Hello everyone,
My English is not sufficient to express my thoughts, so all content is from translation software.
I started exploring Raspberry Pi in the spring of 2024 and found it to be an interesting product that could solve some problems I encounter in my work. I work in the advertising industry, and before this, I had no experience with Linux or command-line usage. However, with the development of AI, the difficulties that once held me back have become much easier to handle.
At the end of February this year, I came across the uConsole and was deeply captivated by its design. Although I wasn’t entirely sure what I could do with it, I hesitated for three days before immediately placing an order. After waiting for over five months, I finally received it and have been using it for about a month.
Since I am a complete novice with no technical background, I still wanted to share some of my personal user experiences and questions.
The positive aspects have already been discussed by everyone, including the elegant design, modular installation, and all-metal construction… I mainly want to talk about my personal user experience and questions:
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About the screen.
Why is the screen natively vertical? Although it can be used in landscape mode through software settings, a natively vertical screen seems somewhat unreasonable or like a compromise. I encountered this issue when installing RetroPie. I’m not sure if this is a custom screen or an off-the-shelf product. Additionally, the 720p resolution is fine at this size, but the color temperature feels a bit cool. I wonder if it can be adjusted through software. -
About the speaker.
I feel the sound is insufficient. The maximum volume is just barely audible, and at 50% volume, it’s practically unusable. (In comparison, the screen performance is acceptable—the maximum brightness is high, the brightness adjustment gradient is noticeable, and the lowest brightness is suitable for nighttime use.) The two speakers appear to be 8Ω 1W 16*9mm composite aluminum membrane square magnet speakers, typically used in products like smartwatches or oximeters. Personally, I think 1W speakers are too quiet for the uConsole’s positioning. I might be comparing it to my iPad, but even the bottom speaker of an iPhone is louder than the uConsole’s.After some research, I found that the audio amplifier chip is the AW8110, which supports up to 3W @ 3Ω (10% THD+N, VDD=5V). If 4Ω speakers were used, the volume could potentially be improved to a usable level.I tried using the original speakers from a MacBook Pro A2485, and both the volume and sound quality were satisfactory. However, these speakers are too large to fit into the uConsole. I then looked into iPad or iPhone bottom speakers, but most are 8-10Ω. iPad speakers require a shared acoustic chamber with the bottom case to achieve good sound quality. iPhone speakers, on the other hand, can fit into the uConsole, but the AW8110 doesn’t drive them well, and the volume isn’t high either. I purchased an iPhone 16 Pro bottom speaker for testing, but I couldn’t find the parameters of the internal amplifier in iPhones.
MBP A2485 Speaker：https://watch.wave.video/1TIxrBtNs2EzyeOn
AAC Speaker for smartphones（REDMI K80P）: https://watch.wave.video/mBOwees3SzBiWL2S
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About heat dissipation.
I am using the CM4 10800. After learning from some well-established methods in the forum, I added a 1.5mm thick red copper plate inside the back cover, installed heat dissipation fins on the outside, and added thermal pads in between. During daily use, the core temperature stays between 40-60°C. However, passive dissipation causes the device casing to accumulate heat, especially when I take it out of my bag—it feels quite hot to the touch, even though the core temperature never exceeds 65°C. That said, with winter coming, it can double as a hand warmer for now.I’ve seen experts in the forum create 3D-printed custom cases with installed fans, which look very cool. However, I’m still obsessed with the original uConsole casing…
I noticed there are 30*30*3mm fans available. I purchased one for testing, but the cooling effect didn’t seem significant. It might be due to my temporary and less rigorous installation method. I plan to do more testing later and might need to purchase vileer’s latest expansion board with a fan interface.