Hi, community!
I’m Kira. I’m the project manager of the Eve team. 
This is my first post in our community, and I’m very excited to say hi! I’m currently based in China, and my main job is to manage our project timeline, communicate with manufacturers, and oversee new product introduction (NPI) phases. The most important thing is to deliver premium products to you! In the future, I will keep you updated of any changes to our schedule, and also help to answer schedule-related questions for you.
Getting it right
With Q4 around the corner, it’s time for us to get a bit more specific about when Spectrum is going to ship. We can’t give an exact date yet, but we will share a look at what’s ahead as well as our current target. This way, we hope to shed some light on the timeline.
Creating a product is a complex process that involves design, engineering, commercial and regulatory planning, testing, and many more steps. It is critical that our team makes sure we get every step right, taking our time to make sure all feedback from review and testing is properly implemented. Unlike software products like games, we can’t rely on a day-one patch, so we have to get Spectrum right, right out of the box.
The process
Essentially, each phase has specific goals that help to ensure a product can be produced, from a simple concept all the way to the mass production of thousands of pieces.
What we’ve done so far
The concept stage
First, we established what we would be making. To this end, we’ve:
- Surveyed our community about product specifications and features
- Found a panel supplier that fits our requirements
- Found a contract manufacturer (CM) that fits our requirements
- Refined our five design concepts into a single final design
- Prepared a guideline for color, material, and finish (CMF)
- Prepared a product requirement document (PRD) and kick-off document, detailing all the key milestones, specifications, certifications, etc.
The EVT stage
We’ve just rounded up the engineering validation test (EVT) stage. During this, we:
- Created temporary ‘soft’ tools to create the various parts that make up Spectrum
- Tested that all the parts of the monitor fit together as intended
- Engineered the electronics that drive our display panel
- Created firmware to test the monitor’s basic functions
- Carefully studied our EVT sample for flaws in functionality, design, and finish
- Provided feedback to our CM so that they can adjust and improve Spectrum
What’s ahead
The DVT stage
With the payment for the ‘hard’ tooling, we’ve officially kicked off the design validation test (DVT) stage. This is where we start building DVT samples using the same machinery that will be building the mass production models, and tweak and adjust this equipment as we go along. As the development of the monitor itself now mostly complete, this is also the phase where a lot of testing happens to Spectrum. We will:
- Continue to develop the firmware to unlock all of Spectrum’s functionality
- Create the ‘hard’ tooling and adjust it as needed
- Focus on the assembly process, calibrate machines and fixtures, and train operators
- Assemble 80 units along the way that should represent the final product
- Develop the on-screen display (OSD)
- Send Spectrum to third-party labs for testing and optimization
- Develop and test the packaging
- Send Spectrum to third-party labs for certification
Some of these steps will be more complex than normal due to current travel restrictions; instead of flying to China and overlooking the process, samples and prototypes need to be shipped back and forth for testing and review.
The PVT stage
In the production validation test (PVT), we make sure the production line works as intended so that we can start building monitors for our customers! In this stage, we:
- Test the stability of the production line by ramping up the numbers
- Adjust the process to address any issues that pop up along the way
- Finish reliability and endurance testing
- Ship units to press for testing and review
- Confirm the final quality standards for production (tolerances for gaps, color matching, pixel policies, functionality and compatibility test, etc.)
- Confirm the final warranty policy based on PVT yield and test results
- Sign a ‘golden sample’: one unit that all parties agree to be final. All MP units need to match this level.
The mass production stage
Once we’ve successfully completed all the previous steps, we’ll be ready to start mass production (MP). There should be a lot of happy new customers soon!
Shipping
All of this puts our estimated shipping date in late December. Though that is still just within our original target of the fourth quarter, it’s not what we originally had in mind when we set that target. It also means that if we run into unexpected issues during any of the stages, we may slip into the next quarter. As undesirable as that is, we will always choose to ship you a good product over shipping you a product fast. Spectrum is one of a kind product, and we want to make sure everything works as it should. So if it takes longer to implement feedback, or if we need an extra round of prototypes, we think that’s worth it. We will keep you posted on the development status and changes to the timeline, which will help to manage expectations correctly.
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