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2010-10-14 23:33:34 (5325 views) Due to our size we can't guarantee compatibility with specific phones, but here's a link you can test:
http://www.dreamloverlabs.com/testajax/
If you see the number changing, and the "Blink" text appearing and disappearing every few seconds, it means your browser/phone supports all the javascript we'll need to use for the system to work bidirectionally (not only can the web management screen send commands to the DL2K-LINK but it can also receive status updates).
If it does NOT work, then you'll still be able to transmit, but not receive status updates. All major web browsers should work, so the question is primarily for phone users.
If you get any specific errors feel free to mail us a picture or post here a transcription of what your terminal is saying. If it works for a while and stops also let us know (some i-phone users reported this technique only worked for a minute or so). And if it does work why not post your phone and OS version below.
2010-10-14 22:34:16 (4494 views) Our main contact, the only serious Chinese vendor we've found so far, man of infinite patience who really enabled us to get to this point, is now comprehensively reevaluating our project and giving us a new (of course higher) price.
He's spent hundreds of hours over a year's period trying motor overmolding, creating sample parts, refining molds, ordering custom screws, brass inserts and more. We still have an agreement that we'll pay him when money starts coming in. But he's just figured out that we're having 7 custom plastic parts, 8 custom rubber parts, rubber and plastic overmolding, custom brass inserts (2 rounds), custom screws (2 rounds), a diamond polished mold, plus there are a bunch of molds for the rubber which were tried and discarded when we were fine tuning waterproofing and the motor - not to talk about favors from other vendors who are his friends, such as testing out the glow in the dark pigments. So he's basically taking a loss with the project ... and he'll need to review his quote...
The most important thing for us is to keep his friendship because he really helped us a lot and followed through until we were satisfied... and it's hard to find someone like him in China where all the vendors screw up all the time and drop our business very quickly when we complain. He deserves not to take a loss with our business, we don't think he's going to go for the jugular but we're looking at a painful price increase since he's the one making most of the parts... we're keeping our fingers crossed.
This is the last mile of this marathon. The PCBs are being produced in panelized version ready for automated assembly. Components are being ordered. Batteries are getting created to go through LVD testing, and within a week of testing we can get a report, slap a CE mark on the product and sell the DL2000 in the EU as well (maybe, there are still a few minor legal loopholes but we'll work them out by that time).
We'll send a final CAD drawing for the foam cutting next week, and after 7 days they'll have foam samples and then we'll go for the box.
As far as living in China is concerned, YUCK! This simply cannot continue. Yucky details follow. Keep reading at your own risk......
2010-10-12 22:03:28 (4690 views) Ta-da. No comments necessary. Hm, except for the fact that... notice those dots... they are the ejection pin marks... the places where the mold pushes out the part when it's ready. Those areas could have been polished in the same way, perhaps even for the same price, leaving only the contour of a circle - but alas, they didn't do it, and the manufacturer is really about to let us go so we can't ask for any more goodies or tweaks with the quantities we're ordering. That's ok. Considering battery guys can't find the connectors, and that overlay guys can't find the polycarbonate material, this manufacturer is really a gem in China and all right, if we need to keep the dots we'll keep the dots... until we have money to get those parts re-polished in the future.
But for now... what a difference from the muddy parts we've seen to date!
2010-10-11 07:03:52 (4937 views) Here we are again with the monthly trip to Hong Kong.
- The diamond polished mold will be tested today so we should receive the Ultimate, Final, no-more-changes-or-touchups plastic parts tomorrow.
- The PCBs are being produced and we're sorting out the last details, such as, we've miniaturized the product so much that there's no space for regulatory markings :)
- The testing lab tried to raise our price 25% after we already accepted a price (as usual) but we were able to counter that through various techniques and we're negotiating a pick-up to visit their lab on our way back into China.
