ChilliEye Cost to make v2 is a little more, the larger tritium vial costs a bit more, the flat glass is slightly more than the round tubes, adding a parylene coating will cost something. While I won't be changing the profit margin on the implants, I will pass on the extra cost of making them. I expect about $10-$20 more for v2 to cover the extra costs of making it. Yes, I will include the needle, but so far I've only found raw needles in the right size, not with the injector handle we normally use, I'll look into getting the handles made.
tekniklr Yes, parylene to stop migration is one of the two main features of v2. While I haven't looked into it much yet (I'm waiting until the implants are finished) I plan to just coat the ends while leaving the middle un-coated.
Zerbula Yes, reflective backing. It only makes a very tiny difference to light, but I want to make the best implant I can. Also a layer of lead to completely block any radiation that may make it through the lead glass.
ChilliEye I'd say around two weeks to get it in the UK. I've PM'd you about the magnet.
I feel that it can light about 6" away after I have adjusted to dim light conditions. Do you find that? Or could you go into a dark room and instantly light up and see a distant object?
@ChilliEye I would say the same. For me, it takes about a second for my eyes to adjust to be able to see the light from the implant outside at night. (Mind you I live in the city) In a pitch black room, you are able to see light from the implant on objects up to about 7 inches away.
Prototype v2 next to v1 for comparison. Yes, the outer glass is longer and the ends not as smooth. This is because it was made by hand, final units will be the same length as v1 with smooth ends as they are sealed by professional glass working machines.
This shows the back of the v2, the grey is a layer of lead foil inside the glass to block all radiation output of the back and sides of the tritium vial. The vial is also surrounded by an inner coat of lead oxide glass in order to minimize radiation at the front as well.
This is the same as the first picture but in the dark. It shows just how much brighter v2 is, currently external testing is ongoing and none of the v2's have been implanted yet, but based on the external comparison, I think v2 will be easily seen in even dim lighting conditions, not just the total darkness required for v1 to be visible.
Yes. Thank you, thank you, thank you @AlexSmith. Considering implanting one of these centered just below my sternum. As much as I want one on either cheekbone, I hesitate to do so lest I ever find myself having to hide myself in darkness... Having two brightly glowing points of light on my face would not be a good thing in that case...
Testing data: I just got the results of the radiation output testing for the prototype Firefly v2 (thanks @cassox!).
Once the Fireflies are finished I'll post the raw data, but for now here are the overall results: This shows the control reading for the dosimeter/time/location of the testing. It shows the general background radiation so we know what's normal and what comes from the Firefly.
Here is the reading for the Firefly.
If you look closely, you will notice something odd. The Firefly's reading is LOWER than the background reading. How could this be? I can think of two possible explanations for the lower radiation reading.
The first is chance. Most radiation sources are random, so there is a chance that the background reading just happened to catch a point in time with slightly higher radiation. If this is the case, it still means the Firefly is safe as its radiation output is so small that it is overshadowed by random fluctuations in background radiation.
Possibility number two is that the lead and lead oxide coatings of the Firefly actually blocked some of the background radiation. And any small amount of radiation put out by the Firefly itself was so small that it was less than the amount of background radiation blocked. If this is the case, having the Firefly v2 implant would actually decrease the amount of radiation the area of the body is exposed to!
I'm not sure which of these causes is the case, but either way, the Firefly v2 is even safer than v1, which is something I'm really happy about as I was slightly worried the larger vial of tritium in the v2 could lead to a higher radiation output, but I guess the lead shielding counteracts that.
TL;DR: Firefly v2 outputs even less radiation than v1, making it safer.
A quick question in regards to the lead lining, was that going to be reflective on the 'inside' still, to try to broadcast more light, or simply be a sheet of Pb for shielding?
ChilliEye Time line right now is as follows: wait for bulk order of vials to arrive ~ 1 week do lead and lead glass coatings ~ 1 week ship to Germany to have the outer glass coating sealed ~ 1 week wait in glass processor's queue ~ 6 weeks ship back to me ~ 3 weeks do anti-migration coatings ~ ? (not sure yet, I have to find someone to do it)
So a total of around 12 weeks. I'm sorry it's taking so long.
Yes, I am planning on supplying injectors, but at 5mm across, I will have to have them custom made, so not sure when/how that will work out.
I guess if you really don't want the anti-migration coating, I could send you one without...
Zerbula No, I did try some with reflective backing, but any difference was not noticeable to the naked eye, so I decided it wasn't worth the trouble.
Wouldn't bother me having it, just don't think it would work well enough to justify the extra step and cost, plus increased difficulty of removal. Unless I'm getting the wrong idea, and it's about long term migration.
Anyway, are the three glass tubes bonded together? Because my firefly is clicking.
The anti-migration coating is intended to stop long term movement, the outer coating of glass (borosilcate) doesn't bond with tissue at all, and a few people have reported it migrated around 1 inch during the first few months, until it found a place to rest. While not a huge problem, it would be better if it didn't move at all. Which is the point of doing an anti-migration coating. We will only find out how well it works in practice after it's been implanted for a few months.
