What LPF members should know.. CHINESE HOLIDAYS

[qumefox]

Since when has buying things from China ever been a fast process?

IMO we shouldn't be importing illegal lasers, make them instead.

-Tony

You do know building them yourself makes them no more legal, right? They aren't illegal to import because they'll multiply and upset the ecosystem..... They're illegal to import because the FDA considers them unsafe due to lack of safety features for the power. Home built ones are no different in that regard, and therefor no more legal.

Not to mention the fact that for lower power builds, it'd cost 4x as much to build one yourself as to just buy one from china. The $9 bluray pens are a good example. So far the highest metered one i've gotten has been 71mW. (average is 50ish mW) It'd cost me a LOT more than $9 for me to build one of these myself.

 

[Xplorer877]

You do know building them yourself makes them no more legal, right? They aren't illegal to import because they'll multiply and upset the ecosystem..... They're illegal to import because the FDA considers them unsafe due to lack of safety features for the power. Home built ones are no different in that regard, and therefor no more legal.

Not to mention the fact that for lower power builds, it'd cost 4x as much to build one yourself as to just buy one from china. The $9 bluray pens are a good example. So far the highest metered one i've gotten has been 71mW. (average is 50ish mW) It'd cost me a LOT more than $9 for me to build one of these myself.

I figured this argument would come up.

In reality it has very little to do with safety features. Accession numbers are issued so the gov't can keep track of and monitor radiation emitting devices, lab and industrial lasers, X-ray machines and such. They didn't enact the accession number system so the average person can buy laser pointers. Yes technically if a foreign seller has acquired a legitimate accession number, which is very expensive BTY, then presumably they're legal to own and operate in the US. But is it legal for a 12 year old to own it? Will an irresponsible kid be unable to point it at an aircraft if it has the 5 point safety features? Of course not. Saftey features or not, they don't want kids getting they're hands on them. It's as simple as that.

They are illegal to import into the United States, and if someone was to ever get in trouble with a laser, that would likely be the reason (excluding the dumbasses). I know form experience.

However, modules, parts, crystals, drivers ect are not illegal to import. Whether or not it's illegal to own a powerful laser, the gov't can't possibly enforce that, no more than they can stop you making a gun or bombs or an airplane. The use of any one of those items irresponsibly may get you in hot water. But the act of making it is not illegal no more than it is or can be enforced. It's not like if a cop sees you with the laser but then sees that it has a safety interlock he'll let you off the hook.

What the gov't doesn't want is widespread sales of powerful lasers into the US to occur, whether domestic or from abroad. 99% of US based sellers get their stock form abroad. They don't want me ordering 1000 lasers form China and then selling them on eBay while based in the US. They're less lenient if it's just Joe Blow ordering one laser from Rayfoss, that's why they often slip though customs without issue. Even though technically they are illegal customs doesn't even bother to test them. Many Arctics have been handed over to customs and pass though. They're not going to expend resources just to stop me getting a module from DX. But a guy ordering a thousand of them will draw more attention. And they care even less if I make one myself. They're after the big fish. The population of people that actually know how to construct lasers is very small. So they go after those who sell completed units.

Nevertheless, they are illegal to import and you can get in deep shit. It happened to me back in 05 buying a laser from LaserGlow. If a $60 dollar pointer gets confiscated, well you're SOL. But I was almost out $500 bone when the FDA wanted me to hand over my GHL. It was a pain in the ass to deal with all that.

Sorry for the long off topic rant. :banned:

-Tony

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Um, I used to get invited every year to a Chinese New Year party at a local Chines restaurant, with free drinks and some silly gambling game. They never had their New Year on Jan 1. And I'm pretty sure they dont use the same calender we use. If I remember correctly (it was quite a few years ago) I think its either the third week of January, or in February.

Edit: Just Googled it, and I was correct.

When is Chinese New Year 2010, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Edit:2 I believe in March they have a 2-3 holiday too. You need to find a better copy of the Chinese holidays, because I think yours is wrong.

Edit:3 Damn, its hard to get definitive dates to any of the holidays, because they use lunar dates. I found this list, which is the most complete out there, but no specific days list.

http://www.happyvalleyracecourse.com/holiday.html

Holidays & Traditions

Holiday / Month

Chinese New Year - January/February
Birthday of Che Kung - February
Spring Lantern (Yuen Siu) Festival - February/March
Ching Ming Festival - April
Birthday of Tin Hau - April
Cheung Chau Bun Festival - April/May
Birthday of Lord Buddha - May
Birthday of Tam Kung - May
Birthday of Kwan Tai - June
Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat) Festival - June
Maidens (Seven Sisters) Festival - August
Hungry Ghosts Festival - August/September
Mid-Autumn Festival - September
Monkey God Festival - September
Birthday of Confucius - September
Chung Yeung Festival - October

I PM'd John from Priceangels, so maybe he can help give us dates for 2010, and 2011 holidays.

