Purple Blade Color?

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Before I get pummeled, let it be known that i did some "searching" and some "looking" before asking this question. I know the info is out there but i could only find references to it, not the actual threads.

I want to have a bright (same brightness as Luxeon III) Purple blade. I know i could use a white with a filter but am afraid that will dim the blade substantially. I did not see a Purple option on the Luxeon III, so am I stuck with using a filter to achieve that "Windu Purple?" If so is a P4 enough to achieve the brightness i'm looking for? Can I run a P4 off the electronics i was originally going to order for my luxeon III?

Even if you only have time to post search keywords that will help me find what i want, or links to the information that is great. I am willing to do some reading rather than have the info handed to me. Thanks in advance guys...

I really am standing amongst giants ;)

[xl97]

most people who do not want a washed out purple..or a 'pinky' purple.. use a RGB led.. you may also want to check out the P5's..

[Shadar Al'Niende]

I read reference to an RGB Led here but could not find one in the shop... are these bought elsewhere?

Also, rgb and led are too common to use the forums search function on. I could not find anything in the obvious spots (led blade threads) Any idea on where I could find the info i'm looking for on those? I would like to do some research as I assume (i know nothing about RGB LED's mind you) that you would need some kind of circuit board to control the level of each color?

[Jedi-Loreen]

There are no purple high powered LEDs. Due to the way the colors are made for the dies, that color has not been achieved.

The only way to make a purple blade, aside from using a purple filter with a white LED, is to mix blue and red, which has been done using an RGB LED and not using the green die.

Not something I'd suggest for a novice.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Once again, Jedi-Loreen you come to my rescue! :cool:

So If i understand correctly, an RGB is 3 Led's? One with Red one with Green and one with Blue dye? Or is it a single LED colored using a red and blue dye?

EDIT *and yes, most likely I will stick to my royal blue Lux III for my first blade...Novice I am, Learn I must.* ;)

[xl97]

well.. the term LED is kinda thrown around 'lightly'...

for example.. the LUXIII you buy in the store is 1 led..

an RGB, is also 1 LED..

each LED has one dome... and under it a diode (where the light comes from more or less) LOL

now in an RGB LED...under the dome there is 3 diodes.. 1 for red..1 for green. and 1 for blue..

there are many ways to wire them up to do differnent tasks.. and as mentioned...not for the faint of heart or noobies!

usually there is a "POT" (Potentiometer) that is used to 'dial in' the correct shade(s) one desires..

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Yes because purple filters have a relatively low light transmission even the excellent very bright 240 lumen P4 white LED available at TCSS is not entirely ideal with filters imo...though that IS a better option than with the other whites available here if you decide to try it.

A true RGB led with independantly addressable red, green and blue dies under the dome with the red and blue dies wired is a much better choice for achieving a bright purple...unfortunately they aren't available @ TCSS though hopefully Strydur will stock one someday.

You might want to talk to Roys Blues [Jango Fett on FX-Sabers] since he knows a lot about RGB purple particularly the RGB Seoul P5 wired for a very nice purple.

But as JLo says thats a more complicated approach so if you are new I'd still try a P4 white available here @ TCSS...then get a Lee filters swatchbook which can produce better purples than discs, while not entirely ideal imo its not that bad either so worth a try imo.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

You guys are the best! Thank you!

are there pictures in the blade color thread that you know of? I would like to see the brightness...

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

In the white blade color thread, I posted this picture with some Lee filters and a white P4. I got an "OK" purple with the Fuchsia Pink filter. It's a little dim, but not too bad. It will do until you figure out how to wire a RGB.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff102/dar4jc/Lee-filters1.jpg

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Obi-Dar is right...one of the great things about the TCSS MHS hilt system is that since its modular you can build an "ok" purple saber using P4 with filters now and when you feel ready to step up to RGB it will be easily upgradeable...this is even easier if you wire the components with quick-disconnect clips.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Thanks Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie, I think I saw that one when i was browsing trying to answer my own question :rolleyes:

I am planning on building a Royal blue Lux III for my first saber with quick disconnects and a corbin driver (i'm pretty sure that's what it is, forgive me if I sound like an idiot.) I definitely want to stretch a little more once I get the hang of things. I was thinking that once I get her all wired up, I can order a P4 or P5 like xl97 suggested and a filter and try out the brightness to see if im satisfied or want a RGB instead.

