Hello to my customers;
I have not cancelled my S scale speeder project. I am still working on
getting the model parts produced and assembled. It seems, as happens
sometimes with projects, that every thing that could have possibly
gone wrong, did.
I had finished the patterns for the brass castings, and sent them to
my caster for a quote. I never heard from my caster again, and I never
got my masters back. Phone calls were not answered and emails were
returned undeliverable. I do not know what happened to him, but in any
case it is not worth my time to pursue it. I simply reproduced the
masters. I am a professional pattern maker, and this in itself was not
a huge problem, only a delay of 4 months.
Once I received casting samples from my new caster, it was time to get
the etched parts done. The ethings for the body parts went well, but
the electric parts for the DCC installation and PC boards did not work
well. There was a problem with the sandwiching of the transparency for
the exposure of the metal, and some of the parts were bridged, broken,
and unuseable. I fixed this by reworking the patterns for the etchings
and sending them to another manufacturer. Another 3 month delay.
At this point, I had body etching samples, body casting samples, and
sample mechanical parts. I was ready to order my batch of production
parts for everything, and I was informed the motor that I wanted to
use was no longer available. This was after I had made my production
order, and I had waited for 3 months for it to arrive. I was unable to
secure even a small batch from any supplier, and the importer that I
talked to directly was unwilling to help find any leftover stock. This
basically meant that the parts I had designed earlier to mate with
this motor were no longer useable. Because of the small nature of
this model, I would need to find either a smaller motor that would
fit, or a motor the same size. I had engineered the model so that the
electrics and motor contacts were integrated with the cosmetic
components of the kit, and to put another motor in the model would
have required a compromise in the appearance of the model, i.e.
exposed wiring, obviously adjusted parts. I was able to find a
supplier of motors that had similar electrical specifications and
size, but it did require that I get some new etchings done for the
body and electrical parts so that the motor would fit. Another 3 month
delay.
I am currently waiting for samples of those etchings, but it appears
that the model may benefit from a partial redesign utilizing different
technology. Within a week, I will be posting some more information
regarding this.
Please accept my apologies for this, and any further delays. I am
working diligently to get this model produced and shipped.
In regards to the Briggs Models website being not on line any longer,
I switched internet service providers, and the old site was linked to
the bandwidth on my shaw.ca email account. For any further contact,
please use [EMAIL PROTECTED] I apologize for any confusion or
concern this may have caused.
Jeff Briggs
Briggs Models
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
