In this thread we will share updates about Original Popcorn.
Last year, we did two production runs of 100 units of Original Popcorn but had various issues with the design of each. Since the latest Original Popcorn design that was produced shares many similarities with Pocket P.C., we took advantage of the Pocket P.C. DVT production runs to validate the design of the USB-C power circuitry.
When we started this project to create a derivative of CHIP with USB-C and eMMC memory, we did not expect USB-C to be so difficult to implement.
The next steps for Original Popcorn is to validate the latest improvements in the next production run of Pocket P.C. and once they are verified working then we will do the next production run of Original Popcorn that should be error free and will ship to customers. At the end of next week, we will open source the latest design of Original Popcorn, schematics and layout. The following week, we should get the latest DVT Pocket P.C. back from the factory and perform board bring-up. From there, we will place the order for the PCBs of the latest revision of Original Popcorn. PCB fabrication takes 10-14 days. Once we have PCBs in hand, our assembly factory will be able to assemble and tests the PCBs. We expect the entire process to take 4-6 weeks.
Early next week, an email will be sent out to everyone who preordered an Original Popcorn that will go into more detail about the history of Original Popcorn and the next steps we will take to get to Mass Production and shipping. This email update will be posted to our blog and a link to which will be posted in this thread.
Thank you everyone who supported the production of Original Popcorn by preordering or expressing interest and thank you for your extreme patience while we sorted out design issues.
We are excited to soon be able to put Original Popcorn in your hands soon and see what you do with it!
Stovetop is also close to mass production. We experienced a set back when we were about to enter production when we discovered a key component was discontinued and no longer available. A separate thread in the community will be created and linked below to share updates on production.