I am trotting this one out a little prematurely because we don't have all the electronics down just yet, but the output is already so good that I just had to share it.

We know what these lights are, right?

That "1,001" on the masking tape is the lux reading at one meter this particular Baby Pin puts out. The McLux is my personal one built by the great McGizmo using a BB750, I simply added a Q4H Batwing 1W Luxeon and NX-05 optic.

And here are the beams of these two lights in the same order:

It is apparent that soon, we will have to practically Give Away low domes to get rid of'em. High Domes (Lambertians) rule!

So the upstart-ish Baby Pin with its 1,001 lux output thinks it's a pretty bad guy, eh? Not when put up against its much taller basketball-playing jock cousin, the Super LGI:

The tape on the Super LGI is just a way of marking my keepers. And here are the beam shots of these two in the same order:

Yes, the typical story of the tall jock beating up on his short nerdy cousin. So the short nerdy cousin goes home and tells his also-short brother, but although not evident in this picture, the short brother works out and takes steroids:

So when they put the gloves on, this is the result (same order):

The brother's output matches the Super LGI's!

Yeah but what's the lux reading, you ask?

Introducing: the SUPER Baby Pin. And let me add that this is a preview only -- he is NOT done working out...

11.19.03

True preproduction proto boards should be here just in time for, uh, Christmas...that's the only hint I am authorized to divulge at this time.

I will then make up a few lights to see if we can destroy the boards or not. And if not (we hope anyway), then some final spacing reconfigurations if necessary and off the production order goes, to a country whose identity has been changed to protect the guilty -- uh -- innocent.

Somalia. Yeah, that's it...Somalia!

11.23.03

Work on the prototypes is moving along nicely, but will be on a short break since it is a major holiday on Monday in another part of the world...

11.30.03

I now have TWO finished proto SBPs (second one produces between 1400 and 1500 lux, first one was 1530, this puts it in the SUPER LGI performance realm), and finished soldering a third board yesterday (man, I need glasses) and will stick it in a host as well, maybe later today or even tomorrow (believe it or not I'm typing this from work) and test for consistency of output compared to the first two -- but hey, I had to eat some turkey too, ya know (and will also be eating turkey sandwiches for the next few days).

I am proceeding rather carefully with this one because it will be the Brightest light I have Ever made relative to its size, and since it is producing almost the identical performance as the other brightest light I ever made for its size (the Super LGI), I just want to make sure it's dependable and doesn't blow up or...catch on fire...

After all, even MR Bulk has to obey the laws of physics every once in awhile.

12.06.03

Actually yours truly will be receiving several proto boards any day...these will be actual examples of the converters to be manufactured via contract at a turnkey electronics factory overseas, since so far I have been using pieced-together ones built according to the specs we developed. So I guess I would be the real beta tester (for now)...

In thinking about it I might sell the two other proto Super Baby Pins in existence once I compare them with the new converters and ensure they are performing exactly the same. I would offer them to the earliest people on The List unless I get e-mails me with a specific request.

12.06.03

Just to let everyone see that the new converters for the Super Baby Pin are not vaporware -- several dozen printed boards in progress, simply waiting for a few eleventh-hour decisions regarding key pieces of the microminiature componentry still to be soldered on (hmmm, such as -- considering run times -- should we go with 1500 or 2000 lux?), heh heh...

12.06.03

2000 lux? You guys are Krazey! I was just kiddin', 1500 lux seems to be the upper limit, even with the LP Fraen...unless of course I rush the spin-on SH (Steroid Head) option we are developing concurrently.

But even with the SH I'm afraid it would not make 2000 lux -- instead it would make more like 4000 LUX!!!

(although it might look like a small thick-handled umbrella turned inside out in a gale) -- MOO-Wahahahahahah...

12.09.03

RE: LENSES

Here's a thought - if you run it without any lens, you will get even brighter output (although only readable via light meter, your eyes won't be able to tell even side by side).

Now let's say eventually your Fraen gets all scratched up. What is cheaper to replace -- the Fraen, or the lens? Not suggesting anything here, you will need to consider how much you can buy each component for and decide which way to go.

As for me, unless I could really, really tell the difference in output, I would simply go for what my own preference is -- weighing increased shatter resistance against increased scratch resistance, or the (secret) knowledge that my light is slightly brighter than yours (secret because again you won't be able to tell without a light meter, even if running NO lens!), etc.

12.11.03

Waaal, it looks like the LED Museum already got the beta version of the Super Baby Pin I seemingly Just sent out a day or two ago...? Howcum My mail never gets to Me that quick? Hmmm...

Anyway to read what the Museum's initial findings are so far (light meter readings of almost a million mcd!) you can go HERE.

Shouldn't be long now for the rest, and Thank You for your patience...

