Updates in all areas

[Neelix]

Skinless humans need love too. :unsure:

Love, yes, but I doubt they'd be too appreciative of a hug in that condition.

- Neelix

 

[TeDaDeS]

Maybe black with a red flame decal. Pyra would suggest some red as color.


I also like the navy blue from my DS but that doesn't look Pyra-ish I guess.

 

[_wb_]

A clear case kind of ruins the "magic" of PandoraPyra's box to me. With an opaque case, you can wonder "how the hell did they squeeze all of that functionality in such a small device" -- with a clear case, you can immediately see that there's no magic involved, it's just plain old electronics like any other device.

It is interesting to see the guts of a device, just like it is interesting to see a human skeleton or an unfinished house without plaster on the walls etc. It's educational. But it's not how I want things to look permanently.

To me, a case should mostly be functional. That means it has to be strong, and preferably protect against drops, be scratch-resistant, not attract dirt and fingerprints. It should also not distract: I want to look at the screen (and maybe a bit at the buttons and leds), not at the case. So it should not be in a flashy bright color -- I don't want my eyes to receive more light from the bezel around the screen than from the screen itself.

So that means matte black is the best color, and any other dark matte color is also OK. It should also be colored all the way throughout the material, because it looks ugly when paint peels off, wears off, or gets scratched away.

 

[Tenka]

I liked clear DS cases because most of the DSs I encountered were taken apart or were being modified all the time, and the dirty DealExtreme clear cases made them feel more Shadowrun disposable cell phone crappy.  (this is my kind of a compliment, in case Majin Wamu can't tell)  This doesn't feel like a good fit for the Pyra to me though, because I will only have one of it, and I agree with _wb_'s sentiment concerning the solid mystery filling being a large pleasantry of new devices like this, at least for a while.  I'm always disappointed when I find that most of the inside is empty space.

 

[EvilDragon]

Then why not move the contact pad for the 3G/4G module and the antenna to the other side where the volume wheel is while shifting over the SDXC slots? Consequently, move the jog wheel to south of the battery contact where it will be on the right side to be used with the user's dominant right thumb. Also move the sim card slot to the other side as well to prevent the EMC issues mentioned instead of clustering them around the battery contact point.

It's not as easy as that - finding out where each component goes is quite a hard task.

The antenna needs to be as close as possible to the UMTS / LTE module.

The UMTS / LTE module needs to be as close as possible to the battery contact (as it gets power directly from that), otherwise you'd lose battery time.

With the pinout of the UMTS / LTE module, the current layout is setup that the antenna pin is as close as possible to the antenna, and the power pin to the battery connector.

If you mirror the whole part, you need to rotate the UMTS / LTE module by 180 degrees as well - but you can't do that with the antenna (otherwise it would send / receive to the inside instead of the outside of the case)

Then the trace from the module to the antenna would be a bit longer again, causing more EMC issues.

The battery contact would be another issue - the Pandora battery is not symmetrical.

So the battery contact would have to move a bit up a well. There it would take space away from the CPU PCB, as well as lying directly under the DPad which is also not a good idea...

And that's just the layout for UMTS / LTE... other parts have similar demands (audio circuit, Wifi, etc.)

It's not just shuffling the parts around where they fit, they also need to be optimized.

 

[fusion_power]

I don't need 3G/4G or UMTS at all, can I get an cheaper Pyra then with only (good) WiFi?  ^_^

 

[Askarus]

I don't need 3G/4G or UMTS at all, can I get an cheaper Pyra then with only (good) WiFi?  ^_^

Yes.

A non UMTS Version is planned.

 

[WizardStan]

and have a good refresh rate based on the datasheet - but we'll test that so we can choose the best one we can get.

Can you find a walk in freezer or similar for some testing? Just leave them in there for 15 minutes or so, see what kind of ghosting you get once the screens are really cold? The Pandora holds up fairly well in winter, ghosting is quite visible but acceptable, but I've used other screens in the winter where motion was just a smudge across the screen.

It's planned to have 3G based boards first and 4G ones later.

Is there some kind of upgrade path? If I get the non-3G to start and then want to get a 4G when you offer it, is there a plan for a paid upgrade?

 

[DaMummy]

every time i see a pandora case printed or a render without rounded corners for my palms, i cringe more and more, having constantly been told that it will get sorted out and be rounded with "tools" please dont torture me like this.

and +1 for option to have a clear case for pyra. and my ds lite is also using a translucent case which i installed myself. ED, please talk to case people about getting different color cases, even if the cost is higher

 

[DrHAX]

I like transparent cases, but I understand its not everybody's cup of tea. But I am willing to pay extra to have a transparent case.. just the oddity factor appeals to me. However if clear can't be done the steam punk in me demands brass!

