2010 Electronic Lightsaber w/ DVD Tutorial

[jvidamins]

Cardcollector, are you saying that we should get 900-1000ma using one 3.7 Li-Ion (such as the 18650 that I'm using in mine)? I just tested the current and only got like 540ma. Or is that about right?

Cardcollector, are you saying that we should get 900-1000ma using one 3.7 Li-Ion (such as the 18650 that I'm using in mine)? I just tested the current and only got like 540ma. Or is that about right?

Ok, I just figured out why I was getting so low of a mA reading. It's my resistor. I have a single cell Li-Ion 18650 with a 2010 Obi-wan econo board and a White P4 LED. I used the resistor calculator from TCSS and it told me I needed a 1 Ohm, 2 Watt resistor, which I purchased. However, with it I only got a reading of about 540mA. So I grabbed another 18650 cell and wired it direct to the White P4 LED and I got around 650mA. I then removed the resistor and got about 1.7mA. I'm definitely not an expert but from what I've been reading, the resistor is over-restricting current to my LED, since I want ~1,000mA for maximum brightness, right? If so, why would the calculator tell me I need that resistor and what resistor do I really need? Or like cardcollector says, do I not need a resistor at all? With my Obi-wan econo board all wired up without the resistor, I'm getting 4.2V and 1,200mA. Isn't that going to fry my LED? I'm not sure what to do - anybody care to shed some light on this? (pun intended)

(sorry should have probably added this to my previous post - my bad!)

[Di-Rahm Onna]

,Well boss what I did for mine was wire the speaker/battery combo pack, a seoul p4 LED, a standard on/off push switch to,my obi1 econo board. I followed the diagram for the basic no recharge port wiring schematic. I went out to my local radioshack and got a pnp transistor to match that of the diagrams and solderd the leads to it and added the accesability of an 2 wire quick connect from the 4.7 5w resistor and the negativ lead. All my negatives from the LED's of the econo bord got soldered together to the transistor as well. I am running it off of rayovac 4aaa standard batteries. The p4 is at full brightness and sound is at highest. A plus is the transistor alone helps preserve the batteries to where you don't need to change them out every week or two. Mine have been going since b4 my last post. I guess the buck puck without thhe proper transistor and voltage regulator may be contributing to your problem. Also check the wires for proper soldering and if using heatshrink (absolutely a must), make sure not to overheat it or your solder will break. Hope it helps boss.

[jvidamins]

,Well boss what I did for mine was wire the speaker/battery combo pack, a seoul p4 LED, a standard on/off push switch to,my obi1 econo board. I followed the diagram for the basic no recharge port wiring schematic. I went out to my local radioshack and got a pnp transistor to match that of the diagrams and solderd the leads to it and added the accesability of an 2 wire quick connect from the 4.7 5w resistor and the negativ lead. All my negatives from the LED's of the econo bord got soldered together to the transistor as well. I am running it off of rayovac 4aaa standard batteries. The p4 is at full brightness and sound is at highest. A plus is the transistor alone helps preserve the batteries to where you don't need to change them out every week or two. Mine have been going since b4 my last post. I guess the buck puck without thhe proper transistor and voltage regulator may be contributing to your problem. Also check the wires for proper soldering and if using heatshrink (absolutely a must), make sure not to overheat it or your solder will break. Hope it helps boss.

I'm not using a buckpuck - just a resistor. Also, I am using the proper PNP Transistor wired to my board correctly. I don't need a voltage regulator, as I'm only using one 3.7 V Li-Ion 18650. My problem I believe is that I have too much resistance with the 1 Ohm, 2 Watt resistor. I'm only getting 540 mAh. After doing some more digging and using Ohms Law I think I should be using a .45 Ohm resistor (or as close as I can get). Here's my math:

R=(V of battery - forward V of LED) / Desired current going to LED
R=(3.7 - 3.25) / 1000mAh or 1A
R=.45/1A
R=.45 Ohms

Since I'm using a 1 Ohm resistor, I'm not sending enough current to my LED, as shown by the current measured with the multimeter. Can somebody confirm my math? I know there are tons of people that use one 18650 Li-Ion cell with the Obi-wan econo board. So for those who do, what resistor are you using? I know Wade said he sometimes doesn't use one. I don't think I should go that route, as sending 4.2V and 1,200 mA might not be so good for the LED, but then again, I'm a noob. I'm about ready to go to radio shack and buy way too many resistors, so if if someone could chime in, that'd be great!

[jvidamins]

Ok, found a .47 Ohm, 5 Watt resistor at the Shack and ran a comparison test. Again, my setup is with a single cell 3.7V Li-Ion 18650mAh battery, Obi-wan econo board, Seoul P4 White with (3.25 forward V's, 1,000 mA).

My battery was fully charged last night and I've only used it for testing and as of right now it's still putting out 4.2 volts with all of the following tests:

with 1 Ohm, 2 Watt resistor => 510 mA
with .47 Ohm, 5 Watt resistor => 780 mA
with NO resistor => 1,040 mA

I guess I'm not going to be using a resistor. Is there any other alternative with my setup, other than settling for 500-700 mA? Any feedback from anyone who has personally used an 18650 with the econo-board and similar LED?

[Cern]

im putting together a saber, and am using this wiring diagram:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1237687/TCSS...eakersetup.jpg

and i am just making sure that it does not need a voltage regulator between the battery and the board?

Im asking because i had a vader board running with one, but stupid me didnt realize the board wouldnt fit in the hilt until after i had it all soldered up. the flickering looked awesome by the way

and i may have fragged my obi-wan board now too, so i need to get a new one, and want to make sure i dont ruin another board

[Di-Rahm Onna]

Ok guys here is my new dilema. I tore open my tcss saber and I decided I want to add an green dot dpdt latching switch, an accent LED, and went to get the led and resistors. My main body is the style 3 guarded switch for the hilt so I went ahead and drilled a bigger hole to fit the switch, soldered a wire with a resistor for the switch and am trying to make the switch turn the saber on and off, but it wont.
Will the av switches only work with a cf or pc kind of board. Do I need an 5v regulator, do I need a 2.1mm recharge port. Or how do I wire the switch so it is functional. The accent light works fine, just the switch. If so I need to see where I can buy a pc or cf sound board that is inexpensive. Can anyone throw a bone to this lost padawan?????

[cardcollector]

You can't use latching switches with the Economy boards. You need to buy a momentary.

CF and PC are great for use with the AV switches and support both Latching and Momentary types.

The Novasound should not be discussed here as it is in competition with the TCSS store. Not that competition is a bad thing, but we need to respect TCSS pays for this forum, and not ask for products that could take away from his business. (Plus, compared to the Petit Crouton, Novasound isn't very good at all. ON FXsabers there is more info on that board.)

[Di-Rahm Onna]

.DOoohhhhh. Sorry about that didn't mean to bring in the enemy. but thank you very mutch for the enlightenment.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

FYI, we also do not conduct sales on TCSS's forums. I know you're asking to trade it, but we generally do not conduct any type of deals on Tim's forums out of respect for his wishes.

[Di-Rahm Onna]

Ok cool.