What would you like on buttered toast V4.x?

[Novastar]

...so I'll now... "bake the toasts".HAHHAHAHAHAA!!!! God I love that. Almost as much as Jackie vs. Bennie. Ok, not THAT much.


- I don't know for sure, but if I have enough CPU and enough RAM, I might consider real time hum mixing with the sound Fx ! Ahahahha !WHAT THE HOLY SHIZNIT!!?!?!!! Oh my god I sure hope I kept all the originals of my UNMIXED sound files or as Uncle Owen would say, "Or there'll be hell to pay".

But... as much as I LOVE that idea... it's like.... *FUNK?!?!?* *FLUCK?!?* ALL THAT SOUND CD WORK to remove pops & clicks... down the drain!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! *Sobs*

Just teasin'. Big deal. That would be pimp. And YES I have my originals. I'm not THAT much of a moron. And hey, it could be "worse", he could release a polyphonic version, hahhahaha!!! 'Nuff said.



Hope you don't mind me sharing some of my dreams, ---Erv'Yeah... see.... now: that's the part we just HATE--no--loathe about you Erv. All that "dreams" carp. Dreams, shmeems. Yup we really don't like it. It's a horrible thing sharing ton espoires... it'd be like that friggin' IDIOTe who wants to do all this moronic "live saber" productions. One of 'em he even wants to be like some INSANE length--like 30 or 40 minutes long!!!?!?! What a tool. Il est un hamburger, il est fou... il est urine. ... ... ... ... (!) .... (?)

Yeah. So screw yer "dreams" QUOTE UNQUOTE, buster. Now go on. Git outta here and don't eva comm bak ta peecefull valley ya rat bastard... ;)

...
...
... Whaddya-- gonna cry?

;)

(hahahhahahahahahaha)

[Jedi-Diah]

I just realized that I have no idea what this means...

What would "real time hum" mixing with the sound Fx do? What is "real time hum" anyway?

Thanks,


100 pages... oh well...

...I might consider real time hum mixing with the sound Fx ! Ahahahha !

[Angelus Lupus]

Currently with the CF you can't play more than one sound at a time. So to be able to hear the hum during the swings and clashes you have to pre-mix part of the hum sound with the clash or swing sound before putting it onto the CF. This means the hum plays, then when you swing you hear a hum+swing sound. It's tricky (ask Nova) to mix the sounds just right so that it sounds like a continuous hum, and not like hum-gap-bit of hum+swing... That's what Nova means about removing pops and clicks. Also, by having to mix the two sounds you lose a little audio quality.

Real-time mixing would mean you simply put the hum sound and then the swings and clashes untouched onto the card. No mixing because the board would play the hum and the clash/swing at the same time! No gaps in sound, a continuous hum blending seamlessly with the swings.

That wouldn't just be buttered toast, that would be the whole dang loaf! :)

[Donnovan Sunrider]

I think we're leaving the toast arena and entering the range of a large sandwich.
Perhaps Crystal Focus V5: Code Named- Hero Sandwich

Hoagie Roll?
Dagwood?

[Jedi-Diah]

Thanks for the good explanation. That sounds tough! (the mixing, blending, etc.)

Now the idea of the real time hum is amazing.


Currently with the CF you can't play more than one sound at a time. So to be able to hear the hum during the swings and clashes you have to pre-mix part of the hum sound with the clash or swing sound before putting it onto the CF. This means the hum plays, then when you swing you hear a hum+swing sound. It's tricky (ask Nova) to mix the sounds just right so that it sounds like a continuous hum, and not like hum-gap-bit of hum+swing... That's what Nova means about removing pops and clicks. Also, by having to mix the two sounds you lose a little audio quality.

Real-time mixing would mean you simply put the hum sound and then the swings and clashes untouched onto the card. No mixing because the board would play the hum and the clash/swing at the same time! No gaps in sound, a continuous hum blending seamlessly with the swings.

That wouldn't just be buttered toast, that would be the whole dang loaf! :)

[Roy's Blues]

This may have been answered before, concerning the RBG feature on the 4.0

In the set up with the 3 power extenders, going to a single Rebel RGB you can only run one of the Leds at a time. (if I understand the manual correctly)
As set in the config files( rgb=0,1,2,3 )

Is there a way to run 2 colors at the same time? Like Red and Blue to make a purple? Lots of colors could be set up this way.

could it be set up in the 4.1,
onergb=0 or 1
tworgb=0 or 1
threergb=0 or 1
one giving power to the LED, and 0 off

I have a way around the optics issue, so don't worry about that.

[xwingband]

You could setup some of those combos via a hardware solution. The power extenders are sort of like a bypass so you'd just need to split and appropriately drive each.

[Roy's Blues]

I thought about that, but isn't this where we request features for newer versions of the Crystal focus?

[xwingband]

I thought about that, but isn't this where we request features for newer versions of the Crystal focus?

True, just suggesting in case you hadn't thought of it.

[Novastar]

Hi again Roys--I'm gonna echo what X said that yes--it is indeed possible to do what you're looking to do, just requires alternate solutions/hardware. I personally don't KNOW what you need to do, but yup it's possible.

I won't say too much about CFv5, but... there *ARE* things in the works.

[Roy's Blues]

Nova and Xwing,

What I'm trying to do is make a better color changing, and sound font changing saber.
One of my upcoming projects is the starkiller saber from unleashed.
Instead of using an MLS system or hardware solution, why not use a CF to it's fullest potential.
6 sound fonts, six different colors. RBG can be combined to form a many colors, Even if you could only use 2 at once, red & blue=purple. red and green+yellow
blue & green=cyan.
If it could be set to send small amounts of power to all three, there would be a myriad of colors available.
This could all be set up in the config files ahead of time.

Having a bad day, go red.
Feeling emo, go purple.

The color & sound changing system on the joejedi is good, but the CF surely could do better.

[xwingband]

I get what you're saying. It'd just be an extension of the current way. Currently there are four preset options. With a way of getting activating all four pads for that would make 1, 2, 3 ,4, 1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 2+3, 2+4, 3+4, 1+2+3, 2+3+4, and 1+2+3+4. So 4 vs. 13. The only limit is you'd have to narrow it down to six because of the bank selection, you couldn't have all 16 of the fly changing and such.

[erv]

dear all,
this is with infinite sadness I have to announce I won't be able to supply CF anymore. I was waiting outside for the DHL guy to pick up the boards for shipping to some affiliates but we have negative Centigrades here and the boards stayed too long outside and got tired of waiting, so they escaped.
Most of them are now dead in the snow, and the frost has cracked the PCBs...

[...]
gotcha ? I'm sorry for this Kaelcism (at least this guy will soon have a wikipedia entry with a nice neologism definition).

Things are going well with the batch, I have 100 boards with the motion sensor soldered, I've improved the hot air soldering timing and temperature. I wished I had started the batch earlier but I had some floor tiling to finish ! I took a few days off to work in the house and work on the batch, things are going really well. I'm only missing some SD cards, still on the way from the supplier, but they haven't reached my desk yet.
So I think I'll have 50 ready for the deadline (end of the month, or early september), and the rest when the SD card will be there.
Tight and busy schedule but it's going to be fine !
Erv'

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Cheese and rice!

I read the first sentence and nearly had a fit! Don't do that to us again! :)

[swear000]

well you can always send me some of the dead boards and I will see if I can revive them :-)

[Donnovan Sunrider]

Erv, you are a cruel, cruel man.

Good to hear that things are progressing well. I'll be waiting patiently with cash in hand when you're ready. :)

[erv]

me ? cruel ? no ! just tired from my soldering day :mrgreen:
didn't mean any thing bad, I just had some backthoughts about this silly hoax ! ok, I'll be a good boy, won't do that again :rolleyes:

[Master Dru-Er]

this is with infinite sadness I have to announce I won't be able to supply CF anymore. I was waiting outside for the DHL guy to pick up the boards for shipping to some affiliates but we have negative Centigrades here and the boards stayed too long outside and got tired of waiting, so they escaped.
Most of them are now dead in the snow, and the frost has cracked the PCBs...

I love this! I was discussing the other day with my GF that this pudd is probably still wondering around here under a different alias. I really hope he catches this. Great humor Erv.

[Jedi-Diah]

That really freaked me out when I started reading that first sentence...

You should have put more spaces between the first paragraph and the "I'm kidding" part. Actually, the escaping soundboards gave it away but the first sentence was a heart-stopper!

I'm hoping to be the proud owner of at least one CF board someday...

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

It was a good joke. The brief adrenaline rush lifted me out of the doldrums I've been in lately.

Will this next batch be thew same version 4.0, or will there be any upgrades?

[Count Malik]

when I was reading the first sentence this is what I did: (in Darth Vader voice) NNNNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! and started using the force to cruch the room around me!!! :shock::razz: But thats good news on the boards.:D Thanks erv'!

[Novastar]

...[expletives deleted]...I think I'll have 50 ready for the deadline (end of the month, or early september), and the rest when the SD card will be there.
Tight and busy schedule but it's going to be fine !
Erv'TSK, tsk Erv!!! Don't make me moderate your posts... :D :D :D (JK) hahahahahha

:) That is great news, and I'm glad I was able to get you the speakers quickly too. Keep me posted individually so that I can time the video release with your first "mini-batch".

I'm under the assumption that you're still releasing in small groups so that many get a chance? Is that correct? I mean, I don't know exactly, but... if you're making 100 total, are you to be releasing 20 here, 20 five days later, then 20 more soon after, etc. etc.? Merci encore et toujours...

[Lord Dottore Matto]

when I was reading the first sentence this is what I did: (in Darth Vader voice) NNNNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! and started using the force to cruch the room around me!!! :shock::razz: But thats good news on the boards.:D Thanks erv'!

