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ProdigyLightshow

A Beginners Guide to Microlights. Chips and casings.

Whats up guys! This is Prodigy from Sweetelights.com and team Terror-Wrists. So if you are new to gloving, you might have some questions about what kind of lights you should buy. Well there are a lot of different options out there, and I am here to help you make the right choice by giving definitions of almost all of the different chips and casings out there, at least the more popular ones. I will not go into lights that are outdates and no longer used, such as Gluvmax etc. I may also throw in a little bit of my opinions in here, but it is all up to you on what you want to buy! So here we go, I'm going to break this down by the type of light, then go into the different chip and casing options that are out there.

MICROMAX

Ah the micromax. The most used and popular type of chip out there today. Here is a picture of the size of the standard micromax housing. http://orbitlightshow.com/images/micromaxhousings.jpg You can find these chips at every website or store that sells microlights. They take either 2 CR 1616 or 1620 batteries, and depending on the chip, will fit all 2 prong LED bulbs. They are a very nice size, comfortable, bright, and just all around a good choice, you can't go wrong with these chips. There are all types of different chips for these casings, and I will try and list all of the best ones.

  1. One mode - Simple, click on, click off. No special modes, good for conjuring. Available everywhere

  2. 3 Mode - Full power, fast blink, slow blink. Good for thumbs, not very popular. Available everywhere

  3. EVO chip - With a 3 color strobe, the 3 modes will go full power, 2 color strobe, one color strobe. Very popular chips, always a solid set of chips. Can be turned into a 1 mode if you hold the on button from the off position until the light turns on. Repeat to go back to 3 mode. Available everywhere

  4. EVO-X - The EVO-X chip has all the same modes as an EVO, but has 2 extra modes added on. They are one color hyper flash, and 2 color slow hyper flash. Great chip to have, the hyper strobe modes add an awesome effect to the ordinary EVO chip, and look awesome in your shows. Available exclusively at orbitlightshow.com

  5. Micronova - All the same 3 modes as an Inova, but in a micromax sized chip. Work best with a solid bulb, most other bulbs only work on the first mode. With a solid bulb, the modes are full power, dops, and signal mode. Great chips for thumbs. Available everywhere

  6. Micromax 6 mode - As the title says, it is a 6 mode chip. Used primarily for thumbs, this chip comes with a bulb soldered into the chip, and comes in a variety of colors. You can not change the bulb in this chip, so choose the color you want wisely. The modes in order are 3 color hyperstrobe, slow fading blend, white strobe, first color hyper blink, second color hyper blink, 3rd color hyper blink. Available everywhere

  7. 27 mode - The micromax 27 mode chip is a very diverse chip, lots of modes, mainly used as thumbs. Too many modes to write down, but here is a picture explaining all of the modes and how to get to them. https://www.orbitlightshow.com/images/27mode/27_mode_micromax.jpg Available everywhere

  8. Efinity/Centurion chip - These 2 chips are basically the same thing, both have 20+ modes, and you can program which modes you want to use. they take any 2 prong LED. Just hold down the button until the light turns on, youare now in programming mode, by clicking once you cycle through the modes, when you find one you want, hold the button down on that mode, the light will then go back to the first mode. When you are done programming, do a quick double click and he light will turn off. You can program this chip to a one mode, 5 mode, or 30 mode, it depends on what you want. It has all the modes from all of your favorite micromax chips, plus more. Very good chip. Available everywhere

  9. Sweet-EVO - The sweet-evo chip has 6 modes. The 3 modes of a regular evo, plus 3 more, one color hyperstrobe, 3 color hyper strobe, and 3 peat mode. This chip also has the ability to program any of the 6 modes into a one mode chip. Very good chip with great modes. Available only at sweetelights.com

  10. K-EVO - A 4 mode chip, has the 3 modes from a regular EVO chip, plus one more. The last mode is a 3 color hyper strobe. Very nice chip, available only at kandekreations.com

  11. Imax chips - Oh the Imax chips, awesome line of lights. All the Imax lights come with a bulb soldered in, and you can program what colors you want to use in your lights. There are a lot of Imax chips, I will name them all, if you would like more info on one in particular, just ask, or look it up online. -Classic -Genesis -Strobe -Dot -7 Mode -Ribbon -Tracer -Hyper -SP Available everywhere

  12. Sky series chips - These chips are like the Imax series, but with different colors and modes. You choose the colors you want to have in your strobes out of a choice of 16 colors. The chips available are:

  • Sky Evo-x
  • Sky Trio
  • Sky Impact Available only at OrbitLightShow.com

Now for the casings for the micromax chips.

