iBrix Lego wireless lights

[badbob001]

This would be very useful for lighting up cars and street lights, where it is not practical to use wires. And come christmas time, this solution will be great for (lego) christmas trees and outdoor decorations! I'm also imagining stringing white lights over and across streets for a street fair.

It could also be used with interior lighting of modular buildings if you replace the baseplates and add boosters to reach the upper floors. Wired-solutions are still an option since you can hide the wires inside the building, though still a big pain to implement and makes the buildings harder to take apart for play or changes.

I suspect it would cost a good deal for someone to replace all their city baseplates with these powered plates. I wonder if the powered plates can be daisy-chained together to simplify cabling. It would be cool if they can snap together like modular buildings or have a special tile piece to connect each other.

[CouchGuy]

The i-Brix wireless lighting system is so PERFECT for use with LEGO system bricks. I will be very disappointed if this fails to meet goal.

Yep, the goal is pretty high -- but there are a LOT of LEGO fans out here and we CAN make this happen. It does require an investment to get started, but once things start rolling with full production we can hope to see the per-light cost come down some.

It would be wothwhile for us to push this to every LEGO fandom venue we can and get the word out. I think we'll regret it if we let this get away. Once the basic system is being produced, we could look forward to WIRELESS light-up torches, weapons, lightsabers and more, I'm sure. There's SO much possibility here!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1426110532/i-brix-wireless-lighting-system-for-lego-building

[Andy D]

An update from the developer of iBrix...

I apologize for the overwhelming amount of updates today, but I think it helps everyone that hasn't backed at this point when others are giving their "two cents". I'll be honest, too - I read through all of the posts on Eurobricks' site and the vast majority love the project/concept! There will always be opinions and such that may not match what I personally believe or what others' think - which is fine - that's the great thing about the web and people being able to share their opinions!

I want to address a couple of points that were brought up on the forum:

1. Distance - in general, a Starter set with the 10" Power Plate base will work about 6-8" away. Combine it with a Booster Plate, and you're likely up to about 12"+. The Power Plate (base) is NOT metal. It will incorporate copper and some electronic/metalic-based components, but the base itself will be plastic, like a LEGO® component!

2. Cost - LEDs with a wire coming off of them and being connected to a battery is less expensive than using wireless power technology to transmit the power across distance. Inductive power transfer is a NEW technology and unlikely found at this distance/quality in anything else on a similar scale. Others have been able to demonstrate the concept. However, our receivers are literally 8mm square in size and less than 12mm tall. To cram a receiver inside of something like this and STILL get it more than 1" from the transmitter is pretty amazing. Also, our transmitter is relatively low power, so you don't have the high voltage and/or amperage that others have often times used to make a sample work. $50 for a transmitter and 10 Brix isn't too bad, IMO - that puts basically each Lit Brix at about $5/each and it can virtually eliminate the need to replace any wear items such as batteries. Of course, as the developer of the project, I'm likely a little biased :) , but as I mentioned before, I know we won't win over every brick builder out there, but hopefully a lot of them!

3. Funding Goal - I would agree, our target is higher than several other projects out there, but it's also less than a lot of others. We have molding costs, electronic engineering costs and packaging costs that all need to be accounted for. Also, we cannot offer this product at the current prices and assemble them one-by-one in my basement. I love the project, but to get a reliable, consistent product we want to have it done right. It may sound hard to believe, but building the 1x1 receiver Lit Brix by hand is about a 1/2 day process for a single unit.

4. Color Options - Based upon popularity and also to provide some assortment, we chose to offer the quantities and colors listed to help give people some variety. I agree that in some cases it may be useful to have 10 white Lit Brix, or 4 yellow and 6 blue, etc. To allow every kit to be customized on each order would be a challenge to say the least. However, we DO plan on offering individual or multi-pack Lit Brix as add-ons, where you could bundle certain colors and quantities. If we can exceed the initial goal, we may be able to offer the add-on Lit Brix in more colors as well!

Thank you, Eurobricks for the coverage - we do really appreciate the exposure!

