Check Out the N40 Unbox Video and Tutorial
Muro Box-N40 Update #19
Hello everyone,
This update was written by the founders of Muro Box: Dr. Chen-Hsiang Feng and Dr. Shiao-Chen Tsai. Thank you for your patience in waiting for our update. The key points of this update includes:
(1)We made an unbox video to help you preview how to use the accessories of the Muro Box-N40 music box and how to use the resonance box.
(2)The problems we are facing now in the first run of production.
(3)The following production arrangement.
The Unbox Video of Muro Box-N40 Sublime
Here is an unboxing video we made using the mass-produced parts, so that you can have a preview of what you will see when you receiving the final product:
The First Batch of Shipment of Muro Box-N40 Has Been Fulfilled
As of May 3, 2024, we have shipped 3 units of the N40 Standard and 4 units of the N40 Sublime to our customers in Taiwan. We would like to thank those customers who ordered the N40 Sublime for promptly confirming their customized service details, which helped us arrange the shipments smoothly. For those who have purchased the N40, please quickly submit the resonance box form. The resonance box also serves as the packaging box, and we can only arrange the shipment after you confirm the selection of wood and painting.
Currently, we have found that there are 7 customers from Kickstarter, 53 customers from Indiegogo, and 9 customers from other platforms who have not submitted their choices for the resonance box. If you have already filled out the form but have not received our payment notification yet, please wait a few more days. Please do not fill out the form repeatedly during this time unless you wish to modify your previous selection. Repeated submissions will increase the time cost for customer service verification and may lead to errors, so we appreciate your cooperation.
For those who have purchased additional customized services or the N40 Sublime (which includes a complimentary two-minute customized melody arrangement and a customized engraving metal plate), please fill out the Custom Engraving From and Custom Arrangement Form as soon as possible. If you have purchased the N40 Sublime but do not wish to have customized engraving or arrangement requests and prefer we simply ship your order as soon as possible, please email us: support@tevofy.com
▲The nameplate paired with the N40 Sublime music box is made of brass. Engraving on brass requires more steps compared to a typical nameplate, but the finished product maintains a consistent overall tone, showcasing the luxurious blend of brass and acacia wood.
Resonance Box Types and Their Different Appearances
Currently, the chicken wing wood resonance boxes produced by our carpentry factory have not yet arrived. As some customers have not read our previous N40 email update regarding the resonance boxes, they are unable to promptly decide which type of resonance box to select as the product packaging for shipping. The following supplemental explanation details the four available types of resonance boxes for your selection.
Currently, only the unfinished pine wood version does not require any additional fee. Customers wishing to select other types of resonance boxes will receive our email to instruct you how to pay via our Stripe payment link regarding the price difference.
When will we start shipping the N40 Standard Music Box?
The N40 standard versions assembled by Kyooh Precision Industry in Taichung have also been delivered to our office in New Taipei City, with a total of 48 units. Next week, shipments of these N40 standard versions will be prioritized for customers who have paid the resonance box upgrade fee and confirmed their engraving/arrangement content.
For customers of the N40 standard version who have opted for the additional purchase of the Acacia wood box upgrade, we have recently received 24 acacia wood boxes. We will sequentially verify whether you have filled out the resonance box form and paid the resonance box upgrade price, and whether there are any custom engraving/arrangement requirements and completed inspections
Attention:
Unlike the N40 Sublime package, the N40 standard version package does not include a customized engraving metal plate and a 2-minute long customized melody arrangement. We will only remind the N40 Standard version customers who have additionally purchased customized engraving service or customized melody arrangement services to fill out the forms for confirming the customized requests.
Limitation on the Production Speed for N40 Standard Version
The production of the N40 standard version is actually proceeding as planned. Currently, the limitation on production speed is due to the pace at which we inspect the finished products. However, we have been collaborating closely with the processing factory to refine the processing workflow in this batch of production. We believe that production will become even smoother in the future. Additionally, both the wooden boxes and resonance boxes are also being produced in batches, so please rest assured.
