March 2026 Update
✉️ Email Issue Resolved
We've been receiving emails from some backers telling us that they have not received notifications of our updates for the last few months. We think we've found the issue and have been able to resolve it. We'll also try to backdate sending the notificaitons for the last few months so those that did not receive the last few updates are completely up to date. Thanks for your patience, and for letting us know!
🧠 Firmware & System Stability
In our previous update, we shared that we planned to unify all MediaTek chip revisions under a single firmware build. The goal was to maintain one firmware for all chips, simplifying OTA management and future production.
However, after unifying the firmware, the older chip introduced power inconsistencies, including charging irregularities and minor stability differences. Something that was not present when each firmware was optimized independently.
One major issue we encountered was that the old PCBA, when running the unified firmware, would not charge the battery. This meant that if the system switched to battery power and the battery depleted, it would not recharge at all, and if the battery would deplete, eventually it could cause the safe to become unresponsive and bricked.
After several weeks of attempting to resolve the charging irregularities, we were unable to stabilize the unified build. Rather than continue investing more time into, we decided to make a practical engineering decision and maintain separate firmware builds for each chip revision.
While it was technically possible to merge both chip variants into one unified firmware, rather than force a unified firmware and continue investing time trying to perfect something we do not immediately need, we chose the more responsible and time-efficient path. Keeping firmware optimized per chip revision allows us to finish validating the new PCBA and move toward production.
This means:
• Each chip runs firmware tuned specifically for its hardware behavior
• Charging and power management remain stable
• System behavior remains predictable
At a later stage, we may revisit merging them. If we do not, additional engineering will be required to ensure the OTA system correctly detects the chip revision and installs the appropriate firmware automatically. This does not negatively impact customers, but we believe in being transparent about these decisions.
🔌 USB Progress – Major Wins
We made a major internal breakthrough; USB communication is now fully operational and the device is accessible via cable. This now allows us to:
• Interact directly with sensors
• Upload and test application builds
• Debug issues with the safe in real time
• Validate runtime behavior efficiently
This is a big win and a significant milestone. Without USB, testing is extremely limited. With USB operational, development efficiency improves dramatically.
🛰 I2C Bus Stabilization
Now that USB is stable, the next major focus is the I2C bus. The I2C bus is a critical communication layer inside the safe. It handles:
• Sensor communication
• External camera configuration
• Power-related signaling
The camera video stream itself runs over MIPI CSI, which handles the image data. However, all configuration commands, sensor data signals, and certain power instructions run over I2C.
If I2C is not fully stable, components may appear to work but behave inconsistently under load. Our old PCBA had fundamental problems with data lines for memory, and had power management problems, this was hopefully fixed in the new PCBA. This is why we need to check everything before going to mass production, which is why stabilizing I2C is essential before moving forward.
Stabilizing I2C ensures:
• Reliable sensor data
• Proper camera configuration
• Stable power signaling
• Predictable system-wide behavior
This is foundational validation work, not feature development, and must be completed before we go to production.
🧩 PCBA Update
In addition to stabilizing firmware, the firmware must be finalized to a production-ready state. It does not need to be perfect, but it must be stable enough to allow full PCBA validation, because as we previously stated, a lot has changed in the new PCBA from the old PCBA, and firmware and hardware must be validated together.
In case anyone is not familiar, the firmware controls the following:
• Power management
• Charging logic
• Peripheral communication
• Sensor behavior
• Camera configuration
• System boot sequencing
• Drivers for the system and making sure all electronics can work
If the firmware is incomplete, PCBA testing is incomplete.
According to the Ukrainian team, the following items remain before production readiness:
• Complete the separation of unified firmware and have two independent firmware builds (one per chip).
• Finalize device tree updates
• Validate power management configuration
• Complete I2C bus debugging and fixes
• Re-check communication with cameras and sensors
• Finalize door sensor driver or implement simplified polling method (this was a new sensor that was missing in our last PCBA. The Chinese never added a required sensor. This sensor is to make sure that the motor will not work and you cannot lock the door if the door is not closed. It was added to the new PCBA)
• Re-test battery charging, main battery and USB devices
• Run processor and memory stress tests
• Run full system power stress tests
This is controlled engineering validation work. Until we stabilize what already exists to production standards, we cannot move into mass production.
⏳ Timeline Expectation
As mentioned in our last update, the team has been focused on PCBA testing and validation. We now have a somewhat clearer picture of what remains before we can move forward.
Based on the developer’s assessment, we estimate around two more months of work to finalize and validate the remaining PCBA and firmware items required for mass production readiness. We are aware this is not what you want to hear, because it sure wasn't what we wanted to hear.
This is not ideal for anyone, but it is controlled, measurable work, that must be completed before we can go to mass production.
We continue to receive emails asking when this will ship, but to be honest, it’s hard to answer until we finalize and validate the new PCBA and it’s firmware.
💻 Software & System
Regarding the safe's operating software, we still continue refining the Safe OS and mobile app in parallel. OTA remains stable, and internal testing continues.
While this may not be the most exciting update, it reflects steady engineering progress in the right direction.
As previously shared, we are exploring new investment opportunities to sell part of the company and help support mass production and offset some of the losses we’ve absorbed throughout development. This support would allow us to move quickly into full production and meet current and future demand. If we are successful in bringing in more capital, we may be able to expand our team and speed up the redesign and testing work if it comes to that.
We request that you please hold back from sending individual messages about delivery dates and refunds. We will continue to provide full updates through our monthly updates, so please stay tuned. Your understanding and patience during this crappy time is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your unwavering support.
TLDR - SUMMARY
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We decided to maintain separate firmware builds per chip revision to ensure charging and system stability
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USB communication is now fully operational, significantly improving testing capability.
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I2C bus stabilization and full PCBA validation are now the primary focus.
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Approximately two more months of controlled engineering work remain before production readiness.
Thanks for your support!
