Dusk Sport Update: Video Demo, Updated Timeline, and more
Hey DSBs,
We’re popping into your inbox with an (overdue) update on Dusk Sport. Thank you for your patience!
Since our last update, our number one focus has been ironing o...
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Team Ampere
12 months ago
Production update, color survey results, and more!
Heya Sport (said in the tone of a little league coach)!
We’re popping into your inbox with a quick product update (and a few other announcements).
Here’s what we’ll cover ...
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Team Ampere
about 1 year ago
The surveys are coming! Details inside.
Hello fellow adventurers,
The Dusk Sport campaign on BackerKit has come to an end but our journey is just beginning. To everyone who backed Dusk Sport, thank you so much! We c...
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Reid Covington
over 1 year ago
Welcome to the campaign! What brings you here?
Hello everyone!
Thanks for being part of this! We're glad you're here!
Love to hear what you're most excited about!
We’re popping into your inbox with an (overdue) update on Dusk Sport. Thank you for your patience!
Since our last update, our number one focus has been ironing out all the technical details of the project — essentially, we’ve been trying to get all the complicated electrical components of the product working properly. We knew Dusk Sport was an ambitious project but converting our early prototypes into a mass-producible final product has been even more challenging than expected.
We are pleased to report that all of the electronics are now working (see feature checklist below). This is the biggest hurdle in any development and now we can move quickly into mass production.
To better explain everything, we filmed a video with one of our latest samples:
If you’re more of a reader, here is the CliffsNotes version:
Progress
We've made significant strides in development and we're really excited about how Dusk Sport is coming together.
We’ve finalized the coatings and tint levels for the lenses (Don’t worry about the border inside the lenses. Those will not be on the final products —that’s the shape we are using to test the functionality of the electronic tint adjustment on prototypes.).
All the key electronic features are now working including:
The audio solution (speakers and microphones)
Automatic tint adjustment using the ambient light sensor (i.e. InstaOptic) – including the ability to adjust transition speed and sensitivity
Button tint adjustment
Button audio control
App connectivity
Charging
And… we’ve made countless tweaks and adjustments to the frames and arms to improve the fit, feel, and function
Overall, we’ve gotten great feedback from everyone who’s seen our early prototypes so we are feeling confident!
Challenges
As mentioned above, Dusk Sport is a very complicated product. We designed every aspect of Dusk Sport from the ground up. And while all the features are working, not everything is working perfectly.
We have had two main issues that we have been working to resolve:
The MCU on the PCB used too much power in standby mode. The result was that the battery was dying too quickly. We have replaced the MCU and updated the software. The latest sample is working much better and we expect Dusk Sport to have impressive battery life. We are continuing to stress test the battery but do not expect this to be an issue moving forward.
The ambient light sensor isn’t working consistently after being installed behind the cover. We are still working on the right combination of sensor sensitivity and cover tint for optimal aesthetics and performance. We feel we will have this resolved very soon.
Revised Timeline
Given the challenges and our commitment to quality, here's our updated schedule:
September: Finalize electronics
October: Open lens tooling
November: Test samples with full audio and tint functionality and finished lenses
November: Open frame tooling
December: Mold revisions, pilot run
January, and February: FinalTesting and certifications
March: Mass production and finish shipping
We know this is not the update that you were all hoping for and we’re so sorry for that. We are doing everything we can to make up time.
If you are interested in receiving Dusk Sport sooner than the scheduled March shipping estimate, there may be an opportunity to for a pre-production sample from our pilot run. We will post a detailed update when the pilot run is finished and it will be entirely your decision if you would be interested in one of these early samples. We will try to accommodate anyone who is interested — even if that means increasing the size of the pilot run. More info on this option coming soon.
Until Next Time
Delays are never easy, and we owe you, our supportive backers, an apology for the time between updates and the delay in manufacturing. We are as committed as ever to delivering a product that exceeds your expectations.
If you have any questions or want to connect with us directly, please don't hesitate to reach out. Your feedback, questions, and support continue to be invaluable in this journey.
