Correct, orders placed today for v1.4 (standard or XL size) will ship in May. We do have some v1.3 kits remaining that you can purchase and we’ll ship within 2 weeks, in case you want a device sooner.
What we’re working on with Farmduino is adding a coprocessor dedicated to monitoring the rotary encoders, which should allow more reliable movements at higher speeds. We’re also switching to 24v, which will require sourcing and testing 24v versions of the vacuum pump, solenoid valve, LED strip, and PSU. This is a long term work-in-progress though. Once we nail down the Farmduino design, we’ll need to get regulatory certifications for the new board, which may take a while, and we may need to go back to the drawing board in case we fail some of the certification tests at first (it is common to fail some tests and need to tweak the design multiple times to get everything to pass). In the name of not delaying the entire v1.4 shipment (like with v1.3) and missing the Spring growing season, the new Farmduino design and electronics might not make it into the v1.4 kits, which is why I said it is hopefully something we will include, but we really will not know for a few months.
For the electronics box revision, we’re looking at adding a through-panel on/off switch as well as an e-stop button, and changing the size slightly to best fit the new electronics. This is also a work-in-progress though and highly dependent on when the final certified Farmduino design is completed. Making the molds for the electronics box will take about 6 to 8 weeks, and so it is possible this might not make it in to v1.4 either.
We’re of course doing our best to add as many improvements as we can with each version, while making sure that we continue to ship in a timely manner. The main improvement you’re seeing with v1.4 is that it is available in the XL size. Any other improvements are going to be minor, with the exception of maybe the electronics stuff discussed above.
When evaluating the products to place an order, you can assume that the next generation kits will be better than the last/current generation. However, because of the nature and difficulty of hardware (and software) development, as well as the need to meet shipping timelines, it is pretty much impossible to predict exactly what will be better in the new kits. This is why we do not publish the documentation until the product ships, because things are subject to change.