Please Read! Backerkit Survey Lockdown on July 16th
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jul 14, 2020 at 02:31:22 PM

Dear Just Simple Family,

Hope all is well. This is our last reminder about the Backerkit Survey lockdown. You won't be able to change certain information in the survey after July 16th. Please read the important info below:

What's in the Survey that Can’t be Changed After the Survey Lockdown?

Your product color preference

Your add-on purchases (please keep reading for further explanation)

What Could Still be Changed in the Survey?

Your Shipping Address - You can keep updating your shipping address until we are about to ship the product - We will let you know!

How to Confirm if I have Completed the Survey? How to Update the Survey?

Please click on the link below and enter your Kickstarter account email address to get your personal survey link. You may view or update your survey info and your add-on purchases.

https://justsimplepower.backerkit.com/

What Are Add-on Purchases?

These are curated gadgets that we think would go along great with the Just Simple power bank. Below are some featured products. You may see more details in your survey.

45 W USB-C & USB-A Power Adapter

We recommend this product for our pass-through charging capability - charging the power bank and multiple devices at the same time when you have limited outlets. To achieve optimal passthrough charging efficiency, the input of the power bank is recommended to be at least 35W.

Laser Engrave Name

Personalize your power bank by laser engraving your name or your loved one’s name if this is a gift.

2 Year Warranty

2-year warranty on your Just Simple Power Bank for only $19

Mini 3-in-1 USB Magnetic Keychain Charging Cable & Key Chain

Output: Apple Lighting, Mirco-USB & Type C; Input: USB-A

Premium Multiple Functional Cable 60 W

Go to your survey to claim these cool gadgets! https://justsimplepb.backerkit.com/

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions. [email protected]

Best,

Just Simple Team

Two Major Milestones!
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Jul 08, 2020 at 06:41:17 AM

Dear Backers From Around the World,

How are you? We are experiencing a crazy time together. Hope you are still keeping safe. Thank you for staying with us thus far. I can’t wait to share with you our progress. We have reached two critical milestones in June and we are a lot closer to the finish line. I'll jump right in!

Injection Mold Tooling is finished! 

We have completed the injection molding tooling process. For those of you who are not familiar with what it is, Injection Molding is a critical manufacturing process for producing parts in large volumes. After a product is designed, molds are made from metal to form the features of the desired part. Then for mass production, you can inject plastic materials molten by heat into a mold, and then cooling and solidifying them repeatedly. 

Below are the pictures of our molds! We apologize for the lighting and the resolution of the pictures! Just want to share them with you so you could be a part of this process and share our excitement!

 T0 was Successful! 

After the injection mold was created, we did a non-functional injection plastic run to identify potential issues on the mechanical aspects of the product. We decided the only thing we are going to tweak is the size of the built-in cables. Other than that, our T0 process was very successful!

Below is the result of the injection plastic run.  

Getting Ready For T1

Now we are done with T0. We are getting ready for T1  -  A small batch of functional units will be manufactured to test the entire manufacturing process (injection molding, spray paint, PCB, PCBA, and product assembly) as well as to identify any electronic issue by going through various testings. If we identify any major issues during this T1 phase, we will go back to solve the issues and start a T2.  After all testings and verifications, we will be ready for mass production! Believe it or not, mass production is the easiest part if you did the prior processes right!

As for now, we are still hoping to ship in August, which is coming soon! We will push another update once we receive the T1 units on our hands in the US. 

Backerkit Survey

Many of you have reached out to check if you have completed your survey. You may double-check your own survey in this link below. https://justsimplepower.backerkit.com/ 

We will lock the order details on July 14th EST. After that, no product color preference or add-on purchases could be changed. After that, we will charge the add-on purchases with credit cards on file if you made any add-on purchases. 

As for address changes, we won’t lock down the address info until two weeks before we ship the product. You may change your address anytime before then.

There are about 50 of you who haven’t responded to the survey. Fingers crossed you are all staying safe and doing well. Please fill out your survey within the next week!

Again, we appreciate you so much for supporting our project. We had some bumps on the road but now we can see the finish line. I wish the best for you and your family. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Best,

Just Simple Team

Manufacturing Update & Important Dates
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jun 02, 2020 at 02:46:44 AM

Dear Backers,

How are are you? 

Thank you all for your private messages in response to our last update. I learned that we have some frontline workers in our Just Simple family. We have so much respect for you and appreciate what you’ve done for us. Hope you keep safe!

Now, we'd like to update you on the project!

Since our last update, we have immediately finalized the mechanical design of JSPB with the factory, signed the master manufacturing agreement, and issued the injection mold production PO to the factory. 

