Ez-robot Manufacturing Updates - Ask Me Anything!

Question

I would love to have a group style chat with any customers interested to answer a whole bunch of questions at once! Either a Reddit style AMA or a group Conference call would be great! If AMA is the way to go, I just need a few recommendations on what service we should use.

I find answering questions in real time is a bit easier compared to reading a whole bunch of questions, and then working backwards on each one. Let me know what you guys think!

Additionally after we decide and make this event happen, I will start a new thread to post regular updates in (to keep all the updates in one place).

Tony1952 · Answer

@Jason A group chat session sounds fine but don't forget we are all in different time zones. Could those that miss out on the chat session be able to get a log of what was discussed?

Dave Schulpius · Answer

Jason , Sometimes easier is not always better. A group live chat may be nice but a lot of people interested may not be able to attend. Way not just use this thread to answer questions. Personally I'd like to know how many EZB's are being made by hand and if I'm going to have my order filled out of them. I don't want any plastic, only the boards. I placed my order the first day preordering opened. confused

Robot Doc · Answer

Jason I also would like to know when just the EZB(4)s may be sent to the early preorder folks.

jstarne1 · Answer

At one point in time there was a group chat feature of the website which could be reactivated just for this use. Video is neat but if someone is not watching at that moment then they will miss out. Then once the group chat is done just post the Questions and Answers to the dedicated forum thread every few day's. What Is important is they feel frequent even if they are brief. It involves the customer base vicariously because most people generally have the same questions.

Rich · Answer

Personally I would say some type of chat would be ideal, which can then be saved and posted for those who can't be there. mirc, which is what was used for the old chat, is great for things like that. It can be embedded in a web page and the whole chat can be logged, recorded and posted. I believe Google now does some type of live chat thing too however I've never looked in to that. But also as Dave expressed, some may be unable to make the time, a topic (this one) where people can post questions prior to the event may be useful too. Sure, it's not the instant answers some people may want but at least it's pretty much a certainty that they will be addressed. Also, should people also want to remain anonymous but have questions please feel free to email me (check my user details for my email address) and I will pass on the questions while keeping your identity a secret (going by my inbox there are a fair few who have opinions but don't like to post them publicly). I've no problem with passing on questions

Danger! · Answer

Jason, I have been a customer of EZ Robot since February of 2012. I have spoken highly of this company to many who had not heard of it, including the B9 Builders Club, many who now have incorporated it into their robots. I do believe that if you folks can get through your growing pains that EZ Robot will become as big as iRobot someday. I want to be frank, though. In my opinion a group chat is not what is needed. I think that almost everyone has exactly the same question; when am I going to get my order? I understand that there have been setbacks and unforeseen obstacles, and that there still might be more in the future. I think that most people would just like an honest timeline without any sugarcoating. For example, X amount of boards were built in Canada. They will ship on X date, and this will cover the orders that were placed from the start of the Revolution until XX/XX/XX. Orders placed after "that' date, and before "this" date will be shipped on... etc. If you really do not know when orders will be filled, tell us you do not know, and what needs to happen before you will know. I have three orders waiting right now. I will wait for them as long as I have to because I want the product and that leaves me no choice. To be honest though, I do not feel comfortable recommending this company to anyone else until the production gets flowing again. The order page promises shipping in 5 to 7 weeks. I am not sure that the order I placed on 11/02/13 will be shipped before seven weeks is up. I hope that I haven't offended anyone. I still believe that it is a great product, and hope that it will someday become a very successful company, but it will not get there with empty promises and unrealistic offers.

jdebay · Answer

I agree with @Danger! J

Jason · Answer

Great feedback! I got the feeling that many users had a plethora of questions they wanted to ask, but if shipping dates is the only one, I can do my best to come back with a breakdown. Give me some time today and I will build out a quick list of order number ranges I expect to be shipped when. Thanks!

Danger! · Answer

I did not mean to speak for everyone. That was my opinion based on what I have been reading in all of the messages. If there are those who wish to ask more questions, or participate in a chat, please chime in.

A.Bautista · Answer

Hello Jason, I have a question. I ordered JD back in September when it still didn't have the cool designs nor the new camera. Am I gonna be getting the old JD or the new one?

Jason · Answer

@A.Bautista - The new one! The only exception for updates is for those that pre-ordered the Roli for $249.00 as it will still come without arms (the new one for $449.00 comes with two 3 Servo arms). It will though come with the new camera

jdebay · Answer

Fix the site to show only new... robots. j

A.Bautista · Answer

Alright, awesome! Thank you

hoolagen1 · Answer

Can you post a video of JD walking please, only video up has him taking 3 steps.

