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Jedi Ranger
12-31-2005, 09:55 AM
So, there has been much discussion on blades themselves and diffusers, but not a whole lot on the tips. From what I have found, there are basically 3 routes/options:

1) reuse MR FX blade tip
2) use new 1/2 round acrylic ball as is
3) use new 1/2 round acrylic ball with 3/4" mirror glued to reflect light back down blade.

For my first blade, I tried option 3. I didn't even think about it till after all was said and done, but the tip of my blade is basically a flat black spot. Doesn't look cool, at all. But the mirror does help light up the last half of the blade. But also, I don't think my Lux III is as bright as it should be, even though I followed directions exactly.

Anyway, I'm just wondering how other people are building the tips of their LED blades.


*****************************
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GeluKhanGharr
12-31-2005, 11:33 AM
Experiment with making the mirror smaller. Also, you could poke a small hole in the middle of it.

Born of Sith, seduced by the light.
http://www.saloncatalina.com/images/signature.jpg

Jedi Ranger
12-31-2005, 11:44 AM
Hmmmm........I was thinking about trying those two options. Thanks. Glad I bought a whole package of those mirrors.

I just find this interesting, because even with a full 3/4" mirror in the tip, I don't get the same "tip bloom" that I have seen on most people's LED blades.

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dbraxton9
12-31-2005, 12:00 PM
what are you using for the mirror?
DB

Jedi Ranger
12-31-2005, 01:56 PM
It's 3/4" dia, flat disc mirror; purchased from a hobby/craft store.

No transparency at all.

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UltraSWG
12-31-2005, 03:28 PM
You get tip bloom when you use a semi-tranparant reflective surface on the tip.

http://www.ultrasabers.com
Corbin|Strydur|Ultra
The Holy Luxeon Trinity

Jedi Ranger
12-31-2005, 05:28 PM
Hmm, I don't suppose you have a hint as to what or where I'd look. Would something like reflective window tinting work?

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tetmatek
12-31-2005, 06:36 PM
I have tryed about every combo with mirrors etc. The only thing i have'nt is using the 3/4 hemispere with a a mirror on it then glue a 3/4 hemisphere to that. Iam hoping the 3/4 hemishere works like the optics on the LED boosting the reflection back. I'll post the pics and results. Has anyone thought of this approach?

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3213/sig35jo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

scaarmor
12-31-2005, 08:46 PM
I had a thought. What if you take a half tip, drill, sand, etc. to make it concave slightly inward(towards the tip) and affixed some of the foil tape, that looks almost chrome on one side with adhesive on the other, to the now concaved tip? It should (with proper experimenation of depth, angles, etc.) shine the light back down the tube instead of flowering it out...

Just a thought...

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

tetmatek
12-31-2005, 10:00 PM
I was thinking the same but have not figured a way to get the hemishere concave on the inside. i had thoght a drill but nah. I am waiting on delivery of a lathe and milling machine which i think might just do the job. The key is to cut slow enough not to melt the acrylic. i do have some polished aluminum adhesive discs to use as a mirror (glass may cause injury if damaged in battle).

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3213/sig35jo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

xwingband
12-31-2005, 10:13 PM
Why not get hollow tips and form the top with a clear substance (glue, resin, etc...)? I imagine that would diffuse the light if you made a hole in the top too.

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GeluKhanGharr
01-01-2006, 05:11 AM
Tetmatec, if you glue a hemisphere on the bottom of the tip it will scather the light, not reflect it back as it is a convex surface. The concavity idea is the way to go, and I believe only a very small one too as the surface that captures the light is small. You need to calculate the focus point at the place where otherwise you'd have the dimmest spot when using a flat reflective surface.
I use a chromy looking, adhesive backed, aluminium tape I bought at the local ABC Plumbing. I mostly cut it around a dime and poke a 1/64 diameter hole in the center of it. Some light escapes around it, some through the hole and it lights up the tip nicely. However, the more light you let escape to the tip, the less is reflected back into the blade. Hmmm, I think I'll cut my next reflective disk around a nickel and poke the hole. The last blade I made was nikel size and without the hole and you are right, it didn't look good. In the dark it ended abruptly and squarish looking.

