Duo X delivery

[gianfranco]

This is a message to the MOD Duo X pre-purchasers

I am writing to inform on the status of the current production batch and the delivery of the units.

Due to the Coronavirus hazard, the process is currently on standby. The enclosures and computer modules should have been shipped right after the end of the Spring Festival but the process has been halted.

The Coronavirus is affecting all manufacturing and product coming out of China for all manufacturers. It is an ever-changing situation and we are only now starting to get an understanding of how it will affect us. There has been an extended Chinese New Year Holiday which has now ended. Factories now must apply for a license to re-open by presenting their plan to help prevent the spread of the virus.

We will have a delay due to the slower return of workers and the backlog that has been generated. We do not know the extent of the delay yet due to the evolving situation but we will update you once we know more. We have no control over this and most of the manufacturers are in the same position.

Any production date forecast will only be given when they resume working and re-organize regarding the delays of production in the entire country. Some of our suppliers have already informed that they will only be back in operation by the first week of March, so delays of at least 1 month are to be expected for the deliveries of the MOD Duo X.

In the meantime, all the possible preparations are being done here in Germany for the production and assembly of the units. Most of the electronics are made locally and, once the parts arrive from China we’re ready to assemble without loss of extra time.

I understand the frustration regarding the delays and, at the moment. I apologise and make my best to keep you up-to-date.

If you have pre-ordered a Duo X and desire a refund, please contact us and we will promptly do it. I’d like to remember, however, that these MOD Duo X units have stronger processors than previously planned, but are being offered at a reduced price to honour the deal we’ve always presented. The price will have to increase once they hit the stores.

Also, there is a special condition in the upcoming MOD Dwarf Kickstarter campaign aimed at owners of MOD Devices. If you have pre-ordered a Duo X you’re also entitled to this pledge.

To finalise, I’d like to thank you for your kind patience and valuable support. Albeit this has been a lengthy process, it is coming to an end and the final form of the MOD Duo X is impressive in many ways. We hope you’re excited as we are.

Best wishes

Gianfranco

[Manysounds]

Also, there is a special condition in the upcoming MOD Dwarf Kickstarter campaign aimed at owners of MOD Devices. If you have pre-ordered a Duo X you’re also entitled to this pledge.

I fall into this category but did not see this offered. Will this be addressed in a follow up “survey”?

[gianfranco]

just send an email to upgrademyduo@moddevices.com with your order details and we’ll send you a confirmation

the details are in this post: CPU upgrade?

[Klaustrophil]

Thank you so much for communicating transparently about your issues and the situation. Having issues, especially for such a small company like you, is totally fine as long as you communicate and show appreciation to your customers. You are doing everything right!

But of course I’m yearningly waiting for my Duo X and hope things sort out quickly.

[gianfranco]

Dear MOD Duo X purchasers

I am writing to bring further information on the status of the current production batch.

As of the end of last week, all our suppliers in China have resumed working and all off them have provided us with dates about deliveries of our parts.

Before disclosing the dates, let me again briefly explain how our assembly process works.

We source in China all the metallurgy related parts of the device - enclosure, knobs, silicone buttons, etc - and also the system-on-a-chip module (the CPU), which is a small board that is then later soldered to one of our boards.

All the electronic boards are manufactured in Germany and the same applies to the final assembly of the product. Our german contractor, called Watterott, also sources the blank PCBs in China so there are also impacts on his lead times to deliver the boards and productions that should take 3 to 5 working days are taking between 10 and 15.

Our original plan was to receive all parts till February 7th, have the sample units tested until February 14th and start shipping the batch in the last week of February. The Coronavirus hazard has not only delayed our starting date, but also made the process much slower.

That all said, here’s the status:

We will have received all the necessary parts on March 23rd. Some parts are already on the way to Germany. Others are being shipped next week.

Here are our computing modules (SOMs) packed and on the way:

Here are some pics of the enclosures that are now being packed for shipping:

Watterott is already sourcing every component they can and will perform a sample run that will be delivered to us on March 27th.

We will conduct the tests and checks on the sample run units as fast as we receive them. Photos and videos will be posted in the forum so you can follow the process.

Between April 20th and 24th, the shipping of the units will start. We will begin with very small batches until we streamline the process and deliveries will be done in the order of purchase. All pre-sales shall be fulfilled until May 1st.

We will keep you informed on the development. The virus has already reached Germany and also the city of Berlin, but no measures were yet taken that could impact our dates.

I hope you all understand the situation. We’re doing our best to adjust to the constraints that are being put onto us.

I’ll share more news as soon as I have them.

My kindest regards

[gianfranco]

Dear MOD Duo X purchasers

I hope every one of you is managing to stay safe and healthy in such turbulent times.

Once again I am writing to bring news on the status of the current Duo X production batch.

Since my last update from early March, there has been a recrudescence with the COVID-19 situation in entire Europe and this has brought us enormous impacts.

