It's the final progress report for 2023, and Altar I development is moving forward smoothly. The pilot assembly programme is set to take place in January 2024, and is the final step before proceeding to full production. PCBs have been assembled and shipped, injection moulds completed, and final packaging has arrived. Keycap legends are also now being pad printed.

Pilot assembly programme

The Altar I pilot assembly programme will run in January 2024. In this programme a small number of fully complete Altar I units will be assembled and finished. The process will allow us to streamline the assembly process and iron out any issues that come up. The units produced in this programme will then be used as review units that will be sent to select outlets.

Once the pilot assembly programme is complete, we will move to full scale production of all pre-ordered Altar I units.

PCBs

Altar I PCBs have been assembled and shipped, and are due to arrive in the coming days. Every Altar I PCB has been thoroughly tested in the PCB fabrication facility to ensure proper functionality. This concludes the electrical work on Altar I.

Injection moulding

Injection moulding tools are now finished, including the refinements outlined in the previous progress report.

Legends are now being pad printed on a small number of keys, and these keys will be used in the pilot assembly programme in January.

Other updates

Clamshell packaging has arrived at the fabrication facility. This is the final piece of packaging for Altar I.

The Altar I field manual is near complete, and will be launching soon.

Version 1.0 of Altar I firmware is complete.

Battery testing has taken place — users can expect around 20-25 days of battery life with normal use. More detail on battery life will be contained in the field manual.

What's next

Our focus will be on the pilot assembly programme for January 2024 and coordinating parts for this process. Full scale production for plastic parts and CNC milled metal parts will also take place in January 2024 with a view towards full scale assembly beginning in February 2024.