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iainm
06-02-2006, 12:39 AM
Firstly, thanks for the LED, driver and emitter assembly. The wiring diagram on this site suggests five AA batteries for the Luxeum and driver board. Can you suggest a way to mount five batteries? If I used a 9V battery instead how could I reduce the voltage to 7.5 volts for the board? Would sticking a small LED in the way do this or would I need another resistor, if so what size? As an aside, how do you stop all the electronic parts from rattling around inside the hilt?

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the_steve
06-02-2006, 08:39 AM
You could get a 6 AA holder that stacks the batteries like so.

12
34
56

Fill all of the slots with batteries except for the "1" slot. Instead of a battery, put a piece sof small wire or other conductive material (such as a small bolt) from the spring to the small dimple. That will give you 7.5v.

Either that or find a way to fit a 4AA holder and a 1Aa holder n series in the hilt.

As for the rattling problem, most people just stick some foam, such as pipe insulation or from a pool noodle, around the parts to pad them and keep them in place. Even just wadded up tissues or toilet paper will work.

phat lewt=kash munni

Madcow
06-02-2006, 10:07 AM
It's also posible to get a 4 AA holder, and attach a one AA holder to the underside with hot glue and wire them together. It may need some minor shaving to fit inside the tube.

You can also but tiny connectors (like plugs) to avaid having a tangled bunch of wires. it takes time, but what a difference!

MC


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DACOTA
06-05-2006, 10:26 AM
i was wondering tim said that 9 volts dont have enough current for the 3 watt leds can someone explian the difference between current and voltage and also why are the 4aaa battery packs baetter than a 9 volt. sorry if this is a little off topic.

"aaah general kenobi you are a bold one."-general grievous

xwingband
06-05-2006, 12:11 PM
To get the full potential out of an LED you need two things: proper voltage and meeting or exceeding the rated amperage. For a 3W LED (greens and blues) the forward voltage is 3.9 and the typical amperage is 700ma (you can max it at 1000ma). For the reds and yellows the voltage is slightly lower and you can push nearly double the amperage through.

The hitch is too much or too little of either will screw your LED. 9V's are too high on voltage and pretty low amperage-wise. Too much voltage is bad, but extra amperage is something you can deal with. The amperage of AAA or AA's is 2400mah and that just equates to longer runtime.

The only case a 9V is worth it's salt is on a 5W where you can run them in parallel to boost the amperage and the high voltage isn't going to fry your LED.

If you more mean what those numbers actually mean it's hard to explain. I'd equate the voltage to the push it needs to light then the amperage will determine how bright it will be for how long.

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DACOTA
06-06-2006, 08:24 AM
so what do you recomend for 3 watts? 5 watts?

"aaah general kenobi you are a bold one."-general grievous

james3
06-06-2006, 08:52 AM
<font size="6"><font color="red">AAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!</font id="red"></font id="size6">

Is this for real?

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xwingband
06-06-2006, 12:59 PM
D'oh... this really makes me feel like I haven't accomplished too much with the explaination. Look at the spec sheet at any nuber of luxeon sites or Lumileds itself. Find the min and max voltage, your battery setup should be between those (it varies a bit for all the LEDs). Find the typical amperage, on both 3W and 5W this is 700ma (it can be pushed brighter though), and pick a battery that is above that. The more above that the longer it will run.

So... there isn't much of a "recommended" setup. Whatever fits in your hilt and meets both of those will work fine. I can tell you the typical is 4AAA or AA's for a 3W and either a parallel 9V or li-ion setup for 5W.

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DACOTA
06-07-2006, 09:19 AM
thanks i get it know ill just stick with 4aaa with the 3,and 5 watts. maybe 9 volt for the 5 watt.

thanks x wing.

"aaah general kenobi you are a bold one."-general grievous

todd4566
06-07-2006, 09:41 AM
Definitely go parallel 9v for the 5w. The difference in brightness is very noticeable.

My collection:
02' MR Anakin AOTC
05' MR Anakin ROTS
05' MR Luke ROTJ
06' MR Maul TPM
MHS 5w Luxeon(RylBl/Grn)

DACOTA
06-07-2006, 02:55 PM
ok,do you think thats good x wing my master?todds idea.
what does parralell 9 volt mean,two 9 volts?
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james3
06-07-2006, 07:51 PM
Two 9 volts tied reds together and blacks together is parallel.

Two 9 volts tied red 1 to black 2 and the remaining pair is series which will give you 18 volts.

Come on boy, keep up with the class.

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iainm
06-07-2006, 11:53 PM
Thanks, that helps. All the other replies about 9v and amperage etc just confused me. So, I'll put together a 7.5V 5xAA or AAA in the way you suggested, and try to find some way of keeping it stable within the hilt.

Regards, Iain

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DACOTA
06-08-2006, 09:25 AM
i know alot about sabers but the electric stuff is deep.thanks


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Darth_Dadderall
06-11-2006, 08:04 PM
The_Steve: If you can get me one of those bloody 2W x 3L AA battery holders, I will never deflect blaster bolts at you in the chatroom AGAIN. I have looked everywhere and just cannot find them. It's gotten so bad I've considered bondoing together parts from a 2-cell and a 4-cell with opposing ends cut off and sanded to proper measure.

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james3
06-11-2006, 08:06 PM
Go look at what is new in Tim's store bud.

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LAN-ED-TUL
06-12-2006, 01:38 AM
yeah, tim has the long 6 batt holders now.

