Delivery update - 349 cameras delivered!
over 4 years ago – Sun, Aug 04, 2019 at 02:52:32 AM

Dear Backers,

We're glad to update that a total of 349 crowdfunded cameras have been fulfilled. All Kickstarter orders have been sent out! We are currently working on delivery of Indiegogo's InDemand orders.

Over the past week, we started getting to get footage taken with NANO1 cameras from backers, friends and family alike.

Here's a short timelapse taken by Vanessa at the top of Mount Fuji Japan, using the NANO1 with its kit lens.

The camera was set to timelapse auto mode. There's no EXIF information as each frame is taken at a different exposure, but it was extremely dark. The behind the scene photo below was taken at 1/10s ISO 6400 f/2.2. You can see a stream of climbers ascending the mountain on the lower left side wearing head lamps.

NANO1 was mounted on the latest Mini Tripod. The total weight was less than 250g. A perfect companion for such climbing expeditions. 

Shortly after the timelapse taken at the break of dawn, it started snowing at Mount Fuji which was surprising, since it was summer.

NANO1 survived the sub-zero temperatures at the top of Mount Fuji 3776m above sea level.

If you would like to be featured, please send your footage to backersupport(at)tinymos.com via the free file transfer website https://wetransfer.com/ .

Mount shield

Following the feedback of NANO1 backers who have received their cameras, we are replacing the C mount plastic shield.

All cameras shipped after the last update have received an extra C mount plastic shield in the netting section of the NANO1 Backer Edition Case.

Installation, if required is straightforward.

1) Simply remove the original plastic shield when it is damaged, by carefully pulling the plastic piece out. 

2) Subsequently, installation involves aligning the top square catch with the top right corner of the camera, insert the plastic shield tab first and pressing it into place

For backers who have already received the camera ahead of the new design, there are a few options.

1) If you have access to 3D printers or 3D printing services such as https://www.shapeways.com/ , you can download the high resolution .STL file from here and print your own shielding.

2) If you do not have access to a 3D printer, we can send a C Mount Replacement shield to you. Simply fill up the form at https://forms.gle/RHhHJVq8v1mQCqyj9 for a free replacement.

While expensive worldwide shipping fees will be incurred on our part, we sincerely want to address the problems with the broken C Mounts. If you would like to support our initiative, you can head to our webstore and purchase the C Mount Replacement shield at $5 instead - shipping will be free for affected Backer.

Regardless of the chosen option, please note that our priority will still be to fully deliver all NANO1 orders first.

Fulfillment

Fulfillment is still going on at approximately 50-100 cameras per week. Backers who have ordered the silver camera might face slightly late shipments.

We are awaiting next silver covers to arrive in our office around 12-13th of August. The is related to the last update, where nearly half of the silver covers were rejected due to cosmetic issues.

Telephoto 75mm lens

We have received a number of queries on the telephoto lens' W-T label. Please note that the W-T label is meant for internal reference for lens calibration. The W-T adjustment is locked by a silver locking screw and not intended to be forced open.

Please DO NOT turn the W-T barrel on the 75mm lens.

iOS app

The iOS Companion app is now available on the Apple App Store We are working on the more advanced functionalities of the remote app for both Android and iOS in the upcoming weeks.

Personal Address to Backers

I would like to personally thank all Backers for your kind patience and support of the TinyMOS NANO1 campaign. We couldn't have gotten so far without the support of the Backers. Your support goes beyond the funds we've raised to pursue the delivery and R&D of NANO1 features and roll out, it includes the words of encouragement and sharing of your footage and experience taken with the NANO1.

In the same vein I would like to raise to your attention that we have been receiving numerous emails since the campaign has started delivering. The TinyMOS team is small and we are servicing 500 crowdfunding backers and 200 pre-order supporters. We read all the emails sent to us, but we're unable to reply personally to all of them.

If the team focused on replying every email, it will cause major delays to fulfillment and R&D.

As such, we seek your kind understanding if we do not reply your email immediately, especially until all campaign rewards have been shipped out.

While most emails are about shipping estimates, especially those that concern travel plans, we do get a small handful of abusive messages.

An example of this was a Backer who threatened to sue us, because she received the NANO1 with an empty medium sized box, which was what she backed, claiming that the medium box's cut-outs should be filled with the various accessories.

Supporting us on Kickstarter/Indiegogo isn't the same as buying a product on Amazon.

