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
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.