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I wanted to time this update with parts arriving. It was purposely pushed back as a result. I think you’ll agree that it was worth the slight delay.
A Quick Summary
All Early Production Parts Arrived
We did a full test build of Winter One v12
We tested our user guide during the build
We discovered minor issues on a few parts
Part Issues
After in building in the case with parts that pushed the dimension limits, we discovered a few issues that need to be addressed before full scale production.
Power Button is too loose on the key switch. We think this might have to do with a tolerancing error in our favor during the Beta run.
Drive Cage has an error and needs to have screws holes moved over by 1mm as it's affecting how easily one can get 4 x 2.5" SSDs into the system.
Central Spine motherboard standoff placement appears off by 0.15mm. I was able to build in the case, but had to push the motherboard against the rear panel with an uncomfortable amount of force to line up the standoffs.
Rear Panel laser engraving has a kerning error. The engraving is correct on the blueprints, but is incorrect on the part.
There are Anodization errors on a few parts. There is a streak on the front panel which appears under bright, diffuse LED lighting. These streaks occur when the part is incorrectly mounted for the anodization process.
I'll be speaking to the factory first thing tomorrow in order to have this sorted out. These are the last remaining issues before we kick off full production!
"First Edition"
This designation is exclusive to the Kickstarter Batches (1 and 2) and the first Batch 2 / Silver orders from our website. This is my special way of saying Thank You to everyone who backed this project and made it a reality. <3
To Decode the Serial:
W1 - Winter One
V12 - Version 1.2
P01 - First Production Run (Kickstarter Launch)
B01 - First Batch (Black)
N100 - 100 cases produced (in this batch)
U001 - Unit 1 - first case (out of the batch of 100)
Note: this system may change, as we resolve the issues with the laser engraving. If it does, I'll update the decoder.
Building in Winter One
It's a good idea to put everything on your motherboard before starting the build.
The spine attaches to the rear panel, and acts as the build platform.
Riser Cable and GPU are attached next.
The Front Panel attaches to the central spine, and that attaches to the Bottom Fan / Radiators, and Bottom panel. This creates a sturdy base.
Once you get the Bottom / Front on, route all cables *before* you attach the power supply.
Add the top fan/radiator bracket, and connect all the cabling.
If you need to secure the top to tilt the case and fill a loop, feel free to add the top plate. You can remove it later to install the side panels.
Side Panels Slide in easily, now. (a welcome change from the Beta units)
The Perforated panels do a great job of showcasing the hardware inside :)
That's all I've got for this current update. As soon as the issues I spoke about above are resolved, full scale production will start. I'll have more information about this in the next update.
To see all images from this post, visit the Kickstarter.