Pre-order a Lambent Lantern or book your “Build-Your-Own” workshop place…

Pre-order

The Lambent Lantern is going into production shortly (the first units should be available early June) and we’re now accepting pre-orders. Use the form on the ‘Contact’ page to express interest and we’ll respond with payment, shipping and other details.

We’re offering two versions:

• Standard – £175 – with a 65mm diameter 24 LED ring – it’s the type used in the prototype (check the functionality demo video below).
• Deluxe – £210 – with a 76mm diameter 60 mini-LED ring.

Apart from the slightly larger size, the Deluxe version is brighter overall but more significantly, has a far higher LED resolution – so the various animated patterns are clearer and more defined (check the ring comparison video below).

The production version will change from the prototype in a few minor but significant ways:

• the control buttons will be built into into the main vertical cylinder of the lantern – there’ll be no square base unit;
• there’ll be three rather than four control buttons – pattern, hue and brightness – and touching the brass dome will switch the device on and off;
• and the brass compression fitting at the base of the vertical cylinder and some of the other brass-work will be custom manufactured – rather than using found and off-the-shelf components.

We’ll update the website with photos of the Standard and Deluxe production models shortly.

This will be a limited edition run – we’re only ever to going to produce 50 of each version. Each unit will be individually numbered and authenticated. Pre-order yours now!

Workshops

We’re going to run a monthly ‘Build-Your-Own’ Lambent Lantern weekend workshop starting in July:

• Saturday, 13th July – Sunday, 14th July, 10am-6pm
• Saturday, 10th August – Sunday, 11th August, 10am-6pm

The workshop costs the same as the pre-assembled unit – £175 if you want to build your own Standard version or £210 if you want to build your own Deluxe version. The construction process is almost identical for both although some of the components differ.

As a one-off SPECIAL OFFER the first workshop in July costs £140 if you want to build your own Standard version or £175 if you want to build your own Deluxe version. Since this is our first workshop we’re offering a discounted rate to those willing to be ‘guinea pigs’ and help us evaluate the programme for future workshops.

We’re also offering a “child + adult” option – children aged 10-15 can participate in the workshop so long as they’re actively supported throughout by an accompanying adult – at no extra cost.

All workshops run at CakeBread Workshop, Unit 3, 48 Cakebread St, Ardwick Green, Manchester M12 6HF – a 10 minute walk from Piccadilly Station. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. Maximum numbers are 6 people per workshop – so you’ll get plenty of one-to-one time with the tutors.

The workshop programme includes one day exploring traditional fabrication techniques – an introduction to: etching; tin bashing; modifying off-the-shelf components and materials; re-creating aged patinas and finishes etc. – and one day on embedded electronics – an introduction to: micro-controllers and electronic circuits; soldering components on a circuit board; coding essentials; trusted DIY electronics online resources etc. We’ll weave these elements into the construction process over the course of the weekend.

Use the form on the ‘Contact’ page to express interest and we’ll respond with payment and other details. Book your workshop place now!

A video to demonstrate the functionality of The Lambent Lantern – the touch buttons that control pattern, hue, brightness and on/off – and the range of LED animations currently featured in the device.

A short demo video comparing a NeoPixel 24 RGB LED ring with a WS2812B chipset (left) and a Sparkfun LuMini 3″ 60 RGB mini LED (2020) ring with an APA102 chipset (right). Both rings are driven by a single Teensy 3.2 and display the default FastLED library demo. The LED animations displayed on each ring are the same – although the colours at given points in the patterns don’t match due to differing colour order types on the two rings.