Born of Sith, seduced by the light.
http://www.saloncatalina.com/images/signature.jpg

scaarmor
01-01-2006, 06:33 PM
I just placed my new blade and diffuser order with Tim. I also ordered an extra tip to do some experiments with, and if I need more I can take them off my other blades. I "think" the best thing to try will be dishing the tip slightly just above the diffuser tube so that it better focuses the light back down instead of outward and only inside the diffuser so that it better evens the light distrobution. I dont poke holes in my foil tape, as in the movies the light abruptly stopped at an almost flat tip-if I remember correctly. However, if this experiment goes the way I think it will, I will have them with and without holes,etc. and take pics to post so everyone can see the benefits and downfalls of my trials.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

Usernames suck
01-02-2006, 12:33 PM
I am currently worling on an Anakin fx conversion and I was about to go and buy some 3/4" mirrors and I was wondering if poking a hole in the center was the way to go or is there another way to reflect the light back down the tube but still have the tip lit?


The opression of the Sith will never return, you have lost - mace windu

scaarmor
01-02-2006, 03:28 PM
I would assume if you put a semi-reflective/ semi-traslucent material at the tip you would get both backlighting and light out the tip. However, I could be wrong as I havent tried it myself and others may have. Also if you did it that way it wouldnt reflect as much light back, it may not be enough light to make a difference.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-02-2006, 05:02 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> You get tip bloom when you use a semi-tranparant reflective surface on the tip.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

A few posts up from Ultra.

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scaarmor
01-02-2006, 06:19 PM
Xwing,
I know it would still bloom, but the question was "anything besides mirrors with a hole to let light out but still reflect back". I dont know if he cares about blooming or not (wasnt in the question), but if he does your absolutely right. So far, if I recall correctly, everything blooms at the tip when using reflection to send light back down the tube. Hopefully we will have a solution to that soon. I will be working on it and I know lots of others are already. An LED blade that reflects light back down the tube and evens the light throughout the entire blade would be undescribibly cool!!!

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-02-2006, 06:50 PM
True, I think the tip bloom is horrible. I don't see it as being a desirable outcome even if it lights up the tip. Do you mean an even blade like EL?

I also believe by tip bloom they mean when the tip looks like a sudden ball of light not when the reflection doesn't meet the taper from the LED. Gelu showed his blades with a flat refelctive tip not meeting. To get that reflected focus point farther down the blade I believe a slight outward curve is needed. I bet the exact curve needed is the opposite of the LEDs lens.

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xwingband
01-02-2006, 08:20 PM
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/reelbigporter/saberoptics.jpg

I CADed up the curve needed to get the focal points of a 5 degree optics to meet. I believe that picture is right on the money because it resembles so closely what I've seen on other blades and the new one Strydur put up for his assembled blade especially.

The curve needed is only around a 1/16 of an inch at it's peak![:0] Very small! It hardly even shows on the image.

I can try to explain how I arrived at that picture but I might get myself confused just trying.[:D]

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Usernames suck
01-02-2006, 08:39 PM
I just finished my anakin fx conversion earlier tpday and i took the tip off and put a 3/4" mirror in the tip and put it back together and it took care of the dim spot in the blade.

The opression of the Sith will never return, you have lost - mace windu

tetmatek
01-02-2006, 09:34 PM
Just throwing this out => How bout somthing at the bloom area to cover it maybe a thicker piece of diffuser just in this area. somthing to expand on?!?

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3213/sig35jo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

scaarmor
01-03-2006, 01:30 AM
Xwing, I agree with your CAD pic. The amount of concavity in the tip will have to be very, very slight. And I thought of doing my (soon to come) experiments by removing a very minimal amount of tip little by little and taking pics of each until I reach a point that is to far. And yes I do mean even like EL, but only to a point. I know we more than likely cant replicate the El evenness, but the goal is to get as close as possible, right?

