It's finally here!!! Huge thanks to JLCPCB (who sponsor my various projects and videos as well as provide the pcbs). $2 for 10 PCBs (in 48hours)!!!: https://jlcpcb.com

So I've started assembly which will go into the project video and linked when that is complete. There are a few small(ish?) errors I've made but the good news is that electrically everything works great. Last night I was able to charge the battery, flash the bootloader and load up a good 20 games or so and play for an hour before I went to sleep. Here's a quick demo:

So what are the mistakes I made this time (I like to think of them as learning experiences) due to my impatience in getting the order in before my fab house shut down for holiday? Well here's an incomplete list in no particular order:

- all drill holes are too small and cutouts on the sides near the screen are much too shallow (easy fix)

- the footprint I drew for the OLED screen has through hole pads that are also too small (easy fix)

- the power switch and micro usb port at the top are recessed into the shell and very difficult/impractical to use once the shell is screwed together (I will have the board jut out at the top to allow easier access and 3D print a part to cover the gaping hole left where the socket from the original VMU is)

- while the alignment of the buttons seems pretty good, I've noticed the tiny dpad is super sensitive making it pretty easy to hit the wrong direction while playing (I'll try modifying the button pads to support small metal snap domes to give more tactile feedback and hopefully resist mis-presses)

So for the first prototype to fix most of these issues I've had to do a bit of a bodge job to get everything to fit and work but there is at least nothing major that needs to be changed for v2.0 of the board. So I'll make the necessary changes and order another set of boards.