Will update as I go along, might be of help to other newbies…
Uconsole assembled. Hackergadgets AIOv2, adaptor and battery/nvme board. Still waiting for the AIOv2 aerial kit (ordered just the board by mistake from AliExpress).
Battery board…
ENSURE THE CONTACTS SIT FLUSH INSIDE THE TWO SOCKETS as below. It is intended to go on at 45deg and then be pushed flat, just like the core adaptor board…
Measured the AIOv2 resistor in situ, appears to have been replaced as hoped (reading around 3.9Kohm). Left the screen protector on for now and managed to remove the lift tab, doesnt appear to cause undue pressure on the glass. Note the keyboard tray has alignment pins for all three layers, make sure the pins poke yhrough the holes. Speakers fitted with contacts facing right so are close to the AIO mounting screw for firmer contact. Dissaponted in the position of the speakers and lack of venting. Don’t forget the AIOv2 clock battery !, CR1220. AIOv2 side panel only just squeezes in when the aio is fitted. General assembly so far was easy, yet the Hackergadgets flat cables were difficult to insert and lock down. LATCHES VERY EASILY BROKEN especially if trying to open again, TAKE CARE. FOLLOW THE PHOTOS POSTED BY @vileer to get the right way round (notice the printing each side is not the same !) and double check !. See image, even if correctly fitted the gold pads one end of the two cables protrudes slightly. Noticed the cm4/5 adaptor
board wasn’t fully in its slot (right hand ribbon didn’t line up perfectly with the AIOv2). After a little struggling the adaptor went in a little deeper (yes at an angle then push the back down so the clips lock it in place). The cable sockets now line up yet the module side clips even though locking the module down don’t appear to line up exactly with the module cutouts ?. The battery module pins were difficult to insert, the trick that can be missed is placing them on top of the sockets and pressing them down with care, a finger on each (as shown in the Uconsole assembly manual). Pushing in horizontally was tricky but not impossible). Later discovered the contacts should be positioned at 45deg and pushed down whilst also pushing the board flat.
Supplied WiFi antenna…
I mounted on a thick piece of foam tape (adhesive on one side like sellotape). Biggest possible gap between the case top too. Gives better reception.
Core mounting…
Moderately easy. Lined up the holes and gently clicked down using fingers above the connectors, onto the adaptor plate while in situ. Thought that was it till I double checked. THE CM5 WAS NOT SITTING FLAT. Another press and again clicked so beware !!. Should look like this from the side, nice and parallel to the adaptor plate…
Next the SD card to boot from. Prepared using the official Raspberry Imager and card reader on my PC…
https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
And @Rex 's latest Trixie…
I used a 256Gb Samsung Evo+…
Working great !, plenty of free space for downloads too. Will try a faster 1Tb card soon yet dont have a way of testing speed in the Uconsole yet. NOTE the card slot next to the rear power switch expects the card label facing upwards (towards the screen). Tricky as the top overhang gets in the way, especially when removing, you may need tweezers or micro pliers). The card should GENTLY click in and sit flush, dont force as may be the wrong way round…
Heatsink pad, DONT FORGET especially if using a CM5. Remove the plastic sheets on both sides. I placed the supplied pad over the silver CPU and memory chips to the right, leaving the wifi module on the left clear.
DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING.
Charged batteries fitted, 3500Mah for now. ENSURE THE RIGHT WAY ROUND AND BOTH FACING THE SAME DIRECTION.
Case back on, note the supplied thermal pad will stop the back sitting flush till screwed down.
Power on…
The rear power switch needs to be gently held in for 2 seconds. If you look from the back you’ll see one side lights up green. The other side is orange and indicates charging from the main board USB-C socket if connected (goes out when complete).
BE PATIENT. Even when setup is complete, switching on will give a black screen for a few seconds !. First boot unpacks and expands the OS, you may see an error messafe suggesting something is missing and to reboot, hold down the power switch till the screen goes off then power on again and wait. Enter your language, WiFi and password etc and voila !
Questions…
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Micro SD boot. Is it true 256Gb is the largest that will work ?. Has anyone done speed tests and found the max possible read/write speed worth going for ?
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When the missing parts arrive and the main unit seems to be working, how do I copy the build from SD card to NVMe using the Uconsole alone ?. I did see someone mention a command that did it well but can’t find again.
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Using on a hard surface. Not pleasant !, needs some form of rubber feet/mats. Any success stories with photos ?
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CM5 wifi vs AC1200. Is this a worthwhile upgrade to the wifi or is the CM5 ok with the Hackergadget external aerial ?.
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AIOv2 new 7-antenna mount. It seems to be open frame yet someone has designed a cover that still allows access to power switch and sd card slot ?.
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…
(I do prefer wired tho). It would probably be the Hackergadgets model plugged into the AIO internal usb3 if i go down that route in the future.