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Malaki Skywalker
05-17-2008, 12:38 PM
Hey guys and gals, I've got a taste for Amber Lux's III's ATM, are they worth it, how bright are they? Are they comparable to other LED's brightness wise?

Cheers! :D

Hasid Lafre
05-17-2008, 01:41 PM
IMO amber is brighter than the red luxIII but thats to my eyes, others will say otherwize.

Just get it and if you dont like it then I know someone you can sell it to. possably.

Jedi-Loreen
05-17-2008, 03:29 PM
My first LED saber was just direct driven, with a resistor. I was always kind of disappointed in my amber LED, it was the dimmest of the five I have (the others are royal blue, green, red and white).

But I just built a new saber using a 1000mA Buckpuck and it's brighter in that saber.

So I would say, if you're using some kind of driver, it will be plenty bright.

BhujangiJedi
05-17-2008, 05:40 PM
Funny timing, this post - I was just about to add another post about amber to an older thread.

I should preface my statements with the fact that my saber experience is fairly limited - 2 blue MR Anakins and 2 MHS sabers (both identical) with sandblasted TCSS battle blades (thick-walled with diffuser tube) and 1000mA buckpucks.

That said... I'm not sure I'll ever use my ambers again. Like to buy em? ;) When I first got them, I was really disappointed. Sandblasting my blades improved the diffusion a lot and they looked much better... the color is very nice, but the brightness is underwhelming. I eventually replaced them with some green K2's which I have been enjoying for a while now. I decided to pop my ambers back in for some variety and was shocked. They're just so sad and dim compared to the K2's.

So... if you really want that nice fiery orange color, maybe go for it... but you might be better off with a really bright white (P4?) with a filter. The amber Lux IIIs can be a real let-down - maybe they're good if you have an optimum setup: a full 1540mA and really good blades.

I'd post some pictures for comparison, but it's a major pain to swap out LEDs (even though I'm using the quick-connects - there's just not much space in the 7" hilts for 4xAA, buckpuck, push-button switch, and LED heatsink).

I'm building two new sabers with 1.2Ohm resistors and red-oranges - I'll probably hook up the ambers to them, which should put them closer to 1540mA, and I'm also using thin-walled blades with Corbin's film and some poly wrap inside, so maybe I'll get some comparison pics up soon.

Eandori
05-19-2008, 09:25 PM
I have never tried the Lux III amber, but I have tried the K2 amber. Very disappointing, very dim in comparison to others. I'm not sure if Hasid Lafre had a really crappy red lux III, or an amazing amber... but every red lux III I have tried has been FAR FAR brighter then my amber could ever dream of.

I have to agree, a white P4 + filter might be better for amber light.

Count Malik
05-21-2008, 08:27 AM
I have never tried the Lux III amber, but I have tried the K2 amber. Very disappointing, very dim in comparison to others. I'm not sure if Hasid Lafre had a really crappy red lux III, or an amazing amber... but every red lux III I have tried has been FAR FAR brighter then my amber could ever dream of.

I have to agree, a white P4 + filter might be better for amber light.

I going to need some help in this part too. Because I'm going to build a saber for a friend. And he wants amber. I'm actualy going to send him some of the parts. While he is makin money for a CF.:cool: But would amber be powered better if it is CF powered?

Barmic Rin
05-21-2008, 01:28 PM
I really wanna try what I call a 'US' Amber compared to my TruOpto 'UK' Amber as mine in brighter than my 3w White.

Sid, if you get a chance, can u do a comparison between the two if you have a 'US'?

Eandori
05-23-2008, 10:58 AM
I going to need some help in this part too. Because I'm going to build a saber for a friend. And he wants amber. I'm actualy going to send him some of the parts. While he is makin money for a CF. But would amber be powered better if it is CF powered?
1 amp in a LED from a resistor is EXACTLY the same as 1 amp from Crystal Focus, or Ultraboard, or a buckpuck, etc. 1 amp is 1 amp.

What changes between different current drivers is special effects like "flicker" and how the LED Current maintains it's value as the battery drains. A resistor setup will get dimmer and dimmer as the battery drains. A current regulated system will stay at the same current until the battery drops below the voltage of the LED.

As of right now, I think the best amber you are going to get is with a Seoul P4 white + filters.

Hasid Lafre
05-23-2008, 01:27 PM
Unfortunatly I hav eneather, Just going off what I have seen, Ive been dissapointed with luxIII red but wasent dissapointed with a luxIII amber. the red was resistor driven and the luxIII was on an mr vader board.

