[IC] Lemo Cables - A new approach?- Small update

[7830]

Lemo Cables - A new approach?

by Sadek

Hello community!
Lets face it, we love Lemo cables but I would claim that there are mainly two reasons why people are hesitant to buy them:

price
availability

I love the look of the RAMAWORKS standard USB cable but I also love Lemos. Boom, there you go.
I came up with the simple idea to solder a standard factory-USB-C Cable to a China-Replica Lemo connector. But why?

Reduces price by half of what lemo cables go for
Easy to manufacture and is without a doubt suitable as an in-stock product

Furthermore:
No cheap looking heatshrinks anymore (subjective)
0B Lemo which gives a cleaner and more elegant look than his bigger brother 1B
USB-C and USB Mini Connector out of the box, no extra order

Prototypes
Full Album with all details: https://imgur.com/gallery/af7yfUI
IC Form: https://forms.gle/AN92hxPJWiXDFxgEA

I have two Prototypes:
Silver Lemo 0B 5pin with a black nylon USB-C to USB-A cable
Black Lemo 0B 5pin with a black nylon USB-C to USB-A cable

I don't have a Mini USB cable Prototype on hand because the MOQ for a Mini USB cable in the same style as the USB-C one is 1000 pieces. I wanted to gauge the interest of this product before a make such a big order but I  will of course provide a render. https://imgur.com/XXTBXYr
I love the results of the product but I don't know if  anybody other than me likes this, thats why the IC and the hesitation to make such a big order.

If the IC gets enough positive feedback I will order a Mini USB Lemo right away.





Price
The prices below are estimated. They can decrease, but not increase , this is the worst case scenario price. The prices will most likely drop a bit.
If IC reaches GB:
Sale Type: in-stock FCFS
Units: TBD
Sale date: TBD
Shipping out of EU. If requested I can hopefully work with vendors in your region. (need feedback first to answer this)

Silver Lemo 0B 5pin with a black nylon USB-C to USB-A cable : 45€(Estimated)
Black Lemo 0B 5pin with a black nylon USB-C to USB-A cable: 45€(Estimated)

Silver Lemo 0B 5pin Set with a black nylon USB-C , Mini USB, USB-A cable : 65€(Estimated)
Black Lemo 0B 5pin Set with a black nylon USB-C , Mini USB, USB-A cable : 65€(Estimated)

Detailed information
Length: 1.6m(5.24ft)
Powers all keyboards to 2A max.
USB 2.0: I chose 2.0 because it is easy to solder 4 pins. USB 3.0 would be a nightmare to solder.
The USB-C End is 20cm(7,87 inch) long: measured from the tip of the USB-C connector to the end of the Lemo Plug its soldered on.
Cable outer diamter Ø4mm. Thick and easy to straighten.
All Lemos are made out of brass and are almost indistinguishable from the real ones, they feel and look great.
Black Lemo GB unit will have red dots instead of white. My manufacturer did not have them in stock.

For better understanding I would recommend to look at the full album. I explain everything with references/pictures.



Notes

I don't claim that this is a revolutionary idea but I love the results and I hope you like them too.
My criticism towards heat shrinks is as follows: there is nothing wrong with a well applied heatshrink, but in my opinion a shell looks much cleaner and that was one of the reasons why I came up with this product. I love the look of the RAMAWORKS standard USB cable but I also love Lemos. Boom, there you go.
I state that 0B looks cleaner and more elegant than 1B. I don't have any data that backs this up this is once more my perception and purely subjective.
If this sale happens it will be commercial sale. I am a registered one-man company in Austria.
Mourad Al-Sadek  VAT: ATU75684001


If anything is not clear (since english is not my first language), please ask me either on discord: mourad#7286 or directly here in the forum. I will answer asap.


Update

Hey guys thank you for all your feedback! The results of the IC form are in and I derive from them:

• that I should remove the logos
• shorten the cable of the usb c end
• give an option for coiled cables
• make more colorways

Logos
Almost half of the people who filled out the form requested that I should remove the logos. A minority on the other hand loved them.
Nevertheless I decided to remove the logos completely, the USB shell will be blank like this:



Cable length
The length on the USB-C end will be shortened to 13cm. Not to confuse anyone I mentioned in my original post that the USB-C end is 20cm long. However I measured from the very top of the lemo to the tip of the USB-C, which was wrong and useless.
These measurements are the right ones:




Coiled cables and more colorways
Unfortunately I will not give the option to get a coiled version. I want to keep the variants low since my budget is limited  and the MOQ for different colorways for both cable and lemo connector is very high, my mistake.

For now the colors stay the same.

I was working on a new colorway but the MOQ for the custom colored Lemo is 500 Sets. Since this is an in stock sale I can not pay for such a big stock upfront.
But I will definitely bring more colorways , if the first run turns out successful.

Vendors

I will work to get a vendor in the US and EU. The demand doesn't seem that high for other regions. Sorry, for my scale of production it won't be worth it.
The sale could take place on Amazon US/EU since I am already familiar with the system. But nothing is set in stone for now. I need to get feedback to the changes.

Are you guys happy with the changes? https://forms.gle/EuH4nqKBanwzaAgv5

[saam]

Not exactly my jam but GLWIC.

[7830]

I totally see what you are saying. But at the end of the day, a luxury is a luxury. I don’t really support fake lemos but i can see why it’s a need.

