Skilled Strobists needed

[Thonord]

Any Strobist with a CNC workshop?
Or, a plastic moulding facility?

Tom

[mattw]

Check out emachineshop. I use them for some metal parts, but they do plastic, and even have fast turnaround for rapid prototyping.

http://emachineshop.com/

[thenickboy]

I think rapid prototyping is a cheaper, faster way to go than plastic molding - we can worry about that once a design is finalized.

This also should probably go to the "Mechanical" area - hardware typically refers to the components on the populated board..

at least, where I'm from it does. There are a number of houses that do rapid prototyping available, it's getting so cheap you could even build them at home - this is not a problem.

[pinhead]

why?

what is there to machine or mold?
any hack with a hand drill and put some holes in an enclosure and case this thing up.

[JonSenior]

I'm with pinhead on this one. Come up with an electrical / software design. Leave the cases to the end users. If someone wants to throw the capital at a bulk order of machined parts in order to sell them on, so be it, but we don't want to force people to a certain source. Open source. This didn't start as a Vellerman kit and I don't think it should be pushed in that direction. Off-the-shelf components for the essentials and let the users add the level of polish that they desire.

[TwoLeftFeet]

I'm with pinhead on this one. Come up with an electrical / software design. Leave the cases to the end users. If someone wants to throw the capital at a bulk order of machined parts in order to sell them on, so be it, but we don't want to force people to a certain source. Open source. This didn't start as a Vellerman kit and I don't think it should be pushed in that direction. Off-the-shelf components for the essentials and let the users add the level of polish that they desire.

Agreed, however, we should maybe have a packaging group/thread. Once the hardware requirements are spec'd out and sized, skilled packaging people can discuss proper packaging and perhaps come up with a few types of packaging that users can then choose from.

[keith]

My brother is a cnc machinist, but it's my opinion that this would easily be encased in a manner similar to the home built headphone amps...

[MQ]

To me the mechanical part is a very important consideration
in the assessment of a designs usefulness.

Also I'd like to be able to buy completed systems from
$whoever.

I am willing to spend money on a convincing system.

[JonSenior]

To me the mechanical part is a very important consideration
in the assessment of a designs usefulness.

As I've responded to you elsewhere, I'm in favour of leaving that up to the user / builder.

Also I'd like to be able to buy completed systems from
$whoever.

And I'd love to see someone take the design and make a marketable product from it, but I don't think that's what we should be trying to do. A custom case will cost more than the components on a small scale. I'd like to see a bill of parts and a PCB design. If someone chose to make a case that suited my needs and didn't cost the earth I'd buy it. I don't intend to have loose wires everywhere, but I want the option to decide what my sync connection will be... and whether I want a screen and buttons or a slider. Or both.

If you are not part of the solution,
you are part of the problem.

And while it's not a part of the discussion, but while I'm sat on my high horse... I hate this. This attitude leads to "coalitions of the willing" starting wars in oil rich countries, and police states trampling over human rights. As a professional photographer you must have noticed that there are shades of gray everywhere!

Jon

[MQ]

To me the mechanical part is a very important consideration
in the assessment of a designs usefulness.

As I've responded to you elsewhere, I'm in favour of leaving that up to the user / builder.

I will definitely neither be willing nor have the time and skills
in SMD soldering to assemble a system myself. So, without a
completed system being available, any result will help me
nothing.

So my target must be somebody to invest in the production of
a completed system variant that suits my needs.

This is why I write down my requirements. Maybe somebody listens.

Also I'd like to be able to buy completed systems from
$whoever.

And I'd love to see someone take the design and make a marketable product from it, but I don't think that's what we should be trying to do.

Why not? Currently, the sky's the limit. At some point we will
have to find a compromise, but until then I think it is good to
view every possible aspect in all advantages and disadvantages
in order to finally come to the point where as many people are
satisfied as possible. Hopefully including me.

If you are not part of the solution,
you are part of the problem.

And while it's not a part of the discussion, but while I'm sat on my
high horse... I hate this. This attitude leads to "coalitions of the willing"
starting wars in oil rich countries, and police states trampling over
human rights.

