PDA

View Full Version : Color? Cree? UV? What? YAY!



Dregan
10-17-2007, 06:51 AM
So, Kaidomain has Blue (http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3311) and Red (http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3313) Cree XR-E's on 17mm stars! And 3 Watt UV stars (http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3246) @ 410 nm (visable purple light)

They also have a 15 watt white (http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3235) that I'm eyeballing for my headlight project, but 20vf @ 800 mAh is a lot to get, and I can't find a single power supply that can handle that...

Hasid Lafre
10-17-2007, 08:56 AM
Links dont work.

Angelus Lupus
10-17-2007, 09:11 AM
Yes they do

xwingband
10-17-2007, 09:45 AM
Hmm... The UV LED looks pretty spiffy.

I need to find the spec sheet before I rule on the red and blue...

Dregan
10-17-2007, 10:32 AM
At $5, I'll try out a blue. Perhaps someone else can try a red?

I am very anxious to get my hands on that UV, though. The wife has been bugging me for a true purple saber.

Steeljack
10-17-2007, 12:33 PM
At $5, I'll try out a blue. Perhaps someone else can try a red?

What the heck. I'll give it a whirl.


I am very anxious to get my hands on that UV, though. The wife has been bugging me for a true purple saber.

Heh. What is it with the wimmens and the purple? A female friend I'm building a saber for is equally taken with blades at the pink-purple end of the spectrum.

It occurs to me that the nature of any UV LED is such that it's spending some of its energy budget putting out wavelengths that your eye can't directly perceive. I wonder if there's such a thing as a translucent fluorescent purple dye you could apply to some part of your diffusion setup to bring some of that ultraviolet back into the visible spectrum.

Hmmmm...

DACOTA
10-17-2007, 01:49 PM
Oh sure now they have purple leds. :roll: Figures. Anywys thats really cool! It says it can detect fake bills,haa! You can see those ghost images in the bill with just a plain old light bulb.

Novastar
10-17-2007, 05:34 PM
Um... did anyone bother to look at the dimensions/measurements?

This is a good example of... YES... there *ARE* LEDs and lights out there that are WAAAAAY brighter than any "single" Luxeon or whatever...

BUT...

it usually means the thing is much larger in diameter, and naturally has many more "dies" on them.

I mean, essentially "a" high-powered LED is not actually ONE thing, it is usually an array of 9 "dies" or whatever they are called.

Anyhow. Looking forward to seeing what new technologies have to offer, but... I don't really care about LEDs that are 4" x 4" x 4" or whatever. If the specs are wrong, fine... but that is what it says.

xwingband
10-17-2007, 05:39 PM
With the exception of the 15W white he posted the others are the same or smaller footprint compared to the standard luxeon star and also single die LEDs.

Ambo
10-17-2007, 06:43 PM
Hey X, What are the real dangers as far as the UV goes with a blade with Tim's diffuser in? I've tried research on the net about it but I can't see using a saber with sunglasses on....lol

xwingband
10-17-2007, 06:52 PM
IDK... a sun tan. 8)

Do-Clo
10-17-2007, 08:12 PM
Once the uV is filtered through what ever blade diffuser your are using you couldn't even get a decent tan from darn thing let alone any eye hazard

Ambo
10-17-2007, 08:27 PM
Awesome.....thanx guys...was worried bout burning out my eyz ballzez....

neophyl
10-17-2007, 10:55 PM
Of course if you remove the blade DO NOT look at the led or shine it at anyones eyes otherwise you could seriously damage them.

The other thing about alot of plastics is that they do fluoresce under UV light which is why the sabre that uses normal 5mm UV leds is so effective. Im certanly gong to be trying one at at some point.

Dregan
10-18-2007, 06:56 AM
Yeah, I'm anxious to see which material diffuses the best with this - I have just gotten in my supply of UltraBlades, and I have a few TCSS diffuser tubes around as well, (which reminds me, I need to order more soon...)

I think that this will look best going with X-Wing's method of putting the PolyP film inside of a nylon tube, because the tube will (hopefully) flouresce, and the film will keep it even then entire length.

Dregan
10-18-2007, 07:03 AM
And actually, that 15-watt does look like it'll fit in a hilt. I don't even want to think about the power or cooling requirements, though...

