Guys,

 

Here are some updates on our various projects.

 

On-site Machining & Mould Tooling – Our new CNC is on the water and will be here in about 15 – 18 days.  We also just settled on our CAM package.  Evan and I are starting training on it ASAP.  We will be able to do hyper accurate quotes for machined products in the next few days and also start setting up jobs.  We have Mould design software in evaluation, with it we can generate accurate tooling quotes based on the BOM and CAM data.  This also means that we’ll start releasing any machined parts we’ve announced by August and restart any lost moulds for release ASAP. 

 

Complete locomotive kits are on the way for the fall/winter!

 

DCC/Electrical – Debugging our PCB’s and locomotive electrical system have brought a host of required revisions but this is normal and expected.  The good thing is that the work for programming the Non-Sound DCC through the rails system is almost done.  We will be starting the Wireless/Battery side shortly in the next week or two.  This includes programming for the Wireless DCC system.  Our Sound MCU has arrived and is being mailed out this weekend for programming.  

 

Everybody has questions about these new products.  Mostly they are:

 

1) Will they work with existing DCC?  

 

Yes.

 

2) Does the traction motor/truck purchase include the MCU?  They are DC compatible out of box but our MCU’s enable them to run DCC or Wireless DCC.  Existing Decoders will not work.

 

The main advantage this system brings you is that you can run the locomotive on existing DCC or our Wireless DCC.  The Wireless DCC controller is the ZigBee tablet.  The tablet interfaces directly with the layout and its “nodes” without complicated set up or wires between components.  So in the end your infrastructure is greatly reduced and track maintenance becomes a lot easier.

 

Photo-etch – some dedicated photo-tools to individual details parts that constantly sell out are being run now.  We wanted to start this sooner but it’s been a very slow spring and most of our funds have gone into electrical development.

 

Paint – we have 9 new colors ready at the supplier waiting for us to pull the trigger on the shipment.

 

That’s all I can remember for now, except don't forget our side-frames are done, we're just waiting for it pick up so we can get the production done.  Details for the trucks are going to be run ASAP on site.

 

Enjoy the summer, we’re working busy to make the fall great for scale modeling. 

 

Christopher Howard, President 

Railflyer Model Prototypes Inc.