Prototype case and Mainboard Assembly (small video)


for phone mode can the pyra's top half be swivelled and folded onto the keyboard so that the screen(presumably w/ dialer app) is the only half that makes contact with the user's face/ear? Or is this a NGAGE like(unorthodox) earpiece placement scenario?
 
Well the NGAGE had Taco talking, Pyra will have Clam Talking.

No swiveling of the LCD screen. The Pyra wasn't initially designed for phone support, the main use will be for data, however it can be used as a phone albeit a clumsy one.
 
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I'd imagine that using the pyra as a phone handset will be so awkward as to be impractical - most people will want to use a seperate headset (wired or wireless) - or only use it for mobile internet access.
 
Really great video, ED.  Thanks.  I wish I could see (and touch) the next printed prototype case in person.  I appreciate that you are having it made so that the piece in front of the display can be removed without disassembling the rest.  I doubt I will need to access the stuff in there much, but it looks like disassembly and reassembly will be much easier.  I just hope I don't break off the piece for the screw, or part of the logo, or crack my screen when I am poking around in there. :p
 
The beginning of the video made me not feel so wrong about saying "Pyra" the way I do.
 

Has anyone worked out what to do with the space on the front edge, to the right of the SD slots yet?
 
Obviously you can't have much because of the antenna just behind it - but something to break up the cheap-looking split line around the case would be good. Maybe a bit ot textured plastic? or a sticker?
Would be pretty swank to have a nameplate there.
I was thinking this or a case badge.  Maybe "DragonBox" or the full name like it is at the top of this page, but possibly in a different font if people still think it needs a different one (sorry everyone, including myself, that doesn't want branding on everything).  We might be able to get something custom made, or a small order, however it might interfere with disassembly, as others mentioned.  I think a sticker might look cheesy, but it would depend on the sticker and the quality of the materials used.  You know those stickers that leave residue saying "VOID" or whatever over and over...I think I will get one of those and put it there then rip it off.
 
As for the concern over the shoulder button pin area, although I prefer not to make suggestions that add cost or complexity, maybe a screw can be added to reduce the chances of it just snapping off, but that seems like it might weaken the pin since it will no longer be a solid chunk of plastic.  I don't know how much of an issue it will be (or if there is still a chance for a semi-official metal case down the road).  As mentioned earlier, making a place for a metal pin is another idea, but again, this adds pointless complexity and seems like it would be weaker, not to mention 2 more parts to lose with these options.  I am fine with whatever saves the buttons/pins/case from damage caused by dropping, smashing or overly excited gameplay.
 
The battery cover bugs me a bit.  I don't like it on the Pandora and I still don't like it on the Pyra.  Mine has not broken yet, so I suppose I have no reason to complain.  I will let those who have had theirs break complain and just agree with them. I understand the case in the video is very brittle, but that it broke shows that it is likely to happen, as is common with that method of attachment (but don't get me wrong, I love that we have easy access to the battery, unlike a lot of mobile/portable devices being sold now).
 
I am quite interested to see how the plastic for the final case is, since this may remove all concerns over the shoulder buttons and battery cover.
 
It would be cool if the 4 big gaming buttons (ABXY or whatever) could be replaced with Game Boy/NES buttons.
 
I forgot to quote whoever it was that mentioned the slickness of the Pandora, and possibly the Pyra.  There is this adhesive texture stuff I have seen for use in showers, and probably other places where people slip (can't stop thinking of Slippin' Jimmy now).  That might help.
 
The battery cover bugs me a bit.  I don't like it on the Pandora and I still don't like it on the Pyra.  Mine has not broken yet, so I suppose I have no reason to complain.  I will let those who have had theirs break complain and just agree with them. I understand the case in the video is very brittle, but that it broke shows that it is likely to happen, as is common with that method of attachment (but don't get me wrong, I love that we have easy access to the battery, unlike a lot of mobile/portable devices being sold now).
I had hopes Ed would give us the option to secure it with a screw, but as it looks like this won't be the case :(
 
It happened to me that after a fall, the frame around the display was open, nothing broke, I just had to push it back in its firm position, but I suppose that happened because I loosen the screws around the display, to prevent the broken corners problem...

Anyway the battery cover never had problems for me, the locks were a little too hard to close only at the beginning, but even after years them are still solid and keep it well closed.

So in my experience I prefer to have screws around the display than the battery cover.
 
