March Update
almost 9 years ago – Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 05:30:25 PM

Hi Backers,

March was a good month for Flekt, and we made some solid progress! At this point, we are mostly going through the laborious process of dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s, trying to make sure that we have everything fully set for manufacturing. As each part goes through this process, we are getting the 3D CAD files ready, along with some very detailed part design drawings that include incredibly specific callouts. The part design drawings are so beautiful and contain so much detail. I think they reflect well on all of the months of hard engineering work.

We have a few things we are still working on finalizing, and are continuing to put the pedal to the metal to get them done as quickly as possible. One often hears that the last 1% is the hardest, and while that is correct, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

As we press onward toward getting Flekt into your hands, we are receiving more of our final engineered prototype elements. One of those pieces is the mount plate, which slides into the hot shoe on top of your DSLR and is the locking base for the entire Flekt system. The mount plate can’t be created via a “standard” prototyping process, so for testing purposes we had to get CNC machined parts. It was such a relief and a feeling of joy when it slid right in to the hot shoe on top of one of our DSLR’s! They look great and they feel strong.

We continue to have great momentum. We are not letting up until you have your Flekt! Thanks again for your patience!

Until the next update!

-Preston

February Update
about 9 years ago – Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 03:41:02 PM

Hi Backers,

It’s been a productive month since our last update. I have personally had more time to deal with major issues regarding Flekt and am glad to say that solid progress is being made. I am liking the current momentum and will strive to maintain it to get Flekt into your hands.

Since our last update, we have made two sets of fit and function prototypes to test design modifications. We made an exciting change that we think you’ll really enjoy. Once we received and played with the fit and function prototypes, as well as our CNC machined test prime reflectors, we realized that the friction method we settled on to hold our prime reflectors in place may wear out over time causing the reflector to fall out. One early prototype we created had a magnet system to hold the reflectors in place, so we took that and implemented a new magnet concept into our current engineering and we are proud to say, it rocks! Now the reflectors seat firmly and have a satisfying “click” when the prime reflector locks into place, and a similarly satisfying separation of the magnets when taking it out!

As we inspect the revised parts for our fit and function prototypes, we can see more and more how our detailed engineering and design work has translated into an elegant product that has great functionality. If we’ve done it right, you won’t even think about or notice much of this when using Flekt, as it should just work and the complexities should fade away.

We’ve also been hard at work on our coatings, which as we say, is where the magic happens. All of the science, physics and engineering can be “perfect”, but if the coatings aren’t right and the scientific principles of lighting, reflection, diffusion and retroreflectivity aren’t optimized and done correctly, then the whole concept of Flekt falls flat. We’ve been working very closely with a company that is taking one of their coatings concepts and integrating our concepts and science, and so far the results have been really exciting. The main area of focus has been to simulate the look, feel and reflective principles of 24K gold for our gold reflectors. During Kickstarter, we coated a pre-production reflector with 24K gold so we would know what we were aiming for. The gold everyone liked from our photos proved we were on track. It has been hard to match this with a production ready process. We are proud to say we now have a production-ready coating that is easy to reproduce and cost effective but is exactly the tone of 24K gold!

We’ve ordered what we hope to be final working prototypes based on our engineering modifications and are glad to say we are 99% locked on engineering. Over the next few weeks we will be finalizing actual production prototypes with all of the production-ready coatings based on final engineering and will begin exploring manufacturing options again. This will be much faster this time and much more final. We should have been at this phase a long time ago and again I apologize for that. This has been a huge eye opening learning experience and I appreciate your patience.

We are pressing on and will try to continue bringing you more frequent updates as we make solid progress toward getting Flekt into your hands.

Till the next update!

-Preston

Post Holiday Update
about 9 years ago – Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 12:44:08 PM

Hi Backers,

It’s been a couple months since we last posted an update, and I am sorry about that. I want to assure you that we have been busy, pushing forward with the singular goal of getting Flekt to you while keeping the quality and usability of the product at a high level.

Even after months and months of conversations and quotes in pre-production before Kickstarter, we were never told about the engineering process. Once we funded on Kickstarter and then subsequently discovered this, it took us over half a year to complete the detailed engineering work. Because of this obstacle, we have crafted Flekt into a much more refined and more usable product.

Items Accomplished Since Last Update

• Final Engineering Tweaks
• Made Fit and Function Prototypes
• Revised Engineering Based on Prototypes
• Ordered Revised Fit and Function Prototypes
• Ordered CNC Machined Prime Reflectors for Final Coatings Testing

Engineering is a bitch. It is a slow, laborious process that requires a lot of back and forth and making prototypes to test ideas. I am an idea guy and this is frustrating, but so necessary. The good news, in the next week or two we will order our final real prototype based on very thought out, precise, user-friendly engineering files.

Issues Resolved

1. Added overmolded rubber to catch tab lock better

2. Shrank press fit boss to allow more up and down movement

3. Redesigned latch area because we realized that it could not be assembled easily in manufacturing

4. Redesigned adjustment teeth on magAttach because they didn't hold properly as they were too small

5. Explored adding screws to hold together magAttach but ultimately decided a sonic welded press fit would be best

6. Worked out detailed logo application

I want to assure everyone that we are moving forward and I am spending all of my time outside of my job dealing with Flekt. I hope our detractors realize that this is something that I have a strong personal investment in for my future and any talk of this not being delivered is received with personal pain. Communication is not our strong suit, but we will continue to update as promised and you will see great strides being made over the next three months. I’ll be the first to admit that the process of delivering this product has been and continues to be significantly harder than I ever expected, and I think we have hit virtually every roadblock and made every rookie mistake possible. That being said, at each obstacle we have come out the other side stronger, and with what I believe to be a better product.