I haven't ordered any of those yet, I'm putting off the headlight project a few months. When I do get one (and find a suitable power supply) I'll throw one up a LED blade, just for S&G, and maybe post a pic...

darthdan
10-18-2007, 10:46 AM
I just ordered a red and a UV so we'll see. I'll post pics and comparison pics to a Lux III red.

Dregan
10-19-2007, 06:06 AM
I just noticed that Kai said that a 375 nm version of that UV led was available as well. I think I'll tack that on to my next order, just to see the difference. A lot of people think of 410 as actually outside of UV, but I think it will be perfect for what we want, a purple blade. I think the 375 nm will flouresce more though, and I'd like to see the difference.

supertrogdor
10-19-2007, 07:19 AM
I tried to contact them the other day and still have not heard back regarding the lower wavelenght LEDs... Have you heard anything back dregan?

Dregan
10-23-2007, 05:51 AM
I haven't heard back either. I understand that they were having a DDoS attack (again) and were a little busy recently, so that probably accounts for it.

My UV shipped yesterday, or so I'm told. After it gets here (I try to only have one order open at a time with any vendor) I'll see about the lower wavelength.

supertrogdor
10-23-2007, 07:55 AM
Heard back from them yesterday, they currently only have the 410nM wavelength UVs

Dregan
10-23-2007, 08:02 AM
I think the 410 is going to work better for us anyway, as 375 is barely visable. 410 might not flouresce as much, but will be a brighter purple, which is what I'm going for. I have an UltraBlade that I'm going to pair with this, ought to be pretty decent.

Novastar
10-23-2007, 01:50 PM
Looking forward (voltage) to seeing this! :) hehehh

Even though photos never do these things justice. One of these days, I'll have to see a UVL saber in person.

Dregan
10-24-2007, 07:49 AM
OH! Bad pun alert! Shame, Nova!

Novastar
10-24-2007, 11:00 AM
Considering I didn't know what the hull forward voltage WAS prior to mid-2006... cut me some slack!! :)

hehehehe :wink:

Ambo
10-29-2007, 05:56 PM
im ordering two on the 1st...we will see what i can do with em....

Darth_swarze
10-30-2007, 12:46 AM
12 RGB ORANGE SABER COMPLETED ,LOOK IN TEST CATEGORY OR TO BE PLACED UNder album, "REAL ORANGE"

take a look,i also have a 12 uv led saber,take a look at both,iwasnt huge on the UV cuz it didnt give the purple i wanted ,but ur UV star probly is brighter so it might look better...

supertrogdor
10-30-2007, 07:30 AM
looking forward to seeing more of your work Ambo, you never fail to impress

Dregan
10-30-2007, 08:34 AM
My UV is sitting at the PO waiting for me to pick it up tomorrow. Tim shipped my TCSS parts for this (my wife's) saber already, so I should have pics of a 3-watt UV up soon.

Darth_swarze
10-31-2007, 03:36 AM
YELLOW IS NOW COMPLETED, i did not post any pictures because it was a complete failure,strangly enough the yellow rgb leds are not bright enough to make a blade, pink is next on the list to try,hopefully ill get better results

so id say so far orange has been the best test,uv was also bright enuff,how ever it is a dark colour to begin with, and yellow failed

Dregan
10-31-2007, 05:43 AM
So I picked up my CREE blue and my UV last night. The CREE is a very small form factor - on the 'star' it's small enough to actually fit up inside a blade. I'm not sure how yet, but I will design something to take advantage of this. I haven't lit it up yet, as my office has been pirated by a convelascing cat (who just got 'fixed') but as soon as I can get in there and find a driver to play with, I'll see about some pics.

The UV looks exactly like a Lumileds. Should be a perfect fit.

Chowser
10-31-2007, 08:58 PM
I might buy the blue CREE LED to try on a custom, here's my question:

Is is possible for me to power the Cree LED and get decent brightness by using an MR setup?

Specifically, I want to rip apart a Maul FX because I want to use the switch.

I doubt the rest of the electronics will fit in a Larbel "O" type hilt. I wanted to use the Cree since it is small and bright and the Maul Switch. Gotta figure out how to change the battery supply so it's small enough to fit inside.

