Update #31: Delay Details #2

[Eddie]

Project Update #31: Delay Details #2 Posted by Rinnovated Design ♥ Like

Hey Backers, After reading the comments on the last update it was apparent that many of you would like more information regarding the recently announced 4 month delay. We’re more than happy to give you an in depth look at where we stand and where we’re coming from... We’ve found that delays come in a few different forms, so we’re going to break them down into 3 categories. 1. Expected Work These are things we knew had to be done, or chose to take on in order to make a better product. In this case we simply underestimated the time it would take to accomplish these tasks, and that results in a delay. Below is a list containing a few of the more prominent ones: Developing the best mirror arrangement We explored many completely different mirror arrangements, and even got a bunch of them to print successfully. Who knew there was so many ways to make a 100 dollar printer! Finding the best way meant exploring a lot of roads that eventually lead to dead ends. Creating and Testing Build Instructions We greatly underestimated the amount of work involved in creating comprehensive build instructions for The Peachy Printer. Due to changes in the printer design, we also had to do this process multiple times. The Development of Snapfit We came up with Snapfit shortly after creating the first set of build instructions. We decided to hold off on shipping the first beta kits so that we could take the time to fully implement Snapfit. Due to all of the new features we added to the printer since PP18, the assembly time had grown dramatically. With the addition of Snapfit, we were able to reduce the build time by approximately 6 hours! Although implementing Snapfit resulted in a 3 week delay in beta shipping, at the very least it will save about 3 years (6 hours*5000 backers /24 hours per day /365 days per year = 3.42 years) of backer time that would have been spent holding and glueing parts. That doesn’t factor in all the time and resources wasted if a part was glued incorrectly. Developing a Damping System We knew from very early on that vibrations during a print would cause large defects or even failures. This meant that a good dampening system was essential for the Peachy Printer to produce quality prints on a consistent basis. We’ve since explored and tested many different approaches to this issue. While we’ve come up with a system that dampens vibrations well, it still causes memory. We are still working to develop a better damping system with less memory. Developing User Friendly Software In order for the Peachy Printer to be as easy to use as it is affordable, great software is necessary. Packaging for multiple OS’s, making and improving a GUI, adding tools and functionality, and simplifying the printing process are some of the things that we didn’t accurately estimate time for. Enhancing the Drip System Design While the drip system was one of the doors to a lower priced printer, there were many improvements to be made in order to make our drip system a reliable one. Things like clogging valves, inconstant drip rates and sizes, air bubbles, salinity levels and many other factors had to be dealt with. Creating a Flexible and Effective Calibration Process No two Peachy kits will be built exactly alike. It’s also a very hack-friendly printer. Coming up with a calibration process that’s as flexible as the Peachy Printer was no small challenge. Whether you’ve got a huge or tiny build volume, or decide to use different lasers, apertures, or mirrors, the calibration process remains the same! 2. Unexpected Work These are issues we did not foresee. They were necessary to deal with and resulted in a more functional printer, however they also lead to a setback in our timeline. Below is a quick list containing a few of the most notable ones: - Finding that most types of thread cause memory, making it hard to predictably position the laser. - Finding that oil damping also causes memory. - Finding that we had to redesign the entire printer with orthogonal mirrors in order to avoid a lot of warping. - Finding that many sound cards are AC coupled requiring us to design a circuit that demodulates an AM signal and write modulation software. - Finding that many sound cards have different frequency responses that affect their ability to do amplitude modulation. - Finding that using power from USB ports often affects the sound signal coming from the sound card. - Finding that we need to calibrate for how drip size changes with drip speed. - Finding that normal valves are extremely sensitive to clogging when set to very slow drip speeds. - Finding very odd behaviours caused by the power regulator that comes with each laser and deciding we must engineer our own specialty laser current limiting circuitry. - Finding that acrylic plastic was no longer suitable for use after implementing snap fit due to it’s hard and brittle characteristics. - Finding out that the optimum wire size for coils is simply far too small to handle and breaks often. - Finding that making coils with very fine wire required us to make our own coil winding machine. - Finding that a diode on the circuit had a lot more impedance than we originally thought, causing the circuit to not work well. - Finding a way to simplify the process of tuning the circuit from one that involves 7 tuning knobs to one that only uses 2. - Finding an inexpensive way for the user to know their circuit is tuned. - Finding a way to turn the laser on and off with just an AM signal. - Finding that there is often a difference in ground voltage between the sound card and USB power. - Finding that turning the laser on and off causes a positional offset in each mirror, and implementing various things to reducing that offset. - Exploring FM and discovering that it has ill effects and expenses. 3. External Issues Below is a list of issues caused by external factors that resulted in a delay at Peachy: - Due to communication issues we were unable to source a coil manufacturer in time for our beta shipment. As a result we decided to produce enough coils for the beta kits on our own winding machine. - Our shipment of beta circuits took 40 days longer than expected to arrive. - Our laser cutter took 50 days longer than expected to arrive. All of the issues listed above have attributed to the current 4 month delay. Thanks to the amazing amount of support we received during the campaign, we have the resources to solve all of these issues. Unfortunately in doing so we’ve taken more time than originally estimated, however as a result you will see a much better product than we would’ve been able to provide had we only reached our original fundraising goal of $50,000. Now let’s take a look at what still needs to be done... Moving forwards Below is a list of areas that need further testing and issues that we are still working to solve in order to reach first viable product: - Memory caused by the dampening system (we’re working on a new magnetic damping system that may have very little memory) - Resin Shrinkage - Software usability - Large prints - Adding calibration processes for things like laser spot size at wide deletions, refraction, reflection, various non linearities, and offsets. We hope that we’ve been able to provide you with a better understanding of where we currently stand, and why we are taking more time to further develop the Peachy Printer. If you'd like to read more about these issues, many of them have been discussed at3Dprintboard. Thank you for your support. Until next time, The Peachy Printer Team.

