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General Discussion / Re: bitUSD ATM/Kiosk
« on: July 18, 2015, 05:44:19 pm »
Yes this is a tease...
http://imgur.com/hpIwVhg,zYtDSHd
The first picture is the logo we are using right now for the device.
We are calling it "Simplicity".
The second picture was taken yesterday immediately before final assembly, no components except the bill acceptor are inside of it yet. This was the first one off the line.
Note that this model is intended to be footprint compatible with the Skyhook, it uses most of the same hardware but weighs half as much which reduces shipping costs dramatically.
The Google Nexus 7 tablet that normally goes in a skyhook is not present in this model yet. They are getting harder to come by and let's face it, they are pretty stale now anyways. We are working with a new supplier who will be providing something that has the same form factor as the Nexus 7 but a better and more reliable hardware stack.
The first batch will need manual software loads.
But I am preparing a new baseband image that will eliminate the need to do sideloading. This will be sent to the tablet manufacturer and burned into the rom, probably by the end of Q3-2015, hopefully earlier.
The material of the shell is an aluminum alloy.
Because it is aluminum, welding becomes a bit more problematic at this production scale.
So it is precision cut and then riveted together. The whole shell is then re-enforced with welded struts to make it very hard to tamper with.
The shape is slightly changed from the default skyhook. This is for two reasons.
A major problem we uncovered with skyhooks is that they tend to get placed at eye level.
With the tilt back on the screen, it is harder for the camera to capture a QR code because of glare from the lights in the room.
We reduced the angle of the tilt to compensate.
This gives it a bit more of a "boxy" appearance in photos, but the result in person is a very nice, solidly built product that looks less like a child's toy and more like a serious device.
But it also gives us a major added benefit.
The benefit is that there is more room in the box.
We have found a reliable provider of bill recyclers that can fit in this shape, but would not fit inside a normal skyhook.
This gives our customers the ability to upgrade to a 2 way model for less total cost than they would have spent on a Skyhook.
At the moment 2-way is not yet available since the provider is still building USD firmware for the recyclers.
As soon as the new recyclers are available, we will adapt the baseband to deal with the 2 different kinds of ATMs and release a firmware update. Ideally flipping between 2-way and 1-way will be no harder than flipping a switch.
We are providing both 1 way and 2 way ATMs in anticipation of certain legal changes that may make it harder to deploy crypto-currency ATMs especially in the USA. A 1 way machine, especially one that also sells giftcards etc, will be subject to far less scrutiny than a full on 2-way that deals in various and sundry cryptos.
Currently it's 10:30 AM PST Saturday July 18th 2015. This leaves 6.5 hours until launch. I still have a website to finish standing up, so I won't be available most of the day. I don't intend to let this goal slip. But when I say these things are literally in manufacturing and the paint is still drying on them, I am not kidding.
If you already have a Skyhook don't fret. It's just as valuable today as it was yesterday. Perhaps more so...
You will be able to upgrade to our software directly, and we are also planning to offer parts & service through our distributor in the USA. This distributor was an early adopter of Skyhook and has had many Skyhooks in operation for quite sometime.
I'll write more later and invite the distributor to stop by for a chat.
http://imgur.com/hpIwVhg,zYtDSHd
The first picture is the logo we are using right now for the device.
We are calling it "Simplicity".
The second picture was taken yesterday immediately before final assembly, no components except the bill acceptor are inside of it yet. This was the first one off the line.
Note that this model is intended to be footprint compatible with the Skyhook, it uses most of the same hardware but weighs half as much which reduces shipping costs dramatically.
The Google Nexus 7 tablet that normally goes in a skyhook is not present in this model yet. They are getting harder to come by and let's face it, they are pretty stale now anyways. We are working with a new supplier who will be providing something that has the same form factor as the Nexus 7 but a better and more reliable hardware stack.
The first batch will need manual software loads.
But I am preparing a new baseband image that will eliminate the need to do sideloading. This will be sent to the tablet manufacturer and burned into the rom, probably by the end of Q3-2015, hopefully earlier.
The material of the shell is an aluminum alloy.
Because it is aluminum, welding becomes a bit more problematic at this production scale.
So it is precision cut and then riveted together. The whole shell is then re-enforced with welded struts to make it very hard to tamper with.
The shape is slightly changed from the default skyhook. This is for two reasons.
A major problem we uncovered with skyhooks is that they tend to get placed at eye level.
With the tilt back on the screen, it is harder for the camera to capture a QR code because of glare from the lights in the room.
We reduced the angle of the tilt to compensate.
This gives it a bit more of a "boxy" appearance in photos, but the result in person is a very nice, solidly built product that looks less like a child's toy and more like a serious device.
But it also gives us a major added benefit.
The benefit is that there is more room in the box.
We have found a reliable provider of bill recyclers that can fit in this shape, but would not fit inside a normal skyhook.
This gives our customers the ability to upgrade to a 2 way model for less total cost than they would have spent on a Skyhook.
At the moment 2-way is not yet available since the provider is still building USD firmware for the recyclers.
As soon as the new recyclers are available, we will adapt the baseband to deal with the 2 different kinds of ATMs and release a firmware update. Ideally flipping between 2-way and 1-way will be no harder than flipping a switch.
We are providing both 1 way and 2 way ATMs in anticipation of certain legal changes that may make it harder to deploy crypto-currency ATMs especially in the USA. A 1 way machine, especially one that also sells giftcards etc, will be subject to far less scrutiny than a full on 2-way that deals in various and sundry cryptos.
Currently it's 10:30 AM PST Saturday July 18th 2015. This leaves 6.5 hours until launch. I still have a website to finish standing up, so I won't be available most of the day. I don't intend to let this goal slip. But when I say these things are literally in manufacturing and the paint is still drying on them, I am not kidding.
If you already have a Skyhook don't fret. It's just as valuable today as it was yesterday. Perhaps more so...
You will be able to upgrade to our software directly, and we are also planning to offer parts & service through our distributor in the USA. This distributor was an early adopter of Skyhook and has had many Skyhooks in operation for quite sometime.
I'll write more later and invite the distributor to stop by for a chat.
