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View Full Version : first MHS 5w or 3w?



djbordie
05-16-2007, 06:07 AM
I am going to order my first mhs, i am willin to buy the 5w basic electronics but im not sure if its worth it for future expansion.

I read through everything here and im going to go with green because it looks the best to the human eye and its a wicked saber colour...
so do i go with the 5w or the 3w, is the 5w that much better? and in the future can i hook it up to a mr board or a corbin or whatever?

also what is "Add thumbscrew + drill/tap hole for $10?"
I can certainly do my own drill/tap...

thanks,

Jedibum
05-16-2007, 07:05 AM
Hi djbordie! I'm sure most people are going to tell you to just go with what you are most comfortable with. Both LED's have their good and bad points. 3 Watt's good points: They stay nice and cool compared to 5 Watts ... so heat is a non-issue especially if you are using Tim's MHS. 3 Watts don't require alot of voltage to reach max brightness so you have alot of battery options depending on the hilt you are using (AAA, AA ... rechargeable packs). Also, because of the low voltage requirement, they are perfect for MR sound boards ... sound is something that is hard to live without in my opinion. Oh, and they are alot cheaper than 5 Watts. You could just about buy three different 3 Watt's for the price of one 5 Watt ... and then you could use the "quick-disconnect" system that Tim sells and you can easily swap out colors depending on your mood.

5 Watt's good points: First there's the obvious ... brightness! You pump high voltage into these and you are getting some serious brightness. I believe you need at least 7.2 Volts to run one ... but to really get it's potential you need more. And, like I said, when you get these 5 Watts near Max brightness they are pretty awesome. And the Green will be even more awesome given that it is already the brightest color to your eye. And that might be it ... I think that is the only benefit of the 5 Watt ... but keep in mind it's a pretty awesome benefit.

Now, in your question you mentioned "further expansion" ... and that's an interesting question. If you are talking about the future than in my opinion you should go with the 5 Watt. As technology gets better LED's are going to get brighter, and developing ways to use the brighter LED's will get better. Just recently Ultra released his own Sound Board for pre-order (which you can pre-order on this website) and his board is built to properly power a 5 Watt ( as well as a 3 Watt or K2 ). Another great saber builder (Erv) has recently released a V2 of his sound board that will power a 5 Watt. Both of these Sound Boards are way better than any MR Sound Board. And as you can see, as things progress we are developing ways to be able to use 5 Watts and still have sound. So, in my opinion brighter LED's are the future. And the focus will be on developing ways to use the brighter LEDs.

So that's my .02 cents. Also, "Add thumbscrew + drill/tap hole" means that Tim will add a thumbscrew to any Emitter that you purchase.

djbordie
05-16-2007, 07:14 AM
wow, real nice reply, thanks man

but wtf is a thumbscrew? decor? lol...

thanks.

Jay-gon Jinn
05-16-2007, 07:39 AM
The thumb screw holds the blade in the blade holder. They look like this:
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/images/PRODUCT/medium/617.jpg
When installed on the saber, they look similar to this:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS_saber_hilt_10.jpg
If you don't use one, the blade will fly out of the holder....or if it's not tightened enough....
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/luxbladegoof.jpg

djbordie
05-16-2007, 07:43 AM
ahhh ok, thanks

Ryma Mara
05-16-2007, 11:05 AM
5W I concure. with every reasion that jedi bum suggested.

Novastar
05-16-2007, 12:28 PM
Keep in mind with the 5w--it won't be "easy" to get sound unless you use Ultra's new driver or Erv's Plecter. Reason is--Hasbro & MR FX cannot handle 6v+. Especially the Hasbro... it can only handle maybe 4.5v at the most.

By the way DJ... if you don't want a big honkin' screw sticking out to get in the way of your hand... you can use a recessed screw (mainly with a star or hex head).

That way it can be flush, almost flush, or even inset into the hilt.

I do that on every single one of my sabers. :)

It's not movie accurate... but it certainly beats getting in the way of my hands.

Ryma Mara
05-16-2007, 12:36 PM
well its possable to use an mr board with a 5W. you basicly use a dpdt switch.

and alter a battery pack so you can bet power and such for both the resistored led and the board for sound, if ya want then you can use the mr leads that you would use for the led in a conversion you can wire up acc leds to them. corbin told me how to do it one but thats all I can really remember of it.

James said hes got a wrightup around here somewhere but I havent found it.