EEGbiofeedback · Answer

Thanks Jason, My suggestion would be to put a link to order updates at the bottom of the orders page. I suspect people like me check there to see if our orders have been processed. This saves the effort from having to search through posts for info. Best, Bill

Zap Brannigan · Answer

With the new videos recently uploaded, are all of these robots using the final production parts?

Rich · Answer

AFAIK the parts may not yet be final and there may still be some tweaking left to do. However that does bring me on to my question nicely Are all parts for all robots now complete and ready for manufacturer or do some still need tweaking, and if so, which ones fall in which category and what is the expected timeline for those tweaks and testing to final? (I'm nosey)

Jason · Answer

@EEGbiofeedback - Thanks for the idea! @jaultman & @Rich - The EZ-Bv4 case, Power Shell Case and Clip'n'Play Lever Servo have been finalized and sent off for molding (molds will be cut next week) We will likely see first shot samples of these parts in 20 days. Six was completed today and finalized. The designs have been submitted and we are waiting on the mold designs from China. We should see them next week and give approval to start cutting molds for the parts. We start the final revision on JD next week which should take about a week to complete. In regards to tweaking the molds, we will do that immediately after first shots come back so we can see how they turned out. The tweaking period will take about 10 days, a final approval and then we start mass production. Currently each robot is being submitted one after the other, with Six being first, JD second and Roli third (EZ-B and Power base were before any of them). Now you are a manufacturing expert just like us haha! I use the term "expert" loosely

Cathie · Answer

Hi @Jason, Just a quick comment. Our 13 year old son ordered a Six for himself for Christmas, with all his Christmas money (and some of ours!). He could manage a 5-7 week delay, and had it just about worked out to the hour when it would arrive! We've had the "March" email, and the "July" email now - Connor emailed last night, received a reply (which you were cc'd in on) and has decided not to request a refund, but to wait it out ... the reasons he went with EZ-robot in the first place certainly haven't changed. I really think it would be best if you changed the website from "5-7" weeks and had some way of indicating to new customers when they will actually get their order, and once you do start shipping it would be great if we could find out when we could expect his order to be shipped given there appears to be quite the backlog! Thanks, Cathie

Nomad 6R · Answer

will six whit body&head&arms be chowing on the order list..

Sudo the Banned · Answer

I think the best way to clear up the confusion about this pre-order business is to change the "5-7 weeks lead time" disclaimer, and then add a warning that says the time may change. Some people are thinking that it will ship in exactly 5-7 weeks, so this may clear the confusion a bit. Just my two cents.

Danger! · Answer

Cathie, In response to your post on the previous page, I don't know when your son placed his order, but I ordered a V-4 on November, 2nd. If I understand right, the orders are being filled in the order that they were placed regardless of what parts were ordered. If I am ahead of your son in line, and the folks at EZ-Robot can work out the details, I would have no objections to giving him my spot if it will get him his robot sooner. My robot is quite large and being built from scratch. I do not have much free time to work on it. I suspect that I am at least six months from getting the machine built and working. In the meantime, I have two of the older EZ-Boards that I can use to get it up and running as I go along. I will eventually upgrade to the V-4, but I am sure that the board will get here before I need it, regardless. The offer is out there. It will be up to Jason, or someone at EZ-Robot to decide if that can be done. It sounds like your son will have a great experience with his kit as soon as he gets it. If I can help that happen quicker, I'd be glad to do it.

Dave Schulpius · Answer

Wow Danger, your quite a guy. That's a heart warming offer. You must have learned your morals from watching the Robensons teach aliens and Dr Smith how to treat and care for others in our beloved Lost in Space. I suspect a lot of us from that era learned at least some of out moralities from those old TV shows of the 60's. My mentor was Captain Kirk.

Cathie · Answer

Oh thank you @Danger! That is really, really kind of you .... he ordered his robot on December 28th, so it's not a huge time difference but wow ...

jstarne1 · Answer

Awe

Danger! · Answer

Thank you for the compliments, but it really is not going to be a big deal for me. The build is a slow process. Whenever I do get the V4, I am pretty certain that it will be collecting dust for a while until I am ready for it. The V3s are functional enough to do everything that I want to do in the short-term. It is just a shame for a kid to have all of his Christmas money tied up waiting longer than he needs to with nothing to show for it. He'll probably have his robot building other robots before I am able to get my B9 to shake hands. I just hope that EZ Robot can work out the details without too much complication.

tevans · Answer

Jason, its great to have the open dialogue. I think, the best suggestion to calm down the anxiety is provide an accurate shipping schedule based on order number. That would help us to determine if we can wait (like Danger explained) or if we need to find out another solution to finish some projects... What do you think? Thanks

Jason · Answer

@Cupcakehat - Done!

