Help!

[SupremeLeaderAuzy]

I did not know where to put this thread, so I put it in the misc topics. Hi, everyone, my name is Conner. I am having a bit of trouble with my saber. I am relatively new to the saber scene, so any help is appreciated. Here is the problem: I finished wiring all of my saber yesterday and when I turned it on, the LED works (I am using a Red/Red/White Cree XP-E2 CopperNova) but when I attached the blade (It is a 1" Thick walled Trans Red PolyC 40" long) it wasn't nearly as bright as it should be. I used a 16mm Anti Vandal Short Momentary Red Ring Switch, and I wired it to the same places as the led, but the light ring on the switch wasn't bright enough either. I used a 1 ohm 10 watt resistor (I tried a lower wattage but 10 was the only one I could find) and a Li-Ion 18650 3.7V 2600mAh PCB Protected Rechargeable Battery Module for the power source. I made sure the battery was fully charged and I didn't see any bad or bridging soldering joints. Is there any reason why the led wouldn't be bright enough? Am I using the right resistor?

Also, when I turned the saber on, the speaker made a little bit of noise, but it was muffled and very quiet. I could distinguish ignition sounds and clash and swings, but I could barely hear it. It is just a normal 2W 28mm Bass Speaker. Any help is appreciated! Please help! Thanks

[Darkmatter73]

Hi Conner and welcome to the forums.
Could you let us know what sound board you are using, and maybe some pics of your wiring? Have you made any changes to your SD card? Also what resistor did you use on your AV switch?

Normally for Cree reds I'll use 1ohm, 2 watt resistors, 1 for each led. The store has some here http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/1ohm-2w-resistor-P21.aspx
Also keep in mind that thick walled blades will not be as bright as the thin. Don't worry I'm sure we will get it sorted out, sounds like you are most of the way there already.

-Darkmatter73

[darth_chasm]

Also keep in mind that thick walled blades will not be as bright as the thin.

In addition to this, reds are not as perceptively bright as other colors.

[jbkuma]

Are you diffusing your blade at all? A few feet of clear gift wrap will make a huge difference in the day blades. My first hilt was a blue blade/LED combo that I thought was OK, then I put the gift wrap in and difference was quite dramatic. It'll also help with mixing if you are seeing unevenness.

What resistor are you using for the switch?

[SupremeLeaderAuzy]

I am using a Nano Biscotte V3, and i didn't mess with the SD card at all, I used it as it came. I didn't use a resistor on the AV switch, because on TCSS youtube channel, one of the videos says you only need 1 resistor on the positive of the colored LED lights. My resistor is 1 ohm, but like I said it's 10 watts. Will that resistor work or should I get one with 2 watts like you mentioned. Also I forgot to mention that i am wiring using flash on clash with the on board power extender. I definitely will get a thin walled blade, but should I stay with the red or should I get a trans white? I linked some pics to this that show my wiring, (sorry its pretty sloppy) the AV switch, and what the LED looks like with and without the blade. As you can see you can barely tell the AV switch is on and you can see my hand straight through the blade. (I apologize for the slightly blurry pics)

149531495414955

[SupremeLeaderAuzy]

Are you diffusing your blade at all? A few feet of clear gift wrap will make a huge difference in the day blades. My first hilt was a blue blade/LED combo that I thought was OK, then I put the gift wrap in and difference was quite dramatic. It'll also help with mixing if you are seeing unevenness.

What resistor are you using for the switch?

Thanks so much for the tip! I will definitely pick up some red wrapping paper and try that. I didn't use a resistor on the AV switch, because on TCSS youtube channel, one of the videos says you only need 1 resistor on the positive of the colored LED lights for the blade. Should I be using a resistor on the switch? If so, what resistor would you recommend?

[Cire Yeldarb]

Okay so your problems definitely seem to be no resistor on the Switch LED (might be too late), and no diffusion material in your blade!

When jbkuma says clear gift wrap, he is referring to something like this (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012F32CK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=262NI0KRE6KR2&coliid=IEN39UGDOV9V1), not regular wrapping paper! Get a roll of clear cellophane wrap from amazon or your nearest hobby store, and wrap up 6-7 feet of it into a tube, and stick it inside your blade! That will help immensely!!!

