Mudita Pure development: Production update

We are here with another update on the development of Mudita Pure. Most of our team members are working remotely again, however we are definitely not slowing down!

Over the last couple of weeks, our team members have been able to test the Mudita Pure in real life. In this update, you’ll be able to read about their experiences. 

bunch_of_pures

The Mudita Pure samples presented in photos in this issue of update are still not the final one.

A functional Mudita Pure overlooking the Tatra Mountains.

A functional Mudita Pure overlooking the Tatra Mountains.

Keyboard

Let’s take a closer look to what happened in the last few weeks among the diverse group of our Engineers in terms of Mudita Pure.

The keyboards underwent another iteration, which improved the separation of the backlight from overflowing into the function keys.  Additional material was added at the base of the function and number keys, isolating the light, and preventing light overflow.

The pictures below show how the light of the numerical and function keys is isolated.

This photo shows the final look of the keyboard backlight.

Mudita Pure keyboards

This is the final version of the keyboards for both Mudita Pure Pebble Gray and Charcoal Black.

Pure keyboard back light

These two pictures present Function keys. They show the function keys being lit. On the left, you can see the overflow of light in the previous version of the keyboard. Right version contains light blockers.

We have performed tests of the surface finish of the injection moulded elements such as body, lid, and push buttons. Examples of the finished version can be seen on the back flap - comparison with the front cover.

Main Board Tester

Together with the mechanical team, a simplified version was made of the MB (Main Board) tester.  The tester is currently in the final process of electronics assembly, after which, the software will be installed on it. The tester will serve as a backup for the "Main Board" MB tester (when production starts, this tester will be in our office and in case of any problems with production, we will have a chance to recreate the problem in Mudita’s office).

These two pictures show Main Board Tester in a simplified version.

EOL Tester v 2.0

The second version of the EOL (End Of Line) tester was started. Many (compared to version 1.0) mechanical corrections have been made in the tester - primarily the phone mount has been improved.

The tester is at the stage, when the cable harness is being installed. After all the improvements have been completed it will be used as the main EOL, and v1.0 will be used in our office as a "spare".

These two pictures show the End of Line Tester which is under construction and will finish soon.

Back Part of Mudita Pure

Over the last few weeks we made big progress when it comes to the back part of the Mudita Pure. We manufactured the Electrical discharge machining (EDM), a metal fabrication process through which a desired shape is obtained by using electrical discharges (sparks). Material is removed from the workpiece by a series of rapidly recurring current discharges between two electrodes, separated by a dielectric liquid and subject to an electric voltage. One of the electrodes is called the tool or electrode, while the other is called the workpiece-electrode. The process depends on the tool and workpiece not making physical contact. This is what we will now use to produce the back of Mudita Pure with the final graining.

This picture features the electrode used to obtain the styling surface (graining) of the rear Mudita Pure flap.

Audio jack strength tests

For the new batch of PCB_LM, audio jack strength tests (automatic plug-in and plug-out) were performed.

We noticed that damage occurred after 7,000 cycles, -more specifically, breakage of copper in the board, which caused the audio jack and loudspeaker to stop functioning properly. The solution which we want to apply for that is that right now, a new version of MDT (Mechanical Durability Tester) was prepared, where the display and buttons for setting the parameters and displaying test progress were added. Thus, we will repeat the tests and check all the parameters to confirm that the damage does not repeat. We will do this once we have more samples of Mudita Pure. To resolve the problem, we will shorten the PCB_LM at least prototypically to get rid of the bend that results in this crack (because the audio jack moves a little bit every time you insert the plug).

If this does not resolve the problem, we have another PCB supplier, whose samples could withstand >10k cycles (on older prototypes).

These three pictures show Mechanical Durability Tester during the test of Audio Jack.

Torch

The temperature of the flashlight lens (from the outside) and the temperature of the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) have been measured. The purpose of the measurement is to check whether the obtained temperature is within the required limits (material, regulatory, etc.).

The final maximum power of the flashlight will be selected upon further tests and determination of the lens material. Below are pictures taken with a thermal imaging camera.

We also tested the flashlight with the dispersion material. The scope of the test was to compare the Mudita Pure flashlight version (1) of PMMA without diffusion bonding and version (2) of PC with 1 : 4 = 25% diffusion bonding. For the tests purposes we used materials from two different manufacturers.

In the photos below you can clearly see the difference between new and old lenses with old and new dispersion material.

PC flashlight + 1:4 diffusion material - gray casing.

PC flashlight + 1:4 diffusion material - black casing.

PMMA flashlight in old material.

In the photos below, is the comparison of the distance of 0.5m of flashlight from the wall taken with a photo camera with lens 18mm ISO 200 F4 1".

The conclusions of these tests are as follows:

The diffusion material has positively influenced the light scattering of the flashlight. The light is scattered evenly. On the other hand, a loss of luminous power was observed, therefore a test on a smaller content of diffusion material must be done.

Battery

Besides working on power management of our phone, we also want to test other aspects when it comes to the battery. In the last few weeks, we were preparing to check if the battery is fixed firmly in the battery compartment and if its movement (during the phone's vibration/drop) will not cause the momentary loss of electrical connection between the battery contacts and the connector on the PCB_MB. For this purpose, we established a reference point for the measurements which you can see in the picture below. The test will be done in the near future. We will intentionally drop the Mudita Pure test sample 54 times from a height of 0.5 meters (1.64 feet) onto a hard surface. We will then be able to measure any movement and determine if the battery's contacts with the power transmitting elements are OK.

chart

In this photo above you can see the details of base measurement (load 1.17A).

