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Ampersand

2,716 orders since Jun 02, 2018

Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Ships from United Kingdom.

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Overall Rating:

Review Breakdown

5
41 4
15 3
4 2
3 1
1

Average Ratings

Product: (4.73)

Documentation: (4.61)

Shipping: (4.72)

Communication: (4.56)

All Reviews

Diego | Oct. 23, 2023

great for beginers

For Null 2 Kit

I bought this kit as a beginer. I thought this will be difficult, but It was perfect difficulty for me.
The documentation was great. Screen arived broken but this wasn,t a problem because I've got full refund. overall I had a lot of fun bulding this handheld!

Gilles | Oct. 2, 2023

My bad for not reading carefully

For Null 2 Kit

I purchased this kit, and while it is pretty much what is stated, DO READ CAREFULY as the pictures are deceptive, pictures do show the finished product, but the clear laser cut acrylic case is NOT included. Unboxing, my kit didn't have any instructions, but they are linked in the product page, so that's ok. I then realized I was also[p missing the USB-C board. Being a EE myslef, I am not impressed by the execution. The way the Pi is soldered onto the back of the PCBA is not a strong bond for a board that size. I certainly would not do a drop test on this, or expect the Pi to rip off the pads on the PCB. Overall, I am disappointed, but my bad for not reading carefully. I expected a complete kit (without the Pi of course), but you'll find yourself hunting a lot of the missing parts, unless you do what I did: throw it in the circular bin.

Idree | Aug. 7, 2023

Made the kit in a single day, everything went well :)

For Null 2 Kit

The documentation on your site is perfectly documented for anyone with a soldering iron to create this handheld :)
After soldering it worked like charm.

A multimeter is nice to have just to check for continuity, only gripe is the lack of a battery indicator xD. But i'll probably manage without.

Glad there is still community support, so i managed to 3d Print an alternative case i found on printables which suited me better :)

Joshua | March 19, 2023

Absolutely great product and awesome communication!

For Null 2 Kit

This kit is absolutely fantastic. I bought this as a complete beginner and I was still able to assemble this kit. A great way to learn and practice. Ampersand is also great at responding to questions on his Discord server created for this project. All in all a really quality project. I definitely recommend this to anyone interested!

Jonas | Jan. 17, 2023

Great product, Great seller

For Espresso Kit

I was nervous with this one because I was inexperienced with soldering. But overall, besides the screen connection every thing was pretty easy(use flux for the screen ribbon, lifesaver). I had some complications software wise but the seller was super helpful, I suggest joining the discord where you can get fast help, he even offered for me to ship it back to him so he could fix my problem.

Kristian | Jan. 13, 2023

It's the NULL 2 kit - who isn't in love with it?

For Null 2 Kit

They sell out fast, get 'em while you can. The Null 2 is really one of the coolest tiny makes you can buy. The shipping was fast, and package came exactly as advertised,

Robert | Jan. 6, 2023

Great handheld keyboard!

For Parula

I got the order just as the vendor promised. Great little keyboard with a full keyboard layout. I was looking for an example of what a replacement keyboard for a Blackberry style device might look like with a full keyboard layout and this is amazing. I am now going to try and frankenstein this with with a Raspberry Pi and a small screen and see how far I can get.

To the owner of the Parula store, if you ever make one of these with back light let me know as I would love to buy a few of those. I am going to try and 3d print a cover plate because it looks like I can laser etch the key symbols in the space between the rows.

Thanks!

Brian | Oct. 10, 2022

Awesome miniature keyboard

For Parula

I'm using this with a Pimoroni Hyperpixel and Raspberry Pi Zero W to make a little linux handheld. This keyboard works great and is the most compact full keyboard I've found; one of the only such keyboards, actually. Shipping to Minnesota was unexpectedly fast, about a week. Thanks!

Adriano | Aug. 6, 2022

An astonishing and underrated product.