[jbkuma]

As Cire Yeldarb said, I mean clear and colorless wrap. I think the roll I got was 40in x 100ft for $5 at the local craft store. They'll also have a 3ft dowel rod that will help (if you can get a longer one even better). Pull out then roll up a foot at a time (so you can measure it out) once you have 3-4 ft you can put the rolled up wrap inside the blade and roll it back out. If you like it, great! You can try doing it a second time to add more layers if you think it could be better. You do not want to use colored wrap, it will just make your blade darker. It looks like the blade is a bit dusty. You'll want to clean it out first. I've tried a dozen different ways of doing it, searching the board will probably find you better ways to do it than the one's I've tried.

As for the switch, the LED should have something like an 85 - 100 ohm resistor on it, or a 20ma DynaOhm like the one in the shop. If it's dim it is likely that it's been damaged from being over driven.

The gift wrap will fix your blade, the LED in the switch may be dead, but you should be able to find a 1/4w resistor cheap locally to see if it helps.

[SupremeLeaderAuzy]

Okay so your problems definitely seem to be no resistor on the Switch LED (might be too late), and no diffusion material in your blade!

When jbkuma says clear gift wrap, he is referring to something like this (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012F32CK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=262NI0KRE6KR2&coliid=IEN39UGDOV9V1), not regular wrapping paper! Get a roll of clear cellophane wrap from amazon or your nearest hobby store, and wrap up 6-7 feet of it into a tube, and stick it inside your blade! That will help immensely!!!

Okay, thank you very much! Sorry about misunderstanding things, I'm very new to the saber scene haha! If it isn't too late for the switch, what resistor would I use? EDIT: Nevermind, jbkuma answered resistor question for me.

[SupremeLeaderAuzy]

Thanks so much for your help! I happen to have a DynaOhm resistor lying around that I accidentally bought from the shop when ordering my other parts! Looks like it will work out good. I will get some wrap tomorrow when I'm out and I'll let you know how it goes. I hope it's not too late for the switch, but we will have to see. Thanks again for the help. I do, however, have one more problem. I mentioned it earlier, but something is wrong with my speaker. Whenever I turn the saber on, the diaphragm moves a bit and makes a pop noise, and then I can distinguish some saber sounds, but they are very quiet. When I insert the kill key again, the diaphragm moves back into the original position with another quiet little pop.

[jbkuma]

If you gently press the diaphragm, does the speaker work? If so, then it is blown.

[SupremeLeaderAuzy]

If you gently press the diaphragm, does the speaker work? If so, then it is blown.

When I press the diaphragm it still makes those quiet sounds, it doesn't get better or worse. I think i will just order a new speaker altogether.

[Darkmatter73]

Also keep in mind that unlike other resistors, the Dynaohm has a polarity. Make sure you have the + towards the NB.

[SupremeLeaderAuzy]

Also keep in mind that unlike other resistors, the Dynaohm has a polarity. Make sure you have the + towards the NB.

Yes, thank you! I am aware of that

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Yeah, that blade needs something to act as a diffuser material or it will not light up at all. I wrote a tutorial a few years ago showing how to I make up a blade here: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?7274-How-to-construct-an-LED-Blade-(or-at-least-how-I-do-it)

[SupremeLeaderAuzy]

Yeah, that blade needs something to act as a diffuser material or it will not light up at all. I wrote a tutorial a few years ago showing how to I make up a blade here: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?7274-How-to-construct-an-LED-Blade-(or-at-least-how-I-do-it)

I read your tutorial! It was very helpful. I did what you and everyone else said and the blade looks tremendous! I couldn't be happier with the blade! I also ordered a new switch and speaker. We will have to see if those work.

[Strydur]

Not sure if anyone else mentioned this but using what looks like solid wire and having a lot of exposed wire can be causing issues and if it is not shorting out now could in the future especially at the LED. When soldering to the bass speaker tabs try not to get so much heat on them (pre-tin is your friend) and do not move the wire until they cool back down this will keep your tabs from being all wonky like they are in your picture. Also those tabs have a wire coming from the speaker to them and if you broke that connection or made it so it is barely touching it could be causing your sound issues.