Steal the enemy's base at the start and build a technological empire.

Chapter 116 Dell Acceptance

At 9:00 AM sharp, three black Audis drove into Xinghuo Electronics Factory. The Dell technical acceptance team had arrived.

Leading the team was Robert Miller, Dell's Vice President of Global Purchasing, a man in his fifties wearing a gray suit and with a serious expression. Behind him followed a purchasing manager, two quality engineers, and a technical expert. Li Mo and factory manager Ma Baoguo greeted them at the entrance.

"Mr. Miller, welcome," Li Mo said in English. "I am Li Mo, the project manager. This is Director Ma."

They shook hands and exchanged brief pleasantries. Miller looked around the factory area: "It's cleaner than I expected."

"Please follow me." Li Mo led the way.

Phase 1: Factory Audit

From 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the review team split into two groups.

The quality team checked the following documents: ISO 9001 certificate (obtained just three months ago), quality control process manual, incoming material inspection records, production process control sheets, and finished product sampling inspection reports. All documents are available in both Chinese and English.

The technical team inspected the production lines: the SMT placement workshop, wave soldering line, assembly line, and aging test chamber. Technical experts used magnifying glasses to examine solder joints and multimeters to test individual circuit boards.

At 11:40, the two groups met in the conference room for mid-term feedback.

The quality engineer began by saying, "Your documentation system is complete and meets Dell's Tier 2 supplier standards. However, there's one issue: your electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection measures need improvement; the grounding resistance values ​​at some workstations are too high."

Ma Baoguo recorded: "Rectify within today."

The technical expert continued, "The production line equipment is relatively new, and the process control is stable. We sampled twenty keyboard motherboards, and the yield rate was 98.7%, which meets the requirements. However, the rejection rate of the pick-and-place machine is too high, so we recommend calibrating the nozzles."

"We'll calibrate this afternoon," Li Mo replied.

Miller remained silent, flipping through the checklist in his hand. Finally, he looked up: "So far, so good. But Dell's demands go beyond that. We need to see consistently reliable delivery capabilities."

"We have a production plan presentation." Li Mo turned on the projector and showed the production capacity plan. "If the order is confirmed, we can expand the keyboard production line to 3,000 units per day and the mouse production line to 2,000 units per day within a week. We have enough raw materials to last for three months of production."

"Worker training?"

"All workers undergo two weeks of training before starting work. Key positions require three months of experience."

Miller nodded: "I'll check the sample testing this afternoon."

1:30 PM, Sample Testing Area

The testing area has three rows of tables. The first row has keyboards: ten samples, each connected to a testing machine, are undergoing key life testing (an automatic pressing device is constantly striking).

The second row consists of mice: all are traditional ball mice, used for motion trajectory accuracy testing.

The third row of tables was empty, covered with a dust cover.

Miller walked over to the keyboard testing area and casually pressed a few keys. The feel was even, and the rebound was crisp.

"Keycap material?"

"ABS with a UV coating, it's wear-resistant," Li Mo said. "We've tested it; after five million consecutive taps, the letters remain clear."

"The test data is better than that of the Taiwanese supplier," the purchasing manager whispered.

In the mouse testing area, a technical expert is drawing a circle using testing software. The trajectory on the screen shows slight jitter.

"This is a common problem with ball mice," the expert said. "It gets worse as dust accumulates."

Miller asked, "What improvements do you have in mind?"

Li Mo walked to the third row of tables and lifted the dust cover.

Below were five computers, each connected to a black mouse. The mice had no scroll balls, and a red dot lit up on the bottom.

"What is this?" Miller asked.

"An optical mouse," Li Mo said. "A new product from Spark Labs. Let's show it to Dell."

The tech expert crouched down, picked up a mouse, and flipped it around to examine it: "No ball? How do we locate it?"

"Optical sensor." Li Mo turned on a computer and launched a testing software. "Please watch the demonstration."

He gripped the mouse and moved it across the desktop. The cursor on the screen responded extremely quickly, without the slightest delay. He drew a circle in the testing software, and the trajectory closed perfectly without any jitter.

"Try again." The tech expert took the mouse himself. He moved quickly, stopped abruptly, and made small adjustments. The cursor followed precisely.

"What is the level of precision?" the expert asked.

"400dpi," Li Mo said, "twice that of a regular scrolling ball mouse. Maximum acceleration is 10g, so there won't be any frame drops even at speeds exceeding 1 meter per second."

Miller tried it too. He quickly drew several "8" shapes on the desktop, and the cursor moved smoothly.

