The Hedgehog Gaming Mouse and Controller!

🖐️ Right-Hand Units Update
10 days ago – Wed, Nov 13, 2024 at 07:48:20 AM

Hello Backers,

🚀 Production Update
We’re still moving forward with production! However, after receiving feedback from the first batch, we’ve decided to make a slight pivot in how we’ll deliver the right-hand units. Here’s a quick look at what led to this decision and how we’re addressing it.

🔍 Background
Months ago, we identified areas for improvement based on pilot feedback:

1. Thumb Buttons: While initially okay, they needed better surfaces for the thumb buttons and consistency in click feel.
2. Liftability: Enhancing the ease of lifting was also important.

🛠️ Our Fixes
To tackle these issues, we updated:

• The thumb area with a new circuit board for better lighting, new button surface designs, and an improved internal plastics design.
• Added texture to the pinky side for enhanced grip, aiding liftability.

🎯 Community Input
After discussing with our Discord community, we initially planned to offer update kits for early units so both left- and right-hand versions would match. However, recent feedback showed that we need to implement these changes sooner.

📊 What Happened?
This month, we shipped over 100 units. Feedback highlighted usability concerns with thumb buttons and liftability, which led us to re-evaluate. When polled, 50% of our community wanted to wait for the updates, while the other half wanted the units as soon as possible.

📬 The Solution: Your Choice
To meet everyone’s needs, we’re giving you the choice:

1. Receive your right-hand unit as soon as possible (All components are ready, but due to our recent pivot, the factory has rescheduled our assembly to early December.).
2. Wait for the updated mold (estimated to start assembly just after the Chinese New Year which goes from Jan 25th  to Feb 5th for our factory).

We’ll send an email survey this week so you can select your preference. If you don’t respond, you’ll be defaulted to receive the updated units.

📦 Update Kits
Update kits will include:

• A new thumb circuit board.
• New thumb section plastics.
• Grip tape for the pinky area.
• New PTFE feet (as they may get damaged during the update).

Video instructions will guide you through installation, which involves removing the PTFE feet, eight screws, and replacing parts with the kit parts.

🛠️ Our Commitment
Quality is important to us. If any part (like the scroll wheel or thumb buttons) shows signs of wear in the future, we plan to offer replacements to keep your mouse in top shape. We’re committed to creating a sustainable product, and we want to try to prevent you from having to discard these over minor issues.

Your feedback is always welcome—Discord and email are our preferred feedback media, and we are open for your thoughts, which help us improve. Sometimes feedback can be tough to hear, but it’s essential to making Hedgehog Gaming products as robust as possible.
I think this discord link should work:  https://discord.gg/t82P8tYfC7

Thank you so much for your continued support,

-Branden
Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.

🚀 Another Great Month of Amazing Progress!
21 days ago – Sat, Nov 02, 2024 at 12:56:24 PM

This month has been full of exciting progress! We’ve wrapped up key right-hand mold modifications, including successful button adjustments and alignment improvements, that set us up for this smooth production run. We are starting to ship some right-hand units next week but, the majority of the right-hand units will finish production by November 23rd and will ship from Hong Kong soon after, ensuring speedy delivery. We've been in touch via BackerKit to confirm addresses, and you’ll also receive an email from Easyship by November 18th for final address verification and shipping payment. For those who ordered both left- and right-hand units, we will need to find out if you want to combine shipments or separate shipments which may incur additional fees. Left-hand unit mold adjustments are underway—thank you all for your patience and support!

🛠️ Plastics Mold Modifications:

The mold modifications went exceptionally well!
Button Adjustment: There were actually several button adjustments needed, but they turned out perfectly. The small delay was worth it for this improvement!
Alignment Pin Issue: With the shortened alignment pin, the factory is no longer experiencing the issues they had before.

📆 Production Timeline:

We had some right-hand units come off the line that will begin shipping out starting next week! The majority are scheduled to complete production by November 23rd, and those units will then go to the Easyship distribution warehouse in Hong Kong. Right-hand units should arrive in Hong Kong on or before November 25th.

📦 Shipping:

Once at Easyship, the process will move quickly. They will securely pack the product boxes in larger containers with ample padding and ship them promptly from there.

