# J2 fusion core lighting question



## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

Hi! Question,Is the fusion core that was to be released this month still available from tsds? Thanks!!


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## XMAN64 (Dec 30, 2009)

Yes it is.....I plan on picking up another.


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## j2man (Jun 18, 1999)

Thought mine would arrive in time for Wonderfest. It didn't........Was suppose to ship out on the 10th.


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## robm6107 (Apr 6, 2010)

Had post somewhere here that the Fusion Core light set from TSDS is (according to Henry) would be another 2 weeks-some issue w/ the chip in the set.


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

spocks beard said:


> Hi! Question,Is the fusion core that was to be released this month still available from tsds? Thanks!!


Here's the scoop:

*********************************************
FUSION CORE/DOME LIGHT KIT SHIPPING UPDATE:
I received a huge box of the Jupiter 2 Fusion Core/Dome Light units late Tuesday afternoon (May 11th). Unfortunately the manufacturer had programmed the chip that controls the lighting sequence with the wrong code instructions. They have to go back and be re-programmed. 

However, this was only half of what I ordered, and the second half is being manufactured right now. The second half is being correctly programmed and should be here in the next two weeks or so. This means your light kit(s) will ship from that second (corrected) lot. 

I ship via US Postal service, and it will go priority mail. Purchasers will get an email from STAMPS.COM when it goes, providing you with a tracking number.

Sorry for the delay!

--Henry
*********************************************

I hope to hear from the manufacturer this evening or tomorrow with a more-firm ETA, and will post that on the website (www.tsdsinc.com) when they tell me a date. I expect to be able to update the website within the next 2 days. 

In the meantime, if you ordered one, please check your spam filter and make sure it will allow email from the business ([email protected] and [email protected]).

Again, sorry about the delay! This is the only product I sell that I do not, myself, manufacture, so I’m kind of at the manufacturers mercy! 

Thank you,

--Henry


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Not to take anything away from Henry's wonderful products, but if your in a real rush Randy has them at VoodooFx and Simon has them at the Kit Factory as well. I have Simons in my PL J2 and for my Pod, and the magnetic switch is pretty cool to start them up with. I have the VoodooFx unit in my big J2. I'm amazed to see how many people are offering this kind of product. (I think there are more than these three guys too). This says a lot for the current state of our hobby! Times are good to be a modeler! 

Henry's decals are a super addition too! You can't beat that vinyl floor decal, it's just too easy and it really looks nice installed! I plan on doing another J2 in the future, and purchasing a launch platform for it. It looks a bit intimidating. Is it?


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Tim Nolan said:


> ...I plan on doing another J2 in the future, and purchasing a launch platform for it. It looks a bit intimidating. Is it?


Tim --

Honestly, it's really easy to put together. And by the time you are done with it, you'll be VERY comfortable working with strip styrene if you've never used it before. There is a lot of it in this kit, but as long as you measure before cutting/snapping, you're good to go.

I guess the hardest part is putting the railing on the center "deck". If that turns you off, they also make a plastic railing at plastruct, but I stopped using it because too many people tended to snap them during installation. The included railing is literally "hardware wire" which is Lowe's-speak for 1/4 x 1/4 wire fencing... to keep the bunnies out of your small garden and such. Some folks mount it to the outside of the center deck, and others drill holes every 1/4" and actually partially sink the "rail" into the deck for a more realistic look and feel. 

The kit itself takes no time at all to assemble if you follow the enclosed instructions. Then you just hose it down with silver paint (although I did see one person paint theirs RED, which actually looked really cool!).

Just make sure you have enough room to display it when you're done. With the J2 on the launch pad, it's around 17" tall. And you have an 18" footprint to deal with, too. 

These days we all have flat screen TV's hanging on walls or narrow shelves -- this would have been the PERFECT thing to put on the old big Living Room television set! 