Jay-gon Jinn
05-16-2007, 09:44 PM
Like Nova said, you can just use a set screw like this one:
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/images/PRODUCT/medium/875.jpg
You'll just have to carry an allen wrench with you, is all. No big deal, they fit easily into a pocket or if you have a costume, into a pouch on your belt.

djbordie
05-17-2007, 07:21 AM
ya thats what i used for my vader mpp conversion...works fine.
Man i just looked in our stock room, wholey s*&t we have every finding used for sabers from thumb screw of various designs, to copper caps, d rings, man this is great, i just walk back and take what i need haha.

so ya, i ordered my MHS with a 5 watt green...cant wait to see this thing.

jjshumpert
05-17-2007, 09:40 AM
the 5ws are far brighter than most lux stars, but it always depends on the color your using. you can see the difference here between a 5w green and a k2 royal blue
http://a648.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/58/l_9fd491f929115be1ad2abeb91caca387.jpg
in person the difference is amazing, i can tell you that you will be very happy with the 5w green, its one of my favorite stars.

Novastar
05-17-2007, 11:26 AM
Brightness depends on many things--not just the LED. It is imperative to drive the LED correctly, with the right battery setup, driving, etc.

A Lux V green next to a Lux K2 GREEN... is very little difference, unless you're able to push the 5w to its TOP performance. Even then, we're talking 30 lumen difference... which is about a 20% change. Very negligible. I doubt it could even be detected by the eyes.

With a K2 Green (or pretty soon, Rebel Green!!), you don't need NEARLY as much voltage. That means you can focus on giving it CURRENT! :)

As a matter of note, Erv's v1.2 will drive more lumens/amperage from a K2 green on 7.4v than with a Luxeon V on 7.4v. It's all about the whole picture. However, Erv's 1.2 can only handle a max of 9v I believe.

I get about 115 lumens (metered) out of my K2, and I have yet to see someone metering 160 lumens out of their Lux V in person. I wanna see that though!!! :)

The only person that I think will have THAT set up is Corbin with the KP, since he is going about effective 12v Li-Ion (3.7 x 3) with his driver board!!!

That is MASSIVE, and about the perfect voltage to maintain yummy current for the Lux V. It could also power a VEHICLE for a short while, lol.

Finally, the 3 x Li-Ion 18650 setup is great for space-saving. Imagine how many bloody Alks or Ni-Mhs you'd need!!!

Thoughts, anyone?

chase
06-07-2007, 05:29 AM
i like the 3w because you can put sound cards in them, but i prefer a 5w because its so much brighter. also, if im going to do a fan film or just a dueling movie...id rather edit the sounds in than actually use sound from a saber.

Novastar
06-08-2007, 01:11 PM
Again, as stated above... you can be certain that a Lux V is not really all THAT much brighter than a (for example) K2... if both are driven to their full potential.

If anyone out there is able to detect the VISUAL difference between a Lux V and a K2 where the saber in question has the: same color, same blade length, same blade type, same blade DIFFUSER, same mirrored tip, same distance to LED down the emitter, same optics, same driver + you are driving both at full potential... I would be glad to hear the stories.

However, comparing a Lux V cyan driven at (for example) 1A vs. a Luxeon K2 cyan driven at 1A... is not a good comparison.

Why. A Lux V "wants" 700ma. A Lux K2 cyan "wants" 1500ma.

So... we are OVER-driving the Lux V...
But... we are UNDER-driving the K2...

So suddenly, you'd see this visual difference in lumens or whatever and think--oh gee, the Lux Vs are way better.

They are when you DRIVE it correctly, and drive the other one in some pathetic way, heheh. :)

And btw, slightly over-driving an LED isn't going to hurt it all THAT much... Corbin's KP is basically over-driving a Lux V. It's very nice, very bright!

Tzod
06-14-2007, 01:30 PM
I'm completely new to all of this stuff. I don't know how to solder or anything about electronics for that matter. I decided, however, to buck up and give making my own saber a try. Especially when I found out that Erv is backed up about 9 months for making people complete customs hehe.

The tutorials have been great and this thread has had lots of awesome answers to questions I had about what style of LED to chose.

Let me see if I have this right (forgive my probable improper terminology). LuxIII are easiest to use because they're easier to get the proper power to run them correctly. LuxV are capable of being the brightest but would require more power to achieve said brightness. I'm still kind of confused about K2's, but it sounds like they're also a good alternative. What confuses me is it seems from all the customs talked about and pics posted that most people go with Lux and not K2's...why is this if they're also a good choice for brightness?

Lumens is a measurement of brightness, is this correct? Is it safe to say that the highest listed Lumen number means that particular LED is capable of being the brightest if configured properly? Nova, you say that brightness not only relies on the LED choice but also your ability to properly drive it. Is there a tutorial or any online resource (or even book for purchase) I could use that could help me learn and grasp good battery set-ups etc. so I don't wind up getting a good LED capable of being nice and bright but accidentally bottle-neck it's performance because I don't know anything about powering it? heh. What are the obstacles one faces when wanting to give something a lot of power? Space inside the hilt? Or is it just battery life? There must be something that makes driving the LuxV's difficult, or I'd assume everyone would opt for them over the III's.

