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#258449 - 20/06/2005 02:01 Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
After a year of work, colored translucent lit buttons are finally available.

Presenting: Greenlights Lit Buttons

Greenlights is my new company for selling empeg accessories and for helping other people bring their product ideas to reality. Please be sure to read the FAQ for important lit button usage information.

Please note, orders outside the USA must add the $2.50 shipping item at the top of the products page (if there's a better way to handle separate domestic and international shipping rates, please let me know). Greenlights is ready to accept orders of any size. Orders will begin to ship Tuesday morning. Please contact me with any questions, ideas, suggestions, complaints, etc that you may have.

Thank you THANK YOU for all of your support and patience during this project. I know some of you have waited two and a half years for these buttons. I've dreamed of posting this picture since day one.


Attachments
258136-Victory.jpg (254 downloads)



Edited by FireFox31 (20/06/2005 11:17)
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#258450 - 20/06/2005 03:20 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
matthew_k
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
That's a beautiful picture all right. Thanks for all your hard work, I can't wait till I can afford a full set.

Matthew

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#258451 - 20/06/2005 03:33 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
Glen_L
member

Registered: 24/02/2003
Posts: 111
Loc: Elk Grove, CA
Wow, and here I thought you'd just put up a rudimentary site with a PayPal address. Very nicely done; it seems the curse is broken!
_________________________
No longer a stranger, finally a full-fledged member! \:D

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#258452 - 20/06/2005 06:21 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Awesome!

Ordered! Am I the first?

Really appreciate the effort. I hope the reds or amber match the BMW nicely.
_________________________
Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#258453 - 20/06/2005 08:18 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: Shonky]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Let me just comment that these buttons are extremely well done! They are very high quality / very professional.

People who have, or have seen, Brian's cast buttons will notice that these are slightly more translucent and also have a finer / smoother finish due to the method of manufacture and materials used. So even if you have a set of the hand cast buttons, you should still pick up a set of these as well.

And let's not forget the clear and the non-translucent black buttons!!! I am curious to see or read about any neat hacks that can be accomplished with these.

Congratulations again on a great job! And thanks!


Edited by pgrzelak (20/06/2005 08:28)
_________________________
Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#258454 - 20/06/2005 13:20 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31597
Loc: Seattle, WA
Congratulations! Updating the page links and the FAQ now.

Love the "G" logo on the home page.

How much blood did you end up having to spill into the box?

One concern, though: Don't earthlink home pages have a bandwidth/data cap? Keep an eye on that. Not that I'm worried you'll get slashdotted or anything.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#258455 - 20/06/2005 13:37 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
Taym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/06/2001
Posts: 2504
Loc: Roma, Italy
Full set + crystal + stealth sets ordered!

Thank you very much FireFox31! This is a great job you did! I' can't wait to recieve them all!


Edit:
And, I joined the mailing list I'd love the metal ones!


Edited by taym (20/06/2005 14:03)

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#258456 - 20/06/2005 13:58 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
Hijack v432: buttonled_dim=n


Edited by mlord (20/06/2005 14:03)

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#258457 - 20/06/2005 14:04 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: Taym]
Taym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/06/2001
Posts: 2504
Loc: Roma, Italy
And... Congratulations for the excellent FAQ! Firefox, you really did a great job, and deserve this to be said here!
_________________________
= Taym =
MK2a #040103216 * 100Gb *All/Colors* Radio * 3.0a11 * Hijack = taympeg

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#258458 - 20/06/2005 14:15 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
Mataglap
enthusiast

Registered: 11/06/2003
Posts: 384
Thanks much, FireFox! Looks good, and I can't wait for 'em to show up.

--Nathan

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#258459 - 20/06/2005 14:28 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
SE_Sport_Driver
carpal tunnel

Registered: 05/01/2001
Posts: 4903
Loc: Detroit, MI USA
What, you couldn't find a song title with Amber in it?

Way to go man! Once I find the status of my memory board (what happened to those things?) I'll order up a few sets of these.
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Brad B.

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#258460 - 20/06/2005 14:29 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
... although my name's not Bamber.
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Bitt Faulk

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#258461 - 20/06/2005 14:46 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
cushman
veteran

Registered: 21/01/2002
Posts: 1380
Loc: Erie, CO
Quote:
What, you couldn't find a song title with Amber in it?

