Looking for suggestions for a light up or glow project

Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance
1

Deadline: October 8th. That’s SHOWTIME. However, if I miss this, it just means I get until the next show to do this.

The situation:
There is a blackout between scenes, it’s about 20 seconds. It goes from a rather boring scene to a carnival type scene. We’ve had a guy doing poi juggling, who I think will be back. He uses these LED sticks which are cool. To bring more color, I want to improve my skills to a point where I can do some 5A stuff, maybe 4A later on, but for now, the objective is 5A with a fail-over to 1A. Of course, I need to improve my skills a LOT between now and then. To do this, I will need to come from the master control position(sound console, monitoring equipment, playback and more, in fact I AM the show’s tech god) to the stage for this little scene to add more color to the blackout, then exit back to my cramped quarters.

What I am wanting to do is the following:
I want to select a yoyo that will be well suited for 5A play, but not only that, 5A in the dark. This means I want to add a lighting system to the yoyo, In addition, I would love it if I could obtain glowing strings and a light-up ball-shaped counterweight that will change colors like the Shinwoo light.

If I have to be stuck with one LED color, I would choose blue because it goes with something important to the performance. If any of you are fans of Repo! The Genetic Opera, then you’ll know I’m going for a Zydrate blue theme in that case.

Cost is a secondary factor, just something to deal with. About the only restrictions are that I want to go plastic because I think it will work better with a pair of Shinwoo LED lighting kits. Not sure if I should go clear or white plastic, or maybe I should go with a polished metal.

Brand isn’t important. Again, cost isn’t the main issue. Just an issue to factor in and budget for. I’m not brand loyal. And ideally, I’d like to obtain as much of the products I will use from YYE. Even though this is mainly for just ONE show that I do several times a year, I might also use it at other dark events I run. And no, I don’t have a current yoyo that I want to modify with the exception of a white Duncan Freehand that I purchased with the idea of doing this modification to, assuming I get to it. But I’m not opposed to going all new items currently not in my possession. This will be a “purpose built” item.

One last note:
Someone suggested blacklights for helping see the string. While blacklight is an option that is available, that’s reserved for a scene. But even so, I’m sweating like a pig setting up lots of heavy gear under pressure and I’m gonna sweat through my shirt. Even changing my shirt is risky. And the sweat that might get into my hat or falls onto my shorts… no, too many places to have a distraction. Yeah, shows are messy when you’re a production company.

Also, I’m not afraid to do the work myself, but if the fees are reasonable, I’d have someone else do it and ship me the finished product. I don’t mind DIY, but sometimes it can get hectic around here.

Any and ALL suggestions will be considered. Chances are I’ll have to do this all again with a 4A yoyo next year.

In all honesty, I’m also a newbie. Chances are I’ll suck too hard to be able to do this by October. STILL, if I practice hard enough, who knows what I can achieve. Worse case is “no, sit down, you suck” or I compromise with whatever 1A stuff I can do.

2

You may consider the light up FHZ. It’s said to be this fall so I don’t know if you’ll enough time to get it and then mod it but it’s an option.

Also I don’t know how much light will be up on stage but if you can dim the light some (I recall you saying you were in control) you might consider getting the DieNasty or StarLite to do it. Not light up but still looks cool. C=

Also another thing is you could just mod another yoyo to have LED lights on it I sure you can find plenty of trustworthy modders out there to mod a yoyo for you.

3

I’ll have full control over the lights as I also do the lighting design for the show on my laptop. The scene is BLACK!! There’s no curtain and it’s a shadow-cast type performance, so we want as little light as possible to mask the scene change stuff. Performers in the upstage area will be distracting sufficiently from the “crowd” loading in mid-stage, which is covering up the main action happening backstage.

In the meantime, I’m gonna start investigating your suggestions. The light up freehandzero would be pretty much ideal. Hopefully YYE will carry it and it will arrive in time so I can get used to it. Othewise, I might have to try to score a clear Freehand and then add the Shinwoo lights myself, which seems pretty simple

I know counterweights are going to be a bit of a problem though. That’s actually more of my concern area.

