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The Homey Community has been moved to https://community.athom.com.
This forum is now read-only for archive purposes.
Comments
I do not think that what you want will work very well in practice, because in the main connector the wire is also springloaded. Probably to keep the wire tight when/after moving, and I think that would not work well should you divide the parts over two seperate curtains, I do not know how the load is then divided over the two rails (because in the second curtain the connection is fixed instead of sprinloaded) and if that would cause trouble. You would need to be very precise in connecting the curtains because they would need to be perfectly in sync (besides the question if the wire itself is long enough to span the two curtains?).
https://www.facebook.com/getslide/?hc_ref=ARRDFocolu_ZnG7JzMtBKDN__jTSFb_5GRQN1ap5xfXWMPdDALD2LeiNtZuqAUdWUx4
They also said that clips other than theirs may permanently damage the wire, and that the setup would probably create too many resistance points.
All that said they did seem to imply in principle it will work...
I might just order two and if it can work I then have a spare.
Out of interest, are there any competitors that I should be looking at as well? I have pole and in curtain eyelets so I can't seem to find any other solutions that handle that...
Hi everyone,
It’s Monday June 25 and this is Kaj & Thijs with the latest update on Slide. Over the past few weeks we’ve been very busy with everything from the Slide manufacturing process, to finalizing the design for rod mounts, as well as pitching and exhibiting at the Global DIY Summit in Barcelona and getting ready for the IoT Expo in Amsterdam this week (with free tickets for our backers ;-)). Today, we’ll run you through all these things and bring you up to speed where we stand with the Slide production.
Mounting system for rod-based curtains
If you’ve followed our updates, you’ll have seen how our mounting system for rails-based curtains transformed from our initial proof of concept to our current fool-proof, tool-free and robust solution. In this final stage, we’ve focused on bringing this same degree of simplicity and universality to rod-based curtains. In the video below, Kaj demonstrates how rod-based curtains are automated with Slide:
Compared to rails-based curtains, the difficulty with rods is that there is no evident connection point to attach Slide to the curtains. This especially holds true for systems where the rings are inside the curtain fabric itself. First, we looked into clamps that snap directly onto the fabric, but this always ended up damaging the fabric in long-term tests. We discovered that the best solution for this, is to create mounts that behave similarly to the rings on a rod.
The video above demonstrates how this works on a rod system where the rings are woven into the fabric. By positioning the first and second connector in between the inner two rings on both curtains, we avoid some of the friction issues that we’ve had in the past. As they start moving, they simply carry the other rings along. Please note that most of the parts that are white in this demo video, such as the connector hooks, will be transparent in the shipped version. The great thing here is that Touch & Go works on rod-based systems just as it does on rail-based systems.
Important note for backers with rod-based systems: As you can see in the video, we use an adjustable clamp to accommodate different diameters of rods. Right now, we’re set to accommodate any rod diameter from 10mm to 35mm. If you have a rod that is either smaller or thicker, please let us know here in the comment section or by sending an email to thijs@goslide.io.
Hick-ups in production
We were scheduled to start shipping out the first units by July, but our production partner pushed the schedule back by 6 to 8 weeks as a result of delays in the DFM. We don’t want to beat around the push – that sucks. We handed over the Slide technical design back in April, and were confident of the July timing. This pushback puts us around early September instead of late July for the first batch of Slides.
The reason things are taking longer is because our production partner needs more time to meet the functional requirements that we’ve defined for Slide, and specifically, each of its components. Most of these have been long-tackled, such as wire durability and motor strength. Some others can only be tested now that all parts are ready for production, such as humidity mapping and lifecycle assessment of the moving parts. For example, we observed that the plastic wire spools inside Slide, were set to be made of a particular plastic (Nylon PA) that would expand itself in highly humid conditions (such as some areas in Japan), creating friction during operation. Based on this insight, we now defined a maximum 2% tolerance as a functional requirement to avoid this risk. We’ve also relocated the power plug to the bottom of Slide rather than the side, so that when someone or something pulls the wire from underneath, it automatically snaps loose. And for those of you who think that’s just a nice detail, it’s also part of European legislation on child safety that we need to comply with.. so better safe than sorry.
We know you can’t wait to get your hands on Slide, and that this is not the first pushback, but we don’t want to screw up these dots on the I’s if it means screwing up the product – so bear with us. :-)
Barcelona recap + free tickets to IoT Expo Amsterdam (come hang with us!)
In addition to the engineering and production work done by our team and partner, we’re also taking time to build retail relationships and business development – it’s a key part of building up our company. This month, we were invited as one of six start-ups to the Global DIY Summit in Barcelona where Thijs pitched Slide in front of a 1000+ CEOs and decision makers.
Beyond the pitch, we showcased Slide at the summit exhibition and were able to connect with dozens of major global retailers and distributors in the DIY space. With Slide being the only aftermarket, retrofit solution to motorize existing curtain tracks, we’re able to cherry-pick the retail partners we work with and look forward to bringing Slide into retail later this year – after shipping our backer units.
A little bit closer to home, we’re now gearing up for the IoT Expo that takes place as RAI Amsterdam this Wednesday and Thursday (27th and 28th of June). We’ll be part of a wider exhibition that features the latest AI, IoT and Blockchain technologies. For all of you in the Amsterdam area with some time on your hands: come visit us at stand #432 and say hi. We’ve got free exhibition passes that you can register for here. Other than meeting us and checking out Slide, it’s also a nice opportunity to check some of the other latest tech so we hope to see some of you there!
Our next update comes out in four weeks on July 23!
Did you see that white thingy in the lower right corner in the rod video.