Tetmatek, I was thinking of something similar, if I am understanding you correctly. As I mentioned earlier, if you have your concave section of the tip only above the diffuser section and not the rest of the blade-i.e. flat tip outside the diffuser dia., then the diffuser should help to even out the extra tip light down the tube more evenly. Just like the MR diffusers, the dimmer spots between thier LEDs are evened out. This same principal should carry over for the purposes of our LED setups. It might not came out perfect but it is definatly a step in the right direction and puts us that much closer to an ideal LED blade.

Of coarse this is all speculation on my part for now.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

tetmatek
01-03-2006, 10:25 PM
New tip experiments up for review:
1 Half ball drilled with polished aluminum disk. Sucked!
2 3/4 half ball glued to 1" half then drilled and counter sunk with disc in countersink. PRETTY COOL (some pics)
http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/5455/img00552og.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img273.imageshack.us/img273/1817/img00526to.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Tip bead blasted also
http://img273.imageshack.us/img273/3747/img00519mq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Let me know what you guys think!

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3213/sig35jo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Usernames suck
01-03-2006, 11:03 PM
I just finished my mr anakin conversion and i put a 3/4" mirror in the tip of the blade and it makes the blade a full color and there is no dim spots at all!! Pics will come soon


The opression of the Sith will never return, you have lost - mace windu

Jetlag
01-06-2006, 07:52 PM
Did you need to post that twice Usernames Suck?

lol there is somthing about that guy....


4 years Atarashi Naginata.
2 years Kendo and Nami Ryu kenjutsu. Full time Jedi Knight

scaarmor
01-08-2006, 12:35 AM
Hello everyone!
I just wanted to say that I have done some of my experiments with the tips flat and 1/16" concaved. I must sat that for all of my experimenting a flat tip with reflective foiltape or just a tip glued with no reflector at all look the best[V]... The tip with 1/16" at its deepest concave did brighten the tip, however it did not send the light back down any farther-in fact it didnt come back down as far as just a flat tip with reflector.D@MN[:(!][V]! If you have a tip with no reflector it doesnt have dim spots but the light does gradually get less bright (obviously), so that would eliminate having dim spots but not make the blade a uniform brightness. I have pics but I still need to get them into my computer and theres like 25-30 of them, so I am awaiting Tims approval to post so many. I also took a few pics of a white blade with a colored tip to show exactly how far the tip light is reflected for reference.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

Strydur
01-08-2006, 04:53 AM
Post away!!

Tim
The Custom Saber Shop

Protein5000
01-08-2006, 05:11 AM
UsernamesSuck, what diffuser did you use?

scaarmor
01-08-2006, 05:31 AM
I will try to get the pics into my computer later today via a friends email (camera program doesnt want to install on mine), And get them in here the first chance I get.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-08-2006, 12:08 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by scaarmor

Hello everyone!
... The tip with 1/16" at its deepest concave did brighten the tip, however it did not send the light back down any farther-in fact it didnt come back down as far as just a flat tip with reflector.D@MN[:(!][V]!...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The deepest part makes me afraid you misunderstood. It should be 1/16" hump out from what a flat tip would be. If you dug it 1/16" into the tip that would have the opposite effect and make the reflection shorter.

If you did do that then D@MN is right I thought that would solve it.[V]

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scaarmor
01-08-2006, 06:09 PM
Alright, it took ahwile to get everything into my computer but here is what I got...Keep in mind that the blade I used was 32 1/2" out of the emitter as that is the length of the MR blades I have, thought that to be a good reference. All my blade are Tims Polyc and diffusers.

Here are the obvious shots- Blade with no tip at all-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Notip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Notipfromtip.jpg
From the tip.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Notipend.jpg
Last foot of blade.

Now for the half tip with no reflector at all-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Cleartipnoreflector.jpg
Produces no dim spots but light does gradually get lighter.

The next ones will be in this order- From hilt down blade, from tip down blade, and last foot of blade.