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Cern
08-15-2006, 09:05 PM
Uh, so would 6 NiCad AA's be too much juice?

I'm prolonging the fight because I see you need the practice.

Drewbacca
08-15-2006, 10:00 PM
Your LED only gets as much of the current as your resistor will let it.

I had a huge conversation today with a friend of mine who just got his BA in Electrical Engineering...confused the hell out of me talking about current and resistance and amps and all that.


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Lord Maul
08-15-2006, 10:15 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I had a huge conversation today with a friend of mine who just got his BA in Electrical Engineering...confused the hell out of me talking about current and resistance and amps and all that.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">


at least you survived, i would of died half way through that conversation drewbacca

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Drewbacca
08-15-2006, 11:21 PM
He was attempting to tell me that four AA's will do the same as four AAA's depending on how amps (or volts, I got confused) my resistor will let through.

Apparently it would be like poking a hole in a soda can. Only so much can leak out unless you make the hole (resistor) bigger...no matter how much soda (power) there is you're trying to fit through it.

It's kind of a shiesty analogy, but it's difficult to explain without drawing you a diagram.

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Drewbacca
08-15-2006, 11:28 PM
You could hook up ten 9V batteries to your LED. However, you'd have to find a resistor that would be able to regulate how many amps went through to the LED...or else your resistor would literally explode.

On the same token, you could wire up ten 9v batteries directly to your LED, with NO resistor, and cause the LED to pop like a firecracker.

Either way you look at it, if you're trying to decide on what power source to use, you need to check and see how much power you can put to an LED before it will terminate. Then you have to find a resistor that will allow that much current to flow through it. THEN you need to determine what size and amount of batteries you need to power it.

<font color="red"><u>Seriously, don't do the following, it is an example only:</u></font id="red">

With Tim's basic electronics package, you could theoretically hook a car battery to it. However, this would instantly cause the 2.2ohm resistor to overheat and explode in your face (a car battery puts out about 500 amps, and your basic four AAA setup puts out ONE amp)...causing intense pain and probably blindness, since you wouldn't be wearing any safety glasses.

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Do-Clo
08-16-2006, 06:28 AM
Not exactly on exploding, the resistor would still limit the current no mater how big the the battery, but with a high voltage you would need a differnt resister most like you would get a quick flash and some smoke and that would be it. The resistor sets the current flow but it also takes care of the voltage diffence between the battery supply and the forward voltage of the led. Example 12 volt battery, led 3.5 volts at 1000 ma then your resistor would need to hanadle 8.5 volts at 1000 ma or a 8.5 ohm resister at 10 watts to be safe.

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Lord Maul
08-16-2006, 09:53 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">originally posted by drewbacca
cause the 2.2ohm resistor to overheat and explode in your face <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">originally posted by Do-Clo
most like you would get a quick flash and some smoke<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

isn't that the same think as exploding Do Clo? [:D]

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Ambo
08-16-2006, 10:53 AM
I dont know, u tell me the difference between a Flash-bang, and a Frag Grenade.

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james3
08-16-2006, 11:25 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ambo

I dont know, u tell me the difference between a Flash-bang, and a Frag Grenade.

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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

[:D]

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Do-Clo
08-16-2006, 11:31 AM
Big difference this is just a poof and and smoke no parts are blown blown off

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Lord Maul
08-16-2006, 12:38 PM
do you know this from personal experience?

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Drewbacca
08-16-2006, 12:45 PM
Flash-bangs are notorious for bursting eardrums and causing concussions.

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Lord Maul
08-16-2006, 12:52 PM
but flash bangs also blind the enemy temporarily, that's why SWAT and the army use them

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xwingband
08-16-2006, 12:57 PM
Neither is desirable though.[:p]

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Do-Clo
08-16-2006, 02:52 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Lord Maul

do you know this from personal experience?

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

After over 20 years as a tech I have fried a few things[;)]

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Lord Maul
08-16-2006, 03:11 PM
nice [:D]
i'm guessing you have 20 20 vision do clo [8D]

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Cern
08-16-2006, 05:54 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Drewbacca

Your LED only gets as much of the current as your resistor will let it.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

How much can the LED driver take?

i'm only asking because I finally got some more rechargeables I plan on soldering together, and if I use 5 I'll still have one left over. I could save that for another saber i guess

I'm prolonging the fight because I see you need the practice.

Lord Maul
08-16-2006, 06:14 PM
you are going to SOLDER together batteries? that does not sound good cern

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xwingband
08-16-2006, 06:35 PM
You can actually solder batteries together. That's what you do when you make battery packs. In most cases it's soldering tabs to link ends.

Cern, it depends on the LED and even the color sometimes.

1W- 350mA
3W Red, Red-Orange, Amber- 1540mA
3W everything else- 1000mA
5W- 700mA
K2 Red, Red-Orange, Amber- 700mA
K2 others- 1500mA

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LAN-ED-TUL
08-16-2006, 08:48 PM
yeah maul, how the heck do youi think they make the nicad batt packs for your radio control planes and other toys. dude they solder them together, ususally via a small tab the they either use a metal strip or wire to solder to those and then shrink wrap the whole pack together.

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Cern
08-16-2006, 10:10 PM
yeah i originally bought 4 batteries with the soldering tabs at radio shack. Then I kinda put my saber on the back burner for a bit...but now apparently RS discontined the Solder Tab batteries, so I' going to have to make do with a regular one.

I'm prolonging the fight because I see you need the practice.