For Parula

I was searching for a WIRED mini keyboard the size of an average smartphone and the universe answered!
I highly recommend this product if you don't want to reinvent the wheel all by yourself.
Plug and play, it simply works.
It's sturdy and well built.
Overall, it's been a great experience.
With a 3d printer you can print a set of keys to lay on top and it's good to go. Awesome.
Buy it, you won't regret it.

Varaang | July 1, 2022

Pretty neat kit

For Espresso Kit

Loved assembling the kit had a great time, the documentation was great and easy to understand the only finicky part was flashing the ESP controller through the linked flasher but other than that really enjoying my kit.

Rich | May 27, 2022

As a beginner - great little kit, fiddly but rewarding

For Null 2 Kit

I had actually tried another much simpler solderless Zero 2 W based handheld before picking up this kit, because the prospect of all that soldering was a bit daunting and I have all the grace and dexterity of a dumptruck.

That particular kit turned out to be a piece of junk so I gutted the pi back out of it and went ahead with the Null 2 on a whim when I got the notification they were back in stock, and I’m very happy that I did!

Like the guide itself and many other reviews have stated, make sure you read all the way through the build instructions before you get started. As a very nervous and absolutely shocking solderer I made sure to go through it end to and and refer back to it after pretty much every single step just to be sure I hadn’t missed anything. And like it also says, if something isn’t working out make sure you ask on the discord before you start trying to dig your way out of the hole!

It can’t be overstated how poor a solderer I am, having done maybe a handful of hobby jobs with a soldering iron since I learned to use one in school, but as long as you take it slow, follow the guide and watch a few YouTube videos to get the method down I feel like this kit is doable for a beginner - as long as you’ve handled a soldering iron once or twice before without burning anything down or blowing anything up.

The only reasons documentation isn’t getting 5 stars are a couple of minor nitpicks that may be specific to me, but I could see others tripping over them.

1) It doesn’t specify the exact size of the buttons required if you’re going to buy the additional buttons required to make all 8 face buttons tactile, the link provided goes to an aliexpress page with a variety to choose from. This isn’t so bad if you already have the kit in hand and can see that you need the 1.5mm options, but is a minor irritation if you’re buying the parts in advance.

I’d suggest maybe adding an “optional parts” section to the top and listing these 8x 4x4x1.5mm SMD buttons so that people know exactly what to look for.

2) I’d also suggest adding something to sections where continuity of connections for adjacent soldering points is expected such as between out+ and b+ on the charger board, as I had to jump into the (very friendly and very quick to answer) discord to check that this was correct. I’m not sure if this is something that would be blindingly obvious to someone who already knows their way around electronics but as a super-green amateur I was baffled, and after having to check every connection on the pi along the way for bridges under the device perhaps I was being overly paranoid doing the same with the other components.

On that topic, communication-wise Ampersand and the community on discord are great. I jumped onto discord to ask a few questions along the way including the above and there was always a fast answer and even some above-and-beyond stuff (where I definitely deserved to be told to go away and Google it instead) being met with a straightforward answer and a link to the thing I needed.

Overall very happy and a great little bit of kit, it’s not my first retropie pi-based system but it’s been a very fun one to bring together and get up and running.

David | May 9, 2022

Love it!

For Null 2 Kit

I have had a blast with the null2 brings me back to my childhood. Take your time and follow the build guide.

Philippe | May 1, 2022

Nice handheld ... IF you can get it to work

For Null 2 Kit

A nice piece of hardware for a "high" price (with some extra costs).

Just thinking that the components just cost just a few dollars and the kit is sold for 50 pounds and then in Europe you have to pay additional 10-15% custom duty, as the sender is not paying them in acdvance like any chinese seller do. So the final kit cost me around 55 pounds, okay.
As I printed myself the case I doesnt have to order the very expensive acrylic case and I can change color as often as I want easy and quick. So I think about to make the buttons A, B, X, Y in colors of Nintendos controller.