Flat tip with reflective foil tape-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Flattipwithreflect.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Flattipwithreflectfromtip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Flattipwithreflectend.jpg

Concave tip-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Concavetip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Concavetipfromtip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Concavetipend.jpg

These next few have a colored tip to show how far the tip actually reflects-

Flat tip with reflective foil tape-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Flattipwithblue.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Flattipwithbluefromtip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Flattipwithblueend.jpg

Concave-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Concavetipwithblue.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Concavetipwithbluefromtip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Concavetipwithblueend.jpg

Blue blade with yellow tip-
Flat-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Bluelightyellowflattip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Bluelightyellowflattipfromtip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Bluelightyellowflattipend.jpg

Concave-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Bluelightyellowconcavetip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Bluelightyellowconcavetipfromtip.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Bluelightyellowconcavetipend.jpg


And finally-full blade shots from above-

Clear flat tip (no reflector)-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Cleartipnoreflector.jpg


No tip-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Yellowbladenotip.jpg


Flat tip-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Yellowbladeflattip.jpg


Concave tip-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Yellowbladeconcavetip.jpg


As everyone knows, the camera gives and takes alittle, but these are taken with a 4 megapixel camera and are pretty freakin close to what I see in true life. I hope I have helped in some small way, I tried to get pics of everything I heard asked about-please forgive me if I missed something.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

Cyambin
01-08-2006, 06:58 PM
If someone developed a laser-like LED that had no terminating focal point(yeah right) and a parabolic mirror in the tip that would be PERFECT.

xwingband
01-08-2006, 07:31 PM
To get a laser like LED isn't impossible it's just hard. The important part of the 5 degree lens it that the light doesn't go past the diameters edge. If you made a lens like this: http://www.opticalres.com/graphics/new/singneg.gif

That was rated at 5 degrees too you'd have a perfect column of light. The problem is you'd need an optical quality glass or plastic. Otherwise the only limit on it would be the power of the LED and reflector to get rid of dim spots.

I'm still afraid scaarmor may have done the opposite curve of what was needed though from how he described it as 1/16" at it's deepest.

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scaarmor
01-08-2006, 08:03 PM
It is much easier to understand with a picture so here is a quick paint render of the way mine was done-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/LEDtiprender.jpg

If you meant the other way is concave than that would mean you wanted a tip that was convex...??? Let me know and I will get on trying the other way if thats what you meant. I thought, after seeing your CAD pic, that we were on the same wave length- let me know.?.[:D]

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-08-2006, 08:35 PM
Yeah, I meant convex. Sorry for the miscommunication. I should have looked it up before I used that word...[xx(] It was hard to tell because you can't see it on the pic I posted.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/reelbigporter/tip.gif
(sorry, it's big. I couldn't get it smaller without making the lines hard to see.)


The blue shows how light normally would be directed right back. With the curve it would be directed slightly outward (green lines). I drew the curve at 1/16" but it is much smaller than that.

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scaarmor
01-08-2006, 09:02 PM
I will have to try to devise a way to do it that way tonight and take some pics to show. More than likely wont have pics till tomarrow though. Dont worry about the miscommunication, it just means we now know what the other way looks like too.[:D]

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

Cyambin
01-09-2006, 09:40 AM
xwing, does that mean it is better to have a 5 degree lens on the LED?

tetmatek
01-09-2006, 10:29 AM
X-wing i have tried what u show in the diagram and it gives the bloom type look. the best way i find so far is to take a 3/8 bit and drill into the half round ball then use a counter sink bit in to hole to give it a dished out look. then i stuck a piece of reflective aluminum into that area. It had no bloom and remained uniform all the way up the blade with a rounded end not a squared off look.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3213/sig35jo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

xwingband
01-09-2006, 10:38 AM
Not if you mean 5 degrees as opposed say 10. It's just the focusing of the lens that I think is the key to fixing the dim spot. It takes the Lambertain LEDs 140 degree spread outward to 5 degrees focused from the diameter of the lens. I was thinking of how they make laser beams larger when I tought up adding that second convex lens. They do the opposite (diverge then converge it again) but the idea is the same.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/reelbigporter/lens-idea.jpg

It's not to scale or dimentions it's just the idea of how the first lens we normally use focuses it then the second would sraighten it to a larger beam of light.

