a few questions, 4 to be exact

[Rock22]

I'm thinking about upgrading my saber.
I have a few questions about stuff in the shop.

1. Will the Blue Rebel Star ever be in stock?

2. How do I know how many mA output I need for this (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Constant-current-LED-driver-P609.aspx). I currently have a RS Amber led, 6V battery pack(4 AA) and I believe I have a 2.2Ohm 5w resistor, I believe I don't need a resistor if I use the driver though.

3. 8.7 Degree or 5 Degree lens? For a 30"-32" blade.

4. Can I make a standard hilt, guarded?



(I think this is the right spot to post this. It seemed to make more sense to make one big thread instead of a bunch of small ones scattered around, though some of these questions aren't general store questions.)

[Zzan]

1. Will the Blue Rebel Star ever be in stock?
Most likely, it is just after Halloween, I am sure Tim had quite a few orders in the last few weeks. He will restock them as soon as he can. But Seoul P4 blues are available why not try one of those, I have both and prefer my Seoul P4 to my Rebel.


2. How do I know how many mA output I need for this (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Constant-current-LED-driver-P609.aspx). I currently have a RS Amber led, 6V battery pack(4 AA) and I believe I have a 2.2Ohm 5w resistor, I believe I don't need a resistor if I use the driver though.
What LED are you using? Seoul P4 Blue is rated for 1000ma, you could safely overdrive it to either of the other settings as long as you have a good heat sink and it is properly attached. EDIT. sorry just noticed you said amber rebel star. That LED is rated for 700ma. You can overdrive it to 1000ma (I have over driven mine to that, just because I am too lazy to update the settings on my PC when I change LED's) but it is not recommended. You may want to use a driver that has a 700ma option. If you choose the resistor there is a resistor calculator link from the store, and also MANY MANY links to resistor calculators throughout the threads here where you can enter your information into it and get the answer you need.



3. 8.7 Degree or 5 Degree lens? For a 30"-32" blade.
Personal preference. Buy one of each and see which you prefer. The Blade and diffusion will affect which one looks better for you. I tend to use 5deg on thick walled blades and 8.7 deg on the show blades, but I don't stick to that exclusively. It's a matter of what looks better to my eye. There is a thread around here somewhere that discusses this in depth.


4. Can I make a standard hilt, guarded?
Not sure I understand this question but I am going to answer it as if you meant: I have a guarded switch and a standard hole hilt, will it work? -- Maybe. Depends on the length of the threads on the switch and if you can get the nut on them enough to secure it, even if you can the switch may have gaps between the hilt and the switch base, it should work but may or may not look the best. The difference between the switches is that standard is nut on top and visible, guarded is nut inside and hidden. It's really a matter of preference which you go with, they both work the same with the exception of how you secure them.

Probably the best place for this post would have been the general hilt building thread. With the exception of the Blue LED question (which I believe there is a sticky (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?8084-Please-no-more-store-stock-questions)that says this thread is not for asking when something will be back in stock) they are all general hilt building questions.

[Rock22]

1. If I get the Seoul p4 blue, can I use the lens Tim sells?

2. I'm not sure what LED yet, either I'll stick with my Amber or get a Green RS or Blue P4/RS. Or do all 3 and just use quick connectors, but idk if that would work with the driver.

3. -

4. Yea that's what I mean, sorry for being unclear. I thought you had to drill something somewhere to convert a standard hilt to be a guarded hilt.

Thanks

[Silver Serpent]

1. I'm sure it will be, eventually. The Seoul P4 has blue in stock right now.

2. The amber takes 700mA, and the warm colors (red, amber) generally don't overdrive well. Even getting the 1000mA might be too much for the amber LED. The P4 blue can be run at 1000mA, 1200mA, or even 1500mA.

3. Get one of each, and see which you like better. I've heard good arguments for both sides.

4. Can you make a standard switch hole into a guarded switch hole? Depends on what tools you have available. You're removing material, not adding, so it's at least possible.

edit: Zzan beat me to the punch!

[Rock22]

1.-

2. also i might do a Rebel Star Green LED, not sure. Will that be the same at the blue P4?

3. just to be sure, will the Luxeon lens work with the Seoul p4 leds?

4. Is there a tutorial or something that explains how to do it?

[Silver Serpent]

2. Rebel greens can be overdriven. I don't know how far, but I'm pretty sure 1000mA is fine.

3. Yes.

4. Not that I've seen. Break out your dremel or some hand files and have at it. Possibly a drill press. Take your time, you don't want to remove too much material.

