sheesh - it’s been an HOUR guys - we’re wearing out the carpets checking the door for deliveries 
(I’m kidding…I’m kidding…hope you guys had a restful break…)
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you guys starting to get a handle on the ones you got out there sounds like keeping busy sending replacements ? Are most of the replacements the first batch?
Looking forward to helping
Definitely.
Yes. All.
What is meant by “replacements?” Tempest units that already need to be replaced? So soon?
Welcome to the exciting world of beta testing…
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Still patiently waiting to see my tempest beta kit has shipped. I have to mount on the roof waiting to compare to my sky and air.
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vreihen…got a question for you. How Does this “beta program” work anyway? As I understand. . Tempest is now in “Full-scale Production mode.” How can “beta” testing be accomplished while “Full-scale” production is happening concurrently? Simple “Spock” Logic dictates that “beta testing” would have to be completed with bugs worked-out and final conclusions drawn Before production level items can begin.
I’m not 100% sure on how the status of things work but it sounds like they have several stages of testing ongoing. I’m sure by now they have got the hardware completely worked out ready for production. The beta program now can be used for data collection in various weather climates to help the learning algorithms. This way when they final product is shipped any firmware will have the latest fixes and updates.
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I did see someone get the tempest station on twitter so they must be rolling out now. The hype is real. Anxiously waiting.
Welcome to the not-so-exciting world of project management, shipping logistics, and of course the impending Chinese New Year that will surely bring factories to a halt while they welcome the year of the rat in a few weeks. A lot of consumer electronics these days are rooted in SoC and its architectural co-design flexibility, meaning that it is common for hardware and software to be developed side-by-side. Long story short, I’m sure that the project’s Gantt charts are way more interesting/detailed than the basic timeline milestones on Kickstarter.
Let me throw in a disclaimer that I have no inside information beyond what has been shared by WF, but have been managing projects longer than PMP certifications have existed. Those who do have inside information are likely under NDA, and can’t share details publicly without legal ramifications…
The answer from @vreihen is on point. The speed (fast) and cost (low) of hardware iterations these days sometimes makes hardware development feel more like software development. There are a lot of things going on at once, but here’s a little more detail:
We have been prototyping and testing components of Tempest for more than a year now. The hardware design has been “final” for about six months and we’ve been “alpha” testing that design for about that long. The current field test unit is our first opportunity to get lots of data from different parts of the planet under differing weather conditions. The first two waves of Tempest field test units led to a couple small (electronic) hardware changes. Now that we are in full production, most of our focus is on the firmware. It’s still possible to make a “running change” or two to the production process if we should discover a hardware issue, though we don’t anticipate any.
Yes, but this was expected. It’s likely that some field testers will end up with two or three test units before we’re done!
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Thank you so much for the professional explanations; it was most helpful. . .since I ( as a meteorologist) am still learning how all of this fits into the grand scheme of weather station design.
Now I know everyone always jokes that the US thinks its the entire world, but unless something changed and I missed it, I thought the tempest beta testing was only open to North America due to the logistics ? 
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…and probably because of the availability of reliable rain check and modeling data to compare against as a QC check, but that’s just a guess…
That’s true - but note I said “different parts of the planet” not “every part of the planet” 
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Great explanation of the process !
I concur. WFSKY-01 is currently mounted on a pole at the chimney at the north end of the roof at “Station 2.” Tempest (whenever it arrives!) would then be placed in the back yard right next to the Davis Vantage Vue Integrated Sensor Suite (DVVISS) at “Station 1”. Comparisons would then be made between all three equipment types: Davis and the two WeatherFlow items.
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A post was merged into an existing topic: Patiently waiting for my Tempest Field Test Kit
A post was merged into an existing topic: Patiently waiting for my Tempest Field Test Kit