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xwingband
01-09-2006, 10:47 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by tetmatek

X-wing i have tried what u show in the diagram and it gives the bloom type look. the best way i find so far is to take a 3/8 bit and drill into the half round ball then use a counter sink bit in to hole to give it a dished out look. then i stuck a piece of reflective aluminum into that area. It had no bloom and remained uniform all the way up the blade with a rounded end not a squared off look.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

But how far was the hump? It needs to be so small that it'd almost be imperceptible. Even 1/16" might be enough to give that "bloom" but I give that because it's harder to quantify anything smaller to making it.

Can you post pics of this counter sinked tip? I don't quite get what the outcome of the drilling would look like.

When the blade holders come back in stock I plan on grabbing one and a ton of tips to try out. I also want to try the secend lens idea but I'm not too hopeful with the materials I have at hand for making that work.

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GeluKhanGharr
01-09-2006, 01:12 PM
Hey Cain,

Thanks for the work - I am sure it helps many of us understand better how to build better blades.
One remark though, to think about - the color reflective tip, although a nice idea, I don't believe it gives an accurate result. Since you're color filtering the light, only part of it is reflected back, so in reality, without the color filter you'd have more light cascading back from the mirror.

xwing, I am firmly convinced a convex surface will give you a bloomed tip. I believe the concave idea is still the way to go, only with a much smaller concavity than the 1/16 Cain tried.

Lasers - they are not better or brighter than the Luxeons we use. I saw several blades built with lasers and the only difference I saw was the price tag.

Born of Sith, seduced by the light.
http://www.saloncatalina.com/images/signature.jpg

scaarmor
01-09-2006, 03:40 PM
Gelu,
I know that the filter in the tip does change the reflection a little, but I had white Led (unfiltered) pics and thought that a good way to compare the two side by side. I have the new pics of the 1/16" convex tip and they are in unfiltered light as well-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Convextipfull.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Convextipend.jpg

I am still unsatisfied...The convex tip doesnt quite do it either. I think it is important to remember that light acts in funny ways, and doesnt always "do" what paper and computers "say" it will. But I do think we are ever inching closer to the outcome we want[:D].

X-wing,
It sounds as if you are (pretty much) trying to duplicate the focus lens and put that same thing in the tip to match the beams both top and bottom? If this is the case, doesnt the focus lens have a concave surface on the backside, that would help to bring the light into a more pinpoint local and then shot it out at the point we want? Like in your imiges, thre is two dished areas, top and bottom. Maybe we should try to duplicate that and see what happens???



Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-09-2006, 04:35 PM
Scaarmor, the problem as I see it is the flat mirror reflects that exact same focus point back. i.e. if it starts to dim 10 inches from the LED the reflection will mirror that almost exactly minus a little for dimming. By making the hump out I was hoping the light would be spread. Here's my take on it in picture form:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/reelbigporter/reflect.jpg

The problem seems to be that when the hump outward is too big it makes the bloom and that star effect.

Here's how I was planing on doing it to get it thin when I have all the parts: (crappy paint render alert!)
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/reelbigporter/foil.jpg

I was going to cut succesivly smaller rings of plain foil and glue them together with spray adhesive. I flip it over and I get that dome very thin and apply it again to the tip with the spray.

-------------------------------------------------

Second idea of a second lens: I know it would work because I've seen it on flashlights. The problem though is doing it yourself and keeping it at optical clarity. I don't know of anyway to make a plastic (easiest thing for us to obtain and work with) in that shape without blurring it in the shaping.

