Small New Rendering Of The Pandora


EvilDragon

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Hi guys,

nothing fancy, but I just changed the 3d model according to our current planning with all the slots, etc.
The lighting isn't setup correctly, so it looks a bit dark, but I polished the material a bit.

It's too late now (5:47am here in Germany) to continue working, but I will do that during the next days.
But enjoy the small rendering.

pand050208.jpg
 
I adjusted the levels so I could see it better.
Here's the result (hope you don't mind):
  • It looks like you've gone for a dial volume control, which is great.
    (I don't much like slider controls; they're less precise, they tend to jam too easily, and get 'crackly' over time.)
  • I know it's a quick render, but just for reference, you left the volume icon next to SD slot 1. :)
  • I'd personally make the d-pad and buttons the same colour -- either both grey, or both black. (I like black better)
I look forward to seeing what the back looks like now :D
 
I like the new look, still wondering if there will be a red version. Also there was brief talk about a second headphone jack. And I noticed that the microphone port and the A/V port are gone. Have they been moved?
 
This is the layout for the beta board. I didn't have access to a couple of the parts (such as AV port and volume slider) for this layout so the first design will look like this. ED designed these changes based on a dimensional diagram I gave him from that PCB. There will be one more board revision to clear up any errors that could be found plus a finalization on component choices.

The volume control (a wheel for now due to ease of purchase) is jammed into the corner to allow a JTAG port to be accessible from the bottom without affecting the battery compartment.

What I have proposed for the final design is a volume slider more centered between SD2 and the edge, and the power switch moved way up on the right side of the unit. The slider is less deep and should allow me to fit a stylus in behind it running along side the battery, extending about 100mm into the body of the system. Injection molds have not been made yet because they are very expensive and they don't take as long to make as some of the lead times of other parts in the design! We are continuing to use rapid prototyping methods until everything is nailed down.

Also, the internal microphone is located in the right hinge area, next to the power/charging LED. The hole is at the top and front edge so that you could use it even with the lid closed, should the need to dictate notes come up. :) It's not shown in this picture. That LED is to extend to the top as well so it can be seen with the lid closed, also not shown.

The Dpad is still unmodified but will change. The analog nub colors are still not changed and we all know they are silver with black pads in the middle. All of the silk screening for final character selection on the keys is not printed on the render either.

I investigated the possibility of four shoulder buttons but found it quite uncomfortable in the vertical configuration (as we are not extending controls out of the bottom of the case). A configuration in the horizontal direction was easier to handle but still not perfect and was obscured by way too many components on the PCB! There is a fair bit of supporting hardware to go along with the OMAP chipset. As you know, we have done what we can to make this a fairly self-sufficient device, free of cradles and such. There are lots of components crammed into the little space available around all the buttons. I can't place a bunch of parts under the main gaming controls because the plastic case has support structures to make sure this is a rigid and sturdy unit for even the toughest gamer out there. Having said all that, I took the liberty of running extra GPIO's to pads and placed them in the corners so that if some hacker wants to figure out a way to strap on more buttons, they have the pins at their disposal. :)

The current plan is not to provide the second audio jack. The AV port needs more room and there isn't enough space to stick it in the left lower corner. The only option is to move it up near the middle of the left side which puts it into the battery compartment and it doesn't make sense to shrink the battery down for this feature. The headphone part of the AV connector will be as close to the corner on the front edge as is practical without getting in the way of your palm, so a right angle connector will be the best solution here (for pocket use).

I don't think RED is currently a selectable color for product launch but perhaps we can have a selection of colors from most favorite to least favorite with the pre-orders to see if we get large enough grouping in select colors to make it worth doing a batch? We shall see.

I hope this was informative enough to answer any questions this picture created. ;)
 
@MWeston: Looks (and sounds) good. I'd settle for mapping the third and fourth PSX shoulder buttons to the keyboard, as most PSX games use them only infrequently and not for action-critical functions.
If I've understood correctly, the A/V-out will still be merged with the headphone jack in the final design (I don't have any adverse opinion on it, I just wanted to make sure I've understood what you're saying).
I still like the idea of a volume wheel as I feel they generally provide more precision and are more durable than sliders, but if a quality component is sourced I can see how a slider will make other design choices easier to implement (a stylus slot is essential).
Everything seems to be shaping up quite nicely, can't wait to see the final device and I'll be pre-ordering for sure!
 
MWeston said:
This is the layout for the beta board. I didn't have access to a couple of the parts (such as AV port and volume slider) for this layout so the first design will look like this. ED designed these changes based on a dimensional diagram I gave him from that PCB. There will be one more board revision to clear up any errors that could be found plus a finalization on component choices.

The volume control (a wheel for now due to ease of purchase) is jammed into the corner to allow a JTAG port to be accessible from the bottom without affecting the battery compartment.

What I have proposed for the final design is a volume slider more centered between SD2 and the edge, and the power switch moved way up on the right side of the unit. The slider is less deep and should allow me to fit a stylus in behind it running along side the battery, extending about 100mm into the body of the system. Injection molds have not been made yet because they are very expensive and they don't take as long to make as some of the lead times of other parts in the design! We are continuing to use rapid prototyping methods until everything is nailed down.

Also, the internal microphone is located in the right hinge area, next to the power/charging LED. The hole is at the top and front edge so that you could use it even with the lid closed, should the need to dictate notes come up. :) It's not shown in this picture. That LED is to extend to the top as well so it can be seen with the lid closed, also not shown.

The Dpad is still unmodified but will change. The analog nub colors are still not changed and we all know they are silver with black pads in the middle. All of the silk screening for final character selection on the keys is not printed on the render either.

