Tue Oct 1 '19 Announcement
about 5 years ago – Tue, Oct 01, 2019 at 12:44:22 AM

Dear Backers,

Thanks to a attentive backer we found out that the survey link in our September Update is wrong. That is why we are sharing the right survey link here with you. With this correction we refer to this section of our September Update:

Missing Address and Payment Data

We found out that there are still quite some backers who did not give us their address data. We can’t ship Lumapod to those who did not update their data. If you are not sure, your address data is complete, or your payment data is up to date, please check!

To update your data, go back to your BackerKit survey, and enter your email address.

Thanks, for your support to make a smooth fulfillment happen :)

- Team Lumapod

Mon Sep 30 '19 Announcement
about 5 years ago – Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 10:46:31 AM

Dear backers,

in our update of this month we have good news and less pleasing news. We eat the frog first and get to the good news later.

Missing Address and Payment Data

We found out that there are still quite some backers who did not give us their address data. We can’t ship Lumapod to those who did not update their data. If you are not sure, your address data is complete, or your payment data is up to date, please check!

To update your data, go back to your BackerKit survey, and enter your email address.

Thanks, for your support to make a smooth fulfillment happen :)

Time line update

We got new samples from our main supplier 1-2 weeks later than expected. Although he did a great job on most parts, it turned out, that they did not achieve to correct all points. Two parts are missing, some changes have not been made and the gearing to tension the ropes is too tight. This was disappointing for us, but our manufacturer is doing everything to make this right. Before the molds are not perfectly adjusted, we will not start mass production.

Also the timeline for the missing leg parts from our new sub supplier has been extended a little because of design adjustments for manufacturing.

This is why start of shipment in October is not realistic anymore. Start of shipment will most likely be November. The supplier does a great job in general and we are confident all parts will be perfect soon.

Lumapod

These are the parts from our main manufacturer. At least what you can see, because inside it includes the complete mechanism to tension the ropes and to lock the telescoping tubes. Overall a crazy number of around 70 different parts. Ok, some parts are just the same but different sizes. Anyway it’s still crazy :)

We planned to make a video of a new Lumapod prototype, but it’s a lot of work to check every part in detail. And because it’s already update time, we will post the video a little later (but before our next update).

Ballhead

One backer asked us in the comments to post a picture of the ballhead sample. Here you are :) The scale for the panorama function is still missing and will be added on the ballhead you receive. The big lever will be black and there will be some minor adaptations to improve the appearance.

Please note that this is a fully CNC machined premium ballhead!

Z-Plate

The first samples of the Z-Plate are ready. Until now we only got pictures, but they look awesome. We will receive the samples in 1 week and we are sure they will meet our expectations. This z-plate is unique on the market and we are curious to see how you guys like it.

Travel Sling Pack

We learned it needs some trial runs to get the bag how we wanted it to be. But we are getting closer and closer. Except of some details (such as the color of the top of the bag), this bag gets very close to the bag we will deliver to you soon.

Mobile Phone Holder

Sat Aug 31 '19 Announcement
about 5 years ago – Sat, Aug 31, 2019 at 06:35:58 AM

Dear backers,

we just came back from our manufacturers in China, Guangdong. Hence we have a lot to share with you.

China Visit

Main Manufacturer

Package 2 samples from our main supplier were very satisfying. But as usual for the first shots, there are some slight adoptions to be made, in order to insure the smooth functionality. The supplier is already working on revising the tools and we are awaiting T1 samples soon.

We also talked about the schedule and our plans were fully supported by them. After confirming the next samples, they will make a pre-production of 100 sets of package1+2 (basically the full tripod but without legs) to set up the production. After confirming these, they are ready to jump into serial production.

Our meeting room to check and discuss the P2/T1 samples.

Sub Manufacturer

We can confirm, what our supply chain management partner already found out at the audit: The second manufacturer is very professional. All processes are performed according to automotive standards, so quality wise we can expect what we wanted. Now we look forward to see the first samples of package 3.

CNC production of our Sub Manufacturer

Add-On Suppliers

Our biggest issue for the moment was to purchase the promised premium ballhead with appropriate quality for a reasonable price. What made it difficult is the compactness we wanted, because most standard ball heads are much bigger. We had meetings with several manufacturers and happily we could make a good deal for a customized fully CNC machined ball head, meeting all our requirements. We ordered samples, which will arrive in 2 weeks.

Customised Lumapod Ballhead

Bag Supplier

We also visited bag suppliers, whereas most of them are not an option for us. Communication and support are really bad. Mostly due to language barriers, but they are also not at all flexible in terms of material.

But luckily one of them (clearly not the cheapest one) was outstanding in terms of initiative, communication and flexibility. From this supplier we are already awaiting the third sample. The first two samples were about the shape and manufacturing method. The next one will also have the desired materials as well.

Packaging

We visited two packaging manufacturers and both of them proved to be absolutely capable of meeting our requirements. Shortly we will order samples.

Fun

After a week of a lot of meetings and hard working, at some point you also have to have some fun. In chinese style of course. We have been invited for dinner and karaoke and we have to say, and we have to say, it was a great experience. As a side effect we strengthened the relation to our partners and also got some new contacts.

Elias with a great performance at karaoke :)

Summary Lumapod

• Package1: Adjusting the telescopes holding force. Awaiting T2 samples
• Package2: Revising some details. Awaiting T1 samples
• Package3: Tooling in progress. Awaiting T0 samples.
• Production: Pre-Production of 100 sets of P1/P2 will be assembled in Sept. During this time the supplier is setting up the production line. Right after checking this samples they will jump into serial production.

Update Timeline

We progress very well for now, therefore we can keep up with our timeline. Thanks to our visits, we have the feeling of having control over the entire process and can already see the finish line. But since we can not predict what happens during the production, we have to add a disclaimer: Please note, that this timeline is still an estimation. Before mass production we have a pretty intense time, therefore it would not be honest to promise a certain shipping time yet. Even though our manufacturers promised to accelerate the processes, we would never compromise quality, just in order to avoid further postponements. We hate every delay probably more than you do, but we keep up to our promises we made from the first day on. Thank you for your understanding.

September

  Revising P1/P2    

  Setting up production,

  Pre-Production of P1/P2 (100 Sets)    

  Tooling of P3 in progress, T0 samples  

October

  Visit Suppliers in China    

  Serial production, Packing, Shipping

Terminology

A quick explanation to our terminology: We split up all parts into 3 packages and called it P1 (Package 1 = Telescope), P2 (Package 2 = Head with tensioning mechanism) and P3 (Package 3 = Base/Legs).  T0 samples are the first “Out-of-tool”-samples. Often tolerances are not perfect and after assembling the first parts, some details may need to be changed. With this improvements incorporated you get T1 samples. Next ones are  T2 samples, and so on.

-Team Lumapod

Wed Jul 31 '19 Announcement
about 5 years ago – Wed, Jul 31, 2019 at 03:05:53 AM

Dear backers,

in this update we are talking about our progress in manufacturing. 

Manufacturing Progress

First to say is, we were searching for an additional manufacturer, who is best suited for manufacturing the tripod legs. Up to now we were thinking of producing these at our main supplier, who proved to be a trustful and cooperative partner. 
But we kept our eyes open for one who is specially geared to this type of parts, as well as to reduce the risk of failures and dependencies. Foremost, we have more control of our supply chain, which is an advice we often got, especially when doing business in China. Finding a new supplier means some work: Pre-selecting promising companies, making inquiries, negotiating, auditing the best ones by our local partner, final negotiations and discussing the technical details.
It’s a thing we truly hate to say, but unfortunately we lost some time with selecting this supplier and we have to adjust the timeline once more. 