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tetmatek
01-09-2006, 09:30 PM
Here are the pics x-wing the one of the tip itself is kinda blury but u should be able to get the concept though. it looked the same using the half ball and the one in the pic.
http://img273.imageshack.us/img273/3747/img00519mq.jpg
http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/5455/img00552og.jpg
http://img273.imageshack.us/img273/1817/img00526to.jpg
the tip is bright but does not project the light outwards at the tip. The blade looks more even in person than in the photos.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3213/sig35jo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

xwingband
01-09-2006, 09:53 PM
So it's basically a double cup? (a larger cup with a smaller one inside it)

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Cyambin
01-10-2006, 10:54 AM
Hasn't Tim made a mirror that fixes the dim spot? I mean he doesn't sell it separately, it's in his complete LED blades, but what are you guys hoping to achieve exactly? Are you going to make a mirror that evens out the light across the whole blade? Or do you just want to do what Tim did bny yourselves?

desertscorpion
01-10-2006, 12:20 PM
I think that Xwingband's idea of concentric circles sounds interesting. What about a reflective screen or mesh? You might have to make it by cutting foil or with a peice of screen that's been painted with metallic paint?

I also still think the translucent idea is interesting. Sending just enough light back to do the job. What would the material be, though?

Just brainstorming.

xwingband
01-10-2006, 01:09 PM
Aluminum foil is fickle for being cut but it's dirt cheap, reflective, and thin. That's all I planned on using. I'm just waiting for the blade holders to come back so I can start trying some of my ideas myself.

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Cyambin
01-11-2006, 11:39 AM
Hold on my last post was ignored...did I offend anyone? Because I'm confused. Are the mirrors in Tim's blades flat?

tetmatek
01-11-2006, 12:09 PM
i'm looking for a blade without a flat top. I like the rounded look myself. But not the "North Star" Tip.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3213/sig35jo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

xwingband
01-11-2006, 12:10 PM
Nope, I know I just missed it.[:I]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Cyambin

Hasn't Tim made a mirror that fixes the dim spot? I mean he doesn't sell it separately, it's in his complete LED blades, but what are you guys hoping to achieve exactly? Are you going to make a mirror that evens out the light across the whole blade? Or do you just want to do what Tim did bny yourselves?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Tim's complete blade doesn't fix the dim issue. The blade he has on the page has it but it is hard to tell because of the color. If you look closely the core stops and starts again before the tip.

We are trying to find out how to even the light out. I personally prefer having a white core but getting the even color helps period. If it was a simple as buying Tim's cheap tips we wouldn't be talking so long winded on the subject.[:D]

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Strydur
01-11-2006, 01:53 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Tim's cheap tips<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sheesh..nice description

Tim
The Custom Saber Shop

scaarmor
01-11-2006, 04:06 PM
Ooohhhh, come on Tim, cheap is good! That is-cheap as in price- we all know you gots quality stuffs hea!!!
As Conan would say- "Cheap is good- CHEAP IS GOOOOOOODDDD!!!"LOL[:D][:D]

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-11-2006, 04:15 PM
[:(]Exactly. Cheap as in money (of which not all of have much of). So cheap is much appreciated![:D]

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scaarmor
01-11-2006, 08:43 PM
Hello,
Last night while at Walmart I saw his little package of different diameter little mirrors. Since I used foil tape before and have never used an actual mirror yet I thought what the heck and grabbed a pack. I found a few in there that fit inside the tube perfectly but not inside of Tims diffuser. I figured that it would reflect more back than the foil tape and since it fit right on top of the diffuser it would only direct the light back through the diffuser and not the polyc. Anyway, I cant seem to see a dim spot, it looks as if the light does taper slightly in brightness, but it makes the tip brighter without making it look like a ball of light-know what I mean? So here is a pic, tell me if its just me and my eyes and there is a dim spot???-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtip.jpg

Same blade next to MR Anikin and Windu-(side note) Now you see why I was asking about conversions for the Anikin...[:D]
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/MirroredtipwithFX.jpg
(NOTE: It actually looks brighter in person-damned camera, I'll figure this thing out yet, you watch[:D].)

