sudomod

I'm a beginner looking to get started building electronics, and I thought the mintyPi would be a really cool project to start on. However, with Helder's button/screen PCBs being sold out, I've been trying to research alternatives and been a little confused as to what I'm actually looking for.

The simplest solution I found was to just transplant some of the PiGRRL parts sold by Adafruit - namely, the PiGRRL 2.0 gamepad PCB and a 2.2" PiTFT HAT mini kit. Would these parts actually work, both in terms of function and size? Are there any important details I am missing?

May or may not fit. Hard to say. I will suggest to wait for helders v3 of the minty pi. It will likely be out in the near future. His sneak peaks have been very nice are there are a lot of cool new features.

I also have a few spare blank mintyPi v2 boards left. What does this mean by being blank if your wondering? It means it's everything but the battery monitor chip and LCD are included, the LCD you can get cheaply on ebay and battery monitor is not necessary to build one of these.

I'm actually in the exact same boat as eyeofugin. If you have a few extra of the blank v2 boards, I'd love to take one off your hands as well!

I would like to have one or two of the v2 Boards, too!
how can i get them?

Helder wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 08, 2018 9:06 am

I also have a few spare blank mintyPi v2 boards left. What does this mean by being blank if your wondering? It means it's everything but the battery monitor chip and LCD are included, the LCD you can get cheaply on ebay and battery monitor is not necessary to build one of these.

Helder wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 08, 2018 9:06 am

I also have a few spare blank mintyPi v2 boards left. What does this mean by being blank if your wondering? It means it's everything but the battery monitor chip and LCD are included, the LCD you can get cheaply on ebay and battery monitor is not necessary to build one of these.

I'm interested too, i have all the other stuff (minus the battery monitor chip).
So please let me know how to order.

Btw is it difficult to order the battery chip?

First off I hope you know what these don't come with a LCD or Battery Monitor Chip, second since there is no LCD so you need to order one like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/142848465482

And you need to solder it on yourself.

Third do you have the proper tools and some soldering skill to do the job? A thin tipped soldering iron (temp control is great if it has it) and a multimeter to test continuity (this IS A MUST HAVE TOOL)?

I have had people want the kits but have no idea about the actual solder job or have the tools so I need to know YOU know how to assemble one (using Wermy's video guide is helpful).

If you're not sure about the build get some practice boards first:
https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/voiBAAlu
https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/UTRejiOx

these imitate a pi and my board so you can practice soldering to them first before doing it for real, get these especially if you plan to do this as a first time project of this kind. I really don't want to walk people through all of this or trouble shoot things that are because of lack of experience and tools. This project can be done by novices but with the right tools and a little practice, hence why you get the practice boards before tackling the real deal.

So if you want me to consider selling my super limited stock of these I need to know you have the above.

Hey Helder,

First of all, thanks for providing the above info, the practice boards seem worth every penny and I'll definitely pick up a few if lucky enough to purchase a PCB.

Your disclaimers do not go unnoticed and fully understanding that these boards require some work and are far from "plug and play", the resources in this forum should be more than enough information to fill in the gaps on any troubleshooting inquiries

Cheers and thanks again!

Helder wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 10, 2018 12:48 pm

First off I hope you know what these don't come with a LCD or Battery Monitor Chip, second since there is no LCD so you need to order one like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/142848465482

And you need to solder it on yourself.

Third do you have the proper tools and some soldering skill to do the job? A thin tipped soldering iron (temp control is great if it has it) and a multimeter to test continuity (this IS A MUST HAVE TOOL)?

I have had people want the kits but have no idea about the actual solder job or have the tools so I need to know YOU know how to assemble one (using Wermy's video guide is helpful).

If you're not sure about the build get some practice boards first:
https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/voiBAAlu
https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/UTRejiOx

these imitate a pi and my board so you can practice soldering to them first before doing it for real, get these especially if you plan to do this as a first time project of this kind. I really don't want to walk people through all of this or trouble shoot things that are because of lack of experience and tools. This project can be done by novices but with the right tools and a little practice, hence why you get the practice boards before tackling the real deal.

So if you want me to consider selling my super limited stock of these I need to know you have the above.

I am also aware of the challenge involved, including the need to install the LCD myself. I have a little soldering experience from a college project, but was planning on picking up some practice junk at a local electronics store to make sure I know what I'm doing. Now that I know you sell practice boards specifically for the mintyPi itself, I'll do that instead.

I haven't purchased my soldering iron or multimeter yet, but I have looked into all of the parts and tools that I should need. In particular, I watched Wermy's build guide video, watched his video on beginner's tools, and read his parts wiki. I was planning on purchasing my tools once I was sure I could get the parts for the mintyPi itself. When I do so, I'll make sure to keep what you said in mind.

As for troubleshooting, I am very much one to research problems and do everything I can to solve them myself. To give an example, when I realized your PCBs were sold out, I intently searched the Sudomod forums and the internet for several days looking for alternatives. Eventually, I found a post on Reddit suggesting the piGrrl parts as an alternative to your sold-out boards, but also a Sudomod forum post suggesting they were too big. Having examined the dimensions of the piGrrl PCB and an Altoids tin myself via Adafruit, and being eager to start building my own mintyPi, I thought it best to essentially get a second opinion. I have also looked into attaching the LCD myself (which seems difficult, but doable) and the battery monitor (which, being optional, I may omit).

Forgive me if I was a bit long-winded, but I am very eager to get started on building my own mintyPi and sincerely hope that you'll allow me to purchase one of your blank boards.

Helder wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 10, 2018 12:48 pm

First off I hope you know what these don't come with a LCD or Battery Monitor Chip, second since there is no LCD so you need to order one like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/142848465482

And you need to solder it on yourself.

Third do you have the proper tools and some soldering skill to do the job? A thin tipped soldering iron (temp control is great if it has it) and a multimeter to test continuity (this IS A MUST HAVE TOOL)?

I have had people want the kits but have no idea about the actual solder job or have the tools so I need to know YOU know how to assemble one (using Wermy's video guide is helpful).

If you're not sure about the build get some practice boards first:
https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/voiBAAlu
https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/UTRejiOx

these imitate a pi and my board so you can practice soldering to them first before doing it for real, get these especially if you plan to do this as a first time project of this kind. I really don't want to walk people through all of this or trouble shoot things that are because of lack of experience and tools. This project can be done by novices but with the right tools and a little practice, hence why you get the practice boards before tackling the real deal.

So if you want me to consider selling my super limited stock of these I need to know you have the above.

Helder wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 08, 2018 9:06 am

I also have a few spare blank mintyPi v2 boards left. What does this mean by being blank if your wondering? It means it's everything but the battery monitor chip and LCD are included, the LCD you can get cheaply on ebay and battery monitor is not necessary to build one of these.

Hi Helder,

Thanks for making your last v2 boards available.

Can you tell me/us, if we wanted to make the whole board complete, wich chip (and other parts) would be needed to make the battery monitor functional.

Thanks Wailer.