[Feign]

Well, this is definitely a comprehensive list. Not just good for summing up the process of developing the Peachy, but as an example for anyone who considers developing (or even just making a major improvement for) a product. Nothing is just "a simple matter of implementation". Even with something as seemingly simple as recieving a signal and outputting a laser image.

So it looks like there will be another round of heavily modified hardware beta units before the final production batch can even go through...

I'm not surprised that the Peachy will need more Beta testing iterations. I'm more surprised at myself for thinking it would just be that easy.

[BrockMcKean]

I know the process of research and development can take a lot of time on its own. Add to that documentation, public relations, and dealing with outside entities and you've got yourself a monstrous headache and a lot of unhappy people -- no matter how efficiently or quickly you work. I appreciate all of the hard work that Rylan and the rest are putting into the Peachy and to open source it. Also, I'm a little surprised with the few core team members that they have, how much they have accomplished in such a short time, and still find time to update everyone on major developments. More testing and setbacks just means more contributors! Keep it up guys.

[User_Defined]

I agree, nothing is ever as simple as it first seems.

The grinding wheels of R&D usually produce something honest and real, and after all is said and done, something that you can rely on more and have a better understanding of. It is far better to have something keep failing and get through every hurdle than to be lucky and have it work the first try by some fluke of a setup which leads you down a wrong path. (I know from experience).

I really appreciate the updates, as someone said it may not seem like much in telling everyone what mistakes and failures were made/overcome, but part of the thrill in backing something is seeing it all pan out.. good or bad. It's like cheering for your favorite sports team!

Also just as importantly these updates might inspire people to suggest solutions that the peachy printer team might have overlooked.

good luck to you all, and I am very eager to see some more prints (good or bad).



-UD

[Feign]

Also, at some point, it might be best to have a "reccomended sound card" list rather than try to make the printer work with every sound card under the sun. Heck, I remember one thread that I can't find now that someone found a DC coupled USB sound card for impressively little cost. Consider finding that or something similar and reselling it through the Peachy store.

I'm a little curious to hear about their new damper that they're coming up with, since everything else seems like electronics/programming fixes... (Heck, I could think of lots of uses for a no-memory motion damper.)

[BrockMcKean]

Also, at some point, it might be best to have a "reccomended sound card" list rather than try to make the printer work with every sound card under the sun. Heck, I remember one thread that I can't find now that someone found a DC coupled USB sound card for impressively little cost. Consider finding that or something similar and reselling it through the Peachy store.

I agree with this. You might be able to literally make it universally compliant with existing sound cards, but the next day someone in china will make a sound card with a higher SNR than you expect and the day after that someone in the US or EU will make one that has a completely different sampling rate. Just pick a best fit and let the community come up with further hacks and suggestions like this USB card or minor tweaks to the circuitry if it doesn't interface perfectly with their particular sound card.

[Aztecphoenix]

I agree with this. You might be able to literally make it universally compliant with existing sound cards, but the next day someone in china will make a sound card with a higher SNR than you expect and the day after that someone in the US or EU will make one that has a completely different sampling rate. Just pick a best fit and let the community come up with further hacks and suggestions like this USB card or minor tweaks to the circuitry if it doesn't interface perfectly with their particular sound card.

just wondering but, can't you figure some way of sending the sound signal through USB to the Peachy? after all, isn't it all just pulse waves?

[nka]

They are not pulse, but signal. But yes, there's many way to make it work on USB... just need another kind of board... this is a hack a suspect we will see.

[Feign]

Wouldn't that just be called "using a compatible USB sound card?"
I mean, there comes a point where you just buy a pre-made solution and save the time and effort.


...Wait, who do I think I'm talking to here?

[SamSam]

I think that having a narrow list of "recommended sound cards" would be a poor idea.

When we backed this project, for $100 or more, there was no indication that there would be a list of recommended sound cards. If that happened, therefore, many of us would be out of luck -- either needing to shell out another $50-$100 for a new sound card, or simply screwed because our laptops don't allow sound card swapping.

Further, the list would get stale quickly, and in 5 years that "recommended list" might just be a small percentage of the market. If the new cards necessitate a hardware fix, then existing owners will just be out of luck.

A calibration solution is the only solution that should remain future-proof for a significant period of time.