Lostdotfish wrote on 2025-03-21, 17:43:

You should look at how the Bulky MT32 internal device is built. […]
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You should look at how the Bulky MT32 internal device is built.

The attachment 2024-03-22 02.00.42.jpg is no longer available

You could mount a PCB 5.25 or 3.5 faceplate to the controller PCB. Then just have a 3d printed tray and rails.

Silkscreened PCB faceplates look really smart and are super cheap to have produced.

That's a good idea. I might look at that further, especially as I try to maneuver things around for a 3.5" drive bay mount. The spacing on that is painfully tight.

I have the exact same issue as Lomdar67 but I DID put the password and even the SSID between brackets (because the SSID has spaces).

UPDATE: stupid me, I received a Pico instead of a Pico W - they look almost identical too.

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-21, 18:08:

Lostdotfish wrote on 2025-03-21, 17:43:

You should look at how the Bulky MT32 internal device is built. […]
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You should look at how the Bulky MT32 internal device is built.

The attachment 2024-03-22 02.00.42.jpg is no longer available

You could mount a PCB 5.25 or 3.5 faceplate to the controller PCB. Then just have a 3d printed tray and rails.

Silkscreened PCB faceplates look really smart and are super cheap to have produced.

That's a good idea. I might look at that further, especially as I try to maneuver things around for a 3.5" drive bay mount. The spacing on that is painfully tight.

I wonder: if you have the audio shield you could technically solder the Pico W underneath the board instead of on top - I think it could fit and the USB port would probably clear the caps. Then again, with a front panel, is there any reason to even have a Pico?

red_avatar wrote:

I wonder: if you have the audio shield you could technically solder the Pico W underneath the board instead of on top - I think it could fit and the USB port would probably clear the caps. Then again, with a front panel, is there any reason to even have a Pico?

No - that would require a complete reroute of the board to flip the Pico W to the back like that.

The Pico W provides additional options for handling things -- at the moment, it provides the web server stack for the HTTP control interface, but it could also be more later.

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-21, 18:06:

The ZuluIDE is sold in Europe via our two authorized resellers: […]
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Lomdar67 wrote on 2025-03-21, 17:21:

Are you selling these somewhere? Preferably somewhere in Europe?

The ZuluIDE is sold in Europe via our two authorized resellers:

Amiga-Kit in the UK
Studio-Services in Germany

I was talking about the control board. 😉

Lomdar67 wrote:

I was talking about the control board. 😉

OH. 🤣

The control board is one you can send off to a board fab to get done. See here.

My mistake.

Is the Zulu Control board also for sale on the Rabbit Hole shop?

Thgill wrote on 2025-03-23, 03:47:

Is the Zulu Control board also for sale on the Rabbit Hole shop?

The Zulu Control Board is a DIY item at the moment. I linked the GitHub repo in the previous comment. Since the control board is in the middle of a revision so that it can cleanly fit into a 5.25" drive bezel and be simply screwed into place, the current revision of the control board is not being sold.

There are zip files for production that you can provide to JLCPCB, OSHPark or PCBWay for fabrication. Just download the files, unzip the file twice (yes, there's a ZIP inside a ZIP)

For board houses that offer automated assembly (very helpful if you don't like doing SMT soldering), you'll need to provide the BOM and positioning files so they can assemble the SMT side of the board. JLC has you do that step separately, so make sure that you have the CSV files handy for that step. After you provide that, they'll ask you to review their component choices, but it should be pretty easy to just click through here as long as nothing shows out of stock.

After that, you'll review and purchase the boards (and assembly service, if you chose that), and then get them shipped to you. The only things remaining are the I2C OLED screen, rotary encoder, and two switches, which are all relatively easy to get your hands on.

If specific component information is needed, let me know and I'll provide that.

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-22, 16:48:

OH. XD […]
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Lomdar67 wrote:

I was talking about the control board. 😉

OH. 🤣

The control board is one you can send off to a board fab to get done. See here.

My mistake.

I assume there is a minimum order quantity if you order it at one of those manufacturers.

Just in case anyone in Europe is willing to organize a group buy, I’m in!

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-22, 02:13:

red_avatar wrote:

I wonder: if you have the audio shield you could technically solder the Pico W underneath the board instead of on top - I think it could fit and the USB port would probably clear the caps. Then again, with a front panel, is there any reason to even have a Pico?

No - that would require a complete reroute of the board to flip the Pico W to the back like that.

The Pico W provides additional options for handling things -- at the moment, it provides the web server stack for the HTTP control interface, but it could also be more later.

I mean, just move the Pico below the audio shield, don't turn it 180°. Of course if your Pico comes with legs you can't do that (unless you unsolder them) but if it doesn't, you can manually solder the legs on top of the Pico instead of below so the pins would be in the right place. Then you could mount it below the audio shield and make it quite a bit shorter in height making it easier to fit in a floppy slot (mine has quite a bit of clearance so it would fit this way) or a 5.25 bay

Lomdar67 wrote on 2025-03-23, 06:01:

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-22, 16:48:

OH. XD […]
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Lomdar67 wrote:

I was talking about the control board. 😉

OH. 🤣

The control board is one you can send off to a board fab to get done. See here.

