mintyPi Frequently Asked Questions **READ THIS**

[Louai]

I am just a 13 year old teenager but I will take your advice but do you think someone as young as me would be able to build such a thing

[dryja123]

I am just a 13 year old teenager but I will take your advice but do you think someone as young as me would be able to build such a thing

Like VeteranGamer said, you have to start somewhere. Do your parents have any experience with soldering? Perhaps this would be a good bonding project with mom or dad.

[Helder]

I am just a 13 year old teenager but I will take your advice but do you think someone as young as me would be able to build such a thing

I started soldering in high school around 14 so yea you can learn and do it. Wermy will have a guide maybe by next weekend showing how easy the assembly is or how hard for some people. The thing is you need to think you can do it and try it and not put yourself down before you even attempt it (good life lesson right there).

[Helder]

Let me ask you and everyone who has this idea of an analog stick in their heads for this project, WHY!? What system can the Pi Zero W emulate well aka PSX/N64 that warrants an analog stick? Those systems aren't even well emulated in a Pi3 so why would you even attempt this on a Pi Zero W?

It's pointless and not really useful for this as emulation is concerned, and the space could be used for better things like a battery monitor or other circuits. This is a tight build already with little wiggle room for adding things, basically you can't put 5 pounds of shit in a 2 pound bag.

[Lphillimore]

If you buy the kit mate then wait a couple of weeks post delivery you'll see people upload their builds and the forum will explode with posts on the build, pics etc.

I can guarantee you'll get all the help you'll need to complete this in these forums and have something to look back on and be proud of.

Also, your mates ill be well jealous

Anyone want a mint, lads?! Wait whattttt!!!

[EemsRoro]

If you buy the kit mate then wait a couple of weeks post delivery you'll see people upload their builds and the forum will explode with posts on the build, pics etc.

I can guarantee you'll get all the help you'll need to complete this in these forums and have something to look back on and be proud of.

Also, your mates ill be well jealous

Anyone want a mint, lads?! Wait whattttt!!!

Anyone want a mint? Ohhhhh!

[abrugsch]

if you're 13, this is a PERFECT time to learn.

by the time I was 13, I was into all sorts of creative activities... not necessarily any good at them though! but I was curious, so read magazines, watched videos, met other people doing the same things (clubs not too dis-similar to makerspaces of now) learned techniques from them.

I picked up my first soldering iron when I was 7. Yes 7! and it was my dad's idea. (but he was blind so either I did the fix, or no-one did ) and by the time I was 15 doing work experience for school, I went to a small electronics shop (they did repairs and made their own products) and could already solder well enough that they didn't need to 'teach' me.

oh and this was before youtube existed!
This isn't meant to be a "back in my day" post, more that you can start now. start with the soldering guide in my signature. go and get a cheap(not too cheap though!) soldering iron, and take broken things apart, look at the insides, try and identify the insides. google the numbers on the parts. get some bits of scrap circuit board and solder, de-solder things on and off it. get some strip board and solder random components to it. Experiment, then EXPERIMENT then EXPERIMENT SOME MORE

you don't need to be an electronics expert (though the very basics won't hurt, simple circuits, batteries, lights, switches resistors, voltage and flow - which is all taught at GCSE level in school in the UK so it's not hard to grasp (if you're not in the UK, GCSE is normal school level grading from age 13 to 16) to build the kit all you need is to be able to follow instructions and be able to solder (but like I say in my guide, don't use one of these kits as your first soldering practice, follow my guide, you don't even need to spend a lot, just a soldering iron ($10-$20 for a simple antex 15W one is all you need for your initial practicing) some solder and some scrap electronics to practice on.

[EemsRoro]

I'll be learning right along side my friends lego fanatic 10 year old son, I'm 30. If you have any family that won't mind learning with you or a family-trusted mentors, this is a great opportunity to learn to learn (like my friends son will be seeing how I, a grown up, don't know what I'm doing but learning right along with him) or pick up new skills and bond with your folks like someone mentioned earlier.

[Kevin]

One problem I've often had in my (limited) experience in the Raspberry Pi world is corrupt SD cards due to improper shutdown. Power down.

Maybe getting rid of the power switch and let closing the lid trigger a power down. Opening the lid a power up.

Some internal switch connected to the lid support leg/arm?

Possibly it might take up less space.

[ICMF]

So I know a lot of this can make thing's more complicated, but if you want a mintyPi with "Higher Prestige" than would would it be a good idea to replace the D pad with a nintendo 3ds circle pad?

It won't fit, and you can't connect an analog stick (directly) via GPIO.

Some internal switch connected to the lid support leg/arm?

Magnetic reed switch, maybe? Though I could imagine accidentally closing the lid would be as much an issue as accidentally flipping a slide switch.

A better option might be to simply cut the slide switch flush with the case (or even recessed a bit). Make it so you need to use a fingernail to flick it on, so it can't accidentally get flipped.

(suppressing the urge to ask if we can fit a safe shutdown switch inside the tin )