RGB / Filter / EL? Best for pink blade?

[Tamer_Mike]

Well thanks to certain youtube video of JaygonJinn's pink saber, my girlfriend, who is obsessed with pink wants one now....
or is pretending to, to try and make me happy.....which is something I wont be if i fork out $300 bucks on a saber for her and she never turns it on.:roll:

*cough* Anyway to the point, I have found a few threads on a pink blades but they all say use a filter and no one will even go into the other choices. :P

So what are the advantages of different ways of making pink?
I know a filter will make a bit of a blander blade, but is it noticeably bland?

El's fragile nature SHOULDN'T be a problem as shes prolly not going to be throwing it around.....to much.

As for RGB I've seen some recent posts on "tri rebels" which from what I gather are more efficient lux Vs.
Specific question on the RBG is what combination of three led's would make the best "Hot Pink" I believe I heard mention of two reds and a green making a good pink blade.

For anyone wondering, space isn't an issue the hilt is a total of nearly SIXTEEN INCHES LONG! :shock:
I am planning to use this with a Ultra sound board, or if I go with EL I may run it off a MR/Hasbro Board.
While I was at work today I figured out how I am going to mount everything inside, for an led blade..aside from the led itself as I have no clue what kind I'm going to use.

For anyone interested in what the saber looks like.
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5787/punksaberyc7.png

I still have to find a source for pink O rings, and if possible a Pink switch boot.
To anyone wondering, The crossbones isn't a sticker its the kill switch.
I added that to it at work while I was working out the electronics. "hopes ultra sabers uses kill switch's" XD
I may have mistakenly been reading CF thinking it was US. Either way I'm sure she'd get a kick out of that covering the recharge port.
"Haven't had a chance to show her so it may not make the cut." :lol:

EHEM anyway, before I turn this into an essay on her saber.
Thanks for any help. "Don't be afraid to suggest battery options either, I have about 3 1/2 inch's of free space for batteries. lol"

[vargose]

Seoul p4 and a filter will be brighter than EL for sure.

Getting the right mix with a RGB would be more trouble than its worth.

So Seoul p4 with a filter would be the way to go.

[xwingband]

Tri-rebels are differnt than V's, not more efficient or whatever, just different. Seoul P4 is going to be the easiest, though an RGB would make a richer color.

Also, recharge ports are all about how you wire it. Making it a "kill key" is not exclusive to a CF or USB.

[Tamer_Mike]

Ah, I see, I have alot to learn yet then. haha

I just realized I said two reds and a green. Teach me to type with so little sleep.

I have no clue what that would make but it wouldn't be pink.

I suppose if I go with a p4, I can always let her play around with a bunch of filters till she finds her favorite, whereas I would need whole new LEDs otherwise.

Also it's true an rgb will be something far beyond my skills right now, but I'm a fast learner and I'll never learn if i don't try. I have a feeling that this is something that comes much easier once your doing it then before hand.

[xwingband]

R + G in light makes orange.

You theoretically could get infinite amounts of colors if you mixed colors on an RGB (or infinite rink or purple shades with RBB or RRB). The problem is how you'd mix them. It's not nearly as easy as popping in a filter.

Within a week or two I'll probably show what an RBB and RRB Rebel would look like so look for that post.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

If you want to see how it looks, here's a P4 with a single red filter:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1126239/pink_blade.jpg

If you get a swatch book from Lee Filters, you can play around until you get the exact color you want.

[Tamer_Mike]

I will be, I'm looking forward to seeing your tri-rebels in action xwingband, especially a green one. "my personal saber color"

Thanks for the picture, and yah I found plenty of info on p4s with the search button. I must say that the melting sabers are a bit disconcerting though.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I've been using mine for months now without any overheating problems. I'm not sure if anyone decided what the problem was, but it was probably just a fluke. For what it's worth, I'd say try it.

[vargose]

I haven't had any trouble with my P4 either. I agree; that had to have been a fluke.

The Seoul P4 is definitely the cheapest and easiest option.

The RGB LED is already more expensive, but then you'd need multiple buck pucks and pots (dimmers) to get the color mix just right for the pink you want.

[Novastar]

I've never heard of a "melting saber"... other than if people simply ignored what I would like to call "standard practices" from the past.

