Turnigy / flysky 9x -> smartieparts 9xtreme

Linkjes:
Info over de 9Xtreme : http://www.smartieparts.com/store
Pre-order op: http://www.smartieparts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=378

Zoals misschien meer mensen hier ben ik begonnen met een FlySky 9X (Ook wel onder Turnigy 9X naam verkocht)
Nu had deze zender echt waardeloze firmware.
Met een beetje solderen ed. kon je hier een programmer in bouwen om zo de zender met betere firmware te flashen (ER9X bijvoorbeeld)

De kerel van http://www.smartieparts.com/ heeft toen een bordje ontwikkeld om dit zonder solderen voor elkaar te krijgen en komt nu met een super update!
Voor een fractie van de kosten til je je 9X naar een high-end niveau (zou wel een gimbal upgrade adviseren, Taranis gimbals passen prima overigens)

Samenvatting van wat er aan zit te komen:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The venerable Mr. Mike Blandford has been a huge contributor to the 9X community, as he's pretty much single-handedly been responsible for ER9X development over the past several years and he's done a fantastic job! As many of you know, however, he has hit a bit of a wall in terms of what can be done with the 9X due to limitations of the 9X's processor, memory, and (to some extent) voltage regulator. So we've been working together on a new product that not only provides the core functions of my previous products (firmware upload, telemetry/FrSky integration, and backlight circuitry) but also adds full-featured voice capabilities and expands the horizons of what can be done in future firmware development by giving Mike and others the processing power, memory space, and power requirements they need!

This isn't going to be the first project to try to tackle these goals, but it will be the first with a price tag that makes you forget about other radios like the Taranis or the (ugh!) 9XR Pro!

In short... we're going to make sure the 9X retains its Value King title!

Time to talk features of the SmartieParts 9Xtreme:

Firmware Flashing:

The roots have always been about getting firmware like ER9X or OpenTX onto your 9X. Previously we helped you achieve that by bolting a programmer to your 9X. This new board effectivelybecomes your 9X. The process has changed, but the result is the same... easy, solderless, USB transfer from your computer to your 9X.

Expanded Model Memory:

Got lots of models? Good, because we've got lots of space. Full support for 60 of the most advanced models you can dream up, plus infinite more using the Micro SD card slot!

Telemetry Integration:

What was once a complicated exercise in patience and steady hands, was made simple thanks to our TelemetrEZ board. That same simple and effective solderless solution will be available again without the need to run a whole plate of spaghetti through your TX!

Backlight:

First we brought you the EL backlight, then we provided advanced support for the HobbyKing LED backlight, but now we're upping our game! I plan to include a custom made RGB backlight with the kit! RGB means you can select any color you want, and change it as often as you want, within the firmware! Not sure if you like Blue, or Red or Green... maybe you have a hankering to try Pink. Now you can. Again, no soldering, cutting, splicing or dicing required.

Sound / Voice:

Sure we give you dazzling colors for your screen, but how about you keep your eyes on the plane! Get audio feedback from your transmitter so you don't have to look at the screen to know what's going on. This is particularly useful when combined with telemetry functions... know when your plane's battery is getting low, or you're reaching your range limits, or.. your heading East, I don't know! What it says is up to you... giving you a solderless, simple method for hearing it is our job! The plan is to include the speaker so your kit is complete out of the box.

Power (the processing kind):

It is amazing what Mike and those before him have managed to coax out of the 9X's relatively dinky processor. If you want technical specs, you can Google Atmega64A (what the 9x uses now) and STM32F205 (the beast we're going to augment it with), but really its kind of like this:

The little blue guy is the 9X that we're taking for a ride. What happens when you combine a beast of a firmware developer like Mike with a beast of a chip? Let's find out.

Power (the electricity kind):

The last thing I want to bore you with is volts and amps, but I've got to mention the power handling.