Jason · Answer

I want to keep everyone in the loop with our progress on shipping early orders I just sent out this email to all of the customers who will be in the first batch of product shipments. If you are within the ID range (3403-3634) and did not receive an email, your order only contains Revolution EZ-Robots (that are not ready to ship), or your email filter caught this email. If the second occurred, please shoot me an email and I will resend this email to you. jason@ez-robot.com ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Everyone! As mentioned in the monthly Product/Shipping Updates we send out, we are hand assembling 100 EZ-B v4's and Camera in house and shipping to our earliest customers. To specify, we are shipping all able between ID's 3403-3634. You are receiving this email because you are in this first round to receive your pre-order! Firstly, we would like to genuinely thank you for all of your support while we have been developing EZ-Robot Revolution. It has been a very exciting time launching this new technology, while also challenging tackling some of the issues that have popped up with manufacturing (slower than we originally expected). You are the reason we have put so much hard work into EZ-Robot and we could not have done it without you Thank you. Before we start shipping your orders, we want to quickly explain what will be included in orders, and make sure you are okay with it. - If you ordered an EZ-B v4 or EZ-Robot Camera, they will be encased in 3D printed plastic instead of injection moulded plastic. We have been printing these cases day and night in preparation for these orders. They are essentially the same as the end product, but a bit less refined, but limited edition nonetheless. - If you ordered a Wireless Bluetooth Camera, this will be replaced with the EZ-Robot Camera. - If you ordered and EZ-Robot Developers Kit, it will be delivered in a plain cardboard box. Developer Kits shipped in June 2014 will be packed inside a box designed specifically for the Developers kit to hold each component. - If you ordered Components that contain Clip'n'Play plastic components such as Clip'n'Play Servos or Servo Grippers, we will not ship these particular items, and instead remove them from your current order and make a new, separate order for them in our system. These items will be shipped later in the year when injection moulded plastics are ready. - If you ordered a Revolution EZ-Robot, this item will be removed from this order, and made into a separate order to be shipped in July when injection moulded plastics are ready. - If you ordered any other items not listed above, we will do out best to track down each item and include it with your order. If we are unable to find an exact match, we will contact you with a proposed substitute. After reading the above information, please let me know if you would like to: A) Have your order shipped NOW (we are starting to ship orders this week, and will have shipped all orders in a few weeks time. There are a few items in the developers Kit that we are still waiting on. These items are arriving in the next 2 weeks). If you have any details to include, feel free to share them. B) Have your order shipped LATER once injection moulded plastics are ready. Your order will still be at the top of the priority list and will ship in June 2014. Thank you for reading this email! Please CLEARLY reply with what you would like to do! Happy Building! ------------------------------------------------------------------- These next few weeks will be very busy preparing these orders to go out, and we are so excited to share them with our customers. Once these have all been shipped out (will take a few weeks), we will be discussing the feasibility of another short run. Thanks!

fxrtst · Answer

Truely, this is a saving grace for me! You guys could not have delivered this info any sooner! Standing by. Jason maybe this is a little faster for getting info, but i sent you an email shortly after the "NOW" reply. My first order of the EZB 4's , was later followed by the cameras (a month later) . The EZB order was 3517. The cameras were 3705. Does that mean I have to wait for the cameras?

Tony1952 · Answer

@jason Wow! I just got my email, thanks very much! What great news to start the day with! I just scraped in, having order no 3633. Luckily I stopped procrastinating and put my order in before the end of September I'll be able to finish my Wall-E and give him life. Waiting for the Revolution robots I ordered this year won't be so hard now. Old Grumps (what my kids & their kids call me) has an unusual smile on his face today! Many thanks and much appreciation to the Ez-Robot team who have hand-built these EzB's at great expense - extra $s, time & effort! I feel so privileged

irobot58 · Answer

@Tony1952 scrape as in by the skin of your teeth...! Looks like 30 lucky " Lottery" winners! Congrats to all

Robot Doc · Answer

Thanks for the great support and extra effort in getting the EZ-B(V4s) into the shipping pipeline EZ-staff. It is really appreciated in a huge way.

