Finalizing the PCBs

[Linux-SWAT]

@EvilDragon
I thought of a block around 1 or 2mm thick X 3cm X 1cm, crafted to fit under the ports.
Can be fixed with a simple system like the one where the antenna goes U-turn in the OP, looks like there's space for that on your video.
But yeah, it adds costs if it's a change. And the plate has to be tailored.

 

[Djoga'Ro]

1. Produce Pyras using ED's current ideas and plan.
2. Produce extra cases for purchase.
3. Sell thousands of Pyras - and several hundred 'extra' cases.
4. Watch while mod community butchers cases to see who can get the highest clock rate at 'steady state' at room temperature surroundings. Let them compete on it and see what they come up with.
5. Incorporate those ideas into the next case revision.

Evolution works.

With purposeful parameter selection before the test it's design, not evolution. For evolution you need the utmost conservative agents, that have no purpose other than maintaining the status quo, and a huge amount of time.

 

[levi]

Maybe it's more akin to breeding then, than evolution. Lots of different modders trying wild and wonderful ideas often without much concept of the physics involved, then the best ideas get selected at a rate faster than evolution.

 

[PowerGod]

You'd like that wouldn't you?

Indeed !! Who doesn't like good endings ?!

 

[Dark Pulse]

Indeed !! Who doesn't like good endings ?!

View attachment 31272

Oh dear. What hath I wrought?

 

[rygD]

Would it be possible to drill one or two holes next to heat sink? So the hot air with higher pressure could flow outside the case? Or would it not make a difference? I am not talking about production but hardware mods by users.

I was going to give mine speed holes near the hinge area, under the lid/screen. It would be nice to know if it really makes a difference. I would rather have the radiator(?) that has been discussed for a while.

 

[Pocak]

I don't remember seeing a ton of what sorts of voltages/tolerances the charging port has for in-current. I can't imagine it'd be much more than standard though.

The Pyra aims for USB Battery Charging 1.2 compliance, which is very explicit in that "Portable Devices" are not allowed to draw more than 1.5A. To get more current into the Pyra, you'd have to mod a resistor on the main board.

 

[levi]

My Pandora happily guzzles over 2A at 5V when charging. It'd be a shame if the Pyra takes longer to charge not just because of its larger battery.

That said, my 3.1A charge brick doesn't appear to have any sort of CPU in it, and certainly no discrete logic, so it'll ignore any resistor, so unless the Pyra produces a dynamically varying load it might be okay, provided the Pyra itself doesn't blow up!

 

[fusion_power]

Well, any holes that are on the SIDE of the case (regardless how big they are) can't be done directly in the mold, except for if you have half of that cutout in the top and half on the bottom part of the case (which is the case for the USB ports, for example).

Everything else that has plastic surrounded needs to be done with an inlay, and it's never too late to do something like that as that doesn't need a mould change but a new inlay.

Where did you want to have an opening and do you have a heatsink that would perfectly fit in there?

Holes on top/bottom at that part of the case should only lead into adding some extra material within the mold, no specials needed. Whatr's above the heatsink in the Video? Looks like free space from the hinge part so holes could be placed there, maybe.

 

[Pocak]

My Pandora happily guzzles over 2A at 5V when charging.

It does? How long does it take to fill up? Anyway, people should mentally prepare for a four-hour 0% -> 100% charge time for the Pyra, unless HNS/ED has a surprise for us about that.

That said, my 3.1A charge brick doesn't appear to have any sort of CPU in it, and certainly no discrete logic, so it'll ignore any resistor, so unless the Pyra produces a dynamically varying load it might be okay, provided the Pyra itself doesn't blow up!

The logic is in the Pyra's charger chip, and yes, it produces a dynamically varying load.

If I stop being lazy, I'll write a long, technical post on how charging works in the Pyra. It's just researching the stuff was more interesting than writing an essay on it.

 

[fusion_power]

It does? How long does it take to fill up? Anyway, people should mentally prepare for a four-hour 0% -> 100% charge time for the Pyra, unless HNS/ED has a surprise for us about that.

That's good. My Pandora takes ~4hours alone to reach 75% Battery and another 4 hours to reach ~85% XD, never reaches 100%. Usualy stopping charging in between and always displays wrong (negative) values for the charging time. But I have one of the first Pandoras and the Battery is from 2008, so I should be happy that it still works at all.

 

[comradekingu]

Could be possible to epoxy it in place?

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

2 months(tm) to go for the 4th birthday of the Pyra's presentation at the FOSDEM.

#ifyouknowwhatimean

 

[Grench]

Holes on top/bottom at that part of the case should only lead into adding some extra material within the mold, no specials needed. Whatr's above the heatsink in the Video? Looks like free space from the hinge part so holes could be placed there, maybe.

Mmm... no. Either you're not understanding how the Pyra is constructed or not understanding the mold process - I'm not sure which.

The SoC/CPU is UNDER the keyboard - which means it is under the ports. There is no 'holes on top' option - that is where the main board (keyboard) is. Holes on bottom wouldn't do any real good as they would sit more or less flush with the table the unit sits on.

Making holes come in from the back side where the ports are? Not without special tooling. It would require a piece of the mold that can retract back into the mold after casting - for each hole. Possible in theory, but really expensive. Remember that the back wall of the case is more or less vertical in the mold. The piece cannot come out of the mold if you add material to the mold there - unless the material can be retracted.

 

[Kev2442]

Meh. If we're talking about making holes in the case, please make sure they're NACA ducts.

 

[fusion_power]

Mmm... no. Either you're not understanding how the Pyra is constructed or not understanding the mold process - I'm not sure which.

The SoC/CPU is UNDER the keyboard - which means it is under the ports. There is no 'holes on top' option - that is where the main board (keyboard) is. Holes on bottom wouldn't do any real good as they would sit more or less flush with the table the unit sits on.

Making holes come in from the back side where the ports are? Not without special tooling. It would require a piece of the mold that can retract back into the mold after casting - for each hole. Possible in theory, but really expensive. Remember that the back wall of the case is more or less vertical in the mold. The piece cannot come out of the mold if you add material to the mold there - unless the material can be retracted.

Well, I meant holes in the case for the HEATSINK, not for the CPU, ED Showed in his video. It looks like the copper heatsink is placed at the underside of the backside, there could be some tiny openings to support the heat sink a little bit. ^^
Was not sure first if that copper piece sits above or beyond the PCB. Maybe, holes at the bottom don't do much, I just thought about an way to prevent heat jam within the Pyra case.

 

[WizardStan]

there could be some tiny openings to support the heat sink a little bit

Looks to me like it's venting through the USB port, so there is a fairly substantial opening already.

 

[ible]

i'm gettin' nuttin', for Christmas.

Wally and Dragon are mad!

i'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas.

cuz i ain't been nuttin' but bad.

(sung in the style and voice of Flapjack)

wait, i guess that makes Dr. Nicholaus Santa....

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

Gee golly gosh! Darn it! Will we see a possible april/may mass production?

If the boards need yet another revision after the current one and then the new case company need to set up etc it might take time. Then fingers crossed form action deliver on the case mould tweaks, there is still tweaks being done to shoulder buttons?

And if no other speed bumps, I know its a complicated process, we can hope for some pyras in the summer 2018 maybe?

I think ed said most of the stuff is done now.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

I'm hoping Q1 2018, as all the boards should be final now and we only have to wait about six weeks for the new CPU card prototype and then if that works mass production should be able to happen after that, right?