Assembly Progress, Charging Issue Solved, Enclosure Updates, and More

Assembly Progress, Charging Issue Solved, Enclosure Updates, and More

We have a couple of updates on production progress of the BLEShark Nano. Let's get right into it!

1. 📦 Production Progress

We’re hard at work testing and assembling each BLEShark Nano to ensure your device is safe, functional, and fully ready. Here's what’s happening right now:

  • Assembling the boxes, adding USB-C cable + insert
  • Soldering the battery onto each device
  • Checking the fit of the device
  • Testing the device's functionality with the testing jig, assigning it a valid serial number
  • Flashing the setup firmware through an OTA update with checksum validation

At the moment, we have around 400 fully assembled and tested units for U.S. and Canadian Kickstarter pre-orders that are boxed and standing by - just waiting for their enclosures. Since production just kicked off, the output rate is still ramping up - but now that the initial setup phase is complete, we expect volume to increase steadily.

In the early stages, we had to make a few important adjustments to streamline the process - including updates to the testing jig firmware, BLEShark Nano firmware, serial number logging, and OTA verification. Those tweaks are now complete, and the full production is running smoothly.

Take a look at some of the devices we have:

BLEShark Nanos in their packaging, waiting for their enclosures

2. 🧩 Device Enclosure Samples

We’ve received the final version of the injection-molded enclosure, and it looks awesome. The final version includes: 

  • A much nicer fit
  • A darker aesthetic
  • No injection-molding high-pressure cracks
  • No exposed headers or connectors
  • More durable, premium feel

Take a look at the before and after of the black enclosures:

The front of two BLEShark Nanos. In the "After", there is a darker look and no more hairline cracks.
The back of two BLEShark Nanos. In the "After", the marble-like cracks are gone, and the color is noticeably darker.
Two BLEShark Nanos right next to each other.

These were originally due on June 20, but a DHL strike in Canada delayed their arrival until June 30th. Now that we’ve approved the samples, mass production of enclosures has officially begun.

3. 🚚 What's Left Before Shipping

We're nearly ready to ship! Here is what's left (for U.S. and Canadian orders):

  • Add the enclosure on the device
  • Insert the user manual and sticker into the box

And that's it! Then it's packed in pallets and sent to our 3PL partner for fulfillment.

ETA:

  • Enclosure production finishes in ~14 working days
  • Shipping to our facility: 3-5 days
  • User manuals arrive around the same time

By then, the devices themselves will already be fully tested - so once we receive the enclosures and add it to the device, we move immediately to shipping.

4. 🔋 Battery Charging Issue 

During QA, we found that around 20% of U.S. and Canadian boards had a battery charging/discharging issue.

Here’s how charging normally works:
To charge the battery, the power switch must be turned on while the device is plugged into USB-C. If the switch is off, the LED stays dim and the battery won’t charge. When it's on, the charging LED lights up at full brightness - as shown in the demo below.

Working unit demo

On some affected boards, the charging LED would stay on even when the switch was off and the device was plugged in. This issue prevented the battery from charging properly and blocked the device from being powered by the battery at all.

After investigating, we came to the conclusion that there is a short circuit between the XIAO ESP32-C3’s VBAT and GND pads (for the battery).

  • With the switch on, voltage across the battery pads measured 0V, confirming the short.
  • With the switch off, voltage returned to normal (3.7-4.2V).
Defective unit demo

How can we fix this?
We de-soldered and reattached the module for testing, and that successfully resolved the issue. Once we finish production and checked each device for this issue, we will send all affected units for professional PCB rework, including continuity checks to verify proper charging behavior.

This issue will not affect any orders or shipping timelines. 

Going forward, our PCBA partner will perform a VBAT/GND short check on every unit to prevent this issue from occurring again in future batches. 

5. 🌍 EU, UK, AU/NZ, RoW Devices

Production of RoHS-compliant BLEShark Nanos has officially begun. These units will undergo the same updated short-circuit checks during assembly. 

ETA to our facility is ~14 days. By then, we expect all U.S. and Canadian units to be tested and ready, so we’ll immediately shift focus to fulfilling international orders.

Everything is on track, and we're getting close!

We’re in the final stretch now! Feel free to join our Discord server to talk with our community and us.

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