I haven't really thought this through yet, just brainstorming now.

xwingband
10-31-2007, 09:19 PM
You still have that "O" or is this a different one (not the one JSS did)?

Yeah, the Larbel's are a pain...

Until there are results posted and they'd have to stellar, hold off. For small spaces a Luxeon Rebel is great. I used those on my Parks Obi TPM and oddly they kick so much butt compared to other LEDs. I ordered the Rebel on PCB from led-tech.de for reference.

valeon
10-31-2007, 10:48 PM
I saw 30 days of night today, and this topic made me think of another use for these...when not being used as a saber, it can be used as Vampire defense!!

Just thinkin in the spirit of Halloween.

alpine
11-01-2007, 03:58 AM
lol thats an awesome idea

Chowser
11-01-2007, 05:40 AM
It's another Larbel "O". I don't know who wired it this one up, it's not in good shape.

I'm going to gut it entirely.

I have some Cree blue/red samples enroute.

I do have a Fenix P3D flashlight that has a white Rebel LED in it, it's pretty bright.

I guess first thing is to gut the hilt out and take measurements.

here's some pics of the mess I have:

www.geocities.com/bhpd1412

darthdan
11-03-2007, 06:36 AM
My order finally came yesterday! The red is ok. It's brighter than a lux III, but not by much. Evened out my blade but didn't blow me away. Still, an upgrade is an upgrade.

The UV one they sent me was DOA unfortunately. Couldn't even get it to flicker. So, now i spose I'll wait another three weeks or so to get another one in. Hope the rest of you guys' work.

Dregan
11-06-2007, 07:52 AM
My soldering gun crapped out on me (magic blue smoke got out)

As soon as I get to TV Hut to get their new adjustable soldering station I'll whip this together and get some pics up.

The blue, BTW, didn't blow me away. It *might* be brighter than a III, but not noticably.

Chowser
11-16-2007, 10:29 PM
Hey Dregan, which resistor did you use?

Anyone know if the regular MR FX Board can power the CREE?

Dregan
11-19-2007, 07:30 AM
I used a 350 mAh constant current driver board (also from KaiDomain - the same ones I use to make big solar lights)

It's about the same as what I get out of a LuxIII in royal blue. If you're teetolaing over power consumption, then I'd reccomend it. Otherwise, I'd stick with what we already know.


The UV though, that is BRIGHT. I know I keep promising, but I will have pics soon, I swear.


(PS - I got you PM, but I replied here so other people can see the information)

Zero Unit
12-05-2007, 05:20 PM
Where be those pictures? :P

I was investigating UV LEDs, including the one mentioned here, and I stumbled across this:

http://www.ledengin.com/ledengin_products-dataLZ.html

5W, 10W, and 15W LEDs, in Blue, Royal (Dental) Blue, Green, Red, White, and UV (405nm peak).

Here's the data sheet for the 5W UVs:
http://www.ledengin.com/products/5wLZ/LZ1-00UA05.pdf

My question is: are there any optics for it?

Anyone want to give one of these a spin (if optics can be located or if existing ones will fit)?

X
12-05-2007, 10:25 PM
Has anyone tried using red or blue cellophane with a red or blue led. Or put both red and blue cellophane with a white LED? I'm really new at all this.

Ghostbat
12-05-2007, 10:37 PM
Has anyone tried using red or blue cellophane with a red or blue led. Or put both red and blue cellophane with a white LED? I'm really new at all this.

If you don't mind the loss of brightness you can do all kinds of crazy things with filters. A lot of us are bright-junkies so the thought kind of icks us, but I have seen really good results from doing so and if you need an odd color and don't want to deal with rgb luxeon color mixing it's the way to go.

Hasid Lafre
12-05-2007, 11:08 PM
Yeah color diffusing a colored led wont work very well. its gonna be crap.

Colored celophane or polyP with a whit led like the p4 led is an awsome idea cause during the day it will look colored and still light up colored when on.

I may try this someday.

Chowser
01-23-2008, 04:33 PM
what's the best way to mount the 17mm star CREE?