First, we're off loading pretty much all the power responsibilities from the 9X's super-cheap, low-grade voltage regulator and putting it on the shoulders of our board's dual-regulators. Our switching regulator is up to 96% efficient, compared to the 40% efficiency of the stock regulator (when used with a fully charged 3S LiPo battery). Your battery lasts longer and you fly more without worrying.It also means you're free to use the battery you want to use, without compromise. Before you had to either waste the majority of a 3S's voltage, or else squeak by with a 2S that wouldn't last long due to the high drop-out of the stock regulator. Our system runs happily on either one.Our system can easily handle 500mA for any future add-ons you might dream up, compared to the 100 or so mA we're limited to now (the regulator can handle much more than that! But we're designing everything around a 500mA max).Finally, we're implementing a pretty advanced chip on board that protects your system from a battery-oops. (Deze feature is niet meer! Zie update 29-9-2015) I can't count the number of customers who accidentally plugged the wrong thing in the wrong spot and let out the magic smoke! While that was good for repeat sales, I figured if we can prevent it, we should. Since we take over the majority of the power delivery of the 9X, it became possible to provide reverse current protection. No more poof!

US$69 or less!**I'm doing my best to get the price down lower if I can, but I can say for sure it won't be higher than $69. There WILL be a pre-order disount, so make sure you're on the mailing list!

So what's next?
You probably want to know "when?". I'm getting closer and things are moving along at a nice pace, but still not there yet! I can't give you a solid time. We're very close to getting (hopefully final) prototypes, and once those are confirmed it will take a few weeks for the production run to be done. Some form of pre-sales will occur very soon, and if you'd like to be part of that make sure you're on our list for updates! I'm working on a proper list feature for this site still, but for now please just use our contact form asking to be put on the list and I'll manually add you.

Thanks for reading!

Steven Morehouse
SmartieParts.com

 

Update 18-7-2015:

There's some info you won't find on either store at the moment, so I'll mention it here. Most importantly, the time-line: We're on schedule! I know it probably feels like things are going slow, but really this project only had its first conceived thought around May 20. That's right around 2 months ago. A project like this typically would take about 6 to 12 months to go from conception to product, but (thanks to Mike!) we're way ahead of that. So where are we? I'm sorry but I still can't give you that elusive ETA. But we're moving forward!

The prototypes are in production right now. They have been for almost 2 weeks. There was a 2 week delay starting the prototype process because the circuit board shop I used in the past didn't have the capability required to produce this board efficiently. That meant shopping things around, and that takes time. I settled on two potential suppliers, and I decided to go ahead and have both make prototypes. That means I'm more assured at least one of them is as competent as they claim, and if they both are then I have a backup supplier should there be any problems down the road. The prototypes are expected to be finished July 27 to July 30. They'll be in my and Mike's hands a couple days later because I'm forking out the big bucks for express shipping (I'm as anxious as you are!). Mike and I put a lot of thought into the design, and hopefully the prototypes work great with no surprises or need for subsequent rounds of design/testing. That's the expectation at least. From there, production won't really take that long

Now on to price! If you weren't trigger happy and you've read down this far before clicking the links, you'll be super excited to know I've dropped the prices for pre-orders even lower than previously announced! 20% lower, to be exact. That puts the 9Xtreme at roughly $55 and the Basic below $17! For the 9Xtreme, that beats my initial targets of "around the price of the SP board + TelemetrEZ ($60)". For the Basic, I managed to get it even less than the "50% to 60% of the SP board" figure! That is a special price for those willing to entrust me to get this job done. Please note that any customer can cancel their pre-order at any time minus $5. I need you to understand that these are still a ways off, and the discount is specifically offered for your help in providing funds to the production order. Cancelled orders hurt that effort, hence the $5 discouragement.

 

Update 10-8-2015:

Things have been coming along nicely. As I may have previously reported,
the pen only first hit the paper on this project on May 21st. In just over
2 months, the design was completed, components researched, suppliers
secured, and the first of two sets of prototypes produced (I have two
companies making them in case one is no good. So far only one has
finished). Those prototypes have been simultaneously shipped to Mike in the
UK and myself in Canada and should be arriving in the next couple of days.
Then the next step of fun begins!

