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*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
...a set of glow toys (poi, staff, juggling balls - whichever) what would be your top priorities on the wish list? Here's a few things I've been considering for my hyperlights:

1) Reliability. From what I've heard / read, the offerings from certain established glow-toy manufacturers aren't particularly reliable. I'm building mine to be almost literally bullet proof.

2) Batteries. One thing I personally dislike about a lot of glow toys out there is that you need special chargers for them. If (like me) your memory resembles a seive and you constantly forget things like chargers, the ability to pick up a standard set of batteries and start spinning is definitely a bonues.

3) Flexibility. I spin with socks 90% of the time, and that's what I like. I'd like my glow-toys to be felxible enough that they can do anything my socks can. Ideally, I'd like to get my toys to the point that I'd spin with them during the day they're so comfortable smile

I'd be very interested to hear everyone elses thoughts - What are your biggest hates / loves of current glow toys? What I'm building these things for you guys, so the more / better input you provide, the better they'll be for you biggrin

Cake or Death?


TheWibblerGOLD Member
old hand
920 posts
Location: New Zealand


Posted:
Oh yeah, and i agree with mcp that they should be able to bounce continually off a wall without breaking.

If you go for a fast spinning throw and miss the catch then they hit the ground pretty hard, you wanna make them to withstand at least 3 times that.

Spherculism ~:~ The Act of becoming Spherculish.


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
UCOF: I'll make a special pair for you... might not be as bright as some though wink



Spherc: I've considered balls a few times. I've been thinking of cylinders (rather than spheres) because it seemed silly to me to add extra weight unnecessarily. What do you mean when you say "Long thin ones always suck, round balls is best"? ...or rather, why do you say that?



Have you seen my gallery or the vid Chutney and I put together? As it stands, there's a mixture of strobes and fades in a big long loop. You'll be able to tell them to do whatever you like though - fully programmable smile

Cake or Death?


mcpPLATINUM Member
Flying Water Muppet
5,276 posts
Location: Edin-borrow., United Kingdom


Posted:
I just like the idea of three beat weave against a brick wall as the testing stage... It has a nice feel to it. If you test them like this, or in any other way, you HAVE to film it!

Yeah, after consideration, batteries in the poi, that you can remove, but ALSO, recharge without removing. (I love that.) So at festivals you can quickly replace them with normal ones, but otherwise you don't have to fanny around with removing them.

I imagine that aerotechs, beamers and all those sort hurt like a bitch when they hit you. So I would also like a soft outer coating of something. (I get the feeling that plain silicon sealant would both look [censored] and fall apart easily.)

Or perhaps you could make little soft clothes for them that people could put on them... Like ipods have.

So I would like the ability to be beaten up by a brick wall, and be soft on my skin, like fairy liquid. biggrin

"the now legendary" - Kaskade
"the still legendary" - Kaskade

I spunked in my friend's aquarium and the fish ate it. I love all fish. Especially the pink ones. They are my bitches. - Anon.


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
After speaking to someone (Glass maybe?) I had planned to do just that MCP... and I would certainly take a video of it too. Seems slightly sacreligious to do it, but if they survive that, they're going to survive most things!

The problem with recharging them in their housing is that it means you need some sort of cover to protect the plug. The more things like covers you have, the more difficult it becomes to seal the damn thing. I'd like to make them practically submergeable! The batteries will definitely be removeable / replaceable with standard sizes. I may make some sort of plug that replaces the battery cover that plugs in... still thinking about that one.

As for padding, I was thinking I'd probaly give them a covering of foam so hitting yourself was less likely to cause injury / death smile

Cake or Death?


pricklyleafSILVER Member
with added berries
1,365 posts
Location: Manchester, England (UK)


Posted:
After whacking myself square in the nose with my glow poi yesterday, when not paying attention to what i was doing, and causing me to bury my face in my duvet in pain, and now walking round with a bruise on my nose (which is quite impressive considering I don't normally bruise at all), soft coating is definately a priority!

Silicon, (which you can cast, rather than squirting sealent over, meaning it can be made to look professional) is generally not that soft or forgiving. Although it has more give than a battery case would, it still would hurt a lot, and is genarally very heavy.

Something like foam is better suited, and very light, although of course adds problems of durability (it would need to be contained properly, otherwise bits would fall off) and of course it would dull the light if you use it in the quantity/thickness needed. (I'm sure you know all this already sorry!). The problems are probably quite easily solvable in this case though.

Can't think of anything else suitable off the top of my head but will keep you posted if I do, there are many wiered and wonderful materials out there. Maybe worth looking on an art and craft supplies website, mainly for materials used for casting, you might find something there.

