~~ LED Sabers... the Past, Present... and Future...

[Novastar]

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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS
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Hi all... Novastar here.

A new goal I have is to help get a general "timeline" of how things progressed with LED sabers. At present, since it's 3/28/2009... I am only going off what I've been told, heard, verified, witnessed for myself, or have been fully part of... but it isn't yet CONCLUSIVE.

Over time--we'll make it more "exact" and get the facts as best as they can be... in order to preserve a little LED saber history!

ENJOY!

--Novastar


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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS
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MRFX EL saber (store-bought only / mfc by large company)
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"DIY" EL Sabers... (first forum?? first "fan base" that discussed? first few photos of DIY projects with them??? etc.)
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LED tech is growing at an alarming rate--somewhere in the 90's. Sure, it still sucks... but... it has OODLES of promise, and it's the future in lighting.

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Agilent Technologies and Philips Lighting partner up to form "Lumileds". The entire focus and objective is LED technology. It becomes a giant success, and tons of other companies worldwide compete with them... "duke-ing it out" to be top banana in the "I wanna be your miniature lighting solution" world...

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LEDs actually show promise for the saber market. As retarded as they are right now. They are still quite inferior to EL, there isn't a good implementation method, and the results are ineffective and fail to wow... ...

...but they show PROMISE!! :D

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. 2000?
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. 2001??
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(from Madcow)
Spring/summer 2001 - Flashlights, ABS pipe and golf tube
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabe...h%20sabers.JPG (http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/youth%20sabers.JPG)


Pipp-Master & Psab Keel... probably one of the first to invent and to "press the issue" with LED sabers... even when the technology for LEDs was very "pathetic" (for saber needs)

Psab Keel... Came up with an idea to use a technique of wrapping fishing line/wire into the inner core of a blade tube in order to get a "central core" effect. Later, Corbin, Psab and Pipp notice the "extension/retraction" look when the batteries are low on this kind of setup...

Loreen... as near as I can tell, she was one of the "most solid" people to go to regarding EL sabers. I think she was the first to put up an ORGANIZED tutorial on going about making one. So at that point, making an EL blade ceased to be a "just... like... do whatever" kind of thing. Suddenly, there was a manual of sorts??!?

Corbin & Psab Keel ... after much ado with the fishing line coring and the idea of "ramping" the current to the LED in a fashion to give the illusion of a saber "extending & retracting", Corbin decides to pursue modification of an existing type of LED driver to suit the saber DIY community's needs. Shortly after, this also led somewhat to Corbin finding his "corbin film" (sort of by accident!) which was basically a waxy film used in very large printers. This printer film made the fishing line method obsolete because using film was much easier logistically...

Spring 2004
Madcow's first machined sabers with LED technology - still golf tubes:
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/blue%20LED.JPG


Spring/Summer 2004
What Madcow thinks is still the first real crystal chassis:
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabe...saber%205b.JPG (http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/crystal%20saber%205b.JPG)
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabe...0saber%207.JPG (http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/crystal%20saber%207.JPG)

June 4th 2005 -- Tim buys "TheCustomSaberShop" domain

Corbin & Tim (TCSS)... Corbin interests Tim in the "LED saber" idea by trading him some LED parts for a EL blade (August 2005). Tim was curious, and had sold solely EL materials for sabers up to that point (since LED sabers were "nobodies" at the time). Shortly after Tim saw how they worked--he started to work toward fashioning parts that would utilize + simplify the LED tech...

TCSS... September 2005, Tim makes the EL and LED sink tube adapters in a much larger scale... it's the first time he runs them as a bulk CNC-machined batch!

LEDs improved... we saw Lux I go to Lux III and Lux V fairly quickly!

Now...

Where the bloody 'ell Lux "II" and Lux "IV" went... uh... I'll never know. They are an ODD bunch, those Luxeon/Lumileds freaks. :D

(Ok, sure, then later we have "K2". Fine. Now we're even. Weasels...)

Ultra... somewhere in here, Ultra (Alex) shows some cool respect for Lori and "branches off" the EL topic @ TF.N, creating the "LED Blade Q&As" thread. This becomes a pretty widely accessed topic for saber makers.

GeluKhann... somewhere in here, he starts using the poly-propylene (gift wrap-ish) setup for a blade. The man!!!! :) A big success. Didn't catch on "big-time" until later on when Ultra implemented it on a much grander scale. Good stuff!

Corbin v1... somewhere in here, Corbin has a driver modified to work as a cool saber driver! This becomes known as the "Corbin driver", and although it initially starts as 350mA for Lux I... soon after we have the 1000mA output for Lux III. Momentary only at first, and later... latching as well...

FX conversions are being made (somewhere in here)... but there isn't a "standard" at present...

ULTRA... This is a big one--Alex founds Ultrasabers, somewhere in 2005.

Hyperdyne... is in here somewhere. I think he was announcing his stuff around the time I was coming into the scene. I could be wrong. But... it was SOMEwhere around then.

Novastar... I entered the picture around here somewhere (Dec 2005). Not that I actually contributed anything in the beginning... :) Seriously. I knew zilch. I was coming b/c I wanted to make BOP I work, and I was actually researching for costumes if you can believe it.

October 25th 2005 TCSS forums where started

December 2005 MHS system debuted

Nova & Corbin... I stumbled upon the LED Q&A thread @ TF.N, and... long story made short, I sent an e-mail to Alex, Corbin and Tim--all three of whom at the time were the "Luxeon Trinity", as everyone joked. My e-mail was requesting a bunch of sabers be fashioned for BOP I. 12 of 'em I think.

In the end, Corbin took the job, and so we worked on it together. I learned a THRONG, and bothered Corbin about electronics even more I suppose!! :) I challenged Corbin to come up with interesting and new designs for sabers (generally looking for choke points and *extreme* durability), and at the same time, I started to try my hand at doing a little wiring.

By the time Balance of Power EP I (June 2006) had drawn to a close... which was around September 2006 or so....

Luxeon K2s show up... I remember this, since my own saber for BOP I had an "emitter only" k2, since at the time... no one had them on stars. Sadly, the FX board was underpowering it, although I didn't know this at the time... :)

FX Conversions are starting to REALLY "get covered" by in-depth tutorials... complete with photos and better, REALLY useful guides. It's not just a "do whatever" thing anymore.

Ultra... I could be wrong, but I think Ultra is making his tutorial CDs at this point, and these are starting to go out with his DIY saber conversion kits...

Judge... I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know EXACTLY when Jon Judge (Jonitus) started coming on-scene!!! I think I just have too small of a brain, and can't keep up on things very well... forgive me!

Yoda... I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know EXACTLY when Yoda started coming on-scene with his Graflex chassis! I know he bought FX-Sabers from... SOMEone... but I don't remember exactly when or how. Maybe it's b/c I met him well after being involved from 2006 to early '07.