12.11.03

Oh yeah, one more thing -- for testing purposes I centered the Fraen and Super Glued it in place over the emitter's black base; however, production units will have theirs left uncemented. for three reasons:

1) end user adjustability -- if you look carefully at the beam shot it is not perfectly centered anyway despite my best efforts,

2) the cyanoacrylate fumes actually etched around the Fraen's plastic cone base, cutting off some light. I am certain it would have hit a true million mcd (millicandela) otherwise...

3) forcible removal now would certainly tear the Luxeon apart, and I wanted to enable users to swap in different optics for different purposes (McFlood reflector, candle mode, or even the NX-05 for more sidespill if preferred, etc.).

Also this is a SWAK-binned Lux III, the same that will be in all production units. But if some lucky SBP owner socres a T- or even U-binned Lux III (they are out there folks, I have it on great authority) and wanted to replace the SWAK, they at least will be able to.

12.13.03

here is the latest:

1) converters are in the air right now from Asia

2) once I receive them I will hook up every single one for test purposes, just in case

3) I will then contact enough people in chronological order to match the number of units I have available

But unless I contact you, kindly refrain from sending payment. Besides, my Paypal address may not be the same as the one you see in my responses and e-mails, etc., due to a new Spam blocking service I recently enrolled in.

This is a small initial run, and depending upon response (and drop-out rate from The List) there may be another production run shortly thereafter. From all indications though, another batch is very likely and probably even required, lest all the durn latecomers ki-yull me!

12.16.03

SUPER Baby Pin Converters Are HERE!!!

Just need to confirm that the heatsinks are indeed done -- no need to wait for them to actually arrive, if need be I could even make them myself by hand (just didn't feel like grinding out that many).

So I should be contacting the patient people on The List very, VERY soon.

Again, Thank You for your patience all this time. It will soon be very, VERY well worth the wait.

12.20.03

A 2,000-word progress report (a picture, as they say...):

And one of the little innovations I promised:

Note the Delrin cup the rather large converter is potted in. No danger of shorts from exposed metal on the board's circumference or from the solder joints underneath, and only a hole just the size of the anode solder contact is required at the bottom.

The build goes on...

12.29.03

I took a pic of the heatsinks sanded and ready for drilling, not really that much to see. But a little story does come to mind -

I was still waiting on the heatsinks to be cut, so I started making some by hand, ground from aluminum. And then the heatsinks finally arrived -- but they were not the ones I originally planned on. Their laser cutter was down, so they punched them out with a another machine which tends to create a conical shape, not exactly a plus since they were supposed to be flat!

So they chucked them all into a gigantic hydraulic press between two thick stainless steel plates.

Oh, they came out flat all right. But under the tremendous pressure the stainless plates left their own surface impressions, so tonight I spent half the evening hand sanding the bottom of the heatsink surfaces flat, at least flat enough that the actual portions mating with the rim of the SBP's metal circuit module beneath will make firm contact all the way around.

THEN I had to sand the tops of the sinks, again until the central portions that make contact with the Luxeon III slugs was flat and smooth. But some of the asymmetrical circular indentations around the center are still slightly lower, so that the original darker finish of the copper (yes, the heatsinks are pure COPPAH!) remains.

Now everything will work just fine and dandy, but the fallout from all of this is that each heatsink will carry its own unique "pattern" of light and dark copper banded areas, and each Super Baby Pin will have its own unique look when you remove the head to look at the Luxeon mounted on the copper heatsink, a "handmade" look if you will.

Thus no two SBP's will be exactly alike, and if you happen to attend a Super Baby Pin Owner's convention some time in the future and the lights get mixed up, you would simply unscrew the head to look for your individual SBP's "birthmark"...an interesting little piece of construction history insight for all loyal and patient followers...

Hmmm, if find the time maybe I will post a picture. But please, you must promise that there will be no requests for individual patterns!

12.30.03

I am done with the sanding, drilling, and tapping of all the heatsinks, wired up the converters tonight, just got done adding solder blobs to the backs of each, and have already tested every one on a 1xCR123 jig (BTW this jig was originally set up to test 2-cell converters driving a 5W) but I left the original 5W V2T HD installed on it as these new converters will easily light it up quite brightly with just 3V input. To give you an idea of what this means, normally a 5W Luxeon will not even illuminate until somewhere in the 4.5V-5V range in direct drive, and even then it just barely glows...

I was hoping to get them all finished and then begin the packing and shipping process tomorrow, but I was called in to work the New Year's Eve shift (always a bad schedule, 12 hours from 0900 to 2145 hours, but everybody else is on vacation and besides, it's OVERTIME for me), so I guess I will be spending New Year's DAY finishing these up (nevermind my wife and kid and my side of the family's annual get together, not to mention the traditional New Year's Eve party at my in-law's all day tomorrow, although I will stop by there for lunch maybe), but I did say I planned to have the SBP's completed and shipped by year's end so I am striving to almost keep that promise a day or two late.

Thank You for your patience...

1.03.04

What I've been looking at the past few days:

I'm talking about the items On the paper -- no, not the printed items, the 3D items -- no, not D cups, the pointy items -- no, not th -- awww, nevermind...