I'll be testing them mostly for physical design mistakes (screw hole
alignment, connector placement, make sure nothing is contacting anything it
shouldn't be, etc) and also production flaws to make sure the company I
chose did as good a job as I had hope. Mike will be using them for
confirming the firmware works with the hardware and making any necessary
adjustments. He has the harder job and I really have no idea how long he
needs, so we'll just be giving him some breathing room and I trust that
you'll all remain patient through this step.

We already know there are a couple of design mistakes that weren't caught
before the things went to prototyping, but they are minor. We'll surely
find more. So long as they are all minor and we don't need any subsequent
round(s) of prototypes, I should have an answer for "when" fairly soon.

I plan to remove the current pre-order discount as soon as a solid ETA is
determined. That discount was to reward you folks that ponied up without
knowing when. If you know anyone that might want to get in on the discount,
please let them know that it will be vanishing at some point. I think the
regular price still represents a terrific value to the customer though, so
if they wish to wait, that is understandable too.

Below are some common questions I've been getting, and answers
I find myself typing a lot. Until next time!

- Steven

Question:
Ok, Ok, I know you're refusing to say when, but seriously...
when??
Answer:
For those that have forced a guess out of me, I've been saying
between October and December. September is possible if everything goes
perfectly... but so is next July if everything goes poorly. It really is
only my best guess. I'll have a much better answer once production starts,
but even then there may be component availability problems.

Question:
I logged in to look at my order status and it wasn't there!
Answer:
I'm still struggling with this website fiasco, and I'm sorry. If
you log in on the "new" site (smartieparts.com/store) you can view product
information but no order info is there. You have to log in at the "old"
site (smartieparts.com/shop) to see order information. I know, I know...
I'm working on it [so embarrassing], but obviously my focus has to be on the
parts more than the website.

Question:
Can we have XYZ feature on the 9Xtreme?
Answer:
Yes! And no! The design is finalized and it is what it is. But
what it is, if nothing else, is flexible! Chances are, you can add anything
you want to add with a little work, a few parts and a whole lot of begging
for Mike to add firmware support (or do it yourself because it is Open).
The 9Xtreme hardware provides both an I2C and UART connection which can be
used in more ways than my brain can fathom and there should be more than
enough available power for you to work with.

Question:
Do you need a beta tester?
Answer:
My answer so far has been "no", but... we do have "extra"
prototypes, if you can call them that. The thing is, many people naturally
look at beta testing as a way to get early access without paying as much or
anything. I understand that, but these prototypes cost over $200 each and
they are very limited in quantity! My decision to have two different
factories make us prototypes is what has given us "spares" (if/when they
arrive, that is). So if you REALLY want one, contact me with an offer of
some combination of how much you're willing to pay and/or how much work
you'll do, and understand that they are already known to be flawed so you'll
have to be prepared to do a little cutting here, a little soldering there...

Question:
Do I need both the SP Basic and the 9Xtreme?
Answer:
No, not at all. The 9Xtreme does what the Basic does... plus a
gazillion.

Question:
Do you have any Rev 2.4 boards or TelemetrEZ boards left?
Answer:
No.

 

Update 20-8-2015:

It works! The 9Xtreme works. That's the official result of the prototype
testing phase. I'm not surprised by that, but of course I'm excited and I
wanted to share with you that our prototype testing is now done. Last night
I finalized all the minor changes that were necessary and I'm pleased to
report we won't need any further rounds of prototypes. All the files have
been send to the factory for production, and the [really big] payment has
been made. We're all in now!

Which brings us that much closer to the elusive ETA (estimated time of
arrival). The only delays now would be caused by some component not being
available, and that does happen from time to time. Once they procure all
the parts and get back to me with an ETA I will share it with you. Several
of you coaxed a "guess" out of me over the past several weeks, which I said
would probably be "October to December". I'm more confident in that guess
now, and in fact I'd probably move that up and say "September to November"
at this point, but until I hear from the suppliers I can't say that is
anything more than a guess.

