Final Steps to Mass Production
over 7 years ago – Mon, Oct 01, 2018 at 12:54:31 AM

Hi backers,

Earlier this month we mentioned we were making prototypes for our final circuit-board design, testing out a 6-layer implementation. We’re happy to announce that this design is the best performing one so far, with all samples meeting our minimum antenna requirements and some even going up to 10m before starting to consistently cut out (in worst-case environments).

We’re now moving full speed ahead with production, with key dates negotiated and confirmed with our manufacturing partners. We’ve ordered the final remaining components and have been getting the circuit-boards mass produced.

China will be on holiday soon for National Day, with most factories taking Oct 1-4 off. Here is our planned schedule after the Chinese holiday.

• Oct 5: Blank circuit-boards completed
• Oct 7: Components soldered onto all boards
• Oct 15: Firmware loaded and all boards fully tested
• Oct 23: All components verified and mass production begins
• Oct 30: Mass production and testing completed. Units ready to ship.

We are still investigating shipping options for both international and US customers. We will keep you posted on actual delivery dates as we get closer to mass production. If you haven’t already, please update your shipping address on Backerkit. We’ll be locking in shipping addresses as soon as we confirm that all circuit boards are ready to go for mass production. If you still aren’t sure about your final delivery address, don’t worry, we’ll send out another reminder before we lock in shipping addresses.

We’re excited to finally be moving forward with a more firm schedule with set dates. We will be diligently overseeing our manufacturing partners throughout next month to make sure our production schedule doesn’t shift again. Thank you for all of your patience throughout this process, we couldn’t be more appreciative of your support. We can’t wait to get the Wearhaus Beam into your hands!

- The Wearhaus Team

Manufacturing Update (Sep 2018)
over 7 years ago – Sat, Sep 08, 2018 at 01:44:13 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Confirm your shipping info for your Beam!
almost 8 years ago – Wed, Jun 06, 2018 at 01:07:34 AM

Hi Backers,

In just a few days we are going to be doing our 100-unit pilot production run. Once that's finished we'll immediately move on to scheduling mass production (about 1-2 weeks afterwards). Mass production should only take a day or two, so we'll be ready to ship your earbuds very soon!

Since we're so close to shipping we're going to be locking in shipping addresses in about two weeks. Please take this chance to visit BackerKit and confirm or update your shipping address. Feel free to contact us or BackerKit support if you have any issues with your order!

https://wearhausbeam.backerkit.com/

Thanks again for all of your patience as we've worked through all the production issues with the Beam. We're super excited to finally get them into your hands! Stay tuned for more updates and a behind-the-scenes look into our production process.

Antenna Improvements and Updated Manufacturing Target
almost 8 years ago – Thu, May 03, 2018 at 10:34:59 PM

Hi backers,

As we approach the final stretch in manufacturing the Wearhaus Beam, we’d like to update you on the work currently being done and the last few steps before your earbuds start coming together on the assembly line.

We’ve completed the 1st of 2 pilot production batches, which passed full functionality and reliability tests. The 2nd pilot production run, with a larger number of units, will be the last step before mass production. All of the mechanical components, key electrical components, and accessories for mass production have been produced and are now waiting in inventory at the factory.

Antenna Issues and Improvements

Thanks to rigorous pre-production antenna testing at our new manufacturer, we have also completed a final update of the PCB to switch to a new, more reliable antenna design, which was possible thanks to testing and simulation done by RF engineers at the factory.

We decided to make this change given their feedback, as well as our own physical user-testing, to avoid the possibility of connection issues due to hard-to-predict factors such as audio wires straying too close to the antenna, or interference with some parts of the human body.

Previously, we were able to guarantee 5-20m range (depending on direction), with human body interference the most important influence on range. Now, with our manufacturer’s help we were able to revamp our PCB design to a 12-24m range with much more consistent range at all angles in different environments. As a comparison point, most other earbuds in our price range only achieve about 10m.

For a more detailed technical comparison between our previous and new antenna designs, see the addendum at the end of our update!

Manufacturing Status

We’ve already placed an order for 100+ PCBs based on this improved design. Those should arrive in about a week, and then we’ll be able to start our 2nd and final pilot production run. After the 2nd pilot production run is completed, we will go straight to mass production. Our goal right now is to ship out your Beams by the end of the month.

We’d like to thank all of our backers for continuing to be patient with us as we work to get the Beam manufactured to the highest possible quality standard. We’re really sorry for all of the delays and slow communication while we work on solving these issues, but rest assured that we are working hard to make sure your Beam can be as good as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to help you out!

- The Wearhaus Team

PS: If you’re interested, see below for some technical specs of our old antenna vs our new one.

Manufacturing Update #12
about 8 years ago – Mon, Mar 19, 2018 at 08:29:08 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.