Assuming the new prototype(s) is good, are we looking as the gb starting very soon?
It is indeed time for an update.
I got the reworked cases from the California machine shop yesterday, and unfortunately I'm still not happy with the finish on them. The anodizing has a sort of powdery/chalky quality to it, which is all wrong. It's a bit of a frustration for me, because I was really hoping to work with a shop that was local to me so I could do the initial QC in person. While the machine shop does amazing work, the third-party finishing providers here locally just aren't accustomed to doing work on consumer products, instead focusing primarily on industrial semi-conductor and aerospace applications. The thing is:
I've seen this movie before, when I initially tried to get the Norbatouch cases made in the USA (as some of you will remember). I lost a good 8 months on that project trying to find a way to get the parts anodized to my specs in the US (in that case, it was in South Carolina), always being promised that we were on the verge of getting a perfect case back "next week," to no avail. I then switched to one of the providers in China that I use for my non-keyboard-related industrial design work, and they had a finished, cosmetically-perfect finished sample ready to me
within two weeks. I've had anodizing issues in China too, but at least there is a big market there for factories accustomed to providing consumer-grade cosmetic finishes, so I know it's possible to get good parts—I just have to watch them like a hawk and get everything rigorously inspected. I was hoping to avoid some of that annoyance by doing it here in the USA, but I'm increasingly beginning to think that's just a false dream.
After the experience with the South Carolina vendor on the Norbatouches, I vowed never again to let remorse over sunk costs to lead me down a fruitless path for months and months. So I think I should bail on my efforts to get this made entirely here in California. I'm giving the California shop one more chance, but starting today, I'm also exploring China options in parallel and I consider that now the more likely scenario. The beautiful prototype of which you guys have seen photos was actually made by one of those shops.
So, alas, it'll likely be a few more weeks before I'm ready to do a group buy for these, but the upside is it's likely to be a bit less expensive than it was going to be, and at least we should be able to have some good anodizing options. I already know some good sourcing options/partners in China, so it shouldn't take me too long to pivot in this direction, as those vendors tend to work at break-neck speed.
Take your time on this one, Sir! Gives me something to look forward to
That's good to hear.
I always prefer to take my time to get stuff right than to rush it out the door. This is all just hobby fun for me, and there is no satisfaction in ending up sending people stuff that I'm not happy about, or where the production process is going to cause me a bunch of headaches and stress. Much better to work everything out in advance when possible.