Group Buy: Budget CRI 95 LED Strip Lights

[Jean Déraps]

Thanks Jean,
what do you mean by "standard light stand" ? The whole assembly right now is around 3 pounds, which is already pretty lightweight.
Now as I said I'm looking for an even lighter and more versatile mounting solution (that would be articulated and preferably aluminium rather than steel), but this one already works fine on a lightweight aluminium stand, that's what I have it mounted to right now.

But the grip head and plate probably weigh more than the fixture itself!!!!

 

[joshua gitersonke]

Seems as though you guys didn't see this when I posted it before. It's very light. Works great. I made the fixture a few years ago with diva bulbs in mind. I'll be changing them up a bit for the led strips.

 

[Jean Déraps]

I did see that Joshua...and thanks. But are you planning on going into mass production soon?

Does anyone know whether this would be robust enough for some fixtures?

http://www.filmtools.com/msefocohocat.html

 

[Nils Rausch]

I would love to buy some spools before August. As i was to late for the first GB, i would very much appreciate the possibility of a small run in between. How much would it be for the spools and what is the price for the controllers now. With all those changes and not beeing part of the group buy i didn't follow it all. Are there extra dimmers for the daylight and tungsten strips, or does one need the controller for dimming? If there are extra dimmers, how much are they? Maybe someone can answer me my questions and i don't have to bother Brandon. I think it is a great opportunity, and Brandon is doing a fabulous job! Thank you!

 

[joshua gitersonke]

I bought it at modern studio equipment in Los Angeles. I can't remember how much it was but it was reasonable.

 

[Jean Déraps]

I bought it at modern studio equipment in Los Angeles. I can't remember how much it was but it was reasonable.

Oh, I misunderstood! I though you meant you'd made it yourself! Do you know what they call the thing?

 

[Brandon J.F.]

I'll have to chime in too here. Brandon has always responded very quickly, and has done a tremendous amount of work for this group buy.

So, sure, it has taken longer than initially expected (as do most of the group buys, by the way), but there are good reasons behind that. I'm sure these dimmers will be worth the wait.

A few days ago I received the 3 fixed strips I had ordered (I also ordered 12 variable strips, which I will get when the dimmers are ready, so I'm in the same boat as everybody here), and I've been playing with them, trying to build a first fixture that would be similar to a 2 feet kino.

This is just a first iteration, I'll certainly make some changes for future versions, but I'm already pretty happy with this first test.
It is extremely lightweight (less than 3 pounds, and the mount alone is nearly 1 pound, so the fixture in itself is around 2 pounds), and compact (smaller profile than a kinoflo).
The light quality is excellent, better than the already very good Cineroid LM400 I've been using for years.
And it can be powered on batteries.
In the future I will try to make this as modular as possible, I already have a few ideas that I wanna try. Pretty exciting.

Oh, and it costs a tenth of any similar fixture that you could buy anywhere else. Fantastic value. 100% worth the wait. And it's just the beginning.

So, thank you Brandon for going through all this trouble.

Happy to do it, Nils. Aside from the recent board drama, this group buy has been a lot of fun. I love this fixture you built! I definitely need something like this.

I did see that Joshua...and thanks. But are you planning on going into mass production soon?

Does anyone know whether this would be robust enough for some fixtures?

http://www.filmtools.com/msefocohocat.html

I will test this out. You may be able to Velcro a lightweight fixture right to the plate. Then you could use a single fixture in a variety of situations.

I would love to buy some spools before August. As i was to late for the first GB, i would very much appreciate the possibility of a small run in between. How much would it be for the spools and what is the price for the controllers now. With all those changes and not beeing part of the group buy i didn't follow it all. Are there extra dimmers for the daylight and tungsten strips, or does one need the controller for dimming? If there are extra dimmers, how much are they? Maybe someone can answer me my questions and i don't have to bother Brandon. I think it is a great opportunity, and Brandon is doing a fabulous job! Thank you!

I got your messages. I'll reply to you tonight. I have ~30 private messages and a bunch of emails to go through. Sorry for the delay.

Sorry no time to read every post...

I'm indexing important updates at the top of the first post on the first page to make it easier on you guys. Check there from time to time for the latest.