Erv... well, gee--most of you know him now, but... he really started entering the picture around late 2006. As far as I know... :)

Now... to add a bit more... although I'm DEFINITELY forgetting many people, I'm certain of it...

* Todd Clay joins Ultra's team somewhere in here, around 2007
* Ultra creates STEVE v1...
* Somewhere in here, Alex is having to fight for his rights on Ebay b/c people are stealing his photos (DarthVaderUSA and the like)
* Erv creates several iterations of CF... v1, v1.2, v2, v2.1, etc.
* Novastar starts working a bit with Erv, making the soundfonts...
* TCSS & Corbin join forces to work together...
* All during this time, there are a small handful of people making DIY sabers and selling on ebay and other places (all of varying qualities)
* Somewhere in here BOP II takes place...
* Celebration IV happens... and many of us got to meet face-to-face
* Acerocket is in here somewhere too, dang it!! I can't remember everyone though!! My historical accuracy sucks, I know... :)
* A lot more is happening with internet videos... my videos are starting to see a lot of traffic--in a relative sense. Small community?!?!? Wow, it's growing...
* People are popping up all OVER the place, and getting a LOT of attention for making PRODUCTS/sabers... people like Madcow (Rob)... Do-Clo (Don)... X-Wing (Michael)... and just a ton of others that I'll never get straight.

Other stuff to get straight: (GAWD, there is just *BONKLOADS* of stuff to cover... I'll NEVER get it right!!!!)

* X-Wing exploring Nylon blades more seriously than other "more casual" usages of them
* PEX kind of comes into things at one point???
* Corbin and TCSS part ways, going back to working individually
* Edwin (Eandori) and Matthew (Nova) are screwing around making comparison vids with some H-blades that were sent to Novastar from someone who said he was going to throw them away otherwise (true story). Edwin delves much more into detail and scientific process vs. Nova's "quick & crude" method
* Edwin (Eandori) and Matthew (Nova) are tossing around ideas regarding a "flash on clash" concept--one that is not "new" per se as an ~IDEA~--but definitely new to get from paper to product or even proof-of-concept
* Edwin (Eandori) makes the first proof-of-concept "flash on clash" (later called clashflash idea... I think by using 3 K2 emitter LEDs, since Luxeon Rebels were NOT yet invented at this point
* Erv is taking the consideration from Nova and Eandori that some kind of firmware support on Crystal Focus would make the clash-flash project REALLY soar, and really stand out. So Erv does so for (I think???) CFv2.63 batches. Definitely it's there for v3, and MOST definitely for later versions of v4.x & forward.
* Gundamaniac (Brian Lai) has the awesome concept of using reed switches (magnets) to control a saber's on switch. I think this is a fun innovation that belongs in here, not only because it DOES work... but it works in a way that can help prevent a saber from being turned off accidentally... AND from being turned on by others!
* Corbin's v2 board... I don't know the details, but it can handle much more input, and some new shimmering effects

* Somewhere in here is the first "official" Sabersmith gathering. One that I decided to call "SaberSmith Sabbatical #1", as it basically was born from Erv visiting me at my home + meeting Yoda (Michael Murphy) and Edwin (Eandori)... ... and grew into a full-on gathering as we realized more people in the direct area wanted to meet Erv... and even some smiths/saber dudes from out-of-the-area!! Judge (Jon Judge) even came from Iowa, and so did Alex Buckner (Ultra) from Arizona!!!

* Makotosai of course!
* US v2, duh...
* CF v4, droid core, blaster core, etc.
* Ultra's custom-extruded white poly-c
* SaberSound board is created in here somewhere... it comes and goes in a short time... Ultra's board is also no longer in production. The designer, Jessie (Nova Conceptions) is NOT to be confused with Novastar (Matthew)!! Jessie designed both the Ultrasound and the Sabersound boards... which may have caused some internal issues/contention overall.
* September 21, 2009 -- VadersVault goes live--at least the WEB site. I don't recall about the fact of building sabers and/or y-tube videos?!? Needs to be updated. Uh... along with everything ELSE on this bloody monstrous post...

* LEDEngin RGB LEDs are becoming prevalent, and used in sabers more...
* Clashflash (flash upon clash) is really starting to take-off a bit more... more saber designers are popping up all the time, and more are making videos to show such things as Rebel 3-ups with clash-flash... even LEDEngin RGB setups
* Luxeon discontinues the Luxeon III, K2 and V series. Unknown at this point if Rebels are to stay as the "new" wave/series for them or what.

And now, here we are today. Not simply "DIY" anymore, but... beginning to push into the "it's too complicated to grasp it all... just start where you start, and too bad for the history on it!!" ... zone. :)

It seems clear to me that if we don't start doing something like this *NOW*... it will be lost forever. At least... the details of who initiated what, and where it's all come from. Though I imagine it won't be important to many people when years like 2015 and 2020 roll around. That's ok though!

*WHEW* We'll clean this up later. Others can and will add to this... and THANKS to those who have already!

[DJMoonbass]

Wow nova star. That's so inspiring. I have alot of respect for the history of this now and all those who's hearts where set so much into this. I feel like I really want to contribute something. Someday I might. I'm studying machining and mechanical engineering. I might come up with something some day. I have an idea of glass show blades that will carry and reflect the light better. Im studying glass blowing this year as well. LOL. This is amazing novastar and makes me proud to have become a member of this comunity and to have learned from people like you. I won't let you guys down.

[cardcollector]

That looks so cool!!!

Is there a reason you didn't include when people started making there own blade on the computer?

Ryan VS Dorkman was pretty big!

[Corbin_Das]

Pretty cool thread.

I think Erv' was trying to compile something like this a while back. I had sent him a rather lengthy email detailing what I could remember. I don't think it got past his spam filters though. :(

The person whose name you couldn't remember is Psab Keel. He's the one that came up with the fishing line concept to get the central core. He and Pipp were among the first to develop Luxeon based sabers (besides my pathetic MagLite conversion that I never did anything with). We noticed that with his style blade, when the batteries got low, the blade looked shorter, because of the core effect. We played around with potentiometers to try and get an extension/retraction look, with limited success.

That's what eventually led me to develop the first Luxeon saber specific driver board that automatically ramped the brightness level up when you turned it on and back down when you turned it off. There's a few more designs out there now (with sound), but mine was the first spefically geared for saber use. Different features were added over time, like flicker effect, clash (or manually operated blaster deflection) and lockup.

I didn't sell Tim his first LED saber. I got him his first Luxeon LED. If I remember right, I had just been made moderator on a prop forum board and Ultra had recently discovered the Luxeons and he really liked them. I suspect it was more to do with his manner of speech than his actual intent, but a few of the people that had, up to that point, been using EL took exception to his words. Not anything too serious, just more of a "Hey, I happen to like EL. Stop bashing it." sort of thing.

