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Leigh
01-27-2008, 01:09 AM
I'm hoping someone will help me here, I want to build a luxeon saber & I want to use the brightest led I can get my hands on, I'd like the option of being able to run high voltage (7+v) with lithium ion if need be & I want a quality sound.
Ive looked at a few posts regarding the CF & it looks like the sort of thing I'm after, But I dont want to have a complicated saber, I want to just switch it on & it to work just like a MR board, I dont want to be messing around with funny hello's & sound fonts etc when I switch on.
Sound wise I'm intending to hunt down a top quality speeker & mount it in an enclosure for best results, Space inside the hilt is also going to be tight.
As far as functions I'm building an Anakin style hilt & want to use a latching switch to power on/off on the activation block & a clash/lock momentry switch where the red button would be, The hilt wont be a modded MR Ani FX it'll be machine made & a fair bit smaller.
Basicly I'm a bit confused regarding the CF as it seems I have to connect it to the PC & upload sounds & go through menu's & such which is all very confusing, I'm not very good with computers & modern technology hence the question will I get what I'm after with a CF??

Lord Maul
01-27-2008, 01:20 AM
You do need to upload sound files to your CF, and you do need to calibrate it. However, once those initial steps are done, CF is a user friendly board. Just turn it on and play.

It all depends on how much you want to learn. Go with a CF and you'll need to read the entire manual, and work the computer. It is the only board (with sound) that has a C&L effect, so if you want that, you gotta get CF.

The other decent sound card is Ultrasound, but it does not have a Axillary button, and thus isn't nearly as good as CF.

Leigh
01-27-2008, 01:30 AM
I see, So I take it the CF comes with everything I would need to get started as in a manual & something so that the PC recognises it etc? I do struggle a fair bit with modern technology, For example I have a cell phone that has the option to take pics, movies & it has bluetooth, But I dont have a clue how to use any of it, I'm hopeless with this side of things & I need someone to explain things as if they were talking to a 4 year old not a 34 year old.
Basicly I need a little spoon feeding to narrow things down a bit, theres so much info

Dark Helmet
01-27-2008, 02:05 AM
ok, first thing is, do you want to make a replica saber? if so, the ultraboard will be all you need, much easier to install, and cheaper. if you want to make your saber TRULY your own, you need a cf. unfortunatly, you really can't be spoonfed too much, since the customising is done based on personal preferences.but the cf does come pre-loaded with sounds/functions you can use, but unless you are willing to learn how to manipulate these factors, you will be pretty much screwed.don't worry too much tho, many of us are building fonts and files to operate these in ways that can take the work out of it for you! then we can post the files/instructions for you.... so if you want to mess with the sound a bit, just wait until one of us have the one you want, or just go the easy route and get the ultra! we all have a passion to build the best sabers we can... some of us are better at certain aspects of this than others, so we have to look out for eachother when it comes to sharing info and asking for help! i hope i've helped you make your decision on your build, and good luck!

Hasid Lafre
01-27-2008, 02:11 AM
You will need an sd card reader. unless your computer or printer has an sd card reader.

Leigh
01-27-2008, 02:19 AM
Ahhh, So it comes with some pre loaded sounds, Thats the sort of info I'm after.
So I can efectivly plug n play but if I want to personalise it I have to hook it up to the PC, Cool! I am willing to learn & want to, I just struggle taking it in with software.
I've just read up on the manual online & I was doing fine untill he started on about perameters & such, At least I now know if I buy one I'll have something to get me started & I can learn more once I have it set up.
It doesnt say anything about the price on his site & availability?

Leigh
01-27-2008, 02:21 AM
SD card reader?? I can plug my camera into the PC to down load pics, I take it it's a similar thing?

Hasid Lafre
01-27-2008, 02:30 AM
Is your camera pluged into your pc by a cable?

This is an SD Card reader

http://www.plecterlabs.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=64&osCsid=3ff5ab1af034efa314aad5c5f007b8dd

Leigh
01-27-2008, 02:40 AM
Yeh USB jobbie, That reader's nice n cheep, I take it I can down load the software I need from the net?