Live like there is no tomorrow,
dance like nobody is watching
and hula hoop like wiggling will save the world.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
Polycorbonate is what I'll most likely use for the body of the poi because it has one of the highest impact resistances of the plastics around today. Also, when it hits something, it will deform rather than smash (unlike acrylic for example).Being plastic, it's also very light.

Spherc: I've been thinking about what you said about balls, and it's starting to make some sense. It's also got me thinking about some other stuff which could be very cool ubbidea Cheers! smile

Cake or Death?


VixenSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,276 posts
Location: Oxfordshire/Wiltshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
Short and fat, not to heavy (Im only weak) Not to hard (Im only soft) Wont break if dropped (Im not that good) xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.


animatEdBRONZE Member
1 + 1 = 3
3,540 posts
Location: Bristol UK


Posted:
Written by: *HyperLight


it will deform rather than smash (unlike acrylic for example).





I'm a bit dubious about polycarbonate, myself.

OK, I confess to not knowing enough sciencey stuff about this sort of thing, But the only Contact ball I have ever broken was a polycarb.

I've dropped my balls a lot. I had a little 70mm blue poly carb, and it got dropped on a tiled floor. It broke cleanly in two. I've dropped untold acrylics, of all sizes from 60mm to 100mm, on the same floor, and not had a problem at all.

As far as contact balls go, I've been led to believe that acrylic is better quality that polycarb.

Empty your mind. Be formless, Shapeless, like Water.
Put Water into a cup, it becomes the cup, put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Water can flow, or it can Crash.
Be Water My Friend.


RevBRONZE Member
Bastard Newbie Messiah
1,269 posts
Location: Apparently lost in my ego, USA


Posted:
hyper- I prefer round.. but I guess a pill shapes would be a close second.. it would have the qualities of both.. I like my glowsticks a lot.. BUT the fact that they are long causes them t take up most of my string.... I've never spun anything pillshaped, so I don't know how that would end up.. If its one of those things where it HAS to be a cylinder, then I think I have no input.. because I think short and fat would be nice since its closer to round, but I also think fat would make it harder to trace with.. but I have nothing to back up either of those statements. just somethign to think about when you are experimenting...

the thing about the length... is it dramatically infuences wraps.. the shorter they are, the mroe you have to make it wrap on your arm and recoil off in order to make it clean... the longer they are, the easier it is to bounce wrap it...

and I like colorfades, like matt said.. however.. I love the strobes too.. (sorry matt hehe)

More useless information courtesy of Rev...
Confusing the masses, one post at a time...
"Obviously, you're not a golfer.."- The Dude
"Buy the ticket... Take the ride..." -Raoul Duke
"FEMA has never done catastrophe planning..."-Michael Brown


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
Vixen: ta.. and you're not rubbish at all!



Long_time_coming: "I've dropped my balls a lot" lol wink I can only assume that whatever they used to make that polycarb ball blue must've weakened it. According to all the stuff I've read (check this and this) polycarb has a higher impact resistance. I may try making the housing out of a few different types of plastic to test them thoroughly though.



Rev: It doesn't 'have' to be any shape in particular. The biggest limitation I have to get round is the fact that I want to use AAA batteries. I want to use a pair so we're effectively limited to a section of the poi being 20x45mm (plus a bit more for connections and the housing).



The more I think about it, the more having a spherical shape makes sense. Having a cylinder is more likely to pivot where the cylinder meets the cone. That probably makes no sense - needs a diagram i think :P

Cake or Death?


VixenSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,276 posts
Location: Oxfordshire/Wiltshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
Im really glad that this thread has started up again... i thought you had given in trying to develope these! xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
lol, not at all.. I've just been researching things and trying new ideas. One of the biggest problems I have is I can't stop coming up with new things to try!! I need to go ahead and build some stuff so I can start testing it and finding out some limitations to cut down all the options I've come up with smile

Cake or Death?


SethisBRONZE Member
Pooh-Bah
1,762 posts
Location: York University, United Kingdom


Posted:
They need to be completely water proof, so I can spin in the bath. biggrin

And also on my Scuba Diving Holidays. ubbangel

After much consideration, I find that the view is worth the asphyxiation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.


mcpPLATINUM Member
Flying Water Muppet
5,276 posts
Location: Edin-borrow., United Kingdom


Posted:
underwater poi is a whole new thread man!

Where are those toy submarines anyway? biggrin

"the now legendary" - Kaskade
"the still legendary" - Kaskade

I spunked in my friend's aquarium and the fish ate it. I love all fish. Especially the pink ones. They are my bitches. - Anon.