Then the first really hard step is to "cup-solder" the pi onto the board. As the most will end, my first solder was a nope too. So i testet round an round and was close to throw all in the trash bin, due to the really bad construction of the pcb. I would have made pin holes through so that soldering could done properly from both sides and then 1-2mm distance for the screen - tada!
Also the solderpin header on my delivery was not as described in the guide. I havent got the shown header at one piece so I couldnt cut them in a 3-piece and the rest for the 11-block, I had to combine two shorter parts for the long side at the audio component.
Next, the holes for the displaypins are missing. I saw in a video what was linked in the guide, that there was a pcb with excactly the holes for the pins on the backside of the screen. But missing somehow on my pcb, instead the guide say very professional "Make a loop with some kapton tape and press the screen down ..." Also that you have to holt back the audio jack with capton tape, so that it does not reach too far to the screen, instead offering distance pieces and double sided tape strips, could be included at this price I think.

Anyway. I now try to desolder my pcb as I tried to presolder the pads on the pcb to better connect the pi with the pcb as the cup-soldering is the most painful a**-f*ck I had ever to do!
I soldered all other parts now (except the Pi) with the method, that I sticked the solder wire into the cups, choped the wire with a cutter directly over the board I have to solder on, put the solder iron deep into the hole melting the short piece of solder and voila. Nearly all connections worked at first try. Sadly my 1,0mm solder wire slightly does not fit into the Pi holes, so that I have to buy a thinner wire or think about stretching it slightly to thinner it a little.

Shipping was horrible, as the box is very thin and not very robust. It already had bend marks but my luck all components seems to keep good (especially the screen).

@Ampersand: Save commenting my review, as we already had enough email communication. Better see my constructive criticism as possibility to improove your promissing product.

Regards,
Phil
Avatar
Response from Ampersand | May 2, 2022
Philippe likely doesn’t want me to reply because he tried to blackmail me, asking me for money in return for a positive review. I clearly didn’t pay him.

Sam | April 23, 2022

Good kit, but not for beginners.

For Null 2 Kit

The kit is as described. It does not include a case, a battery, an SD card, or a Pi Zero; those need to be sourced seperately. The linked website includes the relevant files, and suggestions on where to get the case made.

The construction process is very well-documented; there is a comprehensive build guide on the website.
Using it is less obviously documented. The Null 2 uses RetroPie, so their docs apply to this. The Null 2 user guide details the custom key combinations set up in the provided image, and points to the retropie documentation

Shipping took a long time, but that was during more or less the height of the covid lockdowns, so that was more or less par for the course at the time. The shipping company had gotten the package wet somewhere along the line, but that has not affected its function, and no parts were missing regardless.

Ampersand has a discord server, where troubleshooting can be fairly quickly obtained. Still be prepared to be a bit patient; it has its active and inactive times, but you will almost certainly be able to get support with building the Null, should you need it.

My advice, based on my experience building a Null 2, and from conversations I've seen in the Discord:
- I recommend getting a Zero 2 W instead of a Zero W. The Zero 2 is capable of emulating up to PSX and some N64 games. The Zero 1 is a little less powerful, but uses less power, so it lasts longer. You want the W version so that you can load roms onto it easily. It becomes significantly harder to do this without wireless capability, unless you have a Linux install available that can read SD cards.
- Go slowly, and make sure to read the instructions carefully. I didn't insulate the back of the Pi before I soldered it down, and that is necessary. I had to slide a piece of paper in between the Pi and the board to get mine to boot. This was my own fault; I got ahead of the instructions.
- If you go for the acrylic case, you really need solvent cement to put it together. I did some small tests with scrap acrylic, and that produces the strongest and best-looking bond by far. In addition, if you use masking tape to hold the parts together, make certain the tape does not come into contact with the joint you're bonding, or with the cement. It will cause the acrylic to become textured and less clear if the cement gets into the tape.
- THIS IS NOT A BEGINNER KIT. The kind of soldering that this kit requires really needs you to know what you're doing in order to succeed at it. You really only get one shot at it, especially with the Pi. It's not worth even trying to take it off once you've put it down; the odds of wrecking the board are too great.

