MHC

[JonnyMac]

Just a reminder: John and Jon will be at the Midwest Haunters Convention this week.  We're traveling on Thursday and will be around all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

A couple of small but cool items we'll demo are the Prop-1 USB Adapter.  That's right, no more stacking connectors to get your USB computer connected to a Prop-1; it's one simple connector that even has TX and RX LEDs on it so you can see the transactions going back and forth.



And for some real fun, we made a little Nintendo Wii adapter that will work on the HC-8+ (where it will get the most use), the FC-4+ (which we'll also have with us to show), and even the RC-4+, though we're not sure how useful it will be with the latter as it's a digital device.

Anyway, here's a Nintendo Wii Nunchuk connected to the HC-8+.



See you in for Columbus!

[jukingeo]

I know this is an older post, but I have been away for a while.

I am curious as to what the nun-chuk controller does on the HC-8+.

Also, when will the FC-4+ be released?

Thanx,

Geo

[JonnyMac]

The Nunchuk adapter allows you to read the joystick, accelerometer, and button inputs from the device -- what you do with it is up to you. We've been showing live puppet control at conventions.

We have to update the PCB on the FC-4+ to accomodate 240VAC systems; we're doing that now. The original prototypes work very well; once the update is complete, it won't be difficult to move into production.

[leving]

I don't see your name on the list of vendors for MHC 2014.   I always enjoy talking with you guys at the booth and buying something new for a project that may or may not happen within 5 years?

Will you be attending this year?

[JonnyMac]

We will not be attending in 2014. We're swamped with product development and client work, and the show is under new ownership so we'd like to see how things shake out.

[TheChambersOfHorror]

I was hoping to see you guys at MHC, I was planning on picking up a few things. So no show pricing this year?

[JonnyMac]

We had show pricing at the shows we attended. Perhaps as the economy picks up and sales pick up, we'll have the resources to attend more shows. Honestly, it's a business decision that we have to make. The last couple years at MHC have been financial loses that are hard to make up, and with new owners, we thought it best to see how things shake out (we wish them well) and keep working on new products.

[TheChambersOfHorror]

That figures. The first year we don't go to Transworld, you are a no show at MHC. I was hoping to get a couple of prop1s and some more wicleds at show price and not have to pay shipping. Maybe we can make due with what we have until next year.

[JonnyMac]

Well, we could raise our prices across the board to allow us to go to more shows. Would that be better?

We offer some of the lowest prices in the industry -- year around. Doing that means, at times, we have to make tough decisions. MHC was taken over by the people who own Transworld. Booth pricing went up. As I already stated, in the past few years we weren't generating enough revenue at that show to pay for travel-related expenses. Going to MHC did not seem like a good business decision. Keep in mind that bad business decisions are what cause businesses to fail.

[JackMan]

I have to agree with Jon on this, a booth at these shows ain't cheap, it really is ridiculous how much they charge. Since Transworld St. Louis has decided to hit every buyer $50 a head, you would think they could lower the cost of a booth, but that's not the case. Couple that cost with the fact that EFX-TEK products are without a doubt at bargain basement prices all of the time, they really can't afford to invest in losing ventures. Trust me, they have to sell a helluva lot of product to cover the expenses for attending one of these shows.  ;)

[leving]

I would rather you stayed at home at kept the costs down than lose money going to the shows.  I think we all agree we need you guys around to keep our projects moving.  But, for those of us that can only afford the one show a year...perhaps you can post an update on what we have to look forward to from EFX-TEK this year. New items such as add-on boards to the HC-8+.  I remember last year mention of a Clock chip add-on the I was hoping would keep one prop  running on a schedule.

Keep up the good work.

[JonnyMac]

The clock module is getting an overhaul so that it can work with more products -- more news on that later.