I am offering for sale a Pandora handheld console/computer. This device has a range of emulators for a number of vintage consoles, computers, and arcade systems, and it can also be used as a standard ARM Linux computer.
This sale is UK-only. The asking price for this machine is £65 all-in. This includes insured delivery via MyHermes. Due to recent suggested changes to what's previously been the norm for trading on AmiBay, payment is to be via standard PayPal (not Gift or any other method), please, for the protection of both buyer and seller.
Please note that these machines are notorious for several issues that you need to be aware of;
1: You MUST supervise them when charging. The charge circuit is not very bright, and this can lead to the LiPo battery puffing up, which as we all know is a very bad thing.
2: After turning the USB Host on in the Pandora Menu, you must use a USB 2.0 hub if you wish to connect USB 1.0 or USB 1.1 devices to the USB port. Not doing so will render the USB port inoperable until you power fully off and back on again. This is not an issue if you don't use the USB port, of course!
3: The casings have random bows/bends in them on the display surround and battery cover, and they also crack at random, due to poor manufacturing processes. The cracks happen on their own even if you don't touch or use the machine. The earlier black cases are worse for this, but the later silver ones still do it, too. This unit has several small cracks on it due to this.
4: For similar reasons to the above, the painted finish on the casing comes off very easily, even when the machine is padded in something soft when carried.
Universal flaws aside, please read on for more information about this specific unit, along with photographs.
This is a 256MB RAM/512MB NAND unit, with the later fixed analogue sticks. It was sent back to the manufacturer in Germany for re-casing with the later silver version of the casing, and replacement of the LCD's inner cable with the sturdier revised version. All buttons, keys, and controllers work, and work properly. So does the touch screen, for which the original stylus is included. Both SD Card slots work properly also. It has been restored to factory settings, and is ready for the new owner to set up right out of the box.
The battery is the original one that came with it, and as such is now several years old, though it still holds a very long charge. According to the battery-meter, it now typically charges to around 70%, give or take a bit. Included is a USB PSP charging cable, as this machine uses the same charger as the PSP. It is not a data cable. You can plug this cable into a USB wall wart or a computer's USB port to charge the machine, but the latter is slower.
To the best of my knowledge, this Pandora can hold a stable overclock of around 800MHz at the "OPP5" (maximum) voltage rating offered by the on-board software overclocking utility, if needed. Going too high will cause random crashing and freezing, and general instability.
I do not know if the in-built WiFi functions correctly or even at all, as I have never used this feature. I know that on some units it does, whilst on others it does not.
I have also never used the built-in microphone, so I don't know if that works or not (again, on some units it does, but not on others).
This machine has been well-looked after by me, and has been used and stored carefully, though there are a some light scratches, dings, and spots of wear to the silver paint of the sort that you would expect a handheld console to get over multiple years of normal use and daily carrying around, along with a couple of other marks that have occurred due to the silver finish not being very hard-wearing.
As noted at the start of this listing, there have been issues with the manufacture of the plastic casings and their painted finishes. The silver cases are a lot better, but sometimes still can crack of their own accord like the older black ones did, and the paint comes off of the silver ones just as easily to reveal black plastic underneath. This unit has a small crack behind the USB port on the back, as well as one at the right-hand hinge area, and another tiny one at the back of the base of the main display/hinge area (visible when closed). I would imagine that someone with the right glues or putties could probably deal with this easily. There is also a small amount of outward "bowing" at the bottom of the screen surround and on the battery cover, which is another known issue with the casing.
Please note that no memory cards or software to run on the machine are included with this sale. The device uses standard SD Cards, and is also compatible with microSD Cards in a full-sized SD Card adapter. You will need at least one memory card in order to use it, as this is where you need to put the programs for the machine to run.
Please see images below for more detail, including of the flaws listed above.
Please note that since this photo was originally taken, the unit gained a fairly large vertical scratch with a smaller ding nearby, on the left-hand side, after being carried out and about in a soft bag for a couple of weeks. This is due to the paint not being very strong, as noted above. I unfortunately only realised that I had forgotten to take a revised photograph *after* I had packaged the machine up ready to send out - sorry about that!
