Just stepping by to say thanks for the nice kit.
Build it up in about 2 hours and works like a charm.

Just some things to consider:
* maybe include the nice PS that is in the peggy 2LE kit, makes life ieser for non us people (it's mentioned that it's a US plug adaptor I know).
This also has not the rather bright annoying red LED

* not sure if it's a one off goof, but the tortoise shell I order with it was fairly scratched. Fortunate one side of one of the 2 pieces was impeccable so I'm using that now as a front. No real biggy but maybe some better QA might be needed on this? It's just quite a contrast to the quality of the rest of the kit.

Ha, and if anyone from Belgium reads this, our fine customs charge 25 euro "handling fee" and then on top of that 21% vat and 3% import duty.
Just that you know

greetz,

maybe include the nice PS that is in the peggy 2LE kit, makes life ieser for non us people (it's mentioned that it's a US plug adaptor I know).

Our web store does sell those fancier power supplies if you want one, but it's total overkill for the modest requirements of the Bulbdial. The included power supply was mainly chosen for price; the kit would cost $10 more with the bigger power supply.

This also has not the rather bright annoying red LED

Yes, that bugs me as well. I'll see if we can get a dimmer LED in the next version. Two solutions that I can suggest: 1. Put a piece of black tape over the LED. 2. Unplug it, open it up, and point the LED *inside* the case instead of outside, and put it back together. This is actually pretty easy; just make sure that you don't cross wires in there or something.

>the tortoise shell I order with it was fairly scratched

I'm sorry to hear that. These plastics are really cool, but unfortunately they come from the factory like this-- there are occasional scratches, and it sounds like you got about the worst of it. I'm very glad that you have a suitable piece to use as the front.


>our fine customs charge 25 euro "handling fee" and then on top of that 21% vat and 3% import duty

Man, that stinks! I've heard similar stories about UK "clearance fees" before other charges. It's not justifiable.

Quote by: Windell

The included power supply was mainly chosen for price; the kit would cost $10 more with the bigger power supply.

yeah, just maybe add the fancy one to the bulbdial selection page as an option (like the peggy 2 LE page)?
I'm now using one of these https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3529 , very cheap, and work great.

Quote by: Windell

2. Unplug it, open it up, and point the LED *inside* the case instead of outside, and put it back together. This is actually pretty easy; just make sure that you don't cross wires in there or something.

Done that already much better!

Quote by: Windell

Man, that stinks! I've heard similar stories about UK "clearance fees" before other charges. It's not justifiable.

It's a major hassle, I see so much fun things by US sellers like you or sparkfun etc, but the import duties just kill it.
Then you wonder why people try to beat the system and start using the "gift trick" and so...
I also found that while there are some EU based distributors those I found this stuff is not "core business" and it shows (no decent webshop or list of things they carry, nothing in stock, no clear idea of prices without back forward emailing etc).
Hum, maybe an idea, set up a nice EU webshop that targets evil mad sparkfun people

I'm now using one of these https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3529 , very cheap, and work great.

Yes, that was our intention; we made sure to get a version that was suitable for european voltage.

Then you wonder why people try to beat the system and start using the "gift trick" and so...

And yet we wish to operate within the law.

Hum, maybe an idea, set up a nice EU webshop that targets evil mad sparkfun people

We do have a few european resellers starting to appear. They have import costs too, so the prices will be higher up front but with much less effective shipping cost.

ParcelForce in the UK charges £13.50 clearance fee in return for paying about the same amount of VAT for you on this kit so the total charge is about £25: you don't get the choice to pay the VAT yourself. Some people have - apparently - argued successfully against this charge, but while you're arguing they're holding your kit hostage.
They charge "only" £8 if the parcel is not sent Express. Given the time customs clearance takes anyway, using a non-Express option might be a worthwhile saving for smaller items.

On the subject of improvements, how about not cutting out the large central hole in the clear front/back panel? It could then prevent inquisitive fingers moving your painstakingly adjusted LEDs. You couldn't use the same cutting program for all materials but I haven't yet worked out a tidy way to cover the opening other than making a new panel. Any suggestions?

>It could then prevent inquisitive fingers moving your painstakingly adjusted LEDs.

Eeek!

I haven't heard of this happening before. Two ideas about this. One, we have a source of domed glass bezels (sometimes called "watch glasses" ) that could be used to protect the clock from small fingers. We could include those as an option on future kits if there's interest. Second, we're almost done with the rear-projection option. When that's used, both sides of the clock are sealed up-- you can't see the LEDs at all.

I suppose that we could also start cutting clear pieces the same shape and size as the clock face to provide a protective layer on the front... maybe if we used low-glare acrylic this would be okay.