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=111069

Today in the developer updates the developer of iBrix published an update directly answering some of the questions we have posed.

I really hope this projects succeeds, maybe I'll double my pledge.

Andy D

Edited June 25, 2015 by Andy D

[badbob001]

I just pledged at the $115 range. My Haunted House is on a custom baseplate that only connects with jumper tiles, which makes it easy to swap out compared to my other buildings. I can't wait to make the HH all spooky looking. If I like the results, I will probably expand.

[dr_spock]

How hard would be to make your own? 100 SMT white LEDs are $1 on eBay. Seems like a spool of 37ga copper winding is $4.

[Andy D]

How hard would be to make your own? 100 SMT white LEDs are $1 on eBay. Seems like a spool of 37ga copper winding is $4.

Some people can... Some people can't... Me... I just don't want to make my own, I would rather have something that looks better. I know my skills and a "roll your own" solution for me would just look like a home made mess. I want my displays to look as good as they can.

Don't let my comments imply that no one should try to make their own, if you can, go for it! Just not me.

Off to double my pledge.

Andy D

Edited June 25, 2015 by Andy D

[Prairie]

I really like this idea because it eliminates wiring and eliminates batteries from the usual wireless solution. And if you just play with one set at a time, you don't need bases for every set.

How hard would be to make your own? 100 SMT white LEDs are $1 on eBay. Seems like a spool of 37ga copper winding is $4.

It may sound hard to believe, but building the 1x1 receiver Lit Brix by hand is about a 1/2 day process for a single unit.

I wonder whether it would be cheaper to offer a non-brick stick-on wireless light so that the cost of packing into a 1x1 brick would be eliminated. If it were stuck behind a clear piece, the light portion wouldn't be unsightly and you'd get light out of the set.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Prairie

[Andy D]

Well, I just put my money where my mouth is... I changed my pledge from $115 to $349. A big part of this is just wanting to help this guy succeed!

Now if a few more folks will up their pledge... Well every $ counts.

Andy D

[JopieK]

Andy D kindly asked this project to be front-paged and to be honest: it will change the whole LEGO experience. B.t.w. I think that even if it would not be successful we might be able to pull it of as a community. I would want to experiment with it at least! Making the receiving antenna's is probably the hardest part since they need to be small enough to fit in small bricks and reliable too to receive enough energy from the master spool. I see a lot of potential.

[talos]

I am glad its getting more exposure, I was surprised when I first posted about it, that doing a search, it came up with nothing previous. I hope enough people see the great potential in it as we have!

[jonwil]

He has to make injection molds. That costs $$$ (if you want one that is up to the quality standards of LEGO which I am sure this guy does). Not just any molds mind you, molds that are suitable to have the electronics added. (which makes them more expensive than regular mods)

He has to produce the tiny receiver/LED boards (and as someone who knows electronics, getting boards made when working with parts that small ain't cheap)

So that 130k goal isn't outside the realms of what it would actually cost to get a project like this off the ground at the small scale he is attempting to do it, especially if he has other things that have to happen (e.g. since its wireless he may need to get it certified by regulatory bodies that regulate wireless signals like the FCC)

[ManInATopHat]

This looks fantastic and very innovative. However, 130,000 dollars for this kind of product is really steep considering that less people are into this than other tech projects on Kickstarter. Plus, $25 seems steep for such a small pack. It's obviously not a cheap system, but damn, for what you're getting, is it really worth it? Nevertheless, I've seen projects like this get ridiculously overfunded before. Hopefully they will find a way to lower their production costs. Maybe I'll back this after a good sleep on it.

[karmajay]

This looks fantastic and very innovative. However, 130,000 dollars for this kind of product is really steep considering that less people are into this than other tech projects on Kickstarter. Plus, $25 seems steep for such a small pack. It's obviously not a cheap system, but damn, for what you're getting, is it really worth it? Nevertheless, I've seen projects like this get ridiculously overfunded before. Hopefully they will find a way to lower their production costs. Maybe I'll back this after a good sleep on it.

Well, if it gets started it can only get cheaper AFTER the initial tooling gets done.