Were you really trying to "cruch" the room or were you really trying to "crush" the room? Or were you going to cruch across the screet and axe fo some scrimp?:lol:

[erv]

it will be 4.1, roughtly the same as 4.0, just the pulse + flicker parameter bug fix. I wouldn't have had the time to work on new features, since it takes a lot of time to really test if it's stable, and I know now that 4.0 is perfectly stable. Further innovations for the next version, probably a different architecture, but I haven't started working on it yet, I was more concerned about you guys having starving & naked sabers in the quest of a driver+sound !

in any case, like I've done in the past, if there are some interesting feature in the next version, I'll add them to a "non official 4.2" version so that anyone can get a free upgrade (aside of shipping costs). I've recently patched a 2.5 hardware to a 4.1 firmware, customer is very happy (the only thing you can't use is the low power LED, but you get all the rest, multiple blasters, force clash etc).

sorry for the bedroom of those who started immediatly using the FORCE to crush everything around...
Nova : yep, mini batches of 10 by 10, like every hours, or when the stock reaches zero. This way, with self organisation and statistical delays, everyone should be served. Again (I'll mention that in the newsletter too), I forbid any buy above 3 units, unless I've been contacted before.
Those puppies sell very well on ebay, I've been told, but that's not a reason to make extra money on the back of customers. I've been honnest from the beginning, trying to be fair, I'm not against the second hand market or a bit of black market, but... People buying dozens just because they have the cash then make even more cash with it... it's locking the supply and it's not my policy.

Erv'

[Hasid Lafre]

Low power leds like the 3/5/7 MM accent leds?

[erv]

what the he%% is this related to ? (quote function, nice, nice feature of forums)

[Count Malik]

Were you really trying to "cruch" the room or were you really trying to "crush" the room? Or were you going to cruch across the screet and axe fo some scrimp?:lol:

Haha! you cought me on that one... My bad typo.:oops::razz: I think the mini batch idea is great too. Gives every body a chance... hopfuly!:shock::p

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Haha! you cought me on that one... My bad typo.:oops::razz: I think the mini batch idea is great too. Gives every body a chance... hopfuly!:shock::p

Muahahahahaha, it was funny!:lol:

[Alcfalath]

Yup, a Staggard Release is a good idea.. so that people over in say.. Australia.. get a shot lol.. :P and yeah.. Id love to have a 4.1.. especially as my 3.1 cost me 500 on Ebay.. :S lol :p

[Novastar]

Low power leds like the 3/5/7 MM accent leds?It surprises me to endless extent, but... (*takes a deep breath*)... ... I ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND HASID FOR ONCE! For once... for once. :)

I think Hasid was referring to the upgraded v2.5 board moving to v4.x and losing the usage of the LOW POWER BATT INDICATOR LED. Hasid, this does NOT mean the usage of the sequencer/"main" indicator LEDs would become inoperable... only the "Hi there, your batteries are low" little LED pad.

But anyhow... back to relevant issues:

* I have ALWAYS thought limiting people to a low number of boards was a good idea (since this is very DIY and CF = hand made)...

* Y'all should be thankful since I would personally say... make it limited to ONE SINGULAR BOARD or maybe TWO in certain cases (such as for new customers)

* This is NOT to punish anyone, in fact, it HELPS everyone. If the first person to buy were able to nab 10... that's already nine others that miss out, PLUS the 10-grabber can do the ebay BS, PLUS he/she may "sit" on them for an undefined amount of time, PLUS that's less marketing for Erv since they all appear in one place, not 10 different places in the world

* Finally, I think that is a good idea to keep future upgrades for a new architecture (like v5)... although--like we've discussed Erv... short of adding "true RGB" (and/or RGBA) controlling... stereophonic support (god forbid, as my CD will somewhat become road nachos with that!)... and going to 2A, 3A, etc., etc. ... I'm starting to run out of ideas that could be shoved in there... :)

Well... short of it doing my taxes or levitating in the air on its own... or returning to my hand when I "call it back" with the Force after throwing it... ;)

[Jedi-Diah]

Thanks Novastar for sticking up for the little guy. I want to get just one - my first one.




It surprises me to endless extent, but... (*takes a deep breath*)... ... I ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND HASID FOR ONCE! For once... for once. :)

I think Hasid was referring to the upgraded v2.5 board moving to v4.x and losing the usage of the LOW POWER BATT INDICATOR LED. Hasid, this does NOT mean the usage of the sequencer/"main" indicator LEDs would become inoperable... only the "Hi there, your batteries are low" little LED pad.

But anyhow... back to relevant issues:

* I have ALWAYS thought limiting people to a low number of boards was a good idea (since this is very DIY and CF = hand made)...

* Y'all should be thankful since I would personally say... make it limited to ONE SINGULAR BOARD or maybe TWO in certain cases (such as for new customers)

* This is NOT to punish anyone, in fact, it HELPS everyone. If the first person to buy were able to nab 10... that's already nine others that miss out, PLUS the 10-grabber can do the ebay BS, PLUS he/she may "sit" on them for an undefined amount of time, PLUS that's less marketing for Erv since they all appear in one place, not 10 different places in the world

* Finally, I think that is a good idea to keep future upgrades for a new architecture (like v5)... although--like we've discussed Erv... short of adding "true RGB" (and/or RGBA) controlling... stereophonic support (god forbid, as my CD will somewhat become road nachos with that!)... and going to 2A, 3A, etc., etc. ... I'm starting to run out of ideas that could be shoved in there... :)

Well... short of it doing my taxes or levitating in the air on its own... or returning to my hand when I "call it back" with the Force after throwing it... ;)

[Master Dru-Er]

Thanks Novastar for sticking up for the little guy. I want to get just one - my first one.


I'm with him.

[DizzyKungFu]

Ditto. I'd like to finally own JUST ONE! :)

[Donnovan Sunrider]

Yep, one is all I need. At least for the moment. I'll be content to get other sound options for gift sabres and the like. Most other folks are happy with it sounding like a movie sabre. Me? I want options for awesomeness!

[Darth Leximus]

And the wisdom of Nova does floweth unto us all...

[Novastar]

I just think it's best for ALL that way. Not to mention if it makes you all feel any better, I never DID order a v3 nor a v4... I want to let OTHERS get some!!

I sold my two v1.2s a long time ago too--in order to afford two v2.61s!!

But anyhow, as you all know, I've been pretty integrally involved in asking Erv about implementing new features, such as the Anti-Power-Off feature (Anti-Power-On doesn't work as well as we'd hoped, but it's there), the ability for CF to now BOTH flicker *AND* pulse/glow at the same time (MMPM), quicker sound menus, less "confirmation" sounds, no confirmation to reboot if you wish, the multiple blaster sounds thing (basically saying, hey you have multiple swings/clashes, why not blasters), the secondary force action that is triggered by CLASH + button (not just SWING + button)... and a few other tiny things.

The six sound banks came from Erv after he said I'd made so many sound fonts he wanted room for more, hahahah! And the instant-on option was a request from MadCow (Rob) I believe!

But yeah, wow... whenever I think of how FAR CF has come... in only a very very very short time (< 2 years???? I think????)... it's just mind-boggling.

How does Erv have that kind of energy?? Coffee?? Nutella? Buttered toast with a spread of crack or cocaine??? :D :D :D

[Count Malik]

You are a NUT Nova!:D But I do agree.

I just think it's best for ALL that way. Not to mention if it makes you all feel any better, I never DID order a v3 nor a v4... I want to let OTHERS get some!!

I sold my two v1.2s a long time ago too--in order to afford two v2.61s!!

But anyhow, as you all know, I've been pretty integrally involved in asking Erv about implementing new features, such as the Anti-Power-Off feature (Anti-Power-On doesn't work as well as we'd hoped, but it's there), the ability for CF to now BOTH flicker *AND* pulse/glow at the same time (MMPM), quicker sound menus, less "confirmation" sounds, no confirmation to reboot if you wish, the multiple blaster sounds thing (basically saying, hey you have multiple swings/clashes, why not blasters), the secondary force action that is triggered by CLASH + button (not just SWING + button)... and a few other tiny things.

The six sound banks came from Erv after he said I'd made so many sound fonts he wanted room for more, hahahah! And the instant-on option was a request from MadCow (Rob) I believe!

But yeah, wow... whenever I think of how FAR CF has come... in only a very very very short time (< 2 years???? I think????)... it's just mind-boggling.

How does Erv have that kind of energy?? Coffee?? Nutella? Buttered toast with a spread of crack or cocaine??? :D :D :D

[erv]

hasid : so sorry I didn't catch your question, I honnestly forgot myself I talked about low power leds in my own post above yours but...
malik : hu... no, I actually didn't catch your typo mistake, I just made the same one, on my own :mrgreen: that's the problem when foreigners are getting used to mimic native speakers on forums. Ahem, sorry about that. I try not to be a grammar / spelling troll, I got some pills given by my favorite grammar teacher (hi jedi loreen !!! :D)

The mini batch idea : say thanks to hasid, by the way. He proposed that with his brother, mentionning someone outthere does the same :rolleyes:

7:30 AM here, breakfast is over, time to catch my soldering iron. I DO NOT put cocaïne on my toast lol... I'm just drinking some coffee during the day, and I listen to steve vai, nightwish, metallica : when soldering, you always need HEAVY METAL music with a good LEAD GUITAR ! :lol:

Erv'

[Lord Dottore Matto]

hasid : so sorry I didn't catch your question, I honnestly forgot myself I talked about low power leds in my own post above yours but...
malik : hu... no, I actually didn't catch your typo mistake, I just made the same one, on my own :mrgreen: that's the problem when foreigners are getting used to mimic native speakers on forums. Ahem, sorry about that. I try not to be a grammar / spelling troll, I got some pills given by my favorite grammar teacher (hi jedi loreen !!! :D)

The mini batch idea : say thanks to hasid, by the way. He proposed that with his brother, mentionning someone outthere does the same :rolleyes:

7:30 AM here, breakfast is over, time to catch my soldering iron. I DO NOT put cocaïne on my toast lol... I'm just drinking some coffee during the day, and I listen to steve vai, nightwish, metallica : when soldering, you always need HEAVY METAL music with a good LEAD GUITAR ! :lol:

Erv'

Erv' Nightwish is my second favorite band, right behind...Metallica!!!!

We NEED Enter sandman and I wish I had an Angel sound fonts!:D

[erv]

I used to play Enter Sandman on the guitar... But I've stopped a long time ago, maybe it's time to heat up the amp again !
I'll seriously think about enter sandman sound font !
Erv'


Erv' Nightwish is my second favorite band,
right behind...Metallica!!!!
We NEED Enter sandman and I wish I had an Angel sound fonts!:D

[Malaki Skywalker]

I'm just drinking some coffee during the day, and I listen to steve vai, nightwish, metallica : when soldering, you always need HEAVY METAL music with a good LEAD GUITAR ! :lol:

Erv'

NO AC/DC!?!?!? :p

[Alcfalath]

Hmm... what about MP3 sound formats being playable from the card, without having to format them into RAW files?

