Quotes Thread For The Blog

[Dunny]

http://twitter.com/Craigix/status/14370120063

[quote name ='Craigix']Just waiting to flash the 1.0 FW on the first units.

[/quote]

Ok, that's it. I am now getting a little bit excited. I'm sure it will pass when we're crushingly delayed again, but it sure feels nice.

D.

 

[mindlord]

D'oh forgot where I was. Move along

 

[Qwertyuiop]

Craigix Tweets:

# at least 50 will ship tomorrow mid day.

# Don't stop me now. http://twitpic.com/1pguvo

 

[Lafazar]

Since i can´t get to gp32x i have to test the pandori on here!
by craigix May 20, 2010 at 7:53 pm

http://pandorapress.net/2010/05/20/first-production-line-pic/comment-page-1/#comment-14517

 

[Aninhumer]

Replying to: "Today's the day"

It isn't, we missed the posting deadline, they won't deliver until after the weekend.

However I know at least one person is collecting in person today.

In other news, I'm unbanned!

EDIT: And on twitter:

We missed RM SDel shipping deadline yesterday, won't arrive until after the weekend, sorry everyone. 50+ more will be done today...

 

[kjohn211]

^ That was just a figure what seemed very comfortable to achieve for a small team to churn out. But more people will be there next week AFAIK and production will ramp up further.

UPDATE: I have been back over for another 3 hours but had to leave as I had some football to watch (Blackpool FTW!!) plus Craig had to pick Fatih up from the train station. Will be over later to pick up my production Pandora.

I'm pretty sure once the first units arrived, there will be tons of questions.

Also, we already found two bugs in the latest OS, so there will be an update within the next days (no big deal It works automagically))

You couldn't explain how the updates work could you please? Do you have to flash a whole new OS image. Or can you update with a package manager? Or is it that you get updates by PND and they're automatically loaded and then you can remove them from the SD card? Thanks.

Depends on the update But you don't have to reflash the OS, no worries.

Can we know what bugs were found?

Sure: One in the kernel, which freezes MiniMenu if you don't touch the Pandora for two hours. Already fixed, currently testing the new kernel.
The second one: Python has gone missing. Will release a simple PND. Put that on the card, run it, done. All updates installed.
After that, you can remove it.

New blog post by ED

It finally happened!


... I'm slightly maaad!

Well, yes, that's basically also true... but this time, another thing came true: The Pandora!
Yep, we started assembling and already shipped out some of our babies yesterday! What a relief!

Craig, Michael and Fatih are already working together with other folks to build Pandoras, I'll join them on Monday. I'll also setup the webcam when I'm there.
Hopefully, it will work, as Craig told me internet connection in that hall is not too reliable, but we'll see.

While this certainly is a big step for us, there's still a lot of work to be done. We have to try to finish the first batch as soon as possible and also have to manage parts and production for the second batch.
Please bear with us if this could take a while, we're still humans (no cyborgs) and are working as fast as we can.

Thanks to EVERYONE helping us - our devs, our wifes / girlfriends, and - of course - you. The community. Let the fun begin!

 

[kjohn211]

There are a few sundry snes9x ports around over the last 2 years, but I don't think anyone has a current one bar me.

I said it was a crappy port, but it works pretty darned well so I just did a bit more pollish and turned it into a pnd-file; I made a quick video (sorry about the quality, but what can you do in a hurry with a cranky baby around

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=QOxv7k0ydGo

Check the notes! ie: This is on my prototype pandora with a screwed up LCD cable (among other oddities), so expect everything to be blue; I fiddled around and got it as least-blue as I could (I'm living it with it being usualyl very blue, or very red, but its actualyl not doing too bad right now

The download is now up:

http://dl.openhandhe...i?0,0,0,0,71,63

So that means the 45 people filling my inbox can stop doing that now

--

Uploaded my latest Hatari build (may need to do some tweaks due to some recent firmware changes, but works well enough until I get a free moment); BattleJewels is up. Stella is up. I didn't make a pnd-file for Colem yet, but maybe ED did, so that'll show up soon. I put up Kronos too, though its still in a very early state, it does let you play Magnetic Scrolls games already. Hmm, what else.. dunno, but I've gbot a bunch of my pnd's up for download now, and a few more coming as I get free moments here or there

