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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Group Buy: Budget CRI 95 LED Strip Lights

At this point i'm dizzy and numb. Every thine there is an update it sounds like the same thing put in a different way. "The end is (always) near" but I read no new info in the "update" to suggest we are anywhere nearer to the end than we were at the last "update"... it's like...
 
Stephen Pruitt said:
Kwan, we're almost home. . . Brandon assures me this will be finished up long before the end of April, and I believe him.

Stephen
Click to expand...

Thanks Stephan,
If this is true... I'd like to congratulate myself (lol), however April is the worst enemy of life my life... (my vote for Mr. Trump even thou I hate this guy - lol)
 
Brandon J.F. said:
Kwan, the engineers are waiting for me to approve the units that are on the way to me. I'm not waiting on them at this point. I'm waiting on DHL.
Click to expand...

I think that now, with our impatience, it's going to be difficult not to approve them...
Is it worth another test? Would you take another chance to make us wait and loose some early believers?

Courage!

Pat
 
Patrick Tresch said:
I think that now, with our impatience, it's going to be difficult not to approve them...
Is it worth another test? Would you take another chance to make us wait and loose some early believers?

Courage!

Pat
Click to expand...

I won't approve it before it's right. All the hardware issues are solved, so, at worst, we may need some software tweaks. Those have always been pretty fast. I'm also not the only one testing it. I have 2 units coming and a 3rd party very experienced with LiteRibbon/LG will be testing. 2 thumbs up and we are a go.

Jamon Lewis said:
At this point i'm dizzy and numb. Every thine there is an update it sounds like the same thing put in a different way. "The end is (always) near" but I read no new info in the "update" to suggest we are anywhere nearer to the end than we were at the last "update"... it's like...
Click to expand...

I understand why it would seem that way. We were very close with the last build, but never got the heat issues totally under control. After further tests the manufacturer said they suggested going from 4 channels to 2 and lowering the frequency (frame rate). I told them that wasn't good enough and to get their engineers together and find another solution. They did, but it required building a whole new circuit board. I opted to go that route even though it delayed things another month. The good news is the heat problem is totally solved with this new build and it has passed every physical test by a significant margin, including running at a full 40A load in a hot room for days with no problem at all.

In hindsight, I wish I could have flown to China with an Epic and got all the timing worked out at their facilities, but we are where we are. The delays have been brutal, but the final unit exceeds our original spec in a number of (very exciting!) ways and we will have the best LED controller on the market at roughly half the price of a RED Touch monitor cable.

The delivery target, due to the holidays over there, is late March. I'll let you know guys know as soon as I have a unit in hand.
 
Jamon Lewis said:
So this next test that you and the 3rd party will be doing are "real world" hardware tests or...?
Click to expand...

Yeah, and I'll be checking it out under a full load, looking for flicker at high frame rates to see where it maxes out, verifying the buttons, switches, and knobs all work as they should, etc. I will be making videos to show you guys.
 
Brandon, hang in there. While this process has taken a long time, one thing that differentiates this GB from others that have taken similarly extended time frames is the fact that you have communicated very well along the way. I think, in situations like this, no one can/should ask for more. Sure, we would all like there to be no mistakes or screw-ups or delays or lapses in intensity of effort but, then again, we all inhabit the real world.

Thanks for having the vision to put this together and the doggedness to see it through, despite the personal difficulties you experienced along the way. It will be great to finally receive these lights but even better to know that they are "right." :thumbsup:
 
ditto what Terry said.
Aloha
A
 
Aloha Brandon,

Thanks for all the hard work you've put in to make sure that the controllers you deliver are up to your exacting standards. It has taken awhile but better to ship out something that works perfectly and has been through enough testing to know that everyone will be very happy with a quality product. I appreciate that you've taken the time needed to get it right. I've worked on water housings and serious stabilization rigs and I know - especially with the stabilization rigs - it can seem like forever before you finally have the concept you'd planned realized and up and running as you envisioned it should.

'Looking forward to the final controllers that have passed all your strict quality controls and checks. That will be a good day - worth waiting for - and it will be a huge accomplishment for you to see your concept finally realized and working well.

All the best...

Aloha and Mahalo,
Mike

Michael S. Ferguson

North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii

EPIC-DRAGON # 01567 "PUEO"
EPIC-DRAGON # 08206 "HONU"
 
Thanks for the support, guys!

Good news! It's working beautifully! This is the best sample I've tested by far!

Tomorrow we'll take a look at the max flicker free FPS. Then we will test it out with my, soon to be completed, 4' x 4' rig that uses 4 rolls of daylight.

There are a few minor cosmetic changes still to do, but take a look...

3Hj6QHA.jpg


(The printing is temporary. It will be bright white on the final units.)
 
I told Brandon that I think it looks great, too! Can't wait!

Stephen
 
Aloha Brendon,

'Lookin' good! Well done.

Thanks again for all your hard work and for taking the time to get them perfected before you release them.

Mahalo!

Aloha,
Mike
 
looks good, cosmetics don't matter...ship it!!!
 
Awesome Brandon!
 
fobcd9u.jpg

(Variable strips set to a random color temp and dimmed down.)

Update: I'm not seeing flicker at 250fps (1/500th shutter) and I'm looking at 1:1 on a 60" TV. Scaled to HD, there's no visible flicker even at 500fps.

The original spec is 120fps flicker free. Looks like we are double that.

I am simulating the high frame rates by adjusting the shutter. I will test on every camera I can get my hands on. Visiting a local rental house for more tests this week...

For what it's worth, it's also flicker free at 120fps on my 1+ One (Android) phone. That's the highest it goes. I also shot a clip with my iPad at 240fps, and there's no flicker.

The way it looks now, officially, we'll probably call it 200+ FPS flicker free.

That work for you guys? :)

Lots of people are PMing me asking about buying more lights, controllers, the next group buy, etc. To save time, please include your email. I'm adding everyone to a list.

More tests coming, but this proving to be a hard beast to break. :) I think we did it. The finish line is fast approaching!

Oh, and I have a few surprise features to announce soon...
 
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