Dark Helmet
01-27-2008, 02:55 AM
yup, plectorlabs.com has fonts available for download, and novastar has made a ton of brilliant fonts you can dl, he does however spend a lot of time and money doing this, so it would be courteous to donate to BOP... you can find the link on any of his postings... it does help to further us all in making perfect sabers....plus, he did share his hard work....

Leigh
01-27-2008, 03:08 AM
Of course I dont mind donating. By sofware I meant to access the SD card ,Also does anybody know a rough price for the CF?

And thanks guys I already know much more than I did earlier & feel a bit more confident about what to go for now :)

Dark Helmet
01-27-2008, 03:17 AM
Erv still has no idea how much it will be, it depends on the company building it, this is the first time it's been built on a major level, so without an idea of how many he will sell before his stock sells out/he adds better functions, the price depend on demand, the old ones were about $160 or so......so i would look for an increase due to the fees he has to make up for mass production. he did say he would eat part of the cost if it got too high, but you can only do so much... so even at $200 it would be well worth doing, i don't see it going past that.

Dark Helmet
01-27-2008, 03:32 AM
on another note, you can get a sound mixer from plectorlabs to play with your sound levels, and if you download audacity you can create sounds for it, the next problem is importing wav files as raw, i'm still looking for that program.....i really do stink when it comes to advise, as much as i can tell you, i still need help.....anyone?

Hasid Lafre
01-27-2008, 03:49 AM
It will prolly be the same price its been seeing as erv has went back to making them himself sence hes getting the run around fr om companys.

Darth Morbius
01-27-2008, 07:15 AM
Of course I dont mind donating. By sofware I meant to access the SD card ,Also does anybody know a rough price for the CF?

And thanks guys I already know much more than I did earlier & feel a bit more confident about what to go for now :)

As far as accessing the SD card files. It's pretty much plug and play as long as you are on a windows machine with a USB port on it. All configuration files are done in notepad.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ This is where you can get Audacity. It has all the features you ned to import RAW data and save it in the proper format and settings to load into the SD card sound bank files.

Before you commit to purchasing, it is recommended that you peruse the pdf manuals in the documentation section at the Plecter Labs website.

There is a LOT of information to digest in the user manual, and it SHOULD be read before attempting an installation of the CF.

Novastar
01-29-2008, 03:21 AM
Of course I dont mind donating. By sofware I meant to access the SD card ,Also does anybody know a rough price for the CF?

And thanks guys I already know much more than I did earlier & feel a bit more confident about what to go for now :)Thanks Leigh... I will look forward to any kind of donation, and be more than happy to help answer questions regarding CF...

Erv should have a few ready-to-go in a short amount of time. He posts regularly, and you should feel just fine about contacting him. Unlike some places with customer support--Erv is MORE than happy to help his customers out!

Leigh
01-29-2008, 02:26 PM
Cheers, I will be looking to get one in the next two months And some bits from the shop. I've just started my prototype saber hilt & will be looking to build it up completely before I go spending money on expensive metals so I'll be needing a CF soon.
Do I have to register with Erv's site to order?
And how does one donate??
I'll get the CF first Then do some studying on how to use it etc then go from there yeh?

Novastar
01-29-2008, 03:06 PM
You do not have to register to order as far as I know... but it certainly would help, as when CF gets back in stock--you'll be advised.

Donating to my company would simply mean following the links below in my signature--to my website. Scroll down a bit, and you'll see little Paypal "donate" buttons.

As to setting CF up, well--it won't really be all that tough... especially if I'm able to get all of my sound fonts working, complete with solid configuration files, menu sounds and all that. Essentially, users who don't WISH to mess with the sounds and configure things... shouldn't have to deal with it much until they are ready... or... again, never if they do not wish to do so.

