Redditor turns Steam Deck into a spike-covered, taser-equipped fortress to scare off family

Q: How is the spike-covered case for the Steam Deck made and what materials were used?

The spike-covered shell was modeled in Blender and 3D printed as an orange spiked case to make the Steam Deck uncomfortable to pick up. The build houses a Raspberry Pi, an object-detection camera, a servo motor, a small speaker, and a mounted taser (the taser is loud and intended to scare rather than shock).

Q: What hardware components did the builder use (Raspberry Pi, camera, servo, speaker, taser) and how are they arranged?

The builder used a 3D-printed spiked shell housing a Raspberry Pi, an object-detection camera, a small speaker, and a servo motor, plus a taser mounted above the Steam Deck. A custom Python script on the Raspberry Pi monitors the camera feed and plays an audio warning through the speaker; if the person does not leave, the servo triggers the taser above the device.

Q: Did the creator power the Raspberry Pi and peripherals from the Steam Deck battery or from a separate power source?

The article does not state whether the Raspberry Pi and peripherals were powered from the Steam Deck battery or a separate power source. It only notes commenters pointed out that if the Raspberry Pi is drawing power from the Steam Deck, the security system would slowly drain the very battery it was built to protect.

Q: What alternatives did commenters suggest (SteamOS PIN, locked carrying case) and how do they compare to this mod in practice?

Commenters suggested using SteamOS's built-in PIN protection or simply a locked carrying case, noting the latter would have achieved the same goal in considerably less time. The article says those options would prevent software access but would not stop someone from picking up the device or repeatedly attempting to unlock it. In practice the mod both physically deters handling and audibly scares would-be borrowers, though the creator finds disarming the taser and removing the spiked shell a hassle.

A Raspberry Pi, object detection camera, and servo-triggered taser sit inside a 3D-printed spiked shell, and the creator says it works like a charm.

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Hassam Nasir

Tech Reporter

Published Jul 27, 2026 10:45 PM CDT

1 minute & 30 seconds read time

TL;DR: A Reddit user built a 3D-printed spiked shell for their Steam Deck containing a Raspberry Pi, object-detection camera, speaker, servo-triggered taser and Python script that warns intruders and, if they linger, fires a loud taser scare; the creator says it stops family from touching the device.

Voice: Hassam NasirSpeed

0:00 / 2:25

Ever had a family member borrow your Steam Deck only to hand it back with a dead battery? Reddit user ConroyyJenkinss certainly had, and they clearly had enough. Rather than setting a PIN or hiding the device, they built an automated defense system around it, and it is exactly as unhinged as it sounds.

The build starts with a 3D-printed orange spiked case modeled in Blender. The spikes make the Steam Deck uncomfortable to pick up, which is the point. From there, ConroyyJenkinss added a Raspberry Pi, a small speaker, an object detection camera, and a servo motor.

A custom Python script monitors the camera feed and plays an audio warning when it detects someone in frame. If they do not leave within a few seconds, the servo triggers a taser mounted above the device. The taser is loud and designed to scare rather than shock, but the crackling noise alone appears to be doing the job.

According to the creator, the system works. "Nobody touches my Steam Deck anymore," ConroyyJenkinss wrote on Reddit. Family members now ask for permission before approaching it. He did acknowledge that disarming the taser and removing the spiked shell every time he wants to play is "a hassle but overall worth it."

Redditor turns Steam Deck into a spike-covered, taser-equipped fortress to scare off family 2

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Plenty of commenters have praised the modder's creativity while pointing out that SteamOS has built-in PIN protection, and that a locked carrying case would have achieved the same goal in considerably less time. Those options would prevent access to the software, but they would not stop someone from picking up the device or repeatedly attempting to unlock it.

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Question #1

How is the spike-covered case for the Steam Deck made and what materials were used?

Question #2

What hardware components did the builder use (Raspberry Pi, camera, servo, speaker, taser) and how are they arranged?

Question #3

Did the creator power the Raspberry Pi and peripherals from the Steam Deck battery or from a separate power source?

Question #4

What alternatives did commenters suggest (SteamOS PIN, locked carrying case) and how do they compare to this mod in practice?

Have a question not listed here? Ask below and TweakBot will answer it.

Others couldn't help but point out the irony that if the Raspberry Pi is drawing power from the Steam Deck itself, the security system is slowly draining the very battery it was built to protect. None of that is really the point, though. The point is that someone built a spike-covered, taser-equipped, AI-monitored fortress around a Steam Deck because their family wouldn't stop borrowing it. Whether that's excessive or genius probably depends on whether you're the one getting your Steam Deck back dead.