Hey backers,
We finally received the 1st plastic (polycarbonate) shots of the molds. While it’s pretty good for 1st shots, some modifications are needed and required to make the earbuds sound & waterproof. We sent them detailed comments on the corrections needed.
Some of our comments sent to our manufacturer
The plastic (polycarbonate) parts we received
While waiting for the 1st shots shells, we played a lot with the capacitive touch controls. It proved to be quite messy early on. Our sensor is quite smaller than the competition which makes it tricky to do its job right. Sylvain finally found a workaround and it’s working really well, so we’re sticking with the touch controls (vs our prior magnetic sensor).
Touch buttons working right
Also had an issue with the battery operating when it was on super low power. This is currently being addressed and shall be resolved pretty quickly
Lastly, some tuning adjustment will be required for the antenna. The material used in 3D printing has different mechanical & RF properties than polycarbonate, this affects how the antenna is performing. Again, it’s unlikely there will be a problem here.
We remain hopeful that by the next month, the molds will be rightly corrected so we can start with the pre-production. It has been a while we’re talking about this crucial production step and it feels closer than ever.
Wish you happy holidays,
Phazon team
PS:
It’s been a long ride so far and it’s not even finished yet. Like you, we’ve been through a lot of emotions. We feel closer to the goal with every update but we undoubtedly know it’s moving way slower than expected. Some key technical educated guesses turned out to be incorrect and got us where we are today. This is painful to remind ourselves and the backers are paying for it.
That being said, we reiterate our ability to ship the units to backers. Nevertheless, some backers might need more liquidity in these tough times so we once again remind you of the existence of the Backing off program, which is voluntary and universal. It’s a $50 refund per pair and it also voids your total investment. We do monthly payouts. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best we can do to keep a sufficient cashflow for production. You can apply here: https://forms.gle/WoHo3ZyEKiuvRw3V7
We deeply believe that we’ll ship a great product but we perfectly understand your decision if you want to opt-out.