The luxI red on a mr mace was niceer than the resistor luxIII red.

Eandori
05-23-2008, 01:52 PM
Unfortunatly I hav eneather, Just going off what I have seen, Ive been dissapointed with luxIII red but wasent dissapointed with a luxIII amber. the red was resistor driven and the luxIII was on an mr vader board.

The luxI red on a mr mace was niceer than the resistor luxIII red.
Your Luxeon III red must have either been miss-labeled, or damaged in some way. The specs for Luxeon III red CLEARLY show it to be far superior to K2 or Luxeon I. My personal experience with them has been exactly that as well.

You can even look at my videos where you can clearly see the Luxeon III red competing with the Luxeon V green, and Luxeon V blue both of which were overdriven.

Or look at any of Xwingband's videos where he's using luxeon III red. See how bright his sabers are?

No no. I will boldly state that Luxeon III red is the best red out there as of right now. I'm fully prepared to back that up with data, videos, side by side comparisons, anything you want. You either accidentally switched your III and I and didn't know it, or your Lux III red is damaged in some way.

here is the specs for luxeon III red: http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=1761&link_str=196::197&partno=LXHL-PD09
here is the specs for luxeon I red: http://www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS25.pdf
here is the specs for luxeon K2 red: http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=1805&link_str=330::1433&partno=LXK2-PD12-R00

One more edited note.... open up the spec for the luxeon I red and scroll down to page 10. You'll see that the forward voltage of the Luxeon I red is only around 2.2 to 3 volts, while the forward voltage of the luxeon III red is 2.9 to 3.4 volts. That means you MIGHT HAVE been underdriving that luxeon III red. If you applied 2.7v to both of those LED's we would expect the Lulxeon I to win... because the voltage is not high enough to turn on the Luxeon III very well.

So... there's the 3rd option. Either your Luxeon III red was actually a different family, it was damaged, or you didn't really drive it at 1.5 amps.

Hasid Lafre
05-23-2008, 02:26 PM
Yes we can look at spects all day but thats still not gonna make up for my real world experiences.

Eandori
05-23-2008, 03:11 PM
And I'm telling you that the specs agree with my real world experiences... and I listed 3 reasons why you are probably seeing what you are seeing.

Tell ya what, I'll put my money where my mouth is. I'm willing to do any fair comparison that shows a properly driven Luxeon III red versus your also properly driven Luxeon I red. If the Luxeon I is brighter I drop a thousand dollars on you. If the luxeon III is brighter, you owe me $1000.00

Still feel that you are right?

P.S. I highly urge you to verify what I suggested before you take me up on this bet... or make sure your bank account can clear that check.

Hasid Lafre
05-23-2008, 04:06 PM
I dont make bets caus eI dont have to thro money to prove myself.

The luxIII red was a ekit sold here in the store
The luxI on an mr mace board was more impresive than that luxIII
The LuxIII amber on an mr vader was more impressive than the luxIII red

Look you can not base the spects on it being used for a cf or a US. Not gonna happen you want to post the spects of i being driven properly go ahead cause 90% of the people that have led sabers dont have anything beter than an MR sound board.

Go make your bet with someone else and waste a grand, iam not gonna waste my money on stomething stupid like a bet about whos right. Iam nto saying iam right but Iam saying what i have seen with my own eyes not your so piss the hell off.

Eandori
05-23-2008, 04:13 PM
If your LED is being under driven because of your setup, then that is NOT an issue with the LED... it's an issue with your setup. There are LOTS of ways to fix that. Buckpucks, resistor driven (with single pull-double throw switches) etc etc.

YOU sir made the statement that Luxeon I red is brighter then Luxeon III red. And that is garbage. All the facts are directly against that statement. When you give advice to others, I'm sure they would appreciate it if you give them the correct advice.


Go make your bet with someone else and waste a grand, iam not gonna waste my money on stomething stupid like a bet about whos right. Iam nto saying iam right but Iam saying what i have seen with my own eyes not your so piss the hell off.
LOL so you think you're right but you don't want to take my $1000?

What you saw with your own eyes was a flawed setup. Rather then make poor suggestions to others who come here looking for advice... go fix your setup.

Thanks.

Hasid Lafre
05-23-2008, 04:49 PM
Fix my setup? my setup is still in parts, these are sabers I have had in my hands that arnt even around anymore.

The statment I made saying the luxI red was brighter than the luxIII red is cause it was, my brother has a luxI red in an mr luke rotj and my friend with the resistored lux 3 red says that it is even brighter than his saber.