It won't fit on the regular sized heatsink

xwingband
01-23-2008, 04:41 PM
Thermal tape or epoxy. Tape is easier and a better bet to prevent grounding out. Sometimes computer stores will carry the tape for video or RAM heatsinks.

darthdan
02-02-2008, 08:00 AM
So I put one of the UV led's from kaidomain in a saber and I was significantly not blown away. I overdrove it considerably, putting 6V and 2A straight to it, and it was not even as bright as a Lux3. It did have kind of a cool effect though. I used a thickwalled blade with Tim's diffuser and it made the saber kind of blueish purple. The diffuser showed purple, but the blade itself(the polycarb) turned blue. So it was kinda weird. Not great brightness-wise, but interesting.

Ghostbat
02-02-2008, 08:11 PM
So I put one of the UV led's from kaidomain in a saber and I was significantly not blown away. I overdrove it considerably, putting 6V and 2A straight to it, and it was not even as bright as a Lux3. It did have kind of a cool effect though. I used a thickwalled blade with Tim's diffuser and it made the saber kind of blueish purple. The diffuser showed purple, but the blade itself(the polycarb) turned blue. So it was kinda weird. Not great brightness-wise, but interesting.

Most of the light in those is in the UV range so most of it's "brightness" is not visible to the human eye.

Be careful though, the light is still there and it is bouncing off the back of your eye without your eye being able to defend itself. You can do real damage to your eye with these things so please read up on them thoroughly and try not to look at the bare LED. I don't know enough to say whether or not the blades diffusion is enough to protect you but I suspect it might be. I have brought this up before and I will probably bring it up again because I would feel like a complete jerk if I didn't and someone screwed up their eyes.

I got close to messing myself up with some standard UV LEDs, not nearly as powerful as these. Fortunately a friend of mine who works more with electronics warned me in time to leave me with a nasty headache and dry feeling eyes and not retinal scarring.

My disclaimer: I am not an expert on this, just passing on the warning I am very glad I got. I'm also not trying to say "don't play with UV LEDs" I am just trying to say know the dangers, read up on them, and then play safe.

Darth_DevilGuy
02-02-2008, 09:46 PM
UV LED's are interesting, but honestly I don't think they'll pan out for sabers, as ghostbat said most of their output is in the UV range, what you see as purple light is actually excess energy, most of the power goes into light you can't even see.

Hasid Lafre
02-03-2008, 02:52 PM
I dont htink these leds put off enought lv light to effect your vision or they would have to sell them with a warning bigger than life.

Ghostbat
02-04-2008, 10:15 AM
I dont htink these leds put off enought lv light to effect your vision or they would have to sell them with a warning bigger than life.

A great many sources can be found but here's a good one: http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/leduv.htm

Here is the text of their warning:



Again I must emphasize, protect your eyeballs when using one of these LEDs. You only get one set of eyes - and if you wreck them, you can't just go down to the local seven-eleven and buy a can of them.
Here is one simple way you can do this:

Most sunglasses and some prescription eyeglasses have some degree of UV protection already; to determine if yours do or not, aim the LED at something that clearly fluoresces (such as those neon green & orange stickers that occasionally show up on your mail, day-glow orange price tags, or painted portions of a blacklight poster), positioning the LED so the object in front of it glows (fluoresces) brightly from the ultraviolet light. Then put the glasses between the face of the LED and the target. If the glow stops or dims dramatically, the glasses are stopping the UV and you can use them as eye protection at least for short-term use.
However, if the glow remains or dims only slightly, look for another pair.

In any case, never look directly at the LED without eye protection - not even for a minute.

Symptoms of UV exposure may not appear immediately; they can be delayed by 30 minutes to several hours. They can include a burning or "sand in the eyes" sensation, and a hazy look around light bulbs and other bright objects. Mild cases are self-correcting within 24 to 36 hours; however if despite my warnings you still stared at the LED from close range for more than a few minutes, it might not be a bad idea to see an eye doctor and tell him you've been exposed to UVA radiation.

DISCLAIMER: I shall not be held responsible for any damage or loss of eyesight arising from your use or misuse of the information on this page. Thank you for listening.


Good general UV safety info can be found here:
http://wolfstone.halloweenhost.com/Lighting/blttip_BlackLightTips.html#Safety

Here's the warning information from one company that manufactures UV LEDs: http://www.thefoxgroupinc.com/uv-warning.html

Seriously, I'm not pulling this out of my rear, and I had a -very- bad day because I didn't know this before I started playing around with UV LEDs, it was only a timely warning by a better educated user than I that I avoided serious lasting problems.

