Rainsaber

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
about 4 years ago – Thu, May 07, 2020 at 08:48:42 AM

Cinco de Mayo is actually second favorite holiday in May. Behind Mother's Day, of course. Ha!

Not much new to report for the last two weeks--that actually feels like a good thing these days. In our house we all finally feel like our old selves again, and for that we feel grateful. We hope you're surviving in good spirits and health. 

I have run through the supplies I brought home before the shutdown in NYC, so for the past while I have been working on packing and shipping redesign, weighing different options for quality, price, and environmental-friendliness. I have ordered everything necessary to ship out remaining keychain and t-shirt rewards, as well as boxes and foam for umbrellas. Just as soon as our state governor lifts isolation restrictions, we'll be dropping a number of your rewards at the post office.

Stay positive as best you can. Better times are ahead for us all.

Best,

Ben

Johnny Five Alive
about 4 years ago – Mon, Apr 20, 2020 at 01:06:01 AM

Greetings!

Apologies for the missed update last week; a few health concerns on the home front robbed me of my focus and energy, but things are well once again. Due to the shutdown here in New York City over the Covid-19 pandemic, I have not shipped any additional rewards. It's just safer for everyone all around to wait a few more weeks before making non-essential trips outside.

In the meantime, I'm making progress in other areas. After hearing from some of you about your missing t-shirts and key chains, I was able to determine that most international backers did not receive their smaller rewards. This was due to a clerical error on the part of the corporate logistics company related to customs codes. I have these items in my workshop, so the only thing we're waiting on here is just a chance to get to the post office.

On the product development side, things are also moving ahead. I received the button configuration PCB and have been busy testing the prototype. The standard recharge breakout was quite bulky and difficult to wire up with the momentary and latching switches, i.e., the on/off buttons. I tried several variations to fit it into updated designs: on the side of the buttons, laying beneath them, at the end, etc., before coming up with the solution to go through it. With this custom shape, I save quite a bit space to reduce the height and length of the button enclosure. Now, I was hoping this clever workaround would also make it easier to wire, thus saving me time per unit, but it requires the same amount of effort to solder up the 12mm anti-vandal steel buttons. It's not the all-in-one solution I was hoping for, but it keeps my wiring nice and tidy. And it works!

Behold:

A core focus of the umbrella from the beginning was its modular nature. I wanted users to be able to repair their units to extend the product lifetime, cut down on waste, and encourage customization. Throughout the course of development, I resorted to using epoxy to glue the hilt together because I just couldn't find another functional, cost-effective, and quick way to keep everything securely fixed into place. However, this approach created new problems because if a unit malfunctioned, I was forced break it open. Though I could salvage most internal parts, I still lost about $20 on the exterior components each time. Arrgh!

Over the past few months, I have been working hard to return to my earlier philosophy, and I'm happy to report I have finally developed a fully repairable version of the Rainsaber One that uses only screws, gaskets, and seals for assembly. This makes it incredibly strong, just as waterproof, and still accessible for those who want to customize the special effects. Bonus: I also do not have to resort to more costly fixes like ordering replacement parts or redesigning electronic components completely. I am already dropping this change into current units into production. This probably doesn't seem that impressive, but it's a huge relief for me.

Last but not least, I have also repaired my SLA resin printer and accompanying wash/cure machines. This was no small feat that saved me a lot of money; it took quite a bit of internet sleuthing and a number of emails to tech support, but they are up and running. (If you can believe it, I replaced the laser mirror myself.) This printer will be immensely helpful as I apply my lessons from the Rainsaber One to the other models like the Knight, Mentor, and Nemesis, which have a few unique design requirements that my FDM machines can't quite handle.

That's all I have for tonight, folks. I'll see you next week!

Sunday Night Update
about 4 years ago – Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 01:14:29 AM

Good evening, everyone. I hope this update finds you all in good health. Our house has passed its third week in self-isolation. To be honest, things here in NYC are getting quite scary. It's a good thing we have Rainsaber to keep us distracted and busy.

This week we completed four umbrellas and prepped them for shipping, but missed the 2PM deadline at the post office. I'll drop them in the mail Monday, so four more of you should receive your rewards soon. Also, this past week a backer reported that his umbrella was broken upon arrival, which was a huge letdown. The button configuration had snapped off during shipment. If this happens to you, let me know. I will do everything I can to make the situation right.

It terms of the design, I have a created a solution to preventing this from happening again by adding fastening screws to the button configuration. In the future, I will also use a wider-diameter cardboard tube and more packing paper, which should do the trick in keeping everything protected from the abuse of transit.

In other, less exciting news, I did not receive the new PCB prototypes as expected, but I'm crossing my fingers they arrive this week. This hasn't slowed down current assembly times, but it is annoying. This week I am working on instructional videos for changing blade colors and customizing special effects. Other than that, it's build, build, build umbrellas!

If you have not received rewards like key chains and t-shirts, please send me a message. These shipments went out long ago and were marked as completed by the automated logistics software used by a previous commercial shipping partner. However, I have recently learned that some of you have not received those smaller rewards. I have ordered all of my inventory of these items back from the shipping partner, and will mail them directly to you myself to make sure the job gets done.

That's all I have for tonight, folks. See you next week!

Update Time
about 4 years ago – Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 01:47:29 AM

We're going to try something new: every Sunday night I will post an update on the week's progress for Rainsaber. Until everyone of you has their rewards. Some weeks there will be less to say than others, but that's okay. I've heard your feedback on the frustrating lack of communication, and I'll do better.

First, let me catch you up to speed. 

Since my last update, the biggest impediment to production had been my own schedule. Work and other opportunities pulled me away from my shop for weeks at a time--but that is now over as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. (More on that later.) On top of that, there was a rough stretch when all of my 3D printers broke down in their own special ways. Aargh! Another major headache occurred when 25% of assembled units could not pass quality control for shipment--a wiring connection in the on/off switches repeatedly broke during the epoxy stage, which required us to crack the saber core open and waste materials. Since any and all expenses come out of my own pocket at this point, I had to spend precious time engineering the most cost-efficient solution.

In February, we ran a bootleg promotion operation outside of the Toy Fair convention the Javits Center in NYC, where creators demonstrate new products to wholesalers and retailers. Each day of events we paraded outside showing off our umbrellas, and attendees were thrilled by the special effects and quality craftsmanship. Many asked for details like large-order price breaks and encouraged us that we had created something special. This has not turned into any solid opportunities yet, but we were energized by the enthusiastic reaction from people in the toy business. There's a bright future ahead if we can move past hand-built manufacturing.

As for Covid-19, we, like much of the rest of the world, are self-isolated in our apartment worrying about the future. The pandemic's devastation here in NYC has been difficult to process, but so far we have much to be thankful for--we are healthy and safe. And we're still building umbrellas! Before the city-wide shutdown fully kicked in, I shipped out 4 umbrellas. This past week I moved printers and supplies back home to keep making progress, but I was unable to ship out any new units. That should change this week as I hope to double that number.

Upcoming items:

Tuesday I will receive more machine screws and gaskets to build an additional 15 new button configurations. On Friday I should receive new PCBs that will make the on/off switch assembly much more efficient and durable. Even if this prototype doesn't work, I'll be able to keep making quality units with an effective retrofitted design. In the meantime, I'll keep my machines printing components for the canopies--only 40 of those left to build.

Thanks again for your patience, everyone. Until next week!

Quick Update
about 4 years ago – Sat, Mar 14, 2020 at 01:46:26 PM

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