On May 5th, IQSQUARE has changed their power meter design from a pedal to crank adapter, to a pedal using Keo road and MTB pedals, with a
delivery in August 2019!!!
I do not think any investors will receive a power meter!!!
Below is the text from the Kickstarter web site!
Hi all, here is our update to introduce the solution to our recent power meter issues. We will not be shipping the power meter as you know it. Instead, circumstances have forced us to come up with a better product. We’d like to take you through the steps.
What Caused the Inaccuracy
When we received our first batch of mass-produced power meters in February, we were proud and excited to do a couple of final tests before upscaling and shipping. The measuring electronics were produced, sensors were stable, power management was successful, software was finetuned, the configuration apps were approved, ANT+ and Bluetooth worked, temperature influence was tackled, and the casing was dust and waterproof. Also, we had produced consistent data throughout.
But… when several cyclists tested the power meter on the same bike, minor random offset changes appeared.It was an unprepared-for situation that kept us occupied for a long time and caused a number of sleepless nights, much to your and our frustration. Our data analysis team and UK manufacturer SMD Sensors were equally surprised.
To localize the problem, we took the power meter apart and individually examined every component. Each part turned out fine. Eventually our attention was drawn to the screw and its thread. It turned out it had a bigger influence on the adapter surface tension than we and our partners assumed. Normally, a screw is fastened and the resulting tension is measured and calibrated. We worked under the assumption that this tension was a fixed value. Unfortunately, this assumption turned out to be wrong. The screw and its thread in reality had a continuous effect on tension, values we were unable to capture and standardize.
Remember, strain gauges are built to measure with extreme sensitivity, and thus pick up on the slightest bend in nanometers. Since every person has a different weight distribution and individual stance, the readings kept ‘jumping’ because of how a particular person affected the thread.
How We Tried to Fix It
We tried to fix it with software, but that didn’t deliver our desired accuracy. We tried to create a zero-point calibration for every revolution, but that was unsuccessful too. Another option was to increase the Q factor to diminish the thread’s effect on the readings, but obviously that isn’t a preferred solution. We tried a lot of different alternatives with some minor improvements here and there, but none of them were satisfying enough. iQsquare is determined to reach a certain standard of quality and the above adaptations were simply not going to get us there.
Together with our partners we concluded that the only solution to this problem isrelocating the strain gauge to the least influenceable spot. The least influenceable spot is in the center of the pedal. Since it was impossible to accommodate the strain gauge in the center of the pedal in our original design, we decided to design a pedal based power meter instead.
Our New & Improved Power Meter
We have decided to relocate the strain gauge to a stable and non-influenceable spot. The strain gauge sensor is now located at the most ideal location in the center of the pedal; far away from the influence of the threads. We didn’t choose this option in the original design because it would have been more expensive, and our priority was to be the most affordable power meter option in the market.
Look at our new pedal-based power meter. We have decided upon a Keo-compatible road pedal. An advantage of this is the disappearance of the controversial increased Q factor and even more convenient installation. In our original campaign we focused on both road and mountain bike cyclists, partly due to the fact we are road and mountain bike cyclists ourselves. We are proud to present the first mountain bike power meter pedal.
Pedal Power Meter for Road Bikes
Pedal Power Meter for Mountain Bikes
In order to get our power meter to function accurately, we’ve had to turn it into a different product. However, all previous components are still being used. Surprisingly, at its core, our renewed pedal power meter isn’t that different from the original design. Here’s what stays:
- Thin-film deposition strain gauge
- Electronic circuit and components
- Firmware
- Apps
- Battery / power management
- Technical principle of installation
- All manufacturers / suppliers
We chose an existing pedal system that has been tried and tested and we went with company Look and their Keo-compatible pedals. We contacted them and were granted permission to use the Keo clipless pedal system and to sell the original Look Keo cleats in our online shop.
Pedal Features
Adding a pedal is more expensive, but everyone who backed our campaign on Kickstarter and Indiegogo will receive it for free! It’s even more value for money than the original design and we’re happy to announce that nobody has to pay extra.
Advantages over the original power meter
First pedal power meter for mountain bikes / No extra Q factor / Even easier installation / No exposed casing / High-quality KEO compatible pedal / High precision bearings / Optional with aerocaps
How Long Will This Take
We have already finished the (re)design of both the road bike and MTB pedal power meters. All partners are working on the prototypes and are preparing for production, with
August 2019 as their shipping goal. And yes, we understand how frustrating this is. But it would be a lot more frustrating if there would either be low-quality product or worse, no product at all. We have to deal with reality as it comes.
Optimism and Trust
We think Kickstarter is an amazing platform to have launched our first product idea on. Your support, ideas and communication have made a huge contribution and we are grateful. Being a startup on Kickstarter (and later Indiegogo) comes with risk in both timeline and research & design. Thank you for bearing with us while we underwent this multi-discipline learning curve.
As a team, we strongly wish to emphasize that although we have now decided to walk an alternative path, we are not giving up. We are in fact more determined to make it work, because we know it’s possible. Just not in the way we initially thought. Will this be an expensive turnaround? Yes, absolutely. But we have such faith in this new product that weare carrying all extra costs.
Due to the simplistic form factor of the original design combined with the manufacturing process of our sensor, we could reduce production cost to the max. Although the manufacturing methods will stay the same, the design is slightly more complex. As you can understand, the production cost will be slightly higher. But like we said, we’re taking this upon ourselves. We will not rest until we deliver the high-quality product that lives up to your expectations. And to the brand we are building.
We understand this update will have quite an impact on you as a backer or pre-order customer through our online shop. Feel free to communicate with us through our crowdfunding comment platforms, social media pages or private customer service.
Kind regards,
Team iQsquare