Totally New Build Help

[popenfresh]

Hi Everyone

I'm new on here and new to owning, customising, building lightsabers, and electronics. So I thought I'd jump in the deep end first. I'm going to be getting a Parks Graflex 2.0. Inside it I'm going to be building only lights as this will be a hilt show piece only. I'm going to be creating my own crystal chamber and want a few LED's around that to make it shimmer. Most of the wiring diagrams I have seen only wire to the main lights. Does anyone know of a board or resistor way to connect my battery pack to the main beam, and these auxiliary lights around the crystal chamber, and to have the lights around the Crystal Chamber flash slowly [heartbeat pace].

So far my shopping list includes:

Lighting
Luxeon Tri-Rebel Star [Royal blue, Royal blue, White]
Star Thermal Tape Pad
MHS "New Style2 Heat Sink V3
18 Deg Tri-Rebel Star Lens
I would appreciate suggestions for the LEDS around the Crystal Chamber I'm thinking of wiring them in series. I appreciate I may need to file them down to the diode to get the nice and small for hiding.

Batterys
1/2x 18650
1x single or dual 18650 cradle for battery's
1 x PCB either 3.7/7.2 depending if I go with one or two battery's on build [PCB to regulate the battery's]

Switch
Unsure if you have any suggestions I would be grateful this will turn the saber on/off

PCB or Resistor
With the goal of having main beam light as well as a few LEDS for around the crystal chamber what would you suggest? I've looked into the Nano Biscotte? V3.0 and others on Plecter Labs website, but this would be only for running lights I don't need or want start up sounds etc.

Misk
Hilt Safety Plug
Wire to connect the project together

I think I'm halfway there through a bit of research but it would be awesome if any of you could help me a little with suggestions.

Thanks

Ben

[FenixFire]

I think the board that would handle that crystal chamber features separate from the main LED would be the Crystal Focus. Also if new to Li-Ion batteries it might be best to get a pre-made protected pack.

[NanoRex]

From what you're describing here, I think it would be best to use a soundboard that either has no speaker or is muted. Many of the features you'd like to have require more complex circuits and/or involve computation (pulsing effect), and building your own circuit to achieve these features on their own may be difficult.

Also the 1" or 3/4" hilt safety plugs sold in the store will not fit the 7/8" blade socket of the Graflex 2.0 kit.

[Cire Yeldarb]

Best board for Crystal chamber accent lights has to be the Crystal Focus. Just wire it without the speaker if you never want sound, but personally I think that's a waste of a great board to make a glorified stunt saber. although it would be the easiest way to get the effect you are after.

[popenfresh]

I've just come back from looking at boards, the Petit Crouton will do exactly the same thing with the accent LED pads, and it will work out of the box with Luxeon LED's, if I read the manual correctly. I may end up wiring a speaker but at the moment I personally find it a bit tacky[My own view, don't lynch me for it]. I only really want the hilt with lights & crystal chamber so it looks a bit cooler than just the hilt, as an ornamental piece.

[NanoRex]

Keep in mind that the Petit Crouton isn't able to produce the pulsing effect.

[popenfresh]

"There are many ways to “pimp” your saber hilt using additional small LEDs further referred in this document as Accent LEDs. Petit Crouton features a 32 stage sequencer that allows the user to setup a blinking animated sequence for up to 7 LEDs" I took that from the manual, with the RICE feature, or this 32 stage sequencer I would not be able to custom pulse two or so LED's in the hilt? I thought I maybe could?

[NanoRex]

My mistake. I thought you wanted an LED to pulse (as in ramp the brightness up and down), which is a Crystal Focus exclusive feature. If you just want to have a set of LEDs that you can program with different animations, the Petit Crouton will do. The PC has four accent LEDs, while the CF has eight.

[Cire Yeldarb]

PC can Blink the LEDs on and off, CF goes a step further to Pulse the LEDs (as Nano said, ramp up and ramp down the brightness)

[popenfresh]

Okay then I get it had another look at both data sheets fully and the crystal focus seems like the best option, do any of the older versions of the crystal focus have this feature. As I know it's hard to get hold of anything from Plecter Labs and he sells out in seconds once he mentions he's made some boards up. That saying some should be coming out soon according to fx-savers posts.
My other option is to get the PC, and make my own PCB board up with a timer, LED's, capacitor and resistors, but that's taking less room up in the hilt.

[Vadavarot]

Hi there, I also want to modify my new Parks Sabers ANH Graflex. I have doubts about wiring a sound board, speaker and the Parks electronics, switches and so on.

Any help? Does anyone have diagrams on how to simply add sound to a parks graflex while maintaining the ability to light the removable blade as it does by default?

[atomsk]

CF is absolutely worth waiting for if you want SOUND.. and it does have a ton of options for customizing accent leds as well. but yes absolutely, if you have no interest in sound then dont buy a sound board. if u just want to flash some leds theres plenty of info out there on how to do that with a 555 timer or a transistor, cap, resistor. all of these options are potentially smaller than a CF. you can even just get flickering or flashing leds that dont require any other components. they work just like regular leds. if you want a pulsing/fading kinda thing or want to delay flashing leds for a simple pattern maybe try an RC circuit? im surprised more ppl dont add animated leds to stunt builds or even NB.. so many static crystal chambers ��

[NanoRex]

What electronics come inside Parks Sabers? I haven't been able to find any info on that. Posting information on that would help as you might need the board to keep the progressive ignition/retraction without using a CF-LS which are very rare.