A new source of income via the Raspberry Pi users.

[Timstertoo]

If I had a Pi I'd easily pay up to $150Wholesale price of the screen alone is about $70. Cram everything else that needs to be done into it and you are quickly looking at a device which costs almost $150 to start with

Price would be an issue then. I'd be willing to pay more but I wouldn't want to be limited to a single chip.


I know myself though, if they say base unit is x but for y extra you get a better yada yada yada, suddenly that's starting to make a lot of sense. :rolleyes:

 

[comradekingu]

How about the beagleboard black. Its a question about de-soldering and re-routing all the connectors except for the one you chose to align up with the holes that are pre-cut. Charging, screen connectors, screen power, screen lcd cable, keyboard input are potential issues to overcome.

 

[Franko]

Just been reading back some...and I realize (now) that the current case as it is, would not be able to house the RasPi board.  I'm holding up my Pi (rev B board) next to my 1GHz Pandora, and the base is about the same height.  The existing battery and a new PCB/keymat makes it too tight of a fit...but that's fine.  The bottom case would need to be remolded anyway to make the ideal RasPi case (IMO).  It needs to be deeper, and if you're going to design/remold the bottom portion of the case, you might as well adjust the necessary slots/holes that would line up better to match the PI's ports.  Plus, making it with a hinge or some sort of clasp that allows the case to be easily opened would be great.

Most of this is just me being me - just thinking out loud.  I'm not an innovator, and I'm more than sure that people have already mulled this/these ideas over before.  If sales do dry up though (for the Pandora), and the OP Team is still in need of future sales (of something) to fund the P1 preorders and payback the investors, then I think that this could make money.  There is a HUGE market for this type of product (IMO).  If the OP Team (or member) wanted to undertake this, I'm positive that you'd have a lot of backers...possibly in the tens of thousands.

What you already have going for you is a pretty good case.  I was a bit apprehensive about buying my Pandora because I was reading lots of posts about the brittle cases, pieces not fitting right, newer screens not looking as good, etc...  I've been pleasantly surprised.  I think that the build quality is actually quite good.  Anyway, it's interesting to think about...

 

[Binky]

I think a well-made, notoverpriced P2 with ample hardware hacking provision would be better.

The Pi is less powerful and more bulky than the P1

People only buy it because of the price (compared to other, better devboards)

Add a screen, keyboard, etc and that advantage vanishes

 

[Franko]

^ Of course.  I agree with most of that.  I do think though that there is still a BIG untapped market (where money can be made for the OP Team).  If you just think about how low cost the Pi is, in relation to what you'd have to spend to make it portable, then it does seem a bit silly.  BUT, there are people that would still gladly pay for that privilege.  Not everyone who bought a Pi is impoverished and lives in a "third world country"...(no offense meant to anyone).  If you could keep the retail price under $200, I think that there'd be a lot of takers.  The user base is so big that the "less powerful" hardware is still being targeted for big projects from many developers (see the Minecraft Pi version).  I personally prefer my Pandora over the Pi - I use it far more.   I was mostly musing about a potential (money-making) project that could possibly benefit the OP Team.  That's all.  

 

[vcoleiro1]

It wouldn't house a Pi without removing some of the high standing ports, but it is the Pi community, there not exactly shy off doing such things.  Not that I would do it, the Pi is a little to under powered for me.

What would fit nicely are PC Sticks,  but then again that may already be the plan Craig has in mind.

 

[slaeshjag]

I don't think PC sticks are a good idea. The ones I've seen are pretty much the thickness of the current pandora's base. And then you need to somehow connect it up the the rest of the pandora's hardware. And then plus that you still need the keyboard PCB over it, and the plastic that covers it. 

 

[vcoleiro1]

^ The Imito MX1 for example is just over 9mm thick with case(not that you have to keep it in its case).  ie they come in varying sizes, some will fit , some wont.  

The beauty of the idea is that it would future proof your handheld and keep costs to a minimum. Also, I think you would get more people buying a handheld with battery, screen but no guts for $150 + $90 for a PC stick than you would get people buying a Pandora 2 for $600.  

But it's just an idea, not that the two are mutually exclusive anyway.  Just an idea in line with the OPs thoughts on a new product.

 

[slaeshjag]

You'll be kinda locking yourself in anyway if you make if fit for a cerian formfactor with connectors in a special place. And if you're talking about removing the case, then you might as well mount it internally without an external slot for it...

I suspect a system module for Pandora 2 would look more like this:

 

[vcoleiro1]

^ Using a PC Stick would allow you to choose amongst the plethora of manufacturers and thus keep the cost down .Having  something as above would mean Open Pandora would need to design/make it pushing the cost up a lot.   

I see PC sticks slotting internally into the device via the hdmi plug, with small cable connectors for the USB and power - nothing special there.  Remember this isn't a Pandora 2 idea , just an idea for a cheaper product that could appeal to other markets at a lower price.