Why the N40 Sublime Model is Particularly Difficult to Produce Quickly: Brass Base
However, the N40 Sublime model is indeed challenging to handle. The main reason is my original attitude towards its brass components. I hoped that the brass would oxidize and change color over time, just like how people age gracefully. Under the condition of not affecting functionality, I preferred that the metal would display the traces of history on its surface, so apart from applying basic anti-rust oil, there was no excessive anti-rust treatment.
However, after actual assembly and testing, we found the situation to be more severe than I had imagined. We had just finished assembling and were waiting for packaging and shipping when rust spots began to appear on the brass. We hadn’t even shipped them out yet! This wasn’t just aging gracefully; it was aging rapidly.
Therefore, we began testing various surface rust prevention methods. Some industry insiders might wonder why we don’t electroplate for rust prevention. There are two reasons we avoid electroplating. Firstly, if we cover the brass base with electroplating, wouldn’t we completely lose the meaning of using brass? Even if the base material were a piece of stone, there would be no visual difference after electroplating. Secondly, brass is just too soft. We outsourced the surface treatment of a small batch of bases for testing, and the rate of damage from collisions was as high as 1/3. This level of loss would make us bankrupt. Finding a processing factory that cares about our product as much as we do isn’t easy.
Therefore, the options we can adopt are restricted: we cannot use electroplating, and we must complete the rust prevention process ourselves instead of outsourcing it.
Based on the current test results, we will process the brass components in the following manner:
After receiving the brass base material -> Magnetic deburring and polishing (to remove CNC chatter marks) -> First stage ultrasonic cleaning (to remove cutting oil) -> Second stage ultrasonic cleaning (to remove polishing compound) -> Application of transparent anti-rust layer (resistant to 72-hour salt spray test) -> Water rinsing and drying -> Application of protective clear coat (to prevent fingerprints) -> Drying -> Full inspection/assembly
There are many steps, but none can be skipped to achieve the desired result. Please be patient if you are N40 Sublime backers. Please allow us sufficient time to handle every detail to a high standard.
-Top left: The metal piece to install the transparent lid
-Bottom left: hand-twist screw to fasten the lid
-Top right: Flywheel (to enhance the cylinder's rolling speed stability)
- Bottom right: Brass base (to help generate the mellow sound)
We are currently optimizing the rust prevention process for the above components, striving to achieve progress that balances the final quality and production speed.
About the Following Production Progress
Currently, we will do our best to coordinate with suppliers to expedite the delivery of the shortage parts. The N40 Standard model, apart from a slightly higher than expected assembly time, has no engineering issues and will continue to be shipped continuously. As for the N40 Sublime model, due to the cautious verification required for the brass rust prevention test results, we anticipate resuming shipping the N40 Sublime model around mid-May.
Check out the Important Tutorials after Unboxing Your Muro Box- N40 Music Box!
Muro Box-N40 Important Tutorials
How to use the accessories of the resonance box?
The packaging wood box of N40 is also the resonance box, which, when used in conjunction, can make the playback sound of the music box louder! Please follow these simple steps for assembly:
1. Unboxing
Please manually unscrew the 8 “hand-twisted screws” on the top. (If it is too tight, you can use a screwdriver for assistance).
The contents inside the resonance box include a N40 music box, cover cloth, accessory box, instruction manual, and USB to Type C adapter.
The large carton box contains the N40 music box accessories: power supply and a USB to Type C adapter
The small carton box contains resonance box accessories: 1 sound post, 4 shock absorbers, and 4 metal pads
2. Assemble the Resonance Box
(1)Screw the 4 shock absorbers into the 4 corners’ holes under the resonance box.
(2)Place the 4 shock absorbers above their pads to prevent the shock absorbers from scratching the table surface.
(3) Next, place the sound post to increase sound transmission and support the weight of the music box on the top board.
First, adjust the sound post to the appropriate length, then check the length against the edge of the resonance box. The goal is to have the sound post “just” protrude slightly above the resonance box to touch the top board. As long as there is slight contact, it is effective.
Do not extend it too much, as it may cause the top board to crack. Please be careful to control the height of the sound post to make it not too much taller than the margin of the resonance box (the taller part needs to be less than 1mm).
