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Hello Saber Makers! It's time for me to take the plunge and try my hand at Neo pixel. The effects they offer are just too great to pass up. Here is my preliminary wiring diagram. Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome.
Thanks everyone and MTFBWY!
Attachment 17021
That looks right to me from what I can see, but the letters are really too small, as are some of the wiring routes for my eyes to see. I wire my chambers like this as well. The biggest problem with wiring like this is that Vader's Vault is now installing the data resistor in their blades. Whatever VV does, often becomes the industry standard, and many people are buying their blades from VV. So, because you're making your own blade here, and your data resistor for the blade and cc LED is in the hilt, you have no issues. However, if you have a data resistor in the hilt and use a VV blade, depending upon the board, the blade data may have too much resistance.
I'm currently experimenting with different strength resistors in the data line to see what works. Plecter suggests 330-470 ohm resistors on the data line. Some installers have used no resistors; however, then you run a higher risk of burning that first pixel. Right now, I'm messing around with installing a 100 ohm resistor in hilt prior to CC led (when I have the crystal chamber in parallel to the blade), so the blade may have a total resistance of 570 ohms. Those seem to be working ok. I wish VV would drop down to 330 ohms in their blade resistors, that way, if we used 100 ohm in the hilt to defend our crystal chamber data line, then the total data line resistance on the main blade would be 430 ohms.
Some say that the level of resistor on the data isn't as critical as first suspected, and that 100 ohms will work. So far, my 100 ohm data resistor for the crystal chamber neopixel seems to be working well. I have a 330 ohm resistor in the blade on the blade adapter (SMD). The blade is still working fine as well. Just don't forget, if you build your saber this way, that you need to bridge the data line resistor pads on the blade side adapter. Good luck on your build.
TOm
Thanks Tom!
Here's a link to a higher res diagram.
https://imgur.com/a/WYDtiIu
All the builds I've done so far have been traditional in hilt tri-Cree's, and I was really happy with those...until I stumbled across YOUR Neopixel/Proffie video. Holy Schnikes! After watching that, I knew I had to learn how to build Neo's. Thanks Tom for the advice and the inspiration!
Neopixel installs are actually easier than tri-cree installs, sans building the blade. Once you build a blade that is done. TCSS neopixel adapter kits for 7/8 and 1" hilts are awesome and flexible. I have used them in all sorts of innovative ways. Most of my installs are now neopixels, but I did just build 2 in-hilt LED sabers with NBIV. So, I'm still dabbling in "normal" lightsabers too. I do love neopixels.
Proffie is a great platform, but there is a very steep learning curve to program them initially, but once you learn that, just as easy to set them up as any other board, just have to learn Arduino basics. Its a lot of fun.
Tom
I'm re-thinking now if I should put the resistor in the blade as that does indeed seem to be the way that most people are building blades. And the shop getting the new SMD resistors in stock doesn't hurt. If I do move the resistor in the hilt, should I be worried about my CC pixel cut off in the hilt? Seems like it should still be okay as it's just a single pixel?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Tilmon
How about if (for future builds) I have say 12-14 pixels in the hilt. Would that be an issue? or would I need to do a resistor in blade and hilt (and just not exceed 470 ohms over the entire data line?)
why don't i see this diagram with the power xtender anywhere?