RF is a b*tch

Backers,

Mastering the RF (Radio Frequency aka Bluetooth connectivity for us) is incredibly hard. While we are extremely close, I have to admit there are hurdles getting to the finish line.

DEVELOPMENT STATUS

Let’s see what happened in the last 2 weeks on the tech side.

The good news:

We have been successful in achieving a good connection at a range of 90 feet (30 meters), outside, with no obstacles.  The connection was stable for a couple of minutes then broke off. We have also been able to have a solid connection within 30 feet inside a house, with multiple walls interfering the signal. This being said, the connection was successfully tested by one of our team members, in one location, not by a whole bunch of people in different settings.

The improvements needed:

The few others that tested the connectivity did not experience a good enough connectivity.

Sylvain, our head of engineering, made some adjustments to the PCBs. Since the boards are so tiny and sensitive, some broke and replacements had to be ordered.  The new PCBs received worked great, so he was able to assemble them manually. Connectivity with these boards was slightly better than with the ones used for the tests. Knowing this can be even better, the tech team identified new adjustments to the PCBs, and those adjustments should be final.

We always strive to keep transparent updates and this one is no exception. I am as anxious as you to ship these beauties.

TIMELINE

Many of the backers continue to press for a timeline for shipping. While I understand the frustration and the length of time it is taking to get Phazon in your hands and ears, I won’t provide a shipping estimate until I feel highly confident we will meet it. However, I can share the major next technical steps with you:

1. Research and development (R&D)
   1. Getting the final R&D prototypes (where we are)
2. Pre-production
   1. Electronic & mechanical adjustments for the production
   2. Charging case mold (need to make sure we have the final R&D prototypes)
   3. Final production prototypes
   4. Certifications (final prototypes needed to do this)
3. Production
   1. Making small batches of earbuds
   2. Once the process becomes smoother, bigger & bigger batches will come up
4. Shipping

COMPETITION

Getting a RF product off the ground in such a small form factor is crazy hard. I am repeating myself I know, but most of the products out there are just plain bad. Again & again, this is what happens when you rush a product to market just to be there. Even well-established companies with a history of good products can fail in the True wireless ecosystem, as this one just did.  Our backers and customers will be so disappointed if we do the same thing, we’re doing everything we can to avoid such a situation.

There are physics principles behind RF, but making theoretical simulations is not yet reliable enough, so you really have to rely on your engineering team’s skills, which I feel we have with Sylvain and the rest of our technical team. Yes, it takes a lot more time that we all anticipated, but it’s going to be worth it.

VIDEO

I shot a quick amateur video with people in the gym so you can see the fit with different people.

Huge thanks for your patience & support, I will not let you down!

Chris