OK, so What's taken so long?
Testing:
Lots and lots of testing with a few tweaks needed here and there . . .
Case:
Both variants of the case are 3D printed. The quality of printing is very good, however, it's not to the standard of the original Injection Moulded case!!
There have been several 'tweaks' to the Case Design - all handled by Mark Hillier. The design is now 'stable', however, there may be some future 'tweaks' dependant on feedback from users.
The case printed by me is in 10 parts - printed on a Prusa MK4 (see photos) The case printed by Mark Hillier is in 6 parts - printed on an Anycubic Kobra 2 Plus (see photos). Unfortunately, you won't have a choice which one you receive as we'll both be printing them! You can, of course, print your own! The .stl files will be made available (for both variants) and a kit of the necessary hardware will be available to purchase from me. Note: You will not need to print the 2 x cartridge guides, as they need to be fitted with the cartridge connectors!
PCB:
Is fully working now I'm not using the Chinese 74LS parts. There have also been a few small improvements over time.
Facilities:
Everything works as the original Acorn/P.R.E.S. Plus 1. The extras are:
(1) The ROM socket supports 16K and comes with JGH's set of Utilities including TreeCopy.
(2) Internal support (6 pin SIL socket) for the Printer Port version of MMFS.
(3) A left hand side 9 pin male D connector supporting Atari style Digital Joysticks - the upcoming ADJI ROM (Tom Seddon) will work with this!
(4) Support for an easy fit of the AP6 e.g. no soldering required.
(5) An extended and enhanced User Guide.
The Caveat: Also see the pricing . . .
This involves the connector between the Plus 1 and Electron. The part most people use is the TE 5532600-2. The problem here is the cost! So, I've found an alternative through AliExpress. This is a good connector . . . Except (???)
When I started to design products that plugged into the Electron (and later the Master) I always had the board edge and connector fingers beveled and hard gold plated - because it gives maximum life to the product! Recently, however, I've been buying from JLCPCB (Cost!) who don't do hard gold plating nor bevelled edges!
This creates a problem/caveat as the Electron's PCB edge connector is not bevelled!! It causes problems by damaging one or more of the connector contacts when plugging the New Plus 1 onto the Electron. The reason I didn't 'catch' this issue, until recently, is I've been using the Electrons that I develop all my hardware on e.g. the Electron PCB interface is well worn and all the 'sharp' edges have been removed over time.
If you purchase one of the first 20 units you will need to bevell your Electron's PCB edge connector(s) before use *MANDATORY* to prevent damage. There will be dire warnings on the case to the effect that the bevelling MUST be carried out to prevent damage to the connector! See photos . . .
A short YouTube video showing how to bevel the Electron's PCB edge
I'm trying to locate a lower cost source of the TE 5532600-2 connector, however, regardless I'll be shipping the first 20 with the AliExpress card edge connector. The following units will contain the TE 5532600-2 connector along with any *extra cost*. I don't mind selling the first units to people that understand the issue and will ensure their Electrons are modified. But I'm not inclined to sell any of the first 20 to non technical users or through eBay with the caveat requirement!!
Comments welcome on the above issue . . . !
Cost (first 20): £70 including UK P&P
I would be grateful for users that can take one of the original 20 would do so! Development and investment for this project has been significant!
For those that wouldn't like to modify their Electron, for any reason, I can now offer the New Plus 1 with the TE connector that doesn't need the modification.
Cost: £75 including UK P&P
Orders taken - just PM me - You'll be placed on a list - No payment needed until the unit is ready to be dispatched - I'll contact you.
Dave H / Mark H.
- PCB top
- Full case top
- Full case inner
- Full case base
- 6 Piece case: Note that the colour will be the same as the others for production!