That's not to say you should expect less of TinyMOS, you should expect more. Instead of outsourcing support staff overseas to follow recovery flow charts, our staff are all in house, tasked to resolved issues that may affect all Backers - not just one. An example is the C mount shield cover where we immediately rectified the issue for all Backers to the best of our ability - stopping all shipments and refitting them with the new shields and offering replacement for all backers.

Our staff cares a lot about the successful fulfillment of the crowdfunding project for both hardware, software and user experience, and are an important part of this community. Abusive messages are not constructive and brings down the morale of the team, which will only cause delays to other Backers.

Going forward, TinyMOS will have a zero tolerance policy against abusive messages.

The team will continue to strive towards full fulfillment of the NANO1 crowdfunding campaign.

Thank you,

Grey and TinyMOS Team

Delivery Update!
almost 5 years ago – Sat, Jul 27, 2019 at 02:41:29 AM

Hi Backers, hope everyone got to participate in the 50th anniversary of the Lunar landing mission.

A brief overview on the delivery.

We have assembled another 120 cameras ready for shipment. However, the shipment is withheld until next Wednesday (31 July).

The reason for the withholding of the shipment, is due to upgrading of the C mount cover. We’ve received a few reports of the original C mount cracking when installing the C mount lens/lens adapters. We spent the past week working on various iterations of a new design, which will not be stressed as much, when installing C mount components. On that note, the cover design is plastic, to prevent short circuiting the electronics, and will wear out eventually. Please do not over-tighten any C mount components.

We have completed the design as of 26th July 2019 and will be packing the outbound shipments with a spare cover. We will also be releasing the 3D files (with print configurations) next week for backers with access to 3D printers to manufacture a cover for themselves if they desire.

Simply line up the tab and slot in the cover. No plate-removal needed.

Apart from the above, here’s some FAQ we get from backers who received their cameras.

1) The camera does not turn on

• The cameras are sent via air freight. During which the camera may have self-discharged. Please charge the camera with a charger that supplies at least 5V 1.4A.

• If the camera does not charge, you may need to lightly loosen all 4 screws with Torx T4 drivers on the aluminum faceplate by a 1/4 turn each time until the camera can turn on.

• The reason we might need to do this, is because the camera is very small with tight tolerances. The plate may have been overtightened, flexing the PCB and causing it to disconnect the USB power from the battery.

• Our current process is unable to catch this fault because the charging light turns on even if over tightening has occurred. Which means that we have to fully discharge every camera for 2 hours and charge it for 30 minutes to catch this fault.

• We are trying to improve our processes to catch this fault currently and we apologize for this inconvenience.

2) The camera runs hot

• Your NANO1 camera may feel a little too ‘hot’ during normal operations, because we installed a thermal pad from the processor to the face plate to cool the electronics. It is counter-intuitive but it makes the camera cooler and is perfectly fine.

3) I cannot screw on the M12 mount lens

• The M12 screw thread is very fine and needs to be carefully aligned. Please try to install it carefully to prevent cross threading. Forcing it in may damage both the lens and mount threads. 

• The plastic cover may affect screwing on the M12 lens. Please ensure it is not bent if possible.

More FAQ available at https://www.tinymos.com/nano1-quickstart#troubleshooting

Delaying shipments for better quality

We are delaying shipments of silver cameras currently.

We have rejected approximately half of all silver plates from our supplier due to cosmetic issues. We are awaiting replacements from our supplier currently. We will keep you updated on the progress as soon as possible.

iOS application

We are currently still troubleshooting an issue related to file transfer for iOS application. File transfer works with iOS developer's emulated devices, but is not working properly with physical iOS devices currently.

It is estimated that the initial release will be within the next week.

Social Media

As always, you can hashtag #NANO1 and #thetinymos if you post any images about the NANO1 or shot by the NANO1 on Instagram.

We also have a NANO1 users support group on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/groups/tinymosnano1/ 

Fret not, we do read every query/comment sent our way and we will do our best to respond to them as promptly as possible. Everyone will be updated on all common issues weekly via our Backers' Update.

Thank you,

Grey & TinyMOS Team

Delivery updates
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 19, 2019 at 11:17:51 PM

Fulfillment

We have shipped out another 81 cameras to NANO1 backers as of 18 July 2019. A total of 260 NANO1 cameras shipped to NANO1 backers so far, which is more than 50% of total NANO1 crowdfunding orders. We're glad to have passed this milestone this week!

