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Kenometer/LaserBee PRO Mods...

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rangedunits said:
It was a PM about my signature... because Simon brought a Kenometer and kenom poofed with the money.
Click to expand...


Nah, Ken just had a recent move and temporarily couldn't post or be online. I'm sure my meter will be ready soon.
 
WTF are you on about ranged?

edit - simon beat me to it. can you change the sig now ranged?
 
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Wow, that is funny. Some other noob just got owned and tons of negative rep for posting a picture in a thread that he rebadged as his own.

And now this?
 
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Simon, Ken showed up not long after you left, and he said he'd have your meter done soon. :san:
 
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Oh come on people, you're blowing this out of proportion. What's wrong with taking your Kenometer, sticking it in another box, and "renaming" with some label? I mean, hell, I could take a Laserbee meter (which I have), stick it in a box, call it a "Badgermeter," post pics of my "modification," and really, what is he going to do about it? Sue me for posting some pictures of my DIY mod? That I stuck a sticker on a box containing "his" meter? There's nothing "illegal" about it. Just because Laserbee produces his own line of meters doesn't imply that he's ripping Kenom off, rebagging Kenometers, or engaging in oneupmanship to be a dick.

Let's return to reality here. Think about this: what makes the Kenometer/Laserbee/any meter valuable as a meter? Calibration against a known source. Everything else is just gravy to make it easier to use that calibration for measuring the output of lasers. What makes a Kenometer a "Kenometer"? The firmware. The remainder of the Kenometer is just support hardware that virtually anyone can piece together. It's why I just bought a Kenometer Lite for the sensor and parts: I can make my own firmware if I want it.

The firmware is the only unique component of the Kenometer; it's what gives the Kenometer its ease of use and its overall look and feel. Kenom should definitely be outraged if Laserbee were rebagging his firmware in other hardware. It'd be like Apple suing Psystar for using OSX on alternative hardware: it's the software that they were suing for, not the commodity components. Likewise, it's not the Arduino + power supply + buttons + LCD that gives the Kenometer value; even the sensor is commodity hardware. Nor is the design particularly special. Anyone can do that. Rather it's the labor and manufactured product that is far more valuable than the design. This is why Sparkfun/Adafruit/etc.'s claims on the success of "open source hardware" are generally without merit, as these designs derive their value from the completed products, not the designs themselves. Most of these "open source" designs--just like the Kenometer/Laserbee/etc.--are just support hardware surrounding specialized parts (like the Arudino and sensor).

Laserbee's mods address just the support hardware, including the power system, noise protection, and other systems that reside outside the Arduino. He also swapped out the buttons for other ones and mounted the meter in a different case. Untouched is the firmware and the overall design of the meter itself. Laserbee is also not rebagging the firmware (the valuable part!) in other hardware and trying to profit from it.

I appreciate the review of the Kenometer Pro, and its pros and cons. My complaint about Laserbee's post is that he hasn't provided any details on what he modified to supposedly make it better. In effect, it just makes some statements about what he has "improved" but the claims can't be verified. If these modifications are indeed good, I hope he shares these design changes with Kenom (should he decide to make many more), and the public so that the Kenometer Pro performs even better.
 
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Bionic-Badger said:
Oh come on people, you're blowing this out of proportion. What's wrong with taking your Kenometer, sticking it in another box, and "renaming" with some label? I mean, hell, I could take a Laserbee meter (which I have), stick it in a box, call it a "Badgermeter," post pics of my "modification," and really, what is he going to do about it? Sue me for posting some pictures of my DIY mod? That I stuck a sticker on a box containing "his" meter? There's nothing "illegal" about it. Just because Laserbee produces his own line of meters doesn't imply that he's ripping Kenom off, rebagging Kenometers, or engaging in oneupmanship to be a dick.

Let's return to reality here. Think about this: what makes the Kenometer/Laserbee/any meter valuable as a meter? Calibration against a known source. Everything else is just gravy to make it easier to use that calibration for measuring the output of lasers. What makes a Kenometer a "Kenometer"? The firmware. The remainder of the Kenometer is just support hardware that virtually anyone can piece together. It's why I just bought a Kenometer Lite for the sensor and parts: I can make my own firmware if I want it.

The firmware is the only unique component of the Kenometer; it's what gives the Kenometer its ease of use and its overall look and feel. Kenom should definitely be outraged if Laserbee were rebagging his firmware in other hardware. It'd be like Apple suing Psystar for using OSX on alternative hardware: it's the software that they were suing for, not the commodity components. Likewise, it's not the Arduino + power supply + buttons + LCD that gives the Kenometer value; even the sensor is commodity hardware. Nor is the design particularly special. Anyone can do that. Rather it's the labor and manufactured product that is far more valuable than the design. This is why Sparkfun/Adafruit/etc.'s claims on the success of "open source hardware" are generally without merit, as these designs derive their value from the completed products, not the designs themselves. Most of these "open source" designs--just like the Kenometer/Laserbee/etc.--are just support hardware surrounding specialized parts (like the Arudino and sensor).

