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dgregory
01-05-2014, 06:53 AM
Starting a build thread for my new saber. This one is a color shifter using a tri-rebel R/G/Rb. I'm using two SPDT slide switches (on-off-on) to control the color. I wired one to red and blue and the other to green and blue. I can get all six colors (red, green, blue, purple, orange, and cyan) by changing the switches. The crystal chamber also color shifts with the blade (5 mm rgb led). This switch setup also has the added benefit of not allowing for all three die to be powered at once, which would be over the 2 Amp cap on the Nano and might damage it. I adjusted the drive output on the Nano so I didn't need a resistor on the green and blue. I only needed resistors for the red die and for the accent led.

I put the resistors and slide switches on a small control board mounted next to the Nano. I'm using a 1 1/4" sink tube for this so I'll have to shave off those switches quite a bit so they fit inside the saber.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/1D1E4B30-9DDC-41B2-8DEB-9BB83D222422_zpsviwqdf5k.jpg

Here's the side-mounted recharge port below the control board. It was right below the Nano so I couldn't mount it vertically.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/CC973355-8100-4A5E-9119-9857007A7A60_zpshzebly65.jpg

Here's the crystal chamber mostly finished. Just need to add covers to the threaded rods and a pass through for wires.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/5E46DF9E-CA03-4B4C-A159-C0FB986BF57F_zpsa9cfkc4a.jpg

Wiring diagram.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/D49CB8F4-A50C-45BB-B034-989EC03FEA26_zpshwyy71zq.jpg

Here's a video of my test of the circuit. The accent led for the crystal chamber is on the breadboard.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/th_IMG_0340_zpsc040e6b2.jpg (http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0340_zpsc040e6b2.mp4)

More to follow. I'm building this one from the inside out. I haven't really thought about the hilt yet, just that I need some large access ports to get to the switches, SD card, and recharge port. I'm thinking of having a hinged or removable section in the middle.

dgregory
01-09-2014, 06:48 AM
Small update. Got the chassis built. Just need to make a speaker holder. This is going to be a long one, 13.5" or so. That pesky control board added a couple inches. I also made a 2" long crystal chamber. I may put the NB on top of the battery instead. Then I could mount the recharge port vertically and maybe shave off an inch or so. Sink tubes are only 12" long. The blade holder can protrude a little and I can add some length with aluminum shrouds, but I'd like to shorten it if possible.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/BFED3C61-9A98-4CC0-9893-713947022887_zpsd233b022.jpg

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/1C25E3AE-72DF-4225-92C1-5DE3D620A046_zpsljvndoyv.jpg

dgregory
01-14-2014, 06:48 AM
So I just discovered that when you file down those three way switches, they have a tiny spring inside that puts tension on the base below them to keep them from sliding on their own. If you take off about half the length of the switch button you'll see the spring. I filed the springs down in the process and took the tension out of the slides, so now they don't stay put. Late last night I replaced them with some tiny screws and a drop of gorilla glue to keep them in. Hopefully that'll work. If not I'll have to replace them. So if anyone decides to use these and file them down, just watch for the spring and remove it as soon as it's visible. You can put it back in later and glue it down and it should work fine.

dgregory
01-17-2014, 02:01 PM
Small update

I redid the chassis to make the saber shorter. It was about 13.5 inches. Now it's about 12. I turned the recharge port vertical and will mount the NB underneath the control board. I also used a smaller battery.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/D650BA21-EDED-4467-BBA3-97FD364BA92D_zpsu8c4bju1.jpg

I finished the speaker housing. I used a piece of metal tube from an old desk, same place I got the thick aluminum discs for the crystal chamber. With a little hot glue collar, the 2W speaker fit perfectly. Though I did have to make small cutouts so it won't short out against the metal housing.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/D9CF6084-51A9-4900-979B-3A2D56E0AAA2_zps2ron6vja.jpg

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/E528236A-937D-458B-AAFD-4663B6E03C85_zpsawv0wef8.jpg

Now that the chassis is basically built, I can start working on the hilt itself.

dgregory
01-25-2014, 04:43 PM
Got some work in on the hilt this week. I still need to clean up the edges and gaps, but it's coming along. I'm also planning to do some acid etching on the aluminum shroud pieces.

Here's the hilt with a skeleton chassis installed to show how the crystal chamber will look.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/C2B324EA-77DD-431D-A725-E4278D0B7F99_zps7oy1ucch.jpg

This port opens on a hinge to allow access to the two switches that control the led color.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/F7D310F3-57A2-4A02-ABE6-6986AC35D57A_zps2eu5xsy7.jpg

The bottom shroud piece covers the recharge port and the section that will contain the NB and SD card.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/F9E30224-D85A-4A84-BBAC-7B4F43EB3D06_zpsxlflafgv.jpg

Silver Serpent
01-25-2014, 07:11 PM
Your saber appears to be coming along nicely. That hinge is a neat feature.

Flyby Knight
01-26-2014, 03:45 AM
This is turning out really, really cool

dgregory
02-15-2014, 02:26 PM
I finally got this saber wired up. Having a RGB crystal chamber and a tri-rebel RGB was quite a pain, but worth it.

