Wheel's final phase seems the most intense. Perfection is so close we can smell it. Because of that, the remaining 1% rough edges seem to stand out even more and annoy the hell out of us. Stuff we thought we took care of more than a year ago appear unacceptable now. We continue to withstand the pressure and overcome frustration until Wheel is where we want it to be. We can't afford to ship Wheels before they are truly wonderful and polished machines.
Van Den Hul
Lubrication issues were a topic in the previous update. Since then, we teamed up with Van Den Hul, a renowned dutch company of high quality audio gear (vandenhul.com), to help us find a solution. We're happy to say that a special formula of their oil works very well with Wheel. We plan to expand our cooperation with Van Den Hul in the near future.
A typical day in the Miniot shop
1%
Back in 1895, Vilfredo Pareto came up with the 80/20 rule. Applied to Wheel one could say that 20% of the work takes 80% off the time. We think that 99% of Wheel is perfect. If we apply the Vilfredo Principle to the remaining 1%, it's a matter of weeks before the first Wheels ship.
The 1% of remaining issues consist of: a few unwanted mechanical clicks and buzzes in the transport mechanism, accuracy of track selection system, timing issues of Wheel's operation, and logic board revisions for the closed loop and Flexinol system. We're also waiting for our V7 cable assemblies from Asia that have been delayed.
More than ever we are convinced that developing and producing Wheel in house has saved the project. It helped us survive and has given us a healthy foundation for the arrival of great Wheels soon and a bright future ahead.
Thank you for your comments and ongoing support!
Peter and the Miniot team
The (almost complete) Miniot team: From left to right, standing: Peter, Berend, Piet, Anne, Sacha and Greet. Sitting: Don (and our dog Sjon), Elke, Kasper and Sjoert. Not pictured: Jet, Marian, Henk and Rilana.