User manual
GFT-5 Mini Terminal
| Document | GF-UM-GFT-5 |
|---|---|
| Revision | A |
| Date | 2026-09-07 |
| Applies to | GFT-5, all serials |
| Software | GREYFATHOM OS v1.x |
1. Overview
A Linux handheld that runs the complete GREYFATHOM OS suite with an onboard mesh radio, in a printed carbon-nylon chassis drawn around the electronics from the first millimetre.
In the box
- GFT-5, assembled, flashed and burn-in tested
- GREYFATHOM OS installed with every tool enabled
- Signed bench test report
- Printed quick card
The signed bench test report is this unit's baseline: what was fitted, what was tested, what it read. Keep it with the serial number; the warranty form asks for both. See a sample report.
2. Specifications
| Compute | Raspberry Pi 5 |
|---|---|
| Display | 5″ Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2, 720 × 1280, capacitive touch |
| Radio | LoRa mesh radio, fitted |
| GNSS | Receiver fitted where ordered |
| Storage | microSD or NVMe, per order |
| Power | Internal cell, USB-C charge; IP66 metal power button |
| Enclosure | Printed carbon-nylon chassis, 145 × 114 × 46 mm, 147 g shell; vented rear or machined cold-plate |
| Ingress | Not sealed in this release; IP66 rating applies to the power button only |
3. Getting started
- Charge before first use. USB-C, any decent supply. A full cell is the first thing you want to know you have.
- Hold the power button. The GREYFATHOM boot screen, then the console. No login, no desktop.
- Open Health and run the self-test. It checks the radio, receiver and storage actually fitted to this unit and reports each green or not. Do it now, and before any day that matters.
- Tap ☾ in the top bar. Pure red for adapted eyes; tap again to return.
- Open Radio Config. Nodes shipped with this unit appear here, already on the same channel.
4. Operation
Every tool is a tile on one fullscreen console. Open a tool, use it, come back; there is nothing behind the launcher. Tiles marked "hardware not detected" belong to tools whose part is not fitted to this unit.
- Comms shows the nodes whose signal is arriving now. Pick a node or the channel, type, send. Short messages arrive faster.
- Radio Config shows channel, key, region and power. Nothing is written to the radio until Apply; reboot, shutdown and factory reset each confirm first. Works over USB or Bluetooth LE.
- Position needs sky. First fix after a long time off can take two minutes; after that, seconds. Every logbook entry and note carries the fix automatically.
- Maps draws from tiles cached on the unit. Load regions through Files before leaving coverage.
- Logbook entries are time- and position-stamped on the spot, kept per operator, exported to USB or the unit's storage. Notes is the fast version.
- AI Assistant is a language model on the Pi itself — llama.cpp with Qwen 3, plus Ollama. Drop any
.ggufin through Files to swap the model. Nothing typed leaves the unit. - Phone Link runs as a boot service. Join the unit's Wi-Fi from a phone and open
http://192.168.4.1:8471. - Power shows battery state and live draw; profiles trade performance for endurance.
5. Power
Charge over USB-C. Power shows the state and what each tool costs to run. Pick the endurance profile for a long day and performance when a charger is near. Cells lose capacity below freezing; keep the unit inside a jacket when it is not in use.
6. Updates and backups
- Updates arrive as a signed image on a card. Each package carries a sha-256 manifest verified twice and a regression battery that must pass before it is accepted. Rollback is one tap in Field Ops.
- Logbook and notes live on the card with you and survive an update.
- Export the unit's identity — serial, keys, settings — to a USB stick from Field Ops. Restoring onto a fresh image is two taps, with an automatic backup first.
- v1.x updates are free. Release notes are in the Master Guide.
7. Maintenance and care
- Not sealed. The printed chassis is not sealed in this release; the IP66 rating belongs to the power button. Rain is fine, submersion is not.
- Heat. Carbon-nylon softens in a closed car in summer; the machined cold-plate helps under load but is not a substitute for shade.
- Screen. Anti-glare glass; microfibre only. The TPU port flap keeps grit out of USB-C — close it.
- Cleaning. Damp cloth on the shell. No solvents.
- Storage. Charge to about half, power off, store cool and dry. Top up every three months. Export the identity card before long storage.
Printed and machined parts
Front bezel, rear shell (vented or plain), heatsink plate and bracket, TPU port flap. Files and kits are on the build page.
8. Troubleshooting
| What you see | Try this |
|---|---|
| Screen stays dark | Charge for twenty minutes, then hold the power button. The power LED tells you if the cell is flat. |
| A tile says hardware not detected | That part is not fitted or not seated. Health names it. |
| No fix in Position | Sky, not glass. Two minutes outside. Health should report the receiver green. |
| A node does not appear in Comms | Same channel and key on both? Then height and line of sight before anything else. |
| Map is blank | No tiles cached here. Load the region through Files before leaving coverage. |
| Something stopped after an update | Roll back — one tap in Field Ops. Then use the warranty form. |
9. Warranty and support
Thirty-day returns. Every unit is serial-tracked. If a unit is not right, the warranty section on the contact page is the fast path; include the serial and, if you have it, the bench report. General questions: the User Guide, the FAQ, and the community, where other owners are usually there first.
10. Revision history
| Rev | Date | Change | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2026-09-07 | Initial release for the Pelican-case line and screen-size designations. | All |
GREYFATHOM Systems, Iowa City. Pelican is a trademark of Pelican Products, Inc.; Raspberry Pi of Raspberry Pi Ltd; Meshtastic of Meshtastic LLC; Heltec of Heltec Automation. GREYFATHOM is not affiliated with any of them.