Leigh
01-29-2008, 11:00 PM
Yeh I dont want to go too mad with different sounds, I'm really after a few really good quality saber sounds like an Anakin, Vader, Luke etc.
I'm going to put some effort into a speeker enclosure as long as I can fit it all inside the hilt, unfortunatly its the external measurments that are a priority so it may be difficult to fit every thing in.
All the hardware's being made from scratch hence the prototype, means I can make adjustments & alterations within the hilt accordingly.


I was wandering weather I should start a new thread on the build including pics etc, Though the build will probably take a while I could update as I go, What do you think??

Novastar
01-30-2008, 01:45 AM
Well, you can preview some of the "ready-made" sound fonts that myself and others have created at the plecterlabs site. It's hard to tell, but look for the small icons next to each listed font. One will download the package, another will play a "preview" or "pre-listen" if you will--of a given sound font.

It is possible you might find a font you like there. The only "movie-ish" fonts I've designed are for Episode IV and Episode II. Neither of which are *TOTALLY* insanely "accurate". I am always creative so that my fonts have a certain flare and feel, and don't really sound identical to everything else. Also, I don't normally like to copy Ben Burtt's sounds EXACTLY as is. There is something to be said for creativity, lol!

I would indeed begin a new thread for your saber should you wish to discuss it further, as "Question about CF" is not really relevant! Also--post this in a section that seems more "logical"... such as in Misc., or LED Blades or something. :)

Count Malik
01-30-2008, 10:26 PM
I have a question too, dose CF come with a sd card? didn't know. Thanks

Lord Maul
01-30-2008, 10:31 PM
CF comes with the SD card.

sfer1
03-07-2008, 10:51 AM
I have a couple of questions.

The first one is about the required resistor for wiring the low battery LED.
The manual says: "The board outputs a 3.3V level on the low battery ouput and can drive 20 mA maximum. For a classic 3 or 5mm LED with a 1.6V (red) to 1.8V (green, yellow) forward voltage and 10 mA, the required resistor will be :
RLow-power LED = (Vboard – VLow-power LED) / ILow-power LED
RLow-power LED = (3.3 - 1.6) / 0.01
RLow-power LED = 170 Ω"
Would the board still output a 3.3V level on the low battery ouput if I used 7.2V battery pack? The low batt threshold for these packs would be 5.6V.

My second question is: what are the "standard" Luxeon LED parameters?

Thanks in advance.

xwingband
03-07-2008, 11:53 AM
Yes, the accent LEDs all will put out 3.3V. They use a regulated output fromt he main chip.

The standard output on the SD card when it ships is the 1A equivalent. I forget the exact number...

grayven
03-07-2008, 01:31 PM
xwingband

Was it you that Erv said had tried a hot LED swap with the CFv3? If so I got some questions for ya,

Thanks
Grayven

xwingband
03-07-2008, 02:37 PM
Plenty have... you can't really "hot swap" though. You need to reboot to do it right.

grayven
03-07-2008, 04:18 PM
Can I use a Rebel RGB and a Dip switch setup like I did on the Construction kit. If you have not sure what I'm talking about here is a link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFMIEgncsnI

I believe the CF board Is more a current driver then the MR which is more of a voltage driver,(I could be wrong with that). I only got one and at what they cost I don't want to fry it.

Thanks
Grayven

Novastar
03-07-2008, 06:11 PM
Grayven those are some *AWESOME* tear-down and exampler vids. GREAT work. That should be waaaaay helpful to any folks wanting to get to that newer MR sucker...

As to hot-swapping LEDs with CF... well, in general you should not do this because this is the general way the board figures things out:

* no power, so no data
* boot... CF figures out the fwd voltage of the LED, and STORES THAT INFORMATION for later... (!)
* play around, light 'er up, enjoy, etc. etc.

IF we now hot swap the LED... and the fwd voltage is extremely different (let's say far LOWER than the previous LED)... such as going from:

Lux V (6.85-ish fwd v)... to Lux III (3.9-ish fwd v)...

...you will destroy the new LED because CF has (again) STORED the fwd voltage detected from the previous LED.