This week's shipment fell a bit, as we used up the prepared materials from last week, and had to get more ready. While the cameras have been assembled, we are hand assembling all carton boxes and crushing packing paper in house by hand.

 We thank you for your kind patience on the delivery.

Things to note:

1) Companion App

The NANO1 companion app is now available for Android! You can get the app downloaded here: https://bit.ly/2M2c3wy

Please note that the TINY1 companion app on the app store cannot work with the NANO1. They're different cameras with different systems and their apps are not cross compatible.

iOS version:

We are trying to push out the iOS version in the next week or two. We are trying to debug some features related to the gallery on iOS currently. Although the app is coded on a cross platform language, some bugs and features are still platform specific to fix and deploy. Thank you for your patience in advance, for giving us time to get these features ready.

2) NANO1 not switching on

We received some feedback from NANO1 backers that the camera cannot turn on, it appears that we have narrowed the problem/solution to two scenarios.

•  The camera needs to be charged

After going through air freight to reach our backers, sometimes the batteries can completely self-discharge.

We ask our backers to try charging the camera with the supplied USB C cable for at least at hour before attempting to switch on. Ideally the charger should be able to supply 5V at 2A, or at least 1.4A.

We have 1 rare case where the USB C cable we supplied is faulty. We hope our backers can try charging with another cable if the supplied cable doesn't work, to rule that out.

•  Some camera front plates are over-tightened

The cameras are assembled with torque controlled tools. However, due to some variance in accuracy of the torque control/material, it appears that a small batch of cameras are over tightened. The tolerance for assembly of a small camera like NANO1 is very small.

Since all NANO1 cameras are boot tested before shipping, if charging the NANO1 does not enable the camera to boot, this would be the most likely situation.

The solution to fix this, is to gently unscrew the 4 screws on the face plate by 1/4 turn and try again. You may have to repeat this 2-3 times to get the camera to boot. The screws take Torx T4 screw driver heads. The screw nearest to the lens is particularly sensitive to this fault.

Our current process does not catch this fault, as it doesn't affect the power line from the battery. Instead, it affects the contact that allows the battery to charge. We apologize for this error as we try to improve our processes.

3) C mount shield

We have a few reports that the C mount shield (the black plastic bit underneath the lens mount) cracks. We would like to remind our backers to not over tighten the C mount lenses on the NANO1.

In the meantime, we are looking into ways to produce more durable shields, that does not require a full disassembly to install.

If your C mount shield is damaged, please note that the camera can still be used until the improved cover is available. The IR cut filter can still be attached by sitting it into the M12 mount with our C-mount lenses. However, the filter is likely to fall out with the SLR adapter.

We'd like to also mention that to avoid damage to the circuit board without the shield, please use only C mount lens and lens accessories made for the NANO1 by TinyMOS and avoid over-tightening C mount lenses on the NANO1.

4) Social media

As always, you can hashtag #NANO1 and #thetinymos if you post any images about the NANO1 or shot by the NANO1 on Instagram.

We also have a NANO1 users support group on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/groups/tinymosnano1/ 

Thank you for your support. We hope to finish delivery in the next 2-3 weeks.

Best regards,

Grey

Delivery Updates!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 12, 2019 at 06:56:54 PM

Dear Backers, here's the update for this week!

Let us start with a series of Moon photos by NANO1 Backer Rick Gilbert.

Here's some feedback from Rick himself:

"The camera was setup using your 1.25” prime focus adapter with your IR blocking filter installed.  I also added a yellow filter which was screwed into the adapter.  The camera was installed on a 3.5” Questar telescope which was mounted on a Tripod, Polar aligned and clock driven.  The light weight and small size of your camera allows this small telescope to be used without modification or counterweights.

I used the Photo Time Lapse mode which worked well because the vibrations from pressing the shutter button damp out by the second or third Time Lapse image."

Thank you Rick! Glad you enjoy using the NANO1.

Fulfillment

We have shipped out 179 cameras to NANO1 backers as of 12 July 2019. I'm glad to say that The Works deliveries are fully shipped out.

We will begin delivery of all other pledges next week, namely: Basic NANO1 package, Telescope Companion, SLR Explorer and Urban Explorer. All backers will be notified with a tracking number via Backerkit as soon as it is available.

Things to note:

1) Companion App

The NANO1 companion app is arriving soon. We are still finalizing some features and bug fixes before we release the app. We're expecting middle of next week for the first launch.

Please note that the TINY1 companion app on the app store cannot work with the NANO1. They're different cameras with different systems and their apps are not cross compatible.

