OUR PROJECTS

Team Triggertrap consisted mostly of professional and hobbyist photographers, giving them the inside track when it came to understanding gaps in the photography market.  The team noticed that there wasn’t a low cost solution to taking this particular type of photograph, and in light of this set about attempting to design a product which met this objective.

As part of their range, Triggertrap had some established existing products, namely a mobile dongle which attached to a smartphone allowing for configurable settings that would trigger a DSLR camera. Cubik were commissioned to develop version 2 of the mobile dongle product for both the design and prototype phases ready to be sent off to manufacture in China, and at a moment’s notice developed the test rigs for production, to allow for important Q&A and end of line testing.

After success with the mobile dongle, Triggertrap turned their efforts to a brand new concept- The Triggertrap Ada. Triggertrap had plans to launch Ada as the most functional and affordable expandable modular camera triggering system available not only to professional photographers but to everyone. The Ada was to have four trigger settings tucked away in its base block: a time lapse mode, a time warp mode which would enable time lapse photography plus acceleration, long exposure sensors and extreme exposure sensors. Additionally four detachable sensors- PIR, light, laser and sound which were to be designed to snap off the base block as needed, providing effortless functionality and the key aesthetics the technology market of the 2010s demand. The flexibility of Ada was also extremely unique; using open source code, meaning users could quickly and simply modify functionality.

To secure the key funding for their new project Triggertrap opted to embark upon a Kickstarter journey, the second in their history in fact, the first to aid the development of the Ada’s forerunner, The Triggertrap V1.  To support this process Cubik were appointed once more to engineer the PCBs for the working prototype to really demonstrate the Ada’s planned capabilities to potential backers as part of the important Kickstarter campaign story.

Triggertrap were delighted with the results announcing- “For the electronics, we worked with Cubik Innovation to produce a design that is extremely high speed, low power, and flexible enough to support the variety of configurations that the stackable sensors support”.

At the heart of everything we do here at Cubik Innovation is the overriding mission to make electronics design accessible to everyone, to bring the ideas and concepts of inventors and corporations to market with the best quality and cost available. Kickstarter campaigns share this idea of turning dreams into reality; it is an invaluable, modern invention that gives independent creators the chance to turn their ideas into tangible products or experiences. Crowdfunding drives were a first for Cubik and we were excited to see how this new way of investing aided the process.
So when Haje Jan Kamps and his team at Triggertrap officially brought Cubik on board as partners to develop the electronics and software for Ada, after smashing their target pledge money of £50,000 to a grand total over £290,000, we could not have been happier.  This colossus funding is now regarded in the top ten highest grossing of all UK Kickstarter campaigns,  at Cubik we were honoured to work on a product, which had become every bit as legendary and prestigious in its early development as we imagined it would be at the end of its journey. Its place in the market also meant we could reap some valuable experience with the majority of our previous projects at the time being geared towards industrial electronics often bound in security regulation.

And so the challenge commenced…

Both Triggertrap and ourselves were thrown a few curve balls during the development of Ada, the benefits of Kickstarter meant that Triggertrap could keep in contact with their customer base directly, but this did mean a change in dynamics. Triggertrap had a set of extremely complex specifications and expectations from their customers, so the race was certainly on to smooth any bumps in the road which appeared along the route to getting The Ada into its backer’s hands.

For Cubik, we were on the learning curve of working on a project which had open source software at the heart of it, which we were able to conquer. What resulted is a brilliant product which all at Cubik are very proud of, Triggertrap also pleased to announce the Ada is “ridiculously fast” as well as being “the world’s easiest to use high speed camera trigger”.

Presently, Triggertrap are in the process of preparing for mass manufacture in China with the help of the logistics company that worked on the distribution of the Pebblewatch, another highly successful Kickstarter endeavour. Product release is forecasted for May 2015, the world is sure be live with claps, lights and lasers with people testing their Ada as our prototyping laboratory was earlier this year!

Cubik are currently working with several customers who are in the wake of successful crowdfunding campaigns, please contact us directly or via our enquiries mailbox if you have a project in need of consultation in the electronic design, prototyping or production stages.

In early March 2015, Triggertrap announced to their Ada Kickstarter backers that they would no longer be proceeding to production due to unexpected manufacturing costs. The team at Cubik Innovation were extremely saddened to hear the news after closely partnering with Triggertrap for an extended period of time prior to and throughout their Kickstarter journey.