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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Picocalc done properly?
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dddns Guru ![]() Joined: 20/09/2024 Location: GermanyPosts: 415 |
This is the minimum size I'd suggest. They even bigger question is the display. |
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robert.rozee Guru ![]() Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2415 |
see: https://www.thebackshed.com/forum/ViewTopic.php?FID=16&TID=16242 and https://github.com/thwill1000/mmbasic-gamemite cheers, rob :-) |
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Gadgetguy Regular Member ![]() Joined: 26/04/2025 Location: FrancePosts: 75 |
Thank you - it seems no direct programming is possible: that is for me one of the most useful aspects. I like it though, very cool! |
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dddns Guru ![]() Joined: 20/09/2024 Location: GermanyPosts: 415 |
My E61 I own since 2005. So nice and so ugly to handle. ![]() |
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dddns Guru ![]() Joined: 20/09/2024 Location: GermanyPosts: 415 |
Looking at the waitlist on the Clockworkpi forum it is very likely that there would be a healthy demand for it. Is there any way to explore how to turn the great concept into reality please? 20k Worldwide? |
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Gadgetguy Regular Member ![]() Joined: 26/04/2025 Location: FrancePosts: 75 |
Looking at the waitlist on the Clockworkpi forum it is very likely that there would be a healthy demand for it. Is there any way to explore how to turn the great concept into reality please? 20k Worldwide? Units? Not sure. A couple thousand? Likely |
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dddns Guru ![]() Joined: 20/09/2024 Location: GermanyPosts: 415 |
if it would be ported to mobile and enabling people to write a "app" for their device, it would be the greatest successor |
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Nimue![]() Guru ![]() Joined: 06/08/2020 Location: United KingdomPosts: 400 |
Followed this with interest so far. The challenge I have personally, is that I "want" something like this to feed my inner 1980's kid play Hobbit on ZX Spectrum. Hence I would pay £50 for it. BUT I know in my heart that it would be purchased with enthusiasm, played with for 15mins and never then really used. Like the PicoGeek USB thing - love the idea, used it compulsively for a while, now its in my parts drawer waiting for a genuine use-case. The VGA / HDMI versions are super useful and fun to use - but in 90% of my use cases I still revert back to the original Picomite via TeraTerm. I suspect there would be a market for a HDMI version in the form factors of something like the Pi400 or AcronElectron. Something with a real keyboard, all in one type affair -- and there have been a number of projects shared here like that. And in fariness I keep my eyes out for a mechanical keyboard deep enough so I could retro fit something. Again, would pay £50 for something like that -- but still not sure it would be my "goto" solution. Nice, feel good and a pleasure to use, but would it end up on a shelf? All that said, if someone could clone a Casio scientific calculator where I can change the buttons to my own functions (as my wife is visually impaired) that would be a real commercial gold mine as the like for the visual impairment market is £XXX per calculator and they are still not up to purpose. Entropy is not what it used to be |
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JohnS Guru ![]() Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4010 |
It's running MMBasic. Needs a keyboard to do such programming. A bigger screen looks desirable (for me). John |
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JohnS Guru ![]() Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4010 |
Looking at the waitlist on the Clockworkpi forum it is very likely that there would be a healthy demand for it. Is there any way to explore how to turn the great concept into reality please? 20k Worldwide? Units? Not sure. A couple thousand? Likely I suspect no-one here wants to make or sell even 200 let alone 2000. John |
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Gadgetguy Regular Member ![]() Joined: 26/04/2025 Location: FrancePosts: 75 |
Yes, i see that. Its unfortunate that our chinese friends make all the sales with a unit that is clearly less performant vs the one proposed by Peter |
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PeteCotton![]() Guru ![]() Joined: 13/08/2020 Location: CanadaPosts: 529 |
Yeah - I think I agree with this. My problem with the calc format - is that I can't see anyone writing any sort of substantial program with those tiny keys. That's not to say it wouldn't sell a bucket load - just that I'm not sure what market it is filling. One of the many ideas I've been toying with (and failing to make time for) is a proper desktop "calculator", like the HP 85. I think that would be brilliant. These guys were used a lot for interfacing to instrumentation - so maybe a sort of HP85/PLC hybrid that people can use for full blown I/O. ![]() Let's face it - with the price of chips, you could have slot in "expansion cards" that each contain a PICO/ESP32 talking on a bus. If you want more digital I/O plug in a digital card. More analogue, then put in an analogue I/O card. A second monitor, plug in a CMM2 board that acts just like a graphics card. Storage - there's an expansion card for that. Another thought (and this has zero practical use - just the challenge of doing it), would be a timeshared mainframe/mini. With multiple RS232 terminals hanging off a card. Footnote added 2025-05-15 00:25 by PeteCotton Footnote: Sorry - I screwed up the quotes tag on this one ![]() |
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dddns Guru ![]() Joined: 20/09/2024 Location: GermanyPosts: 415 |
Oh Pete, you made my day. It's a beauty! :* Again and again impressive to see, how advanced we were already in the 80's. The question how good a device is to handle is the main criteria beside functionality if it stays and is accepted. In the 80's they already paid enormous attention to this aspect resulting e.g. in all the Ti calculators with brilliant keybaords and then Casio simplifying it but keeping or enhancing the usability. This is with me since 1985 and bound me so many hours at that time as it was soo! nice to handle: ![]() I really have to change the batteries and see if it still comes up :) ..but I think so :)) Frankly speaking I'd say, this is still _up_to_date_ !!! Edited 2025-05-14 17:00 by dddns |
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dddns Guru ![]() Joined: 20/09/2024 Location: GermanyPosts: 415 |
Like there is this beautiful possibility with PCBs and they way you can have a very professional looking part in front of you in just some days is a nice aspect these days. I think there is a similar chinese market for empty devices just as fabric. So e.g. such a Casio design I _think_ is possible to let it be manufactured in a series of 1000 for like 50 "bucks"?? Can anybody clarify how reality looks like, has that someone done and looked into this? ![]() Of cause it has a full screen editor :D Edited 2025-05-14 18:10 by dddns |
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dddns Guru ![]() Joined: 20/09/2024 Location: GermanyPosts: 415 |
I have never seen it but seems to be another example of done properly And this is artwork and can't be reached these days This has the size of a 2,5" hdd + some cm And because its artwork it was never really sold en mass Have you seen Odroid's handheld? it has no chance! PSP - no chance Switch - much better because better SW espacially for kids and to be precise: the Switch and its success together with Nintendo itself is not reasoned because its portable. That's only a side effect and to cover both markets. Same with Sony and PSP Edited 2025-05-14 19:07 by dddns |
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