BONK Tempo Development Update: Our Best Prototype Yet

This past week, I finally had the opportunity to field test the newest BONK Tempo prototype directly from our manufacturer—and this was a big one.

For the first time, Tempo really felt less like a prototype and more like a finished product.

The new housing is sleek, solid and dramatically more robust than the 3D-printed prototypes we've been testing throughout the development process. When you hold it in your hand, it finally has that finished-product feel we've been working toward.

More importantly, many of the issues we've discovered through months of testing have now been addressed.

A Much Better BPM Dial

One of the biggest improvements is something that might seem relatively small: the tension of the BPM dial.

On our earlier prototypes, the dial moved too easily. When you're building a device designed specifically to produce vibration, that's a problem. The vibration from the haptic motor could actually cause the dial to move slightly out of position.

The dial itself could also come loose if the device was knocked around or dropped.

The new prototype is dramatically better.

There is considerably more tension in the dial, making it much easier to accurately select and maintain the tempo you want. It feels more deliberate, more precise and much more like what we envisioned for the finished product.

And yes—I managed to accidentally drop the new Tempo a few times during testing.

No damage. No performance issues.

That's exactly what we wanted to see.

A Stronger 3-State Switch

We've also made significant improvements to the three-state switch controlling OFF / LOW / HIGH vibration.

This was one of the weak points of our original prototypes. In fact, roughly half of our first 10 prototypes eventually experienced some type of damage or failure with the switch.

Mechanically, the new switch feels substantially stronger and more durable.

There is still a known issue with the electronic switching between OFF, LOW and HIGH vibration. Our engineering and manufacturing teams were already aware of the issue before this prototype was shipped, and they're working on resolving it before production.

That's part of this process.

Build it. Test it. Find the problem. Fix it. Test it again.

Goodbye to the "Duck Call"

One of the more entertaining—but definitely annoying—problems with some of our earlier Tempo prototypes was what we started calling the "duck call."

The internal haptic motor wasn't secured well enough inside the housing. Instead of producing a clean vibration, certain prototypes would cause the entire housing to resonate and rattle.

It sounded terrible.

The new prototype completely changes that.

The haptic motor is now securely fastened inside the device and the vibration feels incredibly clean. There's no unnecessary rattling or buzzing through the housing.

This is one of those improvements that's difficult to appreciate until you actually hold the device in your hand, but it makes an enormous difference in the perceived quality of Tempo.

Battery Life Takes a Huge Step Forward

Battery life has probably been our biggest technical challenge throughout development.

Earlier prototypes simply didn't last long enough for how we envision golfers actually using Tempo.

This latest prototype performed considerably better.

During my field testing, the battery lasted approximately 4.5–5 hours, getting me close to an entire 18-hole round.

That's a major improvement.

But we're not done.

Our target remains approximately 6 hours of usable battery life. We want a golfer to be able to use Tempo during a 30-minute warm-up session, head to the first tee and comfortably make it through an entire 18-hole round.

Our engineering team is continuing to evaluate internal battery options to see if we can squeeze even more performance out of the final design.

Charging Is Finally Simple

Another small but important improvement is the charging indicator.

While charging, the LED now displays amber. Once Tempo is fully charged, it changes to green.

Simple.

But these little details matter when you're trying to turn an idea into a product people can use without thinking about it.

Testing the BONK Tempo Watchband

I also tested the new Tempo with the three watchband cradle prototypes we've been developing.

Only one of the three cradles fit the new manufacturer-built device properly, which wasn't particularly surprising considering those prototypes were developed while the Tempo housing itself was still evolving.

The important part is that we're learning exactly what needs to change.

Our goal remains to give golfers flexibility in how they use Tempo—whether that's mounted to their BONK hat or worn on the wrist.

Now that the Tempo housing is getting much closer to its final form, we can dial in the watchband around the actual production device.

We're Getting Close

This prototype represents one of the biggest steps forward we've made since starting the BONK Tempo project.

The device feels better.

The BPM dial is more accurate.

The switch is stronger.

The vibration is dramatically cleaner.

The housing is considerably more durable.

And battery life is finally approaching what we need for real-world golf.

There are still things to solve. We're not going to pretend otherwise.

The OFF / LOW / HIGH switching issue needs to be corrected. We want to continue improving battery life. And the watchband cradle needs another round of refinement.

But that's exactly why we're doing all of this testing before we go into mass production.

We don't want to simply manufacture BONK Tempo.

We want to get it right.

And for those of you who have been following this project from the beginning, we're getting very close to the point where you'll finally be able to get one of your own.

The First 500 Are Coming

Our initial production run of BONK Tempo will be limited to 500 units, and our VIP list will get the first opportunity to purchase them during the upcoming pre-sale.

We'll continue sharing these behind-the-scenes development updates as we work through the final stages of testing and prepare for production.

If you've been following the journey and want to be among the first golfers to get BONK Tempo, join the BONK Tempo VIP list.

The finish line is finally coming into view.