--Henry


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

Tim Nolan said:


> Not to take anything away from Henry's wonderful products, but if your in a real rush Randy has them at VoodooFx and Simon has them at the Kit Factory as well. I have Simons in my PL J2 and for my Pod, and the magnetic switch is pretty cool to start them up with. I have the VoodooFx unit in my big J2. I'm amazed to see how many people are offering this kind of product. (I think there are more than these three guys too). This says a lot for the current state of our hobby! Times are good to be a modeler!
> 
> Henry's decals are a super addition too! You can't beat that vinyl floor decal, it's just too easy and it really looks nice installed! I plan on doing another J2 in the future, and purchasing a launch platform for it. It looks a bit intimidating. Is it?


Tim!
The launch pad is very easy to build. And its a lot of fun. I have both sizes-the 12 and 18 inch versions and they are really great to build. I cut the heads of pins off for the rivet look along the sides for the 12 inch version and bought a set of brass rivets on-line for the 18 inch version. Now I have to build the ships to go on the pads!


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## j2man (Jun 18, 1999)

I was a little bummed not to have it by Wonderfest, but I just love the 6 lights in the dome effect. It will be well worth the wait.


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Thanks Henry! I've worked with just about every plastic there is, no fear here! Do you suggest Tenax or similar for assembly, or is Zap OK to use? 

I guess I will put it on the list of future wants. It looks awesome, I've seen several assembled. I'd like to scratch-up the little ground support stuff I've seen in photos of the real one, would be a fun project! Thanks for the support!

Yes, Randys only has two light in the dome board, not sure about Simons though.....


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## robm6107 (Apr 6, 2010)

I'm waiting patiently as well. As the saying goes "Good Things come to those who wait". Anyway, have to do some wet sanding on the hull. Has "orange peel effect" on top of the skin-prob. w/ the primer (can).


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## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

*Thanks for the fusion core light statis Henry!*

Thanks for the fusion core/dome update Henry.
If it takes a couple more weeks that's fine,I still need to place an order for it soon before you sell out.:freak:
Question for Henry, Do you accept only PayPal? No U.S.money orders?
Also for the late orders,Do you think there will be enough to ship to every one that wants one of these? Thanks!!:thumbsup:


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## macki (Mar 13, 2010)

any word on when the CORE still waiting for mine and havent herd a thing but did see that it was charged to me credit card?


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

macki said:


> any word on when the CORE still waiting for mine and havent herd a thing but did see that it was charged to me credit card?


Hi --

The replacement cores should be here around the 10-15th of June. The manufacturer programmed the code from the last model on this model's chip, and the programming had changed since the last model. I did send out emails to everyone who pre-purchased one. Is there any chance your ISP is marking my business email ([email protected] or [email protected]) since it is a hotmail account? You are not the first person to tell me they have not heard a peep from me about this, but I did send out emails.

I'll update the website hopefully this evening with more updated information as I get it.

Thanks,

--Henry


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

j2man said:


> I was a little bummed not to have it by Wonderfest, but I just love the 6 lights in the dome effect. It will be well worth the wait.


Sorry -- I missed this somehow. There are EIGHT lights in the fusion core dome! They look incredible when powered up!

--Henry


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## j2man (Jun 18, 1999)

Eight is enough! :-D


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

j2man said:


> Eight is enough! :-D


For some folk ...!!!


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## robm6107 (Apr 6, 2010)

Been in discussions w/ Henry @ his launch pad-of the possibility of adding the towers to his pad & had informed me that he was supposed to get them in on Wed & ship them out after testing.
*Just got a Paypal email stating shipment from TSDS so hopefully not much longer.


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

robm6107 said:


> Been in discussions w/ Henry @ his launch pad-of the possibility of adding the towers to his pad & had informed me that he was supposed to get them in on Wed & ship them out after testing.
> *Just got a Paypal email stating shipment from TSDS so hopefully not much longer.


I take it you are talking about the light kits and not the towers!

Yes, the light kits came in today, all working great, and I spent all day shipping them out. I still have some and have more on the way if anyone needs one. 


The new system, designated version 2.0 features:

- A 4th "parking lot" mode where every 4th light fades to bright, and back down to dark and repeats.

