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View Full Version : double helix wrap for multiple colors?



Banaticus
05-02-2013, 10:08 AM
It seems like I could do a double helix wrap inside a diffuser with two electro luminescent wires (both circling slowly up in opposite directions then coming straight back down the middle). I'd like to get a green light, and a red light, so that I could switch back and forth, or even have both on at the same time and get a sort of yellowy light. Is there some reason I'm missing as to why this wouldn't work? Has anyone done something like this before? I think this would work better with EL wires than LED's because there are going to be shadows here and there and I think a more continuous light source would yield less overall shadows than trying to wrap LED's around each other.

Silver Serpent
05-02-2013, 10:45 AM
We switched from EL several years ago, mostly because EL is less durable, and not nearly as bright.

There are tricks to building LED string blades that minimize the shadowing effect. I personally don't build string blades, so I'm not familiar with their construction.

Banaticus
05-02-2013, 10:58 AM
I thought about LED strings, but I'd kind of like to playact with this so the blade will be swinging back and forth and smacking into things. I won't be going full throttle with it, I won't be swinging it full speed, but it seems like LED strings would just be far less durable than solid wire and prone to breaking rather frequently, especially if I let any young kids play with it.

Silver Serpent
05-02-2013, 11:08 AM
I would strongly suggest you look into using a single high-powered LED with a lens. You can use multi-die LEDs to achieve color mixing, or use white LEDs plus color discs to change the color. This is by far the most durable solution. EL wire was prone to breaking at the connection points. LED strings can be reasonably durable if built properly, but they have a lot of possible failure points. The single LED solution is used by the majority of the saber community right now.

Jordandau
05-03-2013, 06:16 PM
Any of the current single LED setups would kill the EL in terms of brightness as well.