Kickstarter UFO Turntable Strobe

[andrewlucas]

Another Kickstarter project from Jim Hagerman.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1907446723/ufo-a-diy-turntable-strobe?ref=banner

What is it?

The UFO is a self-contained strobe light and dot pattern that indicates when your turntable is spinning at the correct speed, whether 33.3 or 45 RPM. It sits on the center spindle and works with any turntable. The unique design not only looks superb, it also has crystal-controlled accuracy. The push-button on top steps through the various operating modes.

Who needs it?

Anyone with a turntable! If you want to know that your table is accurate or if it has a speed adjustment, the UFO is exactly what you need. And it doesn't cost any more than a traditional two-piece pattern disc and strobe light.

Why do you need it?

Maybe you just like the way it looks with the room lights off - glowing and hovering in space above your LP. Maybe you're a DJ working night clubs and want to set yourself apart. Or perhaps you just care a lot about sound and try to get the most out of your vinyl playback system, implementing every tweak possible to minimize distortions. If you have a heavy duty turntable with a massive platter, I suggest getting the weighted version, as the extra mass and damping can improve the noise floor of your system.

Who am I?

I have been designing electronic equipment for 31 years. My company (www.hagtech.com, www.haglabs.com) focuses on audio products, specifically related to vinyl playback. Our Bugle2 phonograph preamp was a huge success on Kickstarter earlier this year. It has received rave reviews and continues to sell as a hot commodity on my website. I fully expect to do the same with the UFO. Delivering unique, high performance audio equipment is something we've been doing for the past 15 years.

Why Kickstarter?

The major cost item for this project is the custom tooling required for injection molding the plastic parts. It's about $12,000 and there is no way around it. Add in the cost of other parts and I need to sell 300 kits just to break even. That's how I came up with the $22,500 goal. However, the minimum volume for a production run of plastic (tool can be re-used many times) is 1000 pieces, so my donation to the project is $7000, to pay for the leftover 700 sets. Yeah, that is out of my pocket! And I will do it, because I really want this project to succeed. Hopefully we can reach 150% of our goal, as that covers all up-front costs except for assembly and distribution. I make the profit on the back end, selling UFOs from my website for the next decade.

How was it designed?

I came up with the idea for the UFO back in 2004. In fact, I sold ten pieces of the original version, but the design was way too costly to take into production. Fast forward to 2012, and I developed version 2, which was mechanically hideous, and only a few prototypes were built. The circuit however, was completely re-designed around a micro-controller with added features, improved performance, and a switch to low cost AAA batteries. Cost has always been the main problem, and the only reasonable solution is to go with a plastic enclosure. So here we are in 2013. I hired Collin Kobayashi (www.3d-innovations.com), a local 3D designer and expert, to develop a completely new housing that would integrate perfectly with the electronics and be cost effective. Working together we came up with a fantastic result that achieved all of my goals and requirements. We've had two prototypes 3D printed and they are what you see in the video. The design is now complete, tested, and ready for production.

How will it be built?

Collin will work with the tooling / molding vendor to get the initial production run started. I will order circuit boards and parts and can start assembly of these items prior to receiving the enclosures. That should give me about two months' head start, minimizing the final assembly effort. I expect to start shipping kits as soon as the enclosures arrive. All units (including assembled ones) should be delivered within about four months.

The Script:

Turntables are making a huge comeback these days and LP sales are booming. I'm not surprised, because vinyl playback can be fantastic, far surpassing the sound quality of MP3s and other digital music sources. Many of these new turntables, however, are missing one important feature - a speed strobe. And that is where I come in. Hi, I'm Jim Hagerman, and I design audiophile components. You may remember me from my other Kickstarter project earlier this year, the Bugle2 phonograph preamp. This project is even better.

It all started during a phone conversation with Thom Mackris, the designer at Galibier Turntables, back in 2004. We were talking about motor speed control, spot lighting, and other stuff when I misunderstood something he said, and "poof" the light bulb went on. The idea of combining the strobe and lamp into one piece was invented - the original UFO had been born. You no longer needed the traditional two-piece, hand-held strobe and disc pattern that other manufacturers are selling. And now, thanks to Kickstarter, for the same price, you can own something way cooler - a new, 3rd generation UFO.

My partner for this project, Collin Kobayashi, a local specialist in 3D design, used the the latest computer methods to come up with a plastic enclosure that was both practical and interesting. Three molded pieces come together surrounding my custom circuit board to form what looks like a flying saucer. We've built up two prototypes using 3D printing technology to make sure everything fits just right and to get the look we were after. The kit version is not that difficult to assemble, as long as you are skilled at soldering electronics. The hollow bottom can be filled with lead shot and resin to create an anti-resonant structure of about 1.5 pounds, providing extra damping if you have one of those heavy duty turntables.

In use, you can see the strobe pattern dots "freeze" in space when the speed is correct. The production version will be professionally molded ABS plastic - light grey on top and charcoal black on the bottom. With the room lights off, it really does look like a UFO floating in space. If you're a professional DJ, serious audiophile, or just a vinyl junkie, you need one of these.

[jase]

Na, I'll do without

[3arl]

or you can download the free app that tells you rpm

[xxmartinxx]

It looks like this is going down in a flames.  I'm sorta kinda want one but not at $75 to build it myself.

[jase]

It's weird, the way Mr. Hagerman is going on about it, you'd be a fool to not use a strobe on a turntable.

Personally, I use my ears. If it sounds slow, I'll play an album I have the mp3's for and listen for a difference.

Using a strobe still won't fix any problems, it'll just look pretty while telling you shits fucked. But if it doesn't SOUND bad, then what's the issue?