RGB color change with FOC and PCL???

[pointoforigin]

The title basically describes my ideal saber at this point. I'm planning that when I built it I'd use a Ledengin 10W RGBW, hopefully one of Skottsaber's FoC boards, a PC-L and a 16 pos DIP rotary, like Matt Thorn uses here - http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...-Corbin-driver and here http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...color-changing

I'm not exactly the most able electronics whiz in the world, but I can work things out with time, and there's no time limit on this build. My biggest question at this point is to do with the PC-L's voltage sensing abilities. My concern is that when using the DIP to switch colours, the PC-L would either react badly to a voltage change, or continue to supply the original voltage, which could be bad going from a green die to a red. If the board had to have the kill key re-inserted every time I wanted to change colour, it could get annoying.

I wonder if this would be a huge problem, and if it is, would I be back at using the same old transistor setup as used with the cheap Hasbros? That would kind of negate things like flicker from the PC-L, which understandably, I want to keep.

Any help here?

[Sunrider]

You would have to ask Erv to be sure but from what he has told me the PC should be ok. I would make sure you could find a usable 16 pos. switch that will handle the current and be small enough. That seems like the biggest obstacle to me

[cannibal869]

I take it you will reserve the White dice for the FoC and use the RGB for color change alone?
Sounds like it would work just fine.

[pointoforigin]

Yep that's the plan, white for flash. I shall go contact Erv then to ask annoying questions :P

[grayven]

You will have to reboot the PC every time you switch the color. So Kill power to PC switch color option reboot PC. you would most likely need to change the LED value on the SD card sometimes too.

[Skottsaber]

FDv1 is ready, building them now.

[pointoforigin]

That's good news, Skott. I lost the post on FX so I didn't know where you were up to with it lol.

Gravy, what if I always booted it on green, then resistored red and blue as you would to drop the voltage from green's level, and didn't reboot? So it'd boot and give out max voltage and when the colour changed, the resistors would hold back the excess?

[erv]

not all dice have the same current, first thing. So even if you plan to change color with powering off the saber, you'll need to change the led current too. Still, most RGB accept the same average current for all dice, so that's a minor point.
You *can't* change the led on the fly. Not advised at all. Go against this if you want, but my statement remains the same. If you want to change the led die or color combo, a full power off of the saber is required.
The WORST is to just desactivate the blade (board remain powered) and change the color. Do NOT do that or you'll pop certain leds.

[Skottsaber]

That's good news, Skott. I lost the post on FX so I didn't know where you were up to with it lol.

Yeah the %*@$^#bag mods on FX deleted it, as I said I'll make another one soon there, but of course I don't want to say too much here

And I just want to echo Erv's advice, just in case hehe

[pointoforigin]

Thanks heaps for that, Erv. I suspected as much. So the cleanest way to do this is via the transistor setup, if I want to leave the board powered on. But if I'm OK with putting the kill key in every time I change colour, then it's doable that way too. Maybe with say the darkmeat card holding one current rating and the lightmeat card holding the other - so green and blue colours get x current while red colours get y current.

Yeah don't want popped dies on a LED. That could get embarrassing, and expensive. Better to ask all the questions that I can't find the answers to now, rather than going, duhhh why saber broken?

Skott, I do want to say, I only found out your age today. I know people ten years older than you who are less mature, and certainly less intelligent. Props to you, but don't let it get to your head :P