Dave Schulpius · Answer

Thanks for your hard work Jason and the rest of the EZ Staff. However I'm a little worried. I cant seem to find any sign of my confirmation e-mail and I'm order 3515. It just has EZB boards and a camera. I sent you an e-mail asking about this and saying I'd like my order shipped as soon as possible. I fear my internet provider blocked you and I wont be able to get any response back from you. Could you confirm here please? Thanks, David Schulpius

thetechguru · Answer

Missed it by 20 orders (on my first of 3). Luckily, I decided not to sell one of my V3's, so I can still work on my build while I wait. Probably won't really have time until July anyway, so no biggie for me. Alan

Rich · Answer

3648 for me Although it's a revolution robot so even if it was an earlier number it wouldn't be ready... Unless EZ-Robot fancy sending a 3D printed six my way instead (no harm in asking is there lol) Anyway, that is all excellent news and a huge thank you to all at EZ-Robot for this. You've shown me, once again, why I support you with as much passion as I do.

tevans · Answer

Thanks Jason! As we say here.. "Send me what you got ready from the kitchen! I'm starving" ... LOL I sent you an e-mail as you request agreeing with the conditions. Thanks again.

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

I made it in the first early shipment so for once my impulsiveness paid off... sweet guys.... thank you....

Jason · Answer

@fxrtst - I will check it out and see if I can "kill two birds with one stone" @Dave Schulpius - I got your email and will write back (your @wi.rr email did not work). To confirm, you are included in this batch. After I go through the current orders and hear back from customers, I will likely be able to contact a few more customers about getting product early (a few customers have already requested to have a final product shipped in June so that opens up a few more spots). Stay tuned!

fxrtst · Answer

Awsome, thanks Jason, will keep my fingers crossed! And to Jason, staff and DJ, thanks for putting in the extra effort for your customers. With all the problems with your manufacturing, this shows your customers that you guys are committed to trying all options to get some product out to them. You have gained back the trust and loyalty of many devoted robot builders. keep up the great work.

thetechguru · Answer

Jason, If you aren't able to get @fxrtst a camera in this batch, but you do a run on another 20+ orders, you can hold mine up to the next round or until full manufacturing is up and running and send him the camera from my complete kit order 3653. I can comfortably wait until July. Alan

fxrtst · Answer

Alan, my hat off to you my friend. I will remember that kind gesture!

drephreak · Answer

Hey guys congratulation on getting some orders moving. I am on of the ones who is prepared to wait (maybe a long while yet by the looks of things) My order is just for the EZ-b4 board I don't even want the moulded housing Im order no 2-4458 from February 27th this year do you have a ballpark for these later orders. confused Drephreak

Dave Schulpius · Answer

@fxrtst (Will), I should have 2 cameras coming. I can send them to you and when you get yours you can forward them to me. I'm in no hurry for them. There's plenty of stuff to do before I will need them. @ Jason, thanks for the extra effort letting me know I as not left behind.

fxrtst · Answer

Thanks so much David. You guys are great. I'll wait to hear what Jason might be able to do. It's looking promising.

jstarne1 · Answer

I would just like to say that it's pretty damn awesome that people in the community who are giving their places up in line to help out newer customers. It is very cool.

thetechguru · Answer

Jsatarne, that is the definition of community isn't it? Alan

Jason · Answer

@drephreak - We will begin Shipping Developer Kits and EZ-B v4s (plus Cameras) in June 2014

Cathie · Answer

Hey @Jason - Thanks for the really detailed information - and it is so nice to see so many people offering up parts they're not in any rush for. Absolutely the true definition of community.

drephreak · Answer

@jason Thanks for the heads up Jason Much appreciated Andre

jdebay · Answer

When you click on pre-order under buy section you get Pre-Order Today! As you can imagine, these EZ-Robots and the EZ-B v4 are in high demand. We're working hard to keep up with manufacturing. There will be a delay in shipping your package. If you order today, the package will ship within 5-7 weeks. The EZ-Robot Revolution components are currently being manufactured by our facility and will be available soon. need to remove 5-7 weeks statement... thanks for fixing other ones. j

Alan · Answer

Thanks @jdebay! DJ made the change to the main site but must have missed the one in the message. I'm with him down in Texas right now presenting to some school boards. I'll remind him to make the changes ASAP. Cheers, Alan

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Yeah, geeze Alan... hurry up will ya'.. It's not like you guys at ez robot have anything else important to do... like getting the orders shipped or anything... So stop what your doing and fix everything on your web site that doesn't make @jdebay happy....