(I think your questions were answered, and I sent you a PM too)

Also, I just did a white balance on my Epic, on a white surface : 5800°K and most importantly, tint at almost 0 (-0,2 or so). So, no green or magenta cast. Yey !
As a comparison, the Cineroid LM400, which are already pretty good, gave me a -7 tint (green cast)

Yeah, these lights rock. I'm really glad you are happy with them.

Hey guys, I just thought I'd say something as well. Not that I have much of a reputation on Reduser(Other than this one forum, but I have worked for a handful of "RedUsers" from this forum) But I got and still have one of the prototype dimmer(Controller). There was a few things that needed to change and Brandon also agreed. I'm sure it's frustrating not having something that you ordered last year. All I would like to say is I think it's definitely worth the initial wait, and the dimmer does exist! The way I see it is, once this controller comes out, and Brandon gets this group buy all finished up, then I'm sure it'll be much smoother sailing. I'm sure there will be other prototype products that will take time to get from idea to product, but at least after this one, everyone will have the basics covered. LED, Controller, Power Supply. These types of LEDs are great things to have. But if you want something that has been already made and tested, then I recommend buying LiteGear. But I think it's awesome being part of the whole process. Luckily I found out about this group buy at the last second, but it's come a long way, and I think it's only going to get better after this one. Especially after the basic components have been made.

And one last thing, I'm pretty sure Brandon did mention he was going over seas and gave an option to ship the strips before he left, or to wait till the controller is finished. So it's kind of harsh to say it's a scam, because I'm sure I'm not the only one that got the strips I ordered. Sure everyone expected the controllers to be done sooner, even I did. But there was some hickups.

I can't wait till there's some sort of online store. It'll be great to buy existing products and then being able to invest into new developments/ideas. I think if we need to get 73 more buyers for the dimmers, I totally think we should get a webstore idea going. I'm constantly working on new things with these LEDs, and I would love the idea of just buying product when I need it, rather than waiting for another group buy.

So needless to say, I am totally in for the private webstore idea!

I really appreciate your help torture testing the first controller prototype, Corey. As you know from our private discussions, there is a lot more to come. Anyone claiming this is a scam is simply not paying attention. I'm not going to throw away my whole career over a group buy. It's a difficult situation to be in charge of getting this controller made. I can't rush it out before it's ready or I risk disappointing people (and myself), but if I take the time to get it right, people, understandably, get angry about the delays. I'm absolutely determined to make sure this controller exceeds everyone's expectations and we are 95% there. They have done 3 PCB redesigns, 3 case redesigns, and 4 iterations of the software. This all takes time, but it's for all our benefit. As you said, once this is done, the basics are in place and it will be much smoother sailing from here on out. This is just the beginning...

option 1 makes sense.....

Appreciate your hard work Brandon, hopefully this comes to an end soon.

+1 for option #1

Option 1 seems like a no brainer.

I would go with Option 1.

Option 1 please.

And for what it's worth, my vote goes to option 1. Everybody wins.

Couldn't agree more guys...

I was one of the few that elected to take early delivery of single color spools when Brandon offered that option. I'm very satisfied with them and am very excited to get the variable spools, and these cool custom controllers we all chimed in to "help" develop. Brandon has done his best in keeping us informed of the progress at every point. I would not misconstrue his momentum as anything but reflecting the demand and interest many of us has shown here.

You summed up the situation perfectly in the last sentence. I have people contacting me every day about wanting in on this. If we do a small run of lights now and clear the waiting list then our numbers will be even bigger when we do the next group buy in August because I guarantee people will want more. This solves our problem of needing to find buyers for 73 more controllers now. There are also a number of accessories that, while inexpensive, require we order in large amounts. Adding 100 people to our group right now gives us much more leverage for the second Group Buy. We all win.

 

[Patrick Tresch]

Brandon, I'm with you. Do what you think is best to get things going.

Pat

 

[Jamon Lewis]

If anybody has a daylight roll or 2 that they're looking to unload shoot me a PM.

 

[Nils Ruinet]

Seems as though you guys didn't see this when I posted it before. It's very light. Works great. I made the fixture a few years ago with diva bulbs in mind. I'll be changing them up a bit for the led strips.

Thanks Joshua, that looks like a nice option. Haven't found it on their website though.

I just remembered, Cool Lights had a DIY section where they sold some spare parts. Just had a look, maybe some of these could work, and the prices are pretty reasonable.
http://www.coollights.biz/stands-and-grip-c-34.html
Not sure if the company still exists though, the website hasn't changed for years now... Maybe I'll try to send him an email.