RevBRONZE Member
Bastard Newbie Messiah
1,269 posts
Location: Apparently lost in my ego, USA


Posted:
hyper- how about a happy medium... egg shaped.. egg shaped gets the best of having cones and spheres.. I say cones because I think cones are slightly better a design than a cylinder because it puts more resistance where the resistance should be.. That being said.. where would you find egg or spherical containers anyway? maybe its best to work with that you've got.. lol..

sethis- waterproof poi... /spinning in the rain.. I'm spinning in the rain../ lol..

More useless information courtesy of Rev...
Confusing the masses, one post at a time...
"Obviously, you're not a golfer.."- The Dude
"Buy the ticket... Take the ride..." -Raoul Duke
"FEMA has never done catastrophe planning..."-Michael Brown


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
Well the housing will be a custom (cast probably) design, so it _could_ be egg shaped. However, if I made them spherical, they could also be used as juggling balls biggrin

Cake or Death?


RevBRONZE Member
Bastard Newbie Messiah
1,269 posts
Location: Apparently lost in my ego, USA


Posted:
yes... my thoughts were that spherical would make them incredibly versatile..

howwould you do the attachment? I dont do any juggling other than contact (and not even that really) so I don't knwo if the connection thing would get in the way..

maybe one of those retractable rectangular rings? can push in so it doesnt get in the way? I don't know if you know what I'm talking about.. is like a little paperclip looking piece that's shaped like |_| on the outside and where the bars go on the inside is like ]_[ ignore the flairs at the bottom.. the fairs at the top are what keep the ring from completely coming out..

I dont know how stable that would be.. but I'd say if you wanted something to use the same ball for either, than you'd want to be able to retract the clip somehow.. hell you could just leave two holes, and if they wanted to use them for poi they could run some kind of cord or something through the tiny holes..

these sound like they are going to be really cool.. I hope everything goes well with your testing..

More useless information courtesy of Rev...
Confusing the masses, one post at a time...
"Obviously, you're not a golfer.."- The Dude
"Buy the ticket... Take the ride..." -Raoul Duke
"FEMA has never done catastrophe planning..."-Michael Brown


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
I plan to have no attachment options at all; It'll just be a ball (or whatever). So contact juggling with a hyperlight would be entirely possible. I'm thinking of making some clever sock-type-things which you'd put them in.. which means they'll be capable of some other neat tricks I've been thinking about biggrin

Cake or Death?


RevBRONZE Member
Bastard Newbie Messiah
1,269 posts
Location: Apparently lost in my ego, USA


Posted:
unfortunately socks dont accomodate well to the way I spin... there's a big difference between body poi whihc socks are and head poi whihc fire and sticks are.. but its all gravy... I have to be able to getinto the ball to change the batteries... so can just drill some holes in it..

look forward to them..

More useless information courtesy of Rev...
Confusing the masses, one post at a time...
"Obviously, you're not a golfer.."- The Dude
"Buy the ticket... Take the ride..." -Raoul Duke
"FEMA has never done catastrophe planning..."-Michael Brown


RicheeBRONZE Member
HOP librarian
1,841 posts
Location: Prague, Czech. Republic


Posted:
New 140 doubles,
New socks,
New wicks,
New bag,
New fuel
lighter

and a lot of time smile.

:R

POI THEO(R)IST


VixenSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,276 posts
Location: Oxfordshire/Wiltshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
hmmmm its hard to find a kind of sock that doesnt steal all the brightness tho... xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
True, although the current rip-stop nylon 'socks' still deliver most (if not all) of the light the hyperlights kick out. The only gripe I have with it, is that it's not so comfortable to spin with as the socks I use. That's one reason I'd be tempted to go with finger loops at the top... but then throws / catches become more difficult! Too many options!! Arrrghhh!! biggrin

Cake or Death?


VixenSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,276 posts
Location: Oxfordshire/Wiltshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
Cake or death? xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.


mcpPLATINUM Member
Flying Water Muppet
5,276 posts
Location: Edin-borrow., United Kingdom


Posted:
Dude! There are sooooooooooooooooooooooooo many more options than socks or double loops!

"the now legendary" - Kaskade
"the still legendary" - Kaskade

I spunked in my friend's aquarium and the fish ate it. I love all fish. Especially the pink ones. They are my bitches. - Anon.


mcpPLATINUM Member
Flying Water Muppet
5,276 posts
Location: Edin-borrow., United Kingdom


Posted:
off the top of my head:

Socks:

Knot
no Knot
Loop

chain:
Double Loop
Single Loop
Triple Loop
Bit of cord to hold onto
Solid Hoop
Ball
Knot
Button

confused

"the now legendary" - Kaskade
"the still legendary" - Kaskade

I spunked in my friend's aquarium and the fish ate it. I love all fish. Especially the pink ones. They are my bitches. - Anon.


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