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About Subject: TL120-55 V2 - the 2018 editionDate: 2018-03-27 12:30:23From: John Thurston
Having gauged interest, and blown the dust off the 2008
design documents, I'm ready to tender an offer.
If I can get a commitment for three lens boards, I'll have
another run made (from now on called "V2"). Including final
postage, you should expect to budget about $100 to this.
These will be mostly the same as the original (from now on
called "V1"), with a few improvements driven by experience.
There will be no change in function between V1 and V2.
A) Method: as before, milled from aluminum
B) Change: larger voids milled for the taking lenses
C) Change: integral mounting standoffs
D) Cost: manufacturing costs +$1 +postage
E) Process: $50 deposit, balance/credit after final shipping
F) Warranty: you'll get a lump of aluminum
Contact me OFF LIST if you are interested in having a board.
Such contact is not a commitment to purchase, but it is
polite to the other list members who don't want to hear the
details of your particular business. Post to the list if
what you have to say is of general interest, but otherwise
please send directly to me.
-- -- --
Here is some food for thought regarding the points above:
A) I looked at 3D printing. I've considered stamping, laser
cutting, casting . . . I've again chosen to take the
brute-force method of milling from a billet. Here's why.
This is a low-run product. There aren't that many TL120-1
cameras in the world, and there aren't that many people who
will want to to take on the TL120-55 project. If anyone
wants to do their own, then casting, printing, or cutting
barrels to fit on the front of the original lens board is
completely feasible. The 80mm lenses can be dismounted,
stand-off barrels fitted, and 55mm lenses fitted to those.
The only magic is the location of the front face of those
new barrels. As soon as I extract that dimension from my
drawings, I'll publish it to the list. Anyone who wants to
roll their own by other means may do so.
As a low-run product, I want something which simplifies the
process as much as possible. I want something which holds
the lenses as stable as possible, and offers the greatest
opportunity for success. V1 has demonstrated the process and
product works. I don't see the value of redesigning the
product for an on-demand production technique, when the
demand is so limited. This isn't a widget 1,000 people will
want. It isn't even a widget 100 will want. If I make three
more, I think we will have demonstrated a demand barely
greater than 10.
B) and C) The V1 boards are substantial. It is clear more
material could be removed without affecting their rigidity.
V2 will have larger voids around the taking lenses to reduce
mass, and improve clearance for tools.
The stock, stamped lens board of the TL120-1 is mounted on
short tubular standoffs, through which the mounting screws
pass. Those standoffs are re-used to mount the V1 board.
They are quite small and easy to lose. V2 will have those
standoffs milled directly from the billet. Doing so
increases the cost by a couple of bucks, but improves
stability and reduces the risk to the builder (of dropping
one of those standoffs). If desired, the additional metal
can be sawn/filed off returning it to the V1 mounting method.
I chose to stick with aluminum. Brass would look cool, but
be about 20x more expensive and a lot heavier. Titanium?
Delrin? No other material was bringing value greater than
basic aluminum.
I again looked at anodizing. It doubles the cost, and
provides no value I can detect. The lenses sit so close to
the shutters, there isn't anywhere for light to reflect once
the lenses are mounted. Reflection off the front of the
camera are behind the lenses, and irrelevant. Anyone who
wants to darken their board may paint, black, or anodize to
their own satisfaction.
I again looked at including engraved name/date/product
information. It is cost prohibitive. I expect V2, like V1,
to be unadorned.
D) and E) As with most of my projects, this is a
not-for-profit, shared-risk project. I don't do these things
as a business, I do them to promote our art and provide
tools to our community. V1 was the result of my invested
time, _and_ the time of others in our community. Read the
archives. V2 rides on the shoulders of V1, which rode on the
shoulders of many. You 'pay' all of us for that invested
time by using these products, producing images, and sharing
those images with others.
The cost will be determined by how many participants we
have. The greater the number, the lower the per-piece cost.
My guess is that 3 will have each at about $80+postage.
I'll want a deposit for each board. It will need to be in US
dollars, and I'll have to have it before I place the
production order. The balance (or credit) will be computed
after the boards are mailed out to you.
To keep cost low, I'll be having these made at the lowest
workflow priority. This has a three-week delivery window.
When we figure in pre-order coordination, milling,
re-packaging, shipping, you should expect this to take 6-8
weeks.
F) This is a shared-risk, shared-trust, group buy. You'll
get the combined results of my design work and someone
else's machine work. You'll get a piece of aluminum. That's
all I promise. No refunds.
