KS Project Update #40: Electronics Issues / General Update

Project Update #40: Electronics Issues / General Update Posted by Chelsea Thompson ♥ Like

When we receive in product for stock it is sent in batches which we catalog in case there are any issues so we can sort through them better. When we hit the third batch of electronics that we had in inventory, some end users were reporting problems with the motors not moving correctly (due to bad solder joints). Every board has firmware uploaded to it before they go out, power connected and basic communication checked, however that would not catch that particular problem. While we are replacing those boards that were affected this has caused us to have to revise our testing practices. We are now loading up the firmware, connecting power, connecting test motors, thermistors etc. to verify that everything works on the board before it gets boxed. The Feb backers are on hold temporarily while we go through our pile of 1000+ boards. We should be back at it in the next couple of days. With that being said, some Batch #3 backers have already received theirs and are getting printing. We expect to be done shipping the Batch #3 backers by the end of next week. Batch #3 is the biggest batch and so Batch #4 will soon follow. We have some very cool things we have been working on that we will post about in the next few days. We are still on target to have 100 printers available as in stock for the Maker Faire on the 17th and 18th of May as all the rewards will have shipped by then. We also just received a box sample for retail packaging that will be coming soon!