- The battery guys screwed up the connectors and stuck us with a sample delivery date of Oct 26th (we can't begin LVD testing without those). But we located another supplier for the connectors and should have some in our mailbox by tomorrow if all goes well.
- Random thought... starting a business in China is like trying to keep a boat afloat that's got holes in every spot. Every minute there's an emergency and something needs to be patched up or replaced...
UPLINK APPLICATION
- Uplink application battery calculation
- Uplink application PC remote function. Allows you to use the DL2000 RF remote to control PC applications (powerpoint, games, whatever). We figured, we've got a very high tech RF remote with good range, and it's an easy addition, so why the heck not? Teachers out there... makes a good talking point - conduct your next Male Training seminar with one of these.
- Change RF channel: ADVANCED functionality. Don't panic - there probably won't be a need to change the default channel (but we've got to test it so we went ahead and built a user friendly menu for it...)
- Recover devices if the RF channel settings ever become mismatched
WEB STUFF
- Male management nexus shows device ownership as well as males "under management" (reflects prior decisions on owner/administrator roles). Note that each DreamLover enabled male will have a unique ID, allowing reputation to be built, courseware completion to be documented, and so forth. Yes, the bar code is an actual barcode standard, though we don't have a reader for it yet :)
- Prototype of male profile screen
- Prototype of actual management functions accessed through the web (will be greatly simplified)
All User Interface is for in-house debugging purposes only and will look a lot better soon. When all functionality is built and working we will focus exclusively on simplifying and creating extensive help documents.
Wizards will be created to simplify the entry of patterns such as timed pulses and the arousal inducers.
And more... but first of all, feel free to salivate as we're doing awaiting the diamond polished parts. Will they look like sculpted quartz? Like molded crystal? Will they be just a bit better than the old parts? Will they have a high index of refraction (nah, doubt it...) - anyway it's exciting stuff.
More soon.
2010-10-06 00:53:39 (7120 views) Silent commands can be customized through this screen.
However, most of the time it won't be necessary or even beneficial to change the patterns.
In fact, it would be very beneficial to commit to a default set of actions before launch, for a few reasons including:
- all males studying on courses with default settings will learn to associate default vibration patterns to default commands; we can create a standard, very useful in multiple owners/multiple males situations, or, social situations when multiple remotes are available.
- in the future we may produce an over-overlay or a back sticker for the remote control to make it easier to activate these modes (alpha key + other keys), in this case again having a standard set of actions allows us to make a design and send the resulting sticker to everyone
Keep in mind there are only 9 customizable commands so space is limited. The last command cannot be changed as it's reserved for Canine Mode warning (the pattern itself can be changed).
Ladies, make your voices heard and help us choose the 9 most useful behaviors that you want your male to study, remember and respond to at the press of a button.
2010-10-06 00:45:38 (6142 views) Currently we have two user types, the "male" user (wearer) and the administrator.
It will be possible for the administrator to grant some particular privileges to other "sub-admins" (ex pulses up to level 2, or full pulse capabilities, leash mode etc).
However the conundrum is that there is both a need for the male to be prevented from accessing administrator functions, and a need for the male to deny the administrator access to the device.
Examples of the latter:
- the administrator has become unavailable and a new administrator must be chosen
- the administrator has abused their powers and the male is no longer willing to continue training
The second case can be debated, but given that our device may be purchased by the male it seems unfair to completely deny the possibility to choose his administrators.
A possible solution is to have three user types:
- male
- administrator
- device owner
The device owner can select, remove and assign administrators with different permissions, including the permission to add other sub-admins.
The male can shut up and receive pulse packets and stay within the perimeter and not much else.
The administrator can trigger whatever actions are allowed by the device owner.
In this way we accommodate cases in which the device owner is a male trying to find a remote training partner, and cases in which the ladies have purchased the device for their own male and don't need him messing with their permissions.
Obviously an unwarranted permission change on the part of the male will not be tolerated in the majority of circumstances, but this would eventually be up to the individuals to work out.
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