Introducing the SPY 007

[ouchmyfinger]

Data,

You really do have the best toys! I can't imagine what I'd do to my fingers with that stuff. I have scars just from dealing with folding knives.

Anyway...keep turning that ti into chips. More machining pics, pretty please!

[MSaxatilus]

Dave,

Those pics are from your basement?!?!

Let me know if you have a spare weekend coming up. I'd love to take a ride over the river and finally come see the place.

MSax

[ibcj]

I really like the clean look without the oval cut. Is this a revision or do you still have to make the oval cut for this body ?

[Data]

nystrpr, the pictures you see are of the final design. There will be no changes to the 007 body shape from here on out. Only the serial number placement is TBD. It will not be on the micro rail as I once thought. I am striving to hide it better.


Cheers
Dave

[flashgreenie]

instead of using actual number digits, what about doing it in braille???

http://www.pharmabraille.co.uk/braille-alphabet.html

[Hodsta]

instead of using actual number digits, what about doing it in braille???

http://www.pharmabraille.co.uk/braille-alphabet.html

Flash - I applaud your lateral thinking, that could be quite cool.

I have a blind friend - but she doesn't own a torch for reasons that are obvious.

[Data]

Very cool idea flash but at best it could only be a model of the braille as the standard is for a positive bump (not machinable) and the scale is off by an order of magnitude or more.

[flashgreenie]

Yes, I realize it. I should have been more precise but you got the gist of my thought anyways. It would be a pain to do the actual bumps and in scale.

[Roboholic]

I love your light Dave.

I hate looking here because I will be forced to get one.

Ok I'll take one.

Rob

[BugOutGear_USA]

I defy ANYONE to say (and mean it) that they Don't want one!!!!!!!

I don't want ONE...I want TWO!

[Fuhgetaboudit]

Hey Dave,

Contact me also when one is complete!!
Please don't "Fuhgetaboudit"

Bruce

[paulr]

Would you consider requests for lights with no serial number?

[dizzy]

I don't want ONE...I want TWO!

OK, you got me there......... Hey Dave, I just sold 2 more lights for you!

[Data]

Would you consider requests for lights with no serial number?

The serial number is not going to be noticeable or offensive. It may even end up inside.

[karlthev]

Not quite sure I understand your last post Dave but, it sounds like you're going to have to turn the 007 inside out to pull this one off! Pretty good! I hope you'll post pictures of this phase of the operation, I'm dying to see it!


Karl

[Data]

Karl, it may be on the flat around the battery tubes. I am not sure yet.

[karlthev]

Sorry Dave, I was trying for a little bit of fun with my last post.


Karl

[Data]

I installed a SpiderCool robotic coolant nozzle. The stream is adjustable via a dial on the front panel to let you direct the flow right where it is needed. It remembers each tools setting individually.

[cmacclel]

Cool Dave......


Mac

[jdriller]

you have the coolest toys, Dave!

[Data]

you have the coolest toys, Dave!

. . . pun intended

[kenster]

Cool toys indeed! Hmmm ....... What does it pay a week to operate these cool toys? Go easy on me cause I really can`t afford to pay you too much.

Looking good, Dave! Just hurry it up already!!!!!

Ken

[GhostReaction]

I m in!
I didnt get the spy 005 because it look too tuxedo like, but this evil brother of spy005 just rock my boat!

Does the price include international shipping and a slice of pizza?

[bmstrong]

Dave: Any chance we'll see a firm price for this beauty soon?

[fasteddie]

I'm no expert by any means, but it appears that Dave's robot had too much to drink.

[Data]

I'm no expert by any means, but it appears that Dave's robot had too much to drink.

and he drinks through a straw

[Data]

Dave: Any chance we'll see a firm price for this beauty soon?

A couple things about the 007 including the CPF price of $945:

The MSRP of the titanium 007 is $1075. However, all CPF members will automatically get a 12% discount making the price $945. This discount will be in effect for all of 2008. If you are not a CPF member, please sign up to get the discount.

The 007 will have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser of the light. There are a few exceptions due to abuse and leaking batteries. My intention is for the purchaser to enjoy the 007 and appreciate what went into its creation. If you like it, don’t hesitate to EDC it, as the SPY is engineered to last. Try to wear it out! Also, as was with the 005 the 007 is intrinsically designed to live through current LED technology and be upgradable to newer emitters (Wayne currently offers an upgrade service for the 005).

