Display Leadtimes Reduced (& We're Hiring an EE)

Time 3 minute read — Calendar 2023-12-15 — Person George Singer — Pricetags #update and #timeline

1 Display Leadtimes Reduced

Sharp has reduced our VR display leadtimes from 40 weeks to ~15 weeks (for an expected End of March 2024 delivery). This was formerly our largest component bottleneck, so we're really happy about this.

1.1 Mura Samples Submitted

Towards this end, we recently submitted Mura samples for quality control:

"Mura" (from the Japanese むら) is a display industry term which means "unevenness, irregularity, or inconsistency". Mura can manifest in the form of line defects, particle blemishes (from dust or defective pixels), blotches (near the edges of the display or otherwise), color defects, and so forth.

Unfortunately, Mura impurities are the inevitable side-effects of modern LCD construction, and practically no display is free of them. With that said, good QA can constrain these defects, and the samples we submitted helps our supplier limit them to tolerable levels.

2 Simula is looking for a capable Electrical Engineer to add to our team

We're looking for an EE to add to our small team to help develop the electronics in our VR computing headsets. Responsibilities range anywhere from FPGA digital design to mixed-signal board-level design.

2.1 Job Requirements

  • 2+ years experience
  • Experience with mixed-signal board-level design/simulation, along with prototyping and bring-up
  • Experience with FPGA digital design, MCU firmware, etc
    • Specifically high-speed digital interfaces (PCIe, etc.) and preferably image processing
  • Willing to work in a small team with a high degree of independence and limited resources

2.2 What we're looking for

We're looking for techno-optimists who are super excited about bringing a new hardware product to market, and who are fascinated by VR computing as a new product category (using VR as a medium for performing knowledge work). Though we need specialized EE talent for this role, we appreciate people who have generalist interests across more of our technology stack (mechanical engineering and/or software).

2.3 Logistics

Logistically, Simula is a distributed startup with team members in the U.S (San Francisco and Oklahoma City) and Europe (Mönchengladbach, Germany). Historically, our team has worked mostly remotely (keeping U.S. hours), but since we're ramping up production of our first batch of headsets in Germany, our team is shifting to a more on-site focus in 2024. Even though most of your work can still be done remotely, this role will require periodic travel to our onsite location in Mönchengladbach (potentially for longish stretches).

2.4 How to contact us

Interested applicants should shoot resumes to georges@simulavr.com.