 

[Nils Ruinet]

Seems as though you guys didn't see this when I posted it before.

Actually, I've been thinking about this, and with nearly 1500 posts, I'm sure there are loads of great information and ideas that will get lost in this thread.
Maybe I'll try to create a little blog to centralize all our findings. Not sure what the best way would be so people can easily contribute...

 

[Brandon J.F.]

Actually, I've been thinking about this, and with nearly 1500 posts, I'm sure there are loads of great information and ideas that will get lost in this thread.
Maybe I'll try to create a little blog to centralize all our findings. Not sure what the best way would be so people can easily contribute...

I'm going to go through and pull informative posts and update the second post on the first page with them at some point soon, so it will be easy for people to find this stuff. Everything will be indexed. So, don't worry... A blog post is a good idea too though. There is a lot of good information to dig through in this thread. It won't be buried.

 

[Herbert Massey]

I posted this before, but it bears repeating for anyone considering velcro,

Since finding out about Scotch Extreme fasteners, velcro is dead to me:http://www.homedepot.com/p/Scotch-1-in-x-3-in-Black-Extreme-Fasteners-RF6731/204465390

It can hold up to 10 lbs. It's stiff on both sides, so when joined together, there is no wobble between the joined items. I plan on using it to make the avenger plates on my lights removable.

Currently I use it to mount a small quick release to my battery plate.

 

[Jack Allred]

If you want a refund now, email me. I'll buy your stuff out of my own pocket. I need more anyways.

I just emailed you for a refund. Thanks Brandon.

 

[Kirby Hamilton]

Emailed for a refund. Thanks.

 

[Brandon J.F.]

I just emailed you for a refund. Thanks Brandon.

It's not really a refund. I'm buying your lights. Money is on the way.

Emailed for a refund. Thanks.

I need to find a buyer for your stuff. Shouldn't be a problem. Give me a few days.

Do keep in mind guys, that everything is bought, paid for, and every received except for the controllers which are days away from being locked down. I should have a final controller to sign off on this week or early next. Then our production run begins. We are a few weeks away from everything being shipped out.

 

[Kwan Khan]

We are a few weeks away from everything being shipped out.

I deeply appreciate your hard efforts on this Group-Buy however, this few weeks delayed is going on for a while and this situation is keep pushing me to rent panels to complete my ongoing projects. I do not want refund, however (please except my sincere apologies) If this time their engineers fail and request for more time then I will be forced to request for refund (for 14 strips and 2 controller) and move on Plan B.

No hard feeling and Please continue your good efforts

 

[Zhen Jie]

Such is the reality of production delays. Because being promised the delivery time prior, they order in hopes that it would be received by then. But all the delays will inevitably result in situations like this.

I'm not sure if I would like to sit through another round of delays, but I feel that Brandon, you're nothing short of exceptional on doing the best you can for this GB, I think I speak for many of us here when I say that you have gone above and beyond your calling especially when you're in the middle of filming a project. We appreciate it very much.

Unlike me who's wililng to wait through and didn't peg my LEDs to a job that was coming up, it's still an acceptable wait, but those who have pegged their purchases to an upcoming job are now very likely to question the delivery time, and to a degree, preferring to have a refund to get ready-made fixtures.

Hope everyone hangs tight and that the engineers do their work well so minimize any more delays.

 

[Scott C]

Such is the reality of production delays. Because being promised the delivery time prior, they order in hopes that it would be received by then. But all the delays will inevitably result in situations like this.

I'm not sure if I would like to sit through another round of delays, but I feel that Brandon, you're nothing short of exceptional on doing the best you can for this GB, I think I speak for many of us here when I say that you have gone above and beyond your calling especially when you're in the middle of filming a project. We appreciate it very much.

Unlike me who's wililng to wait through and didn't peg my LEDs to a job that was coming up, it's still an acceptable wait, but those who have pegged their purchases to an upcoming job are now very likely to question the delivery time, and to a degree, preferring to have a refund to get ready-made fixtures.

Hope everyone hangs tight and that the engineers do their work well so minimize any more delays.

+1.

 

[Manfred Lopez]

I've been away for a while. Looks like I have a lot of catch-up reading to do on this thread.