I emailed Alex (Ultra) and Tim and smoothed it out. In the process, I arranged to get Tim a Luxeon with optics. Not sure on the details anymore (if it was 1 Luxeon or several), but I think I traded with him for something. An EL blade?

Anyway, Tim saw the potential for the technology and developed some adapters that mounted the Luxeon onto a heatsink, attached it to a blade socket and had the whole thing fit inside a 1.5" sink tube. I've still got one of those setups. Quite sturdy. Over the next year or two, those adapters evolved into what is now known as the Modular Hilt System.



I hope this helped



Corbin

[Hasid Lafre]

They use computers, they dont deal with led tech like we do and to be quite honest I dont like them or anyone else at tf.n cause there attitude is its all about us now go piss off.

One thing I find funn, ryan at randomsabers says that corbins board is outdated, even though hes got a new version he says that its outdated with things like us and cf.

Well with a no sound saber what is best way to drive the led? hum? anyone? Yes corbins board!, IMO if your building a no sound saber nothing can be better than corbins board.

I had a corbin and mr setup and it was an awsome setup, I loved it, I just wish the sounds on the mr board were just a touch better.

[ARKM]

Anyone know the history of using polycarbonate tubing for lightsaber blades?

For myself, I actually came up with that idea on my own when I first heard of Stickman Escrima Products back in the early to mid 90's (he uses clear 1" OD thick-walled polycarbonate tubing as fighting sticks). It wasn't until 1999 that I finally bought some polycarbonate tubing from him and made my first spar-worthy lightsaber with a light up blade. Unfortunately being a noob, I did not know I could use EL wire and used glow sticks instead, held in with set screws at the top and bottom of the tube. Good times.

[Strydur]

I can add to the timeline....

June 4th 2005 I bought "TheCustomSaberShop" domain
August 2005 Corbin traded me some LED parts for a EL blade
September 2005 I made the EL and LED sink tube adapters (first time cnc made in bulk)
October 25th 2005 TCSS forums where started
December 2005 MHS system debuted

I will add more later...

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

They use computers, they dont deal with led tech like we do and to be quite honest I dont like them or anyone else at tf.n cause there attitude is its all about us now go piss off.

One thing I find funn, ryan at randomsabers says that corbins board is outdated, even though hes got a new version he says that its outdated with things like us and cf.

Well with a no sound saber what is best way to drive the led? hum? anyone? Yes corbins board!, IMO if your building a no sound saber nothing can be better than corbins board.

I had a corbin and mr setup and it was an awsome setup, I loved it, I just wish the sounds on the mr board were just a touch better.


I just ordered a Corbin driver from TCSS and DON'T think it is "outdated" at all!

Why? Because the Corbin driver is the only READILY AVAILABLE driver [no offense to Ervs great CF that most of us cant get unless we have 'win the lottery' luck] that can run a TRI-REBEL at full output with all 'effects' using readily available conventional battery solutions.

Want to run a XWing custom RRG tri-rebel full out for a 300+lumen bright orange using a reasonably sized hilt with 4AA holder x 3.6v nominal Li-ion Trustfires available @ TCSS?

Ultrasound? Nope 12V MAX stated limit risks POOF magic smoke from 4 fully charged Trustfires

CF? availability availability availabilty...and then you need to find a 'power extender' cuz CF wont do >14V [real voltage when 4 trustfires are FULLY charged] either.

Buckpucks? No extension/retraction [with Corbin blade] or other 'effects'

This is NOT meant as a 'criticism' of anyone else but its been a LOOOONG time since the Endor was announced so its not like board makers couldnt see that >12V maximum was going to be desirable yet the ONLY driver maker who 'future-proofed' his driver design WAS CORBIN so HE certainly deserves CREDIT for that.

30V input, 25v output opens up possibilities that nothing else does right now [in theory you could run a double tri-rebel saberstaff off a single Corbin board? don't know if anyone has done that yet]...if you want to run tri-rebels or hi-powered quad LEDEngins the Corbin driver is certainly NOT "outdated"

On the contrary it is the MOST UP-TO-DATE of any of the drivers out there in what advanced LED options it can handle IMO.

[ARKM]

They use computers, they dont deal with led tech like we do and to be quite honest I dont like them or anyone else at tf.n cause there attitude is its all about us now go piss off.

I take that statement as an insult. The first forum I ever joined was the Fan Films forum at TF.n. I like Star Wars and I like lightsabers and was into making home movies and watching fan films so I joined there, originally to enter in LCC3 (Lightsaber Choreography Contest 3) and to get more info on rotoscoping lightsabers.

There are negative, insulting, conceited/arrogant and elitest people on every forum. There ARE no exclusions. That's just the way things are. Fortunately most forums have a very small percentage of those people and have rules to help keep those people "in check".

I still post at TF.n, I still rotoscope lightsabers on my computer every once in a blue moon... and I DO deal with LED tech thank you very much.

[Corbin_Das]

While I'm not a Moderator here, may I suggest we try to steer the thread back towards the topic of the history timeline please? I appreciate the support for my driver and I agree that there's sometimes people out there that have a way of taking the fun out of it for others, but we really should try keeping the subject matter focused on this thread.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.


Thanks


Corbin

[ARKM]

Sorry if I helped to take the fun out it Corbin. That was not my intent nor do I believe it was the intent of anyone else. That said I will now remove myself from this thread. I have nothing to contribute as I know pretty much nothing of LED saber history. Again, sorry.

[Madcow]

Ok, here's some more from sabers in Canada

Spring/summer 2001 - Flashlights, ABS pipe and golf tube
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/youth%20sabers.JPG

Spring 2004 Madcows first machined sabers with LED technology - stil golf tubes
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/blue%20LED.JPG


Spring/Summer 2004 What I think is still the first real crystal chassis
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/crystal%20saber%205b.JPG
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/crystal%20saber%207.JPG

Summer 2005 Gelukhandar invites me to join forums at TCSS - I discover the sabersmith commuinity!

Fall 2005 My first Polycarb bladed LED sabers

Spring 2006 - I discover the only other sabersmith I can find in Canada - Jedi Ranger

Summer 2007 - My First CF saber

[Barmic Rin]

While I'm not a Moderator here, may I suggest we try to steer the thread back towards the topic of the history timeline please? I appreciate the support for my driver and I agree that there's sometimes people out there that have a way of taking the fun out of it for others, but we really should try keeping the subject matter focused on this thread.


