Manel will be flying again to China on January 14 to visit all the factories and see how everything is going. It would be great for him to be there and see all the components in person so he can inspect them one by one.
We will make another video of his trip so please don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel! We are aiming to publish videos weekly.
And now...
Manufacturing updates
What are the T1 components?
T1 is the Tooling 1 phase where we get a glimpse of the first tooling components.
We already talked about the Mylar (bottom plate), the palm pads, the rubber feet, the translucent part of the Huble, and the keycap/switch puller, and showed you photos and videos in the previous updates. These components are well on their way to the T2 phase (Tooling 2).
We have more updates and photos of some of them:
Palm pads
Mylar
We are deciding whether to change the colour of the Mylar bottom of the silver version. We noticed that it didn’t match the colour of the silver aluminum. And this is why it’s good for Manel to go to China so he can clearly see the colour that matches well with the aluminum.
We also have more T1 components coming in.
Huble metal cover
Metal cover of the Huble
We received photos of the metal cover of the Huble. It attaches perfectly with the plastic translucent piece.
Silver Huble
Joint piece
The joint piece is a tricky piece. Our manufacturers told us that there was a problem wherein the joint would bend as shown in the image below. But they also said they have a solution for this.
Jig used to validate the shape of the joint
We will redo this for the T2 and see if the deformation persists. If we can’t fix the deformation properly, we will use a strong glue to bring it to place.
Cables
The cables don’t need a tooling, however, they do need to be certified. In order to get the certification, they need to be shielded. And the higher the quality of the shield, the better.
Cable shielding
Our supplier modified the cable connectors to add the shield inside but as a consequence, the braiding of the cables looked worse.
Cables with shielding
Our plan with this is first to pre-certify the new cables. Once that’s passed, we will make the necessary changes to improve the look and also its flexibility.
Top case
Tooling components of the top case
Photos of the top case seen for the first time!
Top panel - raw material
The dimensions of the top case are good but there was a small problem. A gap formed in between the two sides. This will be fixed once we add more allowance to the metal sheet. We will also add more steps to the CNC at the end of the process.
The problem was not with the tooling itself, but with the execution. So it will be an easy fix.
Gap in between
Base
The tooling of the base
The base is looking good! It fits well with the top case and with the PCBs inside. We still need to do some minor adjustments. Manel will properly check this piece and prepare everything for the T2.
Left base
Metal Pins
We received the first set of metal pins. We have good samples but they’re not yet good enough for the production line. So they need to be redone. We will wait for more updates for the T2.
Metal pins
Special keycaps
We first did the white special keycaps. The dimensions and fit are good. But their color in the photos we received looks different. Again, Manel will validate this during his trip and will update us then.
And that’s all!
As you can see, there are some components that need modifications. It’s normal to have these changes during the T1. But we are pushing our manufacturers to get them right for the T2 and some for the T3.
We are hoping to finish most of the components on the second tooling phase. All in all, we are pleased to say that we are still on schedule and in the best scenario track!
Fingers crossed, it stays that way! ?
We are in a very exciting part of the manufacturing process. This is the moment where we learn if our design and engineering decisions are right. We also learn more about the real problems faced in the hardware manufacturing world, such as logistics, the assembly flow, quality control, etc. It has been exciting, frustrating, but overall, fulfilling!
We hope you liked this update. Thank you for spending time reading it.
For other concerns such as the tenting and the configuration software, we will post an update once we have them.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below or you can contact us directly at contact@dygma.com. We will tend to you as soon as possible.
