Prepare for the next level


EvilDragon

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The display is now working, so what's happening now?

Quite a few things at once!

Let's start with...

1. The PCB
 

Nikolaus will work on the next incarnation of the main PCB now.

Together with the case designers, he will juggle around the parts a bit and make sure they technically fit on the PCB whereas the case designers will make sure the case won't have any issues when the parts are where we place them.

The next main PCB will be as close to the final release as possible.

It will have the audio, battery and charger circuit included as well as all parts like a Wifi module, 3G module, all connectors, SIM and SD Card slot (and a lot more), and the connectors for a CPU PCB included as well.

Also, a CPU PCB dummy will be created, so we can do measurements (size) and other testings as well.

Most likely, the dummy PCB will be connected to the devboard, so that the main PCB can be tested properly.

2. The case

Besides checking that the case will fit around the PCB, the case designers will first concentrate on designing the keymat.

Why? Well, simple:

A good keymat needs to be tested very thoroughly.

Besides the keyboard, it's also the important part of how the DPad feels - and we want that to be perfect as well!

Once the keymat has been designed, the case designers will continue with the case while various prototypes with different material strength and thicknesses will be produced, so we can test them and decide which is the best one.

We will also be able to test the placement of the backlight LEDs with it.

One high-priority topic for the case designer will be the hinge.

They will first check if we can use the existing hinge part and improve it with a different case design (so that it works more like a laptop and stays open whereever you want it to).

But we'll also contact a company which is specialized on hinges for laptops and small mobiles - maybe they can provide us with a better one.

Thanks to MWeston (yep, you read right :) ) for the link to that company.

3. Testing, testing, testing

I will mostly concentrate on testing our new display, will try if rotation of the full framebuffer works fine via hardware using the OMAP5 DSS commands.

I'll also try to test various resolutions (if possible), dpi settings, refresh time, etc.

Of course, I'll make some videos for you here :)

4. The OS

We'll also start working on setting up the basic OS as soon as possible.

DJWillis has already looked a bit into setting up a Debian build server.

Before customizing anything, we'll start with the basic stuff:

1. Set up a build server for Debian

2. Make sure it grabs and compiles packages from Debian automatically

3. Adapt the compiler settings (so the packages are optimized for the Pyra)

When that is working, we can start creating and adding our own packages - and this is where everyone (well, mostly developers ;) ) can help us.

There's a lot of work to do - improve the PND system, create configuration dialogues for the Pyra-specific hardware, etc.

Of course, we'll put everything into a git :)

As usual, I'll keep you informed about anything that's going on :)
 
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Besides the keyboard, it's also the important part of how the DPad feels - and we want that to be perfect as well!
Quick question, while I like the current "soft" D-pad of the Pandora, having a D-pad like the NeoGeo Gold X (the recent portable released by SNK) could be a good option as well. Are different D-pad systems being considered?
 
You mean this is a stick ? 

neogeox-640x341.png


You mean it's a stick internally while it's a D-pad in shape?
 
For once EvilDragon news is a big MEH when compared to notaz's astounding Starcraft work.  I was thinking what is so important about this notaz guy in the x86/ARM conversation but now I'm a believer.  Keep this guy happy.
 
Regarding the d-pad, I'd be perfectly happy with the same design as used in the Pandora. The d-pad buttons in the Pandora are pretty much perfect for me (apart from having slightly too few buttons). Using my standard street fighter shouryuuken test (right, down, diagonal right down, punch) the Pandora d-pad comes a close second to the original phat DS d-pad (and that had other downsides the Pandora doesn't have).


I'll be very interested to see how the development of the keymap progresses. The Pandora does a decent job at typing, but they keyboard feels a little wobbly, and some of the fn-combos are a little hard to remember - but there's more of that in the keyboard thread so you don't need me to repeat it here.


Looking forward to vids immensely, or any more pics in the interim!
 
yea if you messed with the dpad you'd be messing with the best dpad around. With all the fail dpads out there, and most make or break a device buying decision. You'd be playing with fire to say the least.

thanks for the update
 
Please don't forget to run Reicast and PPSSPP :)
We haven't even included the 3D driver, so how should I test them?

You mean this is a stick ?


neogeox-640x341.png



You mean it's a stick internally while it's a D-pad in shape?
Yes, it's a stick.


I sell these, even made a video on my product page.


You move it around left/right/up/down, you don't press it like a DPad.
 
This is an excellent update. It looks like a lot is being done a very steady rate. I am still very interested on how the unit will look like on the outside. I saw some concept pictures in another topic and it looked very good. The red design is quite beautiful and reminds me of my old gameboy color (the color I mean not the model).
 
Seems like, were in track now for "Not as long as the Pandora1 .."

2 Months is too optimistic, but its looks realy good..

Looking forward for more pix and videos..
 
I'm looking forward to the new case design. 

Nice update, I bet the next update will be on keymat version 1. I hope it's going to be a much needed improvement over pandora's spongy clunky rubbery thingy with down syndrome buttons.
 
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Oh wow, I look the other way for a couple of weeks and suddenly this is speeding up.

Any idea on the sales price yet? Ballpark figure is fine. Need to create that secret stash of cash asap so I'm ready when you are :)
 
I saw some concept pictures in another topic and it looked very good. The red design is quite beautiful and reminds me of my old gameboy color (the color I mean not the model).
Where can I find them? Is this an official concept design or are these pictures just fan made?
 
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I saw some concept pictures in another topic and it looked very good. The red design is quite beautiful and reminds me of my old gameboy color (the color I mean not the model).
Where can I find them? Is this an official concept design or are these pictures just fan made?
I can't find them, but I believe what Majin Wamu saw were just fan made renderings.
 
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