EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Crowd Funded Projects => Topic started by: dazz1 on July 07, 2018, 04:40:15 am
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Hello
This is a project that is designed and built by a real Engineer based on the actual laws of physics. I can't be a scam because it is funded by a crowd of one, me.
Mímirbox is a portable self-contained, wireless, full RGB colour, ultra-bright LED display. It is designed to be used in applications where there is little or no infrastructure. The initial target market is sports events at temporary venues, or venues that don't have good power reticulation or communications. A specific example is go-kart race tracks where there is a requirement to show signals to drivers on the track. Traditionally this was done with fabric flags on sticks but it is becoming harder to find increasingly reluctant volunteers willing to stand out in the weather at a lonely flag point all day. Mímirbox solves that problem by replacing people with electronic displays. This improves safety because it gets people out of harms way and improves the quality of signalling. The Mímirbox displays can be located where it would be too dangerous to place flag marshals.
The displays can show practically anything including still images, videos, scrolling text, animations, flashing and dynamically updated images/text. Wireless communications is via a mesh network. For kart track applications the maximum range between displays is about 100m. Alternative radio modules can be fitted with a range of up to 20km between displays. If LTE modules are fitted the range is only limited by mobile coverage. The displays can be powered from the mains (if available) or by self-contained LiFePO4 batteries. The endurance depends on the battery size installed. For go-kart racing the selected battery will run the display full-on for 3 hours in 18 hours. The enclosure will house batteries big enough to run the display full-on for 10 hours in 48hours. If that is not enough, an external battery can be connected.
The enclosure is a custom made to be waterproof, durable, stackable, easy to mount and dismount. All of the switches and connectors are recessed to prevent them being knocked off with handling. Everything is contained within the enclosure.
With Mímirbox, the signals can be centrally controlled or control can be distributed to anyone with access to the network with any device that can run Google Chrome. There is no software to install and the controlling device can be a mobile phone, touch screen tablet, PC with any operating system (Apple, Linux, Windows, Android). The network can include the Internet. At present I have Mímirbox systems in New Zealand that are accessed by developers in Australia, the Philippines and the UK. Developers are currently integrating the Mímirbox signalling system with an existing and independent timing system. This will allow one click race control. Once the starter has clicked to start the race, the combined timing and signalling system will initiate the start lights, count laps, show the last-lap and finally the checkered flag all without human intervention. Race incidents will be managed by exception. Automating the race timing and control will both reduce the number of race officials and the work load of the few left.
It is one product with many applications. It is particularly suited to temporary or off-road venues that require something that is easy to deploy and recover. Applications could include:
- marathons, ironman, enduro
- advertising food/beverage
- crowd control
- electronic pit board with live feed from the timing system (currently in development)
- messages from supporters to competitors on the track
- counters/timers/temperature/speed
- parc-ferme control
See more at the website mimirbox.co.nz (http://mimirbox.co.nz) and at www.facebook.com/mimirbox (http://www.facebook.com/mimirbox)
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Looks great, well thought out, decent demos (though in the second video I think it would be better for them to show some sign when turned on - I nearly didn't wait for the end of the third demo to see the effect).
But, the 86.33MAUD ($64M) question: how much would a box cost?
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Hi
Thanks for the feedback on the videos.
$USD2040 for the basic mains powered display ex-works.
$USD2040 for the server (one required per system)
From here there are a number of options:
- Lithium battery (price depends on the required capacity)
- Eye-brows to improve contrast and keep direct sun off the LED modules
- Fold-flat stands used to locate a display anywhere
- Frangible stands made of plastic pipe for location where they could be hit by a race car.
- Clamp-on "C" mounts used to mount to existing flag points
- Battery charger with Bluetooth comms.
- Hi resolution 64x64 pixel displays
- Custom wireless hand controller (wifi control with a mobile phone is already available)
The development roadmap includes:
- Electronic pit board
- Integration with 10 other timing systems
- A wide screen hi resolution 128x64 display
- A half-sized 16x32 display and low budget control system
- 10-way battery charger providing remote access, monitoring and control over the Internet
This is a feature-rich system designed to reduce the number of staff and officials required to run competitive events.
For advertising applications, it is a go-anywhere, show-anywhere system.
The software is specifically designed to be easily adapted to applications I haven't even thought of.
The electronic pit board is one of those.
Dazz
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They are a bit more than pocket money, and the staff they'd replace (in racing) would probably be volunteers so it's not saving wages. But it certainly looks professionally done and no doubt worth every cent.
Away from racing, if these are mixing with people (that is, within reach) they're likely to get banged about or even nicked. I am think of, for instance, ad hoc car parks for some festival, queue management at open days, etc.
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Use the space available below the two "Top 10 features" pages to add pictures of it in use. Potential users *need* to see it in use and quickly imagine how *they* could use it. Good luck.
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They are a bit more than pocket money, and the staff they'd replace (in racing) would probably be volunteers so it's not saving wages. But it certainly looks professionally done and no doubt worth every cent.
Away from racing, if these are mixing with people (that is, within reach) they're likely to get banged about or even nicked. I am think of, for instance, ad hoc car parks for some festival, queue management at open days, etc.
This is an expensive product and I make no apologies for that. I made a conscious decision to produce a feature-rich system that is good value for money but not cheap. This is something that will appeal to a club or company that has a good business case for implementing this type of technology.
All sports across the planet are having increasing difficulty finding volunteers. If sports clubs can't find free volunteers, they need to pay people or buy technology.
My first target is commercial kart tracks in the UK and then Europe. These pay wages to flag marshals and officials. From a purely commercial view, this technology is cheaper than paying people.
In a past role, I was Deputy Manager/Engineer for a military design office. I am accustomed to designing equipment that is treated badly in harsh environments. If you look at other designs, the enclosure usually just keeps the electronics in and the dust/water out. Mounting brackets often look like an unsightly afterthought. The Mimirbox custom enclosure does far more and includes features that are not immediately obvious. There are moulded-in threaded inserts on 4 sides that allow the displays to be bolted to something if required. Those inserts are one of the many features included in the custom enclosure. I have used my experience to design a unique system with many applications.
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Looks shit hot dazz ! :-+
Good luck and break some speed limits with this ! :)
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Use the space available below the two "Top 10 features" pages to add pictures of it in use. Potential users *need* to see it in use and quickly imagine how *they* could use it. Good luck.
I agree. I do plan to update the website and videos with people using the system.
More than a few applications are beyond my imagination. I have been approached by someone interested in using them for New Zealand Jet Boat River Racing (http://www.nzjbrra.co.nz/2017-world-marathon/). I would never have thought of that but this example gave birth to the catch phrase "Think of the possibilities"