Thank you!
We are excited to announce that, thanks to your incredible support, we have reached our expected pre-order goal!
As we have achieved this goal, we will be closing pre-orders to concentrate on fulfilling the ones we have received. This is to ensure that we can deliver a high quality product to you, our early supporters, as promptly as possible.
Update on Pre-Orders and Manufacturing Process
We wanted to take a moment to provide you with an update on the status of your pre-orders and the manufacturing process. We understand that you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your Halfpad, and we want to assure you that we are working hard to get it to you as soon as possible.
As you may recall, the expected shipping date for your pre-order was originally set for the 15th of March 2024. However, we regret to inform you that we encountered some issues during the manufacturing process. While working on the first batch of pads we've encountered some unexpected issues and some tasks required more time than expected.
However, we want to assure you that we are fully committed to resolving these issues promptly! Our goal remains to get the Halfpad to you as soon as possible without compromising on quality.
In the following sections, we will detail the specific challenges we have faced during manufacturing and provide you with the steps we are taking to resolve them swiftly.
Inconsistent Quality Arrow Decal
We encountered issues applying the decal onto the polycarbonate arrow panel. We have observed inconsistencies in the quality of the decal application accross the panel. This manifested as visible spots containing bubbles and defects on some of the panels.
The decal is the arrow shaped black layer that masks light and hides the PCB underneath. Defects on this layer does not impair the correct functionality of the pad but since our goal is to provide you with a quality product that is both functional and good looking we deemed this unacceptable!
To resolve this issue we decided to hand over this process to an external company that is specialized in printing on different materials thus providing you with an improved quality result.
Here you can see a closeup picture of those defects on one of the best looking panel we got and it is not pretty.
Tasks Longer than Expected
Some tasks required more time than expected. Some of these tasks included:
- Cables: we decided to make the cables ourselves for this first batch but that took a lot of time since a single pad contains 10 cables that needed to be cut, stripped and crimped. Having cables with connectors and with wires not directly soldered onto the boards makes it easier to service the pad by swapping the failed components without the need of special tools like a soldering iron.
- Packaging: we had to order custom-designed boxes and packaging protections specifically made for this pad, ensuring its safe arrival to your doorstep. Finding a manufacturer in such a short time was quite a challenge!
- Manufacturing adjustments: some manufacturing processes required to be adjusted until we found the right parameters. We use different tools in our lab to get the job done but each part requires specific parameters and steps to get it done right. Being it the first batch of pads we still needed to figure how to tweak these processes optimally.
- Parts revision: some parts looked good on CAD software during design but didn't perform well on the real product so we had revise them.
Tweaking the Feeling
We needed to experiment different solutions of arrow panel cushioning for getting the feeling under your feet right and allow the correct transfer of applied force onto the sensors. As a result, certain components underwent modifications from the prototype pad, necessitating additional time to identify and implement the necessary adjustments.
Improved Metal Panels
The initial prototype pad featured a 2mm aluminum layer with chamfered edges atop a sturdy HPL panel. While retaining the HPL panel, we opted to emulate the bend edges of the aluminum panel similar to those found on arcade pad panels. We believe this adjustment is a significant enhancement, and the delay required to get this done was undoubtedly worthwhile.
Getting Closer to Delivery
We are very close to completing the production of your pre-order and we have already delivered an Halfpad to our very first customer!
Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delays. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. If you want to get updates follow us on instagram and facebook.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Vincenzo.
Leave a Reply