Rotary Un-Smartphone Update 5: Initial Shipping Imminent!

[Justine Haupt]

Greetings pre-order customers and subscribers!

I'm trying to send the first 84 North American phones out this month*.

An additional 114 will be able to go out about a month after that, but 
the front OLED display is out of stock until summer, so I will give 
those 114 customers who are next in line the option to receive the 
complete kit minus the OLED display, and they would receive the display 
separately when I get them in the summer. The phone will function fine 
without that front display, but without the ability to display incoming 
calls and other messages.

Outside of those initial 198 N. American orders, all other components 
will be available again (including for the global versions) in October, 
so that's when the remaining pre-order backlog should be produced and 
sent out. I'm hoping to be in "normal production", with orders being 
filled as they're placed, around November.

Considering the ongoing protracted timeline, which I know is frustrating 
most of you, I would like to emphasize that I'm *encouraging folks to 
request refunds*, and then re-order when the chip shortage is behind us 
if so desired. It's indeed been difficult -- much more so than I ever 
expected -- but this phone WILL be at full-normal production status 
eventually. *Failure is not an option. The only way this won't happen is 
if I drop dead *(knock on wood).

OK, regarding my promise to get the first orders out this month, it's 
actually dependent on my new pick and place machine, which is is the 
centerpiece of my newly put-together basement production facility:

New machine

The thing is, due to a bone-headed mistake that was entirely my own 
fault, I managed to bork one of the circuit boards that makes the thing 
run when hooking things back up after having it moved, which was a 
4000lb project in its own right. I'm waiting on a replacement from 
abroad to get the machine running again, but can't actually start 
producing the RUSP boards (in a lay speak: "soldering the electronics 
together"), until this is working again. At the end of January I was 
positive I'd be able to get the first phone kits out this month, in 
February, as described above, but every day that goes by at this point 
without this machine working is a day of schedule slip.

Again, if you're not comfortable with me always saying "soon, soon, I 
promise... very soon", please request a refund. But I do have the parts 
for a batch of kits as described above, and it's just a matter of 
getting this machine going again.

Also, the colors of the phones are slightly refined from the photo I 
sent in the last update. Better, more true to what folks envisioned. I 
don't have the chips to spare to assemble one of each color fully for a 
photo op, so very soon (by the time I ship the first 84), I'll take 
photos of each color by recycling the same electronics.

 From now on I'm also going to be sending updates weekly. Expect the 
next on Sunday, 2/20.

~Justine



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