I posted this in an off-topic thread, but based on a post in this thread, it seems to be appropriate here, too:
Hi guys! Wow, I'm sorry to see the hate has gotten a little thick around here, and it appears that some people, even a business owner might be trying to take advantage of it as an excuse to copy designs. wow!
The fact is I've had to take a break from selling these for the last month or two because finishing my degree took precedence. I apologize for the delays/inconvenience/laserache that has caused some of you, thank you for your thoughts. I'm happy to tell you that that is over and done with now, things are rolling, and I have a LOT of PMs to go through
The drivers are being made right now and I expect to be able to start sending out more of the V5's in about 15 days. Not only that, but a few people have signed up to be distributors, and these people are a lot better with communications on here than I have been able to be, so that is an additional bonus.
I remember when I made the first buck/boost laser driver on this board, back when it was considered a hobby for most people, a fun passtime. People responded with great enthusiasm to the extra capability such a thing provided to the hobby. Fast forward to this year, and it appears lasers have become quite a bit more than a hobby to a lot of people, to the point where they would threaten to undertake ethically questionable practices to 'feed the need'. I think that no matter what stories are made up, it is important to maintain ones ethics like many have in fact done on this board.
I'm especially saddened to see a post:
"I'm also very close to mailing off a flex drive to someone to reproduce, since I play dirty now." from Matthew Ohrenberg, a guy I think (thought?) is a pretty good guy. I haven't read on this forum recently, so I can't tell what may have changed in your life, maybe the bad economy's turning you cynical? It's so easy to get tunnel vision in a small community like this, but everyone should, and most people do, realize that there is a lot more to the world than pointers. If you find yourself abandoning ethics to 'feed the need' then it might be a good idea to look over the famous 12-step program to recovery.
All that said, lasers and the construction of them are a very enjoyable hobby and I'm working to improve driver availability to meet the expectations of members through helpful members like FlaminPyro, who will most likely become a distributor and contact for these drivers.
Also, I will go through every single PM and respond as appropriate to your questions as soon as possible.
If you have a question about a driver, PM, or anything else specific to you, please either be patient if you have PMed or PM me and I WILL get back to you.
Best wishes to all!