SECONDED!!!! There's plenty of other topics to argue on, let's stick to subject & build this timeline!
I for one am getting memories of all those 'how to' guides on ebay regarding plasma sabers before LEDs came along in any real way. Back when they were solely used for accent lighting on the hilt because the invertor for the EL took up so much space inside!!!

[Novastar]

I appreciate all the help, guys! really... that's exactly what will be needed for me to make this thread "accurate to the best degree... while still being concise".

And Corbin, OF COURSE you're helping. After all, I gathered most of this 411 by working with you over the course of 2005 to 2006, and per further conversations. And ***YES*** that was it: Psab Keel. thanks! I knew if I saw the name I'd know who it was... but my brain was low on charge and needed to get a little Li-Ion boost, hahahah

SO. What I'll eventually do is compile what we can amass here... organize it in a nice fashion, then work with Tim to lock THIS thread... yet we'll re-open another one with a single big post, and lock it as well.

Additionally, I might even try my hand at a "graphical timeline" that simplifies things even MORE--using only super short captions and time markers--and see what can be done.

As time goes by, things can (and probably will) get added to this "text timeline" later on, but... I hope it sets a nice standard of "the history" as best as can be.

All this being said:

* The intention is not to insult nor to leave out anyone... but... the timeline will NOT be perfect. Just like life. Tough nachos, so sue me... whaddaya gonna do? Cry? ;)
* In general, we'll stick to things that have to do with LED sabers (whether single high-powered or "array"-based)... but also leave room for innovations such as shouldered blade tips and blah blah blah. But we won't start extrapolating about plasma sabers, laser sabers, nor will we be talking about blasters or costumes.
* Certainly little "blurbs" about (for example) when EL first came out or when the first plasma saber might be included... but not a whole history on THOSE too!! The timeline will be long enough as it is...

To be clear (and a bit direct)... if anyone becomes insulted by my actions here, I hate to say it, but I just don't even care. It's not like someone is paying me to do this, and it's not as if I have axes to grind nor hidden objectives. It's pretty forkin' simple: LEDs. Timeline. Who, when, what, where, how. 'Nuff said. :)

[Lord Maul]

Pex tubing was started by GeluKhan if I remember correctly. Look at the blade in this picture. Posted here, way back in early '06. This blade is either Pex or nylon, I think Pex.

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showpost.php?p=8614&postcount=4

Speaking of Gelukhan, I think that he should be added for making the very first controllable RGB saber, the Golden Chameleon.
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showpost.php?p=8609&postcount=2


Nova, shoot me a PM when you want this thread locked. I can do it for ya ;)

EDIT: You are forgetting Parks Sabers in your timeline. They were making EL blades long before MR came out with them. Lori made her first EL saber around the time that Parks did, if memory serves.

[Jedi-Loreen]

No, Parks had EL sabers before me, but they used EL sheet, not wire. Light Tech Industries also had EL blades that did use the wire. I bought a kit from them to make my first EL saber that consisted of the blade and hilt electronics. It had a nice latching momentary switch that I and another friend asked Tim to carry in his evolving store.

I decided that I didn't want to pay (then) $65 for other blades if I wanted to change colors, so I figured I could probably make my own, so I reverse engineered my Lightech blade.

I found out that they used double core EL wire, which sounded more impressive than how it actually performed, and some sort of paper for a diffuser.

I scoured art and craft stores, but I couldn't find any paper that would work for that, so I thought maybe some kind or tubing might work as a diffuser.

I ordered 2ft samples of at least six different types of white opaque tubing from McMaster and tested them with several colors of lit EL wire. It turned out that High Density Polyethylene had the diffusion properties I was looking for, it hid the wire (no "hot spots"), and lit up with a nice, even glow. That became the "standard" for EL tube type diffusers.

My blades have gone through several revisions over the years, especially after the High Brightness EL wire came out.

I made myself blades in every color that EL wire came in, because I could. People saw them and started asking me to make them for them. I made more red than any other color, because people with Parks sabers didn't want the pinkish blades that Parks offered.

Then people started asking me if I could make electronics kits for them to put into sink tube sabers or sabers they bought as static versions. So I sourced all the parts and began making kits.

People began asking me how I made my blades, so I wrote my Tutorial that I posted on TF.N (if you Google Jedi-Loreen it will come up). I actually had my own "Fans", which was kind cool, and strange, at the same time. I'd go to conventions, and people would come up to me and say, "You're Jedi-Loreen, aren't you? I read your tutorial, nice work."

New people coming into the saber building hobby, don't know of my former "Fame", now that LED sabers have become the rage and then the norm.

[xl97]

Nova-

when your ready to do ao time line.. I might be able to make somethign for ya in Flash..

easily updated by editing an .xml (text) file... with another entry (date & caption)

[Ravage179]

to think there's still more history than led, el , plasma, hasbro toy saber, and golf tube flashlight sabers... people have been trying to build real lightsabers almost as long as the movies have been out!

[Hasid Lafre]

Isent neon the oldest saber blades?

[erv]

Several thoughts :
- excellent idea
- corbin, I did get the history line you sent me (well, the second time you did, now it's archived, thanks a lot !!)


personnal history, if it's of some general interest. Including some CF history too !!!

- Sept '05 : I discover MR Fx Sabers by accident on thinkgeek.com, looking for a... geek tshirt. GF says it's expensive (shipping was pretty intense)... she added we needed TWO (to battle in the garden, at night). I said "what if I build them ?"

- Mid September : while working on a light costume for a dancer, I discover the EL sabers (and EL wire/tape), and try to source parts as presented in the tutorial of Fanwars.be. Finally able to build an EL blade after finding polyC (in France !!) and EL wires. I find a way to modify an EL driver to increase power and brightness, build up my first EL saber called "graflex inspiration", write a tutorial that I'll finally post later on my blog... at work :shock: (nov '05).
I join the French Costume Ligue (LCF StarWars) in the same period.

- Oct '05 : discover the luxeon/LED blade thread on TFN. Contact corbin to buy my first luxeon parts, a blue lux III, optics, and film. I also present to corbin my project and wish to provide luxeon supplies in France.

- I present and "forward" the luxeon tech on french forums (LCF) on oct 25 '05. In France, fans are still not fully "mastering" EL blade, no real tutorials, no easy source for parts, just PITA group orders twice a year. Only a very reduced number of people will take a chance to wire a EL blade. I get a "mmm... it's interesting" reaction. With a "let's see in the future how it goes" (understand : I'll never buy anything like that unless it cost 2 euros and will be proven to work... that will happen either never or in 10 years...).

- Corbin confirms me the shipping of the goods the first of november '05. I'll receive the package 1 week later. Start to work on a sound module with motion detection around the 10th of november. I'll have the first official results on the 19th, reading audio samples from a SD card.
Idea behind was to have this sound board compatible with corbin luxeon driver.