For those of you waiting on the SP Basic board, nothing has changed. They
are still scheduled to be produced at the same time as the 9Xtreme

 

Update: 18-9

I want to update you on where we are with our projects, share a couple of
photos, and explain why that elusive ETA [Estimated Time of Arrival] that
I've been promising now for months... may never actually come until just a
couple of days before shipping.

First, some less-than-happy news for those of you waiting for the SP Basic.
I was told this morning that an ordering mistake resulted in 5 times too
many crystals and one fifth as many spring pins as are needed. It was a
simple mistake to make but, unfortunately, causes a delay. Basically the
person filling the order mixed up the quantity on two line items. Nobody
noticed until today when they went to prepare the soldering robot thing for
the pins. The SP Basic kits will likely be a week behind the 9Xtreme kits.
I can yell and scream and demand someone get fired, but none of that will
change what happened. We're all human.

On to better news... the "9Xtreme" branded stickers and badges are finished,
and I think they look great! If you like surprises, then don't click these
two links: www.smartieparts.com/9xtreme_badges_finished.jpg;
www.smartieparts.com/9xtreme_stickers_finished.jpg.

Really, this project has gone very smoothly. Not perfect, but pretty good!
The bumps in the road have all been fairly minor and I still say we're way
ahead of any normal standard timeframe for this type of project.

So... the ETA. I've been teasing about this ETA since the beginning.
Normally I'd have a date to share by now and, believe me, I want it as much
as you do. I've never done a project before that involves this many
distinct suppliers. PCB, backlight, speaker, cables, boxes, foam, stickers,
badges... and most of them have one or more sub-suppliers of their own to
deal with. The "main" supplier (the ones assembling the circuit board)
isn't going to give me an estimate until all the components are in his
hands. I guess I can respect that. It is looking very much like I'll get
my ETA only a few days before they're ready to ship. What I can do is share
with you the status of each of the main components:

PCB (circuit board): The boards themselves are finished and all the
components are at the factory and assembly of the components onto the boards
has been started this week. I imagine they should be only a week away from
being finished, except for the SP Basic boards missing their pins.

Cables: Unfortunately, I don't know where they're at. Nearly three weeks
ago I approved the samples and I was told there was a problem getting one of
the connectors, and then that problem was resolved. I've asked for updates
but this company (which I probably won't use again) is very sparse with
their communication.

LED backlights: Finished, delivered, and ready to pack.

Speakers: Finished. Not yet delivered. Should be 2-3 days.

Boxes: Almost finished and should be delivered in 3-4 days.

Foam: Finished, delivered, and ready to pack.

Stickers: Finished, delivered, and ready to pack.

Badges: Finished. Not yet delivered. Should be 2-3 days.

So as you can see, everything is wrapping up and it shouldn't be too much
longer. There's still ample opportunity for things to go wrong, of course,
so I'm not yet willing to make any promises. Also keep in mind that packing
them will probably take several days, and then a week or two to get them to
the distribution centres. Finally, after all that, another 6-10 days to
arrive at your door.

 

Update 25-9-2015:

So close! As we approach the home stretch, I was very much hoping to report
that we were days away from completion and a September ship-date might be
possible afterall... and then (there's always an "and then") I noticed a
problem in one of the pictures they sent me of the finished product. I
guess someone tried to save a few pennies along the supply chain and
provided an alternative connector instead of a genuine JST one. Now,
normally it wouldn't matter. Normally I wouldn't even notice. But in this
case the connector is 9.9mm wide instead of 7.5mm wide... and those 2.4
extra mm means the board won't physically fit in the slot provided.

What I am talking about here is the tiny board the USB connector resides on.
For those of you familiar with my previous SmartieParts programmers, you'll
know what I'm referring to. Those that don't can see an example at
tinyurl.com/osphybv. I changed the design from then, so the wires now
connect via a small plug and socket, rather than being soldered directly to
the board. That socket needs to fit in the space allowed.

Supplying alternative connectors is common in this industry, and that's
usually fine. Since this was space-critical, I was careful to specify that
only the genuine article be used and that's certainly what I paid for.
Someone obviously didn't get the memo.

