V5 Minimal Upgrade Kit

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Bravo, … once again !

I just received my order of Zynthian V5 to 5.1 minimal upgrade kits and various other Zynthian Labs goodies. My friendly UPS driver delivered it to my door in California, five days after some other UPS person picked it up in Spain. Including a weekend. There were no tariffs/customs issues with the package.

I’m posting about what should be, an otherwise unremarkable event, to provide a counterpoint to the delivery issues elsewhere in the forum. After all, we tend to post when there’s a problem.

And speaking of remarkable, the thermal block inside is astonishing. I thought that the older thermal block was pretty amazing, but the new gold anodizing and part labeling and the Pi symbol are just over the top. It’s really a shame that very few people will get to see the thermal block inside the Zynthian!

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Please get a delivery option that is not UPS. At least for us Europeans, please!

The V5.1 upgrade kit disappears from the cart when you proceed to checkout!

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Hi @jofemodo and @zynthianers,

This is just to confirm that - despite looking a bit intimidating to the not accustomed ones - the cutting part of the 5.1 upgrade procedure comes out quite nicely. Sure, there is little space for error on the mainboard! (as already highlighted by others)

Nevertheless, those interested in embarking in the transition from V5 to 5.1 should be aware that soldering two tiny wires from the new USB-C harness to the underside of the mainboard is definitely not a walk in the park.

The D+ and D- contacts to target are really small and close, and they seem to be made of a resilient solder mixture which is not very inclined to melt with the usual mid-tier soldering iron on the shelf. Moreover, the melted tin on the new wires does not seem to attach easily to the existing contacts, at least in my experience and with my quite rusty soldering abilities, after more than 20 years since the last foray into building DIY audio cables to spare some money :wink:. I decided to look for professional help for this part, in the end.

This said, I absolutely concur that the aesthetic quality and technological knowhow conveyed by the gold anodised thermal block are just astounding! It is indeed a pity that nobody will be able to see it from the outside of the Zynth! :grinning:

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Hi zynthiangang and @jofemodo,

I am getting back to this thread in order to proudly proclaim to the nations that I too managed to complete the V 5.1 upgrade hack successfully! :grinning: :star:

I followed slowly and carefully both the Fernando’s instructions and the video by @mr_floydst.

I can tell already, even before having put the system to significant test, that performance of the official kit with 64 bit Oram on Pi 5 has vastly improved, as far as loading times, software stability and device responsiveness go.

I have taken a comprehensive photographic report of the process, and therefore will prepare soon the materials for a detailed step-by-step textual tutorial, for everyone to make good use of. :wink:.

All the best to all @zyntianers!

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No Rook Soup for you!

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Hello all.

I still can not get the cart in the shop to add the V5.1 upgrade kit or the angle bracket mount kit to the cart. Are these items out of stock? There is no indication on the main shopping page.

Thanks for your help. @jofemodo

Hi @crcasey934 !

Both items should be available for shopping now. Could you try again?
If you still have problems, please, specify what do you do step by step what the issue exactly is.

Thanks

Will do.

It went through. Thanks for the Assistance!

Will do.