Hi guys,
It seems a good time to provide some background, potential options and a status update on the SunDrop.
First a little history. When I designed the SunDrop, I saw it as being either of the "x2" platform (PD style) or of the E-series (Aleph) platform. I knew it would have a limited and niche market and not be considered tactical, what so ever. At the time, Wayne was developing the GDuP and I felt the SunDrop, if offered in a multi-level version, would be ideally suited for use with the GDuP. I opted for the E-series platform due to all of the potential options and converter possibilities. Well as fate would have it, as the SunDrop components started coming in, access to converters and converter options became restricted.
At this point, a little more than half of the 100 SunDrop sets have been assembled and released to the community. I have ~45 sets ready to go once I have built the LE and it's simply a question of getting converters so I can build the LE.
For good color rendition which I believe is the primary role where the Nichia High CRI LED shines, I believe you need the LED driven at full power and a single speed converter will provide this. I have some GD converters on order with Wayne and Cindy and with these, I can build 1x123 SunDrops which will perform well on either CR123 or R123 batteries. However, personally, in addition to good color rendition, I also would like my SunDrop to be viable in applications where I have been using a mule and for that reason, I want less output as an option and a three speed is my answer.
A number of months back, I sent Wayne a request for quotation on a large number of GDuP converters. I figured first up would be the SunDrop wave and I could do follow ups as well as branch out into some other 3-speed designs. Well building a large number of GDuP's didn't fit with Wayne's business plan as it turned out and I was informed that if and when the "black out" period on the GDuP was lifted, I was welcome to purchase the converters from the shoppe just like everybody else. This was a reasonable decision on Wayne's part but unfortunately I couldn't make any plans with the uncertainty of access or availability of the GDuP. The first wave of SunDrops was in a single speed offering as a result.
In the mean time, I have been working with a friend in Japan who has a designer who has come up with a 3-speed buck/boost converter which works well with a single cell pak and the 083LED. I have a SunDrop proto hosting this converter and in the spirit of being a real weenie, I have mine! :nana:
I had hoped by now these 3 speed converters would be on order and in process. In reality, we are getting close but there are some real logistic problems and desirable economies of scale we simply can't meet. Broken reel quantities can be painful if even made available and less than reel quantities of a chip that needs to be programed prior to mounting is a real hurdle at the moment. It does seem that we can get there but these converters are going to be expensive and I anticipate a non trivial premium on any SunDrop I may be able to build using one of these. At present, the possibility of using a three speed in this first set of SunDrops is questionable and this is vapor in a rather volatile atmosphere. Because it is a possibility, however remote, I wanted to let you guys know of it.
Because the SunDrop head is of the E-series platform, in addition to using it with the 1x123 McClickie paks I already have set aside with the existing heads, I now have the option of using the SunDrop head with some 2x123 McClickie paks I just got in. To add to the momentum of such a consideration is the fact that I have plenty SOB converters on hand and can actually build an extended play SunDrop now with components on hand. Such an extended play SunDrop has the ability of running on 2xCR123 or 2xR123.
I don't see that I have anything to loose in offering to build some of these extended play SunDrop lights other than the fact that whatever I do here will reduce the size of the waves of SunDrops later unless I commit to another run of titanium heads and paks. Because the SunDrop is a niche item and the program has been haltered from the outset, I have no feel for the advisability of going for another set. Obviously the smart thing to do is wait and see how things go.
So to try to recap, as I see it, I have three primary options to consider in my plans with the SunDrop and ranked by their time frame:
1) At Present: Build extended play SunDrop using SOB 333 & 2x123 pak (1 speed light, any 2x battery set and a price of $460)
2) Soon (hopefully before Sept) build the normal SunDrop using GD 333 & 1x123 pak (one speed light, any battery and a price of $400)
3) Maybe (Sept or Nov) build a 3 speed SunDrop using a 3 speed converter and 1x123 pak (any battery and price unknown but likely around $450)
Looking beyond the next few months, I am very hopeful that I will be building more SunDrops of whatever configuration because I really like the light, believe in what it has to offer and not to hide anything, I have a good number of the sapphire lenses, LED's and LE components that need to be used somewhere! :green:
In light of the 2x123paks now being offered, it seemed a good time to update on the SunDrop and in the not surprising case I have missed something obvious, I want to open this up to discussion and comment.
On a preemptive note, this discussion is about titanium paks and heads. Aluminum hosts are not topical here. In addition, once I have converters on hand, I won't rule out the possibility of offering some LE's separately or perhaps at least included in any Aleph McMule EN sets I may still have on hand.
This was a long ramble and to any of you who made it this far, thanks.
