Skip to content

StorePre-order updateZeroTrace AirLeak Pro

The AirLeak Pro prototypes came back broken — we are not quitting

On paper the new board was perfect. The units we received from production are not functional. My engineer and I are on it every day. I can’t give a hard ETA yet, but I’m committing to a ceiling: a working device by 18 December 2026, three months from this post.

A hard update on the AirLeak Pro pre-orders, and an apology first.

I really don’t like extending the waiting time. You trusted me with your money and your patience, and asking for more of both is not something I take lightly. I’m genuinely sorry.

Here’s where things actually stand. Over the past couple of months the AirLeak Pro was fully redesigned with a new engineer on the hardware side — cleaner switch, straightforward USB path, pin mapping unchanged. In schematics, in layout, and in simulation, everything looked perfect. The design was signed off and prototypes were ordered.

The prototypes came back non-functional. Something went wrong in production, between the design that we validated and the physical board that arrived on the bench. That is genuinely painful to type, and it is exactly what happened.

We are not quitting. My engineer and I are working on it every day — no pauses, no drift onto other things — until we know exactly which production step failed, correct it, respin the board, and confirm the new prototypes work end to end. That is the only path I’m taking, and it’s the one that puts a working device in your hands rather than a half-working one.

I can’t honestly give you a hard ETA yet, and I refuse to invent one. What I can commit to, in writing, on a fixed calendar date: a working device by 18 December 2026. That is three months from this post (18 September 2026), and it is the ceiling — not the target. If we solve it earlier — and I want that more than anyone — you will hear it on this page and in Discord before anywhere else.

Your pre-order is safe. Nothing is canceled, nothing is re-queued, and the price you paid still stands. If the wait has become too long for you, message me and we’ll sort it out personally, refund included.

And please — if you have any question at all, don’t hesitate to write to us. About the board, about what we’re seeing on the bench, about your order, anything. I would much rather hear from you than have you sitting there wondering.

Where we are now

No hard ETA on the individual stages — the diagnosis has to finish before the next one is honest. The one thing I’ll put in writing is the ceiling.

Ceiling: 18 December 2026

  1. 01

    Diagnosing what went wrong

    Where we are right now

    The prototypes we received are not functional. On paper — schematics, layout, simulation — everything looked perfect, so something happened in production between the design and the physical board. My engineer and I are isolating the cause every day, unit by unit, rail by rail.

  2. 02

    Fix the root cause and respin

    As soon as the cause is confirmed

    Once we know exactly what broke and why, we correct it on the design and reorder new prototypes. I would rather do this properly once than ship a run of half-working devices.

  3. 03

    Retest the new prototypes

    Same days they arrive

    Charging and voltage tests, heating and thermal behavior, buttons and switch abuse, case fit across four printers. Nothing leaves my desk until it survives this.

  4. 04

    Mass production, assembly, shipping

    Immediately after retest passes

    Devices and cases are produced in parallel — two printers on my side, two on my friend’s — and I assemble everything by hand. First paid, first shipped.

What I test before anything ships

  • Charging and voltage tests
  • Heating and thermal behavior
  • Buttons and switch abuse testing
  • Case fit across four printers

The redesign, for the record

None of this design work is thrown away. When production is fixed, this is the board that ships — pin mapping and compatibility with the previous design intact.

  • The switch

    No more switch sticking out of the enclosure. It sits flush and is properly supported by the case, and flashing is simpler because of it.

  • Battery charger

    The battery charging circuit was updated accordingly.

  • USB / ESP32

    The previous mux-based approach was replaced with a USB hub. The ESP32 connects directly to a PC, and two COM ports are exposed.

  • A new engineer

    Someone new joined on the hardware side, and the new revision went through their hands end to end.

  • The case

    A fresh 3D design built around the new board, printed in-house on four printers so the enclosure is not what holds up shipping.

  • Board compatibility

    Connector positions, pin mapping, the ESP32-S3 and the ESP32-C5 all remain unchanged, so compatibility with the previous design is maintained.

Questions you probably have

Ask me on Discord

Do I need to do anything?

No. Your order stays exactly as it is. You don’t need to re-order, re-pay, or contact anyone to keep your place in the queue.

Are you giving up on the AirLeak Pro?

No. Not now, not later. The device is happening. This is a production problem, not a design one that we couldn’t solve, and my engineer and I are on it every single day until it’s fixed.

What actually broke?

The units we received back are not functional. On the design side — schematics, layout, simulation — everything checked out. Something went wrong between the design and the physical board in production. We are diagnosing exactly which stage failed before we respin.

Do you have an ETA?

Honestly, not yet — I refuse to invent a date I know I can’t hit. What I can commit to, on a fixed calendar date: a working device by 18 December 2026 (three months after this post on 18 September 2026). That’s the ceiling, not the target. If we solve it earlier, you’ll hear it here and in Discord first.

Which revision will I get?

The new one, at the price you already paid. No upgrade fee, no separate early-buyer version.

Where do I get updates?

This page and the Discord. If anything moves — good or bad — I post it in both rather than going quiet.

What if I don’t want to wait?

Message me on Discord and we’ll sort it out personally, refund included if that’s what you need. I would rather you tell me than sit there frustrated.

Can I ask you a question directly?

Please do. If anything on this page is unclear, or you want more detail on what we’re seeing on the bench, don’t hesitate to reach out. I would much rather hear from you than have you wondering.

Your pre-order is safe. Talk to me any time.

Nothing is canceled and nothing is re-queued. Existing pre-orders ship first, first paid first shipped, at the price you already paid. If the wait has become too long, or you just want to ask what we’re seeing on the bench, message me — I’d rather hear from you than have you wondering.