As we mentioned in the last update, because of this extra work and the higher than expected quotes for manufacturing, we are working on securing additional financing. While we continue to work on that (we feel that we see several potential good paths forward), we are not resting.

While we have received inquiries from internet based and brick and mortar stores to sell the final Flekt product, we remain laser focused on delivering to you, our amazing and patient Kickstarter backers. You believed in us during the campaign, you pushed us over the top of our funding goal, and your good thoughts and excitement for Flekt keeps us energized. This process is harder and much slower than I ever could have imagined, but I know that we’ll all come out the other side knowing that we did this together.

Please continue being patient, good things are happening.

-Preston

The Latest Updates
over 9 years ago – Thu, Jan 01, 2015 at 09:50:04 PM

Hi Backers,

I want to sincerely apologize for how long this is taking. This process is difficult to do when you work ten hours a day at a job that helps to pay for Flekt. There are a lot of unforeseen processes and expenses that we didn't know about. This whole project is still being worked on by just two people.

The good news is that all of the engineering for Flekt is complete and the 3D models look amazing! The level of refinement and detail across each of the thirteen pieces that comprise the Flekt System makes us so proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far on our journey toward product release.

Flekt now looks like the product that was just a twinkle in my eye eight years ago.

Now for the bad news. After final engineering and design, we were able to get accurate quotes from Xcentric, our manufacturer in Michigan. We have the Kickstarter money from our backers, but the manufacturing is going to be more than we had estimated before final design and engineering. Good news: a better Flekt. Bad news: a quality Flekt product requires more money. We could piece together a half-baked product with 3D printed parts and silicone molds, but I morally can't do that. I want Flekt to be awesome and be the product we all want, and we simply require more funds than that. I am personally contributing to the project and will continue to use money from my own pocket to aid in manufacturing as well.

This is obviously not ideal and will delay the arrival of Flekt. I am personally not happy about this and want to assure everyone that Flekt WILL arrive but we are not currently able to provide an accurate timeline.

Flekt has been my life for the past seven years and will continue to be until it reaches your doorstep. Make no mistake, we are utilizing all resources to complete this and we will continue to work hard daily. Please bear with us, you have my personal guarantee that Flekt will be the best accessory. I am committed to this with every fiber of my being.

We will finish this project. Manufacturing will happen and you will receive your Flekt.

We still feel that Xcentric is the right manufacturing partner due to their lower cost (vs. other manufacturing options), quality level and the turnaround time. We will get over our latest hurdle, which involves securing additional financing to get us over the top.

Our goal, which has not changed, is to get Flekt to our Kickstarter backers as soon as possible, at the quality level we expect. We are so close to completion. Just be patient, good things will happen.

-Preston

Refining Flekt
over 9 years ago – Sun, Dec 14, 2014 at 12:45:07 AM

Hi Backers,

Shortly before we were about to pull the trigger on mold creation for Flekt, we took a step back and looked everything over one last time. While we were super happy with the design revisions and engineering work done on most of the parts, we were not happy with the industrial design of the front reflector. We had a feeling that we could do better. Before we would let engineering release for molds we decided to put more time into the refinement of the front reflector.

We went back to our industrial designer, Max Beach, at Linespace, and re-assessed. We once again pored over the photos you all sent us for our camera compatibility program and the measurements we got as part of that. We discussed the process of our customers taking the front reflector out of the box, and how you would set it up for your particular camera. Each DSLR, including models from the same brand, has a pop-up flash at a different height and at a different angle, so it is important that the process of raising the front reflector so it sits at the correct height is both easy to do, and locks into place with a set-it-and-forget-it type action.

This process took extra time because we went through many different design options and approvals. We’d like to give you an inside look at some of the designs, including the first two options below, which were from the first presentation for our approval.

Our options included a hex bolt...

 …a thumb gear...

 …a single push button controlling a spring…

 …and two push buttons controlling a spring.

All of these options required too many moving parts, something breakable or not fully solid, something sticking out of the front reflector, or a hex bolt. None of these were acceptable, so back to the drawing board.

Then Max came back to us with a great solution. It was simple. It didn’t involve bolts or springs, and it felt like it was a part of the design aesthetic. We finally found it, and it is so obvious in retrospect. The unlocking and locking mechanism is very similar to what we are all used to adjusting on a tripod.

Introducing the new front reflector with cam lock (video animation)…

Even though it will make us “late” for our Kickstarter delivery date, we decided that finding a better solution and making Flekt an even better product would ultimately be the better decision. We’re working our way through the engineering process on the front reflector and the part of the magAttach where it attaches, and will update you when we have more info. We are pushing as hard as we can so we can ship in time for Christmas.

Releasing a product as one individual is an incredibly difficult process. I personally did not realize that once the Industrial Design work is complete it is imperative to have the designs run through engineering in order to make sure the molds will function correctly and will work properly for the consumer. This engineering takes time and money that was not foreseen because although creating the idea of Flekt was simple, the actual implementation of how Flekt is made is not. I am committed to making this the best product that anyone has used and to release something to you that is cool and functional and that you will love to use. I worry about Flekt night and day and all of my money and resources are being put into this. We are trying to get it out as fast as we can but we also want to make sure we don’t rush it and release crap. I want this to rock the same way that you do and I will make sure that Flekt is in your hands as soon as possible. Be a little patient with us, there will be molding happening soon but also I am sure that there will be un-foreseen events that could post-pone as well :-)

Till the next update...

-Preston