Hmm i really need to get myself one of those CF4.1s i think... that new power on/off setup would be gold... and Im thinking i may want to run an RGB Rebel eventually too :D

[Novastar]

Actually, that is a good one to bring up so that newer folks to the "CF world" will understand.

MP3 files are--by their nature--compressed, and what is also known as a "lossy" format. Although MP3 is the most commonly known sound compression format, there are others as well. Think of the MP3 like a ".zip" or ".7z" format. Zipped & packed away, crushed and changed, needs some work to get it to be useful again.

In any case--compressed files (audio in this case) require what are called CODECS to process. The codecs parse the "packed" data... send it to the thing that needs the audio data, and forward they go.

Problem is... although a beefy PC or Mac can handle this kind of thing in a flash with a 2.4Ghz processor, an OS and then some... CF is trying to handle the sound in the most optimal way, with a MUCH MUCH smaller processor (like, uh... 4Hz or 8Hz or 16Hz/whatever?)... and at the same time, it needs to "react" quickly to play those sounds when an action (clash, swing, etc.) is detected.

So... although allowing *ANY* sound format (and bit rate... and frequency... and file header) would be nice and all... it's not very practical for something so condensed as an LED saber.

It's true to some extent that this COULD be done... but it would require an onslaught of insane extras that would be akin to saying: "Oh, what's this? You say you need a word processor? Oh. Ok, you're going to need Halo 3 with a Radeon HD4870 + Microsoft Office + Adobe Flash + the newest 2.4Ghz machine with 8GB of RAM and don't forget crappy Vista... ERR I mean Vista."

WAAAY too much bloat for almost nothing in return.

Besides... converting most any sound to the .RAW format is about as easy as tying my shoes. Plus I give a tutorial on my Sound Font CD:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CXqVDgz3woQ

Well... there's more than just a silly little ".whatever --> .RAW" tutorial on there, but... you get the jist. :D

[erv]

nova I'm getting tired with your exhaustive posts, it lets me speechless, I can't add ANYTHING ! ;)
now I have to turn into the "I agree" troll ! :mrgreen:

yeah, converting MP3 back to 22k raw is just a bunch of click with free software. Sound forge will open the MP3 I think, then save as raw, or simple use RAZOR LAME to get a wave from the MP3 then save it as raw using goldwave. LAME does batch conversion which makes life really easy when converting a whole album. But if you own the original music on CD (which I have no doubt), ripping a clean wave out of the CD is technically and theoritically better, but I don't claim you'll ear the difference on a 28 mm speaker :rolleyes:

malaki : my bad, AC/DC is INCLUDED in the list too, like many other things !

Erv'

[Moordak]

What do you all think of Death Magnetic? And is anyone actually looking forward to Chinese Democracy?

[MoonDragn]

Hey Erv, how hard would it be to convert a Ipod shuffle into a saber sound card?

[Angelus Lupus]

Hey Erv, how hard would it be to convert a Ipod shuffle into a saber sound card?

Short answer: Very.
Long answer... best to let Erv or someone else with technical expertise answer. Besides, if it was as easy as that, we'd all be doing it.

[Alcfalath]

Erv & Nova, very nice answers :) it actually explains a lot that i missed when reading all the manuals and tutorials, and watching what i could find on youtube :) Cheers for that link btw.. its one i hadnt seen before :P

Trying so hard not to 'think about everything at once and and imploding my brain' though its rather difficult :p

[erv]

Hey Erv, how hard would it be to convert a Ipod shuffle into a saber sound card?

It's not a question of "being hard to do", it's just irrelevant. I know that the DIY Force is strong here, but you have to understand that retrofitting & hacking have some limitations versus adhoc & custom designed stuff. An iPod is utra miniature technology and plays sound... okay... but it's incredibly locked technology too.

The CF batch is going pretty well, received the missing SD cards, and I'm now
finishing soldering the passive parts.
Erv'

[Donnovan Sunrider]

Good to hear Erv. Thanks for the updates on your progress.

[MoonDragn]

It's not a question of "being hard to do", it's just irrelevant. I know that the DIY Force is strong here, but you have to understand that retrofitting & hacking have some limitations versus adhoc & custom designed stuff. An iPod is utra miniature technology and plays sound... okay... but it's incredibly locked technology too.

The CF batch is going pretty well, received the missing SD cards, and I'm now
finishing soldering the passive parts.
Erv'

ahh, just wanted your opinion on it. Looking at the way the ipod shuffle is designed, it has a up down button for cycling through the play list. However I dunno if it can actually randomly select a song. It also plays through a song ot the next song, and I'm not sure if theres anyway to stop it from playing the next song.

I can solve the first problem with a digital encoder that sends out a number of pulses based on the number of the selection. But the only way I can think of stopping the song would be to cut off the power after a fixed duration.

But it does offer a cheaper solution to ultra customizable sound. You can use an usb port to wire up the customization, and you would not need to break open your ipod shuffle. It is small enough to plug into a hilt and you can plug into your computer for adding custom sounds.

These things cost about $50 and the additional electronics would probably be less than $20.

[Novastar]

Moon... I'm not trying to burst the bubble (although we also shouldn't de-rail the topic too much before you just open another thread for the iPod thing)... but:

* How would you detect/register motion + sound to playback on that motion?
* How would you differentiate between swing and clash?
* How would you setup the power on and off sounds?
* How would you trigger a "lockup" effect? (or maybe you'd skip it?)
* How would you have it play a "hum" sound, yet still get the swing/clash + hum? (if it was going to play random sounds)

At this point, I would recommend you buying:

* A used Force FX saber + take out the board. This could be done for maybe $50, even less. I've bought full FXs for $35 before.
* Ultrasound v2
* Corbin v2 + a Hasbro or whatever

Doesn't make much sense to me to look at Crystal Focus and then look at an iPod and choose an iPod, lol. Especially when Apple has *PLENTY* of money, and the DIY crowd has like... none. :) hehehehh

[Novastar]

Holy mother of God...

20 + 18 + 10 = 92
20 + 18 + 10 = 92
20 + 18 + 10 = 92
20 + 18 + 10 = 92
20 + 18 + 10 = 92

The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie!

O_O

[swear000]

I double checked the calculations and came up with 48. Cake without icing may be disappointing but I don't think it is a lie. What temperature did you set the oven at? Did you try a crystal foc....um...I mean buttered toast first?

[erv]

don't try to bend the toast... there is NO toast
(as said by keanu reeves in matrix VI, "the toasted matrix")

[swear000]

who ate all the toast or was there never any toast to begin with?

[erv]

ignore my previous quote,
it's actually "don't try to butter the toast, there's no toast"... ;)

[Alcfalath]

Erv... Ive got a new way to describe selling CF with Novastars CD... :D Im sure you'll agree...

"Buttered Toast... Wrapped in Bacon" :D

Oh and Swear000... there was toast... and it was buttered :) I took 2 bites as soon as i could.. lots of mouths everywhere biting.. someone got away with my nose...

But anyways.. back on topic :p Well sorta... what about adding a micro screen to the saber setup, similar to the Blaster core.. honestly im finding it hard to think of much that could be improved on this saber.. unless you maybe made some that would fit the Grooved Section of the MHS better... a little thinner but longer to compensate :)

Oh Novastar, "20+18+10 DOES equal 92.." You're just not thinking 4th dimensionally :D and Christopher Lloyd agrees there :)

[Donnovan Sunrider]

I managed to get a piece of toast, but it was a hard tussle.

Looks like we all now have to deal with the counting practices of Ervonomics. ;)
Leave it to an engineer to work out pan-dimensional inventory.

[erv]

lol, yep it's a bit hard to handle negative stock and simulatneous orders from the whole galaxy ! :mrgreen:

ok folks, officially finished soldering a couple of minutes ago. micro SD are already fed with 4.1 (same as 4.0) sound package, time to go to firmware flashing, and this is really fast compared to CF assembly.
Should be able to start shipping on monday. Please be aware that it's not because those sold out in 4 minutes / batch that shipping is that fast. I'm packaging all this on my own, and I don't have any slaves / xmas dwarfs n' lutins / mooses to help me out.
Shipping will be spread over a month, until mid december or so.
Erv'

[Donnovan Sunrider]

Outstanding to hear sir! Thanks for the update!

[Alcfalath]

Cheers for the update Erv :) I look forward to having my Buttered Toast in the near future :D

[Novastar]

While we're here... *SOME* of you may be getting your CD directly from me. :)

This (naturally) came into play with the whole 20 + 18 + 10 = 92 Plecter Formula... where Erv had a finite amount of my CDs (which I shipped to him some time ago)... and yet the orders for the bundle of CF + CD completely "wonked" the system. I learned that word "wonky" from X-Wing btw. I like it, so I'm keeping it, ha-HA!! :)

Anyhow... *NO* one will be left without a Sound CD if you ordered one. By hook or by crook it will find its way to you... :cool:

[Jedi-Diah]

Has there been any updates since you send Erv his CDs? Any new fonts, etc.? I ordered the bundle.

Thanks!


While we're here... *SOME* of you may be getting your CD directly from me. :)

This (naturally) came into play with the whole 20 + 18 + 10 = 92 Plecter Formula... where Erv had a finite amount of my CDs (which I shipped to him some time ago)... and yet the orders for the bundle of CF + CD completely "wonked" the system. I learned that word "wonky" from X-Wing btw. I like it, so I'm keeping it, ha-HA!! :)

Anyhow... *NO* one will be left without a Sound CD if you ordered one. By hook or by crook it will find its way to you... :cool:

[Novastar]

No new fonts on CD v1.1... it's all listed on my website.

I'm trying to find time (and the will) to make a 2nd CD, but... work and several other projects have been keeping me extremely busy. The first 19 fonts (+ Madcow's font, making 20 total) + all the videos + the extras + making certain everything was as error-free as I could... well... it took a lot out of me!!! :D

Still... I'm hoping that SOMEtime later, a 2nd CD will be born, although I'm not certain exactly how it will unfold.

