Money makes the world go round.

[Binky]

That last one isn't as good as Goo-Gone, since it doesn't actually attack the adhesive, but, if I remember correctly, Goo Gone's primary active ingredient is one of the compounds in orange oil, so it should be possible to experiment with effective alternatives.

Limolene, perhaps?

 

[Christoph.Krn]

I only found out about it [the Pyra, remark Christoph.Krn] accidentally (in January)

([...] we seem to be somewhere between 50% and 80% done development)

If I were forced to guess, then I would say that development is way further than that (i.e., a lot more development has already been done than you're imagining). Possibly, and assuming that nothing goes wrong anymore (which you should not do, as that may not be the case), development of the hardware may be at > 95%, or even > 98-99%, because so much development work has been done already up to this point (but beware, those are audacious guesstimations by someone who's not entirely qualified to make them).

Goo-Gone

While we're at it, since many people use Goo-Gone to remove sticker residue, let me say that you can also do that surprisingly well with the sticky backside of the sticker itself (depending on the surface of the object).

Unicomp Classic 104 (pre-2013 modifier scrambling)

What does "pre-2013 modifier scrambling" refer to? I couldn't find anything about it with the search terms that I've used.

 

[Askarus]

Do you still need to sell 3000 Pyras to pay off investors. Or is that number higher/lower?

Maybe some investors don't want their money back right away when there's finally some profit

 

[bitibyte]

I find it a little bit sad that ED get more or less nothing for all the work he has done. I know that there are also a lot of others involved and they hopefully get at least a Pyra for free, but I would find it nice if we could give especially him something back.
Also maybe this is already somehow planned but if it will stay like this my first thought was that we all spend ED and his Girlfriend/Wife/family(?) a nice travel trip, which you normally only do once in your life because of the costs. So this would be also a relaxing end of the Pyra development and could give him some time to fuel his batteries back up.
He should get at least a big sum at the end for all his work.

 

[erico]

The thing will sell 5k. Ed will get a share for the effort and the boulder should be rolling greatly this date next year.
The last 10% usually takes 90% of a project´s time.

 

[Kev2442]

If I could donate a hundred thousand euros, in exchange I'd ask you to indent a binary message in the inner shell, which transcribed in ASCII reads like this :
"I DONATED 100K AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY EASTER EGG"

 

[ssokolow]

Limolene, perhaps?

Possibly. I read what it was years ago, but I don't have time to track that fact down today.

While we're at it, since many people use Goo-Gone to remove sticker residue, let me say that you can also do that surprisingly well with the sticky backside of the sticker itself (depending on the surface of the object).

The stickers I run into tend to either peel off cleanly or tear too easily, so I use the crystal clear version of the dollar store's competitor to Scotch/Sellotape for that instead.

My main use for my home-made mixture in removing sticker residue is residue that doesn't yield to tape and arrived without an accompanying sticker on a jewel case or keep case I ordered off eBay.

That said, I've seen various stores use lighter fluid to lift stickers from glossy book covers, since it attacks the adhesive quickly and wipes off easily.

What does "pre-2013 modifier scrambling" refer to? I couldn't find anything about it with the search terms that I've used.

In 2013, they restructured the right modifier block in an effort to appeal to people whose muscle memory demands that the position of Alt match that of a 101-key IBM Model M exactly.

It's announced, with comparative photos, in this PDF. I had to watch eBay to pounce on my "Old Classic 104" and I'm still keeping an eye out for an "Old UltraClassic 104" to fit into the keyboard tray for my retro-PC.

 

[Mr_Loon]

Feel free to ask any further questions, in case you have some

Thanks for the update ED, it's a real privilege to hear behind the scenes info like this.

I've got a few questions :

Do you still intend to mass produce the 2GB version of the Pyra?

EDIT : Response from ED here :

No real answer yet, that will probably be a last minute decision based on tests .)

When looking at the pyra pre order graph, we're told that 'Target estimation is wrong, working on fixing it. Removed until further notice...' are you at the point where you can say how the pre ordered Pyras will be produced? i.e. will it be batches of 500, all pre orders produced in one batch, etc.....

Do you have any idea why approx 25% (46/200?) of pre pre orders have not yet converted to pre orders?

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

Very interesting question @Mr_Loon, I am very interested on the 2GB version one, let's see if @EvilDragon can tell us something about that. Also, I want to know if he has now any idea about if we want to update from normal to 4G version.

 

[Trickyhero]

Wow it sure is expensive to create a good electronic product, but I am sure it is worth it to have it be well made from the start! I hope that the sales of the device really take off once it begins production, so that you can get a reward from all this hard work. Have you considered a Kickstarter for this project or is it not in the cards? I feel like this project has a chance to go viral if you make a well made kickstarter video, and I know you have the skills for that. Once the pyra has a completely working prototype that may be something to consider, unless having a very large first batch could be a problem, seeing as how that could really up the pressure for a smooth and large launch.

 

[rygD]

ED should make all future videos (including any crowdfunding videos) using only 80s equipment. That goes for the music, too. This would ensure success.

 

[TrashyMG]

ED should make all future videos (including any crowdfunding videos) using only 80s equipment. That goes for the music, too. This would ensure success.

I know a guy on IRC that could sell EvilDragon an Amiga 2000 with a VideoToaster to give a true feel.

 

[EvilDragon]

I have that myself. >)

 

[Mr_Loon]

Just thought of a couple more questions, these relate to :

Still, once the Pyra sells well, I want to work on improving the case. Making it thinner. And of course I'll sell in the shop as well, so everyone can upgrade if he/she wants to.

Do you have a rough idea how many units the Pyra will have to have sold to qualify for having sold well?

If you do redesign the case then would you be willing/able to follow this suggestion?

 

[AVahne]

An I/O shield could be useful and would make the Pyra the first UMPC to have one.

 

[gpsqueeek]

An I/O shield could be useful and would make the Pyra the first UMPC to have one.

There are already some on the market, plugged using USB ; they are called "Arduino" or, better "PJRC Teensy"

 

[TrashyMG]

An I/O shield could be useful and would make the Pyra the first UMPC to have one.

Well the Pandora has GPIOs available on the EXT connector so it wouldn't be the first. a USB solution is likely the only good solution on the Pyra.

 

[AVahne]

There are already some on the market, plugged using USB ; they are called "Arduino" or, better "PJRC Teensy"

Those aren't UMPCs though.

 

[gpsqueeek]

Those aren't UMPCs though.

Nope, they are supposed to be your "shield" for the Pyra ;-)

 

[AVahne]

Nope, they are supposed to be your "shield" for the Pyra ;-)

Ehh I meant a different shield lol...or is that the joke ?