2) Charge

We have a few panicked backers who informed us that the the camera could not be switched on. Please do not worry, every camera has undergone QC before being packed.

Please charge your camera with the supplied USB C cable for at least 1 hour before attempting to switch on. Air freight may have exposed the cameras to cold temperatures that could have drained the batteries.

3) 75mm Telephoto Lens

We have received feedback that the 75mm lens aperture is not fully circular.

We have checked with the supplier and their official reply is - that is the design of the aperture ring. We have tested the lens and decided that the performance does not deviate from the sample we originally commissioned the lens to.

Hence we've decided to go ahead with fulfilment, rather than commission a change which would take weeks or even months. Please do not be alarmed if the aperture does not look circular which is the more common design.

4) 'Slanted' Lenses

Part of our QC process involves attaching the kit lens and bringing the frame into focus to check the M12 mount (and the lens). Like any fine threaded component, it is common for the M12 lens to 'mis-thread' and end up slanted in the mount. 

The action of screwing the M12 lens into the mount should be smooth and it is advisable to attach all M12 lenses carefully. 

5) Check out the Quickstart Guide

You can refer to the Quick Start Guide here: https://www.tinymos.com/nano1-quickstart for user guides. Please note that we are still updating the guide as queries comes in. We're also documenting the user interface, which is taking longer than expected because we got a software update just before shipping.

6) .RAW converter

We have prepared a .RAW converter for the NANO1 on Windows. It is able to convert to .DNG and .TIFF which you can open using your favourite image editor. A MAC version is unavailable at the moment. Get the converter here: https://update.tinymos.com/nano1/tools/NANO1converter.zip

It is also available from our NANO1 page:  https://www.tinymos.com/nano1 

7) Share

We hope that backers can share photos of their NANO1 and those taken with the NANO1 on Instagram. We'd love to see the cameras our in the wild. Please hashtag #NANO1 #thetinymos and tag us @thetinymos if you want us to see your post!

If you want us to feature your photos, feel free to drop us an email at backersupport(at)tinymos.com

8) Interact

You may also want to join our Facebook community at  https://www.facebook.com/groups/tinymosnano1/  to share photos, ask questions or just mingle with fellow NANO1 backers.

You will also see great photos of the moon by Backer Daniel Perucchi over on the page. Instead of a telescope, Daniel uses a 500mm lens from a company called Walimex.
 

Contacting us

The team is currently fully engaged in fulfillment of rewards so there will be some delays with responding to your query.

We will still do our best to answer all questions related to camera operations/troubleshooting as promptly as possible. However, we ask that backers refer to the quick start guide as much as possible so that we can focus on fulfillment.

Thank you,

Grey & TinyMOS Team

Shipping has begun!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 05, 2019 at 09:10:24 AM

Dear backers, shipping has begun!

Shipping of NANO1 cameras to backers has officially begun since Monday, 1st July 2019! All Early Bird and Super Early Bird orders have been shipped as of 5th July 2019. In fact a few of our backers have already received their cameras!

Fulfillment plan

The next group of backers we are shipping are those who've ordered The Works. Subsequently all other Kickstarter pledge levels will be fulfilled on a first come first served basis, followed by Indiegogo's InDemand pre-orders.

Singapore Backers

Dear local backers, we will be shipping your orders via local courier service - Qourier. After significant thought into the matter, we regret that we cannot allow direct pick-ups from the office, as it will disrupt the assembly process causing delays to other backers. We thank you for your support and kind understanding on this arrangement.

Quick Start Guide

Backers who have received or will be receiving their cameras, please refer to our beautifully documented quick start guide, prepared by Raphael.  https://www.tinymos.com/nano1-quickstart 

The quick start guide should answer most of your queries about using the camera. It will be constantly updated with FAQs and we plan to have video guides in the future.

Remote Application

We are testing the remote application on Android and iOS today. If everything goes well, we can expect to have the app available on the respective app stores over the next weekend.

The app allows you to control the camera and download images remotely over camera wifi hotspot. We're integrating the star maps and more advanced feature over time. Please enable automatic updates for it, to get the best experience possible.

Say hi to us!

Please say hi to us and follow us on Instagram. Our Instagram handle is @thetinymos

Please also hashtag a photo of your camera, or photos taken with the NANO1 #NANO1 #tinymos #astronomy to help more people find out about us.

Thank you! We hope you enjoy using the NANO1 astronomy camera.

Grey Tan & TinyMOS Team