Ask HN: How can I make a custom dumb phone? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How can I make a custom dumb phone?

5 pointsbl0b5 comments

Hi HN,

I'm looking for any tips or pointers to resources I could use for designing a custom flip/slider cell phone. I want it to be able to make calls, exchange texts, and (maybe) run simple apps that access the internet.

My basic motivation is: I much prefer small phones that have actual buttons over the ubiquitous large rectangles with touch screens of today's world. Unfortunately, phones like that that are available today either are a) too old and use outdated networks, b) new but seem like they have awfulness engineered into the UI as a feature to push people towards smartphones. None of them seem even remotely hackable, because they're all proprietary. The new open phone OSes (like pinephone) are encouraging, but everything still seems to be pretty firmly entrenched in the smartphone paradigm, and don't run on semi-dumb phones.

I've hacked a bit on arduinos and raspberry pis, so I could figure out how to wire up a pi with a 4G modem with a battery and a screen. The problem is: it would be huge and clunky, and I haven't found a 'maker' friendly phone keyboard or slider/flipper mechanism.

So.. my question for you all is: - how would I begin prototyping the hardware involved? -- OR -- - how would I go about taking a relatively new flip/slider phone and making it run my own OS instead of whatever proprietary code it came with? -- OR -- any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Take a look here for an epic build:

http://justine-haupt.com/rotarycellphone/

No SMS, no internet, but it shows that it is possible if you're dedicated enough.

Edit: See also these Arduino shields:

https://www.adafruit.com/category/867

One walk-through of using one:

https://learn.adafruit.com/arduin-o-phone-arduino-powered-di...

Thanks for the links! That rotary phone is pretty awesome.

I have poked around on those arduino shields links before - definitely the route I would go. I was more looking for ideas about how to tie it all together in a single (small) unit, and maybe that rotary phone posting will give me some ideas. So thanks again!

Wouldn't it be more efficient and more convenient to get a dumb-phone or flip-phone that was made by the nokia or motorola (or other) company back in the early 2000s (in the pre-iphone era)?

Some of those had internet access, usually just a browser.

As for the OS, if I remember correctly, some were able to be 'rooted' and another OS installed.

There's certainly a lot of internet delving required, which will make it a very interesting project. :-)

The main problem is that those old phones use networks that are discontinued or use signals that are seemingly unable to penetrate some common types of buildings.

At least, I think that's what's happening. I've had a number of older phones recently, and they would tend to have terrible service in the middle of the city, and absolutely no service inside a lot of buildings, especially office buildings or basements - both places where most people had full service.

Would the revised Nokia 3310 work?

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_int/nokia-3310

It’s basically an old style Nokia rebuilt for the modern era.

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