From March 13th the MOD Team has been working from home as lockdowns were imposed in many countries including Germany. Our production contractor, Watterott, has also gone into lockdown and, being a factory, their employees cannot work from home. This affects the production process.

Progress happened on the imported parts from China, which arrived on March 23rd as expected. Here are some pics of the enclosures, display protectors, and knobs. Looking great.

We were facing a very uncertain scenario, but as of last week the situation has improved and we now have a better idea of when and how we can move forward.

These are the dates that will be pursued:

• Between April 17th and May 5th, we will have received and thoroughly tested the so-called Golden Samples. These are a handful of units that are produced the same way as the mass production batch to validate everything. Same settings, same files, same process.

• On May 7th the mass production of PCBs kicks-off, with expected finishing on May 22nd.

• Between May 22nd and 24th part of our team will work inside the Watterott facilities alongside their workforce in order to make the setup of the final assembly process. We have no time to waste with poor remote communication and we opted to work directly in their factory to make sure there are no loose ends.

• On May 25th the final assembly for the mass production starts. Until June 6th all units for this first batch will be assembled.

• The deliveries will happen as the pieces are finished, so we will start shipping to our customers around June 1st.

We will keep you updated as the process runs and will let you all know if some new issues arise.

I know the delay is frustrating but the situation is way above our control. Given the circumstances, we’re doing all we can to minimize the impacts.

Best wishes to everyone

Gianfranco Ceccolini - CEO & Founder

[ADTL]

Hello, I hope everything goes well for you.
Here we are, what is the news for the Mod Duo X shipments?
Thanks.

[jeremywinters]

I cleaned a spot on my studio desk in anticipation.

obviously we will be understanding if production is running behind… but I’m sure that I’m not the only person eager to know the status!

[khz]

Hello,

+1 - an up-to-date status would be nice.
cheers

[Adriano]

@ADTL @jeremywinters @khz
Hi guys! Thanks for bringing this up.
@gianfranco was only waiting a couple of picture from our manufacturing plant so he could post something a little more elaborate here. The update is on the making and it should come today or tomorrow. Overall, things are on track.

Just to avoid suspense: it’s good rather than bad news

[gianfranco]

Dear MOD Duo X purchasers,

I hope that everyone is safe and healthy while coping with the pandemic.

Here at MOD Devices work has not stopped. I am writing to report - hopefully for the last time - regarding the Duo X delivery.

Our April plan proved to be over-optimistic when confronted with the reality of the pandemic, not accounting for all possible delays caused by the logistics and supply chains still being heavily broken.

Albeit with some delay from the original plan, we have received our production samples still in May and, since then, have worked intensively to ensure they can pass all possible tests.

Here is a picture of the first fully assembled unit.

Last week we ran a succesfull batch of legal compliance tests that are necessary for the certification process. This batch of tests is conducted in an external laboratory that has the necessary infrastructure, specially regarding Electro Magnectic Compatibility (EMC). In a nutshell, these tests define if our product is safe enough to be in the retails space or not. This was the last step regarding the validation of the production and we’re glad to say the Duo X has successfully passed.

Yesterday our team did a full day of work at Watterott, our manufacturing partner, discussing the very last details and polishing all the final details for the assembly and quality assurance of our products.

Here are some pictures of the actual boards that are being assembled for this batch. All machines are set up and still this week the manufacturing will be running steady.

Next steps are:

• On June 25th Watterott will ship the first batch of units to Berlin. We will then conduct our checks on the manufactured units.
• On Monday 29th we start shipping the units to the customers.
• Until mid-July we will have fulfilled all the pre-orders.

Then we can all pop a beer and enjoy the summer that is coming!

Best wishes to everyone

Gianfranco Ceccolini - CEO & Founder

[khz]

\o\ che |o| ers /o/

[RAFS]

Okay, but only 1 beer. You have my Dwarf to work on!

Cheers!

[valsolo]

ok… 8th of July. I keep on checking my email 50 times/day Hopefully a delivery email will arrive at any moment.

[gianfranco]

Marked by the green rectangle are the very first Duo X retail units, eager to leave the office

Our packaging supplier had a production hiccup and will only deliver the packaging this week. Then these babies will go into the wild…

[plutek]

…i’m enjoying the graphic “key” to various AC power plugs, which is taped to the shelf edge! nice one!

[unbracketed]

…and I’m admiring the storage configurations available when you aren’t near a fault line

[valsolo]

@gianfranco : Great news. Really looking forward to receive the shipment info. If this is non-disclosable info please disregard (and I apologize), but HOW large is this batch of Duo X devices?

Best regards from Sunny Sweden
//Val

[gianfranco]

Hey everyone.

Here’s a teaser video of the unboxing of the very first packed unit

Next Monday the first batch is leaving our office.

[Klaustrophil]

Just got a delivery announcement from UPS