It's true that some would say "why do you not poll the fwd v constantly, during the run of the board". Well, simply put, Erv thought it was both a waste of processing time and pretty unnecessary since (for most applications) hot-swapping an LED would be fairly unlikely... and re-booting the board wouldn't be unheard of when DOING such a hot-swap.

Finally--I'm fairly certain that you could "get away with" hot-swapping similar LEDs of similar fwd v... but doing something like a Lux III Red to a Lux III Green would produce some bizarre results. Not to mention the current settings would (usually) need to be changed on the SD card.

Hope it helps.

grayven
03-07-2008, 07:33 PM
Novastar
Thanks for props on the teardown. I working on a complete Multi-Vid rebuild utilizing the dip-switch to get the 11 or so different colors using both Sith and Jedi sounds. Hopefully this weekend I will be done.

Also Thanks for the info on the CF board.
Basically what I want to do is Use the Rebel RGB and a 3 Position dip-switch allowing me drive one or more of the colors, like what I'm doing with the Joe Jedi. I might Have to use Two 3 pole dip-switches and a power extender to do this but, I don't want to fry my board.

Do you mind if I work up a diagram of what I'm talking about and have you give it a look over?


Thanks
Grayven

Novastar
03-08-2008, 12:14 AM
Well, I can tell you honestly that you know FAR more about wiring than someone like myself. I'd be happy to look it over, but... it'd be somewhat akin to me running by my saber/fight choreography with someone who has thrown maybe one or two punches in their life, heheh.

The real issue with using the current CF product with multiple LED dies (aka RGB or whatever) is all about the voltage and current differences. If you're able to use a particular RGB and control everything so that no LED die gets "too much" or ridiculously too little... I think you'd be ok.

I'm probably not saying this as accurately as an engineer, but... even if you get my drift... then it could be made to work!

With any luck, Erv might get involved here and speak more intelligently about the repercussions of driving an RGB (with some control over the colors) with CF.

grayven
03-08-2008, 09:40 AM
Ok so here is basically what I want to do.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/CFwiring.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/CFwiring.jpg



Erv might get involved here and speak more intelligently about the repercussions of driving an RGB

That would be great. I have not yet bothered him with this yet. I know he is a busy man, and sometimes it's better to ask some of the other sabersmiths with this kind of stuff rather than bog him down. However if he happens to stops by and offers his words of wisdom it would be appreciated.


If I have to turn the unit off , select option with setting for the new color setup, then power saber back up; this would be fine.


Thanks Again
Grayven

xwingband
03-08-2008, 07:11 PM
Is the pot to pull down voltage for the red?

A three pole switch will work as long as you reboot it. I forget if the soft reboot will reset the voltage too, but a hard one via a kill switch isn't horrible. It's really no worse than the MR Joe Jedi kit.

grayven
03-09-2008, 12:57 AM
Is the pot to pull down voltage for the red?

Yes. Red really over runs the other colors.

Cool this is what I wanted to here. So I should not have a problem with this setup? Also no problems you can think of with running more than one LED color at the same time, Like i did with the Joe Jedi?

I also got some small RGB that will run off the 3 AUX out puts. I'm going to use those as a crystal glow effect. This way If I run a red blade I will have a red crystal glow, If I run a purple blade I can have a purple crystal glow.

I'm putting all this in to:
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/saberG.jpg

Grayven

Novastar
03-09-2008, 02:47 AM
I'm going to run this all by Erv, Grayven... I mean... sure, he's busy but...

HOLY CARP.... CF sold out in bloody TWO hours.

Hold on to your sound fonts--you won't hear 'em anyway: CF is moving at the speed of LIGHT! Quite literally I suppose... ;)

erv
03-09-2008, 04:09 AM
we have a great idea of LED swapping with the RGB setup here,
and, grayven
you are not bothering me, feel free to contact me. Busy I am, sure, but I can add my 2 cents and try to help to

ok, the dipswitch / 3 position selector is a good idea. I'm not sure however the dipswitches will handle 1.5A or even 350 mA. But oh well, you can test and/or look to the datasheet to see how much current it can handle.

