USB (or serial, though serial ports may soon or already be fading away on cheaper computers) would be just fine as far as I'm concerned. Even a simple on device panel is ok for me to program the lights. Does it have battery backup to maintain the clock in a power failure?
It'd be more likely to be USB, than serial for the reason you stated.
Either way it'd have a battery backed up clock.
-Chris
AI - KD
Quote:
Originally Posted by NaClFinatic
USB (or serial, though serial ports may soon or already be fading away on cheaper computers) would be just fine as far as I'm concerned. Even a simple on device panel is ok for me to program the lights. Does it have battery backup to maintain the clock in a power failure?
As far as I am concerned if all you need to talk to the computer for is initial programing USB would be just fine. Would it be possible to make the processor (or whatever it would be called) in the light something that would be easy to pop off? That way you wouldn't need to drag the fixture off of your tank if you wanted to re-program it. (I walk with crutches and can't carry big stuff so I really appreciate things that are small enough to go in a pocket or small bag.)
Chris, i agree, the ethernet connection belongs with the controller more than with the light. but i would say that the controller should be able to collect data from a and configure the light fully if a person were to buy it. it would override the internal panel from that aspect, but the internal panel could still be used..
as far as having the mini panel for basic config, i think that would be fine as long as its a multi-line LCD or something.. just thinking of there interface, would not the words and options to be scrolling or hard to read because the screen is too small. i understand some will, but just wanted to through that out there,
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The light would have a connector on it allowing the user to connect it to our controller we plan to release in the future.
The internal panel would still be available to control the light fixture if desired.
Our current prototypes are using a 16x2 character LCD, which seems to be a nice size and comfortably allow everything to fit.
I should have some renderings/pictures of the new design later this week.
-Chris
AI - KD
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob
Chris, i agree, the ethernet connection belongs with the controller more than with the light. but i would say that the controller should be able to collect data from a and configure the light fully if a person were to buy it. it would override the internal panel from that aspect, but the internal panel could still be used..
as far as having the mini panel for basic config, i think that would be fine as long as its a multi-line LCD or something.. just thinking of there interface, would not the words and options to be scrolling or hard to read because the screen is too small. i understand some will, but just wanted to through that out there,
I apologize for not having anything new and exciting to post at the moment. I'm not a big fan of a thread gaining moment, then going stale.
A week ago, we sent a prototype unit off to Dana Riddle for his evaluation. As you know, he has a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge in this area.
We hope to have some initial test data back in the next week. Until then, our posts (unless questions/comments arise) will probably be a bit stagnant.
Thanks for all the supportive input so far; this was the response we had hoped for.
All this talk of USB/Ethernet/serial port is very interesting but I just thought I would throw something into the mix as it doesn't seam to have been brought up. These lights are sitting on top of a tank of warm salt water, any evaporation can possibly find it's way into an open socket and will corrode the connection. Then the owner will have a partially functioning light sitting on top of the tank after a few yrs as opposed to something lasting 10 yrs +.
Reef Boy I was just reading over this thread and had the same thought.
Well my idea for what it is worth (probably not a lot as this thread seams to be little old) is to use an optical connector like you find on home stereos.
This could be plugged in to a small usb device and programmed on your pc (or disconnected and programmed then would update light when plugged back in).
This usb device could then be replaced with the new controller that has Ethernet access.
If we did put a port on the fixture, we'd supply a cover of some sort for when a cable is not connected to prevent corrosion of the contacts.
I like the optical idea; that's an interesting concept. It'd require a specific protocol to be written, but a good idea.
We are currently designing the fixture to have a character LCD built into the end cap with a 'headphone' jack for future expandability. The fixture is designed to be set and forgotten.
On another note, testing has been going well. We've identified some areas we need to work on, but our PAR output is about 2.25x the other LED fixture(s) and around 1.5x a 250W MH (>1400 microMole photons per square meter per second).
We are working on our color spectrum to increase PUR.
I'll keep you updated.
-Chris
AI - KD
Last edited by cclough_KeyDev; 04-10-2007 at 06:30 PM.
Testing with Dana has gone well; he has been great to work with and an invaluable resource.
We are working on a few array changes; we could start production now, but we want to make sure it is 'the best' it can be.
As I said in my previous post we found the PAR values to be a good deal higher than a 250W MH (>1400 microMole photons per square meter per second) which is pretty impressive. Our changes may reduce this some, but the overall effective area will be increased.
We changed our minds on the control placement again. The fixture will come with a small external controller, that is pretty much a display and buttons to control it. It's a low cost solution (to please those who don't want a bunch of fancy control) but will have seamless connection to our future controller.
We will be releasing pricing after the array change is complete and tested, and then will go into production. The production cycle is estimated at 4-6 weeks; it's very dependent on the LED lead time.
We'll also have a special offer for our early adopter customers. Details will follow with pricing.
It's been a couple weeks since I updated the forum; wanted to take a moment to do so.
Testing has been on going, on both our side and Dana's. We're waiting for a few components to arrive so we can complete the build and proceed with rigorous testing. This should be by the end of next week.
As of now, our lead time looks to be about 6-8 weeks for our first build, then 4-6 weeks (if not less) moving forward. Many components required one-time tooling/engineering, which adds to our first build time.
Our target first shipment is the end of June/early July. It may be sooner, but is very dependent on the initial production.
We will be accepting pre-orders in the next couple weeks, and offering a discounted price for our 'early adopters' as I said in my last post.
Pricing isn't finalized, but I'd like to know what you guys think. You know how much the competition is and what the alternatives cost. Do you think that the current price range of a LED fixture is acceptable considering the early stages of the technology, or does it need to be less to be competitive over the traditional solutions?
I am very interested in your thoughts regarding this.
Please voice your opinion on all of this; we haven't gone to production yet. If there's something that you all see as a necessary change/option, please let us know.
I think that about half the price of current systems would compare to other high end lighting options. But with no bulb replacement and lower energy costs it becomes a no-brainer. Unfortunately I will probably get my tank setup a month or two too soon for your first shipment. Otherwise I would be very anxious to see your prices and make my decision. Although I may wait to see before I order lights.
I've been saving for an LED fixture. While I appreciate the long term cost savings it is tough to drop that much at once. I am also in a situation where I am currently using
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