311 - From Chaos - Amber
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Mark Cushman

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#258462 - 20/06/2005 22:54 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Thanks for all of your kind words. Now I'll be packing these things all night for shipment tomorrow.

Tony: Wow, you don't even want to know how much blood I spilled. I'm not sure I'll get it back, but I'll sure try. Luckily the website is tiny, so it shouldn't hit the limit.

taym: Metal buttons will so happen. They shouldn't be so hard... famous last words. Oh, and I owe you credit for using your "taym white" Filener gell; the lightest pink which makes the VFD look pure white.

Matk: Woah, variable dimmer between night and day? Awesome, thanks.

Brad: Couldn't find a song with "amber", but the observant mainstream club dance track fan will note that I found an artist of that name.

Wow, time to stop waiting on hold with PayPal phone support who never answers and start packing. Thanks again.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#258463 - 20/06/2005 23:56 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
Taym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/06/2001
Posts: 2504
Loc: Roma, Italy
Quote:
"taym white" Filener gell; the lightest pink which makes the VFD look pure white.



I'm honored you named that white after me
So, you're using it? Wow! I'm happy I could be of some little help, for one time, even for just such a small thing! I feel I am taking so much from the good old empeg bbs and you all guys, and never returning anything, so... at least enjoy your taym white!
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= Taym =
MK2a #040103216 * 100Gb *All/Colors* Radio * 3.0a11 * Hijack = taympeg

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#258464 - 21/06/2005 05:53 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: Taym]
loren
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
CONGRATS! These look sweeet. I'm interested in a set of black but I'd like to know what they look like with a lighting kit in the dark. Can the light be seen around the edges of the buttons and knob at all?
_________________________
|| loren ||

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#258465 - 21/06/2005 12:10 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: loren]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
They should look the same as the factory buttons in that regard (in a dark room). Perhaps someone will give that a try and report back, while waiting for the black to arrive.

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#258466 - 21/06/2005 12:34 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: mlord]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
There is very little (almost zero) light leakage around the directional buttons. There is a backglow from around the knob, where the fascia is open for the IR sensor, but that is about it.
_________________________
Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#258467 - 21/06/2005 13:21 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
peakmop
journeyman

Registered: 02/07/2004
Posts: 95
Loc: 384400 km from the Moon
All I can say - WOW!
I haven't visited the forum for a while and just this morning I'v got an e-mail from Eutronix about Greenlights' translucent button availability.
A full order has already been placed

Thanks so much FireFox!

Now only if there were translucent lit handles...

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#258468 - 21/06/2005 14:28 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: loren]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31597
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
Can the light be seen around the edges of the buttons and knob at all?


Next meet, have me show you my solution for that.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#258469 - 22/06/2005 15:53 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
To answer a few people from a few threads that I didn't want to hijack:

Yes, I will be bringing buttons to Amersfoort for the meet. They will be sold at a slight discount from the web price. And, you'll save shipping cost, currency conversion cost, and won't have to wait for the package to arrive. (and it'll be less work for me because, phew, I was up till 3:30am last night packing orders... though I only started at 11pm).

I was hoping to create some special custom modified buttons especially for the meet, but I have to reclaim my Dremel tool. We'll see...
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#258470 - 23/06/2005 22:13 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
lockuplever
enthusiast

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 264
Loc: Tucson, AZ
I couldn't resist, I had to superset.
Thanks
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Steve

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#258471 - 24/06/2005 13:25 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
CHiP
enthusiast

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 345
Loc: New Jersey, USA
thank you very much! I am one of many who have waited 2.5 years. I have a few friends not from the bbs who are interested. I will be ordering at LEAST 1 complete set of all colors in the next few weeks. This is a HUGE improvement to the empeg, i'm so glad someone finally did it.
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-CHiP

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#258472 - 24/06/2005 14:24 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: pgrzelak]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
Quote:
Let me just comment that these buttons are extremely well done! They are very high quality


Smooth is the word that comes to mind. Brian's originals were somewhat textured, and diffused the light from the LEDs a bit more (a good thing).

These new ones have a polished smooth appearance and texture. I find the LED light doesn't spread out (diffuse) as much as with the earlier buttons, but the look is very nice and appealing to the eye.

If I really cared about illuminating more of the button surface, then perhaps a small blob of expoxy cement inside the button would do the trick? Maybe I'll experiment with wax first (easier to remove again).