Then I realized I might have to re-wire to make sure I feed a P4 or P5 enough juice to run the LED. (on a side note i'm not sure if a Luxeon 3w driver V2 (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Luxeon-3w-driver-V2-P230.aspx) would drive this well, im assuming it will) I would most likely need to up the battery power if anything, but with 4 AA's I think I might be ok. I will have to read more on the Seoul's...

For all you Fraggle fan's out there, sorry for the Wembling there are just so many possiblites... :oops:

Thanks again for all the suggestions folks, would you suggest a crystal chamber with an accent LED and RGB for a 2nd time Sabersmith? Or are those types of things you really need practice that a starting saber just cannot give?

[Revan]

You might want to talk to Roys Blues [Jango Fett on FX-Sabers] since he knows a lot about RGB purple particularly the RGB Seoul P5 wired for a very nice purple.

That was a great piece of advice. Also I remember seeing an excellent RGB LED on a converted Mace saber on bay a while back. It was a seoul P5 RGB on a PCB http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-LEDs-Seoul/3.5W-Seoul-RGB/Seoul-3.5W-RGB-SMD--P5-Version-II--on-PCB-LT-1456_121_149.html I believe this is the best one out there as far as mixing the B and the R properly, at least it would work a lot better than the Endor Stars...
http://www.luxeonstar.com/endor-rebel-star-rgb-triemitter-p-184.php I used this one in a color changing saber. It worked really well but you could tell the colors weren't mixing properly (even with the proper lens) because the colors weren't close enough. However the P5 eliminates that problem because they are so close. so give it a try!

[Shadar Al'Niende]

I looked on there and this I don't understand...call me a Yankee :)


Quantity Price per pcs.
1 - 49 12,95 €

how much is that in USD?

[ComdtJustin]

According to Google convert, it's about $18.50-$19.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Sweet thanks, ComdtJustin! Don't know why I didn't think of google!

I got the following Quote from the link provided earlier (http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-LEDs-Seoul/3.5W-Seoul-RGB/Seoul-3.5W-RGB-SMD--P5-Version-II--on-PCB-LT-1456_121_149.html):

"LEDs should be run with a constant current in addition to the manufacturers recommendations. To ensure this we recommend to take constant current power supplies because resistors are always a risk factor in high power LED applications."

ok ok, so a resistor might catch fire due to the high power of the LED, gotcha. Will the Corbin or the Ultrasound board handle one of these puppies?

[Jedi-Loreen]

The Ultrasound has a max input voltage of 9.6V, the Corbin Driver can take a max of 30V, so it sounds like they can, since you'd need a total of 9.2V if you were running all 3 colors.

Though I'm not sure how you'd adjust the output current for that.

[FenderBender]

The P5 isn't the only good RGB solution out there;) And you could just run the output from the US board and pot the red. Just a suggestion........

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Thanks, The RGB setup will most likely have at the very least an US board (Doubt I will get my hands on/be able to properly setup a CF) as the purple colored blade will be on my personal saber once i practice building some other ideas and get better at this. I am planning a crystal chamber in this saber as well. Trying to understand everything so i can properly work my way up to it.


And you could just run the output from the US board and pot the red. Just a suggestion........

Forgive my ignorance, "pot" the red?

[Kal El Rah]

fender means to use a small potentiometer(POT);) on the red dye.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Listen to Fender, he and his wife Allaerra [who together are "Vaders Vault"] are true masters of purple [their famed "Purpliscious purple" is gorgeous] and I should have remembered to suggest talking with them also, since they have a wealth of expertise about the subject...DOH on me...sorry Fender.

