StarFighter

Exciting times! Assembly stage starts next week. We will then start to see a steady stream of machines being produced. With regular discussions happening internally between us and the factory, we are prioritising every possible resource to get these ready. As the schedule becomes more clear going forward, we will have more concise and accurate estimations.

The very first StarFighter overview video is available on our YouTube channel now: https://youtu.be/8wjfurlQszI !!!

Please excuse the delay in the details. We are putting together a video, it's not something that we've done before and the guy making it is a perfectionist! We'll have that ready on Tuesday the 29th.

The first-ever StarFighter is done! That one it's way over to us now, as there are a handful of small details that need our sign-off. We'll let you know when it's here, and we'll be sure to share LOTS of details when it arrives.

For those that have ordered a custom keyboard, we will be emailing out the template and instructions over the next week! If you don't want to wait, you can download the ISO template here and the ANSI template here.

As for other updates, to put it simply - AMD seemed to have changed their minds and have offered the 7840HS processors without the excessive delay. We will, of course, be taking advantage of this, which will push the AMD variants behind the Intel ones in terms of lead times.

No further updates this week. Whilst waiting, we have uploaded a small clip to Twitter this week! More to follow.

Production is progressing consistently, and we are seeing significant improvements in parts availability compared to last year. Only a few components have seen a delay, and the ones that have been, have only suffered minor delays.

For anyone who's ordered an AMD variant, look away! For anyone who's ordered an Intel variant, the good news is that the 13th Generation Raptor Lake processors were available in time. For anyone who had yet to ask before ordering, this was the plan from the start; as they are pin-to-pin with the 12th Generation, we could install either one without changing anything else. Everyone with an existing order will get these at no extra cost.

The same is possible for AMD fans, but unfortunately, it would cause a significant delay. Should everyone with a pre-order want us to wait for the new ones, we're happy to, but it would need to be unanimous.

We have had to make two minor adjustments to the components used in the StarFighter. These are minor, but the details are below for those who are interested:

Sound Card:
Due to unavailability, we have replaced the ALC269-VB6 sound card with the ALC256-CG. While these cards are similar, the ALC256-CG has a killer feature: 7 hardware equalizer bands. These bands are configurable from the firmware, either coreboot or AMI. We'll add a few present profiles to the firmware for launch, and as always, be open to requests for more options and profiles.

QHD Displays:
The Grade-A BOE displays we initially planned to use are fortunately unavailable; it's only fortunate, as, for the first time, we've secured Grade-A+ displays. It's the highest level, the best of the best, ensuring an even better visual experience.

The only other noteworthy element is a minor change to the chassis; during the pre-production testing, we identified an issue with the speakers and the magnetic switch for the camera slot. We have made a small interior change to resolve this by adjusting the speaker's location and moving the killswitch module further down the chassis. This adjustment has eliminated the problem. We will soon receive a chassis with this new layout and share images showing improvements. Additionally, we will provide a demonstration of the camera as requested by several customers.

We will send out the layouts for those who have ordered custom keyboards shortly. We initially began sending these but many customers needed clarification regarding editing and customization. We have since added notes and layers to simplify the process. Keyboard etching is one of the last production steps, so we have time to get these out.

As for how close we are to the first ones shipping out, we are approximately two months behind. The following week will refine this timescale and reign it back in. We'll send the conclusion along with the chassis details and keyboards as soon as possible.