Not not gonna get perfect spects with anything other than a CF or US, a buck puck is not gonna give the reds/ambers exactly what they want.

So when it comes to resistors, pucks, mr boards specs mean jack cause thoes setups are not gonna give the leds what they want and that is the majority of setups.

Yes the specs are nice to have if you got a CF where you can give them what you want. I have yet to see a resistor setup give the led exactly what it wants, there are no 1500mah pucks, yes 2 700s at 1400 will be close but some will notice the difference some wont, I would.

MR boards give out 900mah so thats even more weakness to the r/a's and yet the over driven luxI and underdriven luxIII amber still beat the snot out of a resistored luxIII.

This is my experiances with reds and ambers to what I have seen in real life so go ahead and say that the specs is truth and my eyes are lying to me.

"quote"
What you saw with your own eyes was a flawed setup. Rather then make poor suggestions to others who come here looking for advice... go fix your setup.
"/quote"

That righ there says that you think my eyes are lying to me.

Iam making a poor sugestion. I have never made a suggestion except for telling you to shove you spec sheet.

So sence my eyes are a flawed setup then your videos on the hyper blade and lux are flawed also.

IS your camera setup to show exactly what everyones eyes see? Iam sure it dosent.


Oh and here is a pic I found of my brothers old luxI red on an MR MAce. with a tcss BB.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i259/vortextwist/Macewindu3.jpg

That is taken in a room with some very bright overhead lights that are about 4 foot above the saber.

LuxIII reds in an mr maul with tcss BBs in total darkness

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i259/vortextwist/newlightsabers061.jpg

The Maul looks like total crap compared to the luxI. Sence my bro has a luxI in his MR luke I will see about getting a pic if I care to remember.

LuxIII amber vader with TCSS BB. Near total darknes outside on the porch.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i259/vortextwist/light%20saber%20pics/AmberDarthVader.jpg

Both of these are the mauls but one with a ultra blade(left saber)

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i259/vortextwist/light%20saber%20pics/LuxeonSabers013.jpg

BhujangiJedi
05-23-2008, 04:52 PM
I think the point here is just to try and make sure that when you give advice, it's accurate. It's great that you post here and share what you know, Hasid, but it's good to include any other information... like what your sampling size is and what the electronic setup is. People with more experience tend to have better info, but when they don't chime in, it can still be useful if a bunch of people with limited experience chime in and the reader can kind of take an average of other peoples' experiences and perceptions to get some useful info.

Eandori
05-26-2008, 05:00 AM
Fix my setup? my setup is still in parts, these are sabers I have had in my hands that arnt even around anymore.

The statment I made saying the luxI red was brighter than the luxIII red is cause it was, my brother has a luxI red in an mr luke rotj and my friend with the resistored lux 3 red says that it is even brighter than his saber.

Not not gonna get perfect spects with anything other than a CF or US, a buck puck is not gonna give the reds/ambers exactly what they want.

So when it comes to resistors, pucks, mr boards specs mean jack cause thoes setups are not gonna give the leds what they want and that is the majority of setups.

Yes the specs are nice to have if you got a CF where you can give them what you want. I have yet to see a resistor setup give the led exactly what it wants, there are no 1500mah pucks, yes 2 700s at 1400 will be close but some will notice the difference some wont, I would.
So what you are saying is that customers should consider the time-intensive specifications made by the people who MADE luxeon LED crap, and take YOUR word that an amber luxeon III, and red Luxeon I is brigher then a red Luxeon III?

Sure, screw phillips. What do they know? They only designed the dang thing. And who am I? Just some schmuck with 2 degrees of Engineering and 8 years of design engineering experience with Intel. What the hell do I know right? You slapped those luxeon LED's in a master replica and one was brighter. **** the rest of us, we are all idiots.

Thanks for clearing that up.

(P.S.) There is zero reason to discuss what is driving an LED if you know the current. 1500mA using a resistor setup, buckpuck, MR board, CF, Ultra, etc. is all the same to the LED. So if you buy a brighter LED and and it's not as bright in YOUR setup, then that means your setup is wrong and the last thing you should do is come to these boards and tell others that the company spec'd and customer verified brighter LED is not as bright. Your setup is wrong and everything you have said confirms it.

Jay-gon Jinn
05-26-2008, 06:10 PM
Hasid, Eandori, arguing about this isn't going to help anything....you both have your own point of view and that's that. Also, I thought these boards were supposed to be PG rated.....

