Update 12.21.11

Well, final grades have just been turned in and this semester, from hell, is history.

Onward to more rewarding pursuits!

Although it was difficult to find time, we did make forward progress. Briefly:

1. Circuit boards - The mistake has been corrected and will go to production any day now. In the process of revising the board we made a couple additional improvements that will improve the signal to noise ratio and possibly lower cost a toy bit.

Regarding the stereo/ mono debate; I finally made up my mind. We are going to produce all the boards in stereo, and allow the user the option to switch to mono by adding an adapter to the phone plug. Elegantly simple.

2. Housing - I completed a few modifications to improve mold-ability, and possibly reduce cost. We'll see. Also added a backstop to prevent the lid from opening head 90 degrees. Downpayment sent to injection molder and should receive first samples in 4-8 weeks.

3. Cable -Finally made up my mind and have completed first batch. Awaiting quote for 200 more.

4. Effects box - have not yet chosen a final set. But scheduled to meet up with a couple local musicians after Christmas to brainstorm.

5. Power supply - Done! We will provide customer with splitter cable to draw off effects box. Also 9V battery adapter for emergencies.

6. Wireless. I experimented today with a belt-worn transmitte, and it worked like a charm! Will work on sourcing next week.

Thanks again to beyond for your patience and encouragement.

Happy Holidays!

Although no one has specifically asked us,  we'd like to offer you all a 30-day guarantee.

If you're dissatisfied with your reward, you can send it back for a refund.

Toooooot Toooooot

Hello, ELX supporters. Thanks for your continued enthusiasm for our project. After over a decade of development you can imagine how excited we are to be so close to launching the ELX.

The campaign got off to a great start. But then, as you may have noticed, has been inching forward. We're going to need a second wave of enthusiastic supporters if we're going to reach our goal. But I remain cautiously optimistic.

In the meantime we have made some technical progress. On the mechanical side we have completed the design of the molds and are ready to start production of the housings. This will cost about $8000. On the electronics, we are making some final adjustments to the circuit layout, and will be ready to start making boards within 2 weeks. Here we're looking at about $6000.

One exciting development is the addition of stereo output. We will provide more details about this in our next update. In the meantime, tell your friends to come support our project!!  And stay tuned!