Raspberry PiPad: a Cheap Sim-Card Less IPad

A few weeks ago I published my Raspberry PiPhone on Instructables. It was a cheap easy build using Raspberry pi and other parts. It could call, could look up stuff, and could do many more things. The only problem is that it really was not as high-tech as other phones, so in this I will tell you how to make a Android iPad, that does not have a sim card, and is amazingly fast and works wonderfully. It even has multiple different ways to put in a passcode. The cost varies from around $100-$200.

Supplies

First you need your screen. I got the official Raspberry Pi 7 inch touchscreen. You can use any 7 inch touch screen made for the Raspberry Pi, but I reccomend this one.

You can find it here: https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-touch-display/

Next you need your Raspberry Pi: I used a Raspberry pi 4 2gb model, but you can use a pi 4 with more ram. You can get these at a local MicroCenter, or order online.

You can get it here: https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/

After that you need a Wireless Wifi Adapter: This helps with your wifi connection and calling.

I like this one from MicroCenter: https://www.microcenter.com/product/604932/tp-link-archer-t2u-nano-ac600-nano-wireless-usb-adapter

You also need a 16gb Micro SD card for your Raspberry Pi 4. You can find these anywhere.

For the battery:

Switch: You can really use any switch you want, but there is a link below.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/395540/nte-electronics-single-miniature-toggle-switch

Battery Charging Board: This is to charge the battery for the iPad.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091N5L7J2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3.7 volt 1200mAh battery: This battery is a long lasting battery by Adafruit.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J2QET64/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pack of wires: You can get wires practicly anywhere. These are for soldering.

Finally, you need either a pair of headphones. I hooked up a small speaker to an amplifier than soldered that on, but I am trying to make this less expensive.

Step 1: Software

This step is pretty straight forward. Dowload the Raspberry Pi imager, which you can find here: https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/. After you set it up, click the button that says Raspberry Pi Device, and select Raspberry Pi 4. On your browser look up kongstakang or search this link:https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi4/LineageOS19/ Scroll down to where it says lineage-19.1-20230313-UNOFFICIAL-KonstaKANG-rpi4.zip. Down load it, and take out the file in it. Insert your SD into your comupter, and click the button on the Raspberry Pi Imager that says Operating System. Scroll down and select the button that says Custom Image. Then choose the Android file you just downloaded. Click the Write button, and then after it is done take out your SD card.

Step 2: Soldering Your Parts

Okay, so now comes the hard part. If you have never soldered before, I reccomend that you watch this instruction video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qps9woUGkvI&t=42s). Soldering is very dangourous so I reccomend that you be very careful with your soldering iron. First solder the positve wire of the battery (red) to where the board says b+. That means battery positive. I will add a picture above. After you solder that, solder the battery wire negative (black) to where the board says b-. Take a wire and solder one side of it to one of the positive of the switch. Take another and solder it to the negative of the switch. Solder the one that is negative to where the board says out-. Now take another wire and solder it to where the board says out+. Now heres the tricky part. Take your Raspberry Pi and flip it over. You need to solder one wire from the Raspberry Pi to the board, then another from the Raspberry Pi to the switch to complete the circuit. Look up Raspberry Pi pinout and that will help you. Solder the board wire (out+) to the 5v pin on the Raspberry Pi. Be careful, because if you connect two pins your Raspberry Pi could break. Now solder the wire on the switch to the gnd (ground) pin on the Raspberry Pi. If your battery is charged, and you did everything correctly, then when you flip the switch the lights on the Raspberry Pi should light up.

Step 3: Wifi and Attaching the Screen

This instruction part is for the official Raspberry Pi touchscreen. Follow the instructions that came with your screen if you got a different one. Take your Raspberry Pi screen anf follow the directions. After, plug a wire from the ground on the screen to the ground on the Raspberry Pi, pins on the screen are labeled. Then plug a wire from the positive on the screen to the positive on the Raspberry Pi. Plug in your wifi usb. If you put in your SD card and plug your Raspberry Pi in (Don't use battery yet), then your screen should slowly boot LineageOS.

Step 4: Setting Up Lineage

When you first boot lineage, it should make you set it up. Setup the time, wifi, and you should put in a passcode. After that you should boot up lineage. It looks like a regular Android setup. Go to the browser and look up these two apps, Dingtone and Aptoide. These are calling and app dowloading softwares. Find an apk for each of these apps. APKs are a way to download an app on an Android but using the web. Download them, and open both of the apps. You should make an account and pick a number on dingtone, and you just should look at Aptoide. Lineage has apps preinstalled, similair to an iPhone, but does not have any personal apps. Download the apps you want with Aptoide. Continue to costumize it. You should try running it with the battery instead of the plug now.

Step 5: Case

There is a case made for the Raspberry Pi 7 inch screen and the Raspberry Pi 4, and you can find here. You have to have acsess to a 3d printer though. I hope this iPad works for you, and thank you for building this!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1082431