#1063

@Gordeaux

if money is no issue and you don’t hate the norns enclosure aesthetically…buying the shield will be a step-down imo (esp if you had factory norns in the past)

this is what i love most about each:

norns

  • battery with integrated charger
  • 1/4" jacks with separate headphone + driver

shield

  • sd card = simple, cheap, high capacity storage (i have 64gb)

hey @tehn

happy to email you if that’s easier…after updating to the latest fw my shield it won’t boot up

is there a way to reset?

1 Like
#1064
  • Shield has builtin WiFi (Norns requires an external “nub” that takes up a USB port).
2 Likes
#1065

I’m thrilled to bits with my Norns Shield, but if I had the funds I’d probably go for a Norns.

I love the tiny footprint of the Shield, but I feel like the key/encoder layout on the Norns (and Fates) is a bit friendlier.

2 Likes
#1066

I have both norns and a shield, I use the factory norns for audio duties. I guess if you are focussed on midi scripts, shields is good enough.
I very much prefer the factory norns aesthetically, upgraded my norns to Cm3+ with 32 gb which is plenty.

2 Likes
#1067

i actually see this as a somewhat negative/ambivalent:

  • takes extra power when not being used, and has to manually be disabled, versus just not plugging in the nub
  • both the builtin wifi on rpi (shield) and the included usb nub (with norns) have terrible range, but you can replace either with a better-ranged nub with an antenna
  • on either system you’ll be challenging the power system if you’re using all four usb ports with high-powered devices— low power ones are fine (ie wifi, usb-midi interface, usb thumbdrive)— so i don’t see the port space as precious really, as you should probably use an externally powered hub if you’re (for example) using a grid, arc, and other midi controllers that draw significant power.

an additional plus for the norns:

  • integrated serial interface over the usb charge port. there simply isn’t a great way to debug a shield if the screen or wifi isn’t working. (this could be remedied if someone wanted to enable HDMI support in a shield-specific kernel, but that has not been a strong priority)

future norns will (very likely) ship with the 32GB CM3+.

@glia i’d suggest backing up any of your files/audio from the sdcard (by inserting the card into your computer) and re-imaging the disk (from the norns shield disk image) and then try re-running the update. did you get any error messages when you updated?

1 Like
#1068

Ethernet is a pretty easy solution for this.

People could also add the UART header and go old school, but that’s not exactly “easy”

2 Likes
#1069

had no important files on it so i just re-flashed the image and will try running the update

i didn’t see any errors…ran the update and was prompted to shut down as expected

since then i haven’t been able to turn it back on
edit: it’s workin again! updating now…

1 Like
#1070

My kit arrived today and i just finished building the thing about 2 hours ago, i’m already falling in love with it. Something about the OLED graphics and the UI in general feels very cute for lack of a better word (“sleep? sleep.”).

Regarding the build, used a flux pen when reflowing some of the header joints but was too excited to try and see if the thing works to clean it up. Will that cause problems in the long run or is it fine to leave the residue on the PCB?

1 Like
#1071

I don’t know from a technical perspective but I similarly didn’t clean up my solder or the board and everything was working and I was very excited. But now I’ve got a busted pot that I haven’t yet been able to fix and I feel like it might be related :frowning: Just do it up propper so it’s easier to troubleshoot, god forbid, down the line :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like
#1072

Does anyone know if Doepfer A-183-9 USB modules can power Norns? Would love to remove the powered USB hub from my setup.

#1073

from the specs on the module page, the current it can deliver is limited only by the 5v rail of the system power supply.

if you are using a norns shield, the question isn’t “can it power norns,” but rather “can it power the raspberry pi to which the norns shield is attached.” the rpi foundation lists current requirement for various models. for 3B or 3B+, they recommend a supply rated at 2.5A. that seems like pretty exreme demand on your eurorack power, but it all depends on what you’ve got in the case.

#1074

i’m not sure the doepfer module does filtering/isolation, but the pi is likely very noisy and may poison your 5v. though it may not matter because most modules that ask for 5v are doing something digital with that rail.

i wouldn’t bother trying this unless you have a massive 5v supply— like 4A at least… which is slightly uncommon/weird perhaps.

Fates - a DIY norns DAC board for Raspberry Pi
#1075

Hello friends - my shield arrived on Wednesday and I am absolutely blown away by the things it can do.

The amount of passion and talent in this community is really inspiring, I am incredibly grateful to all of you <3

norns-fam
norns-fam1267×713 319 KB

14 Likes
#1076

Anybody have a resource on testing an encoder using a multimeter? Testing pots was quite simple to learn but google searches for equivalent encoder tests have left me confused, and I’m not sure exactly what output the norns encoders might have on each of their legs… or if continuity measurements are even relevant in this case/if theres something else to measure?

#1077

what problem are you experiencing?

#1078

Same problem from before of encoder 3 completely non responsive :frowning:

(very sorry to bother u on a weekend no rush at all :sweat_smile:, heres a link to my above post where i describe other possible causes of failure DIY: norns shield

just figured I might be able to diagnose if I’d killed the encoder itself because I do have some spares)

#1079

I finally traced my noise-burst issues that appear randomly when playing passersby and make it unusable for me.

It seems to be connected to that funky mini usb power jack of the raspi 3b, when the burst (a bit like ring mod noise) happens it repeats a few times with notes played and disapears.

When that happens, the red light of the pi goes off and the yellow act flashes shortly a few times, when the noise disapears the red light goes back on.

It seems like when i press the mini usb real hard into the jack, it doesnt happen, yet nothing seems loose or wobbly.

Any idea of a permanent fix besides glue? And does this sound familiar to anybody?

#1080

See if the place you bought the pi will replace it.?

#1081

Hi there, just made my DIY norns - ty so much for this. I couldn’t have joined this community otherwise.

Quick question: how often is the shield image updated? I see that is has a separate repo, norns-image, which is ~ 6 releases behind.

I’m just wondering how often to check back in :slight_smile: very excited to explore this machine.

#1082

hey hey! welcome, glad you got up and running smoothly.

shield updates stay in step with stock norns – the base image is just the springboard from which to update through SYSTEM > UPDATE. so, if you haven’t already updated through there (press K2 on the HOME menu to see your current software version – most recent is 200712), make sure to do so in order to get the july 12 update :slight_smile:

fwiw, the base re-downloadable image of stock norns is from january, so shield actually wins there :wink:

1 Like