As it stands right now I'm leaning towards getting a LuxV, but there's seriously so much I don't understand about this sort of thing that I'm still pretty up in the air and open to suggestion/input. Is there a limit on which LED's are capable of offering the power-up/power-down ignition effects or is that all controlled by the particular driver board?

I know I have a lot of questions, and most of them are probably really noobish so thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond.

vortextwist
06-14-2007, 02:32 PM
well I don't know about batteies and such, but most use the lux3 becouse it was powered faily well by the MR soundboards. K2's just came out not too long ago (i think).

Novastar
06-14-2007, 03:23 PM
Hi Tzod... don't worry about being new. We all were at one point. Besides, *I'M* still learning, and I'm not a wiring genius either. Let's see:


Let me see if I have this right... LuxIII are easiest to use because they're easier to get the proper power to run them correctly.Not necessarily, but if you look at the "forward voltage" that a Lux III requires vs. a Lux V, you'll see why this is GENERALLY the case. :)


LuxV are capable of being the brightest but would require more power to achieve said brightness.More voltage, yes. But less current too! Voltage (6.85v) & current (700ma) are related.


What confuses me is it seems that most people go with Lux and not K2's...why is this if they're also a good choice for brightness?Again, this depends on many things, including the DRIVER. In the case of converting an MR saber--using a K2 is not always the best. Because the MR only provides so much current. Some K2s... want 1500ma... which no MR driver will spit out. So, that is not ideal.

However, a K2 that "wants" 700ma to be at its ideal... that is fine with an MR--probably REALLY nice, actually!


Lumens is a measurement of brightness, is this correct? Is it safe to say that the highest listed Lumen number means that particular LED is capable of being the brightest if configured properly? Nova, you say that brightness not only relies on the LED choice but also your ability to properly drive it. Is there a tutorial or any online resource (or even book for purchase) I could use that could help me learn and grasp good battery set-ups etc. so I don't wind up getting a good LED capable of being nice and bright but accidentally bottle-neck it's performance because I don't know anything about powering it?
http://thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2866
:)


heh. What are the obstacles one faces when wanting to give something a lot of power? Space inside the hilt? Or is it just battery life? There must be something that makes driving the LuxV's difficult, or I'd assume everyone would opt for them over the III's.Look at the tutorials--those are a lot of questions. Some of which you simply need to get experience to find out. You can't expect EVERYTHING to be handed to you... ;)

The final note I'd give is... a Lux V is about $23... a Lux III or K2 is more like $6 or so. If you mess one up (which is possible when you're learning)... which would you prefer to replace?

That being said--there is no reason anything should go CATASTROPHICALLY wrong if you are patient, careful, go one step at a time, and make certain you know what you are doing when you choose to "make a move".

Tzod
06-14-2007, 03:53 PM
Thanks for the great info. I'm getting closer and closer to ordering my parts! :D

Lord Maul
06-14-2007, 04:37 PM
well I don't know about batteies and such, but most use the lux3 becouse it was powered faily well by the MR soundboards. K2's just came out not too long ago (i think).

K2s are actually fairly old. there are threads on them on this site back in '05 talking about their saber making potential :wink:

Tzod
06-14-2007, 10:00 PM
I checked out the link Novastar. Now I see that Lumens are more stating the LED potential and not necessarily exactly what you'll see under any circumstance.

About resistors... From reading the post, I'm under the impression that with a good driver board (which is the board that also has the sound effects, right?) you wouldn't need a resistor. Is this correct? I'm planning on getting one of ervs boards (crystal focus v2) would I be needing a resistor? I guess I just am not sure about the different terminology I'm reading about. I have no idea what a resistors fuction is or a driver board. Are there any simple definitions of these terms here on the site? I've read the 'getting started' section as well as the FAQ and several tutorials but they all seem to assume the person reading has at least a cursory knowledge of the basics (which I do not unfortunately :( ) I suppose I should get some sort of book that has a glossary of electronics terms hehe.

Lastly, I'm about ready to order parts. Is there a particular forum I can use to write my parts list down so people can comment on it and let me know if I made any mistakes and/or make suggestions? I wouldn't want to make my order and come to find out I got parts that aren't compatible...

Jay-gon Jinn
06-14-2007, 10:52 PM
You won't need a resistor with any of the driver boards. you can probably post a list in the welcome forum.