A critical component of our final delivery is our packaging as many of the backers bought the power bank as gifts for their families and friends. We are now working with a package design team for the packaging. When we have some visuals ready, we will share with you all.

Updated Timeline

Here's our most updated timeline. The first injection mold shot (T0) will be done within 30 days. By the end of June, we will receive our fully functional T1 units - 100 to 200 units. We will be able to test the full functionality of the power banks against our most updated product specification below.

Mass production will start after any issues that appeared in T1 are cleared and mass production will last for 30 days. Third-party testing labs to test our product for certifications and quality will be running in parallel. Packaging and the customized name laser engrave that some of you have purchased as an add-on service will also be validated and sampled during this period. We are hoping to ship the product in August 2020.

Now that you are an expert in production process, let's make sure you could receive the product!

Backerkit Survey

   Backerkit survey is important for us to be able to deliver the right product to you at the right address. As of today, we still have 108 backers who haven't filled out the survey. If you are not able to find your survey in your inbox, please reach out to us.

While you can still edit your survey result now, we will need to lock in the following info on the following dates

• On June 18th, we will finalize all the add-on purchases.
• On June 30th, power bank color preference will be locked in.
• 3 -4 weeks before the product gets shipped out, we will confirm your shipping address with you over emails.
   

Our Funding and Refund

All of our funds have now been committed to the injection mold production and product production (we still need to pay extra out of our own pocket to meet the minimum quantity requirement). While I understand some of you may have changed your mind about backing the product, we don’t have any cash reserved for refund. However, if in the case where there’s any product quality glitch with the unit you receive, we will move mountains to work with you on that issue, so don’t you worry! It's just that we hope you can understand we are trying our best to push this project forward by putting more of our own money into this, so hope you could support us till the end!

 
   Our Updates & Communications

 Some backers have expressed they want to see more frequent communications while some have reached out and said they prefer updates only when there's major changes with the project. Although it's impossible, we still want all of our backers to be happy! We will try to balance the requests. And please keep in mind, you can always reach out to us at [email protected]


 Finally, before you leave, we want to share a campaign from another hard-working team.  Their campaign is still running.

 
Project We Love 

 The Voyager | The chair to change how we enjoy the outdoors
 

Enjoy The Exploration with the VOYAGER from PARKIT. The VOYAGER serves as your chair, your cooler, and your pack. We desired a product that you could take to your favorite places on earth and have everything you needed within arms reach. That way, you can enjoy the moments that come with every adventure.
 

BACK NOW: It's the only Chance to Get Your Voyager at 25% off!

Will speak with you soon!

Best,

Just Simple Team

Factory Restarting & Project Update!
about 4 years ago – Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 12:18:20 AM

Dear backers,

Thank you all for being understanding and patiently waiting when our project had to be on pause due to the world pandemic. We have some good news today. Our factory and all the supply chains are gradually getting back to work in Shenzhen China. We are resuming the project!

Before I get into more update details, please allow me to say a few words to many of our backers who were affected by the pandemic, especially those who live in the hard-hit areas. We want to let you know that we understand what you've been going through. I lived in New York, the epic center of the world pandemic, and left to take care of my mother in southern New Jersey, who's at an age more susceptible to the disease. Lang's hometown where his parents and most of his family members still live, was the second hardest-hit city in China since it's only an hour's drive away from Wuhan. We had many emotional breakdowns and we can imagine there must be so many similar stories like ours in the Just Simple community. I want to let you know that we are going through this together. Staying physically healthy is key, but having a healthy and strong mental state is even more important. I feel sorry we weren't able to offer more emotional support to our community because of our own situations. From now on, if you are feeling down, lonely, powerless, or whatever feeling you have because of the craziness of the world right now, email us and talk to us. In a time like this, we need more support and understanding for each other.  As everything comes and goes, this will pass as well. I hope all our backers weather through this ok. As for the project, no matter what happens, because of your trust and belief in us, we promise we will deliver you the product as we promised in the campaign.

Now, on the more positive note,  we are back in business!

 Where We Left Off 

Based on backers’ requests, we made the following changes

1) To make the built-in cables more durable and convenient to use, we decided to a) make the built-in cables longer and thicker b) have two separate built-in cables instead of a 3-in-1 built-in cable (one end with lightning and Mirco-USB, the other end with USB-C).