(4) The position of the sound post can be placed according to your preference. Place the top board on the resonance box to feel the contact position of the sound post, or confirm the placement of the sound post from the side lifting holes. Then, screw the hand-twisted screws to fasten the top board on the resonance box. Be sure to tighten the hand-twisted screws to avoid noise during music box playback caused by vibration.
(5)We’ve left a little fun for you. In addition to placing the sound post in the middle, you can try placing it in other positions to hear the sound effect. Once you find your favorite position, remember to ensure that the hand-twisted screws on the top board are tightened when experimenting with the sound effect.
(6)The C-shaped sound hole on the top board of the resonance box is designed based on the principle of violin sound production. The curved square groove of the Muro Box Logo is for securing the bottom feet of a 20-note Muro Box music box, while the four small circular grooves are for fitting the 4 feets of the N40 music box. The two types of grooves allow customers who own both a N20 model and a N40 model of music boxes to interchangeably use this same resonance box for amplified playback effects.
(7) Place the four feet of your N40 music box on the four small circles on the music box, plug in the power, and you will hear the default music box melody (a jingle) when the music box is turned on. You can press the button to play the preset music box melody, or start pairing it with your Muro Box App to experience the thousands of melodies in our online music library.
There are only 2 feet with the anti-slip pad sheets attached, it is because we need to have the other two feet directly contact the surface of the N40 resonance box to enhance its sound transmission effect.
(8) Please note that the button on the back is the switch for the MIDI device, “not” the power button for the music box! When the music box is plugged in, it means the power is on. It is always in a connected state when plugged in, there is no “power off” state. If you really want to turn it off to save energy, please simply unplug the power.
This is my first time unboxing and using a smart music box. How do I connect and pair the music box with the app?
Please start by setting up the connection with the music box based on the source of your WiFi signal ( Wi-Fi/ mobile hotspot) and the type of phone you are using (iOS/Google Play). Please read the following connection steps:
Connect Muro Box with Wi-Fi (iOS Users)
Connect Muro Box with Wi-Fi (Android Users)
Using iPhone Hotspot to Share Internet for Muro Box to Connect
Using Android Hotspot to Share Internet for Muro Box to Connect
How to connect MIDI keyboards and laptops to the N40 music box?
I have both N20 and N40 music boxes at home. How do I switch control between different music boxes through the app?
Is there any user community that I can join to discuss and learn from other users?
Yes, welcome to visit our private user community for English users (https://www.facebook.com/groups/314361163312518) and for Chinese users (https://www.facebook.com/groups/murobox). We have many skilled composers in our community who often share their creative experiences. Feel free to ask questions and interact with others, allowing for a more diverse range of new songs from music creators to meet the listening interests of our audience from different generations.
Please be patient as we will proactively report on the progress and continue to operate the community.
We will continue to ship orders based on the existing stock of resonance boxes, prioritizing according to order sequence. Customers who do not require any customized services will receive our shipping information sooner. If you will be away from home for a few days in May or June and wish to postpone the delivery, please remember to notify us by email us: support@tevofy.com
Thank you for your support in completing the final stretch of the N40’s birth journey together. We will hire a new administrative assistant proficient in English or Japanese to handle orders and shipping arrangements, and have also hired an additional production operator. May will be a critical time for recruiting and training new members, as well as building the relevant web pages for the N40 music boxes on our website. We hope to provide more community resources and more thoughtful services to everyone. If our response is delayed, please bear with us. We have received and taken into account every suggestion submitted through the form, and will execute them in different stages based on feasibility.
We kindly ask everyone to continue subscribing to the Muro Box official website newsletter. We will cease posting updates on Kickstarter/Indiegogo/Wabay campaigns when we complete all of the fulfillment tasks. Then, we share the latest news about our products and services with customers through the Muro Box official website newsletters (powered by Mailchimp). At that time, we will have more manpower to edit and share resources related to composition and music selection through blog posts, which will be further disseminated through channels such as our email newsletters, Facebook/IG posts, and LINE voom posts.
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