This all being said:

ANYONE with NEW requests as to what you're looking for on CF?? So far, to re-cap, we have:

********** CF v4.1 **********
OVER 800 CFs made total, btw!!! (from v1 to present)

* Supports 0 to 1500mA output
* Supports 4v to 11v input
* Supports any LED that falls within the above specifications
* Dynamic "Fade On/Off" features... including "Instant On/Off" modes
* Dynamic Flicker and Glow Settings (during "hum" or "saberon" mode)
* Dynamic Flicker and Glow Settings (during "clash" & "lockup" modes)
* 6 Sound Banks, each 100% configurable in almost every way
* "iSaber" mode (essentially a music player mode)
* 8 Swings, 8 Clashes, 4 "Blaster" effects, "2 Force" effects, 1 Lockup, 1 Poweron, and 1 Poweroff (per sound bank)
* Dynamic Pitch alteration effects
* Dynamic Swing & Clash detection/playback modes
* Dynamic Menu System, complete with background sound effects
* Switch Settings for latching, momentary... and even an "Anti-Power-Off" mode
* 4 leads for "LED indicators"... which utilize a sequencer feature
* Special "bright clash" extension lead, allowing for further power extension in more complex saber setups
* MicroSD to hold all sounds and configuration information
* Low power consumption during idle mode (5mA or less)
* Flicker modes extend battery life (essentially as a PWM circuit could)
* Flicker modes reduce overall heat (essentially as a PWM circuit could)

Did I miss anything crucial? I mean sure, we could mention every small feature, but that is for the .PDF file.

Things that (probably) CAN'T go on the list:

* Increasing the current way beyond 1500mA (such as 3000mA)
* Including a volume control or setting (other than the vol POT itself)
* Including three separate controls to "fully" support an RGB LED, with flicker and control for ALL THREE colors SEPARATELY. This would be tougher than everyone thinks, and requires more than just sending X current to LED R... Y current to LED G... and Z current to LED B. You might be able to do this differently though.

Things that are *possibilities*, but NOT GUARANTEED:

* New architecture for v5... departing from the v2,3,4 a bit
* More boards available overall, more often (hopefully!)
* Smaller footprint (hopefully)
* Some different parts removed; another better one to replace them
* Overall cost NOT increased
* Increasing the current to 2000mA (maybe. MAYbe.)
* Dual-channel sound support (essentially stereo, but more to separate the "hum" sound from needing mixture with other sounds)... this would change what I'd need to do for a v2 CD, btw!!!!!
* If not dual-channel support, "real-time" sound mixing, as Erv stated... :) !!!!! (due to better processor, more time slices available)
* Allowing the flicker options to affect poweron and poweroff
* Butters your toast
* Washes your camel ... ... ... ... ... (camel?!?)
* Feeds the dog
* Opens canned soup
* Takes messages
* Plays DVDs (by spinning them on the emitter)
* Insults you about your hopeless Star Wars obsession on a daily basis
* Scares away hapless thieves in the night
* Annoys your wife. Constantly. Which leads to less overall happiness for you. STOP PLAYING WITH LIGHTSABERS! :)
* Sucks away your favorite battery cells far more quickly than your 6-year old son's toys (but still less than an H-blade)

:D

hehehehe

[swear000]

Will I be able to fit it in my Iron Man suit for Ultimate Action?

http://electricityandlust.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/iron-man.jpg

[pipster79]

800 boards, holy poodoo thats roughly 120,000 or so us. thats more then i can make in 3 years at my regular job lol

[Angelus Lupus]

Just remember tho, after labour and parts are factored in, that the value of boards sold does not equate to pure proffit for erv.
Even so, erv more than deserves whatever he makes from the sales.

[pipster79]

yes he definitly does :)

[Novastar]

800 boards, holy poodoo thats roughly 120,000 or so us. thats more then i can make in 3 years at my regular job lolLet's not open THIS door again. Besides, no one is figuring in how "labor" here is MUCH different than you think. The labor alone to build a CF... hmm, if Erv charged for THAT, it'd probably double or triple the cost to the consumer.

Anyhow... let's get back to "What would you like on Buttered toast for v4.x, v5, etc."

BTW, for those who have NOT subscribed to the newsletter and are interested in CF... go do it. Smartest thing you ever did... if you actually WANT one. :D

[Darth_DevilGuy]

agreed nova, I looked at components cost on the CF (the one's I could identify) from what I can tell erv doesn't make gobs of money from these, anyone who looks at that 120 grand figure needs to go look at components cost and calculate the cost of components (WITHOUT mass buy discounts) and then subtract that cost from the gross figure. That's how you get the net profit, which is the number that matters, gross doesn't mean sh!t if your still in the red.

[pipster79]

ok theres no need to be rude here, nowhere did i state it was net profit so dont jump at that.
all i was pointing out that it was over $120,000 of sales, NOT profit. i realize it could be taken that way and maybe i should have made it more clear.

this is exactly why i try not to post to much on here, nearly anything a person can say can be taken in 10 different ways, and everyone seems to jump to the worst.

[DarthFender]

I'm not every one!! ANd I take offense at that!!! Just Kidding. I think people get uptight when you try to guess how much they're making, because then some communist always says that the entrepreneur is "Fleecing" people. I, myself am a capitalist and agree that Erv deserves every cent of his profit. There's nothing more capitalist than making your ideas pay your rent. And then some. Without the Erv's in this world, it would be a pretty boring place.


And back tp the topic discussion, I think that every time I come up with a feature that I think would be great in a CF board.... It's already been added. So, Nova and Erv... Keep up the good work.

[Hasid Lafre]

I forget who it was but they mentioned that the cfv5 will support led strings. I thought that it would support them anyway but wouldent have the ladder like extend retract it would just fade in and out of sorts.

Ive searched but I dont see much talk of the v5 except for novas previous post on page 107.

[erv]

there's no much to say about V5 since V5 isn't designed yet. I didn't say it will support led strips, I said that I'll try to have a version of V5 (a specific board, not the regular crystal focus board) that will handle led strips.

For now, I'm still trying to ship all those pending orders before I can go back to the drawing table !
Erv'

[Hasid Lafre]

See and that's what I was wandering cause you always make an announcement about whats going on. I was just looking for some clarification.

[erv]

hi folks,
long time I haven't posted.
Just a little heads up :

- I'm currently reworking the audio engine of my boards, intending to improve the sound quality. I also found a little bug, it took me like 4 hours to look in the code and test various scenarios...
- the workshop / lab are still... unfinished. That's why I'm not posting or getting into new props / sabers / kind of blades.
However for you guys to see where I am with my workshop :
http://www.plecterlabs.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=66&language=en

The lathe should be back in place next week, I'm waiting for a friend of mine to provide me some help, it's better to be 2 when moving a weight of 245 Kg, even with rollers.

CF : a new run is planned, around 100 boards. I've received the PCBs and will order the parts around mi may. I'll probably be selling during the summer. When the workshop will be done I'll a A LOT of time to work on those, and thanksfully, after about 1 year of renovating the house, we're done with the main things.

PS : could a moderator make this one as a sticky too ?

[Swordlord]

Go Erv!!!

[Revan]

you need to find a partner to help you do all of this Erv. it would probably help relieve a lot of stress for you ;) but i think you are doing an excellent job! you have my support the whole way.

[DJMoonbass]

when i buy one i will deffinatley donate some extra money to the cause. you provide an excelent product with alot of time and effort put out on your part... great job erv and i look forward to having a CF all my own.... one day

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before but howabout for a future version making a setting that will change the 'ramping' effect so that as soon as the effect 'ramps up' to full brightness [length, with the proper corbin-style or plecter blade] instead of then staying 'on' continuously, or flickering, it would instantly turn itself 'off'...then immediately start ramping again...etc etc etc...so the blade was ALWAYS ramping, cyclically...with this effect switched on.

The idea would be to get a sort of 'chase light' type pulsation running from the base towards the tip repetitiously...kinda like seen with some crystals in the Force Unleashed game.

Might take some experimentation with various timings to get it most visible but I think that would be a VERY cool special effect for any soundcard or driver and if it can be done at all I'd bet on Plecterlabs to be able to be first.

[Barmic Rin]

Almost like a 'cracked crystal effect'... I like it!
You could even just mod it for various speeds incase someone wants to build themselves a plasma saber a la early KOTOR comics...

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

I'm not sure what you mean by "cracked crystal effect"...what I was thinking of was like the "compressed crystal" in The Force Unleashed game that 'chases' from end out to tip like an old tyme movie marquee...you can see the 'chase' effect in this video at the 0.59, 1:07, 1.17 and 1:33 and particularly visible at the 2:14 second marks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqCgbq9hEvM

edit: Oh I see Novastar says the CF v4 can already be tweaked to do that...now I even more hope I can get lucky with the summer run...

[Novastar]

edit: Oh I see Novastar says the CF v4 can already be tweaked to do that...now I even more hope I can get lucky with the summer run...To clarify... no... you cannot get a "chase" effect with the pulsing. I simply thought you wanted to see pulsing & flickering.

But... yup... video game effects are QUITE different from reality-based lighting effects! :)

[Count Malik]

Sweet!:D Glad to here things are going good Erv'! BTW thanks for the update.

[erv]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before but howabout for a future version making a setting that will change the 'ramping' effect so that as soon as the effect 'ramps up' to full brightness [length, with the proper corbin-style or plecter blade] instead of then staying 'on' continuously, or flickering, it would instantly turn itself 'off'...then immediately start ramping again...etc etc etc...so the blade was ALWAYS ramping, cyclically...with this effect switched on.


Excellent idea ! SAW TOOTH it's called in electronics and audio. And easy to implement. I'm going to see if I have a moment today to code that !

oh :the lathe is BACK on its new stand ! I move it yesterday evening

[JediMasterDak]

Yay!!!!!!!!!!
:):):):):)

[Novastar]

Excellent idea ! SAW TOOTH it's called in electronics and audio. And easy to implement. I'm going to see if I have a moment today to code that !

oh :the lathe is BACK on its new stand ! I move it yesterday eveningSweet about the lathe!

But... hmm... I might be misunderstanding the request being made about the cyclical effect...

I *DO* think Erv means that he can continuously turn the blade current "on and off" in a rapid fashion (and technically we already get this if you use flicker and pulse wisely)... but... there wouldn't be a way to get that effect where a "little bulbous bright area" TRAVELS up and down the saber length QUITE the way Onli was mentioning with the Force Unleashed game...

