Yeah, i'm getting that vibe from a lot of people - looks like I WILL be offering this as an assembled module. The kit will still be available (and available first) for those who want to do it themselves, but I'll go ahead and plan on having these machine assembled..
For assembled modules, I'm going to have to pick a max of two or three different XM-L Tints/Bins.. What's everyone's preference? If you had to pick two XM-L tints/bins to be available - what would they be?
The kit will be fun! I do this all the time, and I still get a great deal of satisfaction from hand soldering something like this and having it work.
I think I might make a short video showing the techniques that I use to solder these small components. That should help with a lot of people who are on the edge wondering if they have the skill to do it.
I took a quick look at the thread going on over there, and I saw one question that I thought deserved an answer - unfortunately, I just don't have time to maintain conversations on two different forums. If you'd like to cross-post my answer, however, please feel free.
The question was:2) I can get a quote from my PCB manufacturer for FR4 and MCPCB substrates but I think that the impact on total cost is negligible. (my PCB fab is the same as lux-rc, so quality is good). So why use FR4 ?
The answer is: He's forgetting or not realizing that this isn't a simple single layer "star" board. It has all of the electronics on it, and pretty much demands at least two layers of copper. Not only are multi-layer MCPCB's EXPENSIVE, but they're actually quite bad at thermal conduction. The board I'm using is very thin (half the thickness of the thinnest in the CREE document) meaning that it will outperform a standard thickness single layer MCPCB and FAR outperform a multi-layer MCPCB. COULD I route this in a single layer? Yeah, I could - but the module would have to get a bit larger, and I didn't really want to make it bigger in diameter than the CUTE-3 Optic. That was the design goal - keep the PCB equal to or smaller than the diameter of the lens.
I can see that - it's like building your own bicycle wheels. The trouble with me is getting over that confidence hump without screwing up something really expensive :) The funny thing is that I work with worms that are <1mm long without trouble, so scale isn't an issue, although cutting one in half or flicking it into the ether isn't all that worrying.
One of the other contributors to the mtbr thread has already cross posted your reply and several of them are following this thread too. I think that there will always be a degree of conservatism in how people view new tech, until enough people adopt it and it becomes old tech and common. No different really to the 20mm triples Lux-RC make or the feature rich but tricky to program Taskled drivers.
Modes will be fully programmable. Every mode you want and none of the modes you don't
[quote=Sirius9]
Onequestion though: are you goingtodo customprogramming of MCU or is that on the buyer?
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I'll have quite an assortment of 'standard' programs available. Truly custom programming is up to the buyer - although I will happily flash the micro with your compiled code - with the understanding that I don't test or validate your code - I burn it as is.
[quote=Sirius9]
(just think what would 3 x U2 @ 3Amps/each do that's 3000 lumens of light -> burn baby buuuuurnnnn :D )
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No need to think about it - it's here.
[quote=Sirius9]
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome PilotPTK, can't wait for updates :D
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Updates coming - I wish there were 48 hours in a day.. Really I do..
PPtk - I think that for people who only ever do this just a very few times, or never, the fear of screwing up a bunch of money, will keep them from the DIY part. I know that I would not, even after doing a few soldering jobs, I know that 1.- I do not have the proper tools, 2.- I do not have the ability. (yes some people will never have the ability), so a fully completed “drop-in” might lead to further sales.
I also think your idea of a video is a great idea! With that, we might be able to gage our abilities, based on watching what you are doing.
Please don't get me wrong. I think it is fantastic of you offering these kits and I applaud your work.