--
John Thurston
Juneau Alaska
http://stereo.thurstons.us
design documents, I'm ready to tender an offer.
If I can get a commitment for three lens boards, I'll have
another run made (from now on called "V2"). Including final
postage, you should expect to budget about $100 to this.
These will be mostly the same as the original (from now on
called "V1"), with a few improvements driven by experience.
There will be no change in function between V1 and V2.
A) Method: as before, milled from aluminum
B) Change: larger voids milled for the taking lenses
C) Change: integral mounting standoffs
D) Cost: manufacturing costs +$1 +postage
E) Process: $50 deposit, balance/credit after final shipping
F) Warranty: you'll get a lump of aluminum
Contact me OFF LIST if you are interested in having a board.
Such contact is not a commitment to purchase, but it is
polite to the other list members who don't want to hear the
details of your particular business. Post to the list if
what you have to say is of general interest, but otherwise
please send directly to me.
-- -- --
Here is some food for thought regarding the points above:
A) I looked at 3D printing. I've considered stamping, laser
cutting, casting . . . I've again chosen to take the
brute-force method of milling from a billet. Here's why.
This is a low-run product. There aren't that many TL120-1
cameras in the world, and there aren't that many people who
will want to to take on the TL120-55 project. If anyone
wants to do their own, then casting, printing, or cutting
barrels to fit on the front of the original lens board is
completely feasible. The 80mm lenses can be dismounted,
stand-off barrels fitted, and 55mm lenses fitted to those.
The only magic is the location of the front face of those
new barrels. As soon as I extract that dimension from my
drawings, I'll publish it to the list. Anyone who wants to
roll their own by other means may do so.
As a low-run product, I want something which simplifies the
process as much as possible. I want something which holds
the lenses as stable as possible, and offers the greatest
opportunity for success. V1 has demonstrated the process and
product works. I don't see the value of redesigning the
product for an on-demand production technique, when the
demand is so limited. This isn't a widget 1,000 people will
want. It isn't even a widget 100 will want. If I make three
more, I think we will have demonstrated a demand barely
greater than 10.
B) and C) The V1 boards are substantial. It is clear more
material could be removed without affecting their rigidity.
V2 will have larger voids around the taking lenses to reduce
mass, and improve clearance for tools.
The stock, stamped lens board of the TL120-1 is mounted on
short tubular standoffs, through which the mounting screws
pass. Those standoffs are re-used to mount the V1 board.
They are quite small and easy to lose. V2 will have those
standoffs milled directly from the billet. Doing so
increases the cost by a couple of bucks, but improves
stability and reduces the risk to the builder (of dropping
one of those standoffs). If desired, the additional metal
can be sawn/filed off returning it to the V1 mounting method.
I chose to stick with aluminum. Brass would look cool, but
be about 20x more expensive and a lot heavier. Titanium?
Delrin? No other material was bringing value greater than
basic aluminum.
I again looked at anodizing. It doubles the cost, and
provides no value I can detect. The lenses sit so close to
the shutters, there isn't anywhere for light to reflect once
the lenses are mounted. Reflection off the front of the
camera are behind the lenses, and irrelevant. Anyone who
wants to darken their board may paint, black, or anodize to
their own satisfaction.
I again looked at including engraved name/date/product
information. It is cost prohibitive. I expect V2, like V1,
to be unadorned.
D) and E) As with most of my projects, this is a
not-for-profit, shared-risk project. I don't do these things
as a business, I do them to promote our art and provide
tools to our community. V1 was the result of my invested
time, _and_ the time of others in our community. Read the
archives. V2 rides on the shoulders of V1, which rode on the
shoulders of many. You 'pay' all of us for that invested
time by using these products, producing images, and sharing
those images with others.
The cost will be determined by how many participants we
have. The greater the number, the lower the per-piece cost.
My guess is that 3 will have each at about $80+postage.
I'll want a deposit for each board. It will need to be in US
dollars, and I'll have to have it before I place the
production order. The balance (or credit) will be computed
after the boards are mailed out to you.
To keep cost low, I'll be having these made at the lowest
workflow priority. This has a three-week delivery window.
When we figure in pre-order coordination, milling,
re-packaging, shipping, you should expect this to take 6-8
weeks.
F) This is a shared-risk, shared-trust, group buy. You'll
get the combined results of my design work and someone
else's machine work. You'll get a piece of aluminum. That's
all I promise. No refunds.
--
John Thurston
Juneau Alaska
http://stereo.thurstons.us