This is how I view it: If i can’t afford a ferrari but I want a ferrari, what do i do? Answer: I don’t buy a ferrari.

I definitely think there is a market and all, but  Northwire/ Lemo have been working for a pretty long time trying to make quality connectors. I totally understand your point of view. Good luck with IC!

Edit: I don’t mean to **** on anything i was just giving my view. I am sorry if i offended anyone

Thank you for you feedback and I totally understand your perspective.

[saam]

I totally see what you are saying. But at the end of the day, a luxury is a luxury. I don’t really support fake lemos but i can see why it’s a need.

This is how I view it: If i can’t afford a ferrari but I want a ferrari, what do i do? Answer: I don’t buy a ferrari.

I definitely think there is a market and all, but  Northwire/ Lemo have been working for a pretty long time trying to make quality connectors. I totally understand your point of view. Good luck with IC!

Edit: I don’t mean to **** on anything i was just giving my view. I am sorry if i offended anyone

Thank you for you feedback and I totally understand your perspective.

Thank you for being so kind, i’m sorry if I offended you in my original post.

[Havattack]

I always thought the main reason people use heat shrink instead of the slightly more expense usb plugs was to further add more color customization.. But i guess one could just cerakote/paint them.

[7830]

I always thought the main reason people use heat shrink instead of the slightly more expense usb plugs was to further add more color customization.. But i guess one could just cerakote/paint them.

Hey thanks for your input!

The main reason cable makers are applying heatshrinks is because it is convenient for custom cables. After they done the soldering part they close the metal shell housing and cover it with a heatshrink because otherwise you would see the naked shell which doesn't look that good to me. Here a picture http://https://imgur.com/a/qxmFWhv
Of course you are right about the color customization part but it is secondary I would say.

For factory usb cables the  customization of the shell is superior I would say. You can change the color, print anything you want etc. and it feels more robust and sturdy.

[LeCornSnake]

Are these real lemos? You can already get fake ones for less than 30.

[7830]

Are these real lemos? You can already get fake ones for less than 30.

hey!
It says in the IC that those are replicas. Regarding getting fake ones for 30, I don't know what you mean by that. The full connector with soldered USB cable for 30? Or just the full connector?
The cable assembly is the crucial part, thats why the price is where it is.

Or maybe I missed something.

[FamilyJoule924]

why ruin the cables with the foreign language

[7830]

why ruin the cables with the foreign language

Hey,

if you don't like the logo you can flip the connector, its blank on the other side for both USB-C and USB-A. If the majority of people don't like it , I will definitely  remove the logos completely.

Please fill out the IC Form so I can see the response of the community.

[Frayne]

Fake lemo cables, called femo are nothing new, there are already ones for sale in r/mm, and i think in regards to 0B femos vs 1b, 0B does not allow more prenium double sleeving options like MDPC and techflex right on top of the paracord. Naked paracord frays with use so it goes against the "clean" look one would tend to associate with LEMOs and plastic usb shells. Speaking as a fellow cable maker here.

And as for the white logo on the black shells, the fact that its there at all would also go against the overall aesthetic of the cable and femo. I would argue that this is not something "just flip to the other side so you won't see it" will solve.

[7830]

Fake lemo cables, called femo are nothing new, there are already ones for sale in r/mm, and i think in regards to 0B femos vs 1b, 0B does not allow more prenium double sleeving options like MDPC and techflex right on top of the paracord. Naked paracord frays with use so it goes against the "clean" look one would tend to associate with LEMOs and plastic usb shells. Speaking as a fellow cable maker here.

And as for the white logo on the black shells, the fact that its there at all would also go against the overall aesthetic of the cable and femo. I would argue that this is not something "just flip to the other side so you won't see it" will solve.

Hey,

I have never claimed that I introduced the femo to the community, I am aware that it is already on the market.
The new part about this is that I sell femos with a standard usb cable soldered to it,  as you can see. To my knowledge nobody does this (commercial sale), you can prove me wrong.

I don't understand your point regarding sleeving it is not relevant to the topic, sleeving is not part of the process of making this cable. I just take the Standard USB cable cut it where I want and solder it to the femo, no sleeving.

The 1B Lemo does allow for more sleeving options I agree. You can see in the picture where I compare all 3 Lemos that the 1B has Paracord and Techflex.
OB is more fitting for this product because the fit is tighter and no sleeving is required.

Regarding the logo , I will note your opinion. Seems like you are not the only one who does not like it. I will remove it completely.


I state in my "Notes" that this is my opinion.(regarding 1B vs 0B)

[i luv chuletas]

I like the idea, but the 'clean' look that you propose with using the Femo is pretty much mitigated with logos on the connectors themselves. It cheapens the look by quite a bit, imo.

[7830]

I like the idea, but the 'clean' look that you propose with using the Femo is pretty much mitigated with logos on the connectors themselves. It cheapens the look by quite a bit, imo.

Thanks for your input! Noted! I will remove them no problem. . I updated the post, please have a look

[Rafa_n]

Sign me up for one. I also don't like to logos on the connectors.

[7830]

Sign me up for one. I also don't like to logos on the connectors.

Thanks for your response! Don't worry I'll remove it.

[7830]

New update guys! Have a look

[7830]

To make it clear, coiled ends are not planned for this run. With my scale of production (very small) , it wouldn't be worth it. Sorry.