My mistake.

I assume there is a minimum order quantity if you order it at one of those manufacturers.

Just in case anyone in Europe is willing to organize a group buy, I’m in!

Same here - getting this done on your own would be a big pain in the butt. Postage for all the parts alone would quickly ramp up.
It would be nice to have a group buy where someone sources the parts.

I advise you to wait for now - once the design iterations are complete, it will be a better device. No point making a control surface that isn't finalised.

red_avatar wrote on 2025-03-23, 16:02:

Lomdar67 wrote on 2025-03-23, 06:01:

I assume there is a minimum order quantity if you order it at one of those manufacturers.

Just in case anyone in Europe is willing to organize a group buy, I’m in!

Same here - getting this done on your own would be a big pain in the butt. Postage for all the parts alone would quickly ramp up.
It would be nice to have a group buy where someone sources the parts.

I just gave it a quick run-down on JLC, and 5 boards is about $2.10 for the unpopulated board, and adding the parts brings the cost of a run of 5 to about $19. See screenshot below.

The nice thing about this is that you don't have to source the parts, JLC does it for you and they put them on for you too.

The Qwiic connectors aren't populated on there by default because you could add a right-angle one or a straight-down one, but if desired, I could do a little searching and make a revised BOM/CPL file pairing that has one of the connectors populated.

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-23, 23:28:

I just gave it a quick run-down on JLC, and 5 boards is about $2.10 for the unpopulated board, and adding the parts brings the cost of a run of 5 to about $19. See screenshot below.

The nice thing about this is that you don't have to source the parts, JLC does it for you and they put them on for you too.

The Qwiic connectors aren't populated on there by default because you could add a right-angle one or a straight-down one, but if desired, I could do a little searching and make a revised BOM/CPL file pairing that has one of the connectors populated.

Thanks for the info - I think EU prices aren't quite as cheap but I've never had to do a project like this before.

On a seperate note: my Pico W arrived (a REAL W this time) and it worked right away but the HTML interface is a bit ... wonky. I have 100 or so images on the SD card and so far I've had the following results:

- only half the list is visible
- the list isn't properly sorted alphabetically
- the list doesn't load at all
- the first X entries of the list are missing but the rest is visible
- the list only contains the first X entries and the rest are missing

Out of 10 tries it properly shows the list maybe 3 times and each time I have to load an image, it has to reload the list (which, even if it succeeds, takes 10-20 seconds) so this causes a LOT of delay if you're swapping images often (and in a game like Pandora's Directive that's easily every 10 minutes). I intend to have over 500+ images per SD card so if it falls over itself with just 100 ... I fear it will never handle 500.

What I'd advise is for the list to get saved to a file with an option to manually refresh. This would save a TON of time since the Pico would just need to read the list file instead of rebuilding its list by reading all the files every single time which clearly is where things go "wrong".

red_avatar wrote on 2025-03-24, 14:06:

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-23, 23:28:

I just gave it a quick run-down on JLC, and 5 boards is about $2.10 for the unpopulated board, and adding the parts brings the cost of a run of 5 to about $19. See screenshot below.

The nice thing about this is that you don't have to source the parts, JLC does it for you and they put them on for you too.

The Qwiic connectors aren't populated on there by default because you could add a right-angle one or a straight-down one, but if desired, I could do a little searching and make a revised BOM/CPL file pairing that has one of the connectors populated.

Thanks for the info - I think EU prices aren't quite as cheap but I've never had to do a project like this before.

JLCPCB is a China fab. That's a global price. You may pay a small amount of tax on top but it will be negligible.

I order PCB/PCBA from them regularly delivered to the UK

red_avatar wrote on 2025-03-24, 14:11:

On a seperate note: my Pico W arrived (a REAL W this time) and it worked right away but the HTML interface is a bit ... wonky. I […]
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On a seperate note: my Pico W arrived (a REAL W this time) and it worked right away but the HTML interface is a bit ... wonky. I have 100 or so images on the SD card and so far I've had the following results:

- only half the list is visible
- the list isn't properly sorted alphabetically
- the list doesn't load at all
- the first X entries of the list are missing but the rest is visible
- the list only contains the first X entries and the rest are missing

Out of 10 tries it properly shows the list maybe 3 times and each time I have to load an image, it has to reload the list (which, even if it succeeds, takes 10-20 seconds) so this causes a LOT of delay if you're swapping images often (and in a game like Pandora's Directive that's easily every 10 minutes). I intend to have over 500+ images per SD card so if it falls over itself with just 100 ... I fear it will never handle 500.

What I'd advise is for the list to get saved to a file with an option to manually refresh. This would save a TON of time since the Pico would just need to read the list file instead of rebuilding its list by reading all the files every single time which clearly is where things go "wrong".