The Starlite and DieNasty are glowing. I’d have to see how bright they glow. My biggest problem will be that since I’m in a dark theater, I have no way of really charging up this light properly before hitting the stage. Neither are bad options, but the dude doing poi is using LED balls, and it makes sense if I go LED as well. Flashy lights distract better than glowing. But as I said, no suggestion will be discounted.

4

Man I miss aiming lights… I used to aim lights at my church because we set up in a school every Sunday but we moved back into a building. Now I just run the board sometimes… =/

Well hope you get what works well for your show.

P.S. The StarLite/DieNasty glow pretty well.

5

My only reservation against the DieNasty and/or Starlite is not being able to put in front of a bright light to charge it up before I hit the stage with it. Of course, I’m sure I could find a 1" glowing plastic globe and send to to the Terrapin X guy for a counter-weight mod easier than a battery-operated alternative. Worse case scenario is I can drill it out and do it more old-school 5A. Still, you gotta see the die I got from that guy. It’s freakin’ awesome. If I can’t find anything else as cool, I’m just gonna use that.

Still, if timing becomes an issue, I know YYE ships fast. It’s always nice to have options.

6

The Terrapin guy has a small C/W size multi color flashing led he could send you and a glow string.
I know there are tiny glow sticks I have seen for $1 earrings you could stick in a yoyo, two in each side would balance it out.

7

Cool.

Sorry, I can never remember your ID here, but at least I know how to find you easily. I’ll PM you later today in regards to that. Straight up names I can recall easier. A few letters and numbers is a bit too abstract for me to hang onto.

You know I’m gonna use one of your bearings in this project anyways!

8

Cool
Just PM me your mailing info and I’ll send out what I got.

9

That sounds great, but you’re not going to do this for free. I’m fully expecting and insist on paying for anything that comes my way. You just have to wait a bit as I am tapped after having to fund a business venture. 2 weeks at most!

I love how that die counter weight looks. I love those bearings I bought (pair of C-sized chrome standard and pair of X wing-cut bearings). You do great work, and great work needs to be compensated.

And yes, I’m saying this out in public mostly because it’s hard to find good products in general. This isn’t to distract from the products YYE offers, which are also excellent offerings. Sometimes I just like to support the community as well.

So, I am allocating budget for this whole project. It’s not a lot, but that’s a number for only me to know. Unless something goes totally out of control, I’m fine. This also includes exploring options. I may end up getting a glowing rig and an LED rig.

10

for the glow string, you can pick up some glow in the dark thread at a fabric store and spin your own string. it’s actually really easy to do. there are plenty of videos out there, but it’s pretty much just laying out a couple yards (I like to do 12 strands) of thread, spinning it with a drill for as long as you’d like (This is the hardest part. Depending on how long you spin it will change how it plays), then letting the string wind on itself. Tie a knot and cut it, and you’re good to go.
or kitty string sells glow in the dark string.
I’d suggest buying a pocket black light to use on the string/yoyo right before you go out. it’ll super charge the glow and make it really bright.
after I got my starlite I went home and used a blacklight on it, and it glows really nicely. same with the glow nasty.

11

Forget glow string, and just get a UV light. You can get them for around the price of a new yoyo anyway.

Then you can use just a bright yoyo and bright string, and let the Ultra Violet waves work their magic :smiley:

12

The UV light is reserved for a certain scene. Not negotiable(and I’m the lighting designer too). Good idea.

Plus, I’m gonna be sweating all day setting audio and lighting, and that’s gonna show through my shirt and shorts and pop under the UV. Not pretty. I won’t be given a chance to change or break. That’s how it is when you’re the tech god.

Also, the UV solution would require less focused fixtures. A pair of additional UV wash lights with a wider coverage pattern. DMX and LED fixtures because they’d have to be incorporated into the light programming, which is computerized and locked to time code. Gonna cost an extra $400.

The request for glowing string is to help ME see it, just as much as for the audience. More for me though. I just started throwing in May, so I gotta a LOT to practice between now and October 8!

As far as charging the light, my tech position is house right, front(near stage). I need as LITTLE non-essential light there as possible. I might see about having the Stage Left Manager keep a glowing option near a light in the dungeon under the stage where it can’t be seen by the audience. That might be the charge solution. I still like the LED option, but chances are I’m gonna spring for a glow option as another option. Most likely the Die-Nasty glow. I like how it looks better than the StarLite. Similarly, I can get a small UV bar for cheap that can be used to charge my light up. That I can budget for.