So you see, SNES is okay, and thats totally unoptimized (no asm blitter etc), and not running overclocked at all. Nothing to worry about folks

jeff

 

[Qwertyuiop]

^ Next time use the edit button

Craig Twitter:

Some of today's work, going for 100 tomorrow. http://twitpic.com/1q43gg

X68000 just took his Pandora home Thanks for the help!

Just a quick post to show you what i've just managed to prize away from Craig and the guys just 30 minutes ago!

This is the first Pandora to leave the assembly line!

I won't be online much tonight, but i'll answer any questions tomorrow. By that time i may have actually had a chance to try it out B)

 

[Tom`]

If you don't use the edit button, it WON'T bump the thread. And we want that.

On the other hand, if you're posting twice 4 minutes apart, it makes no sense to bump the thread.

On the gripping hand, the boards impose a limit on the number of quotes per post, so it may make sense to split things up if there are a lot.

 

[Prometheus]

New picture;

http://twitpic.com/1q5wfu

 

[Tom`]

From Twitter:

They're duplicating!
http://twitpic.com/1q5wfu

 

[Qwertyuiop]

Craigix Twitter:

They're duplicating! http://twitpic.com/1q5wfu

edit: double ninja'd h34r:


Snes Speeds:

Just tried the SNES Emulator.
Mario Kart: Fullspeed.
Mario RPG: Fullspeed.
Yoshis Island: Fullspeed with a few frames skipping.

So, for an emulator without any optimization, this runs very well.

 

[Vitel]

Another pic from Craigix: http://twitpic.com/1qezfa

 

[Alpha2]

Craigix Didn't quite manage the full 100 today - but we have lots of notes of how to speed it up!

 

[Qwertyuiop]

Parts for Sale

I will be adding keymats, buttons, LCD cables etc. to the website today so you can buy them if you want to hack your Pandora.

ED's Flight Delayed:

# Sitting at Munich airport, waiting for the flight to UK. Feels like some Family reunion Watching Key - The Metal Idol on the Pandora
# Great, now I'm in Düorf as the plane had to head back due to failure of the electronic... 2 hours delay. Hope Craig reads this.
# Okay, back in plane, second try now. Wish me luck

 

[kjohn211]

Here now!

Fatih just uploaded 2 new pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mfk.pandora/FromProduction#5474923428366803650

http://picasaweb.google.com/mfk.pandora/FromProduction#5474923554619829058

-God Ginrai

 

[Qwertyuiop]

Carry Case:

We were not going to ship the carry cases as they appeared to be too small, but after talking to the factory it seems we have to turn them inside out and back again and then weirdly the Pandora does fit.

The cases are designed to stretch 20% and usually this would be done at the 'middle man' factory.

Anyway, just letting you know the case is designed to stretch 20% if it seems a bit tight at first.

 

[Alpha2]

Craigix Very likely that a lot of people are about to open Pandoras box. I hope none were killed in transport, forums should be interesting today!

 

[Lafazar]

Mannmann, ich kann Euch ja teilweise verstehen, aber Ihr seid im Moment echt schlimm!
Ich hab mich die letzten Tage hier kaum aufgehalten, weil jeder zweite Post was mit den Gehäusen zu tun hat... das ist noch nicht mal im englischen Forum der Fall gewesen, und die sind meist schlimmer.

Ich habe weder Michael noch Craig noch Fatih in den letzten Tagen richtig online gesehen - warum auch, denn die sind mit Zusammenbauen beschäftigt.
Daher weiß ich selber noch nichts - vielleicht werden die Gehäuse bereits produziert, vielleicht nicht.