If you are new to the SPY or have not read about the STFu converter board that Wayne made for the SPY, please check out this thread. In short, it is everything I asked for and then some.

There are four new software features currently being considered for the STFu converter board. The board itself is not changing. Wayne nailed the STFu’s hardware design as it is proving to be nearly indestructible (thank you Wayne (dat2zip)). One new feature on the table is thermal protection. The sensor is already in the uP. The code will access it and limit the total heating of the light. This new feature is necessary due to titanium thermal characteristics and how hot the body can get given the SPY’s small mass and very high power output. The second feature is an automatic turn off feature, a go-to-sleep mode if you will. Third is a power-limiting feature for dealing with accidental turn on and use by minors. The final feature being considered is a single flash indicating that the battery is no longer able to power the light at full power. All of these features should be user settable and so could be deactivated. I plan to detail these new features in this thread very soon and look for feedback on them.

A titanium light is an exotic toy. Many of you have asked if there will be an aluminum 007. One of my goals is to produce more lights in aluminum. I make the titanium 007. Almost every part comes from my machine shop. I am attempting to master titanium and it is not clear to me if I will make the future aluminum SPY body parts or have my partner (Keith) do the future aluminum parts (I will probably do the turned parts as they are easy on my lathe). When depends on my partner’s shop schedule.

More than anything else the $1075 price reflects the costs of the tools and the hours of machining the body and battery cap. The 007 is a machining mega project requiring my CNC production tools many hours to create. The SPY has precise dimensions due to its intricate battery cap and knob mechanisms. The very things that make the SPY complex are the things that make its function and feel. I am excited about and very proud of the 007. I put everything into it that I can.

I am overwhelmed and humbled by the response the 007 has generated. Thank you all for the very kind and generous comments. And also, another big thanks to many of you that helped me during the design phase to reach this vision. Originally I thought that putting out 20 or 25 of these titanium lights would satisfy the initial demand but I don’t know now. To tackle this I am going to release them in small batches. I will strive to keep releasing them in batches for the foreseeable future. It has been three weeks since I started setting up the production fixtures and for the most part everything is ready to go. I have made the production process efficient and I expect it to improve yet. But these machines do not run unattended, each step has to be monitored, if a tool breaks down, the cascading failure can be difficult to right. Also as the tools wear, the tolerances have to be monitored. So due to this I am still unsure as to how much I can assemble the lights while the machines are running. Only time will tell just what the release schedule will be.

Thank you again, everybody . . . the machines are running.


Cheers
Dave

[fasteddie]

Let me be the first to say... "Can I send in my paypal yet?"

It sounds great. I can't wait to get my hands on one. My upgraded 005s get more use than all my other lights combined now. I already have thoughts on the sw upgrade, but I'll wait for the official thread.

[Data]

Let me be the first to say... "Can I send in my paypal yet?"

It sounds great. I can't wait to get my hands on one. My upgraded 005s get more use than all my other lights combined now. I already have thoughts on the sw upgrade, but I'll wait for the official thread.

I want to know what you have to say!

My idea for the power-limiting feature for dealing with accidental turn on in a pocket or back pack is, if you have it enabled, when you turn on the light it will not go over power level 3 till you turn the switch down one stop then back up. Each time the light is turned off this feature resets.

[fasteddie]

One new feature on the table is thermal protection. The sensor is already in the uP.
If its already there, why not put it to use if its going to protect the light. Slightly concerned that it might cut out when you really need the lumination. Can it just decrease the output to a safer level?

The second feature is an automatic turn off feature, a go-to-sleep mode if you will.
I think some of us depend on being able to reset the lowest setting to a tritium-like level to use as a locator. All my 005s are set up that way. It would be a shame if the light went out automatically and defeated this application. The flip side is that sometimes I forget to turn off the light and I end up leaving it on the low setting til I realize it the next night. Good feature as long as we can enable and disable it, or maybe set the timeout value. BTW, will there be tritium slots on the 007?

Third is a power-limiting feature for dealing with accidental turn on and use by minors. Sounds good.

The final feature being considered is a single flash indicating that the battery is no longer able to power the light at full power. I really want to have the option to disable this one. Nothing worse than trying to sleep in a tent and having a light flashing all night, a la HDS locator beam.
If you're gonna make it flash anyways, how bout a locator beam option?