I hope this doesn't cause a large delay. At the very minimum, it will take
6 days to get the right part. Then there is time to desolder the wrong part
and solder on the new part. So it looks like at least one more week,
probably two. It could be worse, I guess. I'm certainly glad I noticed
those 2.4mm! Even with this delay, my estimate of October is still a very
safe bet.

 

Cool Fint maakt dit ding dan ook van een normale 9Xr een soort pro versie ?

 

Volgens mij is hij alleen voor de 9x. De xr is een hobbyking versie die al hardware matig van de 9x af wijkt.

 

Snap ik nou goed dat je softwarematig frsky kan emuleren? Als dat zo is en je telt alles bij elkaar op dan heb je een vergelijkbare zender als een taranis voor zo'n €100,- (zonder verzendkosten).

Geen slechte deal dan, tenminste als dat zo is.

 

Eigenlijk geeft dit bordje de hardware van je 9x een giga upgrade. Dit samen met wat nieuwe firmware boost t ding gewoon enorm. Je zal altijd nog een module moeten gebruiken, het is niet zo dat iets aan bijvoorbeeld je frsky djt module veranderd of dat je ineens zonder module kan vliegen.

 

Update 29-9-2015:

In this update I will be following up on the recent production delays, and
then discussing an unfortunate realization that has led to the dropping of
one of the features of the 9Xtreme.

In the last update, I told you that a production/ordering mistake resulted
in the wrong connector being used for the tiny USB board. The factory took
ownership of the issue and stepped up and rushed a set of the correct
connectors (at 3 to 4x what it should have cost) and corrected the mistake
much more quickly than I expected they would. In the update prior to last,
I mentioned a different ordering mistake where we were 2000 spring pins
short, and that has also been rectified. With those issues resolved, we're
back on track and completion is just around the corner. At one point I said
the 9Xtreme would be finished first and the SP Basic would follow about a
week later, but that has been reversed. The SP Basics, as of Friday, were
finished and being packed into their final kits. They should be delivered
to the distribution centre next week. The 9Xtremes take a little longer to
program and test. On Friday, they were half way through programming them,
but they are all finished in terms of physical assembly. The hard part is
over! Yay.

OK, on to some unfortunate news. Mike B was looking things over and
realized we made a mistake in the design. I want to preface by saying the
power delivery setup of the 9X is rather convoluted, and it is easy to get
confused on where exactly the juice flows from the battery to the various
components. It was our intention to provide complete reverse current
protection for both the 9Xtreme and the 9X itself, so that in the event
someone goofs and plugs a battery in wrong that nothing bad happens. It
would appear we didn't succeed. I think we had it at one point, and then
adding another feature circumvented that protection. Therefore, plugging a
battery in backwards may very well destroy the 9Xtreme and/or the 9X. I've
removed that stated feature from the website now, and I'll try to be clear
in the documentation to warn against battery pitfalls. Mike already has a
partial solution, but it would have to be for a later batch. Even then, it
isn't full protection as a reverse polarity event would still likely destroy
the voltage regulator on the 9X which supplies power to the buzzer, however
as long as the 9Xtreme is used there would be no adverse affect as a result
since that buzzer is not used with this setup. I suppose I could provide
details on how users can implement Mike's fix, but those that are capable of
performing that task are surely more than capable of plugging their
batteries in correctly. With or without this feature, it is best to just
make sure you use an appropriate connector on your battery so that you
physically can't plug it in backwards.

I regret the loss of a feature, particularly this late in the process, but I
think we can agree that it is one of the least significant features, and one
that could be thought of as a "bonus" rather than a key functionality. If
your 9X has survived this long without you frying it... then keep up the
good work!

 

Ben benieuwd wanneer de SMARTIEPARTS 9X BASIC beschikbaar is, ik heb deze zsm nodig.
Mochten jullie er meer info over hebben, dan hoor ik dat graag.