📨 Easyship, Manual Mailing, and BackerKit:

This week, I sent an email through BackerKit to allow everyone to double-check their address. I want to ensure every address is current, and I don't have visibility on the last update dates for addresses on that platform.
Most of you will verify your address via an email from Easyship (on behalf of Hedgehog Gaming) from [email protected] estimated before November 18th—this will also be the time to pay for shipping.
Anyone who ordered both left- and right-hand devices will receive an email from either [email protected] or an @hedgehoggaming.com e-mail with a Google form link. This survey will confirm your shipping address and offer the choice between combined shipping (shipping both devices once the left-hand units are ready) or split shipping (shipping each device separately, with an additional shipping charge for each package).
Additionally, some backers may receive a Google survey for address verification, which will also come from [email protected] or an @hedgehoggaming.com e-mail with a Google form link.

Note1: It is IMPORTANT that you fill in these surveys so we know we are shipping to the most updated address and we know when and how you'd like your shipments.

Note2: If you haven't received any emails from BackerKit, please contact me so we can get you set up.

👈 Left-Hand Units:

With the right-hand mold adjustments completed, we’ve applied these improvements to the left-hand mold engineering files. The toolmaker is set to begin work on those molds next week, pending final reviews and verifications.

Thank you so much for your continued support and patience. We’re so close, and I’m incredibly excited to get these units into your hands!

With gratitude,
Branden
Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.

🚀 Moving Right Along! 🚀
about 2 months ago – Wed, Oct 02, 2024 at 10:54:00 AM

Great news, backers! 🎉 Our latest Pilot+ run helped us fine-tune a few details, like adjusting a button fit and tweaking an alignment pin, ensuring everything is just right for you. These small fixes shifted our production timeline slightly to October 21st.  We are also upgraded our packaging after a shipping lesson, so your units will be even better protected. Lastly, we're making sure the left-hand units are flawless, even if it means a small delay. We’re closer than ever to delivering the goods! 🙌

🛠️ The Pilot Run Evaluation 🛠️

We received the units from the latest Pilot+ run and, while they looked great overall, we ran into a couple of minor hiccups. Here’s what happened:

• Button Adjustment: One button was tighter than we wanted, so we removed a bit of material from the design (by adding some material to the mold) to fix that.
• Alignment Pin Issue: A molded alignment pin was breaking off during production, causing problems. We shortened the pin to solve the issue.

These adjustments were necessary, and though they caused some delays, they were crucial to ensuring we ship your top-notch devices. We initially aimed for a couple of earlier build start dates, pushing for late September despite the factory setting October 14th as the target. However, with the recent fixes in place, our official start date is now set for the week of October 21st.  While pushing these dates out again is annoying, we feel it’s worth it to get this right. 🙌

📦 Shipping & Packaging Improvements 📦

We also learned something valuable about packaging during shipping. One of the six boxes of pilot units got separated and ended up in a different state for a while. It arrived a week later looking a little beat up. Fortunately, the units themselves were unharmed! 🎉 However, some of the blister packs protecting them weren’t so lucky. We’ve increased the thickness of the blister packaging to ensure better protection during future shipments.

🏗️ Production Timeline 🏗️

Our factory will now start building the units the week of October 21st. We’re confident that we'll be shipping right-hand units during the first week of November, with all orders sent out by the end of November.

Expect to see e-mails in the middle of this month so we can get all updated shipping information from you.

✋ Left-Hand Units ✋

Originally, the left-hand mold was set to be completed by mid-October. However, the changes made to the right-hand molds also apply to the left-hand units, which pushed their timeline back by about a month. Rest assured, we’re working hard to ensure that the left-hand units are perfect on the first try!

Thank you again for your continued support! We’re excited to deliver a top-tier product, and we couldn’t do it without you. 💙

With gratitude,
Branden
Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.

🛠 Project Update: Right & Left-Hand Units Progress
3 months ago – Sat, Aug 31, 2024 at 09:46:11 PM

Hey everyone,
It’s been a rough month, and I want to keep you all in the loop. I expected the right-hand units to be ready this month, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. I’ll break down what happened, how we’re moving forward, and give an update on the left-hand molds.

🖱️ Right-Hand Units:

We thought production would be underway, based on the feedback and status updates we provided the factory last month. However, unbeknownst to us, the factory paused the pilot run to address the issues we highlighted. Despite our efforts to push things forward, progress was slower than expected.

