5.

DragonOS (SDR Distro) Pre-loaded: SDR++, GQRX, GNU Radio. Flash and go for radio work.

Kali Linux Image Official Kali for uConsole CM4. Nmap, Wireshark, Metasploit pre-loaded.

Rex's Bookworm/Trixie Image Community OS: updated kernel, SDR++ in repos, Meshtasticd deps. Most recommended.

Meshtastic (LoRa Mesh Chat) Off-grid LoRa mesh networking. Web UI at localhost. Needs AIO LoRa chip.

Pi-Apps Package Manager One-click ARM installs: emulators, dev tools, browsers. Saves hours.

SDR++ / GQRX Radio Install via apt on Rex's image. FM, ADS-B, ham, AIS, and more.

RetroArch Emulation Retro gaming frontend. Compile for CM4 with specific flags. PS1 and below.

Security Hardening Firewall, SSH keys, disable services, lock ports. Essential for field use.

Fix WiFi After Upgrade raspi-config → Advanced → Network Config → dhcpcd. Common post-update fix.

Parrot OS Image Security-focused Kali alternative. Lighter resource footprint.

DOSBox / Fantasy Consoles DOSBox Staging, TIC-80, LIKO-12, LowRes NX. Retro computing + indie dev.

Tiling WM (i3/Sway) Replace XFCE with keyboard-driven WM. Much better for small screen.

GPS Navigation Setup Serial /dev/ttyS0 at 9600 baud. Remove console=serial0 from cmdline.txt.

RTC Configuration Enable via config.txt overlay. PCF85063A + CR1220 battery.

ADS-B Aircraft Tracking Track aircraft with RTL-SDR + dump1090. Real-time flight radar portable.

Ham Radio (Portable) SDR or LoRa for amateur radio. Pair with antenna mods for field ops.

Docking Station Script Auto-detect HDMI + external keyboard and switch to desktop mode.

NVMe SSD via Upgrade Kit PCIe NVMe (2230-2280) via adapter. Massive speed over microSD.

High-Speed microSD (A2) A2-rated 120GB+ card. Immediate boot improvement. Cheapest first upgrade.

CM5 Upgrade (from CM4) Faster CPU, up to 16GB RAM, USB 3.0 support. Don't overclock CM5.

eMMC Module (vs SD) CM4/CM5 with onboard eMMC: faster, more reliable than SD. Flash via IO board.

Replacement Trackball Swap stock ball for third-party. Stock jumps. Aftermarket tracks smooth.

External Keyboard via Hub Full-size keyboard for desk sessions. USB-A or Bluetooth.

Keyboard Backlight Tuning Adjust built-in backlight brightness for different environments.

Gamepad Mapping (RetroArch) Map keyboard/trackball to gamepad controls. Per-core overrides.

HDMI External Monitor Connect display via HDMI. Mirror or extend. May need xrandr config.

Display Rotation Fix Configure rotation for external monitors via xrandr or config.txt.

OLED/Touchscreen Replacement Community exploring OLED/capacitive touch in MIPI interface. WIP.

Resistive Touch Overlay Adafruit TSC2007 I2C controller. Custom fit from AliExpress. Research stage.

Screen Protector Standard 5" protector cut to fit. Prevents field scratches.

Bluetooth Audio Pair BT headphones/speakers. Configure PulseAudio or PipeWire.

USB DAC External USB DAC for better audio. Bypasses built-in output.

Pi Camera Module (CSI2) Official Pi camera via CSI2 connector on upgrade kit. Pi 5 pinout.

CM5 Internal Speaker Fix Use dtoverlay=audremap-pi5,pins_12_13 in config.txt + GPIO 580 enable script. Needs kernel 6.12.17+.

CM4 Speaker Enable Script Add GPIO 523 export + direction + value to /etc/rc.local to enable internal speakers at boot.

USB Sound Card (CM108B) Use USB sound card as workaround for CM5 audio GPIO issues. Connects via internal expansion USB.

Audio Expansion Board (Concept) Community-designed concept: 4x 3.5mm ports, high-quality DAC/ADC via internal USB. In planning.

Headphone Jack (Ext Board Required) Non-4G models ship without headphone jack — it's on the ext module PCB. Need ext board installed.