It seems a good time to provide some background, potential options and a status update on the SunDrop.
First a little history. When I designed the SunDrop, I saw it as being either of the "x2" platform (PD style) or of the E-series (Aleph) platform. I knew it would have a limited and niche market and not be considered tactical, what so ever. At the time, Wayne was developing the GDuP and I felt the SunDrop, if offered in a multi-level version, would be ideally suited for use with the GDuP. I opted for the E-series platform due to all of the potential options and converter possibilities. Well as fate would have it, as the SunDrop components started coming in, access to converters and converter options became restricted.
At this point, a little more than half of the 100 SunDrop sets have been assembled and released to the community. I have ~45 sets ready to go once I have built the LE and it's simply a question of getting converters so I can build the LE.
For good color rendition which I believe is the primary role where the Nichia High CRI LED shines, I believe you need the LED driven at full power and a single speed converter will provide this. I have some GD converters on order with Wayne and Cindy and with these, I can build 1x123 SunDrops which will perform well on either CR123 or R123 batteries. However, personally, in addition to good color rendition, I also would like my SunDrop to be viable in applications where I have been using a mule and for that reason, I want less output as an option and a three speed is my answer.
A number of months back, I sent Wayne a request for quotation on a large number of GDuP converters. I figured first up would be the SunDrop wave and I could do follow ups as well as branch out into some other 3-speed designs. Well building a large number of GDuP's didn't fit with Wayne's business plan as it turned out and I was informed that if and when the "black out" period on the GDuP was lifted, I was welcome to purchase the converters from the shoppe just like everybody else. This was a reasonable decision on Wayne's part but unfortunately I couldn't make any plans with the uncertainty of access or availability of the GDuP. The first wave of SunDrops was in a single speed offering as a result.
In the mean time, I have been working with a friend in Japan who has a designer who has come up with a 3-speed buck/boost converter which works well with a single cell pak and the 083LED. I have a SunDrop proto hosting this converter and in the spirit of being a real weenie, I have mine! :nana:
I had hoped by now these 3 speed converters would be on order and in process. In reality, we are getting close but there are some real logistic problems and desirable economies of scale we simply can't meet. Broken reel quantities can be painful if even made available and less than reel quantities of a chip that needs to be programed prior to mounting is a real hurdle at the moment. It does seem that we can get there but these converters are going to be expensive and I anticipate a non trivial premium on any SunDrop I may be able to build using one of these. At present, the possibility of using a three speed in this first set of SunDrops is questionable and this is vapor in a rather volatile atmosphere. Because it is a possibility, however remote, I wanted to let you guys know of it.
Because the SunDrop head is of the E-series platform, in addition to using it with the 1x123 McClickie paks I already have set aside with the existing heads, I now have the option of using the SunDrop head with some 2x123 McClickie paks I just got in. To add to the momentum of such a consideration is the fact that I have plenty SOB converters on hand and can actually build an extended play SunDrop now with components on hand. Such an extended play SunDrop has the ability of running on 2xCR123 or 2xR123.
I don't see that I have anything to loose in offering to build some of these extended play SunDrop lights other than the fact that whatever I do here will reduce the size of the waves of SunDrops later unless I commit to another run of titanium heads and paks. Because the SunDrop is a niche item and the program has been haltered from the outset, I have no feel for the advisability of going for another set. Obviously the smart thing to do is wait and see how things go.
So to try to recap, as I see it, I have three primary options to consider in my plans with the SunDrop and ranked by their time frame:
1) At Present: Build extended play SunDrop using SOB 333 & 2x123 pak (1 speed light, any 2x battery set and a price of $460)
2) Soon (hopefully before Sept) build the normal SunDrop using GD 333 & 1x123 pak (one speed light, any battery and a price of $400)
3) Maybe (Sept or Nov) build a 3 speed SunDrop using a 3 speed converter and 1x123 pak (any battery and price unknown but likely around $450)
Looking beyond the next few months, I am very hopeful that I will be building more SunDrops of whatever configuration because I really like the light, believe in what it has to offer and not to hide anything, I have a good number of the sapphire lenses, LED's and LE components that need to be used somewhere! :green:
In light of the 2x123paks now being offered, it seemed a good time to update on the SunDrop and in the not surprising case I have missed something obvious, I want to open this up to discussion and comment.
On a preemptive note, this discussion is about titanium paks and heads. Aluminum hosts are not topical here. In addition, once I have converters on hand, I won't rule out the possibility of offering some LE's separately or perhaps at least included in any Aleph McMule EN sets I may still have on hand.
This was a long ramble and to any of you who made it this far, thanks.
