UPDATE 11/4/2024
Hi guys,
It has been a while.
Firstly I have to apologize for the late update.
The main reason of the late update is because there wasn’t anything worth sharing.
Now, a new batch is almost done. It will be sent to the shipping agency in less than a week, and another batch will follow in no time.
Like I replied in emails, we are now trying to maintain a 3~5-batch-a-month schedule, production speed is better than ever.
The reason that this batch took more time than expected is that the factory was moving to another location during the past pulic vacation. They chose that time to do it because they wanted to reduce the effect on production, which seems worked, because usually things like this would delay the production for at lease a couple of weeks. But this time it only took about one week.
And the other reason of the late update is because that the whole crew has been working on maintaining the supply chain and optimizing the shipping process. We are now using a new ERP system, which allows us to transfer the data directly to the shipping agency, so it will save us 50% of the time.
I will get back with more information. But please forgive me if I can not come back very often, because it’s still all-hands-on-deck kind of situation. We are now focusing on optimizing the production, from the storage of the parts, to packing. All of our work is for shortening the waiting time.
UPDATE 19/2/2024
Hi guys,
It is the year of loong now! I am a loong myself, so, hope I can have all the luck I need this year!
Anyway, the vacation is over, the factory is now labelling the parcels of the batch that I mentioned before the vacation. Once it’s done, those parcels will be sent to the shipping agency.
This work will be done in just a couple of days.
Also, after that, the production will be back online. We will start a new batch right away.
Another good news.
The main reason of the slow production, which is the craft of the metal parts, might be solved around the beginning of Q2, 2024.
We have found a new manufacturer, they have new ways to play with the metal. According to what we have seen, IT WILL BE GOOOOD!
There are still some details to be settled, but we are expecting a boost on production. It will shorten the waiting time of all the existing orders significantly.
Let’s wait and see.
Hi guys,
There’s another news that I think I should share with you, for transparency.
The current batch is being packed, things are going smoothly.
However, due to the up coming Lunar New Year vacation in China, the shipping service will be effected. There is good chance that the shipping agency will not be able to process our shipping request in time, and we don’t want your orders to be stored in their warehouse for such a long time, for safety concerns. It’s likely that your orders will be shipped in late February.
Sorry for the issue. We will get the shipping process started the first minute that the shipping service is back online.
Meanwhile, we will try to have another batch prepared. So, in late February, hopefully, we can have not only 1 batch, but 2 batches to be ready for shipping. I’m talking about at least 1K uConsoles.
The shipping service might be paused early, but production will keep going for a while!
Hi guys!
As you might have noticed, things are truely moving a lot faster.
We are now preparing another batch, a few hundreds.
Since all of the A-06 orders have been fulfilled, and R-01 isn’t a very popular choice, now we can say that CM4 and non-core orders are officially in the fast lane.
We are trying to maintain a 2~3-batch-a-month schedule.
But since Lunar New Year vacation will take place in February, and as it is the most important public vacation in China, we can not ask the factory to ignore it, we will have to pause the production in February for 7~15 days.
Production will be back online once we have our precious workers back. We will prepare the parts in advance.
During vacation, I will still be here for you. Feel free to contact me via alex@clockworkpi.com
Do not hesitate if you have any question or concern. Hearing from you guys is always a pleasure, vacaction or not.
Sorry, it’s been a while.
We’ve been trying to solve the supply issue. All hands on deck kind of situation.
Gladly, it is much better now.
We are now packing a new batch, some hundreds. We also have ordered a new batch of CM4, which is on the way now.
In this current batch, all of the unfulfilled A06 orders will be fulfilled.
Then we will be focusing on CM4 orders because finally we have a good batch of CM4 to work on.
Hopefully there will be no significant delays in the future, and we will finally catch up the former delays.
We truely need some luck here. And more importantly, your support and patience.
You guys are the best.
Like always, if you need any assistance, get me on alex@clockworkpi.com
Hi guys,
Some of you should have received the shipping notification. That means another batch has been shipped.
There is also a new batch almost done packing.
Like I promised before, we are catching up.
We still need time, but it’s promising.
We are also waiting for a new batch of 4G module and CM4 cores to be delivered. Then we will be working on a new batch.
UPDATE 24/10
Hi guys,
Sorry that I haven’t updated for a while.
Good news here: I just sent the packing list of the new batch to the factory so they can get started.
The batch is biger than former ones.
And I know that CM4 orders are moving slower than other versions. That’s becasue the supply condition of CM4 is still not stable.
But we will be focusing on fulfilling CM4 orders, starts now. You’ll see it in the current batch.
UPDATE 17/9
Hi guys,
A new batch will be sent to our shipping agency tomorrow. Tracking numbers will be provided in a few days.
We will start to prepare another batch on Monday.
UPDATE 14/8
Hi guys, the second batch is ready, we will send them to our shipping agency later today.
Tracking numbers will be provided in a few days.
We will get to the third batch right away.
UPDATE 1/8
Guys, the second batch is almost ready. We have all the parts in the factory, just waiting for the packing crew to get to our product.
Won’t take long.
UPDATE 18/7
Hi guys,
Looks like the factory made a mistake on some of the no-core version orders, which is the adapter isn’t in the kit.
I have sent emails to the customers that are involved, please check.
For those who has already made contact, the adapter will be sent ASAP.
Later batches won’t have this issue.
We are sorry about it.
UPDATE: 9/7
Hi guys,
Some of you have got the shipping notification. It is the first batch.
