This beacon project has been in my head for almost a year. For months, I hesitated to start. Carrying out a project of this type is quite an adventure, and I wasn't sure I was up to it.

If I've been tinkering with electronics in the garage for years, this is the first time I've tackled the manufacture of a "real" product. This time it's no longer a tinkering and the rules of the game change.

Embarking on a project such as this means making strong commitments. First, people have given me money, and they expect something in return. Secondly, I have a challenge to accomplish: to create a totally innovative product that will stand the test of time. Third: I have a deadline to meet…

I was afraid to take the plunge, but finally I mustered up my courage and jumped! If we don't take risks, we don't move forward. And I don't regret my choice at all. On the contrary, I'm starting to have an increasingly coherent vision when it comes to the future of this “pioupiou”.

But unfortunately, we cannot progress without making mistakes.

I AM SERIOUS TO WALK!!!!

- Wow ! Dalí. You are cultured! – No, I just saw Intouchables.

So at the end of December, I launched a call for volunteers to finance the first series of prototypes. I made it clear that it was experimental/uncertain/dangerous/kid-eating, but it was a risk worth taking to advance the schmilblick.

In mid-January, orders were closed and the adventure began.

I had then announced a delay of about two months. The first beacons should therefore have been delivered in mid-March. It is clear that it is April 7, and that the tags are a priori not yet in your mailboxes. It's embarrassing because the season didn't wait to start.

Concretely, I largely underestimated the time it took to develop these contraptions. If we add to that my capacity for self-organization inversely proportional to my creativity, that does not help the calendar.

Finally, this kind of toy is a bit like computing: we always think we'll have it for an hour, and presto we come across a bug that will block us for a week.

It's even more complicated when you're dealing with hardware, because there are material constraints on top of that: delivery time for a missing component or tool, appointment to be made to get the expert help, etc.

You will say to me: “you could have already worked out everything before launching the orders”. I would have liked. But that was not possible. I had a global idea and the demonstration of the technical feasibility, but unfortunately not the budget to be able to make a first functional prototype.

It is therefore your orders that have made it possible to take the idea from paper to reality.

Today, reality is there. The factory has received and validated the drawings and is currently busy making the "test" cards. Wednesday I will have them in my mailbox. Friday they will be assembled.

When will we receive the prototypes?

Most of the big sticking points are now resolved.

However, I still have a few steps to take:

– check the proper functioning of the test cards

– finish the internal software of the beacon

– order and assemble the final cards

– make the web page to view beacon info

– connect to the FFVL site (I am waiting for the agreement of the director's office)

– put it all in the mail

You understood, I have trouble estimating the precise time I need.

Moreover, the coincidence of the calendar means that I am leaving next week, for a month, to teach sailing on the island of Oléron. Which will spill over into my available time.

Assuming that the test card works as expected, it seems reasonable to me to be able to finish the tests and the development during my stay in Oléron. I will then order the final cards so as to receive them as soon as I return to Grenoble. Or mid-May. It will then take me a week to assemble, test and send the beacons. As for the web page and the connection to the FFVL site, it's a formality that shouldn't be a problem.

I just hope there won't be any major unforeseen events impacting the schedule.

I am aware that some of you are starting to find the time long. Me too ! I apologize, and I'm trying to see this project through.

As I said at the start, it is an adventure strewn with pitfalls and you are the pioneers. Think of the satisfaction of having contributed to this great company. It's like rolling up thermals: you have to persist and fight!

PS: A little reading for English speakers: Why Kickstarter projects are always delayed

This article tells you about the birth of Piou Piou, the first 100% autonomous and affordable sensor to measure the wind live, even where there is no electricity or internet.

Discover Pioupiou on his website: http://pioupiou.fr