2) To achieve optimal efficiency for passthrough charging, we increased the total output to be 30W to ensure there's enough power for the power bank as well as the devices when they are charging at the same time. To achieve a 30W output when activating the passthrough charging functionality, you need a charger with at least a 30W input. You could use any of your own 30W+ adaptors or the one we recommended in the add-on store  - 45 W USB-C & USB-A Power Adapter. This is not a concern if you don't plan to use your power bank for passthrough charging - turning the power bank into a dock when you have limited outlets.

We’ve been communicating all those changes with the factory when they were working at home. We received the new CAD model when the pandemic first started in China.

We insisted on seeing an actual prototype for the design changes before we approve the final design. Recently, we received the prototype from the factory shipped from China to the US.

We are very happy about most of the changes and provided a few suggestions - built-in cables need to be even longer; we need to make sure built-in USB-C cable can be easily plugged in when the phone is attached to the suction cups, etc.

Going Forward

- Injection mold tooling based on the new design will be finished in 35 days. We will for sure to share that important moment with you all on our future updates. 

- After the injection tooling is finished, we will run a non-functional injection plastic run without PCBA.  We will identify potential issues on the mechanical aspects of the product and make changes to tooling. This process is known as T0.  

- A small batch of 100-200 functional units will be manufactured to make sure that the products come out as expected. This is known as T1. We will test the entire manufacturing process (injection molding, spray paint, PCB, PCBA, and product assembly) as well as identify any electronic issue by going through various testings. If we see any issues, we will go ahead to make changes to the PCB design or PCBA process.  

-Finally, we will go ahead and enter mass production for the batch of 1500 units.

Including testing time, we are looking at a timeline of three months. We are going to try our best to speed up every process to reduce the time required.

Backerkit Survey

We still have 118 backers who haven't filled out the Backerkit survey. We need your product color choice and your shipping address information to be able to ship out the product as soon as we are able to deliver. Please fill out the survey by inputting your Kickstarter email address into this website https://justsimplepower.backerkit.com/

How To Update Your Shipping Address?

We get this question a lot since people move. To update your address, please go back to your BackerKit survey by inputting your Kickstarter email here https://justsimplepower.backerkit.com/

If there's anything we didn't address in this update, please email us at [email protected] for the quickest response. We are always happy to hear from you.

We hope you and your loved ones keep safe! We will speak soon!

Best,

Just Simple Team

Important Factory Status Update and Q&A
about 4 years ago – Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 03:28:15 PM

Dear Backers,

There are a couple important things we'd like to communicate today.

Fist of all, we are emailing to ask for your support and understanding. We want to be totally transparent and honest about the factory situation in China. Although it is too early to confirm the new timeline, we want to keep you in the loop.

We believe you have read the news all over the world about the unfortunate Coronavirus outbreak in China. 

The Factory workers were originally scheduled to return to work on Feb 3, right after their Chinese New Year break, which we took into consideration when we built out of our timeline. However, because of the rising cases of the infections, all factories in Guangdong province have been required to postpone the start date. We are still waiting for the updated start date. The factory has further explained to us that many of workers wouldn't be able to return to the factory because they live in locked down areas, and for the ones who are able to return, they are required to self-quarantine for 14 days to make sure they are safe. They feel terribly sorry that all of this could mean a delay in our delivery date. 

As we have expressed many times to the backers before, on-time delivery with the quality we promised is our #1 goal. However, in a situation like this that is out of any human's control, we have to put the safety of workers above all. It's really bad for our business to not have Just Simple's first campaign delivered on time, but it would be absolutely awful to see disease spreading within the factory and to know some people out there would potentially lose their loved ones. 

On the bright side, the daily new infection cases have been reducing due to all the public health efforts going on. We are still optimistic that this delay won't be too long. Please be patient with us and we will keep you updated.

If you live in an area where you are worried about this epidemic, remember to keep your immune system healthy. This isn't a disease with extremely high mortality rate and many people healed by themselves. This is a very unfortunate situation but I can not help but to look at the bright side. This could potentially lead to the permanent ban of wild animal trade in China. 

Finger crossed and best wishes to the factory workers and all of our backers. 

Second of all, I'd like to address some common questions asked.

1. Do we need a higher output charger for passthrough charging?

To achieve optimal charging for passthrough charging, we designed the total output to be 30W to ensure there's enough power for the power bank as well as the devices when they are charging at the same time. To achieve a 30W output, you need a charger with at least a 30W input. You could use any of your your own 30W+ adaptors when it comes to passthrough charging or the one we recommended in the add-on store  - 45 W USB-C & USB-A Power Adapter. 

2. Do you have an updated delivery date?

We will get a better estimate of the timeline once the factory is back and running. We are communicating with the project manager closely to see when that's going to happen.

Please feel free to message us if you have any question or concern.

Best,

Just Simple Team

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