Hey folks, happy February! Check out what we've been working on the past month:
Lead Times
We're still actively looking for more assembly techs to join the team! If you're in the Pittsburgh area and interested, please don't hesitate to apply!
As always, the official lead time on each product's product page is the most accurate metric for when you'll see your hardware ship. There's a good chance we ship early, internally it's about a 2-3 week lead time, but we keep it where it is to ensure we're able to stick to our estimate.
We're actually going to try to keep the lead time the same despite the fact we're bringing it down internally, because we're going to be moving very soon, and a buffer will help let things move along smoothly. More about the move in a bit!
Feeder Loading Station
Since the last update, the team and I have gotten some parts together for the first proper DVT unit. It's deeply convenient to have one, and makes the process of setting up a job so much easier.
I spent some time looking into the USB Power Delivery approach y'all recommended in the last update! I think it's a great idea, and I'd like to do it eventually, but expense made me hold off for the time being.
We'd need a Power Delivery management chip on the board, which isn't that expensive, but coupled with a boost converter to get the max PD voltage of 20v up to 24v, it starts to add up. I considered just letting the bus voltage be at 20v which should still allow the feeder to work fine, but I really want this station to be an analog for the Lumen.
All that being said, I still love the idea. At some point, there's a good chance we make a PD variant of the Feeder Loading Station (and just the standalone power board for people that want to swap out their existing board). But I wanted to get the simple, uncomplicated, inexpensive version out first, especially based on how much this product was requested.
We're sending the DVT unit out to a customer for a small Beta test, and we're working on getting parts sourced for our PVT run right now! Also, the source is on our Github if you'd like to make one yourself, or just take a look.
Wide Feeders
The Beta program for feeders is still moving along well! They're working well, but there's a change I'm considering making.
Some users use brass splice clips for connecting two tapes together. The EIA-481 taping standard does not recognize this as an acceptable process, but it would still be really nice to support.
This gets lots easier to facilitate when the entire top of the pick window is spring-loaded downwards into the tape. When the top surface is variable, it ensures the tape is always nicely controlled in the tape path, and can rise to accept a thick brass clip. This also helps accommodate different tape thicknesses, which is another boon of adding this feature.
I'm currently exploring if this is worthwhile to add, and if we'd sacrifice any accuracy or repeatability by making this change.
In the meantime, we're moving ahead with sourcing of critical parts for our PVT build!
Feeder CAD / Photon Release
We just released Feeder v1.5.0 this week, alongside Photon v1.0.5!
- Small changes to the feeder frame to make assembly easier
- Opening the hole in drive-motor-cover to support a potential integrated wheel assembly
- Adjusted peel-worm-gear geometry to reduce engagement with peeled film
- Added film guide to spool holder and tape guide that further helps reduce peel worm gear engagement with peeled film
Firmware Changes:
- Updated tick count for drive encoder based on @Analogy's microscope analysis of the gearbox
- Adds UUID check before programming slot addresses
- Increased peel time per tenth mm of drive motion
These are small adjustments that should result in improved consistency and accuracy for feeders. This firmware update is recommended for all users, and you can grab it here.
The Office
Some exciting news here: we've signed a lease! A 410% space increase, with a proper loading dock, freight elevator, and even a mezzanine!
Over the next couple months I'm going to be getting everything squared away for the move, packing, prepping movers, and generally taking the opportunity to reorganize how we handle the workflow of manufacturing at Opulo.
We've even printed a scale model of the floorplan with all our furniture to scale as well, so we can plan layout without moving a single thing. It's also all modeled in CAD, but that's considerably less fun!
I'm working on a tour of our current space on the Opulo YouTube channel, you can check it out on our channel soon! I'll have a full video tour showing the new space as soon as I'm able!
Job Postings
You can check out our careers page for all the details of the jobs we have available. If you or someone you know would be a good fit for any of these roles, please apply!
Reach Out
If you have any feedback, questions, or comments about this update, please don't hesitate to reach out to us here.
Thanks, and we'll see you next month!
-Stephen