ThickBerryPi

So I have started working on it again. I mean there is not much more to do besides waiting for it to get approved but after using it for a bit I did in fact made some changes.
So first thing as you may have noticed is the bigger buttons on the screen. Not only are they way easier to assemble but also easier to use as they are bigger. The old ones were just too small and these are just more satisfying to click.
click click :3
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There are also a few other small changes I might tackle so I’ll try doing a bit until October 22nd👀

I feel like I need to do this devlog.
As you may have noticed is that I still have not shipped. The reason for that is that I have not been able to finish it last weekend and then fell sick on monday and am still sick. I am In better shape now and want to finally finish my project and collect my promised startdust /j >:3. I am very relieved that the challenge has been extended and I am not sure what I would have done without that. You can see my progress on github. (The first picture you see there is just a place holder dw)

Wow, about 7 hours of hardware work (which I didn’t record because nobody needs to see that ¬w¬) which consists of pretty much only soldering is behind me. I completely butchered my cardkb but everything still works. My immaculate cable management is also questionable but it works so now time to write and then ship. I should probably go to bed but it’s fine.

So, I have finished my design and I won’t be needing to make any more changes. I am currently waiting for my final print which has a few tweaks such as an additional latch but other then that I am done. I have also made a version with an open back so any heatsink should work, not only my specific one. Now I only need to do some soldering and documenting before I can finally ship! I am soo excited

Yes another devlog. I made my changes and am printing again! As you can see there is another latch in the back. Of course that is not all I did but it is the most notable change. Some small details to actually make it fit were my priorities and now that I am finished with them I am printing. Excited to wake up tomorrow and see if I am ready to ship or not.

Intermission! I have reprinted the face plate in a different orientation and now the latches are strong enough! I will still add another one to the back. Also I am sorry if my pictures look like memories but I was to lazy to use my phone and instead just used a webcam :P

So, I have made the first print and it is looking very promising. The hinge only needs slight changes in terms of tolerance so it can be easily disassembled, it also seems sturdy enough! What did not work is, as you can see, the RPI did not fit. I will need to make some changes to the ports on the right side. The latches are also not too bad but they both broke off. I will also need to add another latch in the back because it is too sloppy for my taste. The screen and buttons for it are pretty good. Gives me hope for the power button. But for now time to make some changes before I ship hopefully tomorrow.

I am almost finished with the first version! I only need to do some buttons and holes and a bit of little extras and then I am finished and can print. I will not ship yet because I want to make a few different versions so most people can find enjoyment in what fits for them but I will probably do that tomorrow. Today I did a majority of the hinge in terms of function. I made a spring which makes the hinge snap into different places and makes the lid stay shut. Which you can see in the picture bellow. I am excited to be almost finished!

oh wow, I have added the ports on the back. You can see the seam where the holes are split which divides it into the top part which snaps on to the bottom. Easy to assemble as long as the latches do not break. I am trying my best to make the print possible with normal PLA and a 0.4mm nozzle size which currently should still be possible. I am really confident that the final product (which I am pretty close to ;3) should not be too difficult to print for the average user but I need to print it to judge that which hopefully happens this week as I will not be able to work on it next week :<

Did the second hinge. Of course this is far from the finished design it would not even work right now but to at least have something. I am also not completely sure on how I should do the back. Like should I leave it open, cover it completely or partially. Well I will eventually find something which I like. But still not entirely sure on how the back will look like.

So I have continued with the display case and have added most things already. I have also started with the hinge which gave me such a headache I spent too much time finding a solution for my space requirements but I have decided on my current setup which should work well enough. And an important decision I took is that the whole hinge will be completely 3D printed! This could fail miserably and then I would need to revert back to a more simpler design with screws but if it works which I am confident it will then that would be really cool.

Started with the display case. Just some simple things to finish off the day. And also because y’all have not seen it yet here is a view from the top of my current progress where you can see the keyboard holder which will connect to the bottom via latches.

Wow, I would say that I am almost completely done with the enclosure for the keyboard and raspberry pi. Now the screen remains and thus the hinge. Should not be too difficult but I need to watch out for the space I need for the HDMI cables. Could be a tight fit. Notable things I have done since the last devlog are:

• latches, I hope they will work after finally printing
• exhaust and additional heat dissipation openings
• intake “optimisation”; will probably not make a difference but still fun
• small additional details

Did a bunch of openings for i/o such as sd card, gpio, usb and such. The back is still open but that will be addressed later on. Opening for the cooling fan was also added, no exhaust tho. I also split my main case into top and bottom because I realised that I would not be able to assemble it otherwise. Also lost my sticky streak because I am lowkey delusional :<

After coming back from my vacation I continued working on my project. Had to stop the recording because I havent uploaded today. Streaks and all. Today I started building the main body of my case which is not nearly finished. Tomorrow I will probably do the side with usb and ethernet port and an opening for the gpio and heatsink entry and exit.

Ok I lied. I did in fact not start building the next day but 10 days later. Well now I am working again. I did some reference planes of the pcbs so I can use them to create my case more easier. Edited cardkb. I also was very sceptical that lapse just did not record as there were some problems but it somehow still worked. Now I can really start working on it :3

Added my components to my assembly :D Real building will start tomorrow :P