Not simple
For Null 2 Kit
I finally got around to assembling this today, I had to get through my backlog, and I was really looking forward to this kit.
Unfortunately, it appears I have a dud unit. My Raspberry Pi0 is brand new, and I put on a stock image of RetroPi prior to starting this build and it works fine.
I assembled according to the instructions, and a few videos that I found on youtube with no effort, and took probably 90 minutes. I had no problems with any overheating pads, or bridged joints. I've done plenty of SMD components prior to this. Plus having only one surface mount 3R9 resistor doesn't make it hard to assemble.
Metering around all the joints after putting the Pi0 in place seemed ok. I would like to mention that it would be beneficial to add pads to the bottom of this board so you can test the actual connectivity of the joints, instead of guessing that the solder has taken. The instructions would be better if they ditched the color coded schematic, and instead had a proper diagram, so you can test all soldered points, without confusing the slight variations in colors.
I believe my screen is faulty, it only shows a white background. Nothing flashes or flickers even slightly. I have reflashed the image twice, thinking it was the problem, then went over the joints and tested the Pi0 again with a RetroPi images SD card, which displays perfectly over HDMI. The little switch plastic nub has now broken off the power switch, since troubleshooting this device is less than ideal. The power down button at the bottom right initiates the shutdown command to my PI, and i can see when to turn it off as the LED extinguishes.
To date, in my 30+ years of soldering, this is the first device that has ever failed. Again, I believe it's the LCD, but since I don't have one spare it's pretty hard to confirm. Putting it back in the pile of "I'll get around to it" again. Assuming it's just these cheap LCD's from aliexpress? (https://de.aliexpress_dot_com/item/NoEnName-Null-2-8-inch-LCD-screen-touch-screen-ILI9341-SPI-serial-port-18pin-Z280IT010/32825958698.html)
Response from Ampersand | Dec. 28, 2018
Hi, send me a message on here when you pick up the build again and we'll troubleshoot it?