Dear Friends of ZimaBoard,

This update summarizes most of the team’s work in July. It has been a while since we posted the previous update. We have been pushing forward various tasks such as PVT testing, product mass production, shipping preparations, and other work in parallel.

Thanks, @Gerald, for his suggestion of using a short roadmap to help everyone understand where we are from the current stage.

Completed. The Last Small-batch Engineering Prototype for Mass Production

As we mentioned before, we did spend a lot of time dealing with material procurement issues, but now we have managed to fix them.

At present, we have completed the trial production of small-batch boards before mass production. Full testing of the boards has already started, and by this time, the progress is about 60%.

We will finish all basic electrical and BIOS testing of the boards in the coming two weeks and settle import information for mass production. By the end of this month, the team will start various certifications(CE, FCC, etc.) procedures for the final design.

Mass Production Preparation in Parallel, Getting Core Materials are Still Vital Work

To speed up the whole production process, we have begun preparations for mass production in parallel. To determine stock quantity according to everyone’s needs, I’ve started to send questionnaires to everyone three weeks ago to collect freight info and add-on needs.

The biggest headache of the current supply chain? We’ve mentioned in Update#11 that we are calling for everyone’s advice/help. Should you have resources for high-quality RAM, Flash, and network IC suppliers, please be sure to contact lauren@icewhale.org directly. Thank you very much for your support and attention in all aspects. At present, the preparation for mass production materials in the supply chain is the single most crucial task of the team. 

We’ve settled 50% of the accessories suppliers. Some materials such as PCIe to NMVe SSD Adapter are purchased and stocked quickly in July. Other accessories will continue to be tested and purchased in August. In the next update, we will share our plan for PCIe accessories within our hardware roadmap.

Advancing Follow-up Work and Docking 3PL Suppliers

At this moment, about 84% of backers have completed the PledgeBox survey. I hope you can fill in the shipping information and the freight as soon as possible if you have not completed the Pledgebox Survey. The team has begun to confirm the global shipment plan with one of the best deal 3PL suppliers. Our negotiation with 3PLs has been smooth, and there are no problems for the time being. With the experience(lessons) of three previous Kickstarter campaigns on production and delivery, we maintain our criteria for logistics partners to reduce confusion and operational problems caused by package loss.

ZimaBoard Shipping List

Many of you asked for the shipping list of ZimaBoard after our survey. We couldn’t set it up in PledgeBox, so here it is. Each ZimaBoard will come with the following accessories.

• 1 x 12V Power Adapter – free
• 1 x Single Channel Pure Black SATA Cable – free
• 2 x Sticker – free

Delivery Date Highly Dependable on Completion of Core Material Procurement

We will NOT start shipping in a short time. I’m sorry, the survey of Pledgebox has brought you some misleading information. Collecting everyone’s logistics information, shipping fee, and add-ons through Pledgebox also determines the final statement with 3PLs and clarifies the number of orders. Currently, the team’s goal is to start shipping in October. The production partners are also in the business contract process. Once signed, we’ll share more specific information about production partners.

Development of Docs, Software, and Miscellaneous

The team has invested a significant amount of time in the development of software and tutorial. We believe high-quality software, smooth hands-on experience, and practical tutorials are an essential part of the product experience. Since the most concerning issue today is undoubtedly production & delivery. We will not expand too much on this here. Yet we are working actively together with some of our backers on these aspects.

After mass production is settled, we will continue expanding and updating our doc/software progress. If you have any ideas, please feel free to check-in.

Please share your ideas, thoughts, and suggestions in the comments as much as you want, or email me directly: john@icewhale.org

Best regards,

John & ZimaBoard Team