  1. Micromax - This is the generic casing for micromax chips. Has a door in the back, you slide the chip in like a sleeve, the bulb pokes through the top. Comes in black, clear, blue, and clear blue. Good casing, button click is ok, the door on the back can sometimes scratch and annoy your finger, but overall a good case. Available everywhere https://officialglofx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/photo.jpg

  2. Microskinz - A soft, gel like casing, flexable, one piece. Has an opening in the back where the chip and bulb slide in. Feel very nice on your finger, but the flexibility can sometimes do damage to your chip if you push too hard on the button. Overall very nice chip. Comes in black, clear, clear blue, and clear green. Available only at orbitlightshow.com http://www.loadedlights.com/image/cache/data/MicroskinzBlack-500x500.jpg

  3. Kases - Very very nice casing. One piece, opens up like a book, and the chip just places right in. The click on these cases are amazing, it is ridiculously easy to click your lights on and off. They are slightly bigger than normal micromax cases, but are very nice cases all the same. Come in clear, black, and clear blue. Available only at kandekreations.com http://a248.e.akamai.net/origin-cdn.volusion.com/zafns.cutqf/v/vspfiles/photos/SmokeKase-2.jpg

Arclite

The Arclite is a light from OrbitLightShow that is the same size as the eLite, but with a softer gel casing and different chips. The casings open up like a book with hinges on one side, and come in a multitude of colors. The chips available for the Arclite are:

  1. One mode chip - Simple on/off, will fit any two prong bulb.

  2. Evo-X - Same modes as the micromax Evo-X, in a smaller, much more comfortable chip.

Minimax

The minimax chip is a new light that is available at most websites, and is a smaller version of the micromax. It takes 2 cr1620 batteries. It is about the size of a penny, and has a square sort of shape, and is made out of a soft plastic casing. The chips that are available for the minimax so far are basically all of the Imax series chips, just shrunk down to fit the minimax.

eLite

The eLite chips are exclusively available emazinglights.com. They take 2 CR 1616 batteries. They are very durable lights. There is only one type of casing for these, which is the eLite casing, which comes in multiple colors, black, clear, red, yellow, purple, blue, and orange. They are very small, about the size of a penny, and are generally easy to click. Picture of the casings http://www.loadedlights.com/image/cache/data/LL%20Pics/Parts/eLite-2.0-Clear-Casing-500x500.jpg

  1. eLite 4 mode chip - Has the same modes as a micromax evo chip, with a 4th mode that is a one color hyper flash. Great chips, but the eLite pro is much better if you have the money.

  2. eLite Pro - This chip has 24 different modes to select from, and you can program whatever amount of modes you would want. You can have a one mode, 10 mode, or 50 mode if you want. Here is a breakdown of all the modes the eLite pro has to offer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAS9FgUFkq8

  3. eLite Matrix - This chip is awesome, just like the Imax, the bulb comes soldered into the chip, and has 20 colors to choose from, and you program 3. Then there are 7 modes with 5 options for each mode. For a further breakdown, watch the video below. I love this chip, the modes are crazy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dej_XPdc7V4

  4. ezLite - The ezLite is a programmable, one mode chip, that has three modes for you to choose from. 20 different colors, and a choice of either strobe, dops, or hyperstrobe modes make this a simple, yet versatile chip.

  5. eLite Trinity - The eLite Trinity is a 3 mode chip, but the special thing about it is that you can pick 3 different colors for each mode. So you can have 3 full, different colored glove sets, saved on one chip.

  6. eNova - This chip is basically an Inova, in eLite form, with a few minor changes. This chip is programmable with up to 3 colors, and the modes are ribbon/dops/signal mode. If you want this chip to work like a one color Inova, simply choose red/red/red.

eDot

The eDot is a small, plastic casing that has no chip. It is available only at emazinglights.com. The bulb has to stay uncut, and has a direct connection to the batteries, which makes them very bright. The casing comes in clear, black, pink, orange, yellow, and blue. They have a switch to turn them on, which can sometimes break. They are very cheap, but not very long lasting or reliable. http://www.loadedlights.com/image/cache/data/Edotblack-500x500.jpg

Inova

Inova's are a solo light, they only have one chip with 3 modes, and only one casing, they come in multiple colors, such as red, green, blue, pink, smokey black, and more. These lights are really big, and at this point are only used as thumb or palm lights. They take 2 CR 2016 batteries, and are extremely bright. Only a few bulbs work with the 3 modes that the light has, but most people only use solid bulbs with Inova's. The modes are full power, dops, and signal mode. The lights are very solid, are hard to break, and very reliable. Available everywhere. http://www.alphabushcraft.co.uk/media/imicro1.jpg

Bit

The Bit microlight is very small. Takes 2 CR 1616 batteries, and has 3 chips. The casing can be slightly uncomfortable, they are ok chips. They are about the same size as an eLite chip and are sold at a few different microlight websites. Bit size comparison http://www.omglights.com/images/lightcomparison.jpg

  1. Bit 4 mode - This chip works with lots of bulbs. The modes go full power, one color strobe, one color hyperstrobe, and 2 color hyperstrobe. They are also awesome with solid bulbs, great for thumbs.

  2. Bit ISO - The ISO chip has all the modes as a EVO chip, and the 4th mode is a demo mode, which cycles through the first 3 modes. Pretty good chip.

  3. Bit 2 - This chip has a bulb soldered in, and has multiple modes and colors. You do not, unlike the Imax bulbs, choose the colors. The colors and modes come pre-programmed into the chip. Watch the video below for more information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqM_jpyERAk

Well there you have it! My breakdown of the more popular chips and casings that are out there in the gloving community. There are some that I left out, but this is a list of the lights I see most people use. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask.

Posted Jan 22, 2013, 2:51 AM UTC · edited

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