Rich · Answer

@Richard, careful Not everyone will understand/realise the sarcastic tone meant for that We do but there are a lot of people who don't spend as much time here as I do and may not know you are being sarcastic - that's how problems start, we don't do problems

Alan · Answer

Hahahaha @Richard! I chuckled at that one. We don't want any more confusion about shipping times so this is definitely something we want to change asap. Manufacturing plastics has been quite the rollercoaster ride. We've learned a ton and have made some pretty amazing improvements along the way. Every time we have communicated a shipping date we truly and firmly believed that we'd be able to have product ready for that time. The manufactuing process seems to have an artillery full of wrenches it's been throwing at us. We've dodged a few of them but get hit by others. Everytime we work through a challenge we learn more and more. The process we now have in place is going to smooth everything out moving forward. Exciting for everyone

jdebay · Answer

@Rich, I got a lol on @Richards post... @Alan it is like learning to use a 3d printer. lol j

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Hey, I did use the appropriate emoticon, didn't I?... yes I was being a little sarcastic...

Stika · Answer

@Alan if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball! EZ-Robot dodgeball team?! Who's in?!

Dave Schulpius · Answer

Man, you guys there at EZ Robot have all the fun. Sounds like your living the dream.

Zap Brannigan · Answer

@jason - following up on one of your posts (on 4/4).... 1. The EZ-Bv4 case, Power Shell Case and Clip'n'Play Lever Servo have been finalized and sent off for molding (molds will be cut next week). 2. Six was completed today and finalized. The designs have been submitted and we are waiting on the mold designs from China. We should see them next week and give approval to start cutting molds for the parts. 3. We start the final revision on JD next week which should take about a week to complete. 4. Currently each robot is being submitted one after the other, with Six being first, JD second and Roli third. What is the status on each item? I'm particularly interested in the status of Roli since that's the one I am going to order but I am curious how things are coming along with meeting the goals you outlined previously.

Jason · Answer

@jaultman - Thanks for the question! Here is some info to share: 1. The EZ-Bv4 case, Power Shell Case and Clip'n'Play Lever Servo have been finalized and sent off for molding (molds will be cut next week). These items are being molded right now. The samples will be ready next week and will take a few days to ship to our office. We should see them the last week of April. 2. Six was completed today and finalized. The designs have been submitted and we are waiting on the mold designs from China. We should see them next week and give approval to start cutting molds for the parts. The designs have come back and we made some minor adjustments to the molds with our design group. It will take 5-6 days to get them back, look them over, and then send them off for molds to start. 3. We start the final revision on JD next week which should take about a week to complete. JD is going through some final touch ups this week and will be submitted next week for mold design. 4. Currently each robot is being submitted one after the other, with Six being first, JD second and Roli third. That is correct, we are working on the Roli design this week and will submit it for review next week with our design group.

Zap Brannigan · Answer

Thanks, Jason. You da man!

RoboHappy · Answer

Sounds like we need to hire a productuin manager.

Jason · Answer

@RoboHappy - I wear many hats at EZ-Robot...haha

irobot58 · Answer

@Jason I 'am thinking a cowboy hat is your favourite ...for the Stampede (for V4's!)

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

@Jason... Why don't you throw on that "shipper" hat then... P.S. That's shipper not stripper, by the way...

Jason · Answer

@Richard R - Haha, that hat as well.

Just as a quick update, we are doing final firmware testing today on the first batch of EZ-B v4 and Dev kits, while preparing the boxes as well. We will start seeing orders in the mail next week!

Nomad 6R · Answer

yiepieae

Dave Schulpius · Answer

This is truly great news!

Zap Brannigan · Answer

Awesome. Time for me to get my order in then.

fxrtst · Answer

Yippie!

jstarne1 · Answer

Excellent news for sure!

Steve S · Answer

Jason Zeiler, Your last response sounds promising. Thanks for the latest! What might be my delivery on these orders? Maybe this will explain dates for others orders. 11-3873 12-4123 3-4510 Thanks, Steve S

Rich · Answer

Steve, bear in mind this first batch are hand built in Canada and are only the EZ-B. The revolution robots and all orders which aren't part of this first batch will still be June/July. So, while it's great news for all those who have ordered just the dev kits and ordered early enough there is still a 3 month wait ahead currently, possibly longer for orders placed in November, December and March (I presumed those were your dates based on the first number before the - which I believe is the month it was placed in. Although I don't want to be stepping on anyone's toes so please, Jason, when you get chance and have the correct hat on please feel free to correct me or confirm what I have written (I know a lot of people like to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak).