- oct 30th '05 : My first official post on TFN, starting sharing and exchanging about my future electronic plans
http://boards.theforce.net/costuming_and_props/b10019/21080099/p31

- Feb '06 : first release of my saber sound board (no luxeon driver).

- May '06 : I buy a lathe+mill combo machine and start learning about machining.

- Summer '06 : I machine my first saber (obi TPM / AOC), lux K2 / no sound and design my jedi costume, learn about leather to make belts and pouches.

- Winter '06 : protyping a 16 bit version of the sound module while designing CF

- Feb '07 : first release of Crystal Focus (sound + driver on the same board). Name found thru a little challenge, Judge Saber Smith is one of the contributors for the final naming. Sound is then "only" 8 bits / 22K

With the increasing demand / enthusiasm / sound font makers etc, things accelerate :
- May '07 : CF 2.0 / 16 bit sounds
- June '07 : CF 2.1
- August '07 : CF 2.5
- Sept '07 : CF 2.6 / 2.61
- Oct '07 : CF 2.63 (unofficial + bug fixes of 2.61 :oops:)
- Nov '07 : CF 3.0 then 3.1 (second run)
- '08 : I start looking for another house / moving, things slow down. CF 4.0 release I think in april / may '08, then 4.1 in nov '08 after a worldwide part shortage


Hope this helps. Not that I consider CF as a "dominant" subject, but since it's closely related to saber building, I thought that would be nice to explain how I went there and how this electronic board evolved !

Erv'

[Novastar]

Thanks everyone... it's overwhelming it is!!! Inundated with data, hahah

Quickly: For the record, I am not "forgetting" anyone. I either do not know the answer to everything (go figure), or I'm hoping I will get the answer from people's responses. For the last time, this timeline is not going do start out 100% accurate and irrefutable... it will take time to get things straight. :)

Also... I want to be clear:

THIS IS NOT A "PERSONAL EXPERIENCE" TIMELINE. Again, I hate to sound like a nasty curmudgeon, but... again... I DO NOT CARE (for this particular thread) when you discovered plasma sabers, I don't care when you learned to solder, I don't care when you bought your first LED, and I don't care when you discovered TCSS...

NONE OF THAT has any bearing on how LED sabers grew, changed, or were innovated.

This also means that later on... I will be removing things from the initial post... such as when I "showed up" on the LED Blade Q&A's thread @ TF.N. Why? Well, just because I showed up didn't mean that I affected the LED saber community at all. Maybe Balance of POWER helped give a little "boost" to people learning about how practical and durable the sabers could be... but... I barely contributed anything initially.

If anything, my "entry into the saber world" would be a small footnote initially. Same with most anything else.

Also--even though I may have been helpful to Crystal Focus with Erv... I (again) had no bearing on the LED saber's innovation at that time. Crystal Focus would have moved forward perfectly fine without my "sound fonts", and to this day... think about it. :) You can enjoy CF without ANYONE's particular sound-stylings... You make your own! This isn't to say that the CD isn't HELPFUL... but it's not like it broke new ground with LED sabers in the way that Erv did with CF or Corbin did with his driver, or TCSS did when Tim started machining modular parts, etc. etc.

SO... hopefully you all get the idea of how this timeline could succeed by being both CONCISE *AND* useful on marking "historical" events... not just when *I* learned to solder, nor when Corbin joined a certain forum, nor when you wired up your first saber... :)

[erv]

agreed ! and promise, I won't feel bad whatever you remove from my timeline contribution :D
Most of the details I input actually had no direct impact on luxeon style sabers, however, I thought it would be nice to explain how I "reached the point" and where it all started for me ;)

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Novastar, I think you're being too modest here. You, your sound fonts, your videos, and your helpfulness have made a major impact on the lightsaber community.

I won't ask for responses, but I think almost everyone here has benefited by your presence in some way.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Great post Erv...I'm wondering which revision of your CF did "iSaber" come in?

[psab keel]

Novastar,

It's great that you have been able to post a history of LED Lightsaber technology evolution here. There have been several threads like this in the past, specifically on DewbackWing: ASAP A Site About Props. It was there that a lot of this started, and Corbin himself began compiling a history of the constantly developing technology.

As resourceful as the threads there are, it rarely gets updated, but for a more concise dateline of the tech, you could try skimming through the New Lighting Strat thread there, started by PippMaster.

-as for my involvement in the hobby here are a few bullet points that might clarify:

-2001-2002- After dealing with Plasma I began experimenting with EL Blades

2003 - Being initially impressed with both, I began discovering the downfalls of both technologies and with the work of PippMaster to inspire me, I decided that LED tech was the way to go.

-Luxeon Tech was still emerging and I saved up some money and began experimenting (aka spending lots of money and time) creating new blade methods with polycarbonate -after having been introduced to it with Plasma and EL

-summer 2003 I created a dual tube design that utilized fishing line wrapped around an inner polycarbonate tube that was sealed inside a larger diameter polycarb tube to create a core effect, which was brilliantly perfected with Corbin's film shortly thereafter.

By this point, there were lots of people coming along with all kinds of innovations, which you have cited, so I won't reiterate.

It's fun to think back on how we got to where we are today! : )

[Novastar]

Absolutely!! :) I am in no way saying that people SHOULD NOT share these things, but... just to make sure I don't get a crazy flood of information about "I learned to solder on 1/1/1138" and "I learned about FX sabers and Ultra last Saturday" from people... yeah... I'm only looking for "big timeline markers".

You guys know. Just as you'd see a timeline covering 10 years of events... only big ones would show up, and even those would be SUPER under-explained, saying something like: "2001 -- Bob Smith invents the widget". :)

But certainly--I will actually mention "sideline" events... such as when Erv "showed up" in the community and Tim and Alex and Lori and Corbin, etc. But I will have to pick and choose as to which ones I think are important in the relevance to saber history from the perspective of an onlooker. As hard as that will be for me to do, since--I'm involved now, and have my own biases--no matter how impartial I try to be.

You guys get the idea. The timeline needs to remain "impersonal", despite all of us being very personable, generous, giving, a community, etc. :) It's just to mark events and keep them from being lost if too much time goes by...

I imagine if it were now 2012... the "who did what and when" of 2000, 2001 and so forth... would be FAR beyond lost at this point. Best to do it as soon as possible!



...however, I thought it would be nice to explain how I "reached the point" and where it all started for me ;)

[erv]

Great post Erv...I'm wondering which revision of your CF did "iSaber" come in?

Version 2.5, premiered in video on youtube the 31th of may 2007, released somewhere in summer 2007 (my latest file update for this firmware is dated from august) :mrgreen:

[Eandori]

I must admit, I was hoping to have been mentioned thus far by somebody. :P

I was the first person to implement some form of Clash flash. After talking with Erv' about the feature over email etc. I requested that he could make a special modification to the CF board and give me a digital output that I could amplify for Clash Flash. Erv' was into the idea and sold me a special modified CF 2.51 board which I used to make that very first Clash Flash video on my Proto1 saber. This idea ended up being a dedicated feature on future boards.

