another great video by Angus, evaluating the infamous OLO smart phone 3D printer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x5cIx9z5-I
I think a lot of people are concentrating on limitations of the phone. I, for one, have a spare Note2 (from when I upgraded) that will be used for this. It will remain plugged in (possibly to a USB power bank), and will not have apps that will interrupt the print.
Same here. My Note 3 is slated for this.
Thanks for sharing. I’ve been intrigued by this thing since I say it a few days ago
The battery its not a problem, you have your phone charger, so you pluged-in and problem solve
@Nathan_Walkner I don’t recall which of their videos, but I do recall seeing one that was at least a concept model where you could plug your phone in.
@Nathan_Walkner I did see that in the faq of their site you do indeed plug your phone in and charge it during printing
We will find out soon enough as soon as I get my hands on it!
@Nathan_Walkner you got examples of lcd resin printers (layertrace 2.k), so why a phone will be not able to create enough light
@Nathan_Walkner
I agree that people need to manage their expectations for something like this.
I’m expecting it to take a long time to print, have limited resolution, wear out after a fairly short time, and, of course, be VERY late.
But, I’m okay with that for this level of investment. I have similar expectations for the Tiko printer I backed. Anything more will be a pleasant surprise.
@Branden_Coates I don’t think it could be put any more accurately
@Branden_Coates
It’s not really venture capital. For a start your return on investment isn’t the product, it’s the discount on the eventual price that the product will be sold at. So really the risk is there but the reward component can be pretty poor for the risk you are taking, depending on how certain the product looks like happening. It gets even worse if the product is delayed and you factor in the time value of money. The only people who would come out ok are the real equity investors.
Also the current terms of kickstarter include that the venture is obliged to deliver the product. Nothing to stop anyone taking legal action against the venture but if it’s gone under then you can stand in line like any other unsecured creditor, ahead of the equity investors.
@Chengster_N it is venture capital and your return (the possible return of course) is indeed whatever you have selected for your Kickstarter “package or kit” based on your pledge amount.
@Casey_Hoke The true nature of a kickstarter backing is quite contentious - different people will have different views as to what it means.
You have your view of course, but I look at it from a traditional financing perspective. Do I have any upside to compensate for my investment? That would be a no, obviously, as all you get is the product and possibly bragging rights as being one of the first to have it.
Return = what you get over and above your investment (which is what you contributed), so at most it’s the discount and said (intangible) bragging rights. Not a cent more. Because of the changed kickstarter terms (since 2013/4?) fund raisers are contractually obliged to deliver the product they promised. So IMO, it’s looking like a fully paid up front pre order (albeit with a lot more risk given that most of these companies are startups with no track record). You’ve got most or all the risk of a venture capital contributor without the high return!
Just my 2c worth, nothing more. I haven’t backed a kickstarter since I got stung on my last one.
@Chengster_N Haha what you’re saying sounds like venture capital to me? I’m definitely with you on being cautious, being the first to have something isn’t worth much a risk to me personally. That’s what makes them smart though right? They’re raising a ton of capital and publicity too all without knowing they have to pass out the high returns. My thoughts are more geared towards the boring text book way of doing things I guess, Kickstarter is still fairly new to me and I’m quite impressed as to how much capital can be raised.
@Chengster_N You’re absolutely right! In contrast to any other investment what you can get (compared to a regular customer or a regular investor) is quiet low. And it’s even worse: You will get the absolute first version of the product so likely it will have problems. And if the company fails you will get nothing. You not considered a creditor and you’re nor a customer by your credit card company (happened to me with the Zano desaster).
I was very enthusiastic about crowdfunding in the first place but tend to think now, it’s fundamentally broken from the backer’s view. To much risk and to few gains.
@Casey_Hoke The trick is to decide which projects are fairy dust and which are more reality grounded and likely to be delivered. On the one project that I mentioned I did get the product after all but it turned out to be a rebadged product rather than something original. Needless to say the firm and its creator got a real plastering on the web.
And generally, if it sounds too good to be true…
One other thing that Angus didn’t touch on.
Presumably the phone needs to be at max brightness? And how do they ensure consistent output given so many types of phones out there? wonder what extended screen use at this level would do to a phone? Not to mention the resin would heat up as well which could lead to degradation.
@Nathan_Walkner yes i undertstand your point, but i know that it will take loots of time, but really i just want to test that printer, it will be my fist resin printer and I don’t care about quality. Its 99 dolars so you can’t expect so much more.