Bolan XuTerminal-Style Cellular Device
A DIY, terminal-first cellular device built as a personal network terminal, not a modern smartphone.
Why This Exists
Modern phones hide communication behind apps, notifications, and layers of software that are hard to see or control. Instead of helping you understand what’s going on, they focus on keeping your attention.
This project treats cellular connectivity as what it really is:
A network interface.
No apps.
No touchscreen.
No background processes.
Just typed commands, clear responses, and full visibility into the system.
Core Features (Target)
- ✉️ Send and receive SMS with regular phones
- ⌨️ Physical keyboard for typing commands
- 🖥️ Monochrome display with a terminal-style UI
- 🔁 Rotary encoder for scrolling and command history
- 🔋 Battery-powered with basic power management
- 🧭 Optional GPS / location reporting
What This Is (and Isn’t)
This is:
- ✅ A personal communication terminal
- ✅ A learning platform for embedded systems and networking
- ✅ A constraint-driven engineering project
This is not:
- ❌ A smartphone
- ❌ An app platform
- ❌ A consumer product
Design Philosophy (What Makes This Geeky)
- Text-only interface
- No app layer
- No multitasking
- Transparent hardware (clear case + visible PCB)
The goal is to keep everything simple, understandable, and hackable.
Hardware Overview (High-Level)
| Subsystem | Description |
|---|---|
| Microcontroller | Main command processor and UI controller |
| Cellular Modem | LTE-M / cellular network interface |
| Display | Monochrome text output |
| Input | Keyboard matrix + rotary encoder |
| Power | Li-ion battery with regulation |
| Antennas | Cellular + optional GNSS |
System Architecture
- The microcontroller acts as the command processor
- The cellular modem is treated as a peripheral, controlled through explicit commands
- The UI is rendered as a scrolling terminal
- All communication actions are user-initiated
Example interaction:
> status
NET: CONNECTED
RSSI: -89 dBm
BAT: 82%
Command Interface (Planned)
sms send <contact> <message>
sms read
gps get
status
net info
log show
Incoming messages may also be parsed as simple commands, allowing limited remote interaction.
Concluding Thoughts
This project is all about exploring what a phone could be when you strip away distractions and hidden processes. This is my version of a phone. By keeping everything visible and command-driven, I can understand every part of the system, experiment freely, and build a device that feels intentionally designed. This is still a work in progress so I will keep this updated.