I'm fully with you on wars and warmongering administrations.
But that's nothing to disturb this forum with.

[strogg]

I will definitely neither be willing nor have the time and skills
in SMD soldering to assemble a system myself. So, without a
completed system being available, any result will help me
nothing.
So my target must be somebody to invest in the production of
a completed system variant that suits my needs.
This is why I write down my requirements. Maybe somebody listens.

Atleast initially, the point of this project shouldn't be to come up with a finished product. I think the main goal should be to come up with a platform or foundation, that can be used to create all these different variations that people are dreaming up.

At this point in time, I don't care what the case looks like, what it's called, or what the exact feature set is. I realize that there's a lot of people that want to be involved and discussing this stuff is something that they can do, and that's all good and stuff. But to be saying this is what we should be making is the wrong approach in my opinion.

What we want to do is come up with a piece of hardware (some combination of microcontroller, transmitter and trigger) that will be flexible enough to let us do all the stuff that we want to do with it. From that point on, it's all just software and programming the MCU.

Once we're at that point, we can start to implement all these features that are being requested. And then someone can take the design, and get a hundred triggers made and start selling them to everyone.

[JonSenior]

strogg said:

Once we're at that point, we can start to implement all these features that are being requested. And then someone can take the design, and get a hundred triggers made and start selling them to everyone.

Agreed. I'd love to see us come up with a design and have someone take it to market.

MQ said:

Why not? Currently, the sky's the limit. At some point we will
have to find a compromise, but until then I think it is good to
view every possible aspect in all advantages and disadvantages
in order to finally come to the point where as many people are
satisfied as possible.

Because as others have noted, when you start making end products you are into a world of FCC regulations, capital investment, manufacturing, fit-for-purpose support channels, marketing... Perhaps there are enough people here with experience in those areas who can form a multinational and go into business. Me? I just want to take more photos.

With regard to your concerns about building them. Should we get a working design, and you are prepared to pay material costs + beer, I'll make you a set if it would get them into the professional arena (This is a one-time offer), and this would indeed be a plausible solution. The Strobist network is enormous; find someone who's made a set and who lives in the same continent as you (ideally) and make them an offer.

Jon

[MQ]

Because as others have noted, when you start making end products
you are into a world of FCC regulations, capital investment, manufacturing,
fit-for-purpose support channels, marketing... Perhaps there are enough
people here with experience in those areas who can form a multinational
and go into business. Me? I just want to take more photos.

I'm with you as far as photos are affected. However - we don't need
to manufacture the unit. Let's make a design that is as close to perfect
as possible. Someone will be picking it up, for sure.

With regard to your concerns about building them. Should we get
a working design, and you are prepared to pay material costs + beer,
I'll make you a set if it would get them into the professional arena
(This is a one-time offer), and this would indeed be a plausible solution.

Which brand of beer?

(Depending on your location, that can be expensive, though. I
remember paying 33 German Marks for sending a brick I just
stole on the street to John Peel at BFBS. Sending him a bottle of
Bommerlunder for birthday wasn't much cheaper.)

[JonSenior]

MQ said:

Which brand of beer?

I'm in Paris so the choices are limited here (according to some of my German friends). So if this ever comes up here's my proposal.

I bring the triggers to you (Good train connections and getting better everyday). You buy me beer and allow me to shadow you on a professional job (Call me an unpaid assistant). Obviously, I'll refrain from drinking the beer until after it's finished.

Now we just need to design and build the damn things.

Jon

[MQ]

I'm in Paris so the choices are limited here (according to some of my
German friends).

Dang right.

So if this ever comes up here's my proposal.

I bring the triggers to you (Good train connections and getting
better everyday). You buy me beer and allow me to shadow you
on a professional job (Call me an unpaid assistant). Obviously,
I'll refrain from drinking the beer until after it's finished.

Deal. And definitely Duesseldorf has the best beers of them all.
I'll give you a porc foot (Eisbein) and sour kraut on top of it.
Best stuff you can add to Schumacher beer.

Which is by the way the best beer in the world.

Now we just need to design and build the damn things.

I'm waiting.....