We've now had all of the componentry for 3 weeks, so we wanted to present some solid numbers and give you an idea of the scale of the Driver project and what goes in to each stage of fulfilment.
The Number Drive
Below is everything we've built over the last few weeks. The number on the left is what has been built and on the right is still to go.
Built and boxed Drivers:
Dark: 3800/4350
Light: 1220/1300
Grey: 2521/ 2900
13 Piece expansion packs built and packed: 3419/ 3650
Leather Pouches packed up: 2154/ 2350
Bit Handle Upgrades boxed up: 2304/ 2500
Steel Barrel Upgrades boxed up: 2098/ 2400
Printed Blueprints packed up: 90/ 120
Left the building percentage: 40%!
The UK was hit hard last week
Last week we sent the majority of UK rewards out, with a few still to go (so don't panic if you haven't received yours yet!) To give you an idea of scale, there's only around 200 rewards here and we have well over 600 backers from the UK alone!
Drivers are arriving!
The news that keeps us going! Drivers are finally getting into your hands and we couldn't be happier at the response so far!
This comment summed it up quite nicely in his short, yet very welcome comment: "Just wanted to say this is a fantastic bit of kit!" The response from team MetMo ---> 😁
Here's the first image sent to us by an awesome backer, showing off some excellent sock game.
Share your Drive
All pics are very welcome and each one makes us smile, so keep em coming! Even better, show us how you're using your Driver with a quick video. We know it's got some power behind it, so don't hold back!
You can tag us on Instagram @MetMo.eng>, TikTok @MetMo.eng or share it right here on CubeClub. If you're a little more private, send us a sneaky email to hello@metmocube.com and say hi.
Upgrade-y bits
Shout out to the CubeClub heroes for this one, I'm looking at you @David Byrne, @Ulrick S., @Michael Murray and @Mark Howard , you guys fault found a potential issue and even helped to solve it together which has honestly been extremely helpful and saved us no end of future headaches!
David initially noticed the end cap on his bit barrel upgrade wouldn't fit on the end of the shaft, rendering it unusable. This is because of a very fine tolerance issue between the shaft and the cap. The shaft is at the top end 8mm+ and the cap is at the very bottom end 8mm-, leading to an interference which shouldn't be there. This only affects a very small amount of Drivers, around 1.5% to be exact, and since not everyone bought an upgrade, that percentage is even smaller.
This early spotting has led to us performing a 100% QC on all bit handles and opening out the tolerance on any problem end caps, which will stop the problem going forward.
The next spot was to do with the Steel Barrels. These again are a similar tolerance issue and is simply a microscopic bur thrown up on the reciprocating pin hole on the steel barrel. Clearing it out allows the pin to freely move back and forth. We found an 8mm reamer did the trick for us, but an 8mm drill bit achieves the same results. As with the bit handle we are now performing a 100% QC and fix on any problem barrels to make the issue go away. Again, this only affects a very small percentage of Drivers, similar in scale to the bit handle, but we can't have even a small issue like this find its way to you guys when we know there's a simple fix.
These two issues were unfortunately missed during the initial rounds of QC as they are stand alone assemblies that were tested in sample batches but never built into full drivers at any scale. We'll not forget this one on future projects, that's for sure!
If you find yourself struggling with any of your upgrades, we've got your back, so please send us an email to hello@metmocube.com to let us know.
Drivers have finally landed in the USA 🇺🇸
Despite being the very first thing we sent, the shipment of over 2000 American Drivers has FINALLY cleared customs in the US and is en-route to our fulfilment centre in sunny California. They still need to be processed, but these guys do this for a living, so hopefully you won't be waiting too long! The Grey drivers aren't far behind too, having turned up just after we shipped the bulk to the US (annoyingly!). If you had a Grey driver in your rewards, it may take a little longer to get to you, so please hang tight and we'll keep you updated with where those guys are at.
A Foundation you say...?
Throughout the existence of MetMo, we've always leant on our elders and peers to help with any kind of problem we've struggled with, whether it be an engineering issue or just something basic, like "how do I calculate the tensile strength of this tiny pin is this weird assembly..." you know, basic stuff. Having worked in engineering for quite a few years we've met some amazingly talented people that love sharing their knowledge and talking to people about what they're doing. Sadly a lot of these people retire and this wealth of knowledge often retires with them.
So we had an idea. What if we could build a place where this lost knowledge was shared, where projects in your garage could find an audience and where everyone could learn together in a happy little community which helps future generations find their creative spark as a designer or engineer.
At the moment this is just something we're thinking about, but wouldn't it be something if we could build and promote a space for retired creators to continue sharing their knowledge and passion for engineering with the wider world.
We'd love your feedback on this one, as we'd rely heavily on the wider community to make this work and it will take some serious brain to get right.
We're getting through the Drivers at a very good pace now and shipping is ongoing on a daily basis, so it won't be too much longer to wait now 😄.
As always, if you have any questions please leave a comment below.
Originally posted by Steve
Hi....it appears that there are only ten dark drivers left, and I'd like to buy one. However, I'm redirected to an Indiegogo site where I can't combine a Metmo pen purchase to save on international shipping. Any solution??!! Thanks.