Hey everybody. I've been talking to some guys at Novint about them sponsoring a contest here. Most of the details have been hammered out, and the last few are being sorted out now.
The challenge will be to modify a Novint Falcon ball grip. All those participating will receive a ball grip for free to modify. I will post a video showing how to disassemble so it is easy for everyone.
In short you will need to have the fab skills for a grip of your design and the ability to solder four buttons (it's really easy).
The contest will run (tentatively) from April 15 to June 1.
The winner will receive a Novint Falcon for free to use with your custom grip!
Those of you that do not win can purchase anything from the Novint Store 20% off with the coupon code modsandends.
What I need from you guys now is a head count of how many people want to participate. Who's in?
03-29-2010, 12:04 AM
Oneslowz28
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Ill enter it.
03-29-2010, 10:39 AM
burntheland
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Maybe I've been living under a rock.....but what is that? :facepalm:
03-29-2010, 10:58 AM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by burntheland
Maybe I've been living under a rock.....but what is that? :facepalm:
It's a haptics feedback gaming controller for the PC. I own one. More or less it allows you to feel what is happening in the game, but it works in a very similar way to a normal mouse. After about 3hrs of Team Fortress 2 I was good enough to have the 3rd highest score on a 16 man team.
03-29-2010, 11:17 AM
burntheland
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
That's a pretty sick looking controller! And they GIVE you one to mod? hmmm.....
03-29-2010, 12:04 PM
Airbozo
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Just to clarify, would we be able to keep the unit we modify or does it go back to the company?
03-29-2010, 12:07 PM
Trace
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
I'm definitely interested
03-29-2010, 12:24 PM
TheMainMan
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Normally I would love to participate in this but I'm away from home for almost the entire contest. Should be cool to see what people come up with.
03-29-2010, 01:31 PM
Mach
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
I'm in.
To clarify, you get one of the ball grips to modify; not the entire controller. Check this page for details about what you'd be modding. http://home.novint.com/products/grips.php
Side note: I wish they would make an interface to Bioshock, Bioshock 2, or Borderlands (= Diablo 3d crack)
03-29-2010, 01:56 PM
x88x
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Sure, sounds fun. The timeframe is convenient too, since that'll give me about 20 days after the end of the semester (ie, more free time to work on it).
03-30-2010, 02:15 PM
farlo
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
sounds fun, im in.
04-01-2010, 09:11 PM
BuzzKillington
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Sounds fun to me! Count me in.
Do we pay shipping and all that jazz for the ball?
04-02-2010, 12:12 AM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuzzKillington
Do we pay shipping and all that jazz for the ball?
No, I will be shipped a box of ball grips and then I will pay the cost to get them out to all the participants. It's no big deal and I'm happy to do it.
That said, if anyone decides to buy a falcon (for testing during the contest or if you do not win), please use the referral code "modsandends". You will get 20% your order, I will get a little money, and Novint will be able to quantify sales made because of this contest exposure.
04-02-2010, 12:14 AM
x88x
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Yeah, with that 20% off, I think I'll definitely be buying one. Force feedback and 3D control for only $160? Hells yeah!
04-02-2010, 02:08 AM
billygoat333
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
wish I had money to blow on this. stupid. I need a real job. :)
04-02-2010, 10:21 AM
x88x
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by billygoat333
wish I had money to blow on this.
Hahaha, tbh I actually don't right now either (stupid tuition...and rent...and utilities...bah!), but I will in a month or two. ;)
The Falcon is designed for the full 2.0 standard. Ports in the front of most cumputers though act more like hubs though because they are connected through pins on the motherboard. As a result they are running under the necessary speed for the Falcon. The ports on the back of the motherboard are intergrated and are more likely to offer the needed speed.
The on board ports operate at the same speed the external ports that are plugged into the header pins on the motherboard operate at. Where ever you heard this from is wrong.
04-03-2010, 09:23 PM
slaveofconvention
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oneslowz28
The on board ports operate at the same speed the external ports that are plugged into the header pins on the motherboard operate at. Where ever you heard this from is wrong.
Odd this should come up - I've heard of things like this happening - it can come down to the quality of the wire connecting the front ports to the motherboard - low quality wires can have a nasty effect. You can lose speed and power - I built a scrap PC for a guy who's giving my son some guitar lessons in return and his front ports won't power his 2.5" external HD while the back ones do.
What you're saying is technically correct - the headers on the motherboard you connect the front ports to are almost always connected to the same USB controller as the rear ones but the wires really can make a difference.
04-04-2010, 02:34 PM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Whatever that peter guy is saying it should be ignored. I've used my falcon with several different USB ports no problem. The device itself is powered by its own AC-DC brick, so USB is for communication only.
04-05-2010, 06:51 PM
BuzzKillington
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
GameON20OFF for 20% off the falcon. No expiration as far as I'm aware.
04-05-2010, 07:58 PM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuzzKillington
modsandends for 20% off the falcon. No expiration as far as I'm aware.