I still use them, and they do awesome things, but now I don't experiment with the bare LED unless I am wearing appropriate goggles.

xwingband
02-04-2008, 11:05 AM
I need to put in an order to led-tech.de. They have the green, red and blue seoul's.

The greens are honestly the most worth it. 182 for the P4 version (1A), and they stock the 145 lumen green Rebels (700mA).

Anyone want to split an order to help make the shipping easier for both of us? :D

Hasid Lafre
02-04-2008, 02:55 PM
X if I had the cash I would spring for a green in a heart beat. But sadly I got a hilt to finish before I can think of getting a different led.

LAN-ED-TUL
02-04-2008, 11:02 PM
so can you use a puck to drive one of those? if so which one? the smaller one?

and what kinda money we talkin bout for a split order?

will they use the TCSS blader holer and heatsink setups?


reason i ask, is my MHS hilt has a quick connect at the led, and im running a LV green, on a puck. and wondered if i couldnt just get another heatsink plate, and swap the leds and that be it, whenever i want to.

Chowser
02-05-2008, 07:11 AM
looks like about $12 each before shipping.


Will an MR Soundcard power the Seoul's normally?

I'm using a 4 AAA battery pack to power an MR soundcard with a Lux III right now.

xwingband
02-05-2008, 10:13 AM
Yup, Both the Rebel and Seoul go fine on an MR... like usual it's not really maxed, but the efficiency still gets more out of it.

It's 8 Euro for the Seoul's and 5 for the Rebels. Rebels need special optics (or just a holder, it depends) and the Seoul's don't.

I wouldn't mind a split bill because if I order more than a dozen or so they want to charge me 24 Euro for shipping and that really sucks.

Chowser
02-05-2008, 04:05 PM
I guess I'll start. I'll be down for 2 Seouls, one in red, and one in green.

Darth_DevilGuy
02-05-2008, 04:35 PM
I'm down for a seoul red and maybe a rebel, do they sell the optics for a rebel? also wondering how to make a rebel emit two of the three colors.

xwingband
02-05-2008, 06:44 PM
I'm down for a seoul red and maybe a rebel, do they sell the optics for a rebel? also wondering how to make a rebel emit two of the three colors.

They have single, but not triple Rebel optics. They have PCBs to make a tri-rebel that is nicer than an Endor, but you'd have to reflow solder them. My sucess on that has sucked big time.

Darth_DevilGuy
02-05-2008, 07:37 PM
They have single, but not triple Rebel optics. They have PCBs to make a tri-rebel that is nicer than an Endor, but you'd have to reflow solder them. My sucess on that has sucked big time.
yeah no, I'm a neat hand with a soldering iron, but not that neat. still getting some seouls for the high lumens for their amperage is good, maybe I'll go with a white seoul with a filter for my purple blade then.

LAN-ED-TUL
02-05-2008, 10:31 PM
whats 8 euros in US dollars? and still would like to know if one of those can be swapped out using the MHS setup, in a MHS hilt, not anything to do with MR hilts. i got a puck driver running the LV green thats in there now.

Lord Maul
02-05-2008, 10:32 PM
I'd go in on a green, red, and blue Cree LED :cool:

xwingband
02-06-2008, 06:20 AM
whats 8 euros in US dollars? and still would like to know if one of those can be swapped out using the MHS setup, in a MHS hilt, not anything to do with MR hilts. i got a puck driver running the LV green thats in there now.

Yes. The Seoul's are direct swaps for star luxeons.

google says 8 euro is almost $12.

Novastar
02-06-2008, 03:38 PM
I'm game for one or two just to help the effort & bulk buy...