"principle?"

Li Mo opened a disassembled sample. The mouse's internal components were quite simple: an optical sensor, a main control chip, two microswitches, and an encoder wheel.

"The sensor captures 1,500 images of the desktop per second, and the algorithm calculates the direction and distance of movement," Li Mo pointed to the chip. "This is our main control chip, which has been specially optimized. It has excellent linear performance and a latency of less than 5 milliseconds."

"Power consumption?"

"Normal operating current is 25 mA, standby current is 1 mA. One battery can last for three months."

The technical expert examined the chip model closely: "Is it a custom-made chip?"

"Designed by Spark Labs," Li Mo said.

Miller paused for a few seconds: "Cost?"

"Currently, it's in small-batch trial production, with a cost of about eight US dollars per unit. If monthly production exceeds 100,000 units, the cost can be reduced to six US dollars."

"Too high," the purchasing manager said immediately. "The ball mouse kits we're currently buying cost less than four dollars."

"But the performance is not on the same level." Li Mo walked to another computer. "Please take a look at this demonstration."

The computer was running Doom. Li Mo gripped the optical mouse and entered the game. He controlled his character to turn quickly, aim precisely, and fire continuously. The movements were fluid, and the crosshair was stable.

"Try a ball mouse," he said.

The technician took the ball mouse from the side and performed the same actions. Turning felt sluggish, and the crosshair trembled slightly when aiming.

"Gaming scenarios put mouse performance to the ultimate test," said Li Mo. "Optical mice have no mechanical wear, don't accumulate dust, and their accuracy doesn't decrease over time. For gamers, graphic designers, and CAD engineers, this represents a revolutionary improvement in experience."

Miller stared at the screen for a long time. He had each team member try it.

"The feel is definitely different," the technical expert admitted. "The response is more direct, and the fine-tuning is more precise."

"Failure rate test?" Miller asked.

Li Mo handed over a report: "The laboratory conducted 10,000 hours of continuous testing without any malfunctions. The button lifespan test was 8 million cycles, and the scroll wheel lifespan test was 1 million rotations. Environmental tests passed high temperature, high humidity, dust, and drop tests."

Miller flipped through the report; the data was detailed, with charts and photos.

"You want to sell this to Dell?" he asked.

"We recommend Dell adopt this for its high-end product lines," said Li Mo. "For example, the XPS series, or dedicated gaming models. Optical mice can serve as a differentiating selling point and enhance the added value of the products."

Market acceptance is unknown.

"So we need a leading brand like Dell to drive this," Li Mo said directly. "If Dell adopts it, other manufacturers will follow suit. Market education will be much faster."

The purchasing manager shook his head: "But if the cost is double, consumers may not be willing to pay."

"Then let them experience it," Li Mo said. "We suggest that Dell could include an optical mouse trial with its high-end models, or offer it as an optional upgrade. Once users have tried it, they won't want to switch back to a ball mouse."

The meeting room fell silent as the Dell team began to think.

Miller concluded, "We need samples to go back and do more testing. We also need a cost analysis report to assess the impact on the overall price of the machine."

"The samples are ready." Li Mo pointed to the corner of the wall, where five well-packaged boxes were located. "Each box contains five mice, along with testing software and a driver CD."

"There's one more thing," Miller said, looking at Li Mo. "Have you applied for a patent for this technology?"

"Global patents are currently being applied for, including in the United States, Europe, and Japan," Li Mo replied. "The core algorithms and chip designs are protected."

Miller nodded; this was the last question he could think of.

The review concluded at 4 PM. The Dell team left with the data, samples, and reports.

After seeing the convoy off, Ma Baoguo asked Li Mo, "Do you think there's a chance?"

"Miller was interested," Li Mo said. "His final inquiry about the patents showed he was seriously considering it. But Dell is slow to make decisions; it will take at least two months."

"Should we continue preparing keyboard orders?"

"Of course. Optical mice are an incremental addition, while keyboards are the foundation. We need to focus on both."

Back in his office, Li Mo called Ling Yun to report.

On the other end of the phone, Ling Yun listened to the entire process: "Well done. Now we await Dell's feedback. Meanwhile, prepare a second plan. If Dell doesn't want it, we'll use it ourselves. The first batch of Starlight computers will all come standard with an optical mouse."

"The cost..."

"If the cost is high, we'll sell it at a higher price," Ling Yun said. "Someone has to be the first to try something new. Since Dell is hesitant, we'll do it ourselves."