Use that one. It's my code for this promotion. Also 20% off and no expiration date, so it will work years from now and gets you 20% your entire order. You can even use it multiple times if you go back and buy something else at a later date.
gameon20off is MY promotion code :) so... take turns? haha
04-06-2010, 12:25 AM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuzzKillington
gameon20off is MY promotion code :) so... take turns? haha
I figured after your link to falcon army that you might be doing that. It's fine with me if people use your code. If any of you here decide to buy a falcon please use one of our codes and then just tell us that you made the purchase.
I'm still waiting to hear back from the guys at Novint, so hopefully I get some grips before the 15th.
04-07-2010, 09:11 PM
BuzzKillington
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Looking forward to this... ideas are going through my head so fast it's giving me anxiety! haha
04-14-2010, 10:05 PM
knowledgegranted
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
I would be very interested in entering
04-17-2010, 10:22 PM
BuzzKillington
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Any word?
04-18-2010, 12:54 AM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
They said that April 15 to June 1 sounded good and that they wanted some numbers so they could get grips out, so I put up this and then responded, but still haven't heard back from them. The back and forth has been slow on this, which is alright because we are getting free stuff which is really nice, but it just means that we have to wait and be flexible. Hopefully I'll hear back soon.
04-18-2010, 02:36 PM
BuzzKillington
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
They donated 200 complete packages to EdgeGamers.
O.O
04-18-2010, 04:13 PM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Tom (the CEO of Novint) really likes community stuff. He's pretty active on the steam forums, Hardforums, and a few others. He likes to give Falcons away as advertising. I feel like if I was working directly with him instead of someone else that this would have started already. Oh well, a month left for school for me. Hopefully we can be started by then.
04-24-2010, 04:30 PM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Got an email two days ago. We need to revise the schedule (since the other start date was missed). I'm going to try and get the grips as soon as possible and then send them out, which means that we'll just try and figure out an appropriate end date once everyone receives a grip.
What I need from you guys is an address to send a grip to. If you could PM that to me that would be great. Thanks!
05-01-2010, 08:23 PM
BuzzKillington
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
I've sold 2 so far with my code. I need ONE MORE!!
GameON20OFF
05-01-2010, 09:57 PM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Aw man! I still have zero. If you guys are going to buy one though use Buzz's code first so he can get his reward and then start using mine please. Thanks!
05-07-2010, 06:32 PM
d_stilgar
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Update! The grips have shipped and will be here soon. I have a tracking number, but no estimated delivery date. I still need some addresses of where to send the grips, so send me that PM!
05-07-2010, 09:55 PM
Trace
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
You got my PM right? You might post a list of either who needs to PM you, or who already PMd you. Your choice :up:
05-07-2010, 11:44 PM
BuzzKillington
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
[]m[]
05-17-2010, 01:42 PM
x88x
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Hahaha, ok, so I got a strange little package today from Moscow! :eek: (Indiana :P ). Kinda freaked me out at first, but when I got it open, it all made sense. :D
Now, let's see about getting this puppy open. :twisted:
First thing I found was that in order to actually get the ball off, you have to peel off the plastic sheet in the contact surface. Fortunately, the sheet it fairly thick, and the surface it bonds with is not solid, so it comes up fairly easily. Not so easily that it feels like it would come off accidentally though. Plus, once you put it back together it seals back nicely. not sure how many times you can do that and still get a good seal, but I have a feeling I'll find out. :P
I marked one of the corners so I would be sure to put it back on the correct orientation.
Better. Now let's get that ball open.
Now I just need to pick up some modeling clay from the hobby store on the way home, and we'll be in business. :D
As a side note, d_stiglar or BuzzKillington, do either of you have a contact at Novint who might know when they're gonna have pistol grips in stock again? I'm planning on buying one soon to test my design (at least that's the justification I'm using :P yay for extra money from Microcenter clearance resales :D ), but they're out of the pistol grip, and thus the best priced bundle. I could always buy one separately later (though that would end up being more expensive), but if they're gonna be back in stock soon, say within the week, then I'll just wait.
EDIT:
Forgot to mention this, but after dis/remantling (Is remantling a word? Firefox doesn't seem to think so..eh, oh well, it is now. :P ) the grip, I must say I'm quite impressed with the build quality. Thick, well made plastic, smooth edges, perfectly fitting pieces, even real switches! I can't wait to see the whole unit!
EDIT2:
Also, Buzz, do you still need another on your code?
05-17-2010, 06:01 PM
BuzzKillington
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
I have Tom Anderson's direct e-mail so I'll shoot him an e-mail about the pistol grips. I'm not sure about the code, the reports are only viewable on the 1st of each month. There's a good chance I still need it though. I can't wait to get my ball to start prototyping! :D
05-17-2010, 06:24 PM
x88x
Re: Novint Falcon Grip Challenge.
Thanks Buzz! I checked on the FalconArmy forums to see if there was any word on there, and found this thread saying that they haven't been in the store for quite a while. :( Ah well, here's hoping there's news on that!