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I read on this forum that 10-pin aviation plug connectors are a good way to go with neopixel blades. I serendipitously discovered a way to connect the receptacle for those blades solidly into a blade holder. (Apologies if this isn't new news. I'm pretty excited about it though...)
Attachment 15697
10 Contacts 10-Pin Aviation Plug Connector - M16 - Panel Mount Round Flange
Here are the parts I'm using to show what I did.
Attachment 15699
MHS Emitter
MHS Choke
MHS Heatsink (without the copper piece)
10-pin aviation plug connector receptacle with flange
10-pin aviation plug connector
The next step is to place the flanged 10-pin aviation plug into the heatsink housing like this:
Attachment 15700
Attachment 15700
Here's another view, this one from the top:
Attachment 15701
The next step is simply to place the two pieces in the choke:
Attachment 15702
The next step would be to put this part of the aviation plug into the blade:
Attachment 15703
Wires from the neopixel string would go to this. A capacitor might fit in there too.
Here's what it looks like when plugged in, but without the blade:
Attachment 15704
This view is looking into the emitter:
Attachment 15705
Here's a view of the final product, without the blade:
Attachment 15706
This particular emitter may not be a good choice for the actual execution, but the cutaway shows how the parts fit inside the emitter.
What I like about this configuration is that it is solid. The parts fit together without drilling, glueing, etc. The blade retention screw should hold the other part of the blade secure.
I have to point out that I got the information on the 10-pin aviation plug from jbkuma.
The housing for the heatsink may not be necessary, now that I think of it. For one, it will prevent the plug pieces from fitting together well; that is, unless only the very tip of the aviation plug is placed in the blade.
Here's the flange in the emitter. It's a perfect fit. The heatsink housing isn't completely necessary, but without it, the flange rattles around.
Attachment 15707
Oh, and as jbkuma pointed out, this should allow blade charging and R.I.C.E. configuration via the blade plug.
Did you find 10 pin plugs in the US? It seems very occasional that they'll show up on ebay. I've got a decent stock of 10 pins now, but I've decided to standardize to 9 pin for better availability.
I got them on eBay. I'm in the U.S. I don't re,ember where they came from, but they arrived quickly.
The seller was mdflyelectronics.
Do you just solder the wire to the pins? How do you make the connections? Forgive all the questions, but how do you connect the recharge port? Using a kill switch takes the board out of the circuit, right? So how do you wire the aviation plug to charge the battery without leaving the board in the loop, so to speak? Or does it matter? Thanks in advance? I have a lot to learn.
This is the diagram I've been using for my sabers/kits:
http://jbkuma.com/workshoppe/wp-cont...inStandard.png
Ideally the Bat+ would be doubled up since the pins are rated at 6A, but I haven't had a problem and they don't seem to get hot or anything. On that note, your power wiring should probably be at least 26awg. Lower gauge can get hot at the current requirements for a pixel strip blade.
For the 10 pin connectors I wired the pins as LS1, LS2, LS3, LS4-6 since I've been developing using the DIYino Prime.
Cool. Thanks!
Also, in case it isn't obvious.. the idea is that the blade is an activation key, rather than needing a kill key.
I've played with some prototypes using a latching switch in a blade plug. I'm not sure I posted anything about that build here since it was a full custom for electronics protyping, but here's some shots of that:
http://jbkuma.com/workshoppe/wp-cont...190715_HDR.jpg
http://jbkuma.com/workshoppe/wp-cont...40-300x169.jpghttp://jbkuma.com/workshoppe/wp-cont...DR-300x169.jpghttp://jbkuma.com/workshoppe/wp-cont...30-300x169.jpg
Very cool, awesome info guys!
I'm working on a Luke ROTJ thin neck saber and will be giving one of these 10 pin plugs a try for the string blade. Thank you for the valuable information! I was scratching my head trying to find a suitable plug, hopefully this will do the trick.