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A DEAD GALAXY FLIP, NOW WITH A BLACKBERRY KEYBOARD

A dead folding screen does not have to mean a dead phone: Marcin Plaza runs a broken Galaxy Z Flip5 entirely on its 3.4-inch outer screen and gave it a BlackBerry keyboard that flips out.

by Marcin Plaza

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Open-hardware

Built withArduino

difficulty
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time
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license
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repo
repo 0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This is a one-off build log, not a kit. Marcin Plaza took a second-hand Galaxy Z Flip5 with a broken folding screen (bought cheap on eBay), kept only the parts the phone needs, and runs the whole phone on its 3.4-inch outer screen using Samsung's Good Lock app (MultiStar module). He split the two halves, added a four-bar linkage so the keyboard half flips out, and fitted a BlackBerry Q10 keyboard driven by an Arduino Pro Micro that acts as a USB keyboard. The PCB is a 0.1 mm flex board, and the new enclosure is CNC machined aluminium, bead blasted and anodized brown and green by PCBWay. In the video he plays Minecraft on it. He does not share the design files, so the keyboard mod cannot be rebuilt from his files. The part anyone with a Z Flip can try is the Good Lock outer-screen setup, which needs no soldering. For scale: the Z Flip5 launched at 999 dollars.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —No CAD, PCB files, BOM, firmware or assembly guide are shared. The creator says the design files are not ready to assemble off the shelf.
  • —The PCBWay page has a description, photos and the video. It lists Onshape and KiCad 9.0 as the tools he used.
  • —The PCBWay page shows a CC BY-SA licence label, but no design files are published under it.
  • —Enclosure: CNC machined aluminium, bead blasted and anodized brown and green by PCBWay. The PCB is a 0.1 mm flex board.
  • —Keyboard: BlackBerry Q10, read by an Arduino Pro Micro that emulates a USB keyboard. The keyboard half flips out on a four-bar linkage.
  • —The phone runs on its 3.4-inch outer screen with Samsung's Good Lock app (MultiStar module, allow apps on cover screen).

Parts to buy

5 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • BlackBerry Q10 keyboardFind
  • Arduino Pro MicroFind
  • Custom 0.1 mm flex PCB of his own designfrom the repo files
  • USB-C breakoutFind
  • CNC machined aluminium enclosure made by PCBWayFind

Can I build this?

Printnothing: the enclosure is CNC machined aluminium
Buywhat he used: a second-hand Galaxy Z Flip5 with a broken folding screen (eBay), a BlackBerry Q10 keyboard, an Arduino Pro Micro, a custom 0.1 mm flex PCB of his own design, a USB-C breakout, and a CNC machined aluminium enclosure made by PCBWay
Toolsseen in the video: phone disassembly tools, solder stencil and hot plate for the fine-pitch connector, soldering iron; he lists Onshape and KiCad 9.0 on the PCBWay page
Skillsadvanced: phone disassembly, fine-pitch soldering, PCB and enclosure design from scratch, since no files are shared
Timenot stated by the creator
Costnot stated by the creator
Safetythe build opens a phone with a lithium battery inside

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

I built my own Phone... because innovation is sad rn

Marcin Plaza's build video: disassembly, Good Lock setup, flex PCB and keyboard wiring, the CNC enclosure from PCBWay, and the finished phone running Minecraft.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Know that the design files are not public (The PCBWay page has the description, photos and video link. The creator does not share the files.)
  2. 2.Try the outer-screen setup first(As shown in the video: install Samsung Good Lock, add MultiStar, turn on allow apps on cover screen, then add the launcher widget to the cover screen.)
  3. 3.Watch the build video (It shows how he split the phone, wired the keyboard through an Arduino Pro Micro and fitted everything into the aluminium enclosure.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • There are no design files. Marcin Plaza says the design is not ready to assemble off the shelf and he does not share it.
  • His first second-hand phone was locked to the previous owner's Google account after a wrong factory reset. The seller took it back and he bought another one.
  • With the folding screen dead you cannot see the main display, so for setup he needed a USB-C adapter, a mouse and an external monitor.
  • The BlackBerry Q10 keyboard uses a tiny Hirose BM14B connector with 0.4 mm pins. He used a solder stencil to place it.
  • His USB-C breakout gave the wrong voltage until he fitted the right resistors; he lost hours probing it.
  • Fitting the parts into the new enclosure took several design versions; he shows the battery and the four-bar linkage not fitting at first.

Can I download the files and build the keyboard version?

No. Marcin Plaza does not share the design files. On the PCBWay page he writes: "I don't feel comfortable sharing the design files, as they are not ready to assemble off the shelf." There is nothing to download.

Which part can I copy without any hardware work?

Running apps on the outer screen. In the video he installs Samsung's Good Lock app, adds the MultiStar module, turns on "allow apps on cover screen" in its labs settings, and adds the launcher widget to the cover screen.

How did he set up a phone whose main screen was broken?

He plugged a USB-C adapter into the phone and connected a mouse and an external monitor, then installed the apps he needed for the small screen.

How does the BlackBerry keyboard talk to the phone?

As a normal USB keyboard. An Arduino Pro Micro inside reads the BlackBerry Q10 keyboard and presents itself to the phone as a USB keyboard, which Android already supports.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The Good Lock outer-screen setup needs no soldering at all. Would you keep a Flip with a dead folding screen alive like this, or go all the way to a keyboard?

CompareeTEAM9d ago

We checked the PCBWay page and the build video. The page says the enclosure was CNC machined, bead blasted and anodized by PCBWay, the PCB is a 0.1 mm flex board, and the creator does not share the design files. The Good Lock steps are shown on screen in the video. Nothing else is downloadable.

Marcin Plaza

Marcin Plaza makes build videos on YouTube and posts his projects on PCBWay. He started this one because many Samsung Z Flip phones end up with a broken folding screen, which makes them cheap on eBay. Build, video and footage: Marcin Plaza.

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  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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