I mean, sure... just go INSANE and hook up *ANYTHING* to *ANYTHING* and you may end up with all sorts of dangerous results. But that's also like saying you're going to make a bomb with NO experience, NO safety, NO precautions, NO study and FULL stupidity. That's just retarded.

With a little knowledge + the right parts... it's very very difficult to jack up a saber. You really have to be foolish + stupid to destroy the LED... and... even if you *DO*... so what...

...it's only maybe $6 to $10. Or sure, $23 if it's a Lux V, but... yeah, you'd BETTER not be using a Lux V if you have ZERO experience and knowledge. That'd be just a waste. :D

[Tamer_Mike]

Haha, no no there were a run of bad Seoul P4's that people were posting about becoming insanely hot. "Like melt the solder off it hot" within 30 seconds of being turned on.

And you'll be horribly disappointed in me then because I hope to use one of xwingbands tri rebels XD....
Two greens and a white for clash.

Ah, if only i could be happy with a simple easy already laid out for me moderately bright blade with good sound.

Instead I have to make everything complicated and want a sound board that costs more than my entire saber and its parts combined. XD

By the way novastar, Your stuff is great, if it weren't for your soldering tutorial I doubt I would even have the guts to attempt and do the electronics myself.
IF I can ever afford a Crystal Focus I will definitely be investing in a CD of your saber fonts.

I'm going to be bad and skimp on my girlfriends saber, "this one" shes only going to get an MR board. I don't think she will even notice the sound in the first place but I just can't see myself putting a saber together and not putting sound in it.

Just a quick question, but I haven't seen anything on how much power the different sound boards and the speaker itself drain. With this saber it wont be that big a deal but with mine, if I'm powering three leds, I'm trying to figure out what I'm looking at for batteries.

I think I might want to downgrade from lightsabers to electronics period haha planning a saber beyond the general baseline is confusing.

[Novastar]

Why would I be disappointed? I think it's great that you're attempting all of this. Oh, and now I know what you mean regarding the melting P4s. I'd heard about that... the current probably wasn't even going through the die, lol.

As to the MRs... it's not really as complicated as you think--especially if you are leaving most everything the same... and just essentially changing the "lighting system" from the low-flux LED strip to the high-flux single LED. In that case--it's about as simple as it can get. Basically, you're cutting negative and positive and re-attaching the "new" LED in place of the strip! The only major difference is... the LED strip/ladder from MR has a throng of negative leads. Tie 'em all together to make ONE negative. Then... yer guuuuuuuuuuuuuud. :)

Regarding the soldering tutorial, well... it was more of a Crystal Focus tutorial... Brian and my soldering skills are not all that uber in ANY way. :) Look at Erv's tutorial or Judge's for that. BUT... yes, we walk everyone through the general jist of everything, including tools needed for wiring most any project... even though the focus is CF.

But hmm, your final question about the power... well--that depends on how you and X-Wing are doing things. X-Wing has a LARGE amount of experience, so make sure to talk with him--he could probably set up the LED to be in series... or parallel... or a combination--it all depends.

What this means is... you might "need" something like 9v or 10v to get the maximum power from all 3 LEDs (but only if they ALL need to be ON at once!)... which would be tough with an MR board...

...or, it could be set up where you'd really only need around 6v!! Believe me, X can take care of you on that and help you match the battery solution for both the Rebel and the MR board.

[Tamer_Mike]

Maybe I misunderstood something, but wouldn't a 10V fry a Crystal focus? I ask because I intend to use one in my saber.... If I can ever afford the price tag.

As for the lights, I was thinking two on at a time"two green" and then a white just for the clash, and effects.

I'll make sure and talk to him some about it when he's got them fixed up and everything.

"still the video showed me that even the most complex saber board wasn't half as menacing as I had assumed it would be"

Thanks for all the help everyone.
Now I've got my girlfriends saber figured out... if only they didn't cost so much.

$160 for the hilt alone.
$40 for the lighting
$50 for the sound
$30 for the batteries

That's just a rough estimate, assuming nothing goes wrong and doesn't include the charger, soldering iron, wire cutter/strippers, wires or other tools I'll need to buy.
:-| I so don't have this kind of money. lol

Did I mention a nice big bright lamp for the only table I own that's in the lightless living room?