...at least... I don't think so without an "LED array" style saber. BUt... hey, if I'm missing a bunch of things--AWESOME, it just shows that I DON'T know the power of CF, hahahah!!!

[Count Zero]

Awesome news!

Now to just keep my fingers crossed that I will have the cash when they become available and get one before they sell out. I'm currently working up my first three sabers. The first will have a hasbro for my 10yr old niece. The second will sport an MR for my brother, and hopefully mine will have a CF.

I have barely scratched the surface of sabersmithing and I’m already noticing how addictive this can get.

Now back to teaching myself how to solder well.

[Luke-SkyMarcher]

Something I think would simplify things is (if it were possible) to be able to adjust the output voltage of all the axillary LED's individually. (i.e., each bargraph LED, lobatt, clashflash) Having worked with many lightsabers in general, and two CF's in particular, space is always a difficulty, and you need all you can get. If it could be done without making the board much bigger, I think it could save a lot of space, between all the resistors and power extenders you wouldn't need anymore. It would also make wiring that much easier.

Of course, this depends on how much that would be counteracted by an increase in the size of the board, and also on whether it would cause problems with too much power drain.

Just a thought.

-Luke

[Revan]

i think that kind of constant ramping effect would have the best results on an EL blade. i can't see how it could happen with a regular luxeon blade...

[erv]

Now back to teaching myself how to solder well.

Plecter Labs Soldering tutorial (http://www.plecterlabs.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=30&language=en) :D

adjusting accents LEDs current / brightness : well, just put the right resistor to obtain the current you need. If room is an issue, use SMD resistors directly on the LEDxx pads, just like I do.
Bigger board ? never ! Be serious, do you think you can bargain between space and soldering easiness ? I've seen so many board soldered with 18 or 22 AWG for the accent LEDs (lol, sort of, until the moment the boards comes back to France with the PCB traces & pads shreded). I think users should first use small gauge wire when needed, possibly ultra flexible one, rather than using kitchen appliance one (soldered sometimes with a plumbing iron.... ahem...).
I just can't think "simplifying" when it's creating more problems than it's really solving.
To me it sounds like the electric spinning fork to grab/roll your spaghetti easier (damn we're again coming back to spaghetti when talking about wiring a CF...). At the end, you grab them damn fast, but you've painted the kitchen with tomato sauce also.
I don't think a tool should lower its quality / level otherwise it's called "saber by the numbers". Certain things are difficults and require skills / techniques / tools. If you don't have them yet, train yourself and buy the proper tools.
Without thinking like an elistist, I like to remind people who are trying to do difficult things that if everything was reachable, we would ALL paint like Delacroix and we would ALL build VCRs or TFT screens in our kitchen.

I admit that the solder pads aren't as "in line" as they could be, like on the ultrasound for instance, but again it's been so far the way to keep the board in a certain form factor, with a programming connector (the US doesn't have those, chips probably came preprogrammed and an upgrade to 2.1 costs something, guess why ?). While it can be improved (and it WILL be) this question is recurrent. Last time, Hasid was asking the same. And the propose schema was to have onboard connectors. Now imagine screw on connectors or current adjustment pots on a CF and try to fit it in a 1.25" sink tube...

I'm not bashing anyone, Luke, but stop asking things without thinking at least a bit to the consequences. When it goes to software, you don't know what's behind, remaining CPU power etc, but when it's about space / parts / size, use a bit of common sense.

sawtooth / pulse etc : matt is right, I was proposing something that will go totally off, but that configurable. We can imagine the current increasing, reaching the target brightness, then going down instantly to -30%, then ramp up again. Same fx, smaller depth. Now, for sure, it's not multiled, so the spot won't move along the blade. However, with the luxeon + diffusing film you get a sort of progression in the blade, and it could give an approximative illusion that something is really moving, not just dimming in/out.

With a led array in multiple segment, you'll be able to get a chasing fx / moving spot (well, segment) over like 6 chuncks.

[Barmic Rin]

I may have caused some confusion over the 'cracked crystal' comment.
I didn't meant for waves to actually travel up the blade, that's impossible with a Lux, I meant if the blade 'juddered' as if the crystal was of poor quality/ saber rushed in it's construction, so the 'sawtooth' how Erv describes it is how I was picturing it.
(think Jedi Academy books where Tenel Ka rushes to build her saber & it keeps cutting out)

If you could incorporate that into the next batch of CF's you just doubled the moolah coming your way Erv!!!

[erv]

no problem, that's what I initially understood even before watching the video game youtube video !

[Count Zero]

[QUOTE=erv;131252]Plecter Labs Soldering tutorial (http://www.plecterlabs.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=30&language=en) :D

Thanks Erv,

I found and watched your tutorial, several times, about a week before purchasing my iron. It has been a great help. I also plan to purchase a couple of those electronics books by Forest Mims that you sugested in another thread.

As you guys can see, I'm reading reading reading.

Thanks again Erv!

[Madcow]

Hey Erv,
If you have a moment... would you post a pic of the CF 4 board with all the spots that can be used as a ground marked in red?

I find that sometimes I have alot of accent LED's or rumble motors to ground - and I don't want to resolder another wire onto the main ground pad.

Thanks for all the innovation and solid quality!

MC

[Luke-SkyMarcher]

adjusting accents LEDs current / brightness : well, just put the right resistor to obtain the current you need. If room is an issue, use SMD resistors directly on the LEDxx pads, just like I do.
Bigger board ? never ! Be serious, do you think you can bargain between space and soldering easiness ? I've seen so many board soldered with 18 or 22 AWG for the accent LEDs (lol, sort of, until the moment the boards comes back to France with the PCB traces & pads shreded). I think users should first use small gauge wire when needed, possibly ultra flexible one, rather than using kitchen appliance one (soldered sometimes with a plumbing iron.... ahem...).
I just can't think "simplifying" when it's creating more problems than it's really solving.
To me it sounds like the electric spinning fork to grab/roll your spaghetti easier (damn we're again coming back to spaghetti when talking about wiring a CF...). At the end, you grab them damn fast, but you've painted the kitchen with tomato sauce also.
I don't think a tool should lower its quality / level otherwise it's called "saber by the numbers". Certain things are difficults and require skills / techniques / tools. If you don't have them yet, train yourself and buy the proper tools.
Without thinking like an elistist, I like to remind people who are trying to do difficult things that if everything was reachable, we would ALL paint like Delacroix and we would ALL build VCRs or TFT screens in our kitchen.

I admit that the solder pads aren't as "in line" as they could be, like on the ultrasound for instance, but again it's been so far the way to keep the board in a certain form factor, with a programming connector (the US doesn't have those, chips probably came preprogrammed and an upgrade to 2.1 costs something, guess why ?). While it can be improved (and it WILL be) this question is recurrent. Last time, Hasid was asking the same. And the propose schema was to have onboard connectors. Now imagine screw on connectors or current adjustment pots on a CF and try to fit it in a 1.25" sink tube...

I'm not bashing anyone, Luke, but stop asking things without thinking at least a bit to the consequences. When it goes to software, you don't know what's behind, remaining CPU power etc, but when it's about space / parts / size, use a bit of common sense.



I'm afraid I may not have been clear in quite what I meant. It's true I don't know what's involved with software/programming (yet), that's why I was asking about what was feasable/possible.

When I mentioned making it easier to solder, I did not in the least mean rearranging the board and making it bigger, just to accommodate poor soldering skills. Goodness, no! That's perfectly fine the way it is.

What I meant was, if power output was controlled per config file, just like it is for the luxeon, it would make it simpler to wire accent LED's that take more voltage than the the board provides, because sometimes there's just no room for multiple power xtenders (extremely useful little things by the way). It would also eliminate the need for resistors. The whole point here is to eliminate spaghetti, and provide some breathing room in a hilt.

When I mentioned making the board larger, it was entirely in the interest of "considering the consequences:" I realize that adding such a feature would probably make the board slightly bigger (though once again, that's something I don't know [yet], hence why I asked ). Therefore it would be necessary to consider if such an option would "defeat the purpose." That is, would a CF with the expanded capabilities of configurable accent LED output take up as much or more room than it would save?

And of course, there are power considerations, which I mentioned. The CF manuel warns in the section about clashflash LED's about draining too much current when used with power xtenders. Since I don't know (yet) quite how that works, I realized it would be necessary to consider power drain also.

Now this, of course, was not meant to be suggested as just a "quick little fix." I fully realize that this could very likely involve some major redesigning. Perhaps "what would you like on buttered toast v4.x?" was the wrong thread to post this in; a CF with that many changes would likely need a new number.

I think, in a rather roundabout way, you've answered my question: no. Either it wouldn't be possible, would involve too much work for too little usefulness, or you just don't want to do it.

Anyway thank you for your answer. Sorry if I was unclear the first time.
I just felt I had to clear up a bit of misunderstanding.

Luke

[erv]

count zero : all good points, and yes, the forrest mims books are GREAT !

MC : I'll do that tomorrow morning !

luke : understood. I get the point about how difficult it can be. Yes, the way it's currently wired, the placement of the pads etc IS a compromise of having several features together on a small board.
My first concern is that people should use the right thing/parts/material in first place. The problem is that for many of you guys, it's the total unknown ;)
The wire I provide is pretty good, use it for all your switches and accent LEDs.
Use various grounds when it's possible, like MC asked, I'll provide a decent map of the ground spots on the CF board, with the various usages (power, switches, accent LEDs). Okay this is not detailed in the manual and I've share this only with a few people just to avoid getting things wired in the worst way (hey ! I don't get it ! you said it's the ground here !!)
- LEDs & voltage : there are ALWAYS a possibility to find a LED with a voltage < 3.3V. I do run certain smd accent blue led in direct drive cause I'm at the limit. Finding out the exact Vf @ the proper current is NEVER told in 99% of the datasheet, you need a PSU to measure it. A power xtender will not save you despite it gives you the impression it's "easier".

Sorry to be the bad guy. I've taught electronics a bit and I can't propose solutions just because they are easier (but kind of wrong) even if they "seems to work". From your side, it might look / sounds like "why are you complicating things, I'm sure it can be more simple ??". Simplification leads to a MR board... unfortunatly.
So to answer Grayven who asked the other day "how to turn a MR board into a CF for $12", I'm sorry but that's not possible.... Motion sensor is like $5, SD card is $6 to $10... you lost !