Well the NGAGE had Taco talking, Pyra will have Clam Talking.


No swiveling of the LCD screen. The Pyra wasn't initially designed for phone support, the main use will be for data, however it can be used as a phone albeit a clumsy one.

I suspect for phone use, an ear piece w/ microphone (like what comes with most smart phones) will probably work the best.
 
Well the NGAGE had Taco talking, Pyra will have Clam Talking.


No swiveling of the LCD screen. The Pyra wasn't initially designed for phone support, the main use will be for data, however it can be used as a phone albeit a clumsy one.
I suspect for phone use, an ear piece w/ microphone (like what comes with most smart phones) will probably work the best.
I suspect that this is why the 'connected tablets' and 'always on networking' for notebooks, despite having the hardware to handle calls, were never advertised as such.

People seem to like to pile on to stupid stuff.  The Pyra will be no more or less a bad phone than any 10" tablet or a notebook computer with a 3g/4g data connection is.  Due to it's form factor, though, people keep coming back to, "It's a really clumsy phone!"

The "phone" portion/module/capability is an extra add-on to this pocketable portable computer with awesome game controls.  Will it be theoretically possible to make a voice call on the hardware?  Sure.  Is that the primary purpose of the hardware?  Not in the slightest.
 
I actually think that even the primary function of the smartphones is not the "phone"...

when an application not related to phone calls can lock/reboot/crash/discharge the entire device, then that is not a thing you can rely when you want to be contactable...
 
@Fusion_Power If it turns out to be an issue, ED could sell replacement metal pivots that you could screw into place.  But I still suspect that if you've applied enough pressure to break it via the external levers, you've probably damaged the PCB and other parts of the case.
This is the current design is not that bad (actualy a quite clever solution), but it's part of the case which is the thing that concerns me. Same design maybe, even plastic but a seperate (replacable) piece could left more options left if something breaks there.

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The battery cover bugs me a bit.  I don't like it on the Pandora and I still don't like it on the Pyra.  Mine has not broken yet, so I suppose I have no reason to complain.  I will let those who have had theirs break complain and just agree with them. I understand the case in the video is very brittle, but that it broke shows that it is likely to happen, as is common with that method of attachment (but don't get me wrong, I love that we have easy access to the battery, unlike a lot of mobile/portable devices being sold now).
Me too. I'm sure there are better solutions for that part. My Pandora's battery cover never went well in and even if it not broke yet, it feels like it could every second. Not a good feeling especialy if you remember how expensive the Pyra will be.


The Pandora battery cover also has a nasty "frame" at the inside that does not surround the battery well (it should fit in in theory). Another part that should be improved for the Pyra.
 
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My biggest problem with pandora is actually the opening mechanism. Would it be possible to add some "steps" as nintendo 3ds have? This way it's almost impossible to use it in car/train/bus whatever is not still. And also would it be possible to switch off back LED's? 
 
Would it be possible to add some "steps" as nintendo 3ds have?
This has been brought up many times. Don't worry, you aren't alone in your concerns. The problem is that no multi-angle hinge parts exist "off the shelf"; EvilDragon can't call up a company and say "I want 10'000 of these parts". Nintendo's DS hinge was custom made by them so even though ED is working with the same company that made them he can't just buy them. In theory he could buy thousands of them from retailers as "replacements" for a "3DS" but the legality of that might be questionable, and would certainly be a logistics nightmare. He could also "custom make" his own multi-lock hinge but that comes with a fairly large investment.The solution he's got is a friction lock, the case is slightly egg-shaped at the hinge so it should squeeze a little when opening it. Whether that'll work or not will yet be seen.

Also for consideration, I'm not sure if it'll be true for the Pyra, but the Pandora's hinge had the same dimensions as either the original DS or the DSLite hinge (I keep forgetting which is which) so it's entirely possible for a user to replace it with an after market one. I'm hoping the Pyra's hinge will be the same idea, able to replace with possibly the 3DS hinge.
 
I also had some suggestions posted a while back:

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/17742-case-sneak-peek/page-9#entry374339

A simple "friction-based" barrel hinge piece with 2 sided lock piece where one side has many ratchet-like lock positions and the other one only 3. When the cylinder is disassembled and rotated the lock behavior changes. Well, this may not be as "snappy" as the current Pandora hinge due it's more simple mechanics but at least this would allow many lock positions for every taste.

 
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