In my development of that saber, I fed back a number of detailed feedback responses, reported bugs with the board, and along with Novastar I suggested future features that Erv' could implement in his next board.

As for CF bugs I was helping Erv' catch, there were a few which involved the method used to copy files on/off the Flash board, power Cycle being required for LED changes, reccomended method of Vibration Motor connection, etc.

On my work with Novastar, I spent much time filling in his gaps with his self-taught electronics knowledge. (Which by the way, he was impressive on how much he understood with a lack of official training...) We had LONG phone discussions of Heat Flow, Power calculations, Battery usage and selection, Current flow basics, etc. Novastar sent over his pre-production sound fonts for my feedback, of which I gave him some. Not as much as I wanted to. I edited a few of his sound fonts and sent them back, basically I made his Pheonix font more of a flame sword, and took out the movie quotes and tried to make a few of his saber fonts more saber like, rather then theatrical. That was my preference of saber font, make it sound like a saber :)

As for my development in the saber community, I made several posts explaining how heat transfer really works to help with the heatsink design made/sold at TCSS. The result was the thick-copper heatsink you see now. I had many discussions about clash flash LED-mount points and helped explain the issue with having more then 1 LED emit light to go up the blade.

My best idea for how to get ignition/retraction ramping effect with a luxeon has not yet really gone public... But it's a doozy. I wanted to take the first crack at it before letting it out... but I just can't seem to find a way to prototype the parts cheaply.

I had a huge hand in bringing clarity to the Lightsaber community about the function of Hyperblades and the + and -'s they offer. Before my videos there was a lot of speculation, false facts, and assumptions about how they worked and how they compared. I think my comparison videos left little doubt or confusion about how they really stack up.

As of late... being a father of a new baby girl and Intel's Lead BIOS Engineer on the motherboard which will be the launch vehicle on Intel's next CPU launch... I've had little time for sabers. Truthfully, I've had no time for anything but family/work. But that's a short time thing. My baby girl is 1.5 years old now and this board will launch within 2009.

I'll come back later and list dates on when these things I listed above went down. Fun thread, thanks for Starting Novastar!

[cardcollector]

Absolutely!! The timeline needs to remain "impersonal", despite all of us being very personable, generous, giving, a community, etc. :) It's just to mark events and keep them from being lost if too much time goes by...

I imagine if it were now 2012... the "who did what and when" of 2000, 2001 and so forth... would be FAR beyond lost at this point. Best to do it as soon as possible!

Don't forget to include yourself...
"03-28-2009: Novastar begins compiling a History of Custom Sabers";)

What do you think of including BOP in the timeline???
It definitely has sparked more intrest in LED sabers!

[Corbin_Das]

Eandori,
You've helped LED technology quite a bit. I think we should clarify that the clash on flash you're talking about developing utilized a separate LED to give the flash (even in a different color, which is cool), and not just increasing the brightness of the single LED, which my driver does. By using a separate LED, you really increased the look of it over what I had done with my driver's Clash and Lock function.

Loreen,

I know what you mean about "fame". I had a couple guys ask for my autograph at C4 and it felt weird. I also had some other guys (at a different con) not know who "Corbin" was and they informed me that Ultrasabers (who had made their hilts) originally invented Luxeon saber technology. I didn't argue. LOL


Corbin

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Well I guess thats the kinda thing this timeline will help clear up...very interesting I'm learning lots...thanks Novastar and everyone...:-)

[Novastar]

Novastar sent over his pre-production sound fonts for my feedback, of which I gave him some. Not as much as I wanted to. I edited a few of his sound fonts and sent them back, basically I made his Pheonix font more of a flame sword, and took out the movie quotes and tried to make a few of his saber fonts more saber like, rather then theatrical. That was my preference of saber font, make it sound like a saber :)Just for clarity's sake, the Phoenix sound font was always "a flame sword"... Edwin just didn't particularly care for the "hawk/bird cries" heard within the font. I offered both options on the CD.

Also (since we're de-railing here, heheh!), I learned most of my core electronic basics from Corbin, and my own experiences and studies. From there, I learned more from the forum/threads on TF.N and TCSS (mainly TCSS)... and then people like Don and Erv. THEN I met Edwin when he came onto the saber scene... and certainly I learned even more there.

Cardcollector: I'm not sure yet if I think BOP I influenced the saber community in a way that was all THAT significant. It may have built INTEREST from newcomers or what not... but... again... it did not change/alter or otherwise enhance the way LED sabers were built. So... I don't know if it belongs in the timeline that *I* was sitting here trying to design.

Again: the timeline *I* am proposing has to do with significant events that influenced the LED SABER. Edwin's flash on clash via additional LED certainly has a part of that. But my sounds and Edwin's personal changes to my sounds? Nah, neither are very important in terms of their relevance to "changing the LED saber" in a significant way.

I don't really want to make this thing too complicated. However, if someone out there wants to make a timeline including every event and every change from every person they can get the 411 from... be my guest! I'm not going to do that--it would be an entire anthology of uber-SW geek stuff from every perspective imaginable! :)

[vargose]

I don't really want to make this thing too complicated. However, if someone out there wants to make a timeline including every event and every change from every person they can get the 411 from... be my guest! I'm not going to do that--it would be an entire anthology of uber-SW geek stuff from every perspective imaginable! :)

Thats what the "Expanded Universe" of saber history is for

[Novastar]

Eandori,
You've helped LED technology quite a bit. I think we should clarify that the clash on flash you're talking about developing utilized a separate LED to give the flash (even in a different color, which is cool), and not just increasing the brightness of the single LED, which my driver does. By using a separate LED, you really increased the look of it over what I had done with my driver's Clash and Lock function.EXACTLY! These are both significant developments with LED sabers, and both will get covered in the timeline.

Also... while I'm talking about things, I'm hoping to be able to do this kind of thing for the timeline:

EVENT + DATE
INVENTOR / PERSON TO CREDIT
DESCRIPTION OF SAID EVENT
*VIDEO LINK* (hopefully!) showing an example, although this might just be a photo in certain cases... or nothing at all if it's an "obvious" thing that doesn't need more clarification.

Hope it sounds like a good idea.


I had a couple guys ask for my autograph at C4 and it felt weird. I also had some other guys (at a different con) not know who "Corbin" was and they informed me that Ultrasabers (who had made their hilts) originally invented Luxeon saber technology. I didn't argue. LOLYup... yet AGAIN one of the EXACT reasons I think this kind of thing should be done. I sort of want it to help make clear distinctions (as best as is possible) as to the major inventions and/or discoveries/wiring solutions that have tangibly affected the LED saber scene.

