Is Everything On Track For Early April Production?

[EvilDragon]

I was under the impression that the company had made a fair number of these cases, already, as would be indicated by the photos in the earlier official blog post:
http://pandorapress.net/2010/03/12/official-blog-a-dream-becomes-reality/#more-3471

Looks like hundreds (or at least dozens) of some of these parts. If the case company is now producing these on a different machine (new, as in newly bought by the company, or new as in a different one they hadn't tried our moulds on before), what happens to all these old parts?

Did we pay for them? Do they dump them? Can we get them to see quality? Can we use them to ship out some more of our first 105 boards to send to some more developers and/or people with good resources at their disposal (*cough*topor*cough*)? Why are they so willing (eager?) to try a different machine all of a sudden?

Those were the testing cases. They are done to check if everything is okay and going well and big production can be started.
Usually, that plastic is being melted after doing that (remember the weird-colored looking first samples we got? Those came from preused plastic).

 

[benji_stein]

I was under the impression that the company had made a fair number of these cases, already, as would be indicated by the photos in the earlier official blog post:
http://pandorapress.net/2010/03/12/official-blog-a-dream-becomes-reality/#more-3471

Looks like hundreds (or at least dozens) of some of these parts. If the case company is now producing these on a different machine (new, as in newly bought by the company, or new as in a different one they hadn't tried our moulds on before), what happens to all these old parts?

Did we pay for them? Do they dump them? Can we get them to see quality? Can we use them to ship out some more of our first 105 boards to send to some more developers and/or people with good resources at their disposal (*cough*topor*cough*)? Why are they so willing (eager?) to try a different machine all of a sudden?

Those were the testing cases. They are done to check if everything is okay and going well and big production can be started.
Usually, that plastic is being melted after doing that (remember the weird-colored looking first samples we got? Those came from preused plastic).

ED,

Thanks for the response. Except I thought we'd tried to get them to do those ages ago, before CNY: http://pandorapress.net/2010/02/06/rev3-case-photos-and-many-many-words/

as a final-pre-run version so we knew it would be OK, when instead they just sent us some fast-run ones, instead: http://pandorapress.net/2010/02/08/so-green-lighted/
http://www.open-pandora.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=156%3Aever-thought-it-could-be-bad-when-things-arrive-earlier-than-expected&catid=2%3Ablog&Itemid=2&lang=en

I'm amazed that it takes so many tries to warm up the machine, who knows how many they pumped out, and then they decided to switch to another machine, and do all the warm-up runs again.

But I guess that's why I'm not in the business.

 

[Mithrildor]

So why arent TI's drivers used? Or even given a quick try for testing if it can get higher speeds.

 

[pshunter]

Maybe the new machine in china is only a sort of sanding machine which provides a better finish, not moulding ?

 

[BackAssward]

notaz is working on the kernel, but not deciding with us.

Well, the module initializes and talks to the board, that's what we know for sure.

One thing I can promise: If it REALLY turns out to be a hardware fault, you can be sure we'll either fix it for you or exchange your board for free as soon as we can afford it (maybe after the second batch, when we got some money back).
So either way, you won't be screwed. (I remember I had to fix over 200 gp2x First Editions as they had a flickering LCD...)

We just wanted to make an offer that you can use WiFi right from the start, that's why we want to offer you a small WiFi dongle and your Pandora NOW.

3. Do you promise youll give us a new board?

Well, a hard thing to promise
If we all die because of a heart attack before that, we can't do that. If everyone cancels from one day to the next it might also be hard for us coughing up the money to do that.
You can be sure if it's somehow possible for use, yes, we'll do that.
It might take a bit until we sold enough units to cover all the costs (we're not Sony, you know), but as said above, if [I'm stupid spammer] the non-WiFi-Units a bit cheaper, it shouldn't be too much.
Fingers crossed it's not necessary at all, for sure!

If it's a hard thing to promise, why already promise it?

 

[Bosbeetle]

some business lessons for the pandora team

But I think they covered all those points

 

[zipper]

If it's a hard thing to promise, why already promise it?

Ed promised to fix things when they can afford it. That's not the same as unconditionally promising new boards.

 

[notaz]

So why arent TI's drivers used? Or even given a quick try for testing if it can get higher speeds.

They have been tested, results are very similar. Nokia driver is a rewrite or TI one.

 

[Beholder]

some business lessons for the pandora team

But I think they covered all those points

Those are great! It reminds me of a zombie dream I had where the zombies wouldn't come after me. I feared I didn't have a brain. Strangely, I was also made of straw. Flying monkeys took me away and then I woke up... or did I...

 

[VRAndy]

...then I woke up... or did I...

No.

 

[XxionxX]

I'm not really going to contribute in a big way until I have some hardware, and I don't expect special treatment just because I am volunteering, and after all my order number is less than #18, so in fact I'll have my Pandora order fulfilled, hopefully, pretty much before most other patient people in our community, but I've had a bit of a look at the sources for the wl_xxx driver in 2.6.34-rc and a few things jump out at me that seem to be related to packet-loss scenarios, which I'll discuss elsewhere .. thanks everyone for the vote of confidence, but as I've got a very low order # already, my point is this: ship me my Pandoras as per the schedule and I'll jump on this issue immediately.

No disrespect to the other people working on the Wifi, but if you have the background and are willing to help this sorted out, then I would say the OP team should send you asap something, even if it's a not a full pandora but only the board itself for the time beeing.
People with your skillset and offering to help out, how many are we going to find ?

And by the way, didn't we had something like the dev fund ?
one special delivery of your Pandora's with flowers beer on top (buy also flowers beer for the other dev's digging into the base OS).

wayyasay people?

+1 i have thinked the same ...send one devboard to Torpor (if possible )

+1 No disrespect +1 Torpar

We love the Pandora team, but isn't there a small army of programmers waiting to get their hands on this thing? Is the issue that you want to make sure that it is not a hardware issue?

 

[torpor]

just ship *all possible Pandoras far and wide* and if its a fix, well then we lucky first-getters will have to contend with it in the best way we can. i really, really don't want to jump in line, honestly, having waited patiently with the rest of you guys for the glorious day to arrive. okay?

we can do all sorts of things with the new hardware. when there is new hardware.

 

[chickendung]

I would gladly take a WiFi dongle and a Pandora NOW, but that would make it difficult to use a USB controller and WiFi at the same time. I think it's appalling that Craigix said that. It does nothing but hurt the Pandora.

 

[roberthoward45]

ill gladly take accurate information about what is currently going on and what is going to happen so that we can learn that there will be believe it or not only another 2 months till pandora

 

[Nataku418]

n64 Monopoly rocks /

SNES Monopoly rocks.

 

[XxionxX]

I would gladly take a WiFi dongle and a Pandora NOW, but that would make it difficult to use a USB controller and WiFi at the same time. I think it's appalling that Craigix said that. It does nothing but hurt the Pandora.

You have a SWEET signature!

 

[unclechicken]

Im just glad I didnt order one when I wanted one. Its been quite a while now, and its still not here.

I don't want one anymore now, and after reading about all the bugs at openpandora.org the Current Status part, im surprised people still want it.

 

[socket]

OK, so it was all an elaborate prank right? APRIL FOOLS! Wifi is working? Right? Assembly begins today???!?!

 

[quadomatic]

OK, so it was all an elaborate prank right? APRIL FOOLS! Wifi is working? Right? Assembly begins today???!?!

It's not April 1st on the West Coast or the Midwest in the US, so it's too early to know for certain

 

[gruso]

And it's well past the midday April fools cutoff where I am. It's not a very easy prank to pull on such an international forum.