- A removable microprocessor chip (for possible future upgrades)

- All wires now feature connectors - no more soldered bare wires. This is for reliability and strength.

- All components moved to upper side of the PCBoard - it will now sit flush in the fusion core on the little raised circle.


These features cost me a bit more, but the unit will be much more reliable in the long run. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

--Henry


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

*Pics!*

Pictures, as promised!

New Promo Art & Details:
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/showfull.php?photo=41607


Overview of Version 2.0:
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/showfull.php/photo/41608


Connectors on main PC Board:
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/showfull.php/photo/41610


Connectors to upper dome and power switch on Version 2.0:
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/showfull.php/photo/41609


That's all for now -- email me regarding any questions!

--Henry


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## Rallystone (Apr 16, 2010)

Just got my Fusion Core kit today. Looks nice and solid! Thanks, Henry!
One question - the paper included talks about fast, medium and slow speeds,
as well as on/off. How do you enter that new "parking lot" mode?


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Rallystone said:


> Just got my Fusion Core kit today. Looks nice and solid! Thanks, Henry!
> One question - the paper included talks about fast, medium and slow speeds,
> as well as on/off. How do you enter that new "parking lot" mode?


Off / On is the little white switch. The TOP black one alternates between 2 speeds, while the middle black one toggles between the 2 of the 4 different speed modes that the TOP button will show. Play with it a bit. It's confusing!

Most of the ones I tested started up in the "parking lot" mode. It is just a fade up / fade down mode, rather than a chase mode.

Does any of this make sense?

--Henry


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## Rallystone (Apr 16, 2010)

Absolutely. And well said. Thanks!


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Rallystone said:


> Absolutely. And well said. Thanks!


But... did you get it to work?

--Henry


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## robm6107 (Apr 6, 2010)

Got mine today as well & as I stated that it was worth the wait. Had emailed Henry as well concerning the top/btm buttons. Yes, do experiment with. Will get it to go in whatever function you want.


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## Rallystone (Apr 16, 2010)

well, you see, there's this warning on the bag that says I'm not supposed to open it until I'm ready to install it. Okay, I opened it to inspect it, so I'm a scofflaw already, but I haven't actually tested it yet. Just wanted to be
fore-armed with knowledge!


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## biollante62 (Sep 14, 2009)

After many months of waiting,they arrived today. I'm 47 and I was giddy as a school girl and dancing from the mailbox to the house really been waiting long,god I need to get a life.Anyway,the decals are fantastic as expected and the lights are beyond cool just setting on my table,Iv'e been playing with them for and hour!
Well worth the wait my friends!! We have them now. Thank you Henry I can't say enough


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

You guys are the best! Sorry this took SO long, but I was really picky with the manufacturer (which did not help much, I'm sure) because I wanted a really nice product.

Thanks for being so patient!

--Henry


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## j2man (Jun 18, 1999)

I got mine Saturday! Very excited and well worth the wait. I had to remove the landing gear motor and have to re-design a bit. The connectors for the light fusion was a bit bigger than I figured for, but no worries. It definitely completes my desires with this kit! I especially like the eight lights in the sensor dome. It makes the sensor dome appear to spin............:-D


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

Also need to chime in here, the lighting kit is wonderful! :thumbsup:



It went right in to my hollow hull WIP, so at least I can enjoy a preview of the eventual completion, but this damn thing called LIFE keeps getting in the way of getting things done! :freak:


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

WmTodd said:


> Also need to chime in here, the lighting kit is wonderful! :thumbsup:
> 
> 
> 
> It went right in to my hollow hull WIP, so at least I can enjoy a preview of the eventual completion, but this damn thing called LIFE keeps getting in the way of getting things done! :freak:


Sounds like you need to work on your priorities!!! 

--Henry


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## robm6107 (Apr 6, 2010)

Be a little wary on the switch. Already has a short in it. Looks EXCELLENT w/ the Launch Pad, esp. the parking mode. Don't jiggle the wires too much if possible.