[Rock22]

okay one last question is this (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Adjustable-LED-driver-P497.aspx)the same as this (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Constant-current-LED-driver-P609.aspx). Does it do the same thing?

[Zzan]

Both the green and the blue seoul P4 are rated at 1000ma and can be safely overdriven to 1500ma if you have proper heatsinking.

The lenses are not LED specific, The Lens HOLDERS are specific. The luxeon lens holder has a rectangular area cut out for the LED and the Seoul P4 Lens holders have a circular area for the LED. You may be able to modify a Luxeon holder to fit a Seoul P4, but maybe not as they are a little shorter than the Seoul holders and the Seoul LED die is bigger/taller than the rebel LED die. The holders are cheap I would say just get the one you need.

There are plenty of tutorials on the site in the LED section. However there really isn't much to it. The LED goes on the heat sink, the lens holder fits over the LED, the Lens snaps into the lens holder, screw the top down on the new style heat sink and you are done. Only thing to mess you up is wire routing. Which is a little trickier with the rebels because the lens holder will only fit one way over the rectangular die. Still not incredibly difficult.

[Rock22]

what do you man by "proper" heat sinking?

and i already know how to put the LED in the heatsink, i did it with my RS amber led.

[Zzan]

If you are using the new style heat sink from the store and have the LED attached with thermal transfer tape or paste,and using a Seoul P4 or Rebel star from the store you should be fine.

If you have some custom setup and don't have enough material to properly sink heat away from your LED it will burn out quickly. Overdriving an LED will shorten its usable lifespan, though probably not by any amount that you will ever notice, if done properly.

[Rock22]

okay, I am using the new style heat sink with the thermal pad. I got mine from this site, it seems to only have one sticky side. Is that correct?


question from previous post:

okay one last question is this (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Adjustable-LED-driver-P497.aspx)the same as this (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Constant-current-LED-driver-P609.aspx). Does it do the same thing?

[Silver Serpent]

There are two sticky sides. The second side is kind of tricky to remove. Just be gentle with it so you don't tear up the tape too badly.

And no, those two items aren't the same. Similar, but not exactly the same. The constant current driver has some special lighting features (shimmer, etc.) while the adjustable current one does not. They both are used to drive a main LED.

[Zzan]

okay, I am using the new style heat sink with the thermal pad. I got mine from this site, it seems to only have one sticky side. Is that correct?
No, it has 2 sticky sides and is really thin. One side is noticibly harder to get the backing off than the other but it does come off and it is a very thin double sided tape. The way I do it is peel off the easy backing and stick it to the LED. Then fold one of the corners back a little and use tweezers to get ahold of the backing to peel it back. I then seat it securely to the heatsink and make sure it is solidly stuck.

For the two drivers, yes they both do the same thing in the sense that they drive LED's. One you order at a specific output current and has the option to add additional features to it on your own (flash on clash, swing and clash sensors) but will always drive the current you ordered it to be. So if you wish to use LED's with different current requirements then you would have to resistor them in addition to having the driver.

For the other it has a dip switch bank that can set several different currents from 700ma to 1500ma and when switching LED's you could just switch the dip switches to ensure you don't damage your LED when switching. It does not have the extra pads for optional added features.

Make sure that you are providing the proper voltage to them as well. One of those has a minimum input current of 7v which is more than your battery pack currently is.

[Rock22]

okay so both have the option for the up/down animation? That's all I really want since I don't use sound. and by driving the led means, you put more juice to it?

[Zzan]

up/down animation may not be what you think it is.

It is simulated in that power is given to or taken from the LED at a slow rate which gives the illusion of extending/retracting as the brightness of the LED is gradually added/reduced instead of instant. I didn't look closely at the descriptions to see if both of them had this feature, or if it was configurable.

If you want true Up/Down animation you may want to look at string LED blades.

By driving the LED I mean causing it to light up. Not necessarily over driving. Overdriving is giving the LED more current than it is rated for to try to increase brightness. Driving simply means to power it properly and cause it to illuminate the way it was supposed to.

[Rock22]

up/down animation may not be what you think it is.

It is simulated in that power is given to or taken from the LED at a slow rate which gives the illusion of extending/retracting as the brightness of the LED is gradually added/reduced instead of instant. I didn't look closely at the descriptions to see if both of them had this feature, or if it was configurable.

If you want true Up/Down animation you may want to look at string LED blades.

By driving the LED I mean causing it to light up. Not necessarily over driving. Overdriving is giving the LED more current than it is rated for to try to increase brightness. Driving simply means to power it properly and cause it to illuminate the way it was supposed to.

do you know of any videos that show the extending/retracting illusion? If it doesn't look good I'll just keep my resistor