Zijn er mensen hier die ook een pre-order gedaan hebben?

gr

P

 

Update 2-10-2015

Finished!

Yep, that's right. Both the SP Basic and 9Xtreme kits have been completed.
That means from the moment pen first hit the paper to fully completed, this
project took only 4 months, 1 week and 3 days. I know some of you have been
waiting for what feels like an eternity, but really I'm happy with how the
schedule played out. I want to send a HUGE thanks to Mike B, whose design
work sped this project up immensely.

I also want to thank you for your patience and trust in backing a project
when I had nothing to send you. That means a lot!

So when will you get it? Alright, there had to be some bad news, right? It
happens that the completion occurred at the start of one of China's many
week-long holidays. The country is effectively shut down until the 6th.
The SP Basic boards are already at the distribution centre and will ship out
on the 7th. The 9Xtreme boards are still at the factory and will ship to
the distribution centre on the 8th (they need a day to pack them) and they
should begin shipping to customers around the 9th I think, which is a Friday
so any delays will push that to the 12th.

Normally the US$10 promo flat-rate shipping has no tracking. For all
pre-orders, your shipment *will* have tracking, however it isn't FedEx kind
of tracking... its that kind that tells you nothing until 2 days after you
already have it in your hands. Still, it is useful if anything goes wrong.
They tell me it should take "5 to 15 business days" to arrive pretty much
anywhere in the world. I CAN UPGRADE YOU TO EXPRESS if you want yours
faster (DHL/UPS/EPS). The cost will vary by destination, but will be a
minimum of US$15 extra. If you want this, reply for a quote

I am going to take advantage of the Chinese holiday and I'm taking my family
out of town from tomorrow morning (Friday the 2nd) until Monday evening, so
I may not be able to reply to questions or requests for shipping quotes in
my normal speedy fashion. I hope you understand.

This has felt like a crazy roller coaster to me. It has been fun, but I'll
be happy to get off!

ps. I fully intend on removing the current 20% discount when I get back.
If you know anyone that wants one, give them a headsup that this is their
last chance to get it at the current price. I will be adjusting the final
price a little lower than what it shows as "regular", but it certainly won't
be as low as it is now.

 

Weet niet hoe t met voorraad zit maar het ziet er naar uit dat de basic er nu moet zijn.
Bestellen en in 5 to 15 werkdagen heb je em.

Email die beste man even, hij isnerg behulpzaam.
Evt via heb bestellen en express laten zenden.

 

Hoi Fint, bedankt voor het snelle antwoord, goed nieuws dat ze klaar zijn, heb een pre-order gedaan.

 

Ik heb ook besteld en kreeg op de 9e Oktober dit bericht:

Dear Hans van den Tillaart
Thank you SO much for your patience while we finished up the development and production of the 9Xtreme! I know you're as excited as I am about this project, and I'm happy to inform you the time has finally arrived! Your order has been processed for shipping. In the next 24 hours, the distribution service will pack it and send it from China directly to your door. The time in transit depends on a lot of factors, and they give me a wide '5 to 20 days' estimate, although I'm assured typical time is 6 to 10 days to most destinations. All pre-orders are being upgraded to a tracked service at no extra charge, except in some cases where untracked services offer faster delivery times (this is most notably the case to Australia and some rural US destinations). In those cases, I've still got you covered if anything goes wrong. Please understand I have no method yet for automatically sending tracking numbers and I have hundreds of pre-orders to fill, so I'm only providing tracking numbers to those that follow up AFTER 3 DAYS asking for one. I've never shipped using a Chinese distribution service before, so I'm especially looking for feedback from customers and I hope you don't mind letting me know as soon as it arrives and whether there were any problems. If it is not too inconvenient, I'd appreciate if you can take a picture of the packaging it arrives in and any labels and marks on the outside of the package and if anything is inserted in the packaging besides the clearly marked SmartieParts box. I am sending using a variety of services to try to get an idea of which are the best to use going forward (for example, some customers will receive via HongKong post, others China Mail, while others will be routed through Swiss Post, Deutche Post, etc). Of course, I'd also like your feedback on my packaging such as the box, the foam, and contents to get your opinion on how well it is presented and protected. I worked very hard getting the kits built, but I am behind on documentation. Currently there are no installation instructions, and I'll be hard at work on that in the coming weeks. I have to receive my own kit before I can effectively produce properly illustrated documentation. Those of you familiar with my previous boards will already have an idea on how to install the new kits, as they borrow heavily on those designs. I pride myself on the quality of my documentation, but it is also something I am admittedly slow at producing... I'll do my best.