The good news? 🎉 The factory just completed what I’m calling the "Pilot+ run," and they're shipping nearly 200 units to me for inspection. They should arrive between September 6th and 9th.

Even before they arrive, I’ve already reviewed a video the factory sent me, showing the assembly, programming, and testing process. Based on what I saw, the issues from the first Pilot build have been successfully addressed. While I’ll still perform a hands-on inspection, I’m confident we won’t face any major issues this time. 🙌

📅 Production Timeline:

When will full production start? I’ve been pushing the factory for a definite build date and, honestly, I wasn’t happy with their response. While I’m advocating for a September 23rd build, the factory gave me a start date of October 14th due to upcoming holidays:

• Mid-Autumn Festival (Sept. 15-17)
• Golden Week (Oct. 1-7)

The factory initially chose the later date to be cautious, considering the holidays and their concern about having enough time to fabricate the parts. I’m working hard to push the build to September 23rd, based on my pre-approval of the Pilot+ build and the video footage they shared. They’re holding a meeting on Monday to discuss my proposal, and I’m hopeful we can move forward sooner. 🤞

I can’t express how disappointed I am with the delays, and I truly appreciate your patience and support as we push through this.

🔄 Left-Hand Units:

The molds for the left-hand units are moving forward! 🛠️ We expect to receive the first parts from the mold for inspection around the third week of October. Thanks to what we learned with the right-hand units, we’re not anticipating any significant issues with the plastics or electronics.

The factory estimates the production build for the left-hand units will happen in the first or second week of December. Since the two models are so similar, they may be able to run a brief 5-10 unit pilot test from the first molds, which will help speed up production.

Thank you again for sticking with us through this journey.

With gratitude,
Branden
Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.

🦔 Hedgehog Pilot Run Update 🦔
4 months ago – Tue, Jul 30, 2024 at 07:45:15 PM

✨ Great News: The right-hand mouse has officially been approved for production as of late last night! 🎉

🔧 Pilot Run Insights: Thanks to the pilot run, we provided the factory with valuable feedback and corrected some errors. Now that it’s approved, I’m fast-tracking this first production run. Simultaneously, we're getting the tool maker started on the left-hand units.

🚀 Pilot Run Highlights: I’m thrilled we conducted the pilot run, catching numerous issues that could have been problematic in a larger build. We identified 6 critical issues and 8 noncritical ones. Critical issues must be resolved before production, while noncritical ones are acceptable to proceed with.

🔴 Critical Issue Examples:

1. The base pad feet weren’t holding the base pad still on the desktop. They were too short. The solution is to double stack the feet for more height. Tested on 4 sample units, this fix worked perfectly.
2. The circuit board manufacturer used an incorrect part. This part was from 6 months ago, and the change wasn’t captured due to similar part numbers. We flagged this, and it’s easy to correct before production.

🟢 Noncritical Issue Examples:

1. The box is tight and somewhat difficult to open. We recommended expanding the dimensions but only if it doesn’t delay production.

1. A typo in the manual.

All 6 critical issues are straightforward to fix, allowing us to move comfortably from pilot build to production.

🏭 Production Build: The manufacturer estimates about 3 weeks for the production build. I’m pushing to ensure the right-hand units are units are in most of your hands on or before August 26th. I’ll be in China for this build to assist with any challenges. A manufacturing engineer and the manufacturer company owner will join me to ensure a smooth process.

📦 Shipping: Post-project, we collected shipping and billing info via Backerkit. We know some information may be outdated. We’ll send update notifications for CC information (for shipping charges) and address confirmations around mid-August. These updates might come from Backerkit or our shipping partner, Easyship.

🖱️ Left-Hand Units: With the right-hand units approved for production, we’re diving into the left-hand units. The tool maker should handle this easily since they are mostly mirrored. I said mostly mirrored because there are some minor changes made that shouldn’t be noticeable.

🟢 Mold Change Examples:

• Instead of double stacking the base pad feet, we’ll raise the plastic for a single stack.
• The forward and back pinky buttons had a stopper causing difficulty in pressing. For right-hand units, we’re clipping these stoppers short. For left-hand units, they’ll be molded with shorter stoppers to avoid interference.

We estimate it will take about 3 months to complete this process. While there are unknowns, we hope this timeline remains stable.

🙏 Thank You for your support and patience.

-Branden, Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.