[acerocket]

Well, since I am mentioned, let me see if I can offer a little of my own timeline.

April 2004: My wife is 5 months pregnant and has been on bedrest for a month and I am going crazy. I buy a manual 3-in-1 lathe and start looking for ideas so I can make my own art-deco style lamps. This leads me to the TFN where I find Jedi Loreen's EL blade tutorial and I thought "hey, I can do that."


November 2004: I finish my first EL bladed lightsaber
http://www.orbitalmachining.com/assets/images/db_images/db_100_0382.jpg


Sometime late 2004/early 2005 I discover ASAP and start learning about LEDs being used instead of EL wire. There I met Corbin who was a big LED supporter.


Early in 2006 I made my first LED saber and used a tutorial/kit I purchased from Psab Keel to build my first blade:
http://www.orbitalmachining.com/assets/images/db_images/db_100_1454.jpg

Also in 2006 I started talking to Corbin about working on a new saber he was wanting. I started the work on my 3-in-1 manual but ran into some problems with a broken bolt on the tool turret.


July 2006: I purchased my CNC mill and decided to start from scratch and make Corbin's saber entirely on the CNC machine. It took quite a while to do since I had to teach myself everything, but just before C4, I met up with Corbin and delivered him the 'Killer Penny'.
http://www.orbitalmachining.com/assets/images/db_images/db_100_0484.jpg


In December 2005, Corbin asked about doing something to increase the brightness of the LEDs and asked if it would be possible to get two or even three LEDs in a saber. Throughout 2006 I found a small enough optic and worked up a design and in December 2006, unveiled the Tri-Lux unit.
http://www.orbitalmachining.com/assets/images/parts205.JPG


In 2006 I post a few important topics in the LED saber thread on TFN about battery sizes and specs and heatsinks and how to properly size them for a given LED (some of you may remember the pictures of hand written pages of notes with equations on them).

August 2007: I make the move out of California to Idaho and aquire a CNC lathe to go with the CNC mill. I have dreams of opening my own one man CNC machine shop.

April 2008: I do a very small run of Obi TPM sabers that are, in addition to being very accurate, are LED bladed.
http://www.orbitalmachining.com/assets/images/group3.jpg


So, that's the highlights of my history I suppose. There are a few other contributions to the saber community I have made, but I those are for another day.

Oh, and I got to meet a few of the big names at C4 - Corbin, Novastar (who doesn't remember it though), Kit Fisto (FX sabers) and a few others whose names escape me now.


Edit: I almost forgot. In late 2004, after having made a few EL blades, I was a bit frustrated that it was so hard for our community to find parts (at the time, just EL parts was all I knew about) so I started formulating the plan to buy in bulk and open a webstore to sell the parts to others who wanted to build their own blades. I decided to also include machined parts. But alas, the idea never amounted to much because my newborn son was taking a lot of my time and I could never get the idea off the ground. I finally revisited the idea one day and did some quick searching and found that Tim had just opened his store and was doing the very thing I had wanted to do. Oh well, my loss for not being quick enough to market. At least someone thought of it and brought all this coolness to the market.

[xl97]

Nova-

video link as in, IN the time line 'app'? or to an off-site video? (ie: youtube.com)?

[cardcollector]

http://www.orbitalmachining.com/assets/images/group3.jpg
.

I know it is off topic but I have to say Those sabers are amazing!!!:shock::shock::shock:

[Firebird21]

Very cool Novasar! But where am I in all of this? I know I've been out of touch for a while, but I didn't think I was forgotten! lol

Then again, I suppose I had little to do with the evolution of Lightsabers and probably more to do with the degradation of the forums. ie. the mostly defunkt Derailment Unit.

Ahh... Good times... good times....

[Novastar]

Ace: THANK YOU!!!!
XL97: probably, it depends.Ace (again): O. M. G. Right, the KP. Geez, there ya go. Good thing to add! It just shows, I can't remember it all!!---------------------------------------------------------------to some others: PLEASE... will everyone *please* stop saying "why am I not mentioned" when I am specifically saying over and over:

THIS IS A WIP. Read the thread please.

I also specifically state that I do not know EVERYONE's exact contributions... and further... it's impossible to know at this point whether or not people's contributions directly influenced the evolution of the LED saber.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE ALREADY "BEEN MENTIONED" to pipe up and tell me something. What do I look like--a human hard drive???!?? With a search function that can retrieve data at 10,000 bps? OHHHHHhhhhhhhh--NOT.

But... *SIGH* here's another example of how my thinking is lining up... just to be CRYSTAL BLOODY CLEAR:

* Tim invents the TCSS shop = YES, this influenced things
* Corbin finds that cool printer film ("corbin film") and it replaces the Psab Keel fishing line method = YES, this influenced things
* You wired up your first FX saber and shared it publicly and people were happy and the peasants rejoiced and everyone watched Monty Python afterward and discussed Jon Cleese's distinctive voice...

... = NO, this significantly influenced ZILCH! :)

Cool as that night with your buds & suds & Life o' Brian mighta been. :cool:

Other "NO" things:

* You saw a cool wiring guide with relays and posted photos detailing your experience working with the relay setup and your ____ board.

* You educated 5, no--10, no--50, no--100 people on the threads about using _____ while doing _____ which made their saber building more efficient because it resulted in _______... for those 100+ people.

* You promised to make a new, innovative change with LED sabers... but despite all the hubbub... whether purposeful or not... you never actually DID it.

* You invented the plasma saber. You invented the laser saber. You invented the BackStreet Boys saber. You invented the TMNT saber. NO X 4-- and "bye, bye, bye"!

* You made a ton of sound fonts for Crystal Focus. You released them onto a CD. You think you're sooooo cool because you can do an averagely pitiful backflip and a shakey, girly-lookin' b-twist. Sorry, you're just some punk padawan proby--GET LOST. :mrgreen:

* You're a patent troll.


Other "YES" things:

* You invented or innovated a new feature in some way, shape or form for LED sabers... ... ... Suuuuurrrrrvveyy SAAAAAAAAAys... ..... .... DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDI NGDINGDINGDINGDING!!!!!!!!

* You found better (or "different") ways to do ______ or facilitate _____ with LED sabers, and made some significant steps to "get it out there".

* You designed and implemented a driver board that helped LED sabers to function better, or in innovative ways.

* You designed a circuit setup that had several components which--when COUPLED with existing driver boards--achieved some pretty nifty results! Booley for you, you CHHHEEEEEKY monkey--you're da man, daaahhhwwwg! (Or "da woman" if you're Loreen) :p

* You are Erv... ... ... ... Just kidding. You can't get onto the timeline just because you're French.