As already mentioned in previous updates, we split up the parts into 3 packages (+some add-ons). Here is the progress:
Package 1 (Telescope): T0 samples received. T1 samples sent to us on July 29th.
Package 2 (Head with tensioning mechanism): Tools finished on Aug 10th. T0 samples finished on Aug 15th.
Package 3 (Base/Legs): New supplier audited and selected. Tooling ordered. 
Z-plate: Tooling ordered. Find more details below. 
Add-ons (Mounting Kit, Ball Head, etc.): Suppliers selected

(A quick explanation: T0 samples are the first “Out-of-tool”-samples. Often tolerances are not perfect and after assembling the first parts, some details may need to be changed. With this improvements incorporated you get T1 samples. Next ones are  T2 samples, and so on.)

To get back some of the time we lost with selecting the additional supplier, we will not wait for the missing parts to set up the assembly of 5000 Lumapods. The whole production process and instructions can already be planned beforehand the final assembly. As soon as we have approved all of the parts from package 1+2 (which are in time), we will start to pre-assemble these.
Then it should take only little time to finish assembling with package3 parts, so the Lumapods can be packed and shipped. 

To review all parts, discuss the details and make a schedule, we will again fly to China on Aug 12th. Hopefully we can report a good outcome of this visit in our next update.

Some pictures of package 2 tooling:

Z-Plate

We will deliver each Lumapod Go120 with a z-plate. Standard z-plates are too big and super heavy. The one we showed in our campaign is small, but it is not available anymore - and we were not 100% happy with its mechanical design anyway. So we decided to design our own compact z-plate and invest in tools. The design is finished and tools are ordered. Hope you like it :)

Folded dimensions: 50x40x19 mm
Bottom thread & camera screw: ¼” 

Timeline

August: Visiting Manufacturer, Checking P1/T1 and P2/T0 samples
                 Assembling Lumapods with samples / make assembling instructions
                 Start Pre-Production of P1/P2
                 Tooling of P3
                  Ordering all Add-ons
September: Assembling Lumapods (except for missing parts)
Sept/Oct: Adding Last parts
October: Packing, Shipping

 

To all out there who are supporting us

Thank you for your trust and your support. We sincerely appreciate your mindset and we look forward to ship an awesome product to you soon. 
We work hard to achieve a good product quality. Unfortunately sometimes we have to make decisions, which influence the timeline. I guess this is not an unusual thing for a completely new product, but we know it is still annoying. Sorry once again!

-Team Lumapod

Wed Jun 26 '19 Announcement
over 5 years ago – Wed, Jun 26, 2019 at 11:33:28 AM

Hey Backers,

we got things rolling very well. We can’t await to see your Lumapods being shipped to you. But for now, there is still some work to do:

Production

Just a view days ago, we received the “first out of tool” parts in our office. These 29 different parts were produced by the first tooling package. Fortunately, there is nothing big we could complain about. This is really great and gives us the confidence that our manufacturing partner is the right one. We hope it will continue like this. 

Sorry for not posting a lot of photos with many details. We recently found out somebody wanted to copy us and we don’t want to make it too easy.

The second tooling package is currently in production and we partly ordered the the third package. So far everything is on track with these tools, according to the weekly report of our manufacturer. Yeah! 

Hence, we are progressing according the plans. By the end of July / beginning of August, we will be in China at our manufacturer, in order to assemble and test several Lumapods and to be ready for mass production.

Timeline

The timeline did not change since our last two updates:

April-July: Production of all tools in 3 packages, Sampling, Testing, Tool adjustments

July:  Pre-Production, Testing

Aug:  Beginning of Mass Production + Shipping

Crowdfunding Love

These are some other projects we think you might like!

Mikme Pocket: A smarter way to record audio for your videos

Friends of us started this very cool project on KS.

A failsafe wireless audio recorder & clip-on microphone to add professional sound to any video. Works with cameras & smartphones. Get yours here

Alter RFS - Rapid Filter System - The First Hinged Lens Filter Adapters

The RFS is the world’s first hinged lens filter adapter built for creators who want to spend less time dealing with their filter and more time getting the shot. 

The RFS + features the same slim and sleek design with an integrated step-up function. Designed specifically to accommodate wide angle lenses and replace the need for step-up rings all together. Get yours here.