From my experience it is much more effective if you post code suggestions in the appropriate GitHub repository. E.g. https://github.com/ZuluIDE/ZuluIDE-HTTP-PicoW

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-23, 23:28:

The Qwiic connectors aren't populated on there by default because you could add a right-angle one or a straight-down one, but if desired, I could do a little searching and make a revised BOM/CPL file pairing that has one of the connectors populated.

Yes please , that would be quite nice.

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-23, 04:37:

The Zulu Control Board is a DIY item at the moment. I linked the GitHub repo in the previous comment. Since the control board is […]
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Thgill wrote on 2025-03-23, 03:47:

Is the Zulu Control board also for sale on the Rabbit Hole shop?

The Zulu Control Board is a DIY item at the moment. I linked the GitHub repo in the previous comment. Since the control board is in the middle of a revision so that it can cleanly fit into a 5.25" drive bezel and be simply screwed into place, the current revision of the control board is not being sold.

There are zip files for production that you can provide to JLCPCB, OSHPark or PCBWay for fabrication. Just download the files, unzip the file twice (yes, there's a ZIP inside a ZIP)

For board houses that offer automated assembly (very helpful if you don't like doing SMT soldering), you'll need to provide the BOM and positioning files so they can assemble the SMT side of the board. JLC has you do that step separately, so make sure that you have the CSV files handy for that step. After you provide that, they'll ask you to review their component choices, but it should be pretty easy to just click through here as long as nothing shows out of stock.

After that, you'll review and purchase the boards (and assembly service, if you chose that), and then get them shipped to you. The only things remaining are the I2C OLED screen, rotary encoder, and two switches, which are all relatively easy to get your hands on.

If specific component information is needed, let me know and I'll provide that.

Are you guys ok if I produce a handful of these (probably 5 or so) for the ITX Llama owners? Sold at cost to the buyers.

Todd

Lomdar67 wrote on 2025-03-24, 19:38:

mbalmer wrote on 2025-03-23, 23:28:

The Qwiic connectors aren't populated on there by default because you could add a right-angle one or a straight-down one, but if desired, I could do a little searching and make a revised BOM/CPL file pairing that has one of the connectors populated.

Yes please , that would be quite nice.

Here are revised BOM and CPL (positioning) files that includes the Qwiic connectors mounted to J6 and J7. This adds about $2 to the total cost for a run of 5 boards for a total of about $24 before shipping.

Here's how to proceed with getting boards pre-assembled, if you've never done it before.

1. For JLCPCB, when you upload the gerbers, make sure that you scroll down and flip the "PCB Assembly Service" switch and select "Assemble Bottom Side". Press NEXT when done.
   The attachment Screenshot 2025-03-29 141529.png is no longer available
2. You'll find yourself in the PCB Assembly setup section. It will show you a preview of the side of the board to be assembled. Press NEXT if it looks right.
3. Drop the BOM.CSV file onto the Add BOM File button, and drop the POSITIONS.CSV file onto the Add CPL File button. The Process BOM & CPL button should turn blue. When it does, click it.
4. You'll see an error message pop up telling you that certain parts can't be assembled due to "data missing" -- this is fine! The designators it's talking about are the mounting holes and the solder-bridge jumpers on the back, which shouldn't have anything mounted to them! Click Continue to move on.
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5. You'll see a list of parts next, along with the designators where they go. You should see four lines; one for C1, then J6 and J7, then a bunch of resistor footprints, and last, U1. It will show you a cost breakdown for everything on the right. Click NEXT.
6. You'll be shown a preview window of what the board should look like after assembly. It'll show with the front side up first. If you want to see what they're doing, click the Bottom button in the top right of the preview window. Click NEXT.
7. On the next screen, you'll be given a cost summary. The "Product Description" field on the right has you pick a classification for customs purposes -- this is a requirement, as you're ordering a "completed" product. When I did it, I just selected Office Appliance and Accessories > Keyboard - HS Code 847330. Once you've done that, click SAVE TO CART.
8. You'll be at the checkout phase. Tick the check mark on the left representing the items you just added (it will show as two line items). Click Secure Checkout.
9. On the next screen, enter your shipping address and billing address (if different). Click Continue.
10. The shipping method section will now take over. Global Standard Direct Line is extremely inexpensive, but when they say 8-13 business days, they mean it -- however, I've used it repeatedly without issue. If you decide you want it now, DHL Express is usually the least next expensive option -- although, sometimes, UPS Express comes out cheaper, but it's largely dependent on the items in the order. When I walked myself through the process, DHL Express came out cheaper. When you're done, tick the I agree to the Customer Compliance Statement checkbox (you agree that what you're ordering complies with import/export regulations and that you're not going to use the controller board to harm others), and then click Continue.
11. Enter payment info. I always use Paypal for it because it's convenient, although there is a $0.50 surcharge for it. It will also show you which "coupons" you can apply; usually there's new ones for things like assembly or parts purchases that refresh each month. when I walked my way through it, there was a coupon that knocked $9 off the order which made it ship for almost free. It won't automatically apply coupons -- you have to choose the ones you want to use. When done, click the button to pay, and your boards will start getting prepared.