 

[Franko]

^ Yeah, my intention for starting this thread wasn't to suggest what a "P2" should look like.  I was merely suggesting another avenue where the OP Team could make money for itself.  I frankly didn't know in what forum category this idea should go in.  The P2 spam area seemed the best place.

Now if the OP Team (M.Weston?) could engineer a way for the hdmi out (of the Pi & PC sticks) was converted and used the same lcd cable and screen (of the current P1) and used our same battery but converted it to a mini usb 2A output, you'd really have something.  Redesign the bottom of the case slightly (made a bit deeper) - you could accommodate all sorts of PC sticks and the RaspPi.  Even a bigger potential market.

 

[Asiyura]

You make redesigning a plastic case looks like it's easy and cheap.

Hint : it's not!

You need a brand new mould and they're expensive to make. Don't forget that you'll still need a board for the integrated keyboard and gaming controls too, on top of the pi/android stick and under you'll need the space for the battery… I don't know how much you want to make the bottom thicker, but it'll look like a brick pretty fast…

So I still think that all this idea is nonsense right now since ED already gave up almost all his profits from selling pandora to cover CC and Craig's failures and keep producing pandoras.

If you want to make a raspi enclosure, just run a kickstarter…

 

[Franko]

You make redesigning a plastic case looks like it's easy and cheap.

Hint : it's not!

You need a brand new mould and they're expensive to make. Don't forget that you'll still need a board for the integrated keyboard and gaming controls too, on top of the pi/android stick and under you'll need the space for the battery… I don't know how much you want to make the bottom thicker, but it'll look like a brick pretty fast…

So I still think that all this idea is nonsense right now since ED already gave up almost all his profits from selling pandora to cover CC and Craig's failures and keep producing pandoras.

If you want to make a raspi enclosure, just run a kickstarter…

I know that a new mould would be required for making a new portion of the case.  I also know that a new pcb would be required to accommodate the keymat/keyboard interface to the Pi and PC sticks.  I already alluded to that in my previous posts.  And nowhere did I say that it'd be easy and cheap.  I'm trying to think of what little would need to be changed to cut costs.  Sure, it's pie-in-the-sky thinking...but that's what I do.  I put all of my ideas into a pinata of hope, I pull it up by a string... and watch others bash it to death.  So be it.  

 

[monstercameron]

it seems franko was onto something, ben heck sorta agrees...

http://liliputing.com/2013/06/ben-heck-rips-apart-a-raspberry-pi-to-make-a-handheld-game-console.html

 

[WizardStan]

Ben Heck isn't the first to do so, the Pi has been attached to a battery, LCD, and controls several times in the past. The parts to do so came out around $150, which is the maximum price most people are willing to pay for such a thing. It's not that it isn't an interesting idea, there's simply no room for profit as a business endeavour.

 

[Franko]

Hey that looks like a cool build - judging from the picture at least...can't wait for Part 2.  Looks like a lot of work though, and I can't say that I'd like to stare at a tiny composite screen like that one.  The Pandora's LCD screen is a far better display (IMO).  One of the hard parts (for the OP Team) would be to somehow interface the current screen with the Pi's hdmi-out.  Some engineering genuis would have to figure out the pins and all of that.  I don't think that the GPIO pins could drive an external screen, but my knowledge in this area is a bit lacking.
 

Maybe it's best to not spread the OP Team too thin at the moment?  Some of them are hip-deep with the iCP2, and expanding the Pandora's exposure to the Japanese market...There definitely is a demand for such a portable solution though.

 

[monstercameron]

Ben Heck isn't the first to do so, the Pi has been attached to a battery, LCD, and controls several times in the past. The parts to do so came out around $150, which is the maximum price most people are willing to pay for such a thing. It's not that it isn't an interesting idea, there's simply no room for profit as a business endeavour.

there is no way ben hecks build cost near $150

Hey that looks like a cool build - judging from the picture at least...can't wait for Part 2.  Looks like a lot of work though, and I can't say that I'd like to stare at a tiny composite screen like that one.  The Pandora's LCD screen is a far better display (IMO).  One of the hard parts (for the OP Team) would be to somehow interface the current screen with the Pi's hdmi-out.  Some engineering genuis would have to figure out the pins and all of that.  I don't think that the GPIO pins could drive an external screen, but my knowledge in this area is a bit lacking.

Maybe it's best to not spread the OP Team too thin at the moment?  Some of them are hip-deep with the iCP2, and expanding the Pandora's exposure to the Japanese market...There definitely is a demand for such a portable solution though.

found this hdmi to lvds converter board http://www.chalk-elec.com/?p=1576

 

[Franko]

^ Hey yeah, that board might work nicely.  It's less than half of the dimensions of the Pi itself, it and the Pi (and a voltage regulator) would fit nicely in a slightly modified P1 case.

 

[Asiyura]

This topic isn't dead yet? 

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

 

[Franko]

^ This topic can't be be killed by mere fire (or acid)!  Only sheer avoidance or total apathy can end it's existence!  This thread will live on forever, roaming these forum boards like an undead zombie!  BwaaahhhaaHH!!...okay, that was a little over the top - even for me...