The three glass layers are not bonded in terms of fused glass. The tritium vials are super glued in position inside the lead oxide layer, but the lead oxide layer is free to slide back and forth within the outer borosilicate layer. It is normal to be able to hear a slight clicking sound if you tilt your hand/arm up and down.
I've got all the vials now, so will be doing the lead and lead oxide coatings this week, but I just thought, should I do some different designs? like, I could put black strips across the vial, it wouldn't be as bright, but rather than having a single light, it would be two squares. The "resolution" through the skin is very poor, and the size of the light source is small, so I'm VERY limited in what I can do... not sure if it's worth doing or not, what do people think?
I'd skip on trying to add any resolution or detail to these guys myself... My two cents being testing functionality before functionality plus aesthetic capacity. ^^
Comments
tekniklr Yes, parylene to stop migration is one of the two main features of v2. While I haven't looked into it much yet (I'm waiting until the implants are finished) I plan to just coat the ends while leaving the middle un-coated.
Also, what's the average for that getting to the uk?
How long until you get the magnets in? I might still go for a v2 if I fancy another magnet.
ChilliEye I'd say around two weeks to get it in the UK. I've PM'd you about the magnet.
I would think it's possible, all of that in mind. Do keep in mind though that may be a little bit more of a high impact area. ^^'
FYI I have cases in shipping to me this week, so if all goes well I'll have pictures of v2 demo units up next week.
Prototype v2 next to v1 for comparison. Yes, the outer glass is longer and the ends not as smooth. This is because it was made by hand, final units will be the same length as v1 with smooth ends as they are sealed by professional glass working machines.
This shows the back of the v2, the grey is a layer of lead foil inside the glass to block all radiation output of the back and sides of the tritium vial. The vial is also surrounded by an inner coat of lead oxide glass in order to minimize radiation at the front as well.
This is the same as the first picture but in the dark. It shows just how much brighter v2 is, currently external testing is ongoing and none of the v2's have been implanted yet, but based on the external comparison, I think v2 will be easily seen in even dim lighting conditions, not just the total darkness required for v1 to be visible.
Call me whatever... I want aesthetic if it's possible... And a heug needle to inject this with... Nobody has 'time' for self-face surgery. ;_;
I just got the results of the radiation output testing for the prototype Firefly v2 (thanks @cassox!).
Once the Fireflies are finished I'll post the raw data, but for now here are the overall results:
This shows the control reading for the dosimeter/time/location of the testing. It shows the general background radiation so we know what's normal and what comes from the Firefly.
Here is the reading for the Firefly.
If you look closely, you will notice something odd. The Firefly's reading is LOWER than the background reading. How could this be? I can think of two possible explanations for the lower radiation reading.
The first is chance. Most radiation sources are random, so there is a chance that the background reading just happened to catch a point in time with slightly higher radiation. If this is the case, it still means the Firefly is safe as its radiation output is so small that it is overshadowed by random fluctuations in background radiation.
Possibility number two is that the lead and lead oxide coatings of the Firefly actually blocked some of the background radiation. And any small amount of radiation put out by the Firefly itself was so small that it was less than the amount of background radiation blocked. If this is the case, having the Firefly v2 implant would actually decrease the amount of radiation the area of the body is exposed to!
I'm not sure which of these causes is the case, but either way, the Firefly v2 is even safer than v1, which is something I'm really happy about as I was slightly worried the larger vial of tritium in the v2 could lead to a higher radiation output, but I guess the lead shielding counteracts that.
TL;DR: Firefly v2 outputs even less radiation than v1, making it safer.
Thank you @Cassox for the testing. :D
A quick question in regards to the lead lining, was that going to be reflective on the 'inside' still, to try to broadcast more light, or simply be a sheet of Pb for shielding?
wait for bulk order of vials to arrive ~ 1 week
do lead and lead glass coatings ~ 1 week
ship to Germany to have the outer glass coating sealed ~ 1 week
wait in glass processor's queue ~ 6 weeks
ship back to me ~ 3 weeks
do anti-migration coatings ~ ? (not sure yet, I have to find someone to do it)
So a total of around 12 weeks. I'm sorry it's taking so long.
Yes, I am planning on supplying injectors, but at 5mm across, I will have to have them custom made, so not sure when/how that will work out.
I guess if you really don't want the anti-migration coating, I could send you one without...
Zerbula No, I did try some with reflective backing, but any difference was not noticeable to the naked eye, so I decided it wasn't worth the trouble.
Anyway, are the three glass tubes bonded together? Because my firefly is clicking.
The three glass layers are not bonded in terms of fused glass. The tritium vials are super glued in position inside the lead oxide layer, but the lead oxide layer is free to slide back and forth within the outer borosilicate layer. It is normal to be able to hear a slight clicking sound if you tilt your hand/arm up and down.
I've got all the vials now, so will be doing the lead and lead oxide coatings this week, but I just thought, should I do some different designs? like, I could put black strips across the vial, it wouldn't be as bright, but rather than having a single light, it would be two squares. The "resolution" through the skin is very poor, and the size of the light source is small, so I'm VERY limited in what I can do... not sure if it's worth doing or not, what do people think?