Lord Maul
05-26-2008, 06:40 PM
I can attest to the fact that a 3W red driven off a MR Maul board is basically as bright as a 5W green of a Ultrasound (700mA).

Also, just eyeballing it (no blade), my starO green (overdriven slightly) is no where near as bright as even the 3W blue I once had.

Eandori
05-26-2008, 06:41 PM
Hey I'm fine with discussing things calmly and factually. That's what I was doing actually. I listed specifications showing which one is clearly brighter, I listed reasons why his setup is probably dimmer, I offered to do any fair comparison that clearly shows the point. As I remember, I was told to "piss off."

Fact is, properly used... the Luxeon I red and Amber Lux III are NOT brighter then the luxeon III red. Using electronic components can be complex stuff. Just because you slapped an LED inside a saber does not mean you did it right. And that does not qualify you to speak about how it works unless you KNOW it was being driven properly. If I stick a green luxeon III, and a green luxeon V across a 3.7v battery (with resistor), Lux III gets bright and the Lux V does not even turn on. Does that mean the Lux III was brighter? Of course not! You need to USE COMPONENTS PROPERLY before you can judge them. Then to come to these boards and post that information, and continue to argue against a wall of facts that point otherwise... well, that's how people never learn.

Do you want to read through 5 pages of rediculous argument? Or would you rather people spend the time to do things RIGHT, learn HOW things work, then come post what they have found? Well, I have done exactly that. Ask Xwingband if a luxeon I red is brighter then a luxeon III. Ask Novastar. Ask Tim of TCSS, on that note... take a WILD GUESS why Tim does not sell the Luxeon I series. Take a wild guess why LuxeonStar.com does not sell the Luxeon I series.

The plain fact is... if Hasid stops posting, gets some equipment and sets up those LED's properly, he will probably discover what was wrong or be able to see what I was talking about on my first post.

Would I do the same? Sure I would, and I do. If somebody posts specifications or facts showing that what I think is wrong, I do exactly that. Spend time investigating what they are saying. The REASON I CAN BACK UP MY STATEMENTS WITH FACTS is because I have taken the time to research these opinions in specifications, and to verify them in person with the proper equipment (power supplies, light meters, digital multi-meters.)

So I formally apologize for dropping the "F" bomb. But no, if somebody is going to throw un-verified facts/opinions out there and not bother investigating anything I say (even though I would for them) then I'm not going to simply let false information go. Everybody loses with that.


I can attest to the fact that a 3W red driven off a MR Maul board is basically as bright as a 5W green of a Ultrasound (700mA).
I fully believe this, the Luxeon III red is an extremly bright LED for the lower power it uses. It's important to separate the important points though. Looking up an LED's max power stats, then verifiying your setup (MR Board, resistor, buckpuck, CF, Ultra, Corbin, etc.) is actually providing that power to the LED is a worthy task. I have actually taken the time to do exactly this, which is why I stand by what I say.

Jedibum
05-26-2008, 08:18 PM
Hi guys. I just saw this thread. I'm gonna throw my 2 cents in ... not that anyone really cares.

There's probably just some miscommunication going on here. I have no doubt that Hasid saw exactly what he says he saw. I think Hasid is responding to the idea that he is being called a liar. Hasid, no one thinks you are a liar. I totally believe you and I'm sure most everyone else does.

I think the problem is ... while we believe you saw what you saw; we also know the exact opposite is true. We know it to be fact because of the overwhelming evidence and first-hand experience that supports it. Just like in a scientific experiment ... we all see what the numbers say ... then we test it with many of us from all different areas confirming we see what the numbers say are true. It has been tested and proved over and over by many different community members that are much smarter than I am. And I, myself, have owned an Amber Lux III and can say without a doubt it did not compare to a Red Lux III.

So since we all know this to be a fact, and then we hear about your experience ... it tells us that while you obviously did see exactly what you said you saw ... it immediately tells us that something was wrong with what you were seeing. And that's not meant in any way to offend you ... it actually has nothing to do with you because you saw what the LED's and set-up was showing you. And that was what Eandori was responding too. He knows (like the majority of the community) that the Red Lux III is so powerful that it can even compete against Lux 5's. And he also knows that a Lux I and an Amber Lux III can definitely not compete with a Lux 5. So that alone says alot about the Red Lux III.