The potentiometer or "pot" he was talking about is a dial that can be used kinda like a 'dimmer switch' dial on the red part of an RGB wired for purple to allow one to more finely control the exact shade of purple the RGB produces...don't worry if you don't understand all the terminology here yet, you'll learn it soon...this is a great place for learning. :-)

[FenderBender]

Yes, purple was something that was extremely important to us that we get it right, (partly cause its Allaerra's favorite color;)) and we spent countless hours developing 2 great methods for acheiving it. We use one method for our stunts and one for sabers driven by soundboards. I wont divulge too much secrets here, gotta make a living after all;) but I will say that be careful which "pot" you try, as a lot of the easy to get ones are crap and wont hold the settings cause they get hot.

You may want to look around *coughdeal extremecough* excuse me, and you might find a cheaper RGB to play with..............


I will probably bleed for that one............

[xl97]

p.s. ...dont forget to use the coupon code of BULKRATE if ordering 3 or more.. ;)

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Man you guys are the best! :o

So my hunger got the best of me. (payday is a couple weeks off and gotta wait for shipping on my first order after that...thank goodness things stay in your cart...) My brother-in-law and I went out to Lowes and bought some stuff (he wanted to lathe a hilt, i opted for PVC) and set to taking about 45 minutes and throwing together some trial hilts to get the feel for designing etc... I tried some sandpaper just goofing around with weathering so I could get the feel for how it looks before you repaint. Some parts I was happy with others not so much.

Well...Here is how my PVC turned out:

First a Flash shot...

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x116/TaiDashan/100_1729.jpg

Next the flash is off...

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x116/TaiDashan/100_1730.jpg

And a closeup of the Grips...

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x116/TaiDashan/100_1736.jpg

Thanks guys for all the inspiration and fantastic info...my wife is now officially concerned that I will have to undergo treatment at a local LA (Lightsabers Anonymous) meeting :mrgreen:

[Shadar Al'Niende]

As an aside, I was looking around for good Potentiometers (did i spell that right :confused:) and came across something...

Problem is I do not know what I am looking at...

Linkage! (http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=potentiometer&origkw=potentiometer&sr=1)

On top of this I know that Radio shack isn't always the best place to get quality parts from and in light of Fender's comment I wondered if i'm barking up the wrong tree here. Any suggestions?

[xl97]

"I" personally have never done an RGB saber.. (although its on the 'list' of things to play with)...

but I believe most people use this style of 'pot':

http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2160209w345.jpg

which one? (1K, 10K, 100K version....no clue)

Im sure its been posted around here before though... do some more digging/searching on color changing and RGB (use search term RGB*)

[Shadar Al'Niende]

I saw that one on the site and was looking at it, I would assume (i could be WAY off base here so please don't flog me haha) that you would use 100k version since I think i saw a 1m version that handled 3 watts?

[FenderBender]

Nope, not that one;)

[xl97]

FB-

was that to me? or Shadar Al'Niende?

As in thats NOT the style of POT people use? (or you have been using)

or his comment on using a "100k version"

[FenderBender]

To Shadar, though I have used the one you pic'd and it worked for about 5 sec. and then it heated up and wouldn't hold the setting.

[xl97]

ahh got ya.. so have you moved to a new "STYLE" of POT?...or was it just because it was a crappy brand? cheaply made version?

(you dont have to answer..I dont wanna get ya in any trouble) ;)

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Do you have any Pot's that you could suggest? I definitely do not want you divulging super secret perfect Potentiometers (sp?) but I figure you might know some that are good quality?

Would love to learn from the Master of Purple... ;-)

*edit, feel free to point me to somewhere as well. Search, web etc. I can do the looking myself.*

[Onlyone]

vader's vault does have what appears on screen to be an awesome purple...I've been drooling over the youtube footage.

As another looking for a nice purple...and I'm picky too, I'm gonna settle for white LED with a filter for now till I figure it out or breakdown and hire someone.

I'm root'n for you though!

[Shadar Al'Niende]

250 ohm potentiometer on the red, do not wire the green and a resistored wire to the blue full brightness...at least this is what I understand. Hope that helps..we will see how it turns out ;)

[cardcollector]

Instead of starting a new thread, and it is relatively on topic...