Cheers

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#258473 - 24/06/2005 22:57 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: mlord]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Quote:
Smooth is the word that comes to mind.

That's exactly right. I'm jealous of how Brian's buttons perfectly duplicated the texture of the originals.

Texture would be cool, but I've fallen in love with how the parts look now. I will definitely experiment with sanding, grinding, and using a Dremel tool to increase the light diffusion. Maybe adding diffusion material to the hollow cores, but I've always felt that traps the light, like on Brian's. Instead, I wanted light to fill the hollow core and light up the thin outside face. Many things to try, let's see if we find one that works!


The texture story, as a random bit of information, if anyone's interested:

The company that produced the Greenlights Lit Buttons call the texture "EDM finish". That is, it has no extra finish beyond how they etched out the steel mold with the EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining). A misunderstanding early on led me to believe that the molding company could add a "light glass bead" texture to the parts. Six months later, I found that I was wrong all along.

At the last minute before production, I was given the option to have the precious steel molds sent to a texture shop to have a frosted texture applied, pretty much my only choice thanks to the small part size. The parts would still be smooth but they may have had better light diffusion.

Texturizing would have cost $1320 extra and an extra week or two to complete. After reviewing the pre-production clear buttons and posting their pictures to the BBS, I decided against the texture. Texturizing would either look really cool or reasonably irreversibly look worse. And since I'd already spent extra time and money in other areas (MKII knob, custom coloration, etc), I couldn't swing the additional cost. Instead, I fell in love with the pre-production samples that I had, and I think you all did too!

The motto for this project was, "If you're going to do it, make it perfect." And I tried, monitoring everything to leave nothing to chance. I even tried to find light diffusion professionals who could help optimize parts; with no luck. But in late March, way past my deadline, with the chance to start production immediately if texturizing was skipped, and having had pushed my molder beyond reason; I couldn't give the texture process the scrutiny that I wanted. So, the devil I had, I knew, and stuck with, and am happy with, and I hope it makes everyone happy! The end.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#258474 - 25/06/2005 00:05 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
Lest anyone become concerned by my previous posting here (definitely NOT the intent), please note the following from that posting:
Quote:
the look is very nice and appealing to the eye.


Cheers!

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#258475 - 25/06/2005 01:39 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: mlord]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
No worries! Mark's observation is very accurate and I agree 100%.
I tried to insert enough smilies to show that my reply and story were informational and not argumentative. All is good.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#258476 - 25/06/2005 01:50 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Different topic, Value Added Tax and import duty. I just finished a two work-night search and found everything I didn't want to know about these costs.

It looks like the duty + VAT for these parts will add between $15 (Australia) and $30 (Denmark, Sweeden) per $100 order. 3.7% duty to the EU + 16-25% VAT.

For everyone who placed international orders: I have them filled, but I've been working as hard as possible to see if you need to pay duty and VAT. It looks like I can't avoid it. I will ship them as soon as (or before) I find a cost-saving solution for you.

Are there any legal methods for reducing or eliminating the duty and VAT? Are international customers ok with these costs? I'm sorry that I did not discover this information earlier. I will post it on my site ASAP.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#258477 - 25/06/2005 02:03 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: FireFox31]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Simple to reduce or eliminate the VAT. Perfectly "legal" (in quotes).

These are just simple piece of plastic. Their actual "value" is pennies each. Obviously you've priced them reasonably to make up for the costs of the mould and labour, etc...

But who's to say you have to value them on customs forms for the price you're selling?

Sample customs forms:

"Description: Spare plastic button caps"
"Declared value: $1.00"

Done.

If you're doing a huge batch, maybe value the entire thing a bit more. Like $10.

Hey, when I place my order for 3 sets to Canada, they better be valued at $1.

Bruno


Edited by hybrid8 (25/06/2005 02:05)
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#258478 - 25/06/2005 07:50 Re: Buttons - Lit buttons finally available for sale [Re: mlord]
caseyse
member

Registered: 07/10/2000
Posts: 112
Loc: CA, USA
Quote:
I find the LED light doesn't spread out (diffuse) as much as with the earlier buttons


I'm looking forward to receiving my order of buttons. For the smd LEDs around the knob, I'll probably cut a dark gel into a disk to place under the knob. On the buttons, I'm planning to cut the tops of the LEDs. This should help to diffuse the light.

edit: fixed formatting (robricc)


Edited by robricc (25/06/2005 14:07)

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