I promise to rework the placement of pads if possible. However, the board works in 3.3V end of story. Just like the UltraSound btw...
Find the right LEDs and use the right wire, solder with the right soldering iron.
Because when you drive accross the desert and arrive in frond of a big rock it's up to you to avoid it by the side, you can't expect the rock to move and let you pass !

[erv]

Mad Cow, here's what you requested,

I definitly plan to get this base growing up quickly so that it can also be forwarded in the user's manual.

CF Ground Spots locations (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?p=131601#post131601)

Enjoy

[Novastar]

Black Matt time.

Ok, more like BlackSTAR time?!??! :) Just teasin'... it's THREAD REVIVAL TIME...
---------------------------------------

"What would you like on your buttered toast (v5.x actually)"

Some POSSIBILITIES (read: possibilities, not guarantees) for upcoming v5... meaning V5... NOT v4.3... -->

* CURRENTLY: As we have the "clash flash" option... it currently allows a flash on impact (adjustable of length)... and the possibility to allow the clash circuit to stay 100% on during lockup...

* THE UPGRADE: ...would be to allow a little bit more "variety" during the flash on impact (random flicker?)... and the ability for the clash circuit to stay on during lockup... but also FLICKER and PULSE and... generally "get wacky" in a similar fashion as does the main LED (Luxeon, Seoul, Cree, blah blah blah).

Another wacky idea I had... although it MIGHT not be *THAT* big of a deal...

* CURRENTLY: You power on the saber... CF plays "poweron", then moves to "hum". Simple, duhhhh.

* THE UPGRADE: If you like, a new sound called "intro" will be there, and be played ONLY ONCE--directly after the poweron sound. Why would we do this. Well... you could (for example) have a Sidious poweron... and then that weird "death roll scream" he makes in EP III just prior to him attacking Windu and the other frog & fish-head dudes... and THEN the hum sound.

As another example, you might have an "Obi-wan" poweron... then we hear "I will do what I must"... and then the hum sound.

Again... I do not know if these WILL go onto CF v5... but... they sound like good ideas that are not tons of hours of work and hardware re-designs to implement! :)

That being said... that is PRECISELY the kinds of upgrades we want to propose to Erv--PLAUSIBLE ones. I mean sure, everyone wants to say: "Um, the next upgrade for CF should be for it to handle 5 amps. That would be good. Thanks --DarthSuperCat"... ... (!)... but of course, we know this is rife with problems, hasn't been thought through... and really doesn't offer a solution.

So anyhow... if you make a suggestion... PLEASE think it over first, heheh. :D

[Alcfalath]

Well... What about a having a way of replacing/intergrating the background hum for the iSaber mode, so that it is possible to have music playing, as well as the clash/flicker/lock/powerup and downs (and maybe the hum) whilst the music is playing, for those who really want a montage :D

Another possible one, though a hardware upgrade, would be an external based potentiometer (or the option for one) for manually altering the volume coming from the saber. For those who have prudes who cant take a CF at full volume over their stock MR Monkey Clashers :P

[sekrogue1985]

Black Matt time.

Ok, more like BlackSTAR time?!??! :) Just teasin'... it's THREAD REVIVAL TIME...
---------------------------------------

"What would you like on your buttered toast (v5.x actually)"

Some POSSIBILITIES (read: possibilities, not guarantees) for upcoming v5... meaning V5... NOT v4.3... -->

* CURRENTLY: As we have the "clash flash" option... it currently allows a flash on impact (adjustable of length)... and the possibility to allow the clash circuit to stay 100% on during lockup...

* THE UPGRADE: ...would be to allow a little bit more "variety" during the flash on impact (random flicker?)... and the ability for the clash circuit to stay on during lockup... but also FLICKER and PULSE and... generally "get wacky" in a similar fashion as does the main LED (Luxeon, Seoul, Cree, blah blah blah).

Another wacky idea I had... although it MIGHT not be *THAT* big of a deal...

* CURRENTLY: You power on the saber... CF plays "poweron", then moves to "hum". Simple, duhhhh.

* THE UPGRADE: If you like, a new sound called "intro" will be there, and be played ONLY ONCE--directly after the poweron sound. Why would we do this. Well... you could (for example) have a Sidious poweron... and then that weird "death roll scream" he makes in EP III just prior to him attacking Windu and the other frog & fish-head dudes... and THEN the hum sound.

As another example, you might have an "Obi-wan" poweron... then we hear "I will do what I must"... and then the hum sound.

Again... I do not know if these WILL go onto CF v5... but... they sound like good ideas that are not tons of hours of work and hardware re-designs to implement! :)

That being said... that is PRECISELY the kinds of upgrades we want to propose to Erv--PLAUSIBLE ones. I mean sure, everyone wants to say: "Um, the next upgrade for CF should be for it to handle 5 amps. That would be good. Thanks --DarthSuperCat"... ... (!)... but of course, we know this is rife with problems, hasn't been thought through... and really doesn't offer a solution.

So anyhow... if you make a suggestion... PLEASE think it over first, heheh. :D

that right there that intro sound is what i've been waiting for!

[Novastar]

Well... What about a having a way of replacing/intergrating the background hum for the iSaber mode, so that it is possible to have music playing, as well as the clash/flicker/lock/powerup and downs (and maybe the hum) whilst the music is playing, for those who really want a montage :DUnless real-time mixing goes onto CFv5... this will not be possible.

That is the entire reason WHY the sounds *must* be mixed prior to going onto the SD cards. :) It's a lot of work (at least, that's how *I* feel in making the CDs... although some others seem to think otherwise).

It's true that "stereophonic" output (>1 channel) is certainly POSSIBLE for an electronic device... but... it takes a lot more processing power (relative to a hand-soldered board that is ~2.4" x ~1"). Additionally, the programming gets quite a BIT more complex. :)


Another possible one, though a hardware upgrade, would be an external based potentiometer (or the option for one) for manually altering the volume coming from the saber. For those who have prudes who cant take a CF at full volume over their stock MR Monkey Clashers :PARRRRG. Not the potentiometer question again! Although I see what you're trying to say:

* Remove POT from actual board...
* Allow two or whatever # leads...
* User can add a POT, and mount the way they wish.

OK... BUT... "There ARE alternatives to fighting..."

I've suggested to Erv to implement (POSSIBLY) the following:

* You boot CF. Sound happens.
* You hold down AUX just a little bit prior to pressing/latching your power on switch (in any mode)
* Saber goes on, but is MUTED
* Powering off returns the ability to poweron with sounds again... or to hold down AUX a brief second and poweron to get "mute" saber.

I think that's the best you'd get, Alfala... :(

I know... it's kind of unfortunate at times. Believe me, I understand. My CF sabers are *SO* bloody loud... I swear I can't even take the kill pin out to CHARGE them late at night!!! I'm afraid the boot sound would wake the undead!!!!!!!!!! lol

[Alcfalath]

All good :) sorry about the Pot question, thought I felt this may have been a different spin onto it.

Nova, i have the same problem.. worse is having a very sensitive main switch (APOP off for ease of choreography) and having it go off while in the warming up session and having 40+ people staring at me :P Big concrete hall + Resonance Chamber = Very Very loud sabers :P

On the intergrated sound. Maybe someday, far after MP3 or better :P

[Novastar]

mp3 is a compressed format, which requires a CODEC (COmpression/DEcompression) algorithm...

In other words, when your computer plays an .MP3 (or other compressed format style file... such as even reading a .ZIP)... first the computer has to "unlock" the codes in order to produce the information. Same goes for when you write to a file as such. Takes longer.

In the case of 2.4Ghz machine with 839246329783Ram (lol)... it's not a problem, hahah. In the case of goofy little 8Hz (or whatever) processor with maybe 512K of RAM (if that)... it produces more of a problem.

This ESPECIALLY causes issues if you're thinking about having the device "react" in real-time to actions that cause sounds. Think about it. When you play a song... it's BASICALLY start + stop (and looping to next song in 3, 4, 5 minutes, whatever).

In the case of sabers... we have a constant loop of hum (only a few seconds, maybe), checking for "hits/swings" and other things. Also, we have light driving, heheh.

So... although .MP3 is great for space-saving on big computers... it isn't (YET) so great for little devices of our purposes.

Well... unless APPLE or IBM or MICROSOFT decides to make some kind of CF "clone" and puts super-PCB machines to use + sells it for like $300 like an Ipod, hahah :)

[DJMoonbass]

i heard that the v5.# will have all the files in .WAV not RAW... im not looking forward to tinkering with the raw file formats. i hear there a PITA to work with... but i like the alternative power on sound ideas...

for a sound font im really hoping CFSC#2 has the halo plasma sword activation and clash sounds.... those are awesome. and i think having the grevoius guards as a hum would make the saber so awesome!!!!!!!!!! i cant wait to get a CF on the 24th..

maybe CFSC#3 will have those grevious guard sounds....


just an after thought.... picture having a wilhelm scream as a start up alternative sound. lol lmao. omg that would be histerical. WILHELM!!!

[Jonitus]

i heard that the v5.# will have all the files in .WAV not RAW... im not looking forward to tinkering with the raw file formats. i hear there a PITA to work with... but i like the alternative power on sound ideas...

for a sound font im really hoping CFSC#2 has the halo plasma sword activation and clash sounds.... those are awesome. and i think having the grevoius guards as a hum would make the saber so awesome!!!!!!!!!! i cant wait to get a CF on the 24th..

maybe CFSC#3 will have those grevious guard sounds....


just an after thought.... picture having a wilhelm scream as a start up alternative sound. lol lmao. omg that would be histerical. WILHELM!!!

Where does all this mis-information come from? What's the difference between a .raw and a .wav? Answer - nothing. A .raw is a .wav with all the header information removed to save on overhead for the processor.

A sound file in one format is no more difficult to work with than a sound file in a different format. It's still a waveform that you manipulate.

Is there some secret club a bunch of n00bs gather at to spread FUD around? Seriously?

