rustymon

I just ordered the robotop as I figured the $79 solution sounded good to me... I e-mailed their customer support and got a response pretty quickly. I'll post the full response here if they don't mind. I think cutting one wire to save $320 is well worth it, and I can easily splice it back together if needed. Wish me luck... going to do it now!

rustymon

Here's his e-mail about his product with my initial inquiry at the bottom:
PS: of course, I'll follow up after I install it!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Ryan;

After I bought the OneTouch company last summer from its founder, Tyler
Salem, I spent about $7,500 to re-design the hardware and programming to
improve the operation and reliability because there were reports of
reliability issues with the original units. I hired a top notch electrical
designer to do that work and he has personally assembled, programmed, and
electrically tested each unit. Furthermore, I have personally tested each
and every unit in my own car. So I know personally first hand without any
doubt that every unit that we ship works before it goes out the door.

Furthermore, the circuit boards are manufactured by one of the most
reputable circuit board companies in Orange County, CA who is experienced in
medical and aerospace circuit board manufacturing. We use only verified
authentic components purchased through authorized component dealers - no
grey market, eBay, or internet components. Additionally, all of the units
are assembled in Orange County, CA (not in Taiwan or China) by the design
engineer who re-designed the switch last fall. In summary, we simply don't
cut any corners to save a few dollars.

Since re-launching the product in January, 2012 we have had two units fail
out of approximately 250 that we've sold. That is a failure rate of 0.08%
which is extremely low.

I have a simple way of doing business - if you have problems or don't like
the Robotop at any time up to a year after purchase, let me know and I'll
refund your money. No questions asked. It's that simple.

With the intent of full disclosure, the switch does not light up with the
interior lights - but otherwise it works perfectly.

You can place an order on our website at www.onetouchporsche.com

Kind regards and thank you for your interest in Robotop.

Tom

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2012 12:15 AM
To: tomhstone@att.net
Subject: RoboTop Question

I'm interested in your product, but read some issues about in on the
rennlist.com forums, specifically:

--------------------------
It works fully 75% of the time, what does that mean?
75% of the time, I press the button and it does the whole thing
perfectly (open or close full cycle)
15% of the time, I press the button, and nothing happens, have to press
it again or keep it pressed as the automated part was not there
10% of the time, I press the button and it starts opening or closing,
but the rear flap stays open (after the convertible opens or closes),
have to press the button, and keep it pressed for the rear flap to come
down

For some reason, it does not light up with the interior lights.

Tyler provided great customer service, the first one was even more
erratic than the second one. He shipped a new one immediately upon
contacting him.
He also acknowledge the problem with the lights, I can live with it.
---------------------------

Are these issues still true, or are things working better now?

Thanks,
Ryan

aviography

Save $320? Did you mean $220? I beleive most places sell SmartTop for $300 or less.

I got mine as a combo deal of buying both the SmartTop and RemoteTop for a bit over $500 in April this year.

Will look forward to your feedback once you have had some time using it.

petonic

I have one of these Robo-Tops and it works well for the $$$. I have an '04 TTx50 Cab.

The inconsistencies that Rustymon reported might have something to do with getting used to the timing. Hold it down for too long and it works as default, so that when you release the button, the movement stops. Hold it down for too little and it doesn't get actuated.

Once in a while (<5%) of the time, it'll not work as I expect, and then I just repeat the operation.

I rarely use it when moving (although my car allows me to open/close the top while moving) because the convertible mechanism is just so damn complicated inside, I don't want to chance hitting a bump or a gust a wind that fubars the mechanism. Too expensive to fix.

I do use it when I start up the car, or when I'm parking it. When starting, it allows me to put on my seatbelt, or on the disembark side, pack my stuff, check oil level, etc. Basically, I'm not tethered to the button for the 30 secs or so it takes.

All in all, definitely worth the $79 or so.

aviography

Barring any issues with the revamped product, I'd agree $80 is not a bad deal if the ONLY aspect a Cab owner wants is the ability to start the open/close sequence with a momentary push of the open/close button, and does not mind cutting the OEM wire to splice in the RoboTop.

However the SmartTop does so much more that for me it I was willing to pay more to get the added functionalities, although perhaps not quite as much as they are being sold for.

FWIW I looked inside of both the SmartTop and RemoteTop packages, there are some fancy programmable micro CPU's in there,in comparison the RoboTop had to be some very simple electronics to latch the input to the Cab controller to fool it into thinking someone is holding the button down, the price point reflects the complexity difference and the features between the RoboTop and the SmartTop.

jackarelli

I have ordered one of these as I think the price point on this product is very reasonable.
Happy to report back as per Rustymon on its performance once I have installed it.
I have previously already cut the speed wire so this is the next obvious step without stepping up with the $$$£££ for a smartTop

Slopeslider

Have you installed? I'm curious on your thoughts on this. Looks excellent for the price point.

relinuca

Let me see if I have this product idea right. My 996 cab currently has one button for lowering the top and one button for raising the top. Operation requires holding the button down during raising or lowering...I can handle that.

The new product would mean pushing the button and then releasing the pressure, right?

Well, my buddies at Cars 'n Coffee would just stare at me if I tried to explain this upgrade to them.

relinuca

SacTownGuy

It's funny how different we all are. I totally appreciate what you are saying but to me it's a no-brainer to get the one touch button and preferably hooked to my remote control so I don't have to even hit a button in the car. Just walk away from the car, hit the remote, and everything takes care of itself.

aviography

Yup +1.

aviography

One could draw a parallel with garage door openers, imagine to have to hold the button for the full cycle to open or close the garage door before releasing the button .....

tdurden032

+1

5CHN3LL

The product name factory has generated: CabriOle!