I know a few people were interested in my progress on lighting components. Well, I've been sitting on a large number of Mini Lights and forgot to show everyone what they're like.



The picture is not the best in the world, but it will definitely give everyone an idea of the size (yes, that's a quarter). The animated GIF below shows the S2000's footwells being lit with a single Mini in each well. The camera was set to make images as similar to real-world viewing as possible (yes, they're pretty darn bright ).



Technically, the Footwell Tubes (which should be arriving from the manufacturing facility at the end of the month) were designed for this job, but Minis were the only thing I had on hand while we were taking pictures. They all use the same LEDs, so truthfully, it doesn't really matter. These are perfect for replacing the map lights, putting in A/C vents, lighting up the door handles, etc. Due to their small size but ultra-wide viewing angle, they're also ideal for edge-lighting plexiglass enclosures and logos.

When power is first applied, the Minis fade up from black to a bright white and stay white for 8-10 seconds. After that, they repeat a slow, smooth fade through every color of the rainbow. You can either leave it cycling, or choose a specific color by shorting two contacts with a supplied jumper. If a specific color is chosen, it is stored in memory for the next time the Mini is powered up. Short the contacts again to start the color cycling again.

Every Mini is coated in silicone for water resistance, and a polycarbonate/Lexan tube is an option for those really rough environments. A Festoon Lamp Socket Module is also available to allow plug-and-play replacement of map lights, door lights, trunk lights, etc.

Comments/suggestions welcome, as always. Let me know if you can think of any other uses.

 

Space reserved for further comments...

 

Do you have any plans to make footwell lights similar to the S2000 pictured above?

 

Please note: Although Minis were used to light up the Footwells for some of the pics, there will be a separate piece (Footwell Tubes) designed specifically for that job. These should be back from the assembly house by the end of the month. First, you get the benefit of a hard polycarbonate casing (most know the GE brand name of Lexan), so even if someone slams their foot up into the well, you don't have to worry about the piece surviving (although they're pretty darn durable even as a bare board). Tube size is a mere 0.75" x 2". Second, you get the extra functionality the tubes will offer, such as multiple active-high and active-low inputs (so you can hook them to your map lights and door pin), as well as enabling a fading option (light stays on for 8-10 seconds after the door is closed, then slowly fades to black). Once they come in, Footwell Tubes (and the Brakelight Tubes) will be $65 each, which makes a pair cheaper than my original design (one main controller and two LED strips, priced at $140 + S/H). I will post a new topic once these are ready.

 

To make things easy on everyone, all pricing includes UPS Ground shipping. The Minis are $45 for one, or $40/each 2+ (10+, we'll talk).

I had a nice image of the Minis lighting up the engine bay and grille of an S2000, but the board won't allow me to attach images greater than 1 byte . So, if you want to see it, you'll have to check out this thread on s2ki.com:
http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php...T&f=5&t=241707

 

$45 for one little light.
Now that's a money-maker!

 

This isn't the first time I've seen people balk at the price. I know $45 seems like a lot, but this is one of those cases where you get what you pay for. Ultra-small size, ultra-bright, offers every color in the rainbow, the boards are plated in 99.99% pure gold for corrosion resistance and covered in silicone, and the price includes shipping.

So, I always suggest to people the same thing... go to eBay, attempt to find a light as small and bright as mine (you won't find both at the same time), determine it doesn't offer anything extra or change color, add in the typical $15 shipping charge, then look at my pieces again. A few still consider it a high price, but most come around. My feelings aren't hurt either way.

One other thing I'll mention... you will not be able to find a SINGLE person who has been unhappy with my pieces. There are 50-60 350Z and S2000 windscreens out there lit with my designs, and every single one of them is happy with their purchase. Even when minor problems would show up, I immediately take care of it. Has anyone has the same luck with the generic pieces found on eBay? Probably not.

 

Just to kick up some more dirt....
Since the fact that some gold is on this little circuit board seems to be one of your key points, just what exactly is the total mass of this 99.9% pure gold for corrosion resistance?

Just to clarify, I'm all for what you are doing and think those little bad boys are actually pretty cool.

 

I'll let you do the math for the total mass. The board is roughly 1.3" x 0.6", probably about 20% of the surface is gold plated. Plating thickness is in the 5-8 microinch range. This is on top of a 120-240 uin layer of Nickel (which, of course, resides on top of the bare copper traces).

I should also add that although this seems quite thin, this thickness is typical of the process. Anything less than about 4 uin and the plating can fail to do its job, any thicker than about 12 uin and the gold will eventually combine with the copper in the traces/solder and the connection will eventually fail.

This is similar to the gold plating you'll see on switch contacts and the fingers of plug-in cards for your computer.

 

anyway to get these in amber to match our gauges?

 

They display whatever color you set them to... they're full color modules.

 

how are these wired? i want to see someone actually use one of these before i order

 

See the gold strips at either end of the board? A 3-4" lead will be connected to both. If you order the Festoon Socket Module, it will have the Module attached by 4" leads... remove the incandescent bulbs and snap these back in their place, simple as that.

I'm not sure how else I can show them to you. Several S2000s now have them installed, a group buy has been started on the S board.

 

I'm pretty surprised, I thought the Z crowd would love these. On the S board, people are ordering Minis in groups of 10 at a time (sending out the first batch to people tomorrow), and I don't even have the Footwell Tubes and Brakelight Tubes for sale yet.

<shrug> Oh well...

