8000 Lumen output is SUPER BRIGHT!

With the success of this project, the Lumapad will be one of the brightest LED lights made with all these incredible features.  Thirty two (32) ultra bright LEDs are positioned in a landscape array to provide bright, even and controllable lighting on any subject.  It is truly unbelievable how bright this thing is even though it draws only 88 watts.  

Light any scene with soft, even lighting

A built in electronic dimmer makes the light intensity adjustable to suit any environment.  Great for studio and stage lighting, special effects, experimentation or anywhere an ultra-bright 8000 lumen lighting system is needed. 

Fully functional prototypes shown here

Introducing the first Open Source, High Intensity, 8000 lumen LED Lighting System with embedded Electric IMP WiFi, Atmel AVR and Arduino built in.

Be sure to visit Lumapad.com for more information.

New technology for you to experiment with.

This is no ordinary bright light!  With your own custom software, you can control the light intensity, flash effects and even the color temperature* via your iPhone, Android device or any computer with an internet connection.  An Arduino compatible controller along with the newly available Electric IMP WiFi SD card are both built into the Lumapad. Control the Lumapad any way you can imagine.

*color adjustment available on dual channel Lumapad only

Arduino controller lets you write your own code!

Every Lumapad is controlled by a Arduino compatible ATmega 328P micro computer and is pin for pin compatible with most other open source Arduino boards on the market.  The control board is based on the Arduino Pro Mini 328 from Sparkfun.  Use the standard Lumapad firmware or write your own to do interesting things with this ultra bright light panel. Programmable push buttons, LEDs, I/O pins, FTDI Basic USB connector (compatible with the Sparkfun FTDI Basic Breakout Board) and other features make experimenting easy with the Lumapad.  If you purchase a Lumapad without the Electric IMP WiFI card installed, you can always purchase it from Sparkfun here. 

If your pledge level includes the dual color LED array, you can control two sets of 16 LEDs individually allowing you to blend 3200 Kelvin and 6500 Kelvin LEDs for the color temperature that best suits your needs.  Flash each channel separately, dim and brighten them over time or even control the entire light panel via the Electric IMP WiFi controller.  The uses are only limited by your imagination and ability to write simple software code.

Optional dual color temperature prototype shown in video

Taking Green Energy to a new level

Who says you have to be in the dark to go green?  The Lumapad is the first LED lighting system to pack a huge punch in such a tiny package.  Measuring only 6.75 inches wide X 4.50 inches high, this tiny light pad uses only 88 Watts of power while delivering almost 1000 Watts of tungsten equivalent soft light. Now you can go green, save energy and light actors, stages, studios or anything that needs to be flooded with nice, even lighting.  Control the Lumapad the way you want.  Add WiFi and you can control multiple lights, add special effect like lightning, fire or anything your imagination can come up with.  

What is an Electric IMP?

Developing for the IMP is quite unlike most embedded development. No SDK to install, no JTAG pods, no long download times... you develop your code in a browser-based IDE and can compile and run your code on the IMP - wherever it is in the world - in under a second. The IMP even sends logging back to your browser.

Software that runs on the IMP is written in Squirrel, a C-like language, with extensions to communicate with the hardware interfaces and the service. As the Squirrel code runs on top of the OS, you get many big system benefits like buffered I/O and crash recovery - plus you can push updates to devices in the field with a few clicks.  Visit electricimp.com for more detailed information.

Demo showing how an IOS App can integrate with the Lumapad

Fully Assembled "Kits" will also be available

If you are interested in experimenting with the latest LED technology, the Lumapad circuit board is the best place to begin.  It will be available as a blank board or with all components installed and tested at a very low cost.   All the schematics and source code for this project will also be included.  Get started with this new technology now and maybe you can invent a new green energy lighting system or ultra-bright computer controlled LED Panel.

Features / Technical Specs

Lumapad offers many features not found in any other ultra high lumen LED lighting system.

• Ultra Bright 8000 lumen output via 32 individual CREE LEDs.
• 6400 Kelvin (bright white daylight) color temperature.
• Dual color temperature LEDs available (6400K / 3200K 16 per channel).
• WiFi enabled via the Electric IMP SD card module.
• User programmable Arduino (Atmel) compatible micro controller.
• Dual channel PWM dimming circuits with an additional analog dimmer.
• Up, Down and Mode buttons are user programmable.
• Adjustable light stand mount included.
• Draws only 88 watts at full power.
• Fan and temperature control circuitry built in.
• 6 3/4 inches (171mm) L X 4 1/2 inches (114mm) H X 1 inch (25mm) W
• 120 / 240 VAC Power adapter (USA, EU, UK, Asia and everywhere else)
• Lower cost 16 LED, 4000 Lumen model will also be available.
• Can be powered by standard 12 - 24 Volt DC battery packs too!

Write your own software to generate special effects.

