Maybe it's just me...

[Tyhm]

but it seems there's a bit of information missing. Like, okay, I browse the store, browse the tutorials, peruse the forums; I find that indeed an EL saber would be inferior to a LED saber, that I want these custom ridiculously bright LEDs over just trying to modify a storebought multi-LED flashlight, that a buckpuck beats the crap out of using a resistor; and I'm decent at soldering, so I figure I'm in good shape. Oh, and I'll want to use one of these reflector and lens focusing arrays. Cool.
But...the kit doesn't have a buckpuck option...it has a resistor dropdown box that just lists "Resistor". So I gotta pay a few cents for a resistor I don't need, no big deal...
I see I can choose a 5 degree or 10 degree focusing lens, but it doesn't say the pros and cons of these; would a 10 degree be a more difracted glow and a 5 degree is really just for blades of 4 or more feet in length?
Swing sensors look fun; I wonder how I would go about making the saber pulse brighter when swung?
What's better, the Seoul or the Luxeon III? Shop sure doesn't say.
Do I need all of the big circular heat sink, really? I'm shooting for installing this in a katana shaped hilt, and the 2cm star itself is about the right size Before adding the giant heat sink...do I have options for smaller ones, trimming down this one? (Does the kit actually come with one anymore?)
What do these LED Drivers do?
Any theories on how I might make the intensity ebb and flow on its own, in a sorta sine pattern?
Maybe this is all spelled out nicely in easy-to-find tutorials, but I ain't found 'em yet; I appreciate the Start Here tutorials, but they don't really point me where I wanna go...

[Causa]

What do these LED Drivers do?
1000mA constant current LED driver * Ramp up/down, static shimmer, optional flash on impact and lockup. (taken from the description in the store)

What's better, the Seoul or the Luxeon III?
What color? There's a lot of info and debate on these, and a really good post by Novastar about the variations in all of them.

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27 this has LED blade colors, and the owners usually list their LED.

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=10685 Nova's topic.

would a 10 degree be a more difracted glow and a 5 degree is really just for blades of 4 or more feet in length?

LENS CHOICE

"For most blades, you'll want a 5 degree lens. They work best for thick walled blades (dueling blades) as well as longer (over 35 inch) thin walled blades (display or kata blades). For shorter thin walled ones, you will get a bit more brightness from a 10 degree lens. If you plan on using a 3/4" blade, go with the 5 degree." ~ straight from the LED tutorial in the welcome section. There is a lot of discussion on blade optics on the forums as well.

Link from the tutorial:
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=2744&highlight=degree+lens+difference

Do I need all of the big circular heat sink, really?

The blade holder MHS pieces come with a heatsink that attaches to the LED. it is smaller.

Any theories on how I might make the intensity ebb and flow on its own, in a sorta sine pattern?
There are purpose-build control boards that offer some of these features. I don't know a lot about them.


Swing sensors look fun; I wonder how I would go about making the saber pulse brighter when swung?
LED drive with swing sensor control. Driver board from Hasbro sabers has this feature to varying degrees based on model.

[Tyhm]

Oh thank you...I'm working on a blue beam-katana for a con next April, and trying to get a jump on it...so really, I don't mind much what color the LED is, I already have a colored tube. (Really easy btw - acetone and RIT dye in warm water, with some rubber corks from the hardware store. About 1 part acetone to 3 parts dye-water...got a tutorial up at cosplay.com) Upshot is, white probably...

I guess the Seoul v. Luxeon is the great forum contention, and I just trapse in asking which one's better like there's gonna be an easy answer huh? :-D Seoul looks nice from the White Saber pictures...although of course YMMV. I suppose my real question is what Is the difference? Does one draw more power than the other, is one newer than the other? "Brighter" is asking too much I gather. ;-D

I don't know how I missed the description of the drivers...just didn't load when I clicked it. And now that it does load it seems to indicate it'll maintain constant current for whatever the dips are set to...like an adjustable buckpuck, but nothing about the ramping, shimmering, and lockup...but I'm looking at the adjustable driver, maybe you're looking at another one? 0.o (Oh I see, the Luxeon v3 Driver that's out of stock...damn, that DOES look nice! All I'd need is to wire a Swing switch where the Clash switch goes and I'd be set!)
Shimmering sounds nice, that might be what I was looking for...I'd just as soon use a 6 wire buckpuck and run a swing sensor through the REF/CTL if that works...probably have to throw in a POT in parallel so it's cut down until the switch is thrown...ha! Or a resistor...wouldn't that be funny...