I think Eandori was also just trying to caution you to be specific about what you say when it comes to what Lux's are brighter or better than other Lux's. While everyone's opinion is important, we also need to make sure that we give as specific and factual information as we can. And I think Eandori just wanted to make sure that instead of you saying "A Red Lux I and Amber Lux III are brighter than a Red Lux III" ... since that goes against all the other facts and first hand experiences of other members ... maybe you should say "I know Red Lux III's are supposed to be really bright ... but I had an experience were the Red Lux I and the Amber Lux III was brighter" ... in that case you are making it obvious that you are not trying to say something is a fact ... you are just speaking about your experience.

Also, I think it's important for all of us to be able to accept that maybe we are wrong. I did a Green V2 Hyperblade VS. Green Lux 5 (driven at 1amp) comparison pics and videos. And many members suggested that maybe the Lux 5 wasn't properly driven, or maybe it didn't have the proper battery set-up, or maybe it could be better diffused. Eventually I had to give in and say that while I was confident I did everything right ... the only way to be sure was to let someone smarter, with more tools, and more experience than myself take over and do their own comparison. I knew they would do a better job than me. And I was ok with that. In your case, you would need to ask yourself ... if everyone sees something different what is more likely ... they are all wrong or maybe something was wrong with what I was seeing?

Lord Maul
05-26-2008, 08:35 PM
Amen to that Jedibum.


I fully believe this, the Luxeon III red is an extremly bright LED for the lower power it uses. It's important to separate the important points though. Looking up an LED's max power stats, then verifiying your setup (MR Board, resistor, buckpuck, CF, Ultra, Corbin, etc.) is actually providing that power to the LED is a worthy task. I have actually taken the time to do exactly this, which is why I stand by what I say.I am just too lazy to do that kind of stuff. Thank God for people like you Edwin. LOL

Eandori
05-27-2008, 08:45 AM
You got the exact message I was trying to say Jedibum, thanks for making it more clear. I'm sorry that I'm not able to explain myself as well as that sometimes guys. I do believe that I failed in that area, if I had done a better job saying what Jedibum just said above perhaps Hasid would not have felt attacked and needed to respond.

Hasid, I'm sorry if you felt attacked. No I never doubted what you saw was what you saw. I believe fully that you saw just what you described and posted your experience. What I doubt is that you had everything set up properly or that all your components work properly. I threw datasheets and other facts at you trying to get you to realize that you needed to go back and re-examine your setup. But instead of that message getting across, I ended up making you think I thought you were lying or something else.

Sorry about that. But for now, yes please check out how bright a red luxeon III is when fully powered properly. You WON'T be disappointed for the effort! It's super bright!


Also, I think it's important for all of us to be able to accept that maybe we are wrong. I did a Green V2 Hyperblade VS. Green Lux 5 (driven at 1amp) comparison pics and videos. And many members suggested that maybe the Lux 5 wasn't properly driven, or maybe it didn't have the proper battery set-up, or maybe it could be better diffused. Eventually I had to give in and say that while I was confident I did everything right ... the only way to be sure was to let someone smarter, with more tools, and more experience than myself take over and do their own comparison. I knew they would do a better job than me. And I was ok with that. In your case, you would need to ask yourself ... if everyone sees something different what is more likely ... they are all wrong or maybe something was wrong with what I was seeing?
One more note on this, different subject.

I now have the video footage for the Hyperblade/Luxeon comparison test made into 4 videos that I will be uploading to YouTube soon. My time with the new baby has been really limited for working on lightsabers, but I have been chipping away at that task :) For the most part, The video you posted showing Luxeon V compared to Hyperblade is about what I'm seeing. I spent much time (as you know) verifying components were working properly, making repairs, learning how to set each system up right. All that will be very clearly shown in the 4 videos. I even had a chance to meet up with Novastar in person! He's a very interesting guy for certain. He showed me some stage-battle saber moves and we hung out for a few hours until I needed to leave. We had a chance to hold sabers side by side and the green luxeon V was just as bright compared to his Green K2 as it was to my own Green K2. The color was a bit different compared to his though.

Anyways, just wanted to let you know I'm still preparing all that data and it will be posted soon.

Malaki Skywalker
05-29-2008, 11:35 AM
I've decided to try an Amber, like the Red and Red-Orange, do these ground out if they a not insulated properly? If so, how can i insulate it?

Eandori
05-30-2008, 09:03 AM
I'm not sure, the only "living" amber I have now is a K2 that came with no star and I soldered down to one of my other stars. Anybody know?

Arm on Fire
05-30-2008, 09:19 AM
Thermal paste or tape should do it.

