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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

Adrian | July 11, 2019

Great bit of fun

For Null 2 Kit

I bought this to finally use my Pi Zero W for something 'practical'. The kit arrived in good time and was very well packaged. The Main PCB is a thick, durable design, considering I don't solder for a living and have only been getting back into electronics assembly and repair recently it was fantastic to work with.

The kit comes with the key components, leaving the case, the battery and equipment for assembly for the owner to source. No drama, batteries are easy to get hold of and I only needed to get some Kapton tape to be able to get on. The case, however, whilst easy to purchase was a little pricier than I'd taken into account, making the overall cost of the build higher, but it'll be worth it.

As I said, the main PCB is durable and is very forgiving, so the overall assembly went well. Only had a couple of issues getting through-hole soldering for the Pi itself to test out. I found that a bit of flux and good solder and in one case a bodge wire through the hole that ensured a good joint and was later removed got the job done! The Screen ribbon cable was surprisingly easy as was the tiny surface mount resistor (once it stopped slipping about).

So after a couple of hours, I had it assembled and configured with Null2's OS. This is based on EmulationStation/RetroPi, which I am fairly familiar with so it wasn't long and I was able to play Alex Kidd in Miracle World on the go!

My only feedback to potential purchasers is that since the display outputs via the GPIO interface there is a little latency/frameskip but, to be honest, this is the case with many projects of this scope and was expected, as such the experience as a whole is still super fun!

George | June 27, 2019

Excellent kit

For Null 2 Kit

When I saw this kit I knew I had to get one. Ampersand has done all the heavy lifting here, the PCB design is great, everything fits, correct components are included, detailed build instructions online, pre-configured software image for it, and a discord channel that's actually helpful. Short of buying a 'game hat' or such that you just pop on a pi, this is definitely the cleanest kit I've encountered yet. Kit was packaged safely, showed up quickly after ordering.

I wasn't creative with the case, just went with clear like the images on the product page, and no regrets, it looks fantastic. :)

Tejashwi | June 13, 2019

One of best build

For Null 2 Kit

Ampersand is really active in the discord server/group and always tries to help which is one of the best parts, the creator will be there to guide you and help you fix things when you need help.
The kit arrived in India within 7 working days, packaging was great, all the required components were in the package except Raspberry zero, battery, case and SD card. Build guide contains all the detailed explanation about how to assemble it.
I am a total beginner in soldering, but with the help of flux, canonical soldering tip I managed to solder all the parts in the first go, no issues and the kit turned on :)
Totally recommend this

Katie | Feb. 1, 2019

Really great kit and really, really great seller.

For Null 2 Kit

TL;DR: Really great kit and really, really great seller. I had a lot of fun building this, despite the problems I caused myself. If you’re thinking about building a project like this, you can’t go wrong with the Game Boy Null.

This kit is high quality and very well-designed. This was my first adventure in soldering and Raspberry Pi. To say I learned a lot in the process is an understatement. I also made some mistakes along the way, and the seller was amazingly helpful, way above and beyond what I would expect. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from him again—in fact, I’m thinking about building some Game Boy Nulls (Game Boys Null?) for gifts.

I started out by soldering a dead Pi to my PCB. I was too green to know that I could have easily tested the Pi beforehand to make sure all was in order. Before I knew the Pi was dead, I tried to isolate the problem by re-soldering the power switch, and I broke it. I thought it would be no big deal to remove the switch and solder on a new one, but I ripped a pad off the board. That’s when I contacted the seller for help. He told me that the missing pad was nonessential, and walked me through troubleshooting until I realized the Pi was dead. At that point, I decided to try my luck at desoldering the Pi. First, I thought I should remove the screen to prevent damage, but I destroyed the ribbon cable and the PCB in the process. Back to square one.

Armed with my new knowledge of all the things not to do, I ordered a new kit and successfully (although not without further troubleshooting and help from the seller) assembled it. It looks and works great. I ordered the case through ponoko.com, and I opted for opaque white for the thicker parts and green tint for the thinner parts.

Some pointers:
-Test the Pi first, because it’s impossible (for me, anyway) to swap it out after you solder it to the PCB. Prep your SD card and buy an HDMI adapter and any necessary micro USB adapters when you order your Pi. Plug it into a monitor, USB keyboard (or wireless dongle) and power, and make sure it’s working before you begin on the PCB.
-Get a 503450 battery—the one I got was too thick.
-Unless your soldering skills are strong, have a magnifying glass or similar handy to check and correct your work.
-Acrylic solvent doesn’t feel that great on your skin.

Joe | Jan. 30, 2019

got kit together but cant find how to get the roms added

For Null 2 Kit

The kit was easy to put together and arrived decently quick for the distance it had to travel the sellar was quick to answear my questions and i will be ordering more in the futer would highly recomend

Response from Ampersand | Jan. 30, 2019

Hi, there's a Discord where I can help you here: https://discord.gg/r9xekuP
This article will tell you how to add roms: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Transferring-Roms/

Matthew | Jan. 28, 2019

Awesome kit!

For Null 2 Kit

Ampersand's kit is a nice little build for people that would like to tackle a moderate project. Yes you do need to source some of the extra parts but to me, it's just part of the experience. As long as you keep with the guide, you should be fine. If you do have any problems, you can contact Ampersand here on Tindie and he will help out as much as he can or if you join his Discord server, there are a few people there including Ampersand to help you.

I would highly suggest a multimeter with continuity checker. It will help you solve most of your problems. Also, solder flux will help with your soldering. Especially on the ribbon cable. And DO NOT skip the kapton tape behind the pi. It really does make a difference!

PCB looks awesome in black and paired with the acrylic case just makes it 10x better. Everything is outlined so it is easy to figure out where everything goes while following the guide. It especially helps out when aligning the screen.

I have built 2 of these so far and both have not had any problems. I highly suggest this product if you are looking for a handheld retro console!

Hasan | Jan. 25, 2019

Best purchase ever.

For Null 2 Kit

Ampersand is honestly the best dude ever. Don't listen to these other guys. They don't understand that this isn't a beginners project. You need to know how to solder, and you need to understand, you need other stuff! He isn't selling a ready made product, It's pieces. While not as simple as Lego, If you put enough time into it, you'll get it done. I went in as a beginner, awful at it. It wouldn't boot, so I joined his discord and within one minute, I had a reply. He stayed on with me and troubleshooted, and within 15 minutes, the issue was resolved. It would've taken me hours. Ampersand really cares for his patrons, and will go through any lengths to make sure his buyers are satisfied. Honestly, all these people leaving negative reviews don't seem to understand what this project is. If you buy it, Good Luck!

George | Jan. 23, 2019

Perfect

For Null 2 Kit

Awsome product.

The instructions have a lot of depth.

I had some issues while putting it together, and the seller helped me out on the discord. He replied extremely fast and was really helpful.

I’m really satisfied.

Barrett | Dec. 13, 2018

A seriously fun kit

For Null 2 Kit

This kit is fun to put together and learn some small soldering techniques.
The board is incredibly high quality and easy to work on. The documentation is similarly great.
Communication with @Ampersand is very easy.
Seriously, one of the greatest experiences - get this kit

Tyler | Nov. 17, 2018

Great service

For Null 2 Kit

Project came quick and was all in one piece. Would have been amazing but sadly I burnt through the pads when I attempted to solder the resistor, and ended up ruining the board. In terms of the product was wonderful quality.

Thomas | Nov. 16, 2018

Product

For Null 2 Kit

I didn't manage to make it work and end up damaging the PCB , i contact the seller send me a new one very kind !

Page 1 of 2