WP34S USB and IR board release

[c785]

(04-05-2017 08:18 PM)revwillie Wrote:  personally, I prefer the satisfaction of soldering all the parts in myself. I just don't want to shop for them. I made my 34s a few weeks ago but didn't open it up to add the crystal and caps.

Thanks a lot, especially the gluing part is very interesting. IIRC, the case is made of ABS, which is nice for glueing, maybe it was a layer of moulding fluid remaining on it after manufacture which prevented the glue from sticking. I think I'll try some sanding and thin CA, once I get the board.

The part about soldering 0603 SMD stuff is also very interesting, I know what it's like to have a part flying in a random direction. It takes a bit of practice, plus a slightly different approach to soldering, but once you get the hang of it, it's much easier than working with through-the-hole parts. And good equipment really helps.

BTW, I got the HP30b last night (which is now, obviously, a WP34s), and nearly went mad trying to flash it: after a Bus Pirate V4 failed on it, I tried an Arduino Nano, which also failed, so I actually looked at the source of the problem elsewhere (Linux? flashing software? reset switch working? etc.). In the end, near total despair, with a dead calculator and no success flashing, already searching for the JTAG connector's pinout, I tried the Bus Pirate V3.6, which worked first time (Linux, flasher from wp34s sourceforge site). (Probable cause of problems: non-FTDI chip in BPV4, fake FTDI in Nano clone, real FTDI only in BPV3.6). So, I can really recommend using a dedicated and tested USB-serial converter just like this one. And I have another excuse for having both Bus Pirates.