The resistor "emulating" a green/blue forward voltage for a red is a good solution too.
Calculation :
R = (Vf green - Vf red) / Current in the LED
ex : Vf green = 3.7 v / red = 2.8v (check the datasheet) on 350 mA
R = (3.7 - 2.8) / 0.35 = 2.5 ohm

the power dissipation in the resistor will be close to 1w, that's ok, but beware if you are using this with a bigger current, it will heat much.
But it's safe. Other solution just like xwing said : if you reboot / cut the power and start again BEFORE changing the color configuration, you don't need the resistor.

do you have a link / pic to the dipswitch you're planning to use ?

great project !
Erv'

sfer1
03-09-2008, 11:13 AM
Thanks for the reply, xwingband.

I have one more question. According to the manual, I need to get 170 Ohm resistor.

RLow-power LED = (3.3 - 1.6) / 0.01
RLow-power LED = 170 Ω

It doesn't specify the wattage though. How do I calculate it?

DarthFender
03-09-2008, 11:39 AM
I wouldnt worry about the Wattage for the Accent LEDS. 1/4 will cover it.

But to calcualte it..

VLED * LED CURRENT

sfer1
03-09-2008, 12:32 PM
OK, thanks.

I'm having trouble finding a 170 Ohm 1/4 Watt resistor. Would the 150 Ohm or 220 Ohm resistors that TCSS sells work?

xwingband
03-09-2008, 12:44 PM
Radioshack will have sets of 100 and 150 ohm resistors. Yeah, the 1/4 watt ones will do fine.

EDIT: I also want to think about the two LEDs at once... because you'd want them in series.

erv
03-09-2008, 02:11 PM
sfer1, you need to adapt what's in the manual to your RGB LED
First, you need to know what the threshold voltages of the different colors are, and then you need to decide which current you want in the LED.
The example in the manual is... just an example for a classic red led.

wattage : first answer, yes a 1/4 watt will work. However calculation proposed by darth fender is incorrect.
Power dissipated by the resistor = (Vboard - Vled) x current

calculating resistor is never a straight answer....

sfer1
03-09-2008, 02:19 PM
So, if I got xwingband right, even a 100 Ohm resistor would work in place of the 170 Ohm one.

One last question. The Premium Speaker is sold out and it won't be available until mid April. A friend of mine found a round speaker (1.2" diameter by 0.8" deep, 8 Ohm, 3 Watts). This speaker would work fine, wouldn't it?

sfer1
03-09-2008, 02:38 PM
sfer1, you need to adapt what's in the manual to your RGB LED
First, you need to know what the threshold voltages of the different colors are, and then you need to decide which current you want in the LED.
The example in the manual is... just an example for a classic red led.

wattage : first answer, yes a 1/4 watt will work. However calculation proposed by darth fender is incorrect.
Power dissipated by the resistor = (Vboard - Vled) x current

calculating resistor is never a straight answer....
Oops, I missed your reply. Thanks for the explanation.

I ordered a red led from your store. Is the same one from the example in the manual, isn't it?

erv
03-09-2008, 02:54 PM
yep, it's a classic red led, Vf is around 1.6 or 1.65v.
On those classic led, whatever they are slightly different, the voltage does not change much, but only with those which have the colored case, not for the "crystal" ones.

DarthFender
03-09-2008, 07:08 PM
Thanks for the correction, Erv.

erv
03-09-2008, 10:47 PM
please excuse my various spelling mistakes in the various post of yesterday, I was really tired by my day

- darth fender : you're welcome:D

- speaker : I missed the question. Yes, a 8 ohm will do the job. The quality and color of sound is however related to the spectrum the speaker can handle, but if it's a off-the-shelf speaker, you'll have to try it to see if it sounds well or not. If it's a 3W, it might need more power to be driven and to be loud, but that's fine for a test.
Any little speaker, 8 ohm / 1w will do the job

Erv'

grayven
03-10-2008, 03:28 PM
we have a great idea of LED swapping with the RGB setup here,
and, grayven
you are not bothering me, feel free to contact me. Busy I am, sure, but I can add my 2 cents and try to help to

ok, the dipswitch / 3 position selector is a good idea. I'm not sure however
the dipswitches will handle 1.5A or even 350 mA. But oh well, you can test and/or look to the datasheet to see how much current it can handle.

