Sherpa completed engineering modeling design work for musical equipment maker, JamHub.
The Product and Market Defined
The JamHub is a portable mixer that lets musicians plug in, hearing each other without sharing the sound with the room. This allows them to rehearse without renting expensive studios or annoying neighbors. When inventor, Steve Skillings, wanted to create a new version that can also deliver sound to the front-of-house in small venues, he turned to Sherpa Design.
Elevating the Rehearsal Experience
This new product called the JamHub Stage was to be a small portable mixer with inputs for up to 7 musicians, providing an intuitive way to mix PAs and monitors for rehearsing and performing.
Sherpa worked to enhance the Stage, incorporating new features that would optimize musicians' mixing experience. One notable improvement was the introduction of smooth gliding faders, a highly sought-after feature that facilitates effortless mixing even under dim stage lights.
A Collaborative Partnership
JamHub provided Sherpa's mechanical engineering team with CAD files of the GreenRoom model. These served as the foundation for design modifications used to help bring the new JamHub Stage to life. Sherpa's team collaborated closely with their electrical engineer and a contracted prototype manufacturer to swiftly develop functional prototypes.
Creative Continuity and Customization
Keeping in mind the importance of brand continuity, JamHub desired the same industrial design as the previous GreenRoom model, but with the substitution of an LCD screen for volume sliders. Sherpa rose to the challenge by creating a design for the new fader buttons that was consistent with the look of the rotary knobs. Additionally, we adjusted the top cover to accommodate mounted electrical components, while we strategically altered the layout of output ports at the back of the unit to align with the new use case.
Prototyping Success
For the final phase of prototyping, Sherpa engaged Scicon Technologies. Renowned for their exceptional responsiveness, superior customer service, and competitive pricing, Scicon Technologies swiftly delivered the final units, helping to expedite the go-to-market strategy.
Leveraging NX CAD
Sherpa leveraged the power of synchronous modeling technology, exclusively available through Siemens PLM Software. Sherpa used Siemens NX 10 to make rapid and precise modifications to the existing solid model, seamlessly incorporating the new design features through a history-free, direct-modeling approach.
Utilizing Solidworks Photoview 360, Sherpa brought the design to life with stunning realism by creating photo-realistic renderings. The JamHub marketing team effectively used these renderings as collateral in launching the JamHub Stage.
Meeting a Tight Timeline
The timeframe was relatively short, with initial discussions starting on November 30 and the NAMM tradeshow where the Stage was to be released happening on January 21. But Sherpa's mechanical engineering team demonstrated their exceptional speed and efficiency by delivering the prototypes by January 8 despite the holiday season.
Skillings expressed his gratitude for Sherpa Design's ability to swiftly produce such realistic prototypes, which significantly contributed to the successful market launch of the product.
Advancing Engineering Horizons
Sherpa's unwavering dedication to its clients, combined with its passion for collaboration, fuels an unwavering commitment to push the limits of what is possible in engineering endeavors.
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