Ci siamo quasi ... !!! :-D
Carlo
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Da: Kickstarter <no-reply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Data: 26 giugno 2018 23:41:58 CEST
A: carlo.malantrucco@xxxxxxxx
Oggetto: Project Update #32: ZX Spectrum Next by Henrique Olifiers
Rispondi a: No Reply <no-reply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
The last stretch
Posted by Henrique Olifiers (Creator)
It has been a long road to get our beloved ZX Spectrum Next done properly,
but we’re happy to announce we’re finally in the last stretch of the project
with one final battle to win. Following our previous update where we got our
hands on the first injection of the case, Phil Candy of Dickinson Associates
has been hard at work with several rounds of feedback that finally got us to
the end result we all have been waiting for: the case is getting ready after
Phil, our plastics partner Brian and Mike Cadwallader ironed out every single
detail to get it just right.
One of the dozens of adjustments the case went through
Don't mess with the right order of things!
From small details such as getting the red 'redder' (it's the wrong red on
the image above) or ensuring the right polish on this or that surface; to
bending profiles to connector clearances... Only the keen eyes of an
experienced moulder and designer such as Phil could catch them all, and
luckily we have him on our side! Here he is inspecting the very first case
moulded and feeling pretty happy with the way the raiser feet 'click' into
place.
https://youtu.be/GozTHYF--ZQ
So here are the pictures of the 'T1' version of the case, with the
adjustments made. If all checks this week once Phil inspects it, this is the
case we're mass-producing for all of you:
Notice the new openings to raise the clearance for the connectors in the
board below without making the case 'thinner'
The surface finish is very impressive, super cool to the touch
Looking good from the bottom...
...And looking good from the inside!
Some of these colours need more... Oomph! Not strong enough!
With the Battle For The Case pretty much won (famous last words), we move
onto the final challenge in production: the three-layered keyboard matrix. In
order to keep the keyboard's and Next full compatibility with the original
Speccy, the keyboard matrix needs to be composed of three layers like the
Spectrum Plus and 128 in order to support composite keys such as BREAK,
DELETE and the ARROWS. As a result, the amount of pressure required for
registering a keypress is too high -- around 200g instead of the ideal range
of 45-55g to get it as responsive as Rick Dickinson envisioned it.
Too much pressure, captain!
In order to solve this problem, the keyboard experts are trying a myriad of
solutions:
Increasing the hole size in the middle layer
Adding extra material on the activation point on the membrane
Using thinner PET layer
Changing the rubber dome to another type
Increasing the rubber dome size
And lastly, abandoning the middle layer and breaking each activation point
from a circle to 2 semi circles, forming two contact points
► Play video
These tests are underway and likely a combination of them (or the last resort
as the final solution of just two layers) will yield the result we need to
move ahead.
And so we're getting very close to the final stage of mass production of all
the parts and... Ship it! Speaking of shipping...
A quick pic with too much warm light for it to show all its glory, I'm
afraid...
Firmware works
Since the last update, the devs and firmware folks -- essentially people
building stuff for the Next -- compiled a list of 55 features and bugs
requiring implementation or fixes. As we approach the final version of the
core, Victor fixed and implemented 45 of those, with only ten remaning on the
main list.
There are still some bugs being reported (some 20 since last update) that
needs tackling, mostly things that behave in a different way than they should
on a very low level, but they're being worked on and soon we'll be finally
ready to call it 1.0 and open source it on the website as planned, plus
shipping it inside every Next leaving SMS's facilities.
Don't worry: green is good!
What now?
We now need a final date for shipping, with the very last pending issue being
the keyboard pressure point. We're hoping to have this in the first week of
July, and as soon as it comes into our inbox, a new update will bring the
shipping dates for all backers.
Fingers crossed, we're getting there now!
The T0 (proto) case on the booth of a car. Not dodgy at all... But just look
at the ports' alignments!
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