The unibody 3D printer, Tiko, is almost dead - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: blueskull
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 22, 2017, 11:37:18 pm
content: I received this today. I guess my $179 is down the drain.They managed to ship some 4100 units, but user reported there are some bugs that they cannot fix.The team has been dismissed, software and hardware are left to be optimized, even shipping money is running short.Quote

author: julianhigginson
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2017, 11:52:54 pm
content: noobs...Maybe they should have used some of that 3 million to hire someone with actual product design and manufacturing experience instead of thinking it was all going to be about UX and industrial design?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 12:01:35 am
content: So what happens to the "manufactured 16,000+ sets of (almost) every component" ?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 12:16:11 am
content: Trap for young players:Quotehttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiko3d/tiko-the-unibody-3d-printer/posts/1809879

author: Cupcakus
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 02:05:43 am
content: I feel like kickstarter is supposed to help you kick start your idea, not be a platform to pre sell tens of thousands of units for a thing you have no idea how to manufacture in quantity. It is possible to limit the rewards for your kickstarter, then focus on manufacturing 500 of something and not 20,000.

author: tesla500
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 06:54:08 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 23, 2017, 12:16:11 amThis is exactly why I launched the Chronos 1.4 high-speed camera Kickstarter nearly 2 years after having the first "working hardware". Software fixes can work wonders sometimes, but they can't fix fundamental flaws. Immediately making 16,000 of something like they did was a very bad idea. On mine, I did a staged batch build (24 cameras for earlybird, then the rest in the next batch), which means that if the entire first batch ended up bad for some reason, it wouldn't sink the project, just cause a delay. That's one of the reasons to do earlybird rewards with a decent gap between earlybird and regular reward shipments.Still, I've always thought there should be a mandatory course in EE programs where they give you hardware that doesn't work and tell you to fix it in software. Very valuable experience that almost everyone has to do at some point.

author: Assafl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 07:11:49 am
content: This seemed to be basic business - of not committing to a full batch of 16,000 units of a beta product (commit to 20, then 100, then 1000, then...). At least they did not fail like others on Kickstarter who seem to think software or electronics can fix physics (such as unhip conservation of energy or the uncouth limited energy density of electro-chemistry, or as if a uA741, given the right topology - can hover).It is a sad day when a legitimate business fails. If they delivered 4000+ machines (25% of commit) it means that with a bit more care or cash - they would have grazed the ground instead of crashing into it.

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 07:42:03 am
content: Well, at least this one was ended with "We wish we had done better" and some sorrow - even it it's for show. I don't know.Quote from: EEVblog on February 23, 2017, 12:16:11 amWhere are the gray beards on this forum to remind Dave he IS a young player?

author: pix3l
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 07:59:47 am
content: Shame to hear that! The story is almost as sad as the one of the peachy printer:https://youtu.be/_Wy3zA3LxG4

author: Assafl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 09:55:12 am
content: Quote from: george graves on February 23, 2017, 07:42:03 amFor show? Show is usually when someone runs away with the money and then sheds crocodile tears.I - personally - have never met an entrepreneur that was jovial when closing down (or at the brink of closing down) a business. And cannot imagine having worked for years on a product to watch it all wither away.(from personal experience - I was nearing bankruptcy in March 2001 - no money to pay salary and the board of directors did not allow us to shut down as we had an investor ready to invest. The investment happened. But before it did it was the single longest month of my life. I did not sleep - when I did sleep it was awful - Lurid dreams of how was I going to fire everyone - and go back to employment as a failure - failing myself, my investors, customers, etc. - so no - It would not have been a "show" had it happened)

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 10:09:54 am
content: I suspect that they fell into the trap of thinking a nice 3D render of a complete machine meant they were at the 80% done mark.The rest is just assembling parts and flashing the firmware right? ......right?Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

author: DC5AJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 23, 2017, 12:45:56 pm
content: In my opinion as an entrepreneur and even as a hobbyist one has to learn when to stop and abandon a project. This printer has clearly become a rabbit hole to hell, from the get go they had problems after problems. Just thinking that you can fix something is not enough, in the end you have to deliver and proof that you actually fixed the issues and that the thing can perform as promised. They failed, pissed 3 million down the drain, they must be totaly deluded.QuoteWrong, instead of pissing more money away, they should hired someone with expertise in product design / bringing it to marked a long time ago.QuoteNext season on shark tank: Tiko asking for money and people that do all the work.QuoteAgain, totally deluded, exceptionally well positioned for this future ? Not a working product, no money left, staff laid off. Some re-engineering, reality is if they can convince someone to invest in this mess, they have to start from scratch...BTW found this in the comment section, seems that there is a Xiaomi ripp off version

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2017, 10:04:50 am
content: Quote from: julianhigginson on February 22, 2017, 11:52:54 pmThe whole campaign isn't about a product, it's about marketing and promotion.The "team" I would fund/back/pledge, has:-a series of +20 ugly minimalistic prototypes.-built their first machine +5 years ago.-Cad drawings on their site.The team should have no:+10K euro video-perfectly gender balanced multicultural actor distribution.-rented Rigol on the bench without probes, cables etcIs the a place where I can bet on those Movie Maker's stories ?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 01, 2017, 11:20:23 am
content: Quote from: pix3l on February 23, 2017, 07:59:47 amThat Peachy thing was one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen go down, like

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2017, 12:17:45 pm
content: Wow, just watched that Peacy video. It was like some smooth commercial !Never seen or heard of anything like it ! That emotive music in the background and the presenters 'sincerity'. Someone trying to distance himself from a mess me thinks.Fraser

author: 691175002
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2017, 08:28:33 pm
content: Quote from: tesla500 on February 23, 2017, 06:54:08 amThis is ridiculously true, I've gotten nailed by it myself. Everyone thinks you can throw in a PID or map the errors and end up with perfection.In reality shitty physical systems are noisy, unreliable, non-linear, and are nearly impossible to model and fix in software. If you somehow manage to make it work everything will go to shit a few days later because it has been moved or the ambient temperature has changed.

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 05:56:45 am
content: Quote from: Galenbo on March 01, 2017, 10:04:50 amSo,like this?- Home camera.- Old guy.- Their own stuff.

author: Cubdriver
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 09, 2017, 05:38:33 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on April 07, 2017, 06:24:45 amYeah, huh? They're basically copying this kit made by Square D:https://www.amazon.com/Square-Schneider-Electric-QOCGK2C-Generator/dp/B00CONDIGO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491716134&sr=8-2&keywords=generator+interlock+kit+square+dbut rather than backfeeding through a breaker, they're doing it using some cobbled together connector that doesn't look to me like it would safely carry 20-30A at 120V.Yike!!-Pat