[DJMoonbass]

its just what ive heard from a bunch of people J... people that have USED a cf before.... :rolleyes: dont need to get rude about it. mellow out. :roll:

[Jonitus]

its just what ive heard from a bunch of people J... people that have USED a cf before.... :rolleyes: dont need to get rude about it. mellow out. :roll:

If you interpreted what I said as rude, you might need to check your meter. These "people" who have USED a CF before that you refer to...are WRONG. You can tell them I said so. I guarantee I have USED more CF than they have...collectively, so I'm in a better position to know what's true and what's not, wouldn't you agree?

*where's the emoticon for reaching through a monitor and slapping sense into someone?*

[erv]

nothing to add after that :rolleyes:

except : DJ, did you *actually* TRIED to open a raw with a FREE software just like indicated in my tutorials (and novastar ones) before you ask the question ? of course, sounds can be DL from my site, in a cryptic section called sounds and downloads.

try before you ask doesn't apply to everything, especially when it's about powering on some spaghetti wired electronic boards,
but when it goes to SOFTWARE USE ?

no it's not "difficult". Yes it requires minimum digital audio understanding, just like if you plan to start mixing 2 sounds. Same level as understanding what layers are in photoshop.

to sum it up, since we are comparing with graphic stuff
MP3 <=W JPEG (you need a codec, one more chip, size etc)
WAV <=> BMP
RAW <=> RAW (yeah, did you ever noticed that it's a format proposed by certain highend digital camera ?)

the main point behind the format thing is : do I really want to propose a MP3 thing so that certain people can overcompress in 2.5 kbps some sound they found somewhere, and then complain about sound quality. Also, why putting a compressed format for sounds which are like < 100 kb in native format (PCM) ? Have you tried to compress in MP3 a swing sound ? well, it might be BIGGER than the native format.
So then the question is adressed for the music tracks and iSAber. This is a "fun mode", not the main usage of the saber. You feel like it would be great to put even "more tracks" in there ? how do you access them ? how do you select them / browse ? So now you want a 8" screen on your saber ? A touch screen like on your ipod ?

Some more calculations : take a 1 GB SD. Ok it's about 940 MB. Remove 22 MB for the CF package. Let's say 900 MB. CF sounds are 2.5 MB a minute. That's 400 minutes of audio on a 1 GB. Or more than 6 hours. Your saber will be out of battery before you can play it all (maybe not with led off and 18650 cells).

so what's the point ?

[Novastar]

DJ!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're angering me.

1. You de-railed the thread. Big time.
2. You got in Jon's face. I'm not down with that.
3. I do not vent my anger on people on the forums lightly--if EVER--so you WILL take that as a hint.
4. The first CF Sound Compendium CD *DOES* have the "Grevious Guards" stuff. The font is called Electrostaff. If you were paying attention to things related to CF in the past--you'd know that.
5. FURTHER... if you were paying attention lately... you'd know that I HAVE been putting efforts into placing a "Halo-style" sound font on CD#2.

Enough. How's that for a Wilhelm scream...

I now decree that this thread WILL STAY ON-TOPIC, or your post is simply to be removed.

Further... for those who have the power (or care to wield it)... I say ERASE the last few posts. I love Erv's last because it teaches people about the .WAV, .RAW forms, etc... ... but it belongs under sound. It was only instigated by DJ.

Don't make me angry. Really. Not a single one of you have EVER seen me TRULY angry. And you'd all very much hate it.

[mihunai]

Yes, feel the anger inside you!
Submit to the Dark Side! You can feel the POWER!!!
MWUAHAHAHA *AH *Ah *COUGH*... í've got to stop that evil laugh thing....

Anyway, back to the On-Topic department:

Please bear with me since i dont know how the CF is constructed in detail,
but would it be possible, or make sense at least, to have a seperate accellerometer?
What i mean to say is, could it be possible to have the motion sensor only in one place (say, the pommel),
and the processing handled in another, someplace where you have the room?
The reason is that, because there often is not enough room in the pommel (with the speaker and all) for the entire soundboard.
I guess the CF allready reacts wonderfully, but maybe this might improve things even further.
One thing it would do is give sabersmiths more freedom with their wiring, i think.

mTm

P.S. I know the accelerometer is probably completely integrated and cant be moved in any way,
or the signal might take too long through actual wires, but i thought id just get it out there.

[FenderBender]

Yes, feel the anger inside you!
Submit to the Dark Side! You can feel the POWER!!!
MWUAHAHAHA *AH *Ah *COUGH*... í've got to stop that evil laugh thing....

Anyway, back to the On-Topic department:

Please bear with me since i dont know how the CF is constructed in detail,
but would it be possible, or make sense at least, to have a seperate accellerometer?
What i mean to say is, could it be possible to have the motion sensor only in one place (say, the pommel),
and the processing handled in another, someplace where you have the room?
The reason is that, because there often is not enough room in the pommel (with the speaker and all) for the entire soundboard.
I guess the CF allready reacts wonderfully, but maybe this might improve things even further.
One thing it would do is give sabersmiths more freedom with their wiring, i think.

mTm

P.S. I know the accelerometer is probably completely integrated and cant be moved in any way,
or the signal might take too long through actual wires, but i thought id just get it out there.


????????


WTF?


Why would you need the accelerometer seperate? If it isn't sensitive enough where it is in the hilt, you just adjust the 'ls' parameter in .txt file.



....so this is how the world ends...........

[Jedi-Loreen]

Why would you want to put a sound board in the pommel, anyway? :confused:

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Novastar iirc it may have been I who suggested a Halo plasma sword font wayyyyyyy back so I want you to know I did notice that on your CD announcement and do appreciate the effort you've made towards that which I imagine may have been harder to isolate than more conventional saber sounds since the plasma swords are usually mixed with other sounds in the game?

If I only get one CF this time I probably won't use it on my very first CF saber which I have another design in mind for...but someday that font will make my Halo plasmasaber design ignite, oh yes it will...so Thank You.

CF is a particularly great board in that it can allow applications even beyond SW lightsabers...I hope I get lucky enough to get several in the future...but even one... :-)

[Novastar]

I appreciate the praise, but... ARGGGGGGG:

*STAY ON TOPIC* *STAY ON TOPIC*
Stay on target... Stay on target...
-------------------------------------

Um... ok... how can I help re-rail... let's see...

First off, this may end up making sound font design *WAY* more intense, but here goes. And I've already suggested this to Erv privately, so... might as well re-rail with this.

* We already have >512kb cards in "common use"
* Heck... we are seeing 1GB cards!
* Plenty of extra room for >8 swings, >8 clashes, etc.

The options to do this would be:

A) CF "pre-scans" bank directories to determine how many clashes, swings and so forth there are. CF sets a variable to the # of each in order to do random setups, and so forth. There you go, pretty much unlimited swings or clashes.

B) User pre-sets values in each sound bank "swgamt=X" and "clsamt=Y", and CF will then look for swing1 to swingX and clash1 to clashY (naturally). There you go, pretty much unlimited swings or clashes.

Thoughts/observations/postulations:

* Pre-scan would be nice, but possibly overkill. Also... this could get a bit extensive if CF was counting files. Additionally, would/could the files be named ANYthing (so long as they were in the correct directory)... or would we run into issues if the file numbers weren't contiguous (i.e. swing1, swing2, swing4, swing26).

* Strange as it sounds... looking at files for "swing2" and "swing26" is actually pretty tough to tell the computer/chip what order that really is. Just watch how Windows handles files like that, lol. You'd have to do "01" or "001"?!? Etc. Hmm.

* Pre-scan would only "waste time" at boot I suppose. Possibly a small "price to pay" if the processor warrants it.

* Having parameters to set how many sounds are comin' CF's way could be a bit clunky. Every time you drag and drop new sounds... you'd have to update parameters. If you counted wrong--whoops...

Hmm... I could see it being an option. Heck, when I was designing my "Ns5" board idea back in the DAY (just months before I "met" Erv... via chat/e-mail/etc.)... I was thinking of this very concept: unlimited sounds.

Well... limited only in the sense that you have only so much memory. But 1gb of swings would be about... ... ... ohh... ... ... I don't know...

... .... around 26,000 swings. :mrgreen: Based on the retarded idea of having swings that were 40k each. Which is retarded because even some of my longest (normal) CLASHES are ~50k.

So... anyhow. :cool:

What kind of CD would THAT warrant?!? "New Blackstar font... with 128 swings and 256 clashes!!! 8 power on sounds, 17 poweroffs... and 9001 blaster sounds..."

O.O

HOOOOOLLLLLLYYYYYY.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Thay's pretty amazing...but are people really saying they need more than 8 swings, more than eight clashes etc? per font?

With real swords there would indeed be an infinite number of possible clash sounds depending on whether blades struck on edges, flats, angles etc and all the accompanying variations in vibration harmonics but a lightsaber is supoosed to be omnidirectional and cuts through almost anything - and everything it does cut - EQUALLY 'frictionlessly' [blast doors aside eh] so a given lightsaber probably realistically wouldnt sound much different no matter what it was cutting through or striking or clashing with methinks?

Except maybe other sabers but even then I wouldnt expect that much variation in a sabers own sound since the blades are omnidirectional without edges or flats...more like a combination of the two fonts...hmmm maybe some waaaaay future version could use a tiny mic so two sabers could sense what font the other was using them and combine them together in a clash or lockup? or is that crazy? Or does our hearing them do that anyway?

Probably dumb idea there but I'm not afraid of looking dumb so I'll toss it out there...I'm just wondering what future effects might be achieved if CF sabers could sense each other and make adjustments based on each others fonts...yeah crazy...

[mihunai]

Why would you want to put a sound board in the pommel, anyway? :confused:
To get maximum sensitivity, in the case of a small hilt, where you have the soundchamber etc. at the bottom (no room for soundcard) and the blade holder at the top (no room for sound card) which often only leave the most inert part available, the middle.

And why are you acting so 'confused' at the suggestion of placing the soundcard in the pommel? The CF manual even suggests to place the soundcard as far from the point of articulation as possible, which is more often than not near the top. So placing it in the pommel might not be such a strange idea, or is that just me?

It was just a suggestion to get more freedom in the electronics department.
One step further would be (in the case of LED-string sabers) is to have the accelerometer at the blade tip, since there may be the occasional 'pommel-centered' swings. And yes, i know we're talking split-second reaction times, but once again, just suggestions. Maybe someone might come along with ideas to make it work, instead of reasons why it wont. it just might happen.