Jeff | Oct. 29, 2021

Not a quick build, but a rewarding one

For Null 2 Kit

To be honest, I bought this kit prior to reading through the (very detailed) build guide, because I thought it looked great. I was in for a bit of a journey!

There are a few soldering techniques that are a little unorthodox (like filling through-hole GPIO pins with solder to make a blind joint with the surface of the PCB), and you do end up soldering one SMD component, so if you're brand new to soldering, you may want to follow the author's advice and practice on a little practice board.

Even so, I found one joint was bad and couldn't be easily fixed, so I had to 'bodge' a wire for the ground pin. Luckily, support via the community in Discord helped debug the issues and I ended up fixing that and a botched solder job on the start button.

If you don't want to spend some money on getting the case laser cut out of acrylic (and 'welding' those case parts together—a process that's a little daunting for a first-timer but is actually not too bad), there are STL files for a 3d printed case that's slightly easier to put together (IMO) but looks slightly less polished.

This is not a kit you'd buy and hand to your 5 year old nephew for Christmas. But it is a kit that will be as fun putting together (well, most of the time anyways) as it is using it for many years to come!

Shahid | Oct. 16, 2021

Does not include case, you make/get made/purchase separately

For Null 2 Kit

As good as this product can be, it does not come with case.
So expect yourself downloading files and finding laser cutter service online
and be prepared to answer questions like 'what mil thickness you want' etc.
there is a massive side to making it what you want - as to complete it.
don't expect a quick assembly and gifting to your child, that is not what this
is.

Blair | Sept. 7, 2021

Awesome project, great service

For Null 2 Kit

The Null 2 caught my attention when going down a YouTube rabbit hole that started from me just trying to fix an old gameboy.
I was instantly in love with it and had to have it.
I watched a few more videos on the null, the assembly, software etc and decided I’d have a go at it.
Purchasing was easy and straight forward and the kit actually arrived in Australia quicker than the other components that I ordered from Amazon.
Apart from waiting for the glue to dry I finished the total build over the course of a weekend at a very leisurely pace. The documentation and instructions are fantastic with links to YouTube videos as well.
The discord is also awesome with really fast support, my question was answered within ten minutes.
Whilst overall I found some parts of the build challenging it was also very rewarding, great fun to make and play. 11/10 Highly recommend buying this kit!

Robert | July 2, 2021

Nice interesting kit

For Espresso Kit

I enjoyed building this kit. The mix of soldering and assembly is very unique. Issues I ran into were when I was flashing the esp32 the instructions for that are a bit poor. A big hold up was a part where you have to manually type in something like "0x00" in one of the boxes. Nothing specifically says to do this it is only pictured. Would also help to mention somewhere that sdxc cards are not supported. Last thing is the instructions on the file structure on the sdcard needs to be more clear. You do not just extract the odroid folder to the card you also have to take the individuals files out of the odroid folder and place them on the root of the card. Oh and for colecovision you have to provide your bios as a .col file and for atari you have to rename the game extensions to .a26 and get a stella firmware to run them. This is a pain because to run atari you put the stella firmware in the firmware folder on the sd card and then while holding b during boot up it gives you the option to flash the stella firmware. Not a dealbreaker but switching between atari and the other consoles is a pain. All this said the system is really cool. I love the instant on capability of the system. If you want to play for a minute or two while waiting in line you really can do that. Its like magic.
Avatar
Response from Ampersand | July 4, 2021
Glad you figured it all out, I didn't know about the SDXC cards so thank you for the info.
Have you seen the Retro ESP32 software? https://github.com/retro-esp32/RetroESP32
It supports more emulators and might mean you don't have to switch between firmware

Guillaume | May 12, 2021

Lots of fun

For Null 2 Kit

Great little product, relatively easy to put together if you have experience soldering, well designed.