* You posted a video and/or design guide and/or photos and/or a detailed text post or thread that really REALLY clarified or verified (or dispelled!) some pre-existing concept(s) with LED sabers. Such as: "how to make a _____", or "Why LEDs aren't _____ but they ARE ____" or... whatever. You get the idea.

* You affected: blades... tips... diffusers... optics... battery solutions... wiring setups... hilt designing... ease of use... BLAH BLAH BLAH!

.
.
.

So. Now.

PLEASE. Please stop telling me "why am I not mentioned" and instead, FRIGGIN' EXPLAIN TO ME about it!!!! Tell me!!! Dit a moi, s'il te plait!!

I did NOT "forget" anyone. I simply... can't hold all of that in my pitiful little brain.

To quote Emmett Brown, "Please, you'll have to excuse the horrible crudity of this model, I didn't have time to build it to scale, nor to paint it..."

"Uhhh... it's fine, Doc... it's great!"

[Firebird21]

Ouch... Wow...

It was just a joke... I don't expect to be recognized for any lightsaber milestones. Nor did I expect to get a 10 pg. garbage rant on how far up the pole really goes.

I guess I really have been forgotten around here...

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Ouch... Wow...

It was just a joke... I don't expect to be recognized for any lightsaber milestones. Nor did I expect to get a 10 pg. garbage rant on how far up the pole really goes.

I guess I really have been forgotten around here...

Don't take it personal, FB! That's just they way he is! (No insult intended, Nova!) ;)

I'm in the same boat, so don't worry about it....I contributed nothing significant either....and for the record, I remembered you! :)

[Eandori]

I think the best way for anybody who was not mentioned initially to take this is... take the time to list out something you did which you feel added to the development of the LED saber and see how it's responded to. Rather then feeling left out from the initial post (which is what I did too).

[Firebird21]

....and for the record, I remembered you! :)


You LIKE me! You really LIKE me!

http://www.uacam.mx/DGSC/pagpers/hectlara/Jim/mask.jpg
http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_biggrinbounce.gif

[acerocket]

I don't know why people would get bent out of shape over not being mentioned. If you feel you did something, then by all means post it up and whoever compiles the history will include it if it is deemed important.

Quite frankly, I don't understand why I am listed. I don't really think I have done all that much important. Well maybe the Tri-lux looked like it was going to be a big thing, but then the tri-rebels came out and everyone lost interest in the tri-lux unit. But it is not dead yet, I have plans for it's return.

[Eandori]

If you can angle the 3 sockets in the Tri-Lux LED mount to slightly point those lens inwards... so they all point into the base of the saber tube, then you might have a chance to get that solution working. The biggest problem with tri-lux solutions is that none of the 3 LED's are lined up with the center axis of the blade, so much light is lost.

Not that I'm trying to de-rail the thread or anything :)

Anyways back on topic, I think the reason people want to see their names mentioned is that many of us have put much time into this collective hobby. It's a shared effort that has lead to some VERY cool high end toys. It's very rewarding to see that you played a part in it.

Kinda like at the end of a movie, the people who worked on the movie got to see their names in the credits at the end. If you worked on a movie, and everybody else got mentioned but you in the credits I'm sure you would feel a little bent. Which is understandable.

The only thing that makes this different... is that as Novastar is trying to make clear... the final credits have NOT YET rolled. He's trying to collect the information so the movie can end. So rather then getting bent, make sure your efforts are noted!

[Novastar]

Of course I remember you, Firebird. :)

Oh, and no, the credit reel is not ready to roll yet. Again, it's a... ... *SIGH*... it's a "work in progress". :-? :rolleyes:

[DACOTA]

Thats great Nova, I love it.:D

[Novastar]

I'm obviously putting this project on hold until like... ohhhh I dunno... a long time from now, hahahah. What with everything that is going on.

But hey, for those who can post pertinent 411... read the first post, and send some more 411! :)

Let's try to get this whole "saber history" thing accurate & organized heheh

As it is... I don't remember, but... I think I have to add Mako's stuff: I can't remember if I put a blurb in there as a "marker" or what not to get that into position...

[Count Malik]

cool cool Nova. Very cool indeed.

[Novastar]

This *might* get brought back.

That is... probably with much thanks to XL97... and it's also predicated on the concept that everyone who posts here from now on does so in order to attempt aiding the further ACCURACY and FAIRNESS of the timeline.

Sadly, I cannot just "take your word for it"... unless you are someone like Tim or Alex or Corbin or Erv and so forth (and even then, we'll want corroboration). That being said--if you have:

* Data and dates to help corroborate some information (nothing fancy, I'm just saying HELP me help the timeline!!!)
* People to also say "yeah, _____ definitely did the xxxxx concept--I remember him posting photos of saber yyyyyyy in May of 2007... in fact here's the post. Great stuff! Hey, am I wrong, too?? Someone else help verify, please." That would help greatly.
* Videos or even .PDFs. For example, I recall X-Wing (xwingband) doing a .PDF on doing custom 3-up Rebels... so I'd say that is some heavy evidence in who pushed forward such ideas!! This wouldn't be to say that he is the first to ever use a 3-up Rebel of ANY kind... but again--the .PDF is there for making CUSTOM ones with optical solutions for LED sabers. Ya know? LED sabers?? :D

What is NOT helpful (this is what made me quit this idea for a few months--for breather time for ALL):

* "Why am I not on there?? ? ? .... .... .... .. ... " (and then of course, that poster doesn't tell me WHY. With decent detail + year(s) + mont(s) + at least SOME form of data/proof/photos/etc.)
* Bickering over what is "worthy" and what is not. Let me (unfortunately) be the judge of this. We simply cannot include EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN that has to do with sabers.
* Suggesting "film techniques". These have absolutely nothing (and I mean nothing) to do with LED sabers. Look at the thread's title. LED sabers. Please do NOT make this EXTREMELY hard project tougher than it already is. LED saber technology rapidly grows every day--and we're already years behind in terms of doing a "history" on it.
* Suggesting anything but little blurbs on sabers that are NOT LED sabers. Sure, EL and Plasma will get mentions... but these are about LED sabers. Besides, many of those techs are pretty "dead" these days.
* Adding nothing to the thread

This is a bit more "hardcore" of a thread. It requires people to attempt HELPING me turn the enigmatic nature of "quasi-facts" into HARD facts, if at all possible.

Finally, I do not pretend to know EVERYTHING about DIY LED saber history!! HAH!!! I wasn't even really a part of it until late 2005, so... I'm just continuing to see how I can act to help the DIY LED saber community as a whole. So... HELP me. Help me help an accurate and decently "fair" timeline get created. It might be a wonderful thing for the DIY LED saber community.