My GEM VMU

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originalself
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My GEM VMU

Post by originalself » Sun Mar 10, 2019 3:55 pm

Took awhile to finish due to lack of time but the hardware part is done. I completed assembly of my GEM and I like the board.
Board tinned.
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Case prepped. The plastic was softer than I expected. Flush cutters did the whole job. I did end up needing to trim the side walls on the back piece as well later.
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First batch of soldering done. Thank goodness for all the test pads on the back. Out of 40 pins I had to redo 8.
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Screen in.
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Test boot.
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All closed. Tight fit but I removed nothing from the zerow. I used a small 350 battery.
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Edit:
Software was very easy to setup. Writing all the WiFi info in ahead of time like the wiki suggested meant I never even needed to plug in a keyboard. I am damn impressed with the pre configured image. This was a fun project.
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Robochris
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Re: My GEM VMU

Post by Robochris » Mon Mar 11, 2019 10:57 am

Nice work. Did you remove the usb and hdmi ports?

sygyzy
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Re: My GEM VMU

Post by sygyzy » Mon Mar 11, 2019 11:07 am

Great clean build!

Silly question but I couldn't figure out where the test pads for about a dozen points were. I have seen the diagram but for example, for LCD DC, it's point J but uh where is the partner pad? I don't see it anywhere on the PCB. Same with the other LCD, also BATT MON, TXD, RXD, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

originalself
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Re: My GEM VMU

Post by originalself » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:17 am

Robochris wrote:
Mon Mar 11, 2019 10:57 am
Nice work. Did you remove the usb and hdmi ports?
Nope. I removed nothing.

originalself
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Re: My GEM VMU

Post by originalself » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:22 am

sygyzy wrote:
Mon Mar 11, 2019 11:07 am
Great clean build!

Silly question but I couldn't figure out where the test pads for about a dozen points were. I have seen the diagram but for example, for LCD DC, it's point J but uh where is the partner pad? I don't see it anywhere on the PCB. Same with the other LCD, also BATT MON, TXD, RXD, etc. Any help would be appreciated.
J is pin 13 on the pi header. https://github.com/kiteretro/Circuit-Ge ... it-Gem-FAQ So you touch the test pads and pins on the corresponding header on the other side. It’s rather awkward but invaluable.

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Re: My GEM VMU

Post by sygyzy » Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:49 am

Hi, I understand that J = 13 but where is LCD DC?

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kite
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Re: My GEM VMU

Post by kite » Tue Mar 12, 2019 4:38 am

sygyzy wrote:
Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:49 am
Hi, I understand that J = 13 but where is LCD DC?
They are alphabetical ordered vertically, so follow the test points down. J is to the bottom left of the [K] logo on the front, under 'I' and above 'L'
Stock clearance - CLOSED: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=12064
Kite's Mailing List: https://goo.gl/forms/e97uUvPOfUxPWdz82
Kite's FAQ: https://kiteretro.com/faq/


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Spyder
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Re: My GEM VMU

Post by Spyder » Sat Feb 08, 2020 9:48 pm

UltraPunch wrote:
Sat Feb 08, 2020 6:22 pm
This is probably a dumb question, however; What is the point of WiFi for these?
SSH games in, download game art, software updates, etc.

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Spyder
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Re: My GEM VMU

Post by Spyder » Mon Feb 10, 2020 10:06 am

If you plan on setting it and forgetting it, there isn't much of a need once its all loaded. But for $5 more, I'd still go wifi. Like you said, I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

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