New product? or spam?

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: New product? or spam?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Semprez-Templeton, CA on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 02:11 pm:

I just received this unsolicited advertisement. Who are these guys? Although I'm not particularly interested in their product, the concept is kinda cool. www.smartsignals.com


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 02:23 pm:

I actually had the same idea a few years ago, but pulling it off is above my skill level. Glad someone was able to do it. I am curious about the April 1 date I saw on the website. They show a Model T in one photo, but it appears to be a vintage photo. You have to wonder about ignition interference. Their FAQ did not address that.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan B on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 02:28 pm:

Got the same message a few minutes ago. Seems like a cool product.....but not sure that I appreciate the way they got my email.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Scott Kramer on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 02:33 pm:

I received the same message a few minutes ago.
Scott


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jack daron-Brownsburg,In. on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 02:39 pm:

I got one also. It is bothersome that if you go online to the order page,they ask for a $25 down payment. No mention of the final cost?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 02:41 pm:

I saw it on there somewhere. It was $279, I think.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 02:53 pm:

They're cool all right, but there aren't many places to put them on my wood cab wood bed TT! :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 03:02 pm:

Put a piece of metal on a 2x4 and stick it in one of the stake holes.:-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Cascisa - Poulsbo, Washington on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 03:19 pm:

This is a very novel concept. I think it is a great idea for the person that has a car collection and drives his cars only once in a while.

I see a couple of drawbacks if this is to be used on your favorite driver.

How does the controller know if a LEFT light is installed on the RIGHT side of the car?

How does the controller know if the battery went dead in say, the left rear light module?

As I said, this is a novel concept but I think there is room for improvement.

Be_Zero_Be


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 03:23 pm:

Looks a lot like a scam. At the bottom of the page it says the lights are out of stock but you can send them a $25 deposit to get on a list.

The address at the bottom is listed to an attorney. You might give him a call and see if the site is legit.

Leonard L Bergersen
1080 Kingstown Rd
Wakefield, RI 02879

(401) 789-5345

The site is listed through GoDaddy so no registration info is available. On top of that, the site is near expiration and there's no listing for "Classic Safety Products, LLC" anywhere that I can find. The 800 number is probably forwarded to a service.

If you still want the signals, you might want to look into it a little deeper.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Will,, Trenton,,,New Jersey on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 03:49 pm:

I also feel this is a great idea for some, But for my car I’m going with a more permanent set up. I was just on the web last night looking at LED bar stop, turn, tail lights that wired into 12 volt. I am considering a set of them and mounting them just under where the top meets the car on my 1919 touring. I saw a set up like that on a tour a couple of weeks ago with the HCCA. You really had to look to be able to see them as they the black blended in with the car and did they ever show up when they lit up. If you didn’t know they were there you wouldn’t had known the set up was there at all.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Doug - Braidwood (glow in the dark), IL on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 04:05 pm:

I bought these and changed the bulbs to 6volt. http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-magnetic-towing-light-kit-67455.html


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By James A. Golden on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 04:21 pm:

The website is in America, but could be a scam.

Technical Contact:
Peterson, John

webmaster@immersionstudio.com
ImmersionStudio LLC
44 Crestwood Drive
Kingston, Rhode Island 02881
United States
(401)789-2060


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Stroud on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 04:29 pm:

I got the same message also. I thought it was a bit odd that they would send out info on a product that is out of stock. Looks a bit iffy to me. Dave


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Dysart - SoCal on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 04:32 pm:

Hi Bob,

It would be easy to install your lights on the wrong side of the car, but it would also be pretty easy to verify and correct.

But there are a number of things that one can do to screw things up. One could put diesel fuel in the gas tank, nothing to stop that from happening except for one's own diligence (seems like I read about that one recently). Leaving the spark advanced when hand cranking is very easy to do, and yet, it seems to be a problem that can be managed by people even as simple as myself. Climbing into the back seat by mistake makes it hard to reach the pedals, but I generally climb through the proper door. One could also put their t-shirt on backwards (I hate that), but again, not hard to check and correct.

There's nothing to prevent one from committing any of these errors, but most of us seem to get by, given enough time. So putting the lights on the wrong side doesn't seem to be a show stopper to me.

I like the easy on/easy off nature of this kit. I just requested to be notified when they have stock again, though I didn't see anything on their site asking for a deposit. I'll let people know if I ever decide to purchase a set.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Dysart - SoCal on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 04:36 pm:

Oops, didn't answer the other question. If a single signal module runs out of battery, the controller can tell that the radio signal is gone. They even added a warning on the master controller to indicate that a signal modules's battery is down to about 30% charge left. At least that's what their website says...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Hood on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 05:21 pm:

Big Rig tow trucks have been using wireless towing lights for some time, so the technology is out there. I think I have even seen some being used on a "dingy" being towed by an RV.

