Fri Oct 14 '16 Announcement
about 8 years ago
– Fri, Oct 14, 2016 at 07:19:20 PM
FOLLOW UP UPDATE
Hi Awesome Contributors!
Ok, so as promised here is an update on where we currently stand.
So, we got the latest sample set this Monday (the holidays in China delayed our shipment, so we never received them until this week). Overall, our assessment is that we managed to solve a lot of the issues we had however,
1. Whilst we have now pretty much fixed the internal tolerances, we just need to work on consistency from our manufacturers end on how the AirBolt is assembled. We found that this is still causing a level of variance on how the AirBolt's locking mechanism is working.
2. We are much closer in terms of the colours as well however, we believe the Monza Red still needs more work as it hasn't met our specifications.
Overall, we have cut down the majority of our "to solve" list. We hope to receive another set of samples over the week. In this case, point 1 is crucial and point 2 can continue be solved as we prepare for mass production.
So once we approve the samples, we will then be able to lock in a final production date.
We'll be in touch within a fortnight.
Until then,
We honestly thank you for your patience, keep being awesome!
-- The AirBolt Team.
p.s. for those who need to update their shipping address, you may do so anytime until we send an update to you suggest otherwise. Only the color selections have been locked out at this stage. Please visit the link below if you need to update your shipping address.
https://airbolt-igg.backerkit.com/
Sun Sep 25 '16 Announcement
about 8 years ago
– Sun, Sep 25, 2016 at 03:12:13 AM
Short Update on Timelines and Production.
Holaa awesome Contributors! Happy Sunday to all :) .
Hope you are all doing well.We are sure that you are all wondering what is happening and what the latest update is.
So, over the last month we have been busy reviewing the samples before going into mass production. The sample run, as mentioned, is essentially a pre-production run of about a 100 or so units in which we test the manufacturing process end to end and ensure that all quality control processes are in place and that the product produced at the end, meets our specifications.
After thorough evaluation, what we found is
1. There were minor differences in internal dimensions which, caused a level of inconsistency in how the locking mechanism worked. These dimensions are absolutely crucial so we cannot compromise on this aspect.
2. We needed to change internal connections from using soldering to connectors to ensure the longevity of the AirBolt and to reduce wastage in case of damage to the PCBA.
3. The colours needed to be adjusted so that they matched what we provided in terms of our requirements.
4. Some aesthetic elements in terms of the alignment of the two halves of the AirBolt casing etc needed to be adjusted.
Overall, you can consider these teething problems really. The design we have is fine, it just needs to be replicated and produced consistently and pass all quality checks.
So, we have been working closely with the manufacturer to resolve these issues and get into mass production.
TIMELINE:
Having said the above. We hope we get the required from our manufacturers this week. Essentially, they need to resolve points 1 and 2 for us to give the green light. Points 3 and 4 can happen as we prepare for Mass Production.
We will only know what the timeline will look like by end of this week/early next week. But you can expect Mass Production to now complete in November.
Fingers crossed as if we still find adjustments need to be made, then this will add to the delay by a couple of more weeks as our manufacturers will be on holidays until the 10th of October.
Thanks everyone for your patience. We'll be in touch in about 1.5 weeks to let you know whether we have given the green light or not. Till then, stay awesome!
--The AirBolt Team.
Thu Aug 11 '16 Announcement
over 8 years ago
– Thu, Aug 11, 2016 at 08:54:25 PM
Just a Quick Reminder.
For those who ordered extra AirBolt's or upgraded your pledge via BackerKit, your Credit Cards will be charged tomorrow. So if you want to add more AirBolts or upgrade your pledge or in general manage your shipping address etc visit the link below.
https://airbolt-igg.backerkit.com/
NOTE: If you want to change your shipping address, you have until 30th September 2016. Please visit the link above to do so.
Thanks again!
The AirBolt Team.
Tue Aug 2 '16 Announcement
over 8 years ago
– Tue, Aug 02, 2016 at 06:48:25 AM
Hi Awesome Contributors!
Happy August! So this is a quick update, please do read it as it contains important information. Let's start shall we.
1. SURVEY LOCKOUTS
As the time approaches quickly towards October. It is important for us to plan our shipping requirements and final production numbers.
Therefore, we will be processing any extra orders that you have placed via BackerKit on the 14th of August (AEST).
This means if you have purchased anything extra such as additional AirBolt's etc, your credit card will be charged on 14th of August (AEST). So if you want to add additional AirBolt's or upgrade your pledge, please do so before this date.
If you want to change your shipping address you will until the 30th of September to do so.
2. Minor Update.
At this stage, we are still running to the schedule mentioned in our previous update. We expect samples end of the month with mass production finishing up in early October. We will then ship the AirBolt out to our warehouses and to you all :). At this moment, we are nearing the end of Tooling and once we have samples, we send them for certification as well (expect 4 weeks for certification to complete).
We can't wait!
In the meantime, keep being awesome and you can expect our next update to come out once we have evaluated our samples - Early September :)
-- The AirBolt Team
Sun Jun 19 '16 Announcement
over 8 years ago
– Sun, Jun 19, 2016 at 05:55:16 AM
Howdy awesome contributors!
How have the last 7/8 weeks been?
So, it's update time! Let's get straight to it shall we.
Application:
Over the last two months, as promised, we started shifting concentration from hardware to software. Our focus is to ensure that we get the apps and firmware in place so that we can then concentrate on ironing out bugs and begin usage testing on a larger scale.
Hardware & Timelines :
As mentioned last time, we were awaiting the final PCB version for us to give the green signal to moving towards Mass Production. These PCB samples were to come with a few completed prototypes from the manufacturer. The aim of this exercise was to assess that the final version of PCB works as intended and that our manufacturers can produce to our exact specifications when it comes to mass production.
Unfortunately, after our best efforts, we are yet to receive these Prototypes. The reasons for this have been multiple from sourcing issues to internal changes.
Unfortunately, this has eaten up into our timeframe by at least 7 - 8 weeks. Hence, we now expect to complete manufacturing by about the 10th of October and then ship out.
Now, having said this, we have a contingency plan, which actually helps us reduce the delay to about 10th of September + shipping. However, it is extremely important for us to ensure that we undertake every step without taking shortcuts or increasing risks. Hence, in all honesty, we do not feel it is the right move for us to use this contingency plan at this stage. If we were to do it, we'd need all the answers first and that means getting these latest prototypes in our hands.
At this stage, it is likely that October will stand as our ship date - which still represents only a 5 week delay from the end of August even though our prototypes are about 8 weeks behind. We do hope you understand, we want to do this right.
So what are the next steps now?
- Receive Prototype (shipping this week)
- Evaluate Prototype
- Approve (unlikely to expect any other surprises now)
- Begin tooling and certification
- Sample production (August with the new timeline)
- Mass Production + Survey Lock Out
- Shipping (October- new timeline)
Final Prototype Ready To Be Shipped
You can expect to receive the next update about mid August or so unless we feel that we can speed the process up. If so, we will let you know.
Once again, thank you for your patience and understanding and if you any questions, please feel free to ask.
The AirBolt Team