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-11-2006, 08:56 PM
It is dim torwards the end but it is an even spread. It is much better![:D]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/reelbigporter/Mirroredtip2.jpg

I inverted it to show you the dim. I think it's mighty acceptable though. Have any other colors to demonstrate? Hmm... I was going to wally world this weekend.[8D]

EDIT: How was the luster compared to other mirrors? Mayhaps it's reflecting less so instead of a brighter tip it's blending.

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LAN-ED-TUL
01-11-2006, 09:14 PM
to me it its not really dim, it looks more like it is just fading towards the end. but still looks very good. not bad at all.

dbraxton9
01-11-2006, 10:19 PM
hey how did you get the 2 different colors of blue in the pic of your MR anakin saber? is that just in the pic or does it really look like that? it's kinda cool.

xwingband
01-11-2006, 10:58 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dbraxton9

hey how did you get the 2 different colors of blue in the pic of your MR anakin saber? is that just in the pic or does it really look like that? it's kinda cool.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

LOL, a lot of the LEDs are out. That's what happens when you play too hard.[:D]

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scaarmor
01-12-2006, 02:30 AM
I read the posts and snapped some quick pics. Again-32 1/2" blade out of the emmiter, white Luxeon lll, and Tims color discs.

NOTE: I believe I said this before but I am colorblind, so if one is posted twice let me appoligize now.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor1.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor2.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor3.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor4.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor5.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor6.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor7.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor8.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor9.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor10.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipcolor11.jpg

NOTE: I noticed while previewing this post that some of them appear really dim at the tip, really bright at the base, and I believe I saw a dim spot. I assure you (giving you my word) that is all camera and/or operator error. They all look very, very evenly lit and colored in person.

X-wing,
I dont think it reflects less, if anything i think it reflects more. I think that its all in the alignment. No matter how percise the cut of the blade and flatness of the tip, its still a fraction off center. Done this way you have a flat mirror resting on TOP of the diffuser, which fits so nicely into the Polyc that it creates suction if removed quickly. Meaning, unless the blade is somehow curved, it has perfect alignment in relation to the LED lens. Which means- no margin of error[:D]! I thought of this after removing the mirror to notice that in the process, when it lifted out, it bloomed like all the rest. Here is a pic of me holding the mirror off center to show you-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/scaarmor/Mirroredtipmisalignment.jpg

On a side note- yes you are correct. I played with my MR Anakin to hard- I'm a baaaadddd bbbooooyyy[:I]!




Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

Cyambin
01-12-2006, 10:11 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by xwingband

Tim's complete blade doesn't fix the dim issue. The blade he has on the page has it but it is hard to tell because of the color. If you look closely the core stops and starts again before the tip.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Maybe that's why he used that color...

dbraxton9
01-12-2006, 11:31 AM
is it possible to have a graduated diffuser? one that has less opacity near the end?

xwingband
01-12-2006, 11:38 AM
Probably not with the diffusers we use for sabers... They're probably drawn out like tubes are (thus only straight diameters are possible).

It's a nice idea though. Too bad I don't think it could be done.[:(]

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scaarmor
01-12-2006, 11:48 PM
X-wing,
I posted your request for other colored-mirrored tips- its on the last page. Let me know what you(and others think)???

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-13-2006, 09:18 AM
I like the pics. It shows how some colors are more favorable than others. It demonstrates the light transmissions of the disks quite well.

So are you saying that you think the previous bloom problems were because the mirror wasn't centered well? and this mirror fits perfectly in the end at 3/4"?

dang I wish those blade holders would come back.[:D] I want to expirement too![:p]

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Cyambin
01-13-2006, 10:06 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dbraxton9

is it possible to have a graduated diffuser? one that has less opacity near the end?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hey that was my idea...

scaarmor
01-13-2006, 03:38 PM
X-wing,
Yes, this mirror fits perfectly into the polyC. And I dont think that all of the things for tips that have been tried, that bloomed, were because of misalignment. But I do think a great deal of them did because of it. It just hit me as one of those "OOOHHHH" moments when I tried to remove the mirror and got that typical bloom I saw in lots of pics online and most of my own experiments. And at first when I put the mirror into the diffused tip (saber not on) I turned it on and thought that it didnt do anything, the whole blade looked the same. Then, OH, wait a minute the WHOLE BLADE LOOKS THE SAME---WOOO HOOOO! I then removed the mirror (noticing the bloom) and realized how much more dull the tip was without it.