Eandori
05-30-2008, 10:19 AM
Thermal paste is not an electrical isolator. It's meant to fill in all those too-small-to-see pits and dips in the metal surface so your contact area between two metal devices is larger. If you are putting so much thermal grease on your computer CPU that it's isolated then you are using it wrong! Just put a thin film on, mount the heat sink, wiggle it around to really flatted the two surfaces and squeeze the excess paste out the side. Then bolt it down. That's how you use thermal grease.

Thermal tape is different. It IS intended to be an electrical isolator, yet allow some heat transfer. However, I had my green luxeon V at 1.5 amps a few weeks ago (11 watts...) and I also had thermal tape between the Lux V and the copper heatsink. The LED got so hot that the black silkscreen label on the top melted a bit. So... thermal tape works... but it's not nearly as good a heat transfer setup as metal on metal. I think Thermal tape is probably fine for a luxeon III red or amber though. Since that's only 3 to 5 watts instead of the 11 I was using :)

Still though, I really don't know if the Luxeon III amber has it's heatsink connected to the + or - rails.

Dark Navel
05-30-2008, 10:48 AM
How about this:

Heat Conductive Glue Arctic Silver
The high performance 2 components glue

The Arctic Silver Adhesive heat conductive glue is a two components glue of 62% - 65% silver oxide for a high heat conductive coefficient of about 7,5 W/m°K.

Ideal to connect two objects inseparably. If you want to disconnect two objects later again just intermix the glue with a little heat conductive paste. You have about 3 min. time to change the direction of the objects before it is hardening. Don't burden glued objects for about half a hour.


Not really an insullator though....Uggg..I guess i read this thread too quick. What are you tring to keep it grounding out from? If it's connected to a star and then a heatsink how about using PVC and put the whole assembly inside of it??

Eandori
05-30-2008, 05:16 PM
You need a metal on metal contact so heat can flow from the back of the LED, to the star, to your LED mount, then to the saber body and finally outside the saber where the heat can be dissipated as air flows over the saber body.

If you put a layer of plastic (PVC) in there anywhere then you have ruined the heat channel. Nope, plastic will not work. Whatever the solution is... it must allow heat to flow, but not electricity.

Malaki Skywalker
05-31-2008, 12:29 PM
Another thing that may help is cleaning the heatsinks, I just took a layer of dirt off my brass ones and they are SHINY! Take a Dremel with a buffering tool to it with some sort of polish and you will be in for a shock! :shock:

grey_jedi
06-18-2008, 11:04 AM
I just finished my LUX 3 amber and its quite bright not as bright as my luke skywaker conversion or my darth maul conversion but brighter than the MR build your own lightsaber kit conversion but im not using the blade from TCSS im using the ultra fx blade from ultrasabers.

Eandori
06-18-2008, 01:06 PM
Now take that same saber, switch it over to Luxeon III red or Luxeon III red/orange and power on. You'll be blown away, I promise. (assuming you are driving that luxeon III around 1.2 to 1.5 amps...)

Novastar
06-18-2008, 01:54 PM
I'm worried about chiming in here, but... .... (JUMPS INTO THE FIRE!!!) :)

An Amber Luxeon III should be driven at about 1500ma to get the "full" experience out of it.

An Amber Luxeon K2 should be driven at about 700ma (or 1000ma to over-drive a bit) to get the full experience.

I have:

* Amber K2 + FX driver (@900ma) + "gelu-style" film or whatever + 32" to 34" blade, looks dandy bright

* Amber Lux III + Corbin driver (@1000ma) + "gelu-style" film + 32" to 34" blade, looks darn bright, although not QUITE as nice as the above--which makes sense. But... still VERY hard to tell.

* Some other Amber Lux III that is direct-driven (similar blade stuff as above) and although it's being run/driven well with the current (around 1500ma)... the COLOR BIN is sort of jacked up I'd guess. So... it's not GREAT... but... it's not ARSE! :)

Now... I don't know about the optics. They are either 5 deg or 10 deg, could be a mixture. I don't know... and don't really care--good enough is good enough.

Anyhow, the moral of this story boils down to:

1. Driver (are you giving "correct" current?)
2. Diffuser (gelu/ultra-film vs. a corbin film is going to look different)
3. LED BIN... very important. I mean ONE of those ambers above looks a bit more orange (yum!!)... but another is definitely amber. I don't have any "yellow-ish" ambers... kind of a bummer, heheh

Alright. Take care... and PLEASE... have *FUN* with your L-sabers!!