Steve S · Answer

Rich, Thank you for the response. Looking forward to EZB4. I feel fortunate to have 3 EZB-3 kits to share with my grandsons. Hunter was so excited the first time his EZ Robot starting moving. HE HAD BEEN BEGGING FOR HIS OWN EZ ROBOT. (Someone helped him with a playlist of beginners tutorial playlist!) Thank You Rich, Steve S

Stika · Answer

@jaultman please note that we are only fulfilling the first pre-orders of people who have been patiently waiting with us for a long time. orders placed around this time will be fulfilled at a later time. we're glad you're excited though! we are too!

Zap Brannigan · Answer

@stika - Yes, I understand that fully. I was only waiting for items to start shipping before I placed an order. I understand that I am at the end of the line.

Stika · Answer

@jaultman alright, just didn't want you to be disappointed!

jayceekeys · Answer

Hey Jason, Is there any chance that you could give an update on STLs that may be ready or nearing release ? I know you were aiming for the middle of this month Cheers, Jay

Jason · Answer

@Steve S - I looked at each of your orders and have some quick info on each. In general, orders that contain EZ-B v4, Developer Kits or misc electronics (servos and cables without injection molded plastics) will be shipped in June. As mentioned before, only a few plastics items will be produced in time for June shipments (EZ-B v4 shell and Power Base Shell). The Developer kit does not come with a shell for the camera or the Distance sensor which makes this possible to ship. Any other orders will be shipped in July. This includes Revolution Robots and Clip'n'Play components. The only item still being worked out is the Camera (when purchased outside of the Developer Kit). It contains a plastic shell which is next in line for production after the EZ-B and Powerbase Shells. This item may be produced ahead of schedule, (originally planned for July) but is not guaranteed yet.

Steve S · Answer

Jason Zeiler, Thank you for responding, Jason, My first order (11/27/2013) was EZB4, cables, and clip and play servo mounts? Maybe I will have delivery in July because of the servo mounts? Is there any way to move the clip and play servo mounts to my later orders? Second and third orders will be later. Thanks, Steve S

thetechguru · Answer

@Jason Zeiler Your answer to Steve brought up a new question. Will the camera shell be available in the store? I sort of expected it would have one when I ordered the 2 developer kits (although I didn't expect a shell for the EZ-B itself, so that is a plus). It is not critical path. One of the cameras I would have probably been removing the shell if it had one, but the other is going to sit on top of a "Roli Neck" pan and tilt bracket, so I don't really want it to be "naked". I see you already have the shell for the distance sensors, and I expect to be ordering several (for my new sensors and for the three I already own) and probably a bunch of other EZ-Bits apart from the ones I already ordered, once I determine what I will need to put everything together. Alan

Jason · Answer

@Steve S - Yes, I can shift some items which may speed up the time it takes to ship you your orders. As long as every customer doesn't request the same, it will work out. Email me directly jason@ez-robot.com @thetechguru - The camera shell will be available in the store. All of the individual plastic components will be available for purchase and for replacement purchases. They will be released once the final mold has been created and designs have been finalized for every component we sell General update - We will start shipping all of the First Batch Pre-Orders next week. After some rigorous testing, we thankfully found a small bug that was easy to fix, but would have caused headaches down the road. We originally planned to ship this week, but wanted to make sure everything was fully tested as this is the first time any customers will have the EZ-B v4 in their hands. We want the experience to be amazing! Hooray for testing!

drephreak · Answer

Will an order just for an ez-b v include the plastic housing? Because I don't want it. Mine is a total custom bot Regards Andre

Jason · Answer

@drephreak - The EZ-B v4 comes with a case that is very easy to remove for custom robots

Steve S · Answer

Jason Zeiler, Thank you for responding. I will leave my all my orders alone, with no special requests. EZ Robot has enough on their plate. Looking forward to EZB 4! Thank You, Steve S

Zap Brannigan · Answer

Bump! I know you guys are busy but I just want to keep up with current progres. I am both impatient and nosy so I apologize in advance. 1. The EZ-Bv4 case, Power Shell Case and Clip'n'Play Lever Servo: These items are being molded right now. The samples will be ready next week and will take a few days to ship to our office. We should see them the last week of April. -- Is this still on track? 2. Six designs have come back and we made some minor adjustments to the molds with our design group. It will take 5-6 days to get them back, look them over, and then send them off for molds to start. -- Were you able to get the molds made for Six? 3. JD is going through some final touch ups this week and will be submitted next week for mold design. -- Was mold design for JD completed as anticipated? 4. We are working on the Roli design this week and will submit it for review next week with our design group. -- What is the current design status of Roli? Thanks!

