WTT: (or sell) Damaged Atomic Pi with (undamaged) custom enclosure - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: MathematicalJ
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2019, 01:49:49 am
content: I have damaged my APi by badly mangling the vias to which the 26 pin IDC connector was soldered. The +5v power is bridged to ground. (See below.) I don’t have the skills, materials (solder wick, solder sucker), or inclination at the moment required to repair the damage, but Isuspectit would be very easy to do for someone who knows what they are doing. If that someone is you, here’s your chance to acquire an otherwise perfectly good APi for very cheap or even free-ish (via trade). Buyer pays shipping from Rhode Island, U.S.A.The Atomic PiIf you’re interested in this APi, I’m wanting to sell it or trade it for hobbyist electronics stuff. Just make me an offer by PM. (Please be patient if I don't immediately reply.) Look atthe photoscarefully so you know what you’re getting:Close-up viewoneandtwofrom above of damaged area.Close-upview from belowof damaged area. I am leaving the ribbon cable to the GPIO pins attached so I don’t do any more additional damage. (This cable appears to have no bridges, but beware of stray loose wire. Best remove it before power-up.)Photosone,two, andthreeshowing an otherwise perfectly good device.DO NOT POWER ON THE DEVICE WITHOUT REPAIRING THE DAMAGE. It will burn out your power supply, possibly catch fire, and potentially kill the APi, your Christmas poinsettias, and the dog.What did you do to it?!I’ve been prototypingan enclosurefor my Atomic Pi. In the final design, I wanted to modify the APi to be as low-profile as possible by removing the 26 pin IDC connector and soldering ribbon cable directly to the board. Of course, this was a terrible idea. The lead-free solder used on the board from the factory has a high melting temperature, and my skills and equipment were not up to the task. Then came the inevitable but misguided desparate attempts at “fixing” it.I regret nothing! You need to be willing to make mistakes to learn interesting new things. Plus someone out there gets an APi and enclosure for cheap. It’s a win-win for me, to be honest.BONUS: EnclosureI’ll throw in my extra prototype enclosure pieces, enough for ~1.3 enclosures. It’s mostly MDF with one or two acrylic pieces and has a “secret" compartment. Judging by prices for similar enclosures online, this enclosure is easily worth the $27 I originally paid for the APi before “the incident.” The cost to me was many hours of OCD-driven labor and a bit of material. The cost to you is nothing.Photosone,two,threeof the enclosure.3D renderone,two,three, andfourof the enclosure.(If you want an enclosure but not the Pi, sorry, I would give them away for free, but I’m temporarily unemployed and so can’t afford the shipping and materials. But we might be able to trade or find a mutually agreeable price.)OPTIONAL: Power SupplyFor another $3-$4, if you want I’ll include your choice of eithera 12 amp 5v DC-DC step-down (buck) converter, useful if you want to power the APi with that 18v printer power supply in that box in your basement that you no longer have the printer for; or...a 4 amp 5v AC-DC converter you can use to power the APi with mains power (mains power cable not included).