Dadurch, dass jeder zweite Post hier von Gehäusen handelt wird das aber weder beschleunigt noch gibts schneller Antwort noch hat das sonst irgendwelche Auswirkungen - es macht das Forum lediglich ein wenig unlesbarer.

Sobald ich genaue Infos habe, wird es die auch geben.

Von den Löchern in den L/R-Buttons weiß ich nur soviel: Die sind durch die Farbe ein wenig enger geworden.

Gibt zwei schnelle Lösungen: Bohren (so wie jetzt, das dauert keine 3 Sekunden pro Button) oder die Farbe bei diesen Buttons weglassen.
Ob da gleich die Form geändert werden muss, wage ich dann doch zu bezweifeln.

Wartet doch bitte einfach mal ab, bevor hier gemutmaßt und rumgejammert wird.

Ich habe auch seit vier Tagen von der Lufthansa nichts mehr gehört - oh mein Gott, bestimmt gibt es meinen Flug morgen auf einmal nicht mehr...

Oh weia...

http://forum.gp2x.de/viewtopic.php?p=124157#p124157

Ohboy, I can understand you for some part, but you are quite bad at the moment! I was barely here the last few days because every second post was about the cases... this was not even the case on the english boards and they tend to be worse.

I have seen neither Michael nor Craig online the last few days - small wonder, they are busy assembling.
That's why I myself don't know anything - perhaps the cases are already being produced, perhaps not.

The fact that every second post here is about cases will neither accelerate this nor will there be a quicker answer nor will there be any other consequence - only the forum will become a bit more unreadable.

As soon as I get exact information you will get it, too.

About the holes in the L/R buttons I only know this much: They have become a little more narrow because of the paint.

There are two fast solutions: drilling (as we do now, takes no more than 3 seconds per button) or leaving away the paint on these buttons.
I seriously doubt that the mould has to be changed.

Please wait a little while before speculating and complaining.

I have heard nothing from Lufthansa for four days - o heavens, certainly my flight will suddenly not exist anymore tomorrow...

Oh dear...

 

[mali]

When no battery is found on AC adapter insertion, the unit goes into constant voltage mode which provides a constant 4.0V on the battery net. It doesn't like it if you put a battery in at this point because the TI chip doesn't appear to be designed to jump back to normal mode without a power cycle. It could do weird things like dump ridiculous amounts of current into the battery without software control. I liked the idea of letting customers power without a battery so we left this feature in but be aware of this restriction:

IF YOU POWERED THE SYSTEM WITHOUT A BATTERY, SHUT IT OFF BEFORE STICKING THE BATTERY BACK IN. (not an angry sentence, just making it clear.)

When the battery is inserted first, the system will power up using the normal mode. When the AC adapter is plugged in after this, it will power the system and charge the battery up to the limits set in software. Currently, Notaz and I have chosen 1A on the AC adapter and 600mA from the USB input. It can be changed by sending commands to the chip to alter these set numbers but that is a software lesson better learned from someone else. With the LCD off (lid closed perhaps) idling on the desktop, something like 750mA will go to the battery for a 6 hour charge time or so. With the system doing stuff and demanding more power, less current will go to the battery and it will charge slower. 1A was also chosen to consider thermal dissipation because the regulator of the TI chip is linear and wastes energy dropping the voltage from the 5V down to just above the cell voltage. You may notice the system feels warmer when the battery is more discharged than when it is full which is normal.

I haven't had much luck hot swapping batteries while the system is live but I think it worked for ED once. For me, as soon as I pull the battery, the system resets. The power management chip seems to rely on the status of the thermistor in the battery and it if disappears, it can trigger events. Maybe there are software work arounds but I don't know.

The battery doesn't catch fire, it just gets charged with a 0.5C load which didn't change the temperature of the battery but since it is not controlled, it could be an issue potentially.

I think some people are still missing the fact that running without a battery is an UNOFFICIAL feature. The owner's manual clearly states that you run the unit with a battery installed. I've made that clear in the past. It's just a bonus feature even TI doesn't support well and they call it a test mode too.