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Legacy Personal Blogs Hacking Like Heck: No etch, just sketch
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  • Author Author: airbornesurfer
  • Date Created: 28 Mar 2018 2:48 AM Date Created
  • Views 662 views
  • Likes 2 likes
  • Comments 4 comments
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Hacking Like Heck: No etch, just sketch

airbornesurfer
airbornesurfer
28 Mar 2018

With internal space at a premium inside the case, I really wanted to etch a custom PCB for this build. Unfortunately, it's really not my forte and I don't have enough time or material to practice. As such, I built the controller board the old-fashioned way: with Bakelite perf board and lots of wires!

 

This morning, I had a fun conversation with Ben, Karen, Felix, and Max discussing production and expectations from Element 14 should one of us (Shock Slayer, Drew Littrell, Clem Mayer, or myself--at least for this group call) be offered a video gig. Keeping my fingers crossed that the community enjoys my video! I think we all gathered some good advice and insight from the crew, so I'm interested to see how these guys put it to use.

 

Until today, I had no real idea if my device would work or not. I had to perform quite a bit of modification to the TFT hat that I'm using in order to make it fit inside the case, and I was nervous because there would be no time to get a new screen module before the deadline and I would have to completely start from scratch! Fortunately, after completing all the wiring and soldering the GPIO header to the hat, The system booted up perfectly!

 

Shouts of joy and sighs of relief.

 

The controller, screen, and OS installation are complete, now I only need to add audio and power before working on the UX theme.

 

This is gonna be totally retro-cool!

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Top Comments

  • airbornesurfer
    airbornesurfer over 7 years ago in reply to eoxstudios +2
    Edit. Edit! Edit, edit, edit! PANIC! BEER! Edit, edit, edit!
  • genebren
    genebren over 7 years ago +1
    Great progress on your Hack/Project. Great that you were able to hand-wire a solution that worked! Good luck moving forward through the rest of your project and your video submission. Gene
  • eoxstudios
    eoxstudios over 7 years ago +1
    Waiting eagerly for the final video.
  • airbornesurfer
    airbornesurfer over 7 years ago in reply to eoxstudios

    Edit. Edit!

    Edit, edit, edit!

    PANIC!

    BEER!

    Edit, edit, edit!

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  • eoxstudios
    eoxstudios over 7 years ago

    Waiting eagerly for the final video. image

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  • airbornesurfer
    airbornesurfer over 7 years ago in reply to genebren

    Thanks, Gene! If I have time, I may revisit etching a board, but at least I have something that works!

     

    Almost finished!

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  • genebren
    genebren over 7 years ago

    Great progress on your Hack/Project.  Great that you were able to hand-wire a solution that worked!  Good luck moving forward through the rest of your project and your video submission.

    Gene

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