Clash-on-Flash without a Crystal Focus?

[Matt Thorn]

I'm sure I saw this discussed somewhere, but I came up empty when I searched.

Has anyone succeeded in creating a decent flash-on-clash effect without a Crystal Focus? I'm not talking about the blinking you see on toy sabers. I'm talking about using a multi-color LED (RGBA, RGGB, custom Rebel) and having one (or more) of the chips light up only when there's a clash.

Obviously, it would be fairly easy to create an extremely brief flash just using a clash sensor. The trick is extending the flash long enough to make it effective.

Would it be simple-minded to suggest a capacitor as a possible solution?

[Crystal Chambers]

hehe..if you use TCSS discs and don't put your blade in all the way..lol
Funny thing is I did this by accident and had some fun with it as it actually responded well when you swing it knowing you're simply flipping the discs over.

Seriously there must be a way with a clash sensor and a resistor that lets it overdrive when signaled by the sensor. Or yeah using RGB and having one colour that is only added on clash.

Weird that's it's being called clash on flash and not flash on clash.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Not everyone is calling it that. It should be just "clash flash" if not "flash-on-clash". People seem to be mixing the two up.

[Matt Thorn]

hehe..if you use TCSS discs and don't put your blade in all the way..lol

Haha. Yeah, I've had that experience.

Weird that's it's being called clash on flash and not flash on clash.

Ugh! I must be developing dyslexia. Of course, it should be flash-on-clash. Could one of the mods please change the thread title accordingly.

[Do-Clo]

I have been working on a circuit to provide a flash effect when the clash sensor is triggered after much trial and error I did come up with a working prototype. The problems I ran into was finding a way to make the flash visible as a simple sensor trigger was not long enough to to generate a flash that the eye would pick up. A capacitor while sounding simple will not work as the size of a capacitor required to generate the delay time for the flash will not fit inside a saber.

The next step is to interface it to a fx sound board, but since the polarity of the flash is reversed for the flash circuit and the fx board I need to make a logic inverting circuit.

I said all this to say I found it was much easier to just use a cf board for the effect or to use a led driver and connect a clash sensor to the clash input for a stunt saber

[Jagahati]

My current project is an attempt to do this effect as well.

If I have any success Ill post it. And while for some it is easier to "Just get a CF" that opportunity hasn't presented itself to me.

Either way Ill let you guys know if it works worth a dang.

[xl97]

could probably be done with the addition of an Arduino chip.

Arduino as a few external interrupt pins available to use.. which is much more efficient than using code to keep 'polling/checking' a pins state/status..

hook up one of the dies to the Arduino..and have it do what you want..

the Arduino has PWM support..so you can mix or pick a 'level' of intensity for that die(s)..whatever..

member TroyO has already made an Arduino based proect cycling a high powered LED...as well as interfacing it with the 616 board

[Matt Thorn]

And while for some it is easier to "Just get a CF" that opportunity hasn't presented itself to me.

So the local Radio Shack is out of stock?

Either way Ill let you guys know if it works worth a dang.

Please do!

[Matt Thorn]

could probably be done with the addition of an Arduino chip.

Arduino as a few external interrupt pins available to use.. which is much more efficient than using code to keep 'polling/checking' a pins state/status..

hook up one of the dies to the Arduino..and have it do what you want..

the Arduino has PWM support..so you can mix or pick a 'level' of intensity for that die(s)..whatever..

Yes, I'm sure it could be done with an Arduino. But embedding an Arduino is no walk in the park, as I've discovered. I was hoping for something a bit more simple and elegant.

member TroyO has already made an Arduino based proect cycling a high powered LED...as well as interfacing it with the 616 board

He has indeed worked some magic with the Arduino. I'm looking forward to seeing a schematic of a final embeddable PCB.

[xl97]

you could throw in a 'whole' nano or something.. not sure of the cost $20+?

I think making an 'embeddable PCB' is much along the similar lines as doing one for the RFX..

needs to have power in (vRegulator).. and sound (amp)... plus any/all grounding and power to pins on chip (regulated)..

traces to pinouts....etc.. alot less work if you are only trying to use it for 'that sole' task I would think..