Laserbee's mods address just the support hardware, including the power system, noise protection, and other systems that reside outside the Arduino. He also swapped out the buttons for other ones and mounted the meter in a different case. Untouched is the firmware and the overall design of the meter itself. Laserbee is also not rebagging the firmware (the valuable part!) in other hardware and trying to profit from it.

I appreciate the review of the Kenometer Pro, and its pros and cons. My complaint about Laserbee's post is that he hasn't provided any details on what he modified to supposedly make it better. In effect, it just makes some statements about what he has "improved" but the claims can't be verified. If these modifications are indeed good, I hope he shares these design changes with Kenom (should he decide to make many more), and the public so that the Kenometer Pro performs even better.
Click to expand...

Right, my issue is not with the repairs and tidying up he did with the circuits and wiring, but the fact that my firmware is now running inside a box labeled "laserbee".
 
I totally agree mario...

and how is this not re-badging...

Original Kenometer PRO

- Power consumption ---------- 332mA
- No-Input Jitter ----------------- 1-4mW (max)
- Noise test Head --------------- +26mW (max)
- Noise test PRO ---------------- +224mW (max)


Modified to LaserBee PRO

- Power consumption ---------- 178mA
- No-Input Jitter ----------------- 0 mW (max)
- Noise test Head --------------- +3mW (max)
- Noise test PRO ---------------- +16mW (max)
Click to expand...

He has not simply placed the kenometer into a box with a label on it.... he has "modified" the kenometer and now it is a laserbee... Fixing wiring problems does not mean you own the product. Reword your OP.

I can understand putting it into your own box/enclosure for your own use... but saying that you modified a kenometer INTO a laserbee is not right!
 
So Jerry, by changing a few things in a Kenometer, you can name it Laserbee :thinking:

So does that mean that, if I buy a copy of Revenge of the Sith, modify a few scenes, I can call it what I want? :whistle:

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but maybe you should go change a few things/explain why this Kenometer is now housed in a box labeled Laserbee. Sure if that was the only project box you had on hand it would be fine, but only if you changed the label, or said "While the label says 'Laserbee', I can assure you I am not claiming this as my product".
 
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bobhaha said:
I totally agree mario...

and how is this not re-badging...

He has not simply placed the kenometer into a box with a label on it.... he has "modified" the kenometer and now it is a laserbee... Fixing wiring problems does not mean you own the product. Reword your OP.

I can understand putting it into your own box/enclosure for your own use... but saying that you modified a kenometer INTO a laserbee is not right!
Click to expand...

No, it is not "rebagging." When you "rebag" a product, you're creating another product that is extremely similar to another product.

The keyword here is "product". Is Laserbee selling his Kenometer-in-a-Laserbee-box? Is this "Laserbee PRO" a different product?

Not at this point and time.

That "Laserbee PRO" is nothing more than a Kenometer in a different box with "Laserbee" written on the front. For all we know Laserbee, the forum person, has an obsession with naming things after his alias, especially when he applies mods. Maybe everything on his desk needs that name.

And as for his naming of it in the OP itself? Who cares? He can call it whatever he wants. Nothing was stolen, nothing was resold, nothing was rebagged. There isn't even an attempt to hide the fact that these mods were made to the base Kenometer PRO.

If Laserbee starts selling these "Laserbee PRO"s then it becomes rebagging, and legal action can and should be taken. Beyond that, again, who cares? No harm has been done, and if anything, it's free advertising.

One thing Kenom should do, if he hasn't already (I can't tell from the deleted photos in his Laser Pros forum post), is make sure that the name ("Kenometer PRO") and copyright of the firmware is prominently displayed when the Kenometer PRO is booted up. Many old video games were ripped off ("legally") because of a lack of copyright and licensing information in their firmware. In that way, no matter what box a Kenometer PRO appears in, it will always be easily identified.
 
Maybe have another look over what I wrote...

I can understand putting it into your own box/enclosure for your own use...
Click to expand...

Maybe rebadging was the wrong word... but he has taken the kenometer, placed it in a box, fixed a few wiring problems and said that it is now a laserbee... I only suggested rewording the OP.

I have no problems with placing in that box for personal use ONLY!
 
MarioMaster said:
Well you certainly cleaned up the prototype, it looks much better now :)

Not sure how I feel about having my software running in a case rebadged "Laserbee" though.

Settings save and automatic power graphing have been introduced in the v1.3 firmware. Noise filter boards on the retail versions eliminate jitter and filter signal noise.

The braided cables and large number of cable ties almost seem overdone though.
Click to expand...

Thanks MM...

Will that V1.3 PRO Firmware be available as a free upgrade to all
owners of previous versions of Kenometer Pro firmware...:thinking:

You probably already know... that braiding a set of loose wires going
across a hinge point is an engineering trick to reduces stress in the
wires as they are manipulated...(reduces the risk of them from breaking
through repeated opening/closing).

And as you probably also know... twisting and braiding a set of loose
wires helps to reduce electrical noise pickup when Shielded cable is
not available....:cool:

I've read the concerns of some of the members on this thread and have
added a few pics to the 1st Post... and I will be addressing those issues
shortly...:cool:


Jerry
 
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