A quick internet search shows all kinds of hits. Great if you are running 12V, but someone is going to have to come up with a 6V one to keep everyone happy here!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 05:26 pm:

If it's wireless, why is it 12 volt? I figured wireless had it's own internal batteries?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Joe Van Evera on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 05:41 pm:

When we drove coast to coast almost three years ago we had something like these. John McLaren had them on his truck and while they were a great idea in theory, they worked terrible for us when we drove the car. I suspect electrical interference form the coils, etc. We'd be driving along with turn signals going, or flashers going, etc, and didn't know til passer bys "clued" us in. Maybe the new units are better though....


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Dysart - SoCal on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 05:59 pm:

Hi Hal,

The SmartSignals turn signals are wireless and each piece has it's own re-chargable batteries. It doesn't matter if the car has 6V, 8V, 12V, 24V, or no on-board electrical at all.

I'm not connected with the company, nor do I own one of these turn signal sets. But I am seriously considering this product, it seems like a great way to get turn signals when I need them without a permanent installation. If I get a set, I'll let you guys know if EMF interference is a problem for a T.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Martin Vowell, Pacoima, CA on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 06:12 pm:

Yeah, seems like an ideal solution and all, but I think I'll go with hard wiring signals into my 22 Touring all the same. At least that way I know it's me who turns it on and not some garage door opener off it's band width I happen to be passing by.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary H. White - Sheridan, MI on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 07:18 pm:

One source. Bit pricey though.http://www.truckntow.com/p-26077-wireless-led-tow-light-with-amber-turn-signals. aspx


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 07:29 pm:

Sounds like a fantastic idea, but as the company is out of stock from the get-go, I can't help but suspect the collective $25 deposits are going to be used for R&D-ing the product. It may be that this is a terrific idea which, for now, only exists on paper. Could be, the entrepreneur involved may be planning to let the corporation go bankrupt in the event this doesn't pan out and pay back cents on the dollar to those who sent their deposits up front. Or, it could be an out-and-out scam. How reasonable is it to collect a down payment without mentioning the final price? That's fishy as a Friday during Lent.

I'd be inclined to wait until I saw it listed in the catalog of one of our trusted parts suppliers. I sure hope it's legit, cause it's an excellent concept.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Dysart - SoCal on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 08:16 pm:

Hi Bob,

I've now spoken to the owner and they're not taking any orders (or deposits) at this time. They did a soft launch with their first production run, that was in the '40s car crowd, where the company's owner hangs out. The first batch went quickly, so they are ramping up production with contract manufacturers and reaching out to other vintage car groups, including the T & A owners. Apparently, he and another vendor shared mailing lists after some advertising through Hemmings, that's probably where the T owner addresses came from.

I'm not sure which site that the rest of you are looking at, but the site that I looked at 2 hours after this thread started clearly states the price as $279 and doesn't have any way to send a deposit. Maybe the site was updated right after this thread started....

I used to think that I was a generally cautious/suspicious kind of guy, but some of the people here are in a different league. It's been a long time since I've fallen for a scam and I wouldn't send small bills in an unmarked envelope (I think that I saw someone here suggest that in another thread recently), but I don't see any reason to avoid this company. I'm just going to use my regular internet business precautions.

We also discussed the potential interference issue. At 2.4ghz, nothing in a T should affect the signals. The units are paired together with a long serial number before they're sent out, so there is virtually no chance of another product or signal set causing extra signals. But like you guys, I'm a "show me" kind of guy, so I'll believe the reliable operation when I see them working on a Model T.

Again, I'll tell you guys if this ever pans out.

PS. John and I have swapped pics of our cars. His car is cool in a show car kind of way, but I like my beat up, umm, the patina of my '16 Touring better.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Semprez-Templeton, CA on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 09:00 pm:

This product is not for this child at this time. Way to expensive and I like wires!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Dysart - SoCal on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 09:23 pm:

I think that it's kind of interesting that most of the other wireless LED signals (for tow trucks and such) end up right around the same price or higher. And these systems are just light units, the "controller" (actually just a transmitter) plugs into the 4 way plug in the truck's regular wiring harness and exploits all of the functions that are already available in the truck. Right now, my T has nothing.

I've been looking at the "hidden" turn signal controller in our regular vendors' catalogs at about $155 and If I add in four $30 LED lamps, I'm right around the same price as the SmartSignals, and I don't have a wiring harness yet... The typical big signal lever kit with a signal kit wiring harness runs about $150 without lamps. The cheapest turn signal only kit with lever, lamps and no wiring costs about $120. So none of the common solutions are that inexpensive.

Each available solution has it's own compromises. I see this as a reasonable alternative. It's certainly the least invasive solution that I've seen to date. It might be good that they're not readily available right now, it gives me a chance to talk myself out of spending the money.... :-)


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