V4 Megajolt kit

[rangeyrover]

Hi Brent,
I must say I love the look of the new kit. Looking forward to making one.
Having just soldered the last of my old kits together in an hour though, I doubt I will be able to go this quickly on this one.

One of the joys of the old kit was the arrangement of the components in a clearly labelled bag in separate compartments.
It meant that I did not have to look for the right component when working, it was there in front of me.

The new style just has bags with all the components loose. Previously you added value to the builder by taking the tedious identification game away from them. I think that not identifying is a backward step, even though it may save time and effort at the bagging stage.

The screws are not countersunk either, ( a minor moan) but it enhanced the look of the old kit, and would do so here I think.

Please don't think that I don't appreciate the work that has gone in, but I wanted to feedback the good aspects of the old kit from my perspective.

I expect to be lightly toasted by the flames from others, but thats how I see it!

[brentp]

Thanks for the feedback- it's appreciated, the good and not-so-good.

The individual labeling made packaging kits very very time consuming. What we have done is packaged the components in fewer bags, but in such a way that there is no ambiguity between the parts. The bags are also organized in a manner that compliments the kit assembly process. http://www.autosportlabs.net/MJLJ_V4_kit_assembly_guide

Parts that are not marked with values have been color coded. So far we've received great feedback on the kits-- however I know that everyone's experience is different.

Ultimately we feel that how we organized the kits will match the comfort level of an individual with the skills to assemble a kit like this- and after you complete your assembly we hope you feel that way too!

Thanks again,

[rangeyrover]

Brent,
I have come back to eat some humble pie. Having now built 2 of these units, I appreciate the thought that has gone in to make the kit easy to assemble. I am really loving the new firmware and pc software and can now more clearly see the direction that you are heading with this.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is more difficult to assemble than before, (I have big hands!) but I did manage to do it in an hour, with no rushing so the reduced component count has helped.

Having invested in a large mounted magnifying glass and tweezers the 2nd install was much easier.

Minor note, the guide said that the MAP capacitors are colour coded orange stripe?, but mine were not? Should this reference be removed? I think that it could be as there are no other capacitors in that part of the kit.

[brentp]

I'm happy it worked out well for you. The missing stripe in the MAP capacitor kit was an oversight I believe we've since corrected.

Admittedly, offering a kit with many SMT components is a bit of an experiment to see what the 'scream' threshold is for DIY enthusiasts, so this is a good datapoint.