Monero’s hardware wallet project is progressing

The Monero hardware wallet project, which is fully community funded, is making significant strides. On November 12th, the team delivered an update showing the progress.

BTCManager first reported on the community venture in September 2017, when it was successfully financed with almost 1,000 XMR, and conducted an interview with Schloh, the founder of the project, and Kovri main developer ‘Anonimal’.

On November 12th, an update and numerous pictures of the board were published, which serve as the starting point for the final product. This was demonstrated by connecting to a mobile phone via USB OTG (On The Go). However, the device may be able to use a battery power source or even use solar power. BTCManager spoke to the company’s founder, Michael Schloh, via email and learned more about the processes and progress.

Prototypes are expected to be tested in late 2017

A “vacation dividend” is expected, with many prototype versions made available for testing if development continues at current pace. Two versions are likely to come into play; a larger development version with the code name Breakneck, in which the boards for this have already been tested and assembled (see below), and a smaller one for consumers with the code name Monezor.

Interested parties can sign up with Taiga for a full view of the project, get involved, and possibly an exclusive look at the prototype and get a feel for the final product. All risks should be taken by the testers and they are encouraged not to put real money into the devices.

The purpose of testing is to improve the product, with participants following a test plan and reporting their results.

The latest assembly photos

The promising company attracts a strong team

While the proposal was made by Schloh, who has an impressive tenure as a scientist, a large team with several familiar faces from the Monero crowd is currently being built. For example, at a meeting of the Monero Community, the group said:

“The team now consists of a handful of people, some of whom specialize in FPGA development, legal affairs and documentation, core hardware wallet developers and most importantly testers.”

When asked about the most important steps completed, Schloh replied: “When it comes to the wallet, we are a strong team of 16 people with many fundamentals covered. Technical writing, project management, quality assurance, legal, hardware wallet design, hardware wallet layout and firmware coding. In specific steps, we procured machines for production, set up communication systems, manufactured two first-generation models and tested finished wallets with cloned firmware. “

Monero's hardware wallet project is progressing

An early version of the board that tests with Trezor firmware are run on.

When asked what the biggest future challenge is, the hardware wallet team noted:

“The biggest challenge before the end of the year is getting a few dozen devices into the hands of Monero enthusiasts around the world. We only have a month to complete this and it’s only 50-50 that we get there. Let’s call it a dividend. “

Monero's hardware wallet project is progressing

An example of a design for the circuit

In the Reddit post informing the Monero community of the progress made, DrKokZ asked if there was a specific schedule someone could see if they were “technologically illiterate”.

hwalguy replied, “The short version is that the few people who work on it produce things that are not relevant to sales or e-commerce. This is good because it lowers the risk of project failure. The project fails if at least one functional hardware wallet design (release grade) is not in place after six months. “

“As soon as a hardware wallet design is in place (along with the documentation), a product is an order away (removed from a manufacturing facility), but firmware, housing, email support, mod options (cables, Stickers), packaging and other such areas for sales and marketing things. Perhaps this will help you understand the scope of the project we are talking about. If you are excited in this way, feel free to contribute to sales / marketing / business logistics. In this case, you may be able to answer your own questions about delivery estimates 😉 ”

Obviously, while the Monero custom hardware wallet continues to evolve, much remains to be done. While the fundamentals of the device are still in the works, many contributors can work on a business plan and strategy, for example.

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