Sent from my Z665C using Tapatalk

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

Since the case-design file will be released publically, users who would like transparent case can 3D print it themselves.  I would rather ED focus more on getting the PYRA production out early (Christmas 2014 ) than wasting time and money thinking about making transparent case

 

[TrashyMG]

Since the case-design file will be released publically, users who would like transparent case can 3D print it themselves.  I would rather ED focus more on getting the PYRA production out early (Christmas 2014 ) than wasting time and money thinking about making transparent case

There is no "cheap" 3D printer out there that could print a transparent case since 3D printing prints it out in layers.. all you would get is at best is a translucent case.


Some resin based ones could make something semi-transparent, but would still have distortions.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

How would a silver/aluminum lining look on a clamshell?

Like so.

 

[WizardStan]

T-glase actually comes pretty close to transparent. Not perfect, still with substantial distortion, as you say, but may be acceptable.

I should actually be receiving some today to play around with.

edit: some of those images are apparently transparent ABS, T-glase may not be as clear as I'd been lead to believe.

 

[Saber]

Then why not move the contact pad for the 3G/4G module and the antenna to the other side where the volume wheel is while shifting over the SDXC slots? Consequently, move the jog wheel to south of the battery contact where it will be on the right side to be used with the user's dominant right thumb. Also move the sim card slot to the other side as well to prevent the EMC issues mentioned instead of clustering them around the battery contact point.

It's not as easy as that - finding out where each component goes is quite a hard task.


The antenna needs to be as close as possible to the UMTS / LTE module.


The UMTS / LTE module needs to be as close as possible to the battery contact (as it gets power directly from that), otherwise you'd lose battery time.


With the pinout of the UMTS / LTE module, the current layout is setup that the antenna pin is as close as possible to the antenna, and the power pin to the battery connector.


If you mirror the whole part, you need to rotate the UMTS / LTE module by 180 degrees as well - but you can't do that with the antenna (otherwise it would send / receive to the inside instead of the outside of the case)


Then the trace from the module to the antenna would be a bit longer again, causing more EMC issues.


The battery contact would be another issue - the Pandora battery is not symmetrical.


So the battery contact would have to move a bit up a well. There it would take space away from the CPU PCB, as well as lying directly under the DPad which is also not a good idea...


And that's just the layout for UMTS / LTE... other parts have similar demands (audio circuit, Wifi, etc.)


It's not just shuffling the parts around where they fit, they also need to be optimized.

Indeed and thanks.

That empty space on the front facade. Maybe extend the recess the wheel and SDXC cards sit in to the blank end and add some "Dragonbox" branding, or a tiny, decorative air vent furrow. Splendid progress.

 

[deadofmind]

Doesn't matter to me what the case color is, I'm going to have one made out of PURE MOTHER EFFIN TUNGSTEN! j/k :3 though that would be cool. it would cost about 2000 bucks

 

[ekianjo]

There is no "cheap" 3D printer out there that could print a transparent case since 3D printing prints it out in layers.. all you would get is at best is a translucent case.

Yeah, I can confirm that. You need injection molding to get transparent plastic, you can never hope to replicate the same thing with "layer printing" that 3D printers do. You need perfect crystallinity of the plastic polymer in order to make it transparent and layer printing would never achieve that. 

 

[ekianjo]

and +1 for option to have a clear case for pyra. and my ds lite is also using a translucent case which i installed myself. ED, please talk to case people about getting different color cases, even if the cost is higher

As mentioned before, a very different color is not just "higher cost", it's a whole new mold that needs to be developed and qualified. A mold can cost several hundred thousand dollars (or even much more than that depending on the quality), so for production runs like what we expect from the Pyra (in the tens of thousands of units), it does not make much sense to develop several molds.  

Color variations with the same mold may be possible, but that needs to be tested and you definitely can't make black and white on the same mold, usually. 

 

[CaptainTightpants]

and have a good refresh rate based on the datasheet - but we'll test that so we can choose the best one we can get.

Can you find a walk in freezer or similar for some testing? Just leave them in there for 15 minutes or so, see what kind of ghosting you get once the screens are really cold? The Pandora holds up fairly well in winter, ghosting is quite visible but acceptable, but I've used other screens in the winter where motion was just a smudge across the screen.

It's planned to have 3G based boards first and 4G ones later.

Is there some kind of upgrade path? If I get the non-3G to start and then want to get a 4G when you offer it, is there a plan for a paid upgrade?

Also, will they be Europe-specific, or will you support USA frequencies as well?

 

[WizardStan]

Also, will they be Europe-specific, or will you support USA frequencies as well?

He hasn't officially answered this one either, but I know that the chip he's using comes in North American and European varieties, and the "world" version which covers both for only 5EUR more. Odds are good that he'll just charge the extra 5EUR to stick the world version in and not have to worry about who gets what where.