I am asking to be spoonfed- pure and simple, I don't have any extra money to experiment so here goes-

Would anyone who has done a RGB purple LED like to share EXACTLY what they did???? parts, wiring schematic, etc...
I understand those who have a business shouldn't share their secrects...
But for anybody else... PLEASE!!!

[Invisas1979]

Instead of starting a new thread, and it is relatively on topic...

I am asking to be spoonfed- pure and simple, I don't have any extra money to experiment so here goes-

Would anyone who has done a RGB purple LED like to share EXACTLY what they did???? parts, wiring schematic, etc...
I understand those who have a business shouldn't share their secrects...
But for anybody else... PLEASE!!!

Ok, I was asking this same question for ages but I didn't really get any forthcoming help. I've still not done one fully but I have played with my prolite RGB (so as not to damage my better ones). So here goes.

A three watt RGB will have a positive R and G and B solder pad as well as a negative R and G and B solder pad.

You need not worry about the positive and negative green as you won't be using them.

You will need to solder the two R + B negative pads together on the LED star and then run a negative wire from one of the LED solder pads to the sound boards negative wire.

Then you need to wire the 3 watt resistor to the red positive on the LED and wire the blue positive. Then solder the Blue positive wire to the red after the resistor (before the board positive). This will then give you a purple.

The purple fender gets is with a pentiometer (not sure if I spelled that right) which is like a dial on a amp. This is far more acurate for getting a really rich color but the wiring is beyond me at this point as I haven't tried it.

You can get 3w resistors which have different ohm ratings, maybe get a few of these to see which color is best. I tried this with a 5w 2.2ohm and I got a lovely pink. Good thing it's my GF's saber I'm using it for.......

[cardcollector]

Wow, That's awesome!

I'll get that and see what I can do...

[Jedi-Loreen]

No, you didn't spell "potentiometer" correctly. :p

[Invisas1979]

No, you didn't spell "potentiometer" correctly. :p

That's because I have a spell checker. Ha ha ;)

[DJMoonbass]

i like the look of that P5. i think i will use that in the future, the only problem i have run into was finding the right pot cuz i do know of the whole issue of no good pots, but couldnt you just use different ohms of resistors? i guess it would be easier to use a pot though....

[cardcollector]

i like the look of that P5. i think i will use that in the future, the only problem i have run into was finding the right pot cuz i do know of the whole issue of no good pots, but couldnt you just use different ohms of resistors? i guess it would be easier to use a pot though....

or you could use a pot to find the ohm's you need and then just use that resistor...

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Feel free to correct me, but i think you are missing the point DJ. The Potentiometer allows you to "mix" your colors to get a specific shade by having variable resistance. the Resistor sets it at a fixed color that you cannot change because of fixed resistance. These do two very different things.

CC brings up a good point. If you only want that color and don't want to worry about adjusting it, you could make the color permanent by using a resistor in place of the pot once you find the value...but the using a pot that requires a flat-head screwdriver or some such would be fairly permanent without having to re-wire the thing... Just seems like too much work to me...

[grayven]

There are several ways to get a purple as my friends @ vader's vault know better than anyone. It all depends on a lot of variables.

1. How do you plan to drive it. US,CF,Corbin,Buck Puck, MR or Hasbro?
2. What is your power source solution. 4.5 AA, AAA, 2 14500's or 12 AC delco in DJ case.:p
3. What LED are you using. and what are the specs for the RED and the Blue.
4. and of coarse what shade are you looking for.

You could be instructed on one way of achieving a certain shade like Invisas1979 pointed out, however if you drive it differently, have a different RGB or even just one of the LED's in the RGB be different or any other of multiple combination of differences to the list above and the changes can go from subtle to drastic. I have done a few Purples and I can tell you that none are exactly the same. And ever time I just had to play with the set up until I got what I was happy with.
I don't do parallel RB setups anymore either.
Just my worthless $0.02

[FenderBender]

There are several ways to get a purple as my friends @ vader's vault know better than anyone. It all depends on a lot of variables.

