Purple RGBA blade

[Bianchi]

@Bianchi

Sorry for being part of a major thread derail.

No prob, chill out, dude. :] (actually, the 'chill' part goes for everyone)

If you want a particular shade of purple

Bingo, 'cause I want to apply the "colour shade tech" to sabers of other colours, e.g. orange, yellow, pink, pale blue, et caetera.

THEN you will need to invest in some equipment if you don't already have it:

A multimeter. A 1W 250-500ohm potentiometer.

I'm on the search for them already.

This is where you would need 2 pucks. Wire them in parallel so that basically you are getting 2A. You will definitely need 18650 size Li-Ion cells wired in series for 7.4V (the pucks need a minimum of 5V to function so 1 Cell wont work) Hook the red and blue dice up separately (parallel, each dice + to +, - to -) Hook the potentiometer in line with the red die's +. Turn the pot's dial all the way up (most resistance) turn on power. Dial in the shade of purple that you want. De solder the pot, and measure it with your multimeter. This is the resistance value that you need. Order the resistor from mouser, make sure you get a 1 watt or better ( I would recommend a 2W to be safe). Note: All meters have a little bit of "slop" in their measurement. The way you account for this is to set it to measure resistance and touch the probes together. You will get a reading ( I get a 6) This is your "slop". Whatever your pot reads for a value on your meter, subtract your "slop" number to get an accurate value.

Except for the slop part, I understand everything now. You said exactly what I planned to do, but didn't know whether it was safe or not, and with the fancy words I don't happen to know.

I will try a 3.3 ohm 5W resistor for the red die first, and if I don't like the purple, I will use the multimeter and the pot to get a better shade.

Thanks for providing the information. Your help is much appreciated. :]

One final question, though: are there any risks if I use insulating tape to "stick" the wiring to the batteries? By risks I mean the tape melting down or the like. I didn't quite understand how to apply heatshrink there, because the wires will only be in contact with the batteries' + and - sides. (Or maybe I got it all wrong, lol)

[FenderBender]

You should be soldering the batteries together with either jumper wires, or solder tabs (if you are using a stick pack config.) You can then insulate the ends of the batteries by epoxy, hotglue, carboard disks glued in place etc, then the whole pack heatshrunk. I usually leave extra heatshrink hanging over the ends so that I can "pinch" the hot ends with pliers and seal it.

3.3 might work, though I wouldn't use a 5W resistor, I would use a 1 or 2W. There is no plug and play solution for the resistor. What value works for one saber, might not work for another even if all factors are the same.

The slop I mentioned is just the tolerance or accuracy of the meter itself, internal resistance etc. When I set my meter to test for resistance and touch the probes together I get a value of 6. That means with the probes/wires/internal components there is an internal resistance of 6ohms in my meter. I subtract this from whatever reading I get from testing other components, and this gives me an accurate resistor value to use. Otherwise, if I went strictly by whats on the screen, I'd be off by 6 ohms. That explain it?

[Bianchi]

Why not a 5W resistor?

And...how do you recharge the pack you described?

Worst case scenario, I'm going to wire the batteries with jumpers and keep the wires in place with insulating tape. Then, when I need to recharge the batteries, I remove them and reinstall them when fully charged.

And yeah, your explanation about the "slop" was very good. Thanks again :]

EDIT: been browsing the Mouser homepage for a while, but I've found so many resistors my brain spiraled, lol
can you give me a link to one you'd recommend?

And also (Warning! Incredibly dumb question): I haven't thought about how to correctly wire a 4-wire 1000 mA buckpuck. I mean, which wire goes where?

[Jedi-Loreen]

And...how do you recharge the pack you described?

Recharge port.

Worst case scenario, I'm going to wire the batteries with jumpers and keep the wires in place with insulating tape. Then, when I need to recharge the batteries, I remove them and reinstall them when fully charged.

You're not serious, are you? How could you think that's safe, or will make a good connection? It sounds like you're trying to get out of having to solder anything onto the batteries. Are you afraid to do so?

And also (Warning! Incredibly dumb question): I haven't thought about how to correctly wire a 4-wire 1000 mA buckpuck. I mean, which wire goes where?

It's pretty obvious, if you look at the photo in the Store:

[Invisas1979]

If I called you out, I hope you didn't think that I was rude, and really was just trying to help. I don't remember doing so, so if you were wrong about something then obviously you were graceful with accepting correction cause I don't remember it

Hey man don't sweat that, I learn from mistakes too and an happy to be corrected and like I said, I know why you reacted.

And you're responce to Bianchi was what I was waiting for.

That's how we move forward, cheers for the lesson. Recess time, I'm outa here....

[Bianchi]

Recharge port.

I wish I knew how to install recharge ports (a tamiya connector is used to recharge the batteries, right?).

You're not serious, are you? How could you think that's safe, or will make a good connection? It sounds like you're trying to get out of having to solder anything onto the batteries. Are you afraid to do so?

Actually, yes. If I saw any pictures of how it's done I might try doing it, though. I really didn't understand much of what was explained to me, and I was embarassed to ask again, lol.

It's pretty obvious, if you look at the photo in the Store:

Ah, I see. Sorry for that one. So the LED- and LED+ connect to the LED die's + and -, and vin+ and vin- connect to the other wires (the ones connected to the power pack and on/off switch).

Y'know, I wouldn't be asking these things if these parts were available where I live. I'm trying to learn as much electronics as possible, but there's this limitation.

[Allaerra Secura]

You are not going to be able to use this LED without the correct power. You are going to have to learn both how to make a battery pack or buy one already made and also how to install a recharge port. The recharge port has 3 wires, here is the tutorial for it. I believe it was the first stickied thread in the Wiring schematics/cutaways section http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...ead.php?t=2235. As far as the battery pack, here is a great tutorial on how to make a simple pack. http://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=21236.0 In this example, Eastern57 made a stick pack, but it is the same process to make a side by side pack. You also need to decide which configuration you are going to do (side by side or stick) and source yourself a supply of the appropriately sized heatshrink to shrink the pack after it is soldered. To reiterate: You cannot tape wires on LiIon batteries. It is dangerous to mistreat this type of battery. Either you need to solder it or buy a presoldered solution.

[Bianchi]

Thanks for the enlightening tutorials, Allaerra.

Does the recharge port remain exposed (fit in a hole in the hilt) or stay stored inside the hilt? (I'd need to pull it out to recharge the batteries in the latter case)

[FenderBender]

You can either use a 21/64 drill bit and put the nut on the outside of the saber to secure the port, or some of us drill and tap the hilt and thread the port directly into the hilt for a more flush appearance on the outside.

[Allaerra Secura]

That is a matter of personal preference. I would say about 90 percent of the time, the recharge port is exposed. We flush mount ours, but there is also a nut to secure it which may be easier for a first time. The other 10 percent of the time, they are inside the hilt, either right inside the pommel or, if there is a chassis setup, somewhere on the chassis. I am not a fan of this, as I prefer to have to open a saber as little as possible once it is complete.