Radxa CM5 (Alternative Module) Rockchip RK3588 alternative. Display, keyboard, USB, power mgmt work. No onboard WiFi. HDMI with mod.

A-06 Core Module (RK3399) Dual Cortex-A72 + Quad A53 + Mali-T864 + 4GB. Higher perf than CM4 but limited software support.

R-01 RISC-V Module RISC-V architecture option. Not for beginners. Very limited software ecosystem.

Milk-V Mars CM (RISC-V Alt) Pin-compatible CM4 RISC-V alternative. Community interest but unconfirmed full compatibility.

Pi CM3 (Legacy Support) Raspberry Pi CM3 works with community patches via the CPI adapter board. Slower but functional.

WiFi Antenna on Spacer Move adhesive WiFi antenna sticker onto a plastic spacer inside case. Improves signal significantly.

Internal USB from Expansion Traces Solder to USB traces on unpopulated expansion card footprint (non-4G models). Free internal USB port.

Tailscale / WireGuard VPN Install Tailscale for zero-config mesh VPN. Access uConsole remotely over SSH from anywhere.

SIGINT Toolkit (rtl_433, kismet) Signal intelligence suite: rtl_433 for IoT/sensor decoding, kismet for WiFi/BT analysis, horst.

Writer Deck / Distraction-Free Configure as minimal writing device: tiling WM, full-screen terminal editor, no browser.

Portable SSH Terminal Primary use case: carry as SSH terminal for managing remote servers. Pair with Tailscale/mosh.

ClockworkOS (Stock Image) Official ClockworkPi OS with pre-configured screen rotation, keyboard support, basic apps.

Arch Linux ARM Community Arch Linux build for uConsole. Rolling release, minimal base, AUR access.

GNURadio (Full Suite) Install complete GNURadio suite for advanced SDR signal processing and flow graph design.

Stand / Kickstand Usage Built-in metal stand attachment on rear shell. Elevates device for desk use at viewing angle.

Pentest Field Kit Config Full config: Kali + AC1200 monitor mode + AIO SDR + external antenna. Portable SIGINT/pentest rig.

Retro Gaming Station Config RetroPi or RetroArch + gamepad mapping + overclock. Emulates PS1 and below smoothly.

LoRa Field Terminal Config Rex's Bookworm + AIO V2 + Meshtastic + GPS. Off-grid mesh communication setup.

SDR Portable Radio Config DragonOS + AIO V2 + external antenna mount. ADS-B tracking, FM, ham, AIS scanning.

Screen Ribbon Cable Reseating Common fix: if screen shows backlight but no image, reseat FPC ribbon cable carefully.

Single Battery Operation Can run on single 18650 (other slot empty). System may be unstable. Not recommended but works.

Hot-Swap Battery (Risky) Theoretically possible to swap batteries one at a time while running. Can cause instability.

QMK Keyboard Firmware Port of keyboard to QMK open-source firmware. Adds trackball scroll (Select+roll), Fn+Esc bootloader. Active development.

Keyboard Firmware Flash (Stock) Flash updated stock firmware via dfu-util + Micro USB port. Bridge S1 solder points to enter DFU mode.

Trackball Orientation Fix Custom firmware mod to rotate trackball axis when screen is rotated 90°. Select+Start+arrow combo.

Red Trackball Swap (Cosmetic) Replace stock ball with red one for ThinkPad TrackPoint aesthetic. Purely cosmetic.

Keyboard Arduino Development Keyboard uses ARM Cortex-M3, compatible with Arduino STM32 IDE. Micro USB-UART port for custom firmware.

RP2040 GPIO Expansion Card RP2040 microcontroller card adding extra GPIO capacity. Open hardware (CC-BY-SA-4.0). Creator discontinued; PCB files available.

Etsy Antenna Mount Kit Pre-made antenna mount from Etsy (~$21 shipped). Cleaner than DIY hot glue solutions. Fits stock case.

Dual WiFi (Internal Second Adapter) Add second WiFi adapter internally via SMA port. One for monitor mode, one for internet. Best of both.

Custom Embedded Antenna Part 3D printed part with LTE + WiFi antennas embedded into design. Eliminates cable length issues.