1. How do you plan to drive it. US,CF,Corbin,Buck Puck, MR or Hasbro?
2. What is your power source solution. 4.5 AA, AAA, 2 14500's or 12 AC delco in DJ case.:p
3. What LED are you using. and what are the specs for the RED and the Blue.
4. and of coarse what shade are you looking for.

You could be instructed on one way of achieving a certain shade like Invisas1979 pointed out, however if you drive it differently, have a different RGB or even just one of the LED's in the RGB be different or any other of multiple combination of differences to the list above and the changes can go from subtle to drastic. I have done a few Purples and I can tell you that none are exactly the same. And ever time I just had to play with the set up until I got what I was happy with.
I don't do parallel RB setups anymore either.
Just my worthless $0.02


Amen.

To add, I just did two Mace conversions. One didn't give me the range for red that I was looking for and it was more into the "magenta" purple range, while the other had perfect range and was brighter. Go figure. Each board is different too and puts out different current. Thats why I use pots, cause a resistor method on a sound board would not be consistent.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

I've suggested this before elsewhere but I think for certain 'difficult' colours including purple what this hobby really needs is a 3 channel 0-255 RGB controller which would allow one to CONSISTENTLY set EXACT values for RGB driving in much the same way as PC monitor videocards or digital television sets do it...pots ARE an improvement over resistoring purple but unless they can be 'locked' down I'd be concerned that a dial-in pot's setting and therefore the colour could 'drift' over time from vibration, especially if there are frequent hardcore dueling shocks as must be expected for our saber use...and besides trying to set them consistently by hand/eye must be an absolute PITA for those sabersmiths who do their best at it [even if Fender's and Allaerra's eyes don't see it I'd bet money a spectrometer would show that no two Oppression Stopping Purpliscious Purple sabers are EXACTLY the same, nor could that be reasonably expected with HAND set potentiometers]...Kudos for their efforts despite the difficulty.

And purple isn't even the hardest since the word actually describes a RANGE of colours...try setting TRUE Viridian which is a very precise specific RGB colour [64-130-109 RGB...thats 64 red NOT 65 red and 109 blue NOT 110 blue] with a hand pot...if anyone HUMAN can do that by hand/eye to 1/255th accuracy x3 even once much less repeatedly and CONSISTENTLY I will be suitably shocked and awed lol.

Meanwhile even the cheapest PC video/TV driver can [and must] generate an EXACT viridian or any specific EXACT shade of purple or any other 3x 0-255 RGB values desired and do it 60-120 times a second across millions of RGB pixels [in HD sets] with perfect accuracy every time.

Surely it should be possible to make a Lux-type driver that can do it for ONE high-powered LED 'pixel' which is what an RGB LED actually is in Jumbotrons eh?

A 'set by the numbers not hand' 3 channel 0-255 digital RGB LED controller saber driver would be the biggest advance in our hobby in awhile imo...and make everyone's 'purple problems' a thing of the past...we need one imo and personally I'd be willing to pay extra for it on an Ultrasound 3 or CF 5 or Corbin v3 or whatever gets one in the marketplace and if Strydur stocked them at TCSS I bet they would sell well to all the fans whose repeated threads over the years show plenty of people want purple, orange, viridian or other KOTOR/NJO non-movie saber colours.

[FenderBender]

I've suggested this before elsewhere but I think for certain 'difficult' colours including purple what this hobby really needs is a 3 channel 0-255 RGB controller which would allow one to CONSISTENTLY set EXACT values for RGB driving in much the same way as PC monitor videocards or digital television sets do it...pots ARE an improvement over resistoring purple but unless they can be 'locked' down I'd be concerned that a dial-in pot's setting and therefore the colour could 'drift' over time from vibration, especially if there are frequent hardcore dueling shocks as must be expected for our saber use...and besides trying to set them consistently by hand/eye must be an absolute PITA for those sabersmiths who do their best at it [even if Fender's and Allaerra's eyes don't see it I'd bet money a spectrometer would show that no two Oppression Stopping Purpliscious Purple sabers are EXACTLY the same, nor could that be reasonably expected with HAND set potentiometers]...Kudos for their efforts despite the difficulty.



