Nid Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Hi, Wasn't sure if this should go in the 'Light' or 'Sound' boards, Anyway… I would like to share a project I completed recently. I named it the NLR, Nim - Light - Rod… For a long time I was unhappy with the various gooseneck type 'Minilights'.Over the years I tried quite a few, some with the indecent tungsten bulbs and also few of the recent LED types. The downfalls of most of these were: uneven coverage of the console panel area, they need to be located relatively high in order to get a usable coverage down to the 'fader's end' of the console, and that at the price of the fixture/sbeing stuck right in front of one's face (and in some of them, this means having the actual light source slightly visible …) For a long time I was looking for an alternative. Lately I came across this LED strip in which the LEDs are very bright and emit sideways in a rather narrow angle. I figured if mounted just above the top of the console panel, it would wash the panel area nicely without too much over spill and also being well under the operator's line of sight will be less likely to blind him. I did some testing and checking of different configurations, and finally decided on the concept and built it. The NLR attaches to any flat (steel) surface at the top of the console panel by two strong Neo magnets.It is completely adjustable. The whole unit rotates inside the magnetic spring base, and also the angle of the light rod on top of the two supports can be easily adjusted for optimal tangent wash of the console's panel. The NLR is powered by 12VDC from a regular wall PS (takes about 120mA) through a DC socket built into the base of the unit. The NLR: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c360/boniton/Nim%20Light%20Rod/NimLightRod005.jpg The LED strip: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c360/boniton/Nim%20Light%20Rod/NimLightRod007.jpg The DC socket and magnetic spring base: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c360/boniton/Nim%20Light%20Rod/NimLightRod006.jpg The NLR mounted to the console: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c360/boniton/Nim%20Light%20Rod/NimLightRod003.jpg Coverage: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c360/boniton/Nim%20Light%20Rod/NimLightRod004.jpg Folded/rotated all the way to the back when not used: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c360/boniton/Nim%20Light%20Rod/NimLightRod.jpg :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biro Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 ..If you sold them, I would buy some from you right now....Its absolutley perfect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj Dunc Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Seconded!!! Im sure we Blue-Roomers could take a pallet load between us all hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overhyped Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Why does no-one make these? (or atleast publicise them better). - They'd instantly do better than pesky gooseneck lamps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 The musicians would also love them as music stand lights too. If I was you, I'd seriously think about manufacturing and selling these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolley1466 Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Quick patent it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLiEn Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 If you make one, ill buy it off you. Fantastic Idea!! Dragons den!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solstace Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 How much would/could these sell for? Make a battery-powered version as well as a desk-powered version, and I'm sure between the two I could find a market for at least 50! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Hope-Streeter Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Quick patent it!! Too late ... ... disclosed to the entire world on an intenet message board accessible via Google. There will be a container load heading our way from China in no time. Ultradeskilluminator, anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 A nice take on an old idea - like the magnetic attachment idea, and it looks very well made. If you had the facilities and inclination to make a small batch of these, what do you think we might be talking about in terms of unit price? Sounds like there'd be quite a few people interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBogg Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Very interested in one of these, Good work. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali2580 Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 I know the DiGiCo D1 has a similar thing built into it so I'm just asking out of curiosity here if the OP would still be able to patent this very good creation of his if the DiGiCo uses a similar thing.. Obviously it's not the exact same but does anyone know? :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 I think the term here is Prior Art. Obviously, IANAL, but I reckon someone else inventing it first would stop you patenting it... :P I'm going to weigh in with yet another "me too" post and say I think it looks awesome! The only thing that would make it more awesome would be if it were 5V, not 12V; as then you could have a neat little jumper lead and run it off the XLR designed for the gooseneck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swampman Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 When rope lights came out a, there was a variant running at 12/24/220V of little bulbs series wired in a 10mm square plastic tube made by a Barcelona company mainly for disco decorations. I prepared a number for mixers and racks as they made that very necessary spread of light. How many left? 1 ! Because its screwed into a wooden rack - the rest ? Well the keyboard player "I nou noting", the Sax player... the other desk location... Highly recommend using a short piece of (at least sanitary) chain screwed to a solid part and the item in question!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nid Posted August 16, 2010 Author Share Posted August 16, 2010 Thank you all for your interest and complements. This project is merely an attempt to showcase a concept. I welcome any manufacturer to pick it up from here and develop a good commercial product out of it. I have additional ideas for improvements in the NLR design that could be implemented if & when the NLR was to be commercially manufactured. I don’t see the NLR as patent worthy. Too basic, simple and similar to things that already exist… If someone else wants and manages to issue a patent over this, he has my full blessings. I’ll be happy just knowing my NLR was the original... I still need to check out the NLR on some other consoles to test/verify its versatility and compatibility. I’ll take pictures and post them here. I have some ideas for different variations of the NLR so I may want to check them also. Meanwhile, I am checking different options and aspects of running a limited ‘production’ of NLRs. As such, obviously costs will be higher than if/when mass produced. Once I have a good estimation of the expected price I’ll let you know and we’ll see if it's still as attractive. The only thing that would make it more awesome would be if it were 5V, not 12V; as then you could have a neat little jumper lead and run it off the XLR designed for the gooseneck... I think the majority of consoles that have this feature, output 12v and not 5v.Maybe you’re looking at gooseneck fixtures that work off USB ports. Any (more) insights are welcome. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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