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Vehemet
07-19-2012, 02:27 AM
Long time Lurker first time poster.

I apologize if I'm asking something obvious. I read LDM's N00b! thread first and I've looked over all of the FX conversion tutorials. As far as I can tell I don't think anyone has just tried to use the guts in another saber. I figured since I already had the FX, and the blade is messed up I can gut that and save money on the PC2 board for the time being. Since some of the tutorials are out of date I was hoping to get some input on some of the electronics. First Does anyone know if the board/sensor will work with the Star LED. Also as far as I can tell the Vader is using 3 1.5v AAs or 4.5V. However looking over the threads I can't tell what resistance if any the board is applying or if it has a preferred range. I know that the Rebel needs 700mA. If anyone can recommend an energy solution and possibly a resister for the switch I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you.

List
Holder 23; Tap service 8-32; 8-32x.3 black thumbscrew
Rebel Star LED & MHS Heatsink Module, Deep Red
7" Fluted Body; Machine Recessed AV switch Hole; 16mm Anti Vandal Latching Red Ring Switch
MHS Sleeve material (12 inches) (Cutting a shroud with a dremel)
Double ended male threaded connector style 1
4" Double Fem Grooved; 24 8-32 x1/8" button head screws
Convertec Clip, Button; 8-32 x 1/4" socket head
MPS Pommel style 4, MPS Clip (Would prefer the nice Pointed one but it's out of stock)

FX Vader 05 guts. Soundboard and Motion Sensor.

7357
I'm going to cut a shroud and add some detailing.

Jordandau
07-19-2012, 02:26 PM
People use those boards all the time. In fact, until last year we only had 2 or 3 choices for sound, one of those was the MR/FX boards. They still have a slot in our little hobby. There's plenty of diagrams here on the forum for those. You're going to need a multimeter to read the output of the board. They tend to fluctuate a bit and in order to figure out what resistor you'll need, you'll have to know what the board is pumping. OR if you wanted to switch to a green or blue LED you probably won't need a resistor.

DarkarNights
07-19-2012, 04:50 PM
You could also use a 700mA buckpuck instead of a resistor. The rebel star will work fine with the board. You should be able to find all the info you need for the wiring in the MR conversion threads. You might also consider upgrading the speaker to one from the shop.

Vehemet
07-19-2012, 11:59 PM
Thanks for Posting.

Jordandau: Yeah I remember those being on sale a while back. I'll check through the Electronics Board and see what I can find.

DarkarNights: Would I wire the buckpack between the battery and board or between the board/sensor and LED? I'm pretty sure the board can handle 4.5V from the bat pack but I def don't want to blow the LED. The speaker is a great Idea didn't even think of that.

I also thought of another question. Anyone know how long it usually takes for custom orders like the parts I have above? Just paint and some hole tapping? Hopeing to have it in maybe 2-3 weeks tops for celebration at the end of august.

Jordandau
07-20-2012, 12:26 AM
The buckpuck would go between the board and the LED. It gives it a constant current of 700ma, or whatever it's rated at.

Vehemet
07-20-2012, 04:49 AM
I picked up a multimeter after work so I'll get it hooked up and test what comes out stock. I checked on the internet and an average Alkaline AA is 1.5V and ~700mA. Mostly I think I need to just put some batterys in and hook everything up and see what I'm getting out of the two wires that will connect to the LED according to the conversion tutorial. But I think the buckback should solves concerns there. I added the 4 wire 700mA buckpack and a speaker per DarkarNights suggestion. Once I get everything measured I'll see If I can get a Wiring Diagram up and I'll drop a link in here. Then just have to hope I get all my parts in time.

Thanks again for the input guys.

DarkarNights
07-22-2012, 11:58 AM
Yep, the buckpuck wold go between the board and the LED, it's pretty much just like using a resistor, but it puts out a constant current of 700mA. If you used a resistor you'd first need to find out the boards output to properly calculate the resistor, and then as your batteries drained your blade will dim. With the buckpuck the blade will stay at full brightness of 700mA untill the batteries drain to low to provide the current to light it.

Darth Odious
07-22-2012, 04:20 PM
Also as far as I can tell the Vader is using 3 1.5v AAs or 4.5V. However looking over the threads I can't tell what resistance if any the board is applying or if it has a preferred range.


Since your list doesn't mention any kind of battery pack, and people keep recommending the puck instead of a resistor, you should know that you will need at least 5v to even use a puck. You can use a 4 AA or a 4 AAA battery pack the store sells for 6v (that MR board can handle 6v ok) If you're going the rechargeable route, the 7.4v packs the store sells could fry the board, you would need to use a 5v regulator.

Personally, in this instance, I'd prefer/recommend to use a resistor over a buckpuck, checking with a multimeter would be a very good thing to do since the boards do vary quite a bit. I have 2 05 Anakin boards that one puts out ~1150ma and one puts out ~1300ma.

Vehemet
07-24-2012, 12:30 AM
Thanks for the tip on that. I was going to test it with the included battery pack from the original saber. I really like the form factor and design of it, after I take the speaker out and replace it. If I'm not getting enough juice then I'll either order a 4AA holder from here or find one at radioshack to use. I had thought about the rechargeable but that's another layer of complexity I'd like to avoid if I can. At some point I'll either build another or refit this one with some better parts.

Vehemet
08-11-2012, 09:26 AM
Sorry for the lack of updates. I received my first order really fast and everything turned out great. Unfortunately the battery pack from the MR saber doesn't quite fit. In the future I may work the the insets and the holder to make it work better; but since I managed to leave a part or two off my first order I placed a second one and added the Linear 4AA battery pack that's sold, added a 700mA buck pack just in case too. Quick trip to radioshack to get some better gauge wire and solder and I'm ready to get started tomorrow. Work tonight.