Although as we've discussed in e-mail, X... I've no idea if these would help, hinder, or be "neutral" for my purposes. I don't know much about the differences, but... what better way to learn than to jump in and try it. :)

So... again, I'm game to send you $30 or so to cover 2 + ship if you like. No promises that I'll figure out what the heck to do, but... hey, we have a forum of help here, huh? :)

Chowser
02-06-2008, 06:42 PM
I'll send you $30 also. Just let me know if you need it before you make the order or I will just send it in after the weekend. I had to order new checks because my baby messed up my checks :)

LAN-ED-TUL
02-07-2008, 02:04 AM
hmmm, so the setup i got in my MHS right now, a puck driving a LV green, i could just swap it for the seoul led, and nothing else i have to do?

and 12 bucks, plus whatever for shipping? thats not bad if it is brighter than the LV green i got now.

xwingband
02-07-2008, 01:13 PM
hmmm, so the setup i got in my MHS right now, a puck driving a LV green, i could just swap it for the seoul led, and nothing else i have to do?

and 12 bucks, plus whatever for shipping? thats not bad if it is brighter than the LV green i got now.

That's what direct swap means...

On paper the Seoul is putting out 182 lumens. Based on other Seoul LEDs I'm thinking it's not BS and should be one bright saber and at least comparable to a V. Even if it's ONLY comparable then you gained a ton of runtime because it needs half as much voltage.

Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie
02-07-2008, 08:42 PM
Put me down for a green P4, but let me get a few things straight first. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I see from Erv's site that it should work with the CF 3.0. Cool.

It will mount just like the Luxeons, and will use the same optics.

LED-Tech recommends the use of heat conducting paste. I'll have to try to find some locally, and buy a bottle of it, just to use a drop or two. Oh well, no biggie.

They state the max lumens at 240. Would this be over-driven, and shorten its life, or can it be run safely at that level. Can this be achieved with the CF?

If they cost about $12, how much will you charge to ship one to me in Canada? Do you take Paypal, or do I send a check or money order?

That's all the questions I can think of, but as soon as I shut off the computer, and my head hits the pillow, I'll remember something that I meant to ask.

xwingband
02-07-2008, 08:56 PM
Hey, everyone let's go off board. e-mail is in the profile.

Zero Unit
02-08-2008, 02:31 PM
Just curious, does anyone have pictures of a UV blade, in the dark?

Darth_DevilGuy
02-08-2008, 02:50 PM
doclo made one, but it had a BUNCH of emitters

Darth_DevilGuy
02-08-2008, 02:53 PM
Hey, everyone let's go off board. e-mail is in the profile.

sry for the double post, but the email link in your profile won't allow me to send, is it the same as the contact for your incom sabers website?

xwingband
02-08-2008, 03:29 PM
oopsie daisy... forgot I had switched off the recieving e-mail option. I got tired of random people e-mailing me about stuff if they weren't a member. Should be visible now... same address as my site anyways.

Novastar
02-08-2008, 08:22 PM
I see from Erv's site that it should work with the CF 3.0. Cool.

It will mount just like the Luxeons, and will use the same optics.

LED-Tech recommends the use of heat conducting paste. I'll have to try to find some locally, and buy a bottle of it, just to use a drop or two. Oh well, no biggie.

They state the max lumens at 240. Would this be over-driven, and shorten its life, or can it be run safely at that level. Can this be achieved with the CF?For the record, nearly ANY kind of LED will work with Corbin's board, Erv's board... or really ANY LED driver.

The real trick is--what is the max output of the board and/or what does it output singularly. Corbin's essentially drives at 1A (1000ma). Erv's can be modified to accept a large range of "driving", and the max is 1.5A (1500ma, can be configured to drive from 0ma to 1500ma--your choice!).

Then, there is the matter of forward voltage. Some LEDs (not ones that this community is used to) will take 16v or 32v!!! Those are usually HUGE arrays anyhow though. The point is... an LED can have a forward voltage of anything--depends on its design...

The LEDs most all of us will be using... fall into a range from forward voltage of 3v-9v. 9v being something like a Rebel Triad, which is HIGHLY unlikely to be used at present... at least for sabers. Maybe as the years progress.

HEAT CONDUCTING PASTE. This is basically like the kind of heatsink paste that is put in between a CPU and its corresponding heatsink. Basically, it is sort of "bridging" the heat between the two, and the sink tries to "draw" away the heat from the CPU...

The same concept applies here for LEDs. Heatsink paste/goop/whatever you call it... is a good idea. Is it *ALWAYS* necessary? Probably not. But, what's the issue with using it? It's inexpensive and probably increases the life of your LED and helps to better distribute heat. It's like not buying the "safety widget" for $1. Why NOT use it? It certainly doesn't hurt...