 

[John7788]

That is good info to have with all the crap I buy from China.:beer:

DTR， I am wondering why did you use the word "crap" to describe chinese products? I'm sorry I can't agree with you. They are not in top quality, only because you don't pay for the top quality chinese products.
sorry, I'm chinese, just wish to be treated fairly.

Um, I used to get invited every year to a Chinese New Year party at a local Chines restaurant, with free drinks and some silly gambling game. They never had their New Year on Jan 1. And I'm pretty sure they dont use the same calender we use. If I remember correctly (it was quite a few years ago) I think its either the third week of January, or in February.


I PM'd John from Priceangels, so maybe he can help give us dates for 2010, and 2011 holidays.

T_J, yes, you are right, we have two different calender. One is the same with yours, and the other is our own, which many Asia countries such as korean, Vietnam still use it now.

I will start a new thread :To explain the festivals and holidays of china , so more members will know about it.

 

[DJNY]

DTR， I am wondering why you use the word "crap" to describe chinese products? I'm sorry I can't agree with you. They are not in top quality, because you don't pay for the top quality products.
sorry, I'm chinese, just wish be treat fairly.

I also use the word "crap" as a synonym for "stuff". So I think same here with our friend DTR

 

[John7788]

I also use the word "crap" as a synonym for "stuff". So I think same here with our friend DTR

If so, sorry! some words may have different meanings with what I have learnt from books and school.

 

[DJNY]

We are all here to learn right

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Thank you John.

You have to understand that the low priced goods that are shipped to America (and other places) from China are crap. Its so cheap we throw it away, and just buy another after it breaks. This is not to say that all Chinese items are crap. Just the ultra low priced items like Walmart items. They do not import many high quality Chinese items. The high quality items they do import are very high cost. There is no middle here. So most people buy the cheap goods.

 

[DTR]

DTR， I am wondering why did you use the word "crap" to describe chinese products? I'm sorry I can't agree with you. They are not in top quality, only because you don't pay for the top quality chinese products.
sorry, I'm chinese, just wish to be treated fairly.

Sorry for no response been working on some projects. The word crap was not use as a descriptive but as a word to emphasize the quantities of stuff that I have on order at any given time.

 

[qumefox]

I'm not going to comment on most of this here, to not derail the thread anymore than we have already. I will reply in PM though if you'd like, if you really want to debate this topic.. I will however comment on one part, since it's a misconception and is pretty much false information.

They didn't enact the accession number system so the average person can buy laser pointers. Yes technically if a foreign seller has acquired a legitimate accession number, which is very expensive BTY,

That is false. It's actually not hard or costly at all to get an accession number. It just takes doing the correct paperwork and waiting.. It's not even difficult to KEEP your accession. All you have to do is is conform to 21 CFR 1040.10 and 1040.11, or whatever the equivalent european requirements are as mentioned in laser notice 50 if your laser is class 3b or higher. If it's 3a or lower, you don't even really have anything to do to be compliant.

The part hobbyists and low cost chinese manufacturers don't want to do is actually make their lasers compliant, since it adds cost plus 90% of the market would lose interest. The vast majority of people want a laser they can push a button and point at stuff. They don't want to have to deal with keys, mechanical interlocks, beam delays, etc.

But getting and keeping an accession number is still in no way hard or expensive, providing the lasers your selling are identical to the specs you submitted. Neither is keeping it since it's self certified anyway. All you have to do is provide proper documentation, technical and testing data to show it's not just BS, and not do something stupid like sell lasers with no safety features instead.

There is also a fairly easy to exploit and legal loophole in the 'components are legal' side. Take a pointer, remove the tailcap, and sell them separately. This is perfectly legal since the laser will not function with only one part. Therefor it becomes a 'component'. This is also easily demonstrated in court as well, if it ever came to that.


**This post in no way represents any actual legal advice and I take no responsibility for anyone using said information and ending up in trouble... just tossing this in because I know how teh internets are.. **

 

[John7788]

Sorry for no response been working on some projects. The word crap was not use as a descriptive but as a word to emphasize the quantities of stuff that I have on order at any given time.

Sorry,DTR, really sorry for my misunderstanding!
Thanks for your explaination. I used to thought the word "crap" was just the same meaning with "shit" or "f..k"

 

[DJNY]

:bumpit: cause it´s necessary

 

[snoutke]

That is good info to have with all the crap I buy from China.:beer:

Crap?

I didn't know that China sells crap... Until now I was sure they are selling high quality products at low prices... that's the whole idea, isn't it?

Just kidding.