Ryne | March 17, 2021

Great novelty, great price

For Parula

I don't think most folks are picking this up expecting to bang out a blog post or email on it — though you could, if you wanted to. But as a novelty, it's hilarious, and the price is great.

Petar | Oct. 28, 2020

Really great handheld

For Espresso Kit

This is a really great handheld. Pretty straight forward assembly. You should have some kind of experience with welding, but you don't have to be a pro. Only minus in this case is that they don't provide you with the buttons. This should be included in the package. Also, it would be nice to have a custom print screen holder/bracket, to avoid gluing it. I am really pleased with the kit and had a lot of fun assembling it :) Of course, playing it is the best part!

Michael | Oct. 25, 2020

Fun little build, looking forward to playing with it more!

For Espresso Kit

The kit was well put together and documented perfectly. Only issues I had with it were related to not lining up the display ribbon cable correctly initially, but it was easily fixed once I realized what was happening. I had a great time putting it together and it seems to play games quite well so far!

Domenico | Oct. 2, 2020

Great, but fiddly fun.

For Espresso Kit

Let me start off by saying this is a great product, but you're buying the hardware, any software qualms cant really be sent to Ali as this is just he O-Droid Go firmware in a different chassis, so if you're upset at the lack of a certain console that's not his fault.

Design is stunning, I'm not sure what I was expecting but its much heftier than I was thinking it was going to be, I wouldn't call it a brick but I wouldn't want to drop it on my face at night playing Pokemon.

the mix between SMD and through-hole soldering is about 50/50 IMO just because the ESP32 module itself has so many damn pins, but due to the fact it doesn't use headers, you have to use24AWG wire to hold it in place I found this a bit more tedious. Also, you need some 24AWG solid core wire for this project, it isn't listed in the "things you'll need" section on the site but it is in the build guide, so make sure you pick some up. the SMD stuff I had no issues with, the resistors and caps were fine and the LCD ribbon was a one and done affair.

The only issue I have is the front plate with the silkscreening for the buttons and the cutouts, the one for the D-Pad is seemingly too large, it squiggles and moves around almost a quarter of the width of the D-Pad itself. Ali says this is intentional to stop it binding or getting stuck, and when you're making runs of PCBs I get that, but I think I might scan my faceplate into my computer and model up a slightly tighter faceplate and 3D print it.

Steven | Oct. 1, 2020

A fun to build kit and superb device

For Espresso Kit

I bought an Odroid Go kit a while ago and thoroughly enjoy playing all my old Gameboy and Sega Master system games on it. My only disappointment with it was that it’s sold as a kit and only requires a couple of things plugging in and the case screwing together to finish it. What I wanted was something that would involve pushing myself and be a bit tricky in places. That’s when I stumbled across this Espresso kit. It’s ticks all the boxes. Some of the assembly is slightly tricky if, like me, soldering isn’t something you do regularly. You have to invest time in it, (I’m not sure it could be built in just a few minutes). This, along with the fact that a few components have to be sourced by the builder (it doesn’t come with the lipo battery or the buttons). This gives an opportunity to tailor the device to your own taste and makes it “your own”. The end result is a fantastic device that’s very cleverly designed and looks superb. The instructions are very informative and easy to follow. I had so much fun building it I’m tempted to buy another to repeat the experience!

Brandon | Sept. 24, 2020

Best Kit ever!!

For Null 2 Kit

This was the best kit i have ever purchased... and now I am getting a second one! -- Just make sure you follow the order of the instructions and go slow... no need to rush to get the awesome thing going... oh and if/when help is needed... the discord group Is awesome! Very helpful!

Looking forward to any improvements... if there can be?!? not sure, it is so good as is!