Forms

You probably already saw our forms in past issues of the update. The form is an inverted model of the housing into which the material is injected. This is how Mudita Pure's housing is made.

Today we would like to show you These are photos of 1 form and its components. The photos do not show the final form components. Photos show the work in progress status of the injection moulding form components.

Core side for TPU of main body injection moulding form.

MuditaOS

The last month has been very productive for the MuditaOS team. We have pushed things forward in many different areas.

Starting with the audio experience - we have added support for Bluetooth Advanced Audio Delivery Profile (A2DP) which allows for the transmission of high-quality stereo audio. We plan to also support the headset profile soon, allowing for calls to be answered, ended, and the volume level adjusted from a headset. We have also added microphone support for non-Bluetooth headsets.

We have been working on functionalities and the user experience connected with Pure's passive dual SIM support. During the past month we were able to add SIM PIN/PUK handling, add a "Change PIN" functionality, add the possibility to remove SIM PIN check on startup (SIM unlocking), and come up with a basic GUI flow for the SIM-related user journey.

We have also enabled vertical text scrolling and improved Mudita Pure's Notes application by enhancing it with a built-in search engine.

As we mentioned in our previous update, - MuditaOS goes Open Source. We are doing our best to start introducing the first batch of people into our GitHub repository as a part of the Developer Preview. If you have not yet applied - make sure you do by filling out this form.

What is also new in MuditaOS's latest release is the first implementation of USB protocols responsible for communication between Pure and its dedicated desktop app - Mudita Center.

Mudita Center

Mudita Center allows you to expand and update the features of Mudita Pure, while using your computer. It is a desktop application written in JavaScript and distributed as an Electron app so that it will be available on all major operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux).

During the past month, both our embedded and web development teams started working very closely together on making sure that our customers will have a great experience while using Mudita Center alongside Pure.

This iteration introduced the `pureNode` library which provides easy communication with Mudita Pure via the serial port. It enables communication (with one or more phones) which can be handled by request (create command and wait for response) and by events (register listeners to listen to for example disconnect event). The library client decides how it wants to process the data with the Pure Phone.

You can now update your Mudita Pure to the latest version of MuditaOS as well as view, delete, and import your contacts to the phone inside the desktop app. Importing contacts from Google works - next stop: importing contacts using the user's Apple ID.

Team Members share their first test experience with Mudita Pure

Kasia - Head of Marketing - had a chance to test her Mudita Pure by the Baltic Sea. Her reflections of the sample of Mudita Pure was:

“I’m thrilled to finally test Mudita Pure from the first production batch. When I hold it, it reminds me of every single discussion that we had about the smallest element and the challenges which we faced.  We wanted to redefine each element and we asked ourselves- what can we do better to bring this classic phone to the 21st century, at the same time keep only the essential functions and bring peace to the busy lifestyles of our users.  It is incredibly satisfying to finally see how our vision translates to an actual product. What I’m awaiting the most however is the reaction of our backers and first supporters. They trusted us in the very early stage when we only had the vision, renders, first prototype & electronic components. The satisfaction of the future Pure owners is the most important for us, that’s why I’m happy that we can already test and detect the smallest bugs in the system right now- when we have time to address it.”

Joanna - PR Manager - conducted her test in the beauty of Polish mountains. It was a crucial test, as the GSM range is quite weak there on a daily basis in every kind of mobile phone. Look what she said after her test:

"The Polish Tatra Mountains are my natural habitat. I have lived here for many years and I always come back with joy. Anyway, who doesn't love the mountains, right? This time my trip to the mountains had a very important aspect. Our antenna has been well tested in flat terrain where it has performed perfectly. Despite the low emission value, the range was very good at all frequencies. This time we wanted to test the phone in difficult conditions. Not only weather conditions, at very low temperatures, but also extremely mountainous terrain. In the Polish Tatras, very often the best smartphones can lose range. I have to admit that I had various fears: will I lose the range, or if the battery will last and allow me to stay connected during the mountain hike, and how the phone will behave in low temperatures. After many days of testing the device, I can confidently say that Mudita Pure is an invaluable companion for mountain hiking. Whether it was 900 m or 1300 m above sea level, Mudita Pure did not lose its range.  Very severe frosts are predicted in the coming days (forecasted temperatures below -15 Celsius degrees ), and I’m excited because more Mudita Pure tests are ahead of us.“

Łukasz - Product Development Manager - test took place in his family house, in a big city. When we asked him what his reflection was after the test, he said: 

“Mudita Pure is a perfect focus companion for deep reading.”

A Design Award Letter of Recognition

There is even more positive news. We are happy to share with you a letter from the Vice President of “A Design Award & Competition” that was sent to us on Nov 23rd. We are proud of everyone who has contributed to that amazing design! Whole team from mechanical & electronics as well as antenna engineers, digital designers, marketing team, embedded people and stakeholders including obviously Michał Kiciński who came up with the idea for that product. Let us quote our Gosia - Head of Design who said “Design is not only an esthetic and A’Design described that very nicely”.

Holiday message from Mudita Team Members to all of you

As we reach the end of this update, Mudita would like to wish all of you a happy, healthy and peace-filled Holiday season. May this magical time of year bring you the best of all gifts- the presence of family and friends wrapped up in each other.

This beautiful Christmas illustration was made by Dominik Korolczuk Mudita’s Senior Visual Designer and Illustrator.

We will send the next update in one month.

We are looking forward to your questions, comments and suggestions. If any of them come up before the next update, we encourage you to share them on our Forum. We will be happy to answer them.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update.

See you soon! Mudita Team