So, thats why.
__________________
Anyway, to Novastars comment,
Unlimited sounds would be awesome (and more timeconsuming to make even bigger soundbanks),
and a great feature until live audiomixing becomes available.

mTm

[erv]

Why would you want to put a sound board in the pommel, anyway? :confused:

because the user's manual says to put the CF as low as possible in the hilt. That's a rule of the thumb supposed to avoid a long (and boring) explanation of how it works, and what options are. This is supposed to provide a pommel access to the sd card for most people (I'm not talking of advanced chassis technique or removable side plate).

The fact it that you just need to have the motion sensor NOT right under the center of the hand that is spinning the saber. Board in top half of the saber, of in the bottom, just ensure you have 1" roughtly between your hand and the motion sensor.


yes indeed people ask for more sounds. Most of the time it's called innovation actually. I could handle dozens more of sounds on CF but what's the point.
auto scanning remains an option for V5, problem is, you open that door (well, that can of worm) people will name files in a stupid way, have gaps in the numbering and wonder why some sounds aren't loaded / found. I can do even more advanced things supposed to automate the system but at the end it makes it more complex. I'm working with artist for my day job and I've learnt that putting some boundaries on features is a need.
The trade off is also balancing features and efficiency. If you spend 4 sec finding out how many sounds you have it doesn't work neither. The "whoa it's cool this thing has auto scanning" is meaning less since it has the speed of a dead tree.

The real question is usage. Most people don't focus on that since it's not their culture, current marketing target is to make people buy cool stuff with tactile screens and blinkies they actually don't need.

I'm not saying that volume control is dumb. However, always consider :
- you want a feature : how do you control it / how do you activate it.
- is it permanent, or is it just you own need. What if other think it's stupid / useless / dangerous, how do you parameter it ?

it's a product, supposed to fit various sort of needs, I needed rules. 8 swings, 8 clashes. You don't have that many for your personnal sound font : dupplicate sounds. Easy for everyone.

I'm NOT saying the bill gates thing "8 swings should be enough for everyone". It's a matter of context.

(You absolutly want a volume control, you remove the onboard pot and place a 10k pot on the side of your saber)

[erv]

To get maximum sensitivity, in the case of a small hilt, where you have the soundchamber etc. at the bottom (no room for soundcard) and the blade holder at the top (no room for sound card) which often only leave the most inert part available, the middle.
mTm

about size : I fitted batteries, CF, and speaker in like 6.5 cm. Then a resonnance chamber with a crysta inside over 4 centimeters. Everything fits in 14 cm and I still have space and the board is still bottom side, so yes it's def possible.
sorry for the double post.

[mihunai]

I see... All that in 14cm? If i would hold that with two hands id still be 2cm short of holding the hilt! Amazing.
Anyway, i guess that wraps up my little endeavor.

BTW, id rather have such nice, clear answers than the WTF! Why?- kind anyday.

mTm

[FenderBender]

The point was, why?

These things work AWESOME as it is. When you actually get one, you will see. You will want no other board, you will spend hours trying to come up with valid improvements only to come up empty handed:D Erv really has created something great here, trying to re-shape the wheel with over-complicated things like remote accelerometers and such really just doesn't make sense.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Yeah Fender...I imagine it will take me months of enjoyable experimentation just to discover all the possibilities of what can be done with it 'as is' with 8 banks and all the sound fonts on Novastars CDs and the various settings and parameters...if I'm lucky enough to get one...so it amazes me that Erv can still find ways to improve it, but I'm sure he will.

Although its already the Rolls/Lamborghini of soundcards so who could be unsatisfied eh?

[FenderBender]

Yeah, its easy to speculate what could make a cooler soundcard when you don't have THE coolest one in your hands. Trust me, the second you fire it up your face will start hurting from the 'S' eating grin:D You won't give a second thought to "improvements".

Now, as a smith and a brightness whore, the only suggestion I've made is MORE POWER! RAWR!:D for the higher power LEDs some of us are using. RGB mixing would be cool too, but I want the board to get smaller not bigger;) So, V5 can improve in those arenas everything else is just a "bonus".

[Novastar]

The point of this thread is to have helpful/possible suggestions for CF.

It by NO MEANS is meant to somehow encapsulate the idea that CF is somehow "stupid" without certain innovations... or even suggest that certain innovations which are POSSIBLE... belong!

The way I see it... no suggestion is stupid or useless, so long as it solves more problems than it creates, and/or innovates something without creating 10x the work than the innovation is worth.

For example, someone could say:

"CF should support 25v"... but that would create more issues than it would solve.

"Volume knob, please"... but we've been over this one.

"Add more swing/clashes"... it's a reasonable innovation--although not NECESSARY.

"Make the SD card go on an extension cable"... it's possible... but not needed, and doesn't solve much of anything.

Anyhow. Sometimes you'll find that *I* will suggest innovations that could be categorized as "unneeded". Still... it's just to flesh out new ideas or spark more thinking.

But you won't find me saying stuff like "the board needs to be 0.5" by 0.5" and support 32v and have real-time mixing and support bluetooth wireless". lol

If, however, your thoughts are to "leave it alone"... fine. Then there is no need to post in THIS thread. It'd be just a fluckin' waste.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

The point of this thread is to have helpful/possible suggestions for CF.

It by NO MEANS is meant to somehow encapsulate the idea that CF is somehow "stupid" without certain innovations... or even suggest that certain innovations which are POSSIBLE... belong!

The way I see it... no suggestion is stupid or useless, so long as it solves more problems than it creates, and/or innovates something without creating 10x the work than the innovation is worth.

For example, someone could say:

"CF should support 25v"... but that would create more issues than it would solve.

"Volume knob, please"... but we've been over this one.

"Add more swing/clashes"... it's a reasonable innovation--although not NECESSARY.

"Make the SD card go on an extension cable"... it's possible... but not needed, and doesn't solve much of anything.

Anyhow. Sometimes you'll find that *I* will suggest innovations that could be categorized as "unneeded". Still... it's just to flesh out new ideas or spark more thinking.

But you won't find me saying stuff like "the board needs to be 0.5" by 0.5" and support 32v and have real-time mixing and support bluetooth wireless". lol

If, however, your thoughts are to "leave it alone"... fine. Then there is no need to post in THIS thread. It'd be just a fluckin' waste.

Agreed that 25V might be burdensome but would 16V be practical? That would allow people to use a 4AA pack with trustfires to run tri-rebels or LEDEngin 10W and would be welcome by Fender, myself and other 'brightness hos' methinks.

As for form factor obviously 0.5"x0.5" is absurd too but I've noticed that most soundboards not just CF seem to run approximately a couple inches long by one wide which seems to have become an approximate 'standard' size in our hobby...which is a good form for MHS and many custom machined sabers but there are some sabers, particularly replicas like the more correctly sized Obi TPMs made by various makers like Parks and the empty hilts being sold by SithPlanet where 1" wide boards are a tight squeeze requiring extensive expensive 'boring' and also there are some smaller diameter easier-spinning hilt designs where approx 1" wide boards just can't fit at all.

Would it be possible to reduce width to the 3/4" that those designs seem to want? Perhaps one might need to increase length to 3" to compensate for a narrower layout. From a user standpoint I wonder if that extra 1" length would be any burden 'fitting' in hilts with most 'normal' designs...but a narrower width could certainly aid greatly in others methinks.

Would a 3/4"x3" form factor be even possible for Erv to change to, or worthwhile from the makers standpoint, I don't know...but since you brought form factor up I thought I'd put it 'out there' for consideration...it isn't even necessarily a CF only matter but for sound/driverboards in general but there could be a market niche/opportunity for narrower form factor boards if Erv wants to address it in future versions.

I realize those changes wouldn't be as 'cool' as flashy new 'features' but CF has no shortage of cool flashy features as is and they might still be useful changes if practical.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

How difficult would it be to have more than one ignition font for a soundbank? Have it configurable in the conig.txt file to randomize them or play in sequence? If you only wanted the one ignition font, just load it two or three times to however many are needed.

[Novastar]

It's somewhat similar to having 2 or 3 lockups... 2 or 4 blasters (heheh)... and 2 or so "force" sounds.

I guess I knew this was coming, heheh...

[Mcich]

how about maybe giving us some more pads for a couple more accent led's, the graflex bubble strip has I think about 6 bubbles, would be awesome to have 6 accent led's.

you could then set up your board to have a different light flashing for each sound bank, so far I have banks 1 - 4 flashing with different led's, downside is banks 5 and 6 don't have another led to call their own, they feel shunned and mocked by banks 1 - 4, it breaks my heart, lol

[erv]

how about maybe giving us some more pads for a couple more accent led's, the graflex bubble strip has I think about 6 bubbles, would be awesome to have 6 accent led's.

you could then set up your board to have a different light flashing for each sound bank, so far I have banks 1 - 4 flashing with different led's, downside is banks 5 and 6 don't have another led to call their own, they feel shunned and mocked by banks 1 - 4, it breaks my heart, lol

that's already on my todo list, and it's a good point. Yes, I'd like 6 or seven, and I have extra plans for those accent led pads:D

[Novastar]

As a matter of organization and all that... we... MIGHT want to make a new thread for "what would you like on v5 BT", that sort of thing...

I'll leave that up to Erv, but... that way:

* v4 and previous versions are left "separated" from v5
* Erv can post on what ~IS~ going onto v5... and what can't/won't
* Silly ideas can be left at the wayside (asking for "unreasonable" stuff like a 5A output or "satellite" SDs and that sort of thing that has been covered)

There ya go!

[Sunrider]

Is it possible to add a high & a low output signal when main led driver is turned on?

It would be great to be able to use a grounded low terminal for use with a relay & a high signal for use with a transistor?:p

[erv]

Is it possible to add a high & a low output signal when main led driver is turned on?

It would be great to be able to use a grounded low terminal for use with a relay & a high signal for use with a transistor?:p

you can use one of the accent led pads for that. Use one of them so that it's permanently set to one in the leds.txt file. They are cleared on power off and turn on (or blink) once the power on sound is finished.

indeed let's make a what do you want on BT / CF V5. I'm going to collect all important points in the past pages and make a new roadmap

[Lord Maul]

Since there is a new thread for V5.x and already a troubleshooting one, I will lock this thread.