The resistor "emulating" a green/blue forward voltage for a red is a good solution too.
Calculation :
R = (Vf green - Vf red) / Current in the LED
ex : Vf green = 3.7 v / red = 2.8v (check the datasheet) on 350 mA
R = (3.7 - 2.8) / 0.35 = 2.5 ohm

the power dissipation in the resistor will be close to 1w, that's ok, but beware if you are using this with a bigger current, it will heat much.
But it's safe. Other solution just like xwing said : if you reboot / cut the power and start again BEFORE changing the color configuration, you don't need the resistor.

do you have a link / pic to the dipswitch you're planning to use ?

great project !
Erv'

Ok here is the rub.

Switch
Operating voltage 24 VDC max.
Contact rating, static 400 mA max.
Contact rating, dynamic 150 mA max.

Check out the selector switch:
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/ColorSelectSwitch.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/ColorSelectSwitch.jpg

Blade LED
7007-RGB-01-3 Luxeon Rebel Star - Red/Green/Blue Tri-Emitter
LXML-PB01-0018 Luxeon Rebel - Blue, 38 Lumens @ 700mA Lumens
18.1 lm @ 350mA
38 lm @ 700mA
Max Continuous Current 1000 mA
Forward Voltage 3.15 Vf

LXML-PD01-0030 Luxeon Rebel - Red, 65 Lumens @ 700mA
Lumens 30 lm @ 350mA
65 lm @ 700mA
Max Continuous Current 1000 mA
Forward Voltage 2.9 Vf

LXML-PM01-0050 Luxeon Rebel - Green, 95 Lumens @ 700mA
Lumens 50 lm @ 350mA
95 lm @ 700mA
Max Continuous Current 1000 mA
Forward Voltage 3.15 Vf


Auxiliary LEDS
Super High Flux 4 Leg LED RGB @ 20mA
R=2.2vdc Wired to AUX #2
B=3.2vdc Wired to AUX #3
G=3.2vdc Wired to AUX #4

5mm led
Blue Green 3.2vdc @ 20mA Wired to AUX #1


Question can I use a mom switch for the blade on / off?

Thanks

Grayven

DarthFender
03-10-2008, 10:10 PM
Yes you can use a Momentary switch for the main switch. You can get all the information you need about Crystal Focus Saber core from reading the Users Guide at Plecter Labs website.

http://www.plecterlabs.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=31

look for the CF3.0 users guide in the documentation section.

erv
03-11-2008, 01:18 AM
yep, you can use a mom switch. As for the dipswitch you selected, 400 mA max.... mmm... might be hard to drive a rebel full rate...
but as usual, I have another solution... using 3 power extender boards !!! (yeah, I have a direct answer to a problematic !!!!)

Erv'

sfer1
03-11-2008, 07:38 AM
I'm a bit confused about how I'm supposed to wire the saber switch, the Blaster/Lockup/Force button and the low battery LED indicator.

In this diagram, the battery pack isn't wired to the recharge port. The negative wire goes directly from the battery pack to the board.

http://xs225.xs.to/xs225/08112/wiring295.jpg

But then this pic tells me that I have to wire the battery pack to the recharge port, which leaves me with 2 different negative wires.

http://xs125.xs.to/xs125/08112/rechargeport443.jpg

Which one should I wire the saber switch, the Blaster/Lockup/Force button and the low battery LED indicator to?
A) The green wire in the pic that goes from the board to the recharge port.
B) The black wire in the pic that goes from the battery pack to the recharge port.

erv
03-11-2008, 08:50 AM
I have to redo the illustration, to be honnest.
First pic displays only a switch, with a removable battery holder for instance. The switch cuts the + line.