As to the specs of 240 lumens... as long as the factory specs claim this at a certain current (such as 1000ma or 1500ma), and they call it the "max continuous current"... you should be plenty fine. In fact, if you use Erv's driver... and use the "flicker" options... the LED will almost never be "constantly" at the max anyhow... and therefore, your LED is going to last longer, and not be prone to burn out.

Whew! :)

Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie
02-08-2008, 09:27 PM
Thanks for the help. I'm trying to figure stuff out for myself and not be too noobular, but I'm still going to need help with this saber when it comes to the advanced stuff.

I agree that the thermal paste is cheap insurance. I'll see if the computer store in the mall carries it.

LAN-ED-TUL
02-09-2008, 12:49 AM
i emailed you X. im down for one green one. info all sent to via email.

xwingband
02-20-2008, 08:10 AM
I'll try to get to everyone in e-mails but the Green Seoul I got a sample of was disappointing as ever. Hardly better than a K2... very lame. As a III replacement I guess it'd be good, but it's no V replacement.

I'm going to try the Rebel and I'll make the call if it'd be better to switch and order that or simply call off the order all together. No point in a bulk order unless people simply want to see what one looks like, lol.

Novastar
02-20-2008, 03:09 PM
Ooh. Good call, X. Wise decision as always.

Yeah, I'm with you--if it doesn't offer SOME kind of "upgrade" benefit... why go through all the trouble to buy the same kind of product from afar... when we can do so at home.

Thanks for all the hard work looking into it though.

*SIGH* What a bummer.

LAN-ED-TUL
02-20-2008, 05:01 PM
been without a phone line for a week and just now got it back. sorry to hear the cree wasnt up to par. just keep us all informed on the progress of your search.

and a huge thank you to you for all the trouble and time involved.

Chowser
02-22-2008, 09:10 AM
ditto, keep me updated as well :)

I might do a red and blue instead.

Malaki Skywalker
02-23-2008, 09:13 AM
Xwing, have you tried these guys?

http://www.led1.de/shop/index.php?cName=luxeon-power-leds-luxeon-rebel-star-c-111_221

xwingband
02-23-2008, 12:55 PM
Maliki, nope. There shipping seems reasonable though. That's a slightly lower bin though.

For the rest... I compared the Rebel to a V. I think they're comparable given that the Rebel is at 1A and the V at 700mA.

Here's a quick pic. Right is V at 1A and Left is Rebel at 1A. The V does edge it out but it's not a run away. At 700mA the V is very on par.

Obviously I don't have a tripod and I just proped it on my messy desk, but it's the same camera settings in the same room which eliminates a few variables.

http://www.incomsabers.com/images/rebvcomp.jpg

I'll update the e-mails tomorrow. If it happens I'd go for Rebels and not the Seoul/Cree, they are harder to work with though given the different setup.

Malaki Skywalker
02-23-2008, 12:58 PM
So how bright are we looking at 1.5A?

Malaki Skywalker
02-23-2008, 01:03 PM
Oh and would a hot air station work for mounting rebels to stars?

xwingband
02-23-2008, 01:16 PM
I'm not going to push the Rebel to 1.5A. That's well above the specs.

I have no idea how well a hot air soldering station would work... It still isn't that helpful to have a star. The optics are just plain stupid. They get in the way of wires. They're also shorter and unless you can push it up tighter like with the 1.25" holder or Obi kit that needs to be shimmed.

Malaki Skywalker
02-23-2008, 01:20 PM
I'm not going to push the Rebel to 1.5A. That's well above the specs.

I have no idea how well a hot air soldering station would work... It still isn't that helpful to have a star. The optics are just plain stupid. They get in the way of wires. They're also shorter and unless you can push it up tighter like with the 1.25" holder or Obi kit that needs to be shimmed.

Thats a pain you can't go up to 1.5A, would modifacation help with the optic? :?

xwingband
02-23-2008, 01:27 PM
Yeah, that's what I've been doing. Some hobby files and an exacto.

How's it a pain to not go to 1.5A? Higher current is better than higher voltage, but I'd still rather have efficiency. That's why I like Rebels... more with less.

Malaki Skywalker
02-23-2008, 01:38 PM
Yeah, that's what I've been doing. Some hobby files and an exacto.

