Makers Sell $33 Digital Blueprints for DIY ‘Brick Phones’ as Digital Detox Trend Grows
Maker movement targets digital detox market with $33 downloadable files instead of $300 finished devices
Cologne-based designer Kevin Noki is selling the digital blueprints for a 3D-printed mobile handset that mimics 1980s brick phones but runs on a Raspberry Pi Pico, marking the latest entry in a growing maker-driven movement to bypass commercial “dumb phones” that cost ten times as much.
The ADHD ONE — short for Anti Distraction Handset Device — connects to an iPhone via Bluetooth to handle calls, leaving the smartphone itself in a drawer. Noki offers the STL files, firmware, PCB production data, and a parts list for €29.99 ($33.68) as a digital download. No physical components are included.
Commercial minimal phones such as the Light Phone III ($399) and the Minimal Phone ($299) ship as finished products. Noki’s model shifts assembly, component sourcing, and risk to the buyer. The package includes three speaker-grille patterns, three antenna styles, and a housing variant without an antenna hole, but withholds editable CAD files, PCB design sources, and firmware source code. The license restricts use to personal, non-commercial builds.
Inside, a custom printed circuit board hosts an FSC-BT1026C Bluetooth module built on Qualcomm’s QCC3024 chip, a lithium cell, and a charging controller. The 19-key keypad and small display replicate the tactile experience of a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, the original 1984 brick phone that retailed for $3,995 — roughly $12,000 today.
The package doesn’t include the firmware’s source code, editable 3D/CAD files, or editable PCB design files. It’s also a digital download, so no physical components are supplied. Buyers receive a ZIP file of approximately 20MB immediately after payment. The files are licensed for personal use only, meaning they cannot be redistributed or resold.
Several devices have been released in recent years promising a break from the distractions – such as depression-inducing social media apps – found on smartphones. There were the $299 Light Flip and Light Phone III, the Minimal Phone, and Commodore’s Callback 8020, to name a few.