With the Lumapad's open-source design, you can write custom software to generate many different effects.  Fire, lighting or a strobe light are just a few of the visual effects that come to mind.  The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Simulating the light from a fireplace with Lumapad.

Using the Arduino compatible micro computer in the lumpad, you can write many different programs to control a scene or room's lighting.  With the expansion terminals, connectors and WiFi, you could even communicate with the outside world.  Make a remotely triggered flash, motion activated strobe, WiFi controlled scene light or just anything you can dream up.  Simulate police and fire vehicles, emergency alarms and more.  For those of you that are really good with electronics and software, you could even hook up a microphone to create all kinds of sound triggered lighting effects. 

Simulated lightning.  A bit exaggerated to make a point!

Sure, the lightning in this video was a bit exaggerated but isn't that the point when creating cool special effects?  There are a bunch of modes that are built into the Lumapad at the moment.  I expect to add more as I come up with ideas.

Current Lumapad Modes:

• ON / OFF with brightness control
• color temperature adjust (dual LED version only)
• Stealth mode (turns fan off for silent running)
• Strobe Light with adjustable flash rate
• Simulated Fire
• Simulated Lightning

Rugged design for reliable operation

The Lumapad's rugged design allows for it to be used in many environments.  There are plenty of 1/4-20 threaded holes all around the edges for unlimited mounting options.  The cooling fan controller is built in, monitors temperature and can regulate the fan speed.  While the fan is very quite, the standard firmware has a "stealth mode" which keeps the fan turned off for silent running unless the LEDs begin to get too hot.  For a smaller form factor, where you won't be running at full brightness for more than ten minutes, the fan can be removed.  The computer will protect the Lumapad in the event of overheating so there is no need to worry.  A lower cost, 4000 Lumen model without fan will also be available for lighter, more portable operation.  Any 12 - 24 volt DC battery pack (minimum 7Ah) can also be used to power all the Lumapads.

Prototype stage complete:

Although fully functional prototypes are shown here, there is more to do. Custom switch panels, firmware development and additional hardware are needed to make this project complete.  These things can only be accomplished at a reasonable cost through volume purchases.  

Costs to make this project a reality:

This is no ordinary LED light and my pledge goal is based on a small volume manufacturing run.  The unique design requires a minimum order of 100 units to get the costs down to an affordable price.  Here is a breakdown of the expenses related to a small run.

$120.00 - Machined Aluminum case and stand.

$63.80 - 32 CREE LEDs

$78.00 - Circuit board and all components 

$29.95 - Electric IMP

$12.00 - CPU Fan and Heat Sink

$24.00 - Power Supply

$8.00 - Front Glass

$15.00 - Misc screws and mounting hardware

Plus boxes, packaging and shipping costs**.

**Lumapads are made from aluminum which makes them heavy and a bit costly to ship.

Kickstarter pledges help bring the costs down.

With today's technology, professional LED lighting like Lumpad can cost thousands of dollars.  With the addition of WiFi and the Audrino controller, there will be nothing like it on the market.  By joining this project on Kickstarter, we can get the cost down to an affordable level, make a unique design, save energy and have some fun in the process.

I try to design REALLY COOL STUFF 

I strive to invent products and technologies that people like, can enjoy and hopefully, learn something while using them.  Most of my designs are unique and require special tooling and/or manufacturing techniques.  Kickstarter offers me a great opportunity to lower these costs and get my products into everyones hands.

Reward Levels

I wanted to give people choices, depending on their planned uses for Lumapad.  There are actually only three different Lumapad models.  All the pledge levels just have different accessories that come with them.  Read the descriptions carefully to see what is included.

The three Lumapad models:

• 8000S - 32 daylight CREE LEDs, 8000 lumen output
• 6000D - 16 daylight / 16 warm white  CREE LEDs, 6000 lumen output
• 4000S - Will have lower power or only 16 daylight CREE LEDs, 4000 lumen output

All Lumapads are an open source design and include all schematics, parts lists and other information.  

RECENT PLEDGE ADDITIONS

Lumapad's technology is expensive but other LED lights with 1/4 the brightness can run thousands of dollars.  I have done my best to get the costs down and recently added a few more pledges to give everyone a chance to play with the Lumapad.

Three Lumapad Lighting Kit with Case

While fully functional prototypes are shown here, I would like to refine the design, improve the case along with the electronics and get the online community involved with writing really cool APPs.  I hope the Kickstarter community will join me in backing this project.

My pitch is now complete.  I hope that this project will be a success here on Kickstarter.  I had fun designing and building the prototypes for Lumapad and also shooting all the videos.  I look forward to turning this idea into a reality and hearing all the cool applications the online community comes up with.

$85,000 Stretch Goal Added

If this project funds above $85,000, it will give me enough extra money to add filter holders that many people are asking for.  I have already squeezed $2000 worth of technology into these lights but let's try to go a bit further.  Let's get out there and Tweet, Blog, Facebook or whatever it takes to reach this stretch goal.

Need more information?

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Visit Lumapad.com for up to date information.