VLM Update (Repost from Youtube)
Hey everyone! Its been a crazy weekend, starting with the response to the VLM video. You guys are awesome and I never expected to hit 1k subs on Youtube. I cannot thank you guys enough. The excitement behind the project just makes me more excited for what's next.
I wanted to take a moment to clear up a couple things that I may have not made super clear in my video(I'm sorry. Still very new to all this and how to communicate things to large groups). For those of you thinking or asking if you missed the orders, no you have not. I wish I could have had some ready to go by time the announcement was made but I am dealing with some supply issues for a few of the components. To be exact, those components are mostly the headphone jacks and push buttons (for hardware volume buttons for a future release). I did consider ordering some VLMs with those parts not populated on the PCB, leaving them for you to solder if you wanted to use them. But I ultimately decided that would just be really confusing. I currently have a PCB manufacturer pre ordering those components and stocking them for my account so I can have a reasonable amount made. There were enough of those components in stock for me to place a small order, but I have yet to receive them. Once I do and I have tested this final version to be working as expected, I will be releasing the design files on the open-manet site and on the product page on buildsbyshane.com. The last thing I want to do is release some files to the public that may have a small error causing you to waste money and time. With those files you would be able to have the boards made yourself.
I know someone of you would rather just order them from a regular online store, instead of having to deal with making them. This is why I set up this site. As of right now, I plan to be that middle man, making it easier to get your hands on these custom PCBs.
With that being said, the next thing I really want to stress is that in my opinion we are still very early in testing with VLM. While we have worked through a majority of the issues and I believe I've done everything that I can on the hardware side, we may still find problems. I mentioned this in the video but I am seeing messages with people saying they want 5,10 or 15 of these. While I really appreciate the excitement and confidence in me, these boards have not been heavily tested. In the video I explained the small sample set we have tested with but there is so many combinations of PTT and cable products out there. We really don't have a full grasp of what may have issues. These first rounds will definitely be that first big test, if you are not a person who is down to troubleshoot and possibly work through some of these things on your own/as a community, this is not the time to order. I'm not a massive company. The best I can do is get everything to a good state to release it to the community for us to work through the rest together, if needed. I highly recommend sticking with a few at most to start with. Make sure it all checks out before diving deeper. The whole point of this initial release is to get the design out there in some of your hands to push the project forward and start testing. Then we can get to a final more "off the shelf product" and proven solution down the road. Hopefully very soon!
Based on discussions at the end of last week, I am expecting to have files released and VLMs mailed by the end of the month. Once I receive this first batch of VLMs(probably beginning of next week), I will need to flash them and test all of them. If anything changes, I will let you guys know. While I truly believe we have made a huge step, I still want to manage expectations and be as transparent with you as possible. We still have some work to do. I hope this clears things up a bit! Thank you all, again! See you soon.
-Shane