And purple isn't even the hardest since the word actually describes a RANGE of colours...try setting TRUE Viridian which is a very precise specific RGB colour [64-130-109 RGB...thats 64 red NOT 65 red and 109 blue NOT 110 blue] with a hand pot...if anyone HUMAN can do that by hand/eye to 1/255th accuracy x3 even once much less repeatedly and CONSISTENTLY I will be suitably shocked and awed lol.

Meanwhile even the cheapest PC video/TV driver can [and must] generate an EXACT viridian or any specific EXACT shade of purple or any other 3x 0-255 RGB values desired and do it 60-120 times a second across millions of RGB pixels [in HD sets] with perfect accuracy every time.

Surely it should be possible to make a Lux-type driver that can do it for ONE high-powered LED 'pixel' which is what an RGB LED actually is in Jumbotrons eh?

A 'set by the numbers not hand' 3 channel 0-255 digital RGB LED controller saber driver would be the biggest advance in our hobby in awhile imo...and make everyone's 'purple problems' a thing of the past...we need one imo and personally I'd be willing to pay extra for it on an Ultrasound 3 or CF 5 or Corbin v3 or whatever gets one in the marketplace and if Strydur stocked them at TCSS I bet they would sell well to all the fans whose repeated threads over the years show plenty of people want purple, orange, viridian or other KOTOR/NJO non-movie saber colours.

I hear what you are saying, and a controller WOULD be ideal, but even in the PC world every monitor will display those EXACT colors differently. Just like each led is different, even on the RGBs you may get a dice that is binned differently. There is just SO many variables with power supplies and led driving that even the controller wouldn't be as consistant as you'd think. As far as O.S.P.P., we have our favorite purple accent LEDs set up as a benchmark and match the color to that (except for when the boards don't put out enough *cough*Mrs*cough*) with the pot. Our first few pots we tried didn't hold the settings especially with the higher current. The ones we use now are REALLY good and consistant, and you have to use a screwdriver to adjust them, so the bumping thing isn't that big an issue.

[DJMoonbass]

12 ac delcro? what is dat? lol and i saw some small but nice pots at radio shack but im curious to know if those are crap or if there good? does anybody know? and i have officially decided that i am indeed using the P5 on my 3 trimester crystal saber for a nice amazing purple.

[Invisas1979]

12 ac delcro? what is dat? lol and i saw some small but nice pots at radio shack but im curious to know if those are crap or if there good? does anybody know? and i have officially decided that i am indeed using the P5 on my 3 trimester crystal saber for a nice amazing purple.

Eh??? Relevant as part of this topic because????

Any how. Having dabbled a bit more it seem that though I said before to use a resistor on the red to achieve purple it seems you don't even have to do that, just wiring the positives in sequence is enough.

Goes to show that you can (as, grayven, fender and onli-won said) get purple from varing methods. This was achieved from a 3w prolite RGB (not the 1w prolite you get in a joe jedi).

I think as long as people know how to wire a rgb or one of its variants they will experiment to find a color they're happy with. All sabers are an individual expression of the maker so I see no reason for a standardized color.

[dulaxsqui]

Good post. I appreciate it
Many thanks to ur post. I love it.
This is an interesting discussion. thank you for sharing
Hi there, Would a new one like me be welcome here?
Thanks so much in deed.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Good post. I appreciate it
Many thanks to ur post. I love it.
This is an interesting discussion. thank you for sharing
Hi there, Would a new one like me be welcome here?
Thanks so much in deed.


Welcome to the forum dulaxsqui. A good place to begin is the "new to the saber scene" section...read through that and you will be off to a great start here. Pay particular attention to the thread index: the answers to most common questions are covered in the threads in that. Read, read, read some more, and you will soon be a wise and respected member here. Best of luck and enjoy the saber hobby...it is a lot of fun.

Oh and when you do build a saber let us know about it on the build threads and gallery...we love seeing people's ideas become reality.

[DarthMarr]

click this link:
http://www.ledsupply.com/creemce-rgbw.php