 

Goed om te horen! Heb zelf nog geen bevestiging helaas, nog ffkes wachten! Laat ons weten als je em hebt, erg benieuwd hoe t er uit ziet en functioneert.

 

Als je t over de duivel hebt, update 31-10-2015

Hello everyone! I hate to put a damper on peoples' excitement, but I've
been getting a lot of emails from customers asking where their packages are
and I want to clarify some things so people have realistic expectations.
Note that I am sending this message to everyone that purchased these
products, and I appologize if this is duplicated, irrelevant or
contradictory information to some of you.

I sent out over 400 pre-orders around Friday the 9th and in the message I
send I used words such as, "In the next 24 hours, the distribution service
will pack it and send it from China directly to your door." I jumped the
gun a bit with that wording, and several things I didn't consider made that
statement untrue. First, it was a Friday so "24 hours" meant the whole of
Monday (yesterday) meaning today is only "Day 1" at best. Second, their
standard of 24 hours is to just get the package ready for pickup by the
various shipping services. It seems that can take another 24 hours or more
to happen. Finally, China was just finishing their week long National
Holiday and the distribution centre had a large backlog because of that. I
didn't know it at the time, but I've since read that they expected a 3-day
delay. With that said, I can see that MOST packages have been sent as of
this morning. So please re-start your clocks! Realistically it could still
be 2 or even 3 weeks to many destinations, but I imagine most of you will
begin seeing them by the middle of next week.

A reminder about tracking numbers: Unless you upgraded to DHL or UPS,
postal tracking numbers are not intended for watching the progress of a
shipment. They are there to track something down in case something goes
wrong. Often it is the case that the package will arrive before the
tracking information is ever updated with anything informative. You can ask
me for one and I'll certainly provide it if they've updated the system with
one. The availability of a tracking number seems to depend on the service
it was shipped with. For example, many US customers were shipped with their
"USA/Canada Express Line" which is supposed to be quite fast, but I have
very few tracking numbers for those (they are starting to trickle in). For
those that shipped via SwissPost, on the other hand, I had tracking numbers
before the shipment ever left the building... but as far as I know, NONE of
them are actually usable yet. And that is quite normal. From my own
experience, other than couriers, tracking numbers are relatively useless
during a shipment and are really nothing more than proof of sending should a
dispute arrise.

Thanks for your continued patience!

ps. I upgraded my own shipment to UPS "3 to 5 day" service... and the
tracking states it will be here on the 19th. That's 10 days! That seems
really long and I admit I was shocked (and even complained) but again,
because of the weekends, 5 business days becomes 9 calendar days plus the 24
hour processing and really it will be right on time. Sometimes math sucks,
but it is hard to argue with.

 

We zullen hem wel tegelijk krijgen want dat bericht kreeg ik ook.

 

1 Geluk, hij is onderweg, ik zit toch nog op enkele andere onderdelen te wachten mbt het project voor deze winter. Eens dat alles binnen is kan er gesleuteld worden. Voor de Turnigy heb ik een blauwe led verlichting reeds liggen en alles voor de battery mod heb ik ook al hier. Voor mijn tank upgrade wacht ik nog op een nieuwe printplaat uit Australia, de eerste is nooit hier aangekomen, wacht nu op een 2de zending, plus heb nieuwe wielen voor tank besteld, die liggen gelukkig bij de douane al 10 dagen, en worden nog niet vrijgegeven. Dus, hier geen haast, heb alles op tijd besteld, zodat ik in November lekker kan knutselen.