I investigated the possibility of four shoulder buttons but found it quite uncomfortable in the vertical configuration (as we are not extending controls out of the bottom of the case). A configuration in the horizontal direction was easier to handle but still not perfect and was obscured by way too many components on the PCB! There is a fair bit of supporting hardware to go along with the OMAP chipset. As you know, we have done what we can to make this a fairly self-sufficient device, free of cradles and such. There are lots of components crammed into the little space available around all the buttons. I can't place a bunch of parts under the main gaming controls because the plastic case has support structures to make sure this is a rigid and sturdy unit for even the toughest gamer out there. Having said all that, I took the liberty of running extra GPIO's to pads and placed them in the corners so that if some hacker wants to figure out a way to strap on more buttons, they have the pins at their disposal. :)

The current plan is not to provide the second audio jack. The AV port needs more room and there isn't enough space to stick it in the left lower corner. The only option is to move it up near the middle of the left side which puts it into the battery compartment and it doesn't make sense to shrink the battery down for this feature. The headphone part of the AV connector will be as close to the corner on the front edge as is practical without getting in the way of your palm, so a right angle connector will be the best solution here (for pocket use).

I don't think RED is currently a selectable color for product launch but perhaps we can have a selection of colors from most favorite to least favorite with the pre-orders to see if we get large enough grouping in select colors to make it worth doing a batch? We shall see.

I hope this was informative enough to answer any questions this picture created. ;)
Sounds like things are coming together quite nicely. I understand that red is probably not as desired as white and black and so I will either wait for the second press of these units, (as I am sure they will sell quickly) or I will preorder one and modify it or paint it myself. Paint might not be so good as it is a handheld unit. But regardless, I'm sure I would be very happy with a black or white one as well, red just seemed like an "ultra mega cool" color choice..and im probably just an ""ultra mega" geek :unsure:


An external microphone jack, is only one other thing that I think would be important at least to me and anyone else who is interested in doing Chip Tune creation that is possible on the DS, but originally made popular on the Game Boy, and various other 80's machines which were circuit bent to achieve the same effect and sounds. This would be helpful for field recordings and various music production. There is a major underground following brewing for Hand Held musicians. One of the many examples of this is Blip Fest .

I have been waiting for a portable device with a microphone jack for a while, it would be "insanely great" to have one, and I think a much more desired feature then a second headphone jack, which could just as easily be created with an adapter. As far as I can tell creating an external microphone jack would require some serious hacking to be able to put it off as an after market addition. If this is possible, it would be THE PREMIERE DEVICE, for anyone doing any chip tune creation I'm sure. I'm currently building a page around GP2X / Pandora Chip tune / Music production among other things. There is a link to the GP2X Pandora articles in the Signature below.

As far as the rest is concerned I am very excited about the devices release, and I'm collecting funds to spring for the pre-order, hopefully ill be able to afford one by then.
 
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MWeston said:
Also, the internal microphone is located in the right hinge area, next to the power/charging LED. The hole is at the top and front edge so that you could use it even with the lid closed, should the need to dictate notes come up. :) It's not shown in this picture. That LED is to extend to the top as well so it can be seen with the lid closed, also not shown.
I hadn't thought that, but I think it'll be perfect!!!

MWeston said:
I investigated the possibility of four shoulder buttons but found it quite uncomfortable in the vertical configuration (as we are not extending controls out of the bottom of the case). A configuration in the horizontal direction was easier to handle but still not perfect and was obscured by way too many components on the PCB! There is a fair bit of supporting hardware to go along with the OMAP chipset. As you know, we have done what we can to make this a fairly self-sufficient device, free of cradles and such. There are lots of components crammed into the little space available around all the buttons. I can't place a bunch of parts under the main gaming controls because the plastic case has support structures to make sure this is a rigid and sturdy unit for even the toughest gamer out there. Having said all that, I took the liberty of running extra GPIO's to pads and placed them in the corners so that if some hacker wants to figure out a way to strap on more buttons, they have the pins at their disposal. :)
Having 4 shoulder buttons was a "must be" for me in order to play some PSX games in a confortable way, but I am happy because I know you have tried it and it didn't work (instead of "saying NO without triying it"). Well, I think I can live with that.
 
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@c0nsum3r said:
An external microphone jack, is only one other thing that I think would be important at least to me and
Microphone input is already present on the A/V socket :)
 
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Excellent news!!! Rapid prototyping - Good! Volume slider - Not so good, but I understand the reasons.

MWeston said:
Having said all that, I took the liberty of running extra GPIO's to pads and placed them in the corners so that if some hacker wants to figure out a way to strap on more buttons, they have the pins at their disposal. :)
:D :D :D This, my friends, is why this'll be the greatest handheld ever :) No, not the extra pads, but the fact that the designer do stuff like that. Be-rilliant!

I think I wouldn't mind a red one, either. And +1 for the external mic jack!
 
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Fantastic news - I do love posts by MWeston when they're talking about how things will be with Pandora...

Don't you have an external microphone socket via the AV interface?

EDIT: Squidge beat me to it.
 
Squidge said:
@c0nsum3r said:
An external microphone jack, is only one other thing that I think would be important at least to me and
Microphone input is already present on the A/V socket :)


Ah, of course. All good, then!
 
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Thanks for the info, MWeston.
This kind of posts are the reason why the Pandora project is so unique and fascinating.
 
You can kinda see the layout of the back in my little Youtube videos.

The USB host port is still right in the middle. There is a DC jack 30mm from center of host port to center of DC jack on the right side (looking at ports from the back side). The USB OTG port is 30mm from center to center on the left side (from back view). Everything is positioned low enough that the display can fold back the full 180 degrees without hitting cables.
 
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