How long will the DieNasty hold a good glow? I can charge it before doors(an hour before show) using the LED UV fixture, and then there’s a 15 minute hosted warm-up, then the show. It’s about another 30 minutes or so into the show. After that it won’t be needed.

Again, not hearing bad ideas.

13

would you have like 10-15 seconds before you went on stage to charge it? because that’s about all it takes to supercharge it. I personally have one of these http://www.blacklightworld.com/6_inch_pocket_blacklite.htm and it works well for charing it. but I’m not sure how discreet that would be. They also sell keychain sized uv lights that you could possibly use like this. http://www.blacklightsusa.com/blacklights4.html

14

I’ll have 10-15 seconds before I hit the stage, and I’ll be wired with an wireless in-ear monitor and a wireless headset mic so I can monitor the “intercom” channel AND give direction to the spot ops and the aerial rigging guy and the aerial rigging assistant. Plus I have to monitor the lighting and a secondary slaved video projection. However, the scene that is prior to the blackout is very simple. The scene after the blackout isn’t that bad(2 fast scene changes, automated by the lighting software). Spots are also on/off via the computer. I just have to guide them who to point at but they’ve done 2 shows before so that might even be necessary.

I think my best bet, should I go the glow route, is if I use your suggestion, is to just make a cardboard insert/stand to hold the yoyo in one of my black handheld cases, get a pair of the battery operated lights(one for each side) and then over the “intercom” is send an order to have the lights turned on, then scoot from behind the audio console over to the backstage left area, get the string in my finder and a few warm-up throws, then wait for the cue to come on stage, which I can get from the floor director. I can have my assistant use the console talkback mic to provide spot-op cues, as there’s a guide video with lighting directions embedded in it for that purpose.

The wires for the wireless gear on me is run down and inside the back of my shirt back anyways so it’s out of my way.

So, the glow route is coming together. Just gotta find a glowing ball to bore a hole through for a counteweight. That’s not a big deal. I’ve already found some stuff.

15

get a clear freehand zero and pop out the caps and put shinwoo light up kit itll make it light up all different colors this is how u do it but they use a clear hayabusa instead

16

Getting a clear Freehand Zero is a bit of a challenge as it appears to be out of stock almost everywhere. However, I am currently on the task you described. I’m not going to order the Shinwoo lights until I get the yoyo though. Don’t want to waste money if I don’t have to.

Other than that, it was the way I was going to go until I found out Duncan is releasing an LED Freehand Zero. I might have issue with the released date, which is currently unknown.

17

Its gonna release at worlds idk when on Online stores

18

Well, if it’s coming out at Worlds and will be for sale, then I suppose someone who wants to make a profit will sell it to me and I also pay for shipping.

Anyone want to make a quick buck off me for this?

Fortunately, my budget allows me to go GLOW and LED. Right now I’m looking for glowing balls, cubes, skulls or anything that hopefully has a loop to connect to the string. Either that or I gotta paint something. White primer and glow paint are easily obtainable.

I’m working on another project going on for the same show. Budget constraints are killing new lights and sound shields and 2 more channels of wireless. Lights are gonna run me at least $4k. sound shields are gonna run me over $1800 for a 6-panel drum system and 3 2-panel guitar/bass cab systems. 2 channels of wireless are another $2K, plus another $600 at least for accessory items(beltpacks and lavs and headworns).

I’m currently more concerned about a mic flag project that is currently running me around $900 that I’m trying to find ways to shave costs off of and has a deadline of September 1.

However, funds are reserved for this yoyo project.

So, anyone who wants to make a deal with me to buy this yoyo when you buy it and bring it back from Worlds, PM me. This includes if MORE THAN ONE of you do this. I’ll honor any promises I make even if it means I’m out for multiple purchases. I’ll also guarantee you make money on the deal.

Studio42 don’t play games!

19

OK. So the next time you get a few bearings you owe me a buck or two…

20

Got the stuff today, btw. Thanks!

As I’m ordering some new yoyos when the check comes in, you know they’re gonna need some bearings, so you can count on it!