 

MacGyver,

I think the problem is that you haven't defined your product very well. You have talked about various types of lights for months and months and product availability was always a month away. It's not clear what you are selling. For instance I would be interested in "amber" color footwell lights that match nicely with the Z's guage set. I don't want it to be overly bright. I want it to be just right. I saw in one of your posts about rainbow colors that can be set for a single color. It wasn't crystal clear if "amber" or orange was one of the colors. I think you said somewhere that it lights up white first then goes to a color. I am just interested in a plain old boring solid orange. I think I remember from another post somewhere that "red" was one of the colors not orange.

But back to my main point. If you have a product to sell please define it better. For instance it would be helpful if you could define some of the following:

- What are we actually buying?
- Where does it mount for a footwell installation?
- How does it hook into the electrical system?
- Do you include easy to follow directions?
- What comes with the kit?
- Do you have pictures of the kit?
- Pictures of the lights installed (both turned off and on)?

The people on this board need a little more substance.

Thanks

autobahn

 

Looks great! I'd definately consider if I had some $$$ (other than my gas money)

 

Good points, thanks Autobahn... it all stems form me writing so many "This is what i'm working on now" threads, it's easy for me to forget just how much or little info I put in each post. So, on to answering your questions. I'm also used to the S board where I'm allowed to edit my posts days, weeks, or even months after posting... this board only allows me an hour, which means useful info tends to get spread throughout the thread instead of giving me an opportunity to keep it all in the first post.

Product - The first product is called a Mini Light, appropriately named due to its small size. The first pic in this thread is of two Minis (front and back) next to a quarter for size reference. They were designed to be very small so they could be placed almost anywhere.

Producable colors - If you can see the color in the rainbow, you can display it with the Mini. Red, green, blue, purple, yellow, aqua, and any shade in between. It offers nearly 2.1 million colors, so yes, amber is in there somewhere... you just stop the color cycle at the right time.

Where to put it - Anywhere you need a wide-angle flood of light. Suggested places are maplight replacements (a Socket Module option allows for quick plug-and-play, no soldering option), in the trunk, in the engine bay between your hood and hood liner, A/C vents, and door handles, just to name a few. They may also be placed in the footwells, but a separate product with extra functionality designed specifically for that task will be out near the end of this month.

How to hook it up -It will probably take you more time to decide WHERE to install the Minis than it will actually installing them. It's as simple as power and ground, that's it. They're not shown in the photo above, but the metal strips along the sides will have a 3-4" wire attached. They can be held in place with double-sided tape, velcro, or whatever else you have on hand.

Instructions - An instruction manual is included, but it will take you all of about 30 seconds to read the operating instructions. This piece is about as uncomplicated as you can get.

Accessories - A couple of items are available as accessories. The first is a Festoon Lamp Socket Module, as mentioned above, which allows an easy replacement of your maplights (or any other light that uses Festoon-style bulbs). The second is a polycarbonate tube for those times when you absolutely must have a watertight seal (the Minis come coated in silicone).

Pictures - Pictures of the unit when off and on can be seen at the top of this thread. Some more pics can be found in the S2000 thread here:
http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php...T&f=5&t=241707

<edit> I forgot to include color

Does that about cover everything?

 

Here's your requested calculation, for the gold aspect of your marketing strategy:

1.3inx0.6inx(8x10^-6in) give us a gold volume of 6.24x10^-6in^3

(6.24x10^6 in^3) x (16.39cm^3/in^3 x 19.33g/cm^3 x 0.0353oz/g x $422.5/oz =$0.03 for 24karat gold(pure) on each chip!

That's not a whole lot of gold.

Adjust appropriately for whatever gold purity is actually on those chips.


PS. I really wish the vb Code for [sup]superscript[/sup] worked as that would make that whole bit look quite nice.

 

Thanks for taking my post the way I intended it.

I didn't know about the map light option.

Okay I'm still interested in the footwell option and now maybe the maplight. I still have questions about installation. You say it's wasy to wire but the point is I want my footwell lights to be an automatic extension of the "dome" light. Meaning when you open the door the footwell "amber" lights light up. So the instructions I would expect for a "customer friendly" installation is for the 350Z specificallt how to we tie into the circuit that will automatically turn on the footwell lights when the door is opened.

For the maplight is this truely a "plug-in" for the white lights we have mounted in the headliner on the Z? Is it just like a "bulb" replacement?

Thanks again.

autobahn

 

juhko, I'm not sure what you were expecting the amount of gold to be. The thickness I quoted is exactly what you would find on any other board plated in gold (unless the board is plated incorrectly). The fingers of plug-in cards for PCs, cell phone boards, etc. all use the same general process. When companies claim they're reclaiming precious metals by melting chips, this is about the amount you would expect to get.


Autobahn, The Socket Module makes the Minis a true plug-and-play deal. Pull the old bulb out and snap the module back in its place. It's a simplistic approach, and looks like a homemade fuse (for lack of a better description).

The Footwell Tubes have an active-high and an active-low input, which means +12V on one input activates the light, and ground on the other input accomplishes the same goal. Since most door pins tend to be active-low (door pin grounds out a wire), and maplights tends to be active high (power is applied to a lightbulb), in most cases you can hook the Tube up to both the door pin and the maplight at the same time.

I don't have a Z, so I cannot say what the specific wire colors are, but all it will take is one person to take a look at the wire color coming from the door pin and post it here. If you would like an example of what my instruction manuals are like, I have a link to some "prototype" manuals in the 'Updates' page from about a month and a half ago.