Heya Sport (said in the tone of a little league coach)!
We’re popping into your inbox with a quick product update (and a few other announcements).
Here’s what we’ll cover today:
Production Update
Survey Results
Manufacturing Timeline
Investing in Ampere
Production Update
We continue to make solid progress on Dusk Sport. It’s been exciting to see all the features taking their final form as we make the shift from prototyping to mass production. Here are a few highlights from the product development-side since our last update:
We’ve shortened the length of the “speaker section” of the arms. Our early beta-testers have said that this design change makes them feel more comfortable and secure. We’re finalizing the materials and texture for the ear tips. We are working with different rubber-like materials that are comfortable, grippy and durable.
We’ve finalized our audio solution. After a lot of experimentation, we’ve made a small design change where we extended the sound chamber outside the housing. By covering the speaker section, we were able to really improve the directionality of the audio (louder for the wearer, quieter for everyone else). This is even more noticeable when you are moving fast (like cycling). Here’s a rendering of what that looks like.
Updated speaker on the arm
Here I am trying a few different audio solutions.
Looking good!
We now have a functional EQ section of the Ampere App. This allows you to customize the sound levels based on what you're listening to (or just because you want to pump up the bass).
Screenshots from the new app
We’ve finalized our solution for the ambient light sensor. The sensitivity can be controlled within the Ampere App. But, here it is at the current default setting:
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Survey Results
Thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out our survey. We got some great feedback from you all.
Our most popular lens color was…Smoke!
No big surprise there but we were happy to see that at lot of you also liked our Fire and Reef lenses. So, we’ll be moving full speed ahead with all of those lens colors. As for the open-ended lens question, the most popular write-in response was for a blue option.
Our most popular frame color was….Stealth!
Many of you noted that you wanted Stealth to be more matte black. So, we are adjusting our CMF to make Stealth more… well… stealthy. We have our next round of prototypes underway and will be able to share photos of the next round soon.
Please feel free to write us with any questions or requests if you feel inspired — [email protected].
Manufacturing Timeline
The timelines for first manufacturing runs are tough to predict but, right now, we don’t foresee any major issues that would substantially change the schedule outlined below.
End of May - Confirm frame housing structure and finish.
Mid-June - Sample with all audio and basic tint functionality (using our same low voltage solution as current Dusk)
End of June - Prototypes with all audio and full tint functionality (with our new high voltage solution that has a wider tint range) -
July + August - Open tooling and prepare for production.
Early September - Pilot run
Late September - Mass production and shipping
We’ll keep you updated on our progress along the way—exciting times ahead!
Speaking of exciting…
Investing in Ampere
Ampere was born on crowdfunding, it’s part of our DNA. Through it, we’ve been able to innovate, take risks, and bring a lot of fun, functional tech to life. Now, for the first time ever, instead of owning an Ampere product, you can own a piece of Ampere itself.
We opened the Focus Raise on April 18 and immediately oversubscribed the round. In order to accommodate the large number of oversubscriptions we received and make room for members of the Ampere community who missed out, we have decided to increase the funding cap. However, space is limited so, if you are interested, we encourage you to move fast.
To make an investment, or simply to learn more about The Focus Raise, go to invest.ampere.shop.
The future is bright for Ampere — so make sure you wear your sunglasses.
That’s it for today! Thanks again for your support. We’ll be back with another update soon.
The Dusk Sport campaign on BackerKit has come to an end but our journey is just beginning. To everyone who backed Dusk Sport, thank you so much! We could not be more excited to expand our line of electrochromic smart sunglasses with Dusk Sport.
Since launching Dusk in 2021, we have received a ton of feedback about all the features and functions that you all wanted to see in the next Dusk frame—Dusk Sport is the result. As outdoor enthusiasts ourselves, we are amped with how Dusk Sport turned out. This version of Dusk is truly fun, functional tech, so it's near and dear to our hearts.
While the campaign is over, we have a busy few months ahead as we open molds, prepare for mass production, and get Dusk Sport out the door.