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## Ron Gross (Jan 2, 2009)

Just a quick note to say that I have received Henry's lighting circuit, and I think it's a truly fine piece. Highly recommended!


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## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

I believe any problems with the first run of the system have been corrected with the second run.
I can't wait until mine arrives,No offense intended to the other fine light sets on the market, But i think this will prove to be far superior to any thing else offered.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

Ron Gross said:


> Just a quick note to say that I have received Henry's lighting circuit, and I think it's a truly fine piece. Highly recommended!


Hi Ron!
I know you already created your own excellent J2 which served as the pattern for the Polar Lights kit?
But if you are also doing the Moebius kit,Can you please post some photos?
Awsome box work art for the Moebius kit by the way:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Thanks!!


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## Ron Gross (Jan 2, 2009)

spocks beard said:


> Hi Ron!
> I know you already created your own excellent J2 which served as the pattern for the Polar Lights kit?
> But if you are also doing the Moebius kit,Can you please post some photos?
> Awsome box work art for the Moebius kit by the way:thumbsup::thumbsup:
> Thanks!!


Thanks very much for those kind words. Yes, I do plan to do an elaborate build-up (with a few surprises), but it probably won't be for a while. Sorry to say that I've had my hands full with family matters, which also accounts for a slow down of activity here. I do look at the forum briefly every day, but when I saw your message today I thought I had better actually LOG IN and check to see if I had any PM's. My apologies for letting that go.

Give it some time, and you'll see something from me - I just can't say when.
Ron G.


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## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

Ron Gross said:


> Thanks very much for those kind words. Yes, I do plan to do an elaborate build-up (with a few surprises), but it probably won't be for a while. Sorry to say that I've had my hands full with family matters, which also accounts for a slow down of activity here. I do look at the forum briefly every day, but when I saw your message today I thought I had better actually LOG IN and check to see if I had any PM's. My apologies for letting that go.
> 
> Give it some time, and you'll see something from me - I just can't say when.
> Ron G.


Thanks for the reply & I hope The family matters are on a positive side
As far as hearing about your Moebius Jupiter2 build in the works,Excellent news,And i know it will be well worth the wait to see those pics!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Hu folks --

I just posted a video for anyone wishing to see the new fusion core in action highlighting all four speeds and other improvements. You can click the play button below, or right click on the image and left-click "Watch YouTube" option (bigger and better speed!)...






 
Thank you,

--Henry


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## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

Beautiful!
I couldn't be more happy with the system,& love the fact that the chase effect of the dome makes the radar appear to be spinning.
While i handle the system very carefully,It definitely is of rugged construction:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Dave in RI (Jun 28, 2009)

I'm rather disappointed.

I bought the fusion core when it first came out--the one with the weak solder joints and no "parking mode". Now I feel I'm stuck with an inferior product.

Had I known there would be a new and improved version to be released so soon after the initial release, I certainly would have waited...

Edited for typo


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Dave in RI said:


> I'm rather disappointed.
> 
> I bought the fusion core when it first came out--the one with the weak solder joints and no "parking mode". Now I feel I'm stuck with an inferior product.
> 
> ...


Dave --

There is always room for improvement in products. You did not get an inferior product, as the first version works just great. The solder joints are not really weak (as far as electronics go), but I have had a few folks pull some of the wires off. It happens, and it's a very easy fix. I've never designed and sold manufactured electronics before, and it was a learning experience for me as well. I spent a lot of my own money, without increasing the price, simply to make it a tiny bit better. 

Go buy a stereo for your car or some video equipment. Go back in 2 months and there is a newer version with an extra feature or two. It happens all the time. We all live with it. Supply and demand, you know?

What you have is still pretty much the best fusion core/dome lighting system on the market with 40 LED's! Why be disappointed with that? Once the unit is installed, the only difference between the first version and the second version is the lack of the "parking lot" mode in the first version. Function wise, other than that, both versions are EXACTLY the same. 

--Henry


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