Note that the stylus shown here is non-original, but the original stylus has since been found and is what is included with this machine. Again, I forgot to take a revised picture!
This sale is UK-only. The asking price for this machine is £65 all-in. This includes insured delivery via MyHermes. Due to recent suggested changes to what's previously been the norm for trading on AmiBay, payment is to be via standard PayPal (not Gift or any other method), please, for the protection of both buyer and seller.
Please note that these machines are notorious for several issues that you need to be aware of;
1: You MUST supervise them when charging. The charge circuit is not very bright, and this can lead to the LiPo battery puffing up, which as we all know is a very bad thing.
2: After turning the USB Host on in the Pandora Menu, you must use a USB 2.0 hub if you wish to connect USB 1.0 or USB 1.1 devices to the USB port. Not doing so will render the USB port inoperable until you power fully off and back on again. This is not an issue if you don't use the USB port, of course!
3: The casings have random bows/bends in them on the display surround and battery cover, and they also crack at random, due to poor manufacturing processes. The cracks happen on their own even if you don't touch or use the machine. The earlier black cases are worse for this, but the later silver ones still do it, too. This unit has several small cracks on it due to this.
4: For similar reasons to the above, the painted finish on the casing comes off very easily, even when the machine is padded in something soft when carried.
Universal flaws aside, please read on for more information about this specific unit, along with photographs.
This is a 256MB RAM/512MB NAND unit, with the later fixed analogue sticks. It was sent back to the manufacturer in Germany for re-casing with the later silver version of the casing, and replacement of the LCD's inner cable with the sturdier revised version. All buttons, keys, and controllers work, and work properly. So does the touch screen, for which the original stylus is included. Both SD Card slots work properly also. It has been restored to factory settings, and is ready for the new owner to set up right out of the box.
The battery is the original one that came with it, and as such is now several years old, though it still holds a very long charge. According to the battery-meter, it now typically charges to around 70%, give or take a bit. Included is a USB PSP charging cable, as this machine uses the same charger as the PSP. It is not a data cable. You can plug this cable into a USB wall wart or a computer's USB port to charge the machine, but the latter is slower.
To the best of my knowledge, this Pandora can hold a stable overclock of around 800MHz at the "OPP5" (maximum) voltage rating offered by the on-board software overclocking utility, if needed. Going too high will cause random crashing and freezing, and general instability.
I do not know if the in-built WiFi functions correctly or even at all, as I have never used this feature. I know that on some units it does, whilst on others it does not.
I have also never used the built-in microphone, so I don't know if that works or not (again, on some units it does, but not on others).
This machine has been well-looked after by me, and has been used and stored carefully, though there are a some light scratches, dings, and spots of wear to the silver paint of the sort that you would expect a handheld console to get over multiple years of normal use and daily carrying around, along with a couple of other marks that have occurred due to the silver finish not being very hard-wearing.
As noted at the start of this listing, there have been issues with the manufacture of the plastic casings and their painted finishes. The silver cases are a lot better, but sometimes still can crack of their own accord like the older black ones did, and the paint comes off of the silver ones just as easily to reveal black plastic underneath. This unit has a small crack behind the USB port on the back, as well as one at the right-hand hinge area, and another tiny one at the back of the base of the main display/hinge area (visible when closed). I would imagine that someone with the right glues or putties could probably deal with this easily. There is also a small amount of outward "bowing" at the bottom of the screen surround and on the battery cover, which is another known issue with the casing.
Please note that no memory cards or software to run on the machine are included with this sale. The device uses standard SD Cards, and is also compatible with microSD Cards in a full-sized SD Card adapter. You will need at least one memory card in order to use it, as this is where you need to put the programs for the machine to run.
Please see images below for more detail, including of the flaws listed above.
Please note that since this photo was originally taken, the unit gained a fairly large vertical scratch with a smaller ding nearby, on the left-hand side, after being carried out and about in a soft bag for a couple of weeks. This is due to the paint not being very strong, as noted above. I unfortunately only realised that I had forgotten to take a revised photograph *after* I had packaged the machine up ready to send out - sorry about that!
Note that the stylus shown here is non-original, but the original stylus has since been found and is what is included with this machine. Again, I forgot to take a revised picture!
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