How's it a pain to not go to 1.5A? Higher current is better than higher voltage, but I'd still rather have efficiency. That's why I like Rebels... more with less.

Oh i see, didn't think of that one

Hasid Lafre
02-23-2008, 09:10 PM
But what about even more with more?

:D

DACOTA
03-03-2008, 03:50 PM
Sorry if I missed this, but does anyone have a lumen rating on the 3w uv led mentioned in the first post of this thread?

This led- http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3246

Klaatu
03-12-2008, 05:13 PM
SO all in all the Purple(uv) wasnt worth it?
also any pics of the purple "in action"?

Zero Unit
03-12-2008, 09:36 PM
Actually, there is a thread on the FX forums on UV blades. It is quite promising, but getting a hold of a powerful UV emitter is something of a problem thus far.

http://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=11044.15

Atomic
03-13-2008, 08:23 AM
I have ordered the UV LED that Dacato referenced. I plan to hook it up with a TCSS heatsink and optics and we'll see. At a guess, it's going to be the type of saber that looks great in the dark or very low light, but will be below average in lit conditions.

DarthFender
03-13-2008, 04:03 PM
Sorry if I missed this, but does anyone have a lumen rating on the 3w uv led mentioned in the first post of this thread?

This led- http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3246


Dakota,

I could be mistaken, but I don't think UV lights are measured in lumen. Lumen are a measure for visible light, UV is not considered to be in the visible spectrum. What you do see is the bottom on the wave the just hits violet in the visible spectrum. You can compare the mW output rating and compare to say a royal blue LUX. just remember that Royal blue will always look brighter at the same mW output rating because more of its light is in the violet and blue visible spectrum.

LeMoel
03-17-2008, 06:13 AM
Ive made a Uv practice lightsaber out of 11 uv leds and to me UV is just not purple, its more of a dark blue wiht a tad of purple in it heres the pic.

it actually looks more like purple in the light then it does in the dark to me

Novastar
03-17-2008, 07:38 AM
I hear ya... for the record, the Royal Blue Lux III I put into the Alexandra Novastar saber (seen in BOP II)... always had a dark blue + purple look to it in my thinking.

But yeah--I think sometimes Purple and Violet get mixed around in my mind... and besides... ultra-violet... uh... is violet... not purple.

So although it's true a "Mace Windu" colored saber is purple... UV and Royal Blue will just never really "do that" in *MY* opinion. Doesn't mean I'm "right or wrong"... it's just how I see it.

All I think is cool is the variance from saber color to saber color. Even having a more "blue-green" vs. a "green-blue" would be cool! You know, playing with bin colors and all.

But that's pretty hard since you'd need to order... what... 100 or more? 1000 or more? ...to control/request the bin? Something like that. :)

xwingband
03-17-2008, 08:45 AM
Funny you mention the Royal Blue with a purple hue... my Royal Blue K2 has a noticable purple hue when igniting.

chase
03-17-2008, 09:39 AM
So does mine. Everyone that saw it on Halloween just said it was purple.

LeMoel
03-17-2008, 10:55 AM
Through my eyes I see the Mace windu purple as a "magneta" purple . Theres so many different kinds of purple that it makes it tough,and some just like a purple a certain way either if its like Mace windu's or not.

DACOTA
03-28-2008, 10:51 AM
The purple uv led doesnt look to bright, but that could just be human eyes. I like to think of it as not being dim but just lazy, its a lazy color. It looks similar to a white led with the special h.k lavender filter from lee filters.

Zero Unit
03-28-2008, 10:30 PM
What was the primary wavelength on that LED though? What is needed is something closer to 405nm than 390nm.

Novastar
03-29-2008, 01:40 AM
You are correct... here's something I got from a NASA science-ish website:

"The visible violet light has a wavelength of about 400 nm. Within the visible wavelength spectrum, violet and blue wavelengths are scattered more efficiently than other wavelengths. The sky looks blue, not violet, because our eyes are more sensitive to blue light (the sun also emits more energy as blue light than as violet)."

"Fascinating." -- Mr. Spock

:)

Found here: http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/EDDOCS/Wavelengths_for_Colors.html#violet

I will keep that "yellow is 570nm" in mind. Getting close to that would be a gem of a find in an "amber" LED... :)