The mirrors are not hugely thick, but they fit so nicely into the polyc that they have no choice but to fit in line with the tube. And the fact that they only cover the diffuser end and not any polyc I think helps out by only putting light back down the diffuser only. Light can easily escape the polyc but most of it just bounces around in the diffuser.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

xwingband
01-14-2006, 12:17 PM
I believe I found the mirrors. Darice 25 pack of mirrors? I'll certainly try them out when I finally get all the parts gathered

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scaarmor
01-14-2006, 07:56 PM
Yup, thats the right package of mirrors. There are a few in there that fit perfectly.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

Jedi Ranger
01-14-2006, 09:44 PM
When I built my first LED blade, I installed a 3/4" mirror. It fit perfectly. Yes, the entire blade was very evenly lit, but the tip ended in a black "cut-off". I didn't like that look, so I removed the mirror.

I guess this 'mirror-in-the-tip' issue is going to boil down to personal preference.

*****************************
http://www.members.shaw.ca/Dahak/

scaarmor
01-15-2006, 07:28 AM
The mirror back is made of a coating adhered to glass. Meaning you can scratch off some of the coating and let out some light into the tip and still have the tip lit up.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

zack
01-16-2006, 06:46 PM
I have a 1 inch out side diameter blade, and a 1 1/4 metal tube. How can I attach the blade so it won’t come out or wobble around? I saw Tim’s cool machined, blade/LED holder attach tube thing, but I don’t have much money or a job, (otherwise I would buy the part out of stock)[:p]. So I was wondering if any one knew of an alternative part maybe that I could find at a hardware store.
(If this question has been discussed before, please tell me where to look for it, thanks [:D])

xwingband
01-16-2006, 07:01 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by zack



I have a 1 inch out side diameter blade, and a 1 1/4 metal tube. How can I attach the blade so it won’t come out or wobble around? I saw Tim’s cool machined, blade/LED holder attach tube thing, but I don’t have much money or a job, (otherwise I would buy the part out of stock)[:p]. So I was wondering if any one knew of an alternative part maybe that I could find at a hardware store.
(If this question has been discussed before, please tell me where to look for it, thanks [:D])

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The difference on either side is only an 1/8 so you might want to see if some PVC would fit the gap well. If it does that you work just fine.

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Wolverine
01-16-2006, 09:58 PM
THANKS for the advice!!!
I went and got the last 2 packages of Mirror disks by Darice at WalMart, and now my LUX saber holds its own against the stock Master Replica. It used to have that faint spot near the tip, but now it Rocks!!!

http://members.aol.com/JEDISITHLORD/Sabers/SithBlades01

http://members.aol.com/JEDISITHLORD/Sabers/SithBlades02

http://members.aol.com/JEDISITHLORD/Sabers/SithBlades03

EXCELLENT ADVICE!!! http://members.aol.com/JEDISITHLORD/images/thumbup.gif

Cyambin
01-18-2006, 02:16 PM
Ultra do your blades have tip bloom? Or the dim spot?

I really need to try to get suma dose mirrors. I live in the UK so I can't go to Wally's World but I did see some circular mirrors at this art store. I'll check their diameter this weekend. But I have yet to actually make an LED saber, And I doubt I would be able to remove or replace the tip, I'll prolly screw up the blade. But I'll worry about that later...

Wolverine
01-18-2006, 05:37 PM
did you Check walmart online

Cyambin
01-22-2006, 06:14 AM
Actually I went to The Art Store and found everything I might need except Mylar. Im good to go. But my first question stands.