[Andy D]

This looks fantastic and very innovative. However, 130,000 dollars for this kind of product is really steep considering that less people are into this than other tech projects on Kickstarter. Plus, $25 seems steep for such a small pack. It's obviously not a cheap system, but damn, for what you're getting, is it really worth it? Nevertheless, I've seen projects like this get ridiculously overfunded before. Hopefully they will find a way to lower their production costs. Maybe I'll back this after a good sleep on it.

They still have plenty of the $349 level left (the best deal IMHO). Most of the backings for over $100 are also great as well.

Don't go for the cheapest, go for the one that will give you something to work with. For the cost of one medium to large LEGO set you can get a good setup.

Well, if it gets started it can only get cheaper AFTER the initial tooling gets done.

But it has to get funded to go any further...

Just MHO, YMMV

Andy D

Edited June 26, 2015 by Andy D

[Prairie]

I'm a cheapskate with LEGO and not super-interested in this either, but $25 for the basic set seems like a decent price. I'd never have considered wired lights as I don't care that much, but I'll definitely watch these wireless approaches in the future as that makes all the difference.

[jonwil]

I sent the details of this to the Brisbricks mailing list, the guys there have been doing some stuff with lighting and might be interested in a wireless solution that lets you do so much more stuff :)

[badbob001]

At first it wasn't clear if the power plate was something that goes under a normal baseplate or if it has studs and is meant to replace a base plate. The prototype in the video seems to indicate it's something under a normal plate but the creator has indicated that the current plan is for the product to have studs and be a baseplate.

I would prefer for it to be studless so it can easily go under an existing baseplate and I would not have to rip anything off existing plates. This product is well suited for vehicle and street lighting and if you are using official lego street baseplates, then you obviously don't want to switch your out your baseplates. The creator has indicated that one can just put a normal baseplate over the product's baseplate, which would work, but to me, it seems unnatural to put a baseplate over something with studs.

Any opinions on this? If the power plate came with integrated studs, one can treat it like a playmat and it would have a strong physical association with lego bricks. But if it came studless, then it can more easily be inserted into existing MOCs and the lack of studs would make it less thick and thus you don't need to need raise adjacent non-powered plates as high to match. I would prefer an option where you can either keep the included studded plate attached, replace with your own, or leave it off, but that may cost more money.

[dr_spock]

You could tile over the power plate before putting on your normal base plate if you don't want studs touching your normal base plate. The electromagnetic field will go right through the plastic.

[badbob001]

You could tile over the power plate before putting on your normal base plate if you don't want studs touching your normal base plate. The electromagnetic field will go right through the plastic.

I know, but that is an extra cost. But entertaining your idea, I wonder if this new element will actually secure a baseplate to a tiled surface, or at least keep it from sliding:

[Andy D]

There was an I-Brix update today. By popular demand there are 2 all white options.

A 20 all white for $80. and

A 50 all white for $150

If you like this system but have been waiting for an all white set... Go pledge now!

I still think the $349 option is the best value, 2 power plates, 2 booster plates and 100 mixed colors, 20 each of the 5 colors.

Just MHO YMMV,

Andy D

Edited June 26, 2015 by Andy D

[talos]

I am glad they added the all white option, I kind of see that as being the most useful for my own use. They are up to Update #15 I see in my inbox! Total is just over $17K pledged now...

[Prairie]

here was an I-Brix update today. By popular demand there are 2 all white options.

Cool or warm?

[JopieK]

This is how it works:

[Andy D]

This is how it works:

Great! Now Dustin's challenges (which is mostly solved) is to get it small and produceable in volume.

I hope he has some new marketing strategies for the KS campaign, he needs more widespread advertising to get between 2,000 to 3,000 backers (my estimate)

I hope he succeeds. I backed at $350, and spread the word where I know.

If someone can get it on other LEGO forums and Blogs I am sure that would help.

Andy D

[talos]

I posted something on BrickLink yesterday, didn't get many responses. That archaic bulletin board format buries your message pretty fast, its a pretty small group of people talking to each other too there.

Maybe anyone in a LUG can spread it around amongst their memberships?