Thanks again for a great product!

Jan | Sept. 11, 2020

Perfect little kit/device

For Espresso Kit

All around happy with the Espresso Kit, an Odroid Go-like device. Arrived quickly, well packaged (even with a few spares of the tiny SMT parts just in case). The build guide is nicely done, easy to follow (though I really recommend going through it carefully first, since the last part requires a relatively fine soldering tip for mounting the audio module; and also one needs to solder the display's flex cable connector to the PCB directly).

The resulting device is just a pleasure to use: it is stylish and perfect for playing the old games (I get about 5 hours of gameplay on a single charge). I really like that it's possible to adjust the max volume through the potentiometer on the audio module, not just in software. Stacking PCBs to create a case is quite a refreshing idea, though it adds a bit to the weight.
It is overall a very good and clever design!
The only minor drawback I encountered is that in order to take out the micro SD card, one needs to open the case (meaning unscrewing the 4 plastic nuts).

Adam | Aug. 31, 2020

awesome!!

For Espresso Kit

What an awesome DIY project :3 realy love this little device.. easy to build, easy to solder, great documentation.. maybe next version with rpi zero? i would definitely buy it..
many thanks kind sir :)

James | Jan. 25, 2020

Highly recommended!!!

For Null 2 Kit

This is my favorite PI Zero W handheld project ever! Highly recommend you pay attention to the directions. They make the project go smooth and without issues. All the games I have tested so far (GB, GBC, NES, SNES, Master System, Megadrive/Genesis) all work flawlessly and at full speed without sound issues. Ampersand really put together a great kit and image.

Matthew | Jan. 25, 2020

Great and well thought out product

For Null 2 Kit

The Null 2 kit is well put together with great documentation for assembly and testing prior use. It's obvious that the creator of this kit has put the time into refining it fully. I had no issues assembling it following the guide provided and it just works. It ticks a lot of boxes if your looking for a compact handheld retro gaming device that still gives you the freedom to further customise it to your own liking.

Jeffery | Dec. 24, 2019

Great little thing!

For Peanut Kit

I had some troubles with shipping but Alister helped me sort it all out, it was not Alister’s fault it was USPS’s fault for not being able to mind my home lol

Diego | Nov. 27, 2019

just perfect!

For Peanut Kit

This little thing is just amazing, super easy to build following the building guide (i recomend using some flux to make it even easier)
and it works just great, i though the screen would be a little small but it looks really good
Ampersand was really kind and answered all my question and the shipping was good and fast, the slow part was on my country but that's a problem from customs here

(en español por si acaso)
Es simplemente perfecta, es muy facil de armar siguiendo la guia (recomiendo usar algo de flux para las soldaduras)
funciona de maravillas y a pesar de pensar que la pantalla podia ser algo chica, se ve increiblemente bien
Ampersand respondio todas mis preguntas y el envio fue bastante rapido, la parte lenta fue por cosas de mi pais

lo recomiendo totalmente n.n

David | Aug. 27, 2019

Great documentatuon and nice kit but difficult to solder.

For Peanut Kit

The kit is charismatic and well executed. Documentation is clear and concise with great photos of assembly. Shipping was quick, too!

But! Be sure of your soldering skills before you attempt to assemble. Soldering surface mount components by hand is devilishly difficult. A hot air rework station would be a good item to have.

Kevin | Aug. 5, 2019

Great for Beginners

For Null 2 Kit

I looked around for a while to find a raspberry pi based handheld that I could hack together myself. This one not only looks good and works well but it was also easy for a n00b like me to do with very little soldering experience. I had only one issue with the sound which the creator immediately helped me to rectify via QA on his discord server. Can't wait to see what he makes next!

James | July 27, 2019

Would recommend

For Null 2 Kit

Great quality product strongly recommend. This product is great everyone should buy it. You can find a bigger sized battery 2000 mah with the XL design case and it works great.
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