iSeeTheLight
iSeeTheLight is a programmable identification (ID) strobe light for boaters, campers and all outdoor adventurers.
"Light ID" concept
For many centuries, people use different kinds of lights to be able to see their assets at night. Lighthouses, navigation lights on boats, strobe lights on bicycles, you name it. All these lights serve one purpose - to allow you to locate something in the dark. Most of them, however, were not designed for you to be able to identify your particular asset among many other similar ones, for example your particular boat on a busy anchorage among 50 others. For that, you need some kind of a unique light signal, and unique means you should be able to choose it, so that it will be different from any other light sources around. This is exactly what iSeeTheLight is designed for. Using a programmable combination of different colours and durations, you can easily produce your unique "light ID".
What can I use it for?
iSeeTheLight was designed with night time outdoor activities, such as boating, sailing, cruising, camping and alike. The casing is strong and weatherproof, so you don't need to worry about it at all. Of course, you can use it for any other purpose too, if you have any interesting use case in mind please let us know!
Device
Semi-transparent 3d printed casing with a lid at the bottom and a lanyard at the top. Power switch is located under the lid.
THe normal working position of the light is vertical, which helps to keep the lid weatherproof, together with
the silicon rubber O-ring.
App
iPhone version will be available with the crowdfunding campaign soon.
News
- 03-Sep-2017
- iSeeTheLight launched at our online store here.
- 04-May-2017
- Documentation for 3D printed casing for iSeeTheLight has been released under Creative Commons Attribution license at Thingiverse.
- 21-Apr-2017
- Despite our best effort, crowdfunding campaign for iSeeTheLight was not successful, but this is not the end. We will be discussing what are the next options available for the project, and will post an update here at a later time.
- 21-Mar-2017
- Crowdfunding campaign is launched on KickStarter.
- 23-Feb-2017
- The start of crowdfunding campaign is tentatively scheduled to March 20, stay tuned!
- 05-Dec-2016
- EBay sales have started on December 5. Crowdfunding campaign is currently planned to start in late January.
History
The project was originally conceived around late 2013 after one of the regattas, where lack of such light was very obvious and frustrating. First hardware prototype was created in April 2014. First public demonstration of electronic prototype happened in December 2015 on Christmas meetup of a local Hackware community. First prototypes of the complete device with the casing and Android app were completed around June 2016 and field tested since then on numerous occasions, including the famous Neptune regatta. After getting some positive feedback from the sailing community, crowdfunding campaign was launched on KickStarter on 21-Mar-2017.
Where to buy
You can buy iSeeTheLight from our online store here.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 115 mm length, 58 mm diameter
- Weight: 120 g (batteries not included)
- WiFi standard - 802.11 b/g/n.
- Maximum WiFi range outdoors - approximately 100 m.
- Visual range - up to 1 nautical mile.
- Batteries - 4 x AA.
- Power supply voltage - 5..10V.
- Battery life - depends a lot on the chosen light signal:
- Ordinary batteries, white light, duty cycle 50%* - up to 20 hours.
Resources
Documents
- 3D printed casing for iSeeTheLight on Thingiverse
- Android client app code on GitHub
- Schematics (PDF, 103k)
- ESP8266 device code on GitHub
FAQ
- What if I forgot what light signal I set?
- Just open the app and tap "replay" button. You don't need to be connected to your light for that. Video
- Can I control multiple lights with one phone?
- Yes you can, see this video for an example.