Sold/Expired Nichia SW45B10L 219 Triple P60 Drop-in ALL GONE (For Now)

[Diablo_331]

You just gave it away Matt! I know what it is now! I have been having a feeling but you just confirmed it. My lips are sealed...:nana:

 

[Mattaus]

You just gave it away Matt! I know what it is now! I have been having a feeling but you just confirmed it. My lips are sealed...:nana:

Damnit! Maybe I was hoping someone would wise up to my games...but I really should be quiet now lol. No more clues until it's done!!!

 

[precisionworks]

I do however very much appreciate the faith/trust you have shown in being prepared to lay down your coins before the product has even been shown!

I know where you live & work. If you don't deliver my cousin from the Australian Mafia/Hells Angels will stop in to see you :nana:

 

[Mattaus]

I know where you live & work. If you don't deliver my cousin from the Australian Mafia/Hells Angels will stop in to see you :nana:

Plenty of Bikies here in Queensland...but the worst are in Victoria haha.

 

[Mattaus]

Hi all,

Update time. Some good news…and some bad news.

Good news first – the driver for version 2 has checked out and it will definitely do what I want it to do. This is fantastic news because it's a beast. This is however bad because the driver uses some pretty pricey parts making it by far the most expensive part of the whole drop-in. I've sat down and thought long and hard about it and the conclusion I came to was that this driver belongs in a $160+ drop-in, probably closer to $200 and definitely not a $120 one. I'd be making a loss if I stuffed it inside version 1 for example.

The other problem with the cost of the driver is that to prototype it, which I am insisting on doing due to its complexities, is very high. Normally I could afford to wear these costs but as I may have mentioned previously I am getting my shoulder reconstructed in the next few weeks and am up for $1000 worth of bills already and that's before I find out how much the surgery will actually cost (I'm estimating $2000+). Now given the wonderful state of the Australian health system I will be able to claim most of the money back, but I still need to have this cash up front. So my finances to pay for these prototypes are sadly greatly diminished at the current time. I might be able to churn out one so I can get the coding started, but that'd be about it at this stage.

Rest assured though version 2 is coming

HOWEVER! It's not all doom and gloom.

I am thinking ofre-releasing Version 1, but with a few significant changes:

• It will use version 2's new heat sink design, which is a big step up from version 1 and like nothing else on the market at the moment.
• Still copper. Still silver plated.
• It is still epoxy-less and spring problems are gone…literally.
• I will still offer all 3 drivers and all 3 can have their modes configured as before.
• I will likely offer different emitter choices as well. As long as it uses an XP-G footprint, you can have it.
• The only downer is that I cannot upgrade the output anymore. The reason for this is that my issues with flickering most likely stemmed from adding new chips and spring replacement, and as I'm sure most of you can understand I am very keen to remove this problem once and for all! It's worth noting that the output gain from 3A up in my personal opinion was not worth the reduced battery life and heat. Each to their own though so I'm sure this will disappoint a few people. Sorry
• The price will be a flat $120 regardless of your location. The only difference will be the cost of shipping which is added on top.

Now this sounds a bit hypocritical of me. The reason I could re-release version 1 while simultaneously stating I don't have the resources to complete version 2 is because the re-design of version 1 is using the work laid down by the development of version 2. How's that for a tongue twister lol?! So it's a simple case of re-jigging a few dimensions and we're done. The design has been finished (took me 5mins this morning) and I will hopefully have a few pieces to test with soon.

What do people think about this? It's a bit of a catch 22 situation. If I can sell some re-worked V1 drop-ins I could probably speed up work on V2. Then again I might release the reworked V1 anyway as a low cost option. I don't really know - depends what people want!

Let me know what you all think and I'll keep updated as best I can but as usual if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks for understanding.

- Matt

 

[jmpaul320]

ill bet there are a few members (myself included) that might be willing to front the cost for v2

edit: shoulder issues are a b**** ... i know first hand... best of luck

 

[Mattaus]

ill bet there are a few members (myself included) that might be willing to front the cost for v2

edit: shoulder issues are a b**** ... i know first hand... best of luck

As wonderful as that would be I am not prepared to take money from people without a working sample to show first. That being said I had a working sample of version 1 and still had problems! I'll probably make some redesigned version 1 drop-in samples, put them up for pre-order and see how many people would like them. If the demand is too low I'll leave it and just work as fast as I can on V2, but if reasonable demand is there then we'll be cooking with gas

- Matt

P.S. Self inflicted shoulder issues are the worst!

EDIT: Keep in mind I'm still fixing some problematic V1 drop-ins. So I might just be creating more work than I can handle.

 

[Diablo_331]

Like I said, I know what's coming in version 2 and it will be very unique :naughty:. I'm willing to wait for as long as it takes but I believe that others would be lining up to buy an update version 1. I hope all goes well with your shoulder Matt! Get well soon!

 

[jmpaul320]

I will be patient. Depending on the price of v1 I might be interested

 

[TheCleanerSD]

What about a "v1.5" using the new Cree XP-G2?

 

[ToyTank]

I think having V1 MKII as a low cost(comparably)option would be a good idea I imagine when you approach $200 plus cost of a nice host is a hit for a hobby budget.

 

[F250XLT]

Perhaps you can start a new interest thread for the V1.1, so you have a better idea of the demand? I'm really looking forward to v2, I have no doubt it will be outstanding.

PS - I received the clear optics, thank you.

 

[Mattaus]

I'm mulling over my options this weekend. My brother did point out that if I get started reworking V1 (despite it's ease) I might get too side tracked and V2 would suffer. I'm having some talks and seeing what I can about hand etching some prototype boards today in an effort to keep the prototype costs down, which is really my only problem at the moment. I also need to convert the heat sink design into CAD files so I can get those prototypes done...which reminds me - I need to send a few emails.

Good to hear you got the optics Tim.

- Matt

 

[nfetterly]

I've got no problem fronting say $100-$200 for a V2 to help get you going. If the V2 crashes then maybe 50% goes to a V1.1...

Just a thought

 

[Mattaus]

I've got no problem fronting say $100-$200 for a V2 to help get you going. If the V2 crashes then maybe 50% goes to a V1.1...

Just a thought

You guys are persistent haha!

I've been doing more research, looking harder and longer at various components and working through it all from scratch again and I'm getting the production cost down a fair way. It's still not a $125 drop-in but it's basically in line with other offerings - price wise at least

the prototypes won't be too much of a problem either now. Basically I was a bit premature with my post yesterday. Fingers crossed it's looking a lot better than it did!!!

- Matt

 

[jmpaul320]

if you dont want to tell us exactly what it is, but maybe we could see a beam shot next to version 1?

im already pricing out an uber host for this lol.

 

[Mattaus]

if you dont want to tell us exactly what it is, but maybe we could see a beam shot next to version 1?

Well theoretically other than different emitters the beam shot should be the same...it is still a triple.

 

[akajimmy]

Well theoretically other than different emitters the beam shot should be the same...it is still a triple.

Dam, There go my hopes for the quad:mecry:

 

[Mattaus]

Sadly for the time being yes

Version 2 is a very big step up for my brother and I, and unlike anything we've attempted before. It's a learning curve but everything we are attempting this time round will make anything we do in the future much easier and faster to get up and running.

Sit tight!

 

[jmpaul320]

Well theoretically other than different emitters the beam shot should be the same...it is still a triple.

honestly thats not a bad thing, a quad would probably set off smoke detectors lol

keep it up guys were wearing him down with all the questions! i tricked him into divulging how many emitters there are !

haha jk.

good form :rock: