Hello WeatherFlow Backers. We have been hard at work. Here’s an update as of July 28th:
GOOD NEWS: The AIR is final and (along with the hub) is undergoing FCC & CE certification now. Our first production run of 3000 units will begin next week and we expect to begin shipping those to you in 3-4 weeks. Prior to shipping, we will email you to confirm your address to ensure correct delivery.
BAD NEWS: Our latest batch of SKY production samples had too much variability out of the factory. To meet our stringent performance specs, we have no choice but to go through yet another round of design iteration. This means that SKY will not ship with AIR & hub.
SPLIT SHIPPING: To avoid further delays, we wanted to get the Smart Weather Stations in your hand as soon as possible. Therefore, we’ve decided to ship AIR & hub beginning in late August / early Sept (pending FCC/CE certification). Then, once SKY is final, fully tested, and performing to spec we will ship your SKY in a second delivery.
WHAT CAUSES THE DELAYS: Each hardware design iteration requires a four-week turn-around (re-design + re-tooling + production samples + re-testing). We’ve been through six of these with SKY just this year. Based on our last iteration round, we fully expected the latest SKY production samples would be final. Unfortunately the latest production samples presented new, previously unknown issues that require resolution.
WHAT WE ARE DOING: Our rigorous testing points to small, correctable issues with the aerodynamics of the wind measurement section as well as some consistency issues with the assembly process. David St. John, our CTO and technical product manager, has been in China the past three weeks working to improve the production process and implementing critical design changes with our contract manufacturing partners. We will have new SKY samples next week, and assuming the issues are resolved, we’ll begin distributing SKY units to field testers about two weeks later.
THANK YOU: Perfecting and producing new technology is a journey with unexpected challenges around every corner. Our team is working as quickly and diligently as possible to bring this project to completion. We thank you for your patience, for your feedback, and for your continued support.
– the WeatherFlow team