Dan Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 One of my main hobbies is electronics, I love coming up with project ideas and seeing if I can push myself to get them done. In this way I've been entirely self taught. In particular I love things that produce light, and with some LED strip on hand, I was thinking of new project ideas. I've seen dog glow collars before, but I thought, hey, I could make one far more awesome and customizable I usually go for my walks in the evening, and occasionally we go down to the esplanade for a walk. A few times I've put this collar on him and I've had people ask me where I got it, so I was actually considering turning it into a product. I'm curious what people here think, and whether it'd be something you think would be popular? Essentially I'd sell them as a "kit", so basically a small controller/battery box, then the customer can decide on how much LED strip they'd need to fit their dog/collar. This way people could use whatever existing collars they had, in any type or colour they like, rather than me having to stock them all. All you'd have to do is attach it to the collar - stitching, gluing, taping, zip-tieing, basically anything Doesn't even have to be on a collar, you could stick it on a harness, or even the lead. It would be weather resistant in case you get caught in the rain, but also if the dog happens to dive into a puddle or something. I haven't come up with many pattern ideas for them yet, but basically with the press of a button you can change between the 8 main colours, or some flashing/fading rainbow patterns, and also change the brightness. It'd remember the last option you'd set so you don't have to change it every time you want to use it. It'd just charge from a regular micro USB plug, like for smartphones. Battery life is still something I'm considering, but obviously it'll depend on how big the collar is, and how bright you run it. I'd be aiming for a minimum of 2 hours at full brightness for a husky-sized dog (but in the dark, full brightness is blinding). Obviously the trade off is the physical size of the control box. As it stands I don't think it'd be suitable for tiny dogs, but that could be a later project Of course I have my very patient test subject to demo it for me Let me know what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Cool. Huskies in the Heartland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 It works well on huskies because it kind of causes the hair around the neck to glow, and you can't really see the collar much once the hair settles into place. Obviously this is just a display collar though, I just swap it out for his normal one when we go for walks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi92 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 That's awesome I need one of them maybe my girl won't be so afraid to go for a walk once it's starts getting dark Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBELHOWLUC49 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Great idea. Love the different colours. Could you have a remote where you change the settings like on a key ring etc. Then the control box will not add to the collar weight??? Or is the control box already remote??? Not very good with gadgets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Basically 80% of the control box size is the battery itself, but it'd be an inbuilt lithium polymer battery, like in a smartphone, so very lightweight. That said it should be under ~4x2x1.5cm, and no more than maybe 100g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Love it, reminds me of disco lights and that can only be a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingsolo Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Would love that for my harnesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwood Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Love!! Especially for at night. Or maybe just for fun and have Christmas colors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Oh that's look fab on the harness AND my walking belt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 I'll keep you all updated on the progress, I'm sure I could use a few testers If you have any ideas for colours or patterns you think would be cool, please let me know and I'll see if I can figure it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted May 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Been pretty distracted, but been back at this the last couple of days. Have gone through a complete redesign and just need to finish the PCB layout and order some components for prototyping. The goal has been to try and get the controller as small as possible, and I think I've got it about as good as it's gonna get, yet still give reasonable lifetime. AA battery for size comparison. Simply charges through a standard micro USB plug, most people have chargers for this already. Very excited to get testing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormy Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 I'd definitely buy one if you made them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted June 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 Well into the prototyping now .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 looking good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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