DIY: norns shield

[dan_derks]

hmm. are you on the latest update (SYSTEM>UPDATE) and do the keys generally work otherwise?

[Zop]

Updating fixed it, thanks. My bad.

[kveye]

These sizes worked perfectly for me. You can DM me for more details.
TFF-M2.5X5
TFM-M2.5X15
TFM-M2.5X18
TFM-M2.5X6 / TFM-M2.5X5

[Hlp]

So i finaly managed to get it done but i am just getting a black display when starting up.
Flashed the sandisk 32gb sd with etcher with the unzipped image, pre formatted to ms dos fat…

Dunno whats up, attached a pic of my solder points wich probably look messy, but is a black display a common thing in case a few points arent good?

[jorgen83]

M2.5 doesn’t fit the holes for the screen standoffs though… drill them out a tiny bit?

[kveye]

Ah, yes. I used M2x8 for that

[jorgen83]

I would reheat every single one of those, as well as the header for the RPi. Looks like a lot of cold solder joints and perhaps even a few shorts there. I’m hoping you used no clean flux solder?

[Hlp]

Reflowwwwed <3

[Glitcher]

The last spacers arrived recently so I was able to build the enclosure. Thanks very much for all the posts in this thread it’s been a great resource.

Very pleased to have this amazing system for music creation.

[infovore]

PLEASE DON’T DRILL THE PCB

we’ve already had somebody have issues because of that. Chances of shorting things that shouldn’t are high.

The two screen spacers are M2, unlike the M2.5 everywhere else.

[misuba]

So, I’m getting the idea that if you get a blank screen, you probably have a bad joint somewhere? I’ve redone the joints twice now. I didn’t think I was that bad at soldering but it’s a possibility.

I do, however, want to make sure that the current shield image is okay to use with a 4B?

[ngwese]

@misuba

want to make sure that the current shield image is okay to use with a 4B

I don’t believe the currently posting image for the shield will work on a 4B. It is specifically targeted at a RPI 3B or 3B+ which matches the CPU in the norns hardware.

[misuba]

aha. So… is it possible for a mere mortal to build for 4B and make an image?

[okyeron]

There’s a thread:

Can I use the official Norns Shield w/ Raspberry Pi 4?

First off, new user so I’m not sure if this is the right section but here goes. Just got my Norns Shield Kit in the mail (woo!) and assembled it last night. Looks like the only RPis I have on hand are 2/3B/4B, no 3B+. I’ve ordered one but due to the current state of the world I don’t expect it to get here anytime soon. In my impatience, I wanted to see if I can get it working on my RPi 4 since it will be closest. I’ve looked a bit into the norns image code and it seems the only thing I would n…

[misuba]

Managed to miss that, sorry. Thanks! (The really annoying part is I have a 3B… somewhere. Welcome to the exciting new age, where full-featured computers can be lost in a junk drawer.)

[freaknodd]

Sorry, this may be a stupid question, but where can I get a complete Norns shield kit?

[tehn]

first link top post! back in stock within a week or so

[andrew]

more boards-only coming too ? (askin for a friend)

[jorgen83]

I’m having this exact problem right now. Perpetually loading, and similarly problems with the snd card loading.

Edit: Tried it with a different SD card, it works now. I’m getting sound and can select apps. Thing is, DMESG gives me the same error still, so that’s not something to go by.

[Benjamin_Mauch]

First successful soldering project ever. Thanks to @jojjjajjr for all of the help!!!