And I don't know how I missed the 5 degree/10 degree bit...it'd be nice if the shop linked straight to these sorts of answers, but I suppose we're lucky to have a shop at all. :-D

"LED drive with swing sensor control." - not sure I understand what that means...I'd love to pick up a LED Driver with Swing Sensor Control, but I dunno where I'd get one...best bet still sounds like the POT and Swing Sensor (oddly buried in the Sound category) in parallel...wish I could get that shimmering driver now, that sounds cool...:-P

Oh-ho! If I can save up for the Adjustable AND the Add-on together, I can have all the features AND fully adjustable output juice...nice! $60 together and more wiring, but I am going all out...

PS it would be nice if the shop let us Wishlist things that were out of stock. No drivers, no buckpucks, :-(

[Causa]

I'm new myself, only here for a few weeks now.

You learn fast if you set your mind to specific problems and research 1 item at a time.

For a blue saber, I would suggest a blue LED. I've heard the P4's are good for that.

I'm using a Rebel green for my saber, but a green P4 might be an equal/better choice.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

One reason the heat sinks have a large OD is so that it can come in contact with the hilt and use the whole hilt as a heat sink. Using high power LEDs will generate a lot of heat and if they get too hot they will burn up. No matter what set up you use it is always nice when you can make the whole hilt part of the heat sink cooling system.

I haven't seen anyone who made their saber pulse brighter on swing, most of them look for pulse/flash on clash. The swing sensor is to let the sound card know the saber is moving and to play a swing sound.

There are tons of information here and it is easy to get lost. Most of us are glad to help those who have read and tried to help themselves like you have. Glad to have you here and can't wait to see your first saber.

[Tyhm]

Ahhh, interesting and also dammit. I was gonna go plastic hilt, but if heat's an issue I'll have to get more clever than that...I still remember the days when LEDs were distinct in that they didn't produce heat like light bulbs...but I guess that trace ammount of heat, amplified this much, would be a problem...hmm. I trust we're not talking uncomfortable-to-hold temperatures, yeah? So if I can get a metal case Inside the plastic, vented at the base probably (or through the wraps), I should be fine...I'm soo far short of able to afford a custom milled grip that I'll have to look into sheet metal or hand-bendable widths of metal trim, but it's area that matters, not volume, yeah? Then I'll use the thermal tape pad to sticky it on, conduct the heat and not the electricity to the grip...I can do that, no trouble. :-D

Anyone know the max voltage or anything on them swing sensors btw? Or on the Buckpuck's leads? (I'm assuming REF and CTL are In and Out, presumably with fairly low juice...) I'd go clash, but I'm using such a thin tube (hand-modified T8 fluorescent light tube, about a milimeter's thickness...I know, dumb, but I'm working with nonelectric hand tools...) that I oughtn't be hitting anything with it hard enough to register. Besides, a pulse of bright light as it swings should leave a more dramatic arc and afterimage.

Even having sorted out the drivers issue I'm sorely tempted to go mini-POT and swing sensor on a Buckpuck anyway...worst case scenario I explore a new frontier and prove it doesn't work, best case I save myself 40 some bucks...:-D
I'd miss the Shimmer though...

[Sunrider]

I see you have read some young padawan, but much still remains. Complete your training you must.;)

[Rhyen Skytracker]

You can still make a plastic hilt. The heat sink by themselves will work too.

[Tyhm]

Oo, just saw the Luxeon Star heatsink. Bloody brilliant; sadly, the kit doesn't mention any of this Need A Heatsink business, but I rather like the http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Luxeon-star-heatsink--P220.aspx chunkybit. Long as I insulate everything else properly I should do fine, and it'll add some nice heft to the hilt...