NixOS (Experimental) NixOS installation possible but requires extensive bootloader/display/keyboard driver customization. Not for beginners.

tmux Terminal Multiplexer Essential for small screen: run multiple terminal panes in one session. Pair with tiling WM for max productivity.

uConsole 500 uConsole face plate mod styled like vintage computers such as Commodore Amiga/C64.

uConsole back Cover (10000mah battery & Cooling fan mod) Modified back cover for 10000mAh battery setup and cooling fan.

Solid cover, antenna mod - uConsole Solid PLA cover plus external antenna mod to improve Wi-Fi reception.

ClockWork uConsole Antenna isolator Antenna isolator piece to keep antenna isolated from the metal case and improve performance.

Clockwork Pi uConsole screen flip lid cover Fixed flip lid cover for the uConsole screen; requires longer M4 screws.

Deployable antenna - uConsole Deployable antenna accessory for uConsole.

uConsole Grip Case Grip case to make the uConsole more comfortable to hold while sitting or lying down.

Retro-Inspired uConsole handle/case Retro-styled handle/case add-on with mounting blocks and handle support.

uConsole Antenna Adapter SMA pigtail antenna adapter replacing expansion slot cover; not compatible with 4G board.

Openterface Mini-KVM Holder for Clockwork uConsole Snap-on holder to integrate the Openterface Mini-KVM with the uConsole back.

Clockwork Pi uConsole screen flip lid cover + 2 microSD Screen flip lid cover variant with storage for 2 microSD cards.

uConsole Front Screen Cover Screen cover with provision for magnetic attachment and adjustable hinge tension.

uConsole Backplate for CM5, HackerGadget board Replacement back plate for CM5 plus HackerGadget board; works with NVMe, active cooling and AIOv2 board.

HackerGadgets uConsole AIO V2 SMA Antenna Bumper Protective bumper/case for Hackergadgets AIO V2 antenna quick-mount 7x SMA board.

uConsole Open Backplate Open backplate design to support active cooler for CM5 and detachable battery-access back cover.

uConsole Antenna Holder Wi-Fi antenna upgrade model based on ClockworkPi Discord feedback.

Clockwork Pi uConsole LTE/No LTE side plate Replacement side plates for LTE/No LTE versions, including option to place Wi-Fi antenna inside body.

uConsole Field Ops Shell Field-ops shell for the uConsole.

uConsole back Cover Replacement or alternate uConsole back cover.

uConsole Antenna Mount Mount for external Wi-Fi antenna.

uConsole Meshtastic Node Backplate Modified backplate to house a Rokland WisBlock LoRa radio module and supporting components.

uConsole micro antenna 0.2 mount Remix of micro antenna mount with countersunk screw and added mount point.

Screen cover for uConsole (remix) Clip-on screen cover that prints flat without supports.

uConsole back cover with battery lid Original back cover modified with a battery lid for quick battery access.

uConsole slim backplate Slim modular backplate with plastic construction to improve Wi-Fi and hide extra radio hardware.

Backplate with folding stand and antenna mounts for ClockworkPi uConsole Backplate with integrated kickstand/folding stand and antenna mounts.

ClockworkPi uConsole Display Cover Display cover for uConsole.

uConsole Stand PeakDesign Mount Mount/stand solution to connect uConsole to PeakDesign Mobile/RAM setup while retaining original stand.

uConsole Light Armor - Hackergadgets Antenna board Protective light armor enclosure with dedicated housing for Hackergadgets antenna/extension board and SMA access.

Hackergadgets cover for uConsole Protective cover for the Hackergadgets antenna board.

Shroud for uConsole Decorative/protective shroud; requires longer screws.

UConsole Wifi Antena Adapter Foldable Wi-Fi antenna adapter to improve signal affected by metal body.

uConsole backcover for passive cooler Back cover for using the Raspberry Pi passive cooler.

HSW uConsole holder Holder generated for HSW/hex-wall-style organization system.

Uconsole 20000Mah backplate (untested) Untested back plate allowing two 146074 10000mAh LiPo batteries and heatsink.

Cover for uConsole 7-antenna mounting board Partial cover for 7-antenna mounting kit; covers front and back with wire-routing room.

uConsole back cover for edatec CM5 active cooler (remix) Back cover for uConsole with CM5 via HackerGadgets adapter board and EDATEC cooler.