Robot Doc · Answer

And just to top off - - - - What is the present status of the hand-built EZB(V4)s ?

stonewolf · Answer

Yes, what is up on those Canadian handmade V4's, I do remember those were supposed to be being shipped ?

Jason · Answer

@jaultman - 1. -- Is this still on track? Yes, we are seeing samples of these plastics later this week. They have been created in China and will be shipped tomorrow or the next day. 2. -- Were you able to get the molds made for Six? They are still in progress. We will see them tomorrow or the next day. 3. -- Was mold design for JD completed as anticipated? JD was submitted for mold design and we will see results later this week. 4. -- What is the current design status of Roli? Our design group has finished the Roli design and will be presenting it tomorrow to us for review. The only thing waiting for submission is the gearbox for the Roli chassis. We are sourcing gears this week and should have a clear "next steps" on those parts next week. @Robot-Doc - As mentioned in my 2nd last post, we fixed a small bug with the firmware and needed a few days to correct it. We wanted to ship ast week but held of until this week so everything could be smoothed out. We have now gathered all of the orders and are boxing them up this week to ship out. You should be able to see many of the orders on the "Engineering Office Live" camera (sitting under the giant whiteboard). The only thing we are waiting on is a huge order of servos which is sitting at customs waiting for us to pay the brokerage and tax and pick it up. These are the last thing we need for Developer Kits.

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

So bottom line... Jason are you shipping anything this week? We understand your delays we really do, but all we (maybe I should speak for myself) are asking is when you say you are going to ship... you ship... Repeatedly telling us you're going to ship and then don't has got to stop, dude... Just give us a concrete date and stick by it... That's all we are (I'm) asking... I am not seriously upset but I am frustrated that's all...

Jason · Answer

@Richard R - We emailed all of the "First Batch" customers this morning with a quick update. In summary, we are starting to ship today, and will have all orders shipped by next week! The delay was caused by some small firmware bugs we wanted to iron out before shipping any orders. The time required to figure them out was undefined so we did not want to set a date (if we did set a date it wouldn't mean anything as we did not know how long it would take to work out the bugs). Now that it has been worked out, everything is moving along Over the next few days, we are programming the boards, packaging them up and shipping them out. All of the "First Batch" customers will be receiving an email when their order leaves the office. Everything will go out within the next 7 days.

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

@Jason... Sorry for dumping on you man... Had one of those days and probably one too many beers... Thanks for the update...

jstarne1 · Answer

Gears for Roli? Are you now switching to making the chassis "in house" instead of the Dagu Rover 5 as the base?

Niek · Answer

What about import duties and taxes for people overseas? If for example I order a JD and Roli to the Netherlands, I'm looking at well over $200 duties. That is, if the value is properly declared on the customs form.

Rich · Answer

I asked Jason if my order can be sent marked as a gift to avoid the duty etc. which he said he would do where possible. It may pay to send similar. This would at least work for the hand made first 20, China made ones may be different. At the end of the day it is our responsibility to think about the duty and taxes though. I am in the same boat and was stung before when I was talking with ThingM about the BlinkM. Long story short, they sent me one FOC but didn't mark it as a gift. The import duty/tax was more than the BlinkM would have cost me to buy from a seller over here. You live and learn though. There are ways to claim back import duty/tax too though. At least in the UK there are. They aren't simple though.

Jason · Answer

@jstarne1-XLRobots.com - Correct, we have designed our own rover chassis from the ground up. It looks very similar to the Dagu chassis with improvements and modifications across the board. This design is the final one to be reviewed by our design team and will be shared in a bit. We are trying out different gear sets and treads. @Niek - As Rich mentioned, we will try where possible to keep the costs of import duties down. As a Canadian Company (seller), we can get in a ton of legal trouble for marking items incorrectly. With that being said, we might be able to do things slightly different for the short batch.

Zap Brannigan · Answer

@jason When do you think you will be able to share the new Roli chassis design? I'd really like to see the differences and/or similarities.

Aerius · Answer

Will the new rover gear box equipped with encoder like the Dagu Rover 5 model ?

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

There will be no encoders in Roli's chassis since ezb does not currently support them....

