Hi Pixboomers,
It’s been exactly one month since our last update. I hope you’ve all been doing well!
Our team is now officially back from the Chinese New Year break, fully recharged and already back on the factory floor. But before I jump into the production news—because there’s a lot to share—I want to first tell you what happened in February.
Europe Tour & the “Missing” Footage
In early and mid-February, before the holiday began, I took our first batch of pre-production units to Europe. We showcased Spark at AFC Micro Salon in France and at BSC Expo in London.
Honestly, it was one of the highlights of my year so far. I had the chance to meet many of our early Kickstarter backers in person. Watching you try the camera, test it out, and share your thoughts face-to-face gave me even more confidence that we’re building something truly special. Your trust means a lot to us, and it keeps us moving forward.
I had originally planned to share plenty of photos and video clips from the shows in this update.
Unfortunately, here comes the bad news.
On the last day of BSC Expo in London, while I was waiting for an Uber near a park, two men dressed in black rode past on a fat-tire e-bike and snatched my phone right out of my hand. It all happened in a split second.
So yes, I lost the phone—and with it, all the photos and footage stored on it. But I didn’t lose the most important thing: the excitement and encouragement I felt from this community. I’m sorry I can’t show you the visuals I promised, but please know this: Spark performed beautifully, and the response we received was incredibly encouraging.
Production Update: Second Trial Run Has Started
Now, back to production.
Today (Friday), our lead designer is on-site at the factory overseeing an important milestone. We have officially started SMT (Surface Mount Technology) for the second trial run.
This is the “optimization run” I mentioned in the previous update.
Today: PCB assembly is underway (Check out the fresh photos from the factory floor below!）
Next week:We move on to sensor integration and full unit assembly
A Note on Supply Chain Confidence: We’re Fully Committed
I know backing a hardware project requires a great deal of trust. To help ease any remaining concerns, I want to be transparent about where we stand with key components.
We have already placed firm orders for more than 1,000 image sensors and thousands of SSDs. Deliveries have already begun, and at this moment we have the following safely stored in our warehouse:
- 200+ image sensors
- 1,000+ SSDs
The remaining components will arrive in batches over the next one to two months. The inventory already on hand represents a major investment on our side, and we have committed substantial resources to make sure the parts are ready for production.
(See the photo below: this is a look inside the humidity-controlled dry cabinet in our office, where the sensors and SSDs are currently being stored for next week’s assembly.)
Putting Spark Through the Gauntlet
While assembly preparations continue, we’re also pushing Spark through a full set of reliability tests—so it won’t fail when you need it most.
We are currently running more than 15 reliability tests, including:
- Low- and high-temperature operating tests
- Temperature cycling and thermal shock storage tests
- Random vibration and mechanical shock tests
- Dust resistance and drop tests
- Screw hole strength tests
- Damp heat cycling
- Lens mount stress tests, including attach/detach lifecycle, static load, and torsional load
And we’re not done yet.
After next week’s assembly, we’ll move on to 25+ additional tests covering mechanical strength, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), weather resistance, packaging integrity, and software compatibility.
What Comes Next
We’re moving quickly, but we’re also being careful and precise.
Once the units from this second trial run are assembled next week and pass the initial checks, we’ll have the final data we need to lock in the shipping schedule.
In next week’s update, I’ll also share the latest progress on both hardware refinements and software development.
Thank you for staying with us through the holiday break, the exhibition tour, and even the unexpected London incident. We’re now entering the home stretch.
Warmly,
Jing
The Pixboom Team 🧡