Here's the completed chassis all wired up.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0487_zpsc493bec2.jpg

The central section with the control board and NB and recharge port.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0488_zps4d12391a.jpg

The control board on the bottom with the switches, dyna-ohm resistors for the crystal chamber, and resistors for the main red die.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0491_zpsdbbc67ba.jpg

The access hatch on the bottom to expose the switches and change the saber color.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0497_zps0f8be489.jpg

I even acid etched a code in the bottom so I could remember the colors. The left switch has red and blue, the right has green and blue.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0495_zps7e2465e7.jpg

dgregory
02-15-2014, 02:31 PM
I used acid etching for the outer shrouds, with mixed success. The acid solution lost its punch pretty fast, so some of them got more deeply etched than others. I'm going to put some aluminum black in the recessed areas to make them consistent.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0492_zpsdc86c94c.jpg


http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0493_zps578f4e59.jpg

Here's my wiring diagram. Not sure why it keeps posting it upside down....
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0509_zpsfa0e9423.jpg

The blue die lit.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0498_zps02afd19b.jpg

The green.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0504_zps8cd2d133.jpg

dgregory
02-15-2014, 02:38 PM
A few more shots of the other colors. I think the red die is under powered. I set the drive adjust on the NB to 3.45 V since I didn't resistor the blue or green. I might put it back at 3.7 and see what happens. I've got two 1 ohm 2 watt resistors wired in series on the red die. And it's obviously not very bright. The purple is pretty blue and the orange is almost all green.

Here's just the red die
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0505_zps6fc6e1af.jpg

The red/blue for purple, more purplish blue though.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0506_zps998ebe2c.jpg

The orange that's mostly green.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0507_zpsb99b5c17.jpg

And the cyan.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0508_zps6d7086b3.jpg

And a close up of the crystal chamber.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/IMG_0496_zpscf0cc263.jpg

dgregory
02-15-2014, 05:15 PM
I put the drive adjust back up to full (1023) and it didn't change the brightness of the red die. In fact, at full power I can't run the cyan combo. It trips the NB and shuts it down.

The red die has too much resistance. I calculated it at 3.7 volts instead of 3.45 V which it's getting. Its got 2 ohm 2 watt resistance right now and only needs 1.2 ohms 1 watt. Hopefully swapping out those resistors will fix the orange and purple colors.

rogue9607
02-16-2014, 05:26 PM
I really like your design! The exposed elements add a lot, and it's great to have the ability to change color with the NB. One thing to consider, if you weren't already planning to, is to take a polishing wheel to the aluminum to both polish the unetched areas as well as the etched areas. I've found that it adds a nice depth to the etch and, I'm not sure how to describe it, seems to clean it up imo. I've had etches come out that were far below my expectations initially, but that changed after polishing. Below is a comparison of emitters I did with unpolished on left and polished on right. I can go into more detail if you'd like...

Also, feel free to disregard if it's not in line with your vision. :)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2826/12577170384_5d104f4206.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676500@N00/12577170384/)

dgregory
02-16-2014, 07:08 PM
Thanks! I'll definitely do that. I'm certainly not done with the exterior, just wanted to get the wiring done.

A Pieroway
02-17-2014, 07:28 PM
I like it. Cool work.
Can I ask where you found or bought the perforated metal? Is it a tube or a curved plate? I've been scouring the internet for some to use as an 18650 battery shroud. Ideally it would be a tube just a tad larger in diameter than an 18650. Or a sheet I can role into that shape. I'll settle for it being the diameter to fit the ID if my Graflex to hide the battery and NB board. It's been hard to find anywhere I could order in less than a 1 ton order. :)
Thanks
Al

dgregory
02-19-2014, 08:10 AM
It was a fan grill from an old Dell Inspiron laptop. It had a 3x3-inch section of grill inside the housing. It's in the upper left in this photo.

I just cut it out so it was about 1 mm larger than the hole in the shroud. Then I milled out a little groove around the inside of the hole with a dremel. I bent the grill around the shroud to get the curvature right, then slid it into the groove on the inside of the shroud. It took a little trimming to get a snug fit. Once it was in there, it sat flush with the inside of the shroud and is pretty secure.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/laptop_zps59d1b656.jpg

Forgetful Jedi Knight
02-19-2014, 06:00 PM
Nice idea.

dgregory
02-20-2014, 09:00 AM
I also used a little piece of that fan grill on my Luke ANH Graflex. I put it under the glass eye for display. The glass eye magnified it. Turned out pretty neat.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Luke%20ANH%20Graflex/IMG_0044_zps9bbdbe8e.jpg

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Luke%20ANH%20Graflex/IMG_0045_zps53fbf094.jpg

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Luke%20ANH%20Graflex/IMG_0265_zps2ff7c91e.jpg

dgregory
02-25-2014, 01:26 PM
One more small update. I put the NB drive adj back to 3.7 V and put resistors on the green and royal blue die.

Got the purple looking great!
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/24DE8A23-DF30-4B44-80AE-45195E28D5CD_zpsfokyw4wf.jpg

Not so sure about the yellow. The RGB in the crystal chamber is orange, the blade is greenish yellow.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/1925353C-3562-4E7C-97C4-54806730D40A_zpszqu3bovm.jpg

I also made a blade plug with an old arrow tip, part of a CD player, a drain cover, and some wire I had lying around.
http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/02E32733-F790-427B-86A5-840062022E0A_zpsw8mx7xng.jpg

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/31AE180B-C3EE-4C0A-8E3F-F07175C52795_zps9yybfqoc.jpg

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q549/dgregory74/Color-Shifter%201/850F7552-414D-4519-B355-CCACEB90131F_zpsdglosr8j.jpg

Arsies
02-26-2014, 02:05 AM
wow the blade plug is awesome, great idea