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The Holotape Deck - Part 3 - OLED it be!

A project log for Fully Functional* Pip-Boy™ 2000 Mk VI

*with varying degrees of function

vincentVincent 08/11/2020 at 06:190 Comments

So I spent the better half of my weekend fidgeting with the OLEDs and the HoloTape Module!
I initially bought some I2C OLEDs with their headers already attached from AliExpress, and my skills at de-soldering these pins are abysmal to say the worst. Furthermore, me manhandling these small pieces of electronics have already cost some of these (albeit cheap) screens to die from having their ribbon cable ripped from their pads. Yeah... So I ordered a couple (5) new ones from AliExpress that didn't have those pins pre-installed. I tried adding some JST connectors, but those ended up being to bully. 90 degree pins with dupont connectors also didn't fit, so I spent a good couple of minutes soldering wires to the OLEDS.

I removed the OLED screens from their adhesive backing and spaced them out so both of the screens would touch the back of the plastic display.
This way I could cover almost all of the holes for the date/time display.

After I was sufficiently happy with the approach I took, I used electrical tape to protect the soldering points, and provide some structural support for the wires. I then hot-glued it all together to a singular module with 8 wires sticking out.
Ideally I would have daisy-chained them with Qwiic connectors, but those connectors added too much bulk so I wouldn't be able to get the OLEDs to line up properly.

The Fitting
Now that I have my "OLED Module" done (oh I just remember I have to test the screens!), I had to find a way to put it all in the module without interfering with the tape ejection mechanism. After a couple of fittings and looking at the manual, I decided to cut some holes in the bottom, in some raised parts on the bottom of the module:

The space on the lower right of the picture is going to be decorated with a black/yellow warning decal, so I thought it would also be aesthetically fitting for wires to come out on both sides. Threading the wire bundle will hopefully also provide a strain relief on the OLED display wire connections, as it's being friction-locked in place.
Here's the result:
I will have to hide the crimes a bit, but that's where paint and Milliput come in ;).
Here is a better view of how I put the wires in:
They come out the back, and hopefully do not interfere with the latching mechanism. I couldn't deduce from the manual if those lips on top were required for it to keep hold on something, so I drilled holes to the side of them. You might notice that the colors of the wires are inverted, but that is because one of the OLEDs is upside-down in order to fit against the other OLED screen. They are color coded, so I know which I2C pads I need to solder ;).

Next is to find out whether or not I would need to solder in an I2C multiplexer in between the Artemis Nano, or if I can address multiple I2C ports(? or are they connections? I am new to this) on the board. Both OLED screens have the same address and are not able to be changed via hardware. I guess a mux is the only option here, should the Artemis Nano not allow any of that.

Well, as I just reminded myself to test the screens, I think that's all for now as far as the HoloTape Module is concerned. Stay tuned for more updates later!

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