Force FX Construction Kit 3-Watt or higher multi-color LED conversion

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03-21-2009, 08:06 AM
Matt Thorn

Force FX Construction Kit 3-Watt or higher multi-color LED conversion

Considering how much talk there is about the 616 board a.k.a. "Joe Jedi," I'm surprised that there does not seem to be a thread dedicated to the topic of converting a Construction Kit to make it run a 3 Watt (or higher) multi-color LED with a removable blade.

Yes, I understand that the board is made for a 1 Watt LED and can't run a higher wattage LED (at least not to its maximum brightness). I also know Grayven has created a great tutorial on how to make it possible to mix colors on the Construction Kit. And I know people have used the 616 board for sound in various projects. Some posts even suggest that people may have done (or attempted) what the subject name of this thread suggests, but if anyone has written a tutorial or provided a wiring diagram for such a conversion, I haven't been able to find it.

Since we know the board cannot adequately power a 3 Watt or higher LED, the obvious solution is two circuits, using a DPDT switch or relay of some kind.

Let's say we want to do such a conversion using a LedEngin RGGB (LZ4-20MC10) or RGBA (LZ4-20MA10) LED. Any suggestions on exactly how to do it? Better yet, has anyone tried it and succeeded? I just offered the LedEngin because it seems like an obvious candidate, but if anyone has tried this with another kind of multi-color LED, by all means, please share your experience with us.

I may be inviting comments along the lines of, "The info's already there! Use the search engine!" but I figure I'll risk that wrath in order to create a clearly labelled thread to serve as a clearinghouse for any and all info on the subject. I have a pristine Construction Kit, and I can't bring myself to toss everything but the board and use the board in a single-color project. Yeah, the Construction kit is a cheesy product compared to the rest of the Master Replica Force FX line. But there is a certain--Dare I say?--childish fun in the whole mix-and-match thing, even if most of the parts are plastic. I just want to have a Construction Kit that is actually bright, has a removable blade (of the length and style of my choice), and can stand up to a bit of light dueling. If I can mix colors and get seven to choose from rather than than three, that's icing on the cake.

Anyone care to share their wisdom or just toss out ideas? Links to relevant posts in other threads are of course welcome. Who knows? As long as the conclusion isn't "It can't be done," maybe we'll have the makings of a "sticky thread." ;)

Thanks in advance for any help.
03-21-2009, 11:22 PM
Matt Thorn

Well, I've gotten no answers so far, so I'll ask a dumb question. When I'm measuring the mAh that each color LED is getting from the board, does it make a difference if I measure it on the positive line(s) or the common negative line? Hoping to avoid cutting the three positive lines if possible, I started on the negative line, but quickly discovered my Ni-MHs were dying. I haven't got any fresh batteries and it's pouring rain outside, so I thought I'd ask this question while waiting for my batteries to recharge. :p
03-21-2009, 11:56 PM
Lord Dottore Matto

Matt, start here;)
03-22-2009, 12:41 AM
Matt Thorn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Dottore Matto

Matt, start here;)

Thanks, LDM. I did start there a while back, and just happened to be re-watching (for maybe the third time) Part 7 when I saw your message. ;) But what Grayven has done, as far as I can tell, is allowed for color-mixing (via the DIP switch, and the addition of the 2 Watt, 3 Ohm resistor to the red line) and "divorced" the sound from the color, so that you can use either Jedi or Sith sound with any color. But he's still using the 1 Watt Prolite LED that comes with the saber, and, at least in this tutorial, he hasn't made the blade removable (or replaceable).

But since you brought it up, I'll confess I'm still a bit confused by the relationship between the RGB switch and the DIP switch. It seems he's getting different colors from the same DIP switch settings depending on where the RGB switch. Which makes me wonder if I'm correct in thinking that he has divorced sound from color. :confused:

Again, what I'm looking for is solutions for a brighter light with a removable/replaceable blade (preferably with the option of color-mixing).
03-22-2009, 01:09 AM
Novastar

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Thorn

Well, I've gotten no answers so far, so I'll ask a dumb question. When I'm measuring the mAh that each color LED is getting from the board, does it make a difference if I measure it on the positive line(s) or the common negative line? Hoping to avoid cutting the three positive lines if possible, I started on the negative line, but quickly discovered my Ni-MHs were dying. I haven't got any fresh batteries and it's pouring rain outside, so I thought I'd ask this question while waiting for my batteries to recharge. :p

I can help you by saying that each color is getting ~300mA or so. To be a tiny bit more specific, red gets ~290, green & blue ~340.

The stock way the board is wired will only allow for you to light one LED at a time, but there are other ways to feed (for example) a solid amp to an LED.
03-22-2009, 01:40 AM
Matt Thorn

Thanks, Novastar. My own readings (measuring mA from the common negative line) were:

Blue: 270 mA
Green: 240 mA
Red: 260 mA

Voltage was:

Blue 3.3 V
Green: 3.38 V
Red: 2.27 V

I checked out the specs for the ProLight PG1x-1LFS 1W RGB Power LED (available here), and found that while the voltage was pretty much what the specs call for, the Construction Kit board actually seems to be overdriving the LED quite a bit, since the specs say all three colors have a maximum DC forward current of 150 mA. They also say the "Peak Pulsed Forward Current" (whatever that means) is 250 mA. Maybe the board is giving the LED pulsed current? :confused: If that's true, I guess 240 ~ 270 mA are in the ballpark. And it's also pretty clear that trying to give that 1 Watt LED any more juice would just fry it.

So, assuming the board will not feed any higher current to any LED hooked up to it, again it seems the solution is two circuits: one for sound, one for light.

Has anyone learned from sad experience how much voltage the 616 board will take before frying? Since it's made for 3 alkaline AAA batteries, obviously it can take at least 4.5 Volts. I wonder if it will take 4.8 Volts (or whatever voltage actually comes from a 4AAA Ni-MH pack).