with the recharge port, you don't have a real switch, power cutting is done *inside* the recharge port.
+ of batt pack is going to the + pin of the recharge port AND to the board.
- of the batt pack goes to another pin
- of the board goes to the last pin.

the 2 - are tied inside the recharge port when nothing is inserted, and contact is cut when you insert a plug or a killswitch, disconnecting the board from the battery pack (on the - line only)

Erv'

erv
03-11-2008, 08:55 AM
oups sorry about the second post. So : I found a smart and elegant solution for the RGB setup. No dip switches.
I'll detail that when it's tested but here are the basics :
- selection of the LED you want to use is done in the LEDS.TXT file :rolleyes:
- hence, you choose the LED color sound bank per sound bank, and that *makes sense*
- you have to reboot the saber to select a sound bank, no risk of hot swapping the LED with a dip switch.
- it uses 3 power xtender boards and nothing else
- it will use 3 of the 4 blinking LED outputs.
- it might need a fix in the code cause for now, the blinking LED outputs/pads stay off until the main luxeon has finished to rampup.

Erv'

grayven
03-11-2008, 09:23 AM
This was kind my of first thought. Only I was going to use two xtender, one for Blue (AUX#3) and one for Green(AUX#4). I would then use the standard LED output for the Red but put the Pot in series so I can power the Red down some for better color washing. I would have different files for different colors and sounds.
That would free me up two AUX outputs for mode indication and one for decoration. The one for decoration I was going to wire a rotary switch like I posted, so from one out put I can Fire up the 20mA RGB and match the decorative LED with the blade.

Thanks for all the input and time.

Grayven

erv
03-12-2008, 12:38 AM
since I'm on the way to design CF V4, I'll add a configuration parameter to use this RGB (or any combo of colors) thing. After all, it's a *new* revision of the design, so let's increase the feature number !

grayven
03-12-2008, 06:53 AM
So erv
will my last posted setup work?
Will I still get a fade on / fade off still?
Can I run the extender continuslly?

Thanks
Grayven

erv
03-12-2008, 07:20 AM
I do think it will work, the power xtender can be used all along and you should keep the progressive effect of the blade !
Please summerize everything in a nice schematic and I'll check with you !

grayven
03-12-2008, 12:17 PM
Ok here is the full wiring diagram.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/cfwiring-1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/cfwiring-1.jpg

Thanks Again for your time.

Grayven

erv
03-13-2008, 12:39 AM
good ideas, but not totally correct.
Email me this exact pic, but without any wires (if by chance you kept a multilayer photoshop file for that one), otherwise, I'll try to sketch something anyway !
busy time at work, final review of a european project meeting, + shipping CF, so be patient !
Erv'

grayven
03-13-2008, 06:48 AM
Thanks erv. It will take me some time to clean up the drawing, it was done in paint. I was going to do it in CAD and just do a screen capture, but paint was easier at the time.

If you have AutoCAD let me know and I will just Cad it.

thanks
grayven

Novastar
03-13-2008, 09:05 AM
WHOA! I am TRIPPIN' on that wiring... I mean... for me, doing a few indicator LEDs and a motor is a "beast" enough... but... thanks Grayven, I'm learnin'.

I'll look forward to see if what *I* think is wrong is what Erv corrects... but... I'm sure I'll have NO idea what the bloody 'ell is going on. One thing is for certain--when it gets worked out... that should be one MIGHTY diagram.

We'll have to name it "Ultimate RGB CF Spaghetti" or something fun... :)

grayven
03-13-2008, 09:35 AM
I just realized that I left the common off of the RGB. I best Homer voice "Doh; ooohhh spegetti lal lal lal"

any way erv here is the cleaned up Jpeg. I will work on a Cad tonight if you want that instead. I thought that you could do a save as instead of me sending you a attachment.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/cf.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/robodragonsdf1/StarWars/cf.jpg

Novastar really your to kind I'm just throwing components and wire together. The programing and sound fonts you guys do is way over my head. I haven't even started to figure how to do what I want to do, and know what the CF will do.

Grayven