This is a thread where I will be sharing my progress of using the uconsole as my main, and only computer.
The challenge has already started! This was written on the uconsole.
If anyone else daily drives the uconsole, feel free to post your updates here!
Thanks!
I will be very keen to hear your experience. I am presently using a GPD MicroPC which is great for some of the same reasons as the uconsole - proper keyboard, proper Linux, lots of ports. But the uconsole has the option of built-in 4G, and is more hackable being based around a Raspberry Pi.
How’s the charging on your uconsole? One big advantage of the MicroPC is it will charge from any 5V source, even a really weak old 500mA charger from 20 years ago, or whatever grubby USB port is in the bus/train/plane. I’d be interested to hear if the uConsole can do the same. It’s not a dealbreaker if it can’t, because its battery is removable and industry-standard 18650 size… so you could just carry some spares if necessary.
It’s, thankfully, much easier than it used to be:
I’ve said as much in other comments. It’s never been a very polished experience but for the wattage requirements and durability there isn’t anything else that can compete.
One trick I came up with: superglue the USB-C power connector to the motherboard. It’ll loosen and come off over time because the chassis doesn’t sandwich it and keep it flush with the motherboard, so it has wiggle room which you can (unknowingly) widen each time you plug in the cable. It’s not the worst solder job ever if it fully comes off but superglue is a great preventative measure. Don’t get glue in the port! Just around it.
As for age-related maintenance I’ll link this as I think it’ll become more relevant as time goes on:
Charging the uConsole is about the same as charging anything else via USB-C. It’ll take a 500mA or even 200mA trickle but if you’re running it at the same time you might not be able to draw enough watts (2.5W or 1W respectively at those currents) to replenish your battery. For battery health I recommend manually disconnecting your 18650s when the battery is full; I think, only based on behavior I’ve seen from various monitors, that the device may still put wear on the batteries even at 100% instead of doing the occasional top-up but mostly running off the wall like most mobiles do, but I could be wrong. For convenience, I do not and have never done this myself, but once I solder a switch onto my HackerGadgets battery board it should be easy so I may start.
How should I glue the port to the motherboard? And should it be for all ports.
Like, do you mean that I put superglue under the port where it connects to the motherboard?
And should I avoid the wiring or solder tabs, etc on the motherboard? (Sorry i don’t know much about motherboards)
fwiw here’s an ex-GPD microPC user. i quite liked it until the hinge failed ( Reddit - The heart of the internet ). then the battery died - the replacement wasn’t cheap and it did not boot without it. got rid of it. also.. i like the fact that uconsole (cm4) is completely silent as opposed to that tiny fan that was on most of the time.
The reason the glue is useful is that the USB-C port is attached to the ClockworkPi mainboard by solder joints only, which aren’t meant to or capable of taking the kind of stress placed on them by violent jostling or other mishaps. An ideal design would have used easily-replaceable ports or perhaps have attached a brace to the PCB, but both would have increased cost and without the benefit of hindsight would have provided questionable practical value. Carefully supergluing the port to the board, in addition to the solder already there, helps with durability because the adhesive prevents the port from flexing against the mainboard and breaking the joints.
I would like to very clearly restate that a common lazy IT trick is that if a computer has USB ports from which users must be restricted, putting superglue in the ports prevents them from being used, because the superglue is difficult to remove and coats the electrical conductors, preventing use. What this means is getting superglue in a USB-C port is disastrous and would require desoldering it and either replacing it or soaking it in alcohol to remove the glue. So be careful.
I think gel-style superglue dotted along the left and right sides of the port would be least risky as it would avoid the spots where the glue could leak into the port itself. I haven’t personally tried this but will do so probably this week as I haven’t had time. Hot glue along the solder joints would probably also help. These mods aren’t pretty but do serve to substantially increase the mechanical durability of the USB-C’s connection to the mainboard.
Has anyone else had the issue that @trinity has been having?
Edit: referring to the usb-c getting loose?
Today, I will be planning on getting all my chrome extensions on chromium, download apps/packages I usually use, and setup my environment with personalisation.
I will also be working on my upcoming space-centred YouTube video about the uconsole with shooting some b-roll and maybe writing a script.
If you have any questions on my progress ask them here.
i bought a generic usb-c cable with magnet lock/head and never take magnet part out of the uconsole.
I’m probably going to re-in-force it with some duct tape or electricians tape. Will duct tape do the job? and is the issue with all ports, or just the C port?
My hinge broke too! I fixed it with superglue but it soon broke again. It only cracked on one side so now I’m just being gentle with it and it seems to be holding up.
If you’re running Linux on your MicroPC you might be able to edit the BAT0 file to limit the charging voltage so the battery might last for more cycles and/or tolerate being left on a charger for long periods.
On my Linux Mint install this can be found in /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0
I understand the approach, but I fear that superglue between a lacquered pcb and metal cannot withstand forces that the solder joints cannot handle. In my opinion, the better approach is to minimise mechanical stress and, for example, use a magnetic connection as @white-round-square does.
Will duct tape do the job?
No, that won’t help. Essentially, sockets are wear parts. As @trinity wrote, the best solution would have been to use an easily replaceable socket as a module board. Old ThinkPad laptops had this, for example. You could simply swap out a small board with a new socket. If the sockets are soldered onto the main pcb, it’s best to minimise mechanical stress or, one day, replace the socket.
If duct tape doesnt help, how will superglue for the same reaason?
Can you provide a link to a magnetic head, that’s cheap, and works with the uconsole?
Duct tape is just tape. Tape is stretchy. You’d have to apply a lot of pre-tension to make sure the socket doesn’t move. Superglue bonds the socket to the circuit board, preventing any movement. However, this bond isn’t very strong. In the simplest case, the glue will detach from the (not residue-free and not prepared for bonding) metal. Or – perhaps even more likely – the paint layer will simply detach from the circuit board.
So I guess that I will have to use a magnetic attachment to the usb-c.
That would be my first choice. I’ve considered doing this with several devices, but the truth is, I’ve never actually had a socket break. I should add, though, that I always take great care to ensure the sockets and plugs are clean and, above all, that no mechanical stress is placed on a plugged-in connector.
this really is a mostly hypothetical problem and you can use a fancy magnetic cable if you’re concerned about it, but doing nothing is going to work just fine for quite a long time