“Send it.” With the two words, a new process started.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Wanjun. The two words were the command of finalizing and transmitting the design document of AeroXPS over for manufacturing.
I couldn’t be more proud of our engineering team and very grateful for the efforts, day & night. And let’s not forget about our pilot users. I will properly credit them once things are fully accomplished. In the past 2 months, we had our moments of OHO’s, as well as YES’s. As a team, we made improvements together based on the feedbacks and advices from users, some of them very crucial.
And here it is the new view of RTM design:
AeroXPS RTM
Shipping Timeline: Late June, 2019
With the start of manufacturing process, here is the timeline of production and distribution: The factory tooling and molding will take 50–60 days. And assembling and testing will take another 15–30 days. Each unit will be inspected and tested before being shipped out. So we are looking at late June as the updated shipping time. You can reserve your spot here.
Design Improvement
The main change from previous release candidate (RC) to current RTM design are:
Separated components into 3 compartments: Aquarium, Mechanical Room, and Electronic Control. This change improves repair accessibility, reduces risks of water damages to electrical components, and improves wire connection.
Moved Manual Pressure Release Valve from inside Aquarium (root chamber) to the side of the box to provide easy access and it doubles as a powered drain. Previously, the gravity drain is located at the bottom. That makes draining a difficult task.
Added fifth Plant Site on Lid in the middle, to support SCROG grow method with single plant.
Moved nutrient intake from on Lid to the side, to avoid blockage by the canopy in SCROG grow method.
Added support for optional pH and EC sensors (continuous mode)
Separated high-pressure aeroponics (HPA) loop from temperature control (TC) loop, to prevent HPA nutrient cut-off caused by accidental freezing of the TC
Added anchor points on the top Lid, providing support for future development of trellis systems and other tops.
Canceled dedicated air intake on the side. The previous aerator design introduces noises caused by the blending of air and nutrient, and the benefits of added air from outside of box is not clear. A proposed backup plan is to use small air pump push air via the same conduit for EC and pH sensor lines.
Enlarged reservoir filter, with rubber bumper to secure it in the location.
Added grow bag as first stage filter.
Enabled 360 degree nozzle angle positioning
Various other small design enhancement around pump and connectors.
Dedicated exhaust fan control based on humidity & temperature reading with ability to refresh periodically.
I can’t hide how excited I am and how proud I am of our team. For the next 3 months, we will have another full plate: making the best automated precision grow machine.
We will blog behind-the-scene photos when we get a chance. Stay tuned.