For those who haven’t, don’t worry, we are preparing the second batch at this moment.
Production and shipping will maintain constant, so please forgive me if I can’t tell you which batch your order will be in. I need to organize the orders according to how many we made before shipping.
But won’t be too much longer.
UPDATE: 6/7
Hi guys,
All export orders of the first batch have been packed and ready to leave shore. Our shipping agency is generating the tracking numbers. I will be able to send the tracking numbers in a few days.
And we are preparing the next batch. Won’t be much later.
If you need any help, contact me alex@clockworkpi.com
UPDATE: 30/6
Hi guys,
Looks like our shipping agency will get to the export orders in next week. Good chance that I can send the tracking numbers in next week. Even if not, will just be a few more days.
We have prepared an update for CM4 OS. Once you get your CM4 device, remember to upgrade the OS before using.
You’ll need a MicroSD reader.
Download: http://dl.clockworkpi.com/uConsole_CM4_v1.3g_64bit.img.7z
Method: 1. download the OS file and unzip; 2. download balenaEtcher https://etcher.balena.io/ and install; 3. use balenaEtcher to flash the OS
If you need any help, contact me alex@clockworkpi.com
UPDATE: 25/6
Sorry for the waiting guys. Been super super busy these days.
After a tone of meetings and contacts, the customs finally gave us the export permission. We will be allowed to book a shipping window before the end of next week.
Booking shipping window and waiting for the carrier to collect the parcels will take a few days, but no more significant delay for the first batch any more.
During waiting, our R&D has been testing the uConsole. Here’s some pics for the real thing in use.
UPDATE: 2/6
Sorry for the waiting, guys.
We have updated the required files on May 13rd. But for some reason, the customs wants us to prove that the 4G module we provide isn’t a controlled electrical product (chip), which our shipping agency believes that relates to former lawsuits that practiced by the USA goverment on some Made-in-China electrical devices.
I do not understand the politics very much, but I think our vast list of shipping destinations have raised some attention.
Luckily, the customs do have a instruction for that. We have asked our 4G chip supplier to provide the certification.
I am sorry for the delays. And I understand the concerns. Lucy for us, we have you guys standing by us when we are battling the old close-minded world and the uncertainties of supply chain and stuff.
But I also understand that if you wait for something for too long, some times you just lose your interest.
So, like always, we keep our policy. If your want to cancel your order, please email me alex@clockworkpi.com. You can have full refund, the price and the shipping fee, any time before shipping.
I’ve heard lots of you guys asking for refund but start with apology. Please don’t. We are sorry for all the delays and inconvenience. You have every right to ask for a refund.
UPDATE: 13/5
Guys, good news.
The customs contacted us and we have updated the export files.
Getting really close!
UPDATE: 5/5
Hi guys,
The customs has confirmed that they have received our request.
They will get to our case in short.
UPDATE: 20/4
Hi community,
Sorry couldn’t find more time to reply all the comments.
I have an update to share.
The shipping process of the first batch will be started in a couple of days, as promised.
There will be a period of time that we have to deal with the customs, to file the paperworks and then to wait for them to give us a green light.
There’s a public vacation right ahead in China, we will try to get all the works done before the vacation starts, but there is chance that we will not hear from the customs before that. Dealing with the bureaucracy can be frustrating, I’m sure that you guys can understand. We have authorized our shipping agency to do that. They are much more experienced than us, and at some point, they will pull some strings. They are good partner.
But beyond that, we will get our end of the work done in no time.
I’ve been handling all those works so I couldn’t get back to you frequently. My apologies.
As it always has been, you can find me at alex@clockworkpi.com
I’ll get back to work.
Love you all.
Hi community,
I am Alex, a Clockwork Tech member. I have news about the uConsole.
We claimed that the shipping process of the first batch will be started before the end of March. But I’m afraid that it will be delayed to mid-April.
The reason that we have to delay the shipping process is because, as some of you have heard from email contact, we changed the craft of the shells.
To provide a lighter and more exquisite result, we had to change the craft from aluminum CNC to Al-Mg alloy molding + CNC.
Now, to make a single set of the shells and the frame, the factory will firstly mold the Al-Mg alloy powder into the shape, then use CNC to craft the semi-product into the designed layout, then to paint the shells and the frameto finish the production.
The cost of the new craft is about 30% higher than the old way, but in result, it provides a 40% down of the total weight. The uConsole now weights about 450g ( including a pair of 18650 Li-on battereies, which are 100g+). Before that, the shells and the frame themselves weighted over 400g.
And I believe that most of you guys have seen the pictures that we releases on Twitter. IT LOOKS AMAZING!
The factory is doing as fast as they can, but the new craft requires some time for capacity climbing. They’ve been delivering constantly, but for now it is not enough for us to start shipping, because we need a decent number for a batch to report to the customs. We are informed that around mid-April, we will have that batch for shipping. And since the capacity has been climbing, we also will have more devices to be ready, which means the first batch can be bigger than we planed. More orders will be included in the first batch.
We are dedicated to provide fun and good-for-use gadgets for the community, therefore, we don’t care about the cost rising, as long as we don’t have to go bankrupt. But we do care about your feelings. I understand that 90-business-day of waiting has been torturing. Now, we need just a little bit more time, so we can provide a much better device, a uCnosole that you can actually take to the outdoors, or use during commuting.
If you need any assistance, if you have any concerns or doubts, please contact me via alex@clockworkpi.com. I will always be there for you.