Alan · Answer

@Aerius - The Rover Chassis that we used to sell did not include encoders either. So no - the new Roli chassis will not have encoders. @Niek - Importation duties and taxes are the responsibility of the buyer. As with any other product being shipped internationally, there is very little a company can do to alleviate the pains of duty and taxes. Even if there was a reseller in your country, they may have to sell the product for a higher price in order to maintain profitability since they would have to pay importation duty's and taxes when initially bringing the product across the border. This is why pricing on many products varies between country. The company includes duty's but builds them in to a higher price. One way or another - you pay for them. Take Apple for example - pricing of a MacBook Pro is 1349.00 EUR (includes ALV of 262.00 EUR.) As Jason mentioned - it is highly illegal to falsify tax/ importation documentation, so we can't legally mark packages as gifts or at incorrect values. The terms and conditions you agree to when purchasing products on our site clearly state that EZ-Robot is not responsible for the importation duties and taxes that could come upon the products arrival. They also state where the product is shipped from so you can calcualte estimated duties and taxes on your own if you would like.

fxrtst · Answer

@Jason or Alan. Does it look like you guys will make a shipment for today?

jstarne1 · Answer

Drum Roll Please

fxrtst · Answer

That's a longggggg drum roll.. Let's throw in a rim shot. Will

Troy · Answer

@fxrtst Good one! @alan Just curious. How many V4s have been ordered thus far? I imagine it's pretty high.

Dave Schulpius · Answer

@Jason, has shipping started? The first 20 were to ship last week. Just wondering.

Nomad 6R · Answer

only 20 ? eek

Steve S · Answer

Jason, My 1st order was Nov. Am I correct in anticipating delivery in July? Thank You Steve S

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Hey Steve, if you were one of the lucky ones that made it into the first batch of the hand made boards from Canada (I think they made about a 100), then you would (should) have been notified more than a month ago letting you know whether you fell into the first shipment group or not... If you didn't get the email, then you are probably in the July shipment... My fingers are crossed for you dude....

Robot Doc · Answer

I ordered in Sept and received the heads up email about being on the early shipping list. Have not actually received any email that the EZB(4) has actually shipped.

Steve S · Answer

Richard R Thank for responding . I was not notified in any recent Email. Maybe I am in a later delivery time frame? 11-3873 Thanks, Steve S

Alan · Answer

@troy - I can't say exactly how many EZ-B v4's have been sold as that's confidential information. But I can tell you that since pre-orders have started we've gained 2452 users in 115 different countries @Steve and @Robot-Doc - As Jason mentioned earlier on in this thread, the first batch made here in Canada will be fulfilling orders #3403-3634. If your order does not fall within that range - it will be shipped out of the first batch made in China. @fxrtst and @Dave Schulpius - We have begun shipping. Anyone who's orders have been shipped out will be receiving an email with tracking number (if applicable) as early as tonight. If you do not receive an email - your order will be shipping out in proper succession throughout the week. There are a few random little parts (motor controllers and rover chassis, jumper cable kit) that we are waiting on so a couple of the orders will be shipped out of order, but will still have an EZ-B set aside for them from the first batch. This should only delay the shipping of these couple orders for a few days. The most important thing to take from this email.... orders have begun shipping!

Rich · Answer

I can confirm shipping has begun Just got my tracking number

fxrtst · Answer

Awsome!

Steve S · Answer

Great news Rich, Shipping has started and you will be receiving one soon!

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

That is truly music to my ear... However, I'm pretty sure Jason is gonna' sneeze on mine or dip it in the toilet before he ships 'cause I was complaining earlier... Congrats guys you did it...

sealfish · Answer

I purchased the Revolution JD along with another order for a present for Christmas 2013. Do you think I'll get it before Christmas of this year. I am really starting to get some concerns. Even after that I was dumb enough to make another order because I got an email after the New Year telling us that everything was fixing to ship and I wanted to get ahead of the rush. Now I have three orders made and nothing to show for it. Can you tell me when I can expect my order? Thanks for your help.

Rich · Answer

Revolution robots will begin shipping in July, being sent in the order in which orders were placed. This is provided there are no further delays in the manufacturing process. Constant updates are being given on the progress now. All delays have been explained and apologised for. Honestly, you should have no concerns. You can see how much I put in to EZ-Robots as a community member, I would not back a company I had concerns about let alone provide as much support for their community as I do.

Zap Brannigan · Answer

I am resurrecting this old thread for a moment. I have a Roli on order. I want to order the RGB LED Display as an additional piece. If I place the order now, 1) Can it be shipped with my original order to save me on shipping costs, and 2) will it delay my order to add this piece to it? EDIT: also sent email as suggested.

Rich · Answer

@jaultman, use the contact us page and request it that way.While the forums are visited by EZ-Robot staff you'll probably get a better response if you use the contact us page which is monitored more often.

Jason

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