We are Shipping M2!


To quickly sum up the last few weeks, we ran a few first articles of M2 and everything looks good. We tested the final product thoroughly to verify all the suggestions and improvements that came out of the Developer round. We gave the final approval to turn on the machines and complete the M2 production run. We are happy to announce we start shipping TODAY! As we receive more product from our factory over the next week, we will quickly pack it up and send it out to you.

The actual process of producing electronics is very cool, especially the first time you see it. Unfortunately, the machines on this line are difficult to see inside. In any case, here are a couple snapshots of the M2 production process.

 

A stencil is created. This allows solder paste to be applied.

 

 

All of the parts are loaded into the the Pick and Place machine.

 

 

The panels are loaded here as well.

 

 

This Hydra head then takes the parts and puts them on the boards. This head can do 8 parts at a time.

 

The operation looks something like this here. After the parts are on the boards, they are baked to reflow the solder and quality assurance machines make sure everything is placed on the boards correctly.

 

This process is pretty standard, but small things still come up that take a bit of problem solving. With the OBD2 connectors, we were concerned about the connectors being soldered on level since the right angle design hangs off the board. Our engineers came up with a quick solution to 3D print a support to prevent this issue.

 

The supports in place on a panel of M2s

 

 

To remove the flux and any other contaminants, the boards also go through the equivalent of a giant washing machine.

 

 

A brand new M2 ready for packaging and shipping!

 

 

Not everyone got to go hang out at the factory; some had to stay home and work on the overhaul of the documentation! More on that next time.

 

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