Well, here I am. I just arrived at the hotel in Greece after having some great lunch with FormActions CEO and some other workers... and some coffee by the sea side :)
But now it's time to post what you're waiting for... the latest status update.
The status of the PCBs ----------------------
Well, I've visited Nikolaus yesterday to pick up a PCB set for the prototype case production run here in Greece. He showed me what you can also see on this video here (you probably have seen it already):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk6ZB-MBezY
So, what is it that you can see on this video? This is a prototype setup that has fully been booted into X. It boots off the CPU PCB (right now, that's Nikolaus testing PCB, but there's no difference than with the normal ones, only that he can debug a bit more here), the display works (incl. touchscreen), the rotator works, the LEDs work, all the hardware on the PCB physically works (means: we haven't made extensive tests i.e. with Wifi connections or usage, but the module is there and answers when we talk to it).
The LCD doesn't show anything really useful, as it's Nikolaus' testing card, but it booted into X (LXDE).
The only connection going into the set is the Micro USB Power cable. Nothing else.
So that's the very first really working booted up prototype (except for the missing case) :) Oh, and it also works with a battery, but it's hard to make a video with that, without having a case that keeps the battery in place.
So YES, we're getting there :) The low-level software is still not yet finished (only almost), some things still need to be implemented (some power stuff), so I couldn't take a full working set with me to Greece, but hopefully, when I come back, we can start building them soon :)
The status of the Case ----------------------
I am here in Greece, currently in my hotel, and I'll be at FormAction (the case manufacturer) the next two days.
The moulds are all finished, they already produced a sample case (and I can't wait to see it!). We're doing multiple things these two days:
* Check that everything fits physically. Especially test the shoulder buttons, keymat and DPad. * Check different material samples and coatings. We're looking for a matte, scratch-resistant plastic which does not show every fingerprint in the world. * Check what colors are available and which one we can use. * Check lighting for the logo. * Check the seating and enclosure of the speakers * Check whether maybe it makes sense to use some rubber coating or similar on the nub surface
So, yes, we'll be busy for the next few days. I will take one sample home with me, and different colors and materials will be shipped to me later.
As usual, I'll keep you informed and will make some pictures :)
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