Standing #1 Gripe: the store is organized in the most scattered way concievable. Heatsinks under Bladeholders, machined parts under Sink tubes...;-)
Mostly it's the kit that's grinding my gears; the dropdown boxes seem to indicate that by mixing and matching I can get everything I need to light a saber...then they leave out the option to go buckpuck, any indication of which lens you'll want, the very mention of a heatsink, or drivers, or sound, or swing, or clash, or shimmer...

Standing #2 Gripe: The tutorial was written by someone who knows what he's doing for the edification of people who also know what they're doing. Nobody involved in the process said "But wait, where do I get the heatsink?" because they all know it comes with the bladeholder and wouldn't think of ordering Just The Kit...

Standing #3 Gripe: We all seem to be ashamed of the cost. We shouldn't be. "To make a lightsaber light up: $23 for a cheapo light kit for your own plastic lightsaber, $83 for a nicely advanced model that pulses and reacts to clashing, $200+ for a top of the line one with sound and all. This is not a hobby for the faint at heart."

Pipe dream: When I get this done, I'm totally gonna use some of the leftover tubing to make the most unnecessarily powerful security guard flashlight evar...If I do it right the lighting unit will slide right out of each blade-and-handle piece...:-D

[Strydur]

#1) It is a "electronics kit" hence it only includes the electronics. Normally it would list the buckpucks but the 4-wire ones are out of stock. Also all of the parts can be bought individually in the store, its only 6 items to pick out.

#2) Feel free to take this opportunity to write a tutorial.

Also you mentioned you appreciated the "start here tutorials" but I think you missed this one http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=2025 since it answers almost all of your questions in your first post.

[Tyhm]

#1) It is a "electronics kit" hence it only includes the electronics. Normally it would list the buckpucks but the 4-wire ones are out of stock. Also all of the parts can be bought individually in the store, its only 6 items to pick out.

#2) Feel free to take this opportunity to write a tutorial.

Also you mentioned you appreciated the "start here tutorials" but I think you missed this one http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=2025 since it answers almost all of your questions in your first post.

Right you are....looked right at it, in fact still have it open in another tab, somehow managed to gloss right over the bit about the driver entirely. Which is funny, I seem to have a blindspot for drivers; earlier there was the Luxeon 3w v2 driver staring me right in the face and all I could see was the adjustable one...ah well, we all have to be newbies sooner or later.

I suppose I was just trying to be impatient, click "Kit", buy everything I need in one bag, solder a few quick joints and have done with, never bothering to learn the wattage or amperage or anything of the sort; and maybe someday the shop will cater to such neophytes that don't join the forum, just leave their money at the door and never send pictures, but as a hobbyist community I can respect it caters to the community first. Just a bit of a learning curve, don't mind me...I'll make a few notes in the eventuality you ever want to go that direction, but we all get there in the end, that's what matters.

Oright, is this a shop wherein "Out of stock" means "I intend to restock", or "Discontinued, move on to something else"? I suppose the Luxeon's aren't made anymore, but since "Out of stock" is one-tag-fits-all I worry that means no more buckpucks forever, and that can't be right! :-D

PPS, if you wind up editing that part of the store anyway, it'd be nice to be able to Wishlist the Out Of Stock items too, at least the ones that will someday be restocked.

[Strydur]

For the most part it means they will be restocked. Some items have been left for reference but generally speaking I remove a item if I plan to never offer it again.

[Tyhm]

Thanks for closing that n00b filtering thread; everything had been sad ad nauseum.
My thanks to all involved, especially those who were patient with me, but including those who flamed me passionately; I respect that you love your hobby. I love it too, I'm all up ons for DIY, we just disagree on methodology; now that I have a solid day to browse the forums I am coming to your collective point of view, that a few hours browsing teaches you everything you know. My n00b eyes are fading, which is a sort of pity, because it means I won't be able to see why I wanted to be able to "buy everything and figure out how to assemble it while it's in the mail"...I recall that it was a pressing desire yesterday, which is odd, since I have 11 months and 21 days to finish my project, and I don't have a lot of money to throw around on burned out LEDs...just n00b impatience I guess.
Still; if the links we all keep in our sigs get thrown at the n00bs at eye level, so much the better. There Is a reason we keep them in our sigs, no?