HackerGadgets AC1200 holder for the Clockwork Pi uConsole Holder for Hackergadgets AC1200 accessory on the uConsole.

uConsole stand Simple desk stand for the Clockwork uConsole.

Pegboard Shelf for uConsole Pegboard shelf sized for uConsole and similar items.

uConsole Lightweight Protective Case Kit Lightweight protective case kit that protects vulnerable areas without greatly increasing size.

uConsole Antenna Bracket Antenna bracket/mount used by later backplate designs.

uConsole back cover w/prop & antenna mounts Complex backplate with built-in kickstand and optional antenna mounts.

Clockwork PI uConsole light armor Lightweight protective armor adding durability and expansion options.

Clockworkpi uConsole Simple Case and HingeCover Simple case and hinge cover set for uConsole.

uConsole ALFA Network Wifi Card holder Holder to clip an ALFA Network Wi-Fi card adapter directly onto the uConsole body.

uConsole Protection Case Protection case for uConsole with HackerGadgets AIO board installed; reinforced board mounting points.

uConsole back cover for passive cooler Back cover variant for original Raspberry Pi passive cooler; includes stock and Hackergadgets carrier-board versions.

Clockwork Pi uConsole RAK and Adafruit Bracket Bracket to mount a RAK LoRa module and Adafruit CH433F USB hub above the battery board.

USB + RJ45 networking internal mod Internal build adding a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, external USB ports, RJ45 via USB dongle, and external SMA antenna connections.

RF Toolbox Edition Custom RF-focused uConsole build with top hat for radio modules and a modified hub/faceplate.

Backpanel with SMA antenna ports Case backpanel modification to expose SMA antenna ports for improved external antenna options.

Non-destructive external antenna upgrade External antenna mount approach intended to avoid destructive case cutting while improving signal.

Trackpad mod (Cirque Glidepoint) Trackball replacement using a Cirque Glidepoint trackpad for users unhappy with stock trackball reliability.

Optical trackpad keyboard mod Keyboard swap/mod using a BlackBerry 9900 optical trackpad in place of the stock trackball.

Trackpad-on-uConsole retail project Trackpad conversion project announced for formal sale after internal testing.

Custom keyboard firmware (stock-based) Custom firmware based on stock code to keep compatibility while improving trackball feel and scrolling behavior.

New QMK firmware, trackball guide, and keyboard diffuser Recent guide packaging QMK firmware, maintenance/modding guidance, and a keyboard diffuser improvement.

Official keyboard UART flashing guide ClockworkPi wiki page explaining how to flash keyboard firmware through the keyboard UART port.

Simple uConsole keyboard flashing tool Official quick-flash tool for Arduino-compiled keyboard firmware binaries.

Official 4G extension support Official 4G extension documentation covering power-on and use on uConsole CM4.

Active cooling fan on CM4 Community exploration of adding fan and heatsink cooling, including 3D printed case changes.

Effective CM5 cooling solution Community CM5 cooling recipe using thermal pads and heatsink for lower temperatures.

Simple extensible backplate replacement Single-piece backplate redesign intended to fit larger heatsinks while preserving battery access.

10000mAh battery mod experience share Community write-up for wiring and fitting a 10,000mAh battery setup with mod boards.

20000mAh backplate Printables backplate concept for a very large dual-battery configuration and active cooling clearance.

Uconsole desk stand Simple desktop stand for presenting the uConsole.

uConsole cover Simple uConsole cover model indexed by 3DGO.

uConsole three antenna bracket, one piece One-piece remix of the three-antenna bracket, avoiding glue.

3D printed cover for the uConsole Community post for a cover design shared via the Discord 3d-printing channel.

3D printed uConsole "holster-style" screen protector [STL incl.] Holster-style screen protector thread with STL included.

uConsole Antenna Bracket (3D Model) Two-piece antenna bracket design with M4 bolt requirement and superglue assembly.

Screen Cover for uConsole Forum post with a Thingiverse STL for a hinged magnetic lid-style cover.

My uConsole 3D printed back Community post linking to a MakerWorld back cover for passive cooler / active cooler adaptation.