Update #50

Dear Backers,

Apologies for not updating sooner. In a stage like this, where so many things happen at once, we tend to stay in our bubble, solving issues, locking you out. Meaningful updates do take time and we’re hesitant to give you another technical update when all you want is your Wheel. So far, we built much less Wheels than we planned. The main challenge remained to get reliable results out of the running gear assemblies. 

We thought we nailed it, we told the world and started building, only to discover we had not nailed it yet. We’ve spent a great deal of the past months to understand the inconsistencies in the running gear. Because of design decisions we made back in 2017, we have to deal with a less than optimal assembly line now.
Plain English: We have to build an entire Wheel to be able to run tests. When something is wrong, the whole thing has to be taken apart. This bogged down our production tremendously. It’s a phase called ‘production hell’ by a famous entrepeneur, and we’re just getting out of it.

So we once again reviewed all intricately interacting running parts, like the motor, the closed loop electronics, the pulley, the software, the belt, the plateau and all the magnets involved. We further refined the main bronze bearings again to improve grease flow. We’re also remilling each plateau pulley for spot-on roundness. We reshaped the motor pulley contour and made them out of new material with better precision. And the motor suspension has been optimized.

While all of this is extra work, it makes assembly predictable and we can start to catch up with our forecast.
We predict to need one more month to have production up to speed, which we want to be at 200 per month.
Wheels will be delivered in batches. A few weeks before delivery you will receive our survey.

What else are we doing?
-We updated packaging to safely getting your Wheel across the world, and are eagerly waiting for the final test shipments to return for inspection.
-The analog and the controller boards had a major revision. Protection against external noise and track detection accuracy have been improved.
-The procedure for cleaning or replacing the stylus is easier now.
-We will swap the Wheels out there for ones with new boards and the improved running gear.
-A follow up on our first batch of surveys is on its way.}
-We published the Wheel user manual V1.2. It’s a preliminary version to get you up and running, but you can find it here: www.miniot.com/wheelmanual

Like in the past 3 years, we're as committed as ever to finish the Wheel project in a glorious way.

Thank you for hanging on.

Peter and the Wheel team

Our new super round motor pulley with a redesigned belt centering contour. The improved grip cuts Wheel’s startup time in half.

We simplified the procedure for cleaning or replacing the stylus. Depicted is the tonearm and stylus in ’Service Mode’.

Production of the new boards. All Wheels will be equipped with these boards and updated software.