multiple LED's

[vadeblade]

Gelu,

your diagram shows the decorative LEDs wired in series with one resistor in front of the LED series. In my experience with LED strings (the radio shack 5mm type) this would require a higher voltage requirements for long strings (5 or more leds). And the last couple of leds in the string tends to be dim compared to the first in the series. A series setup also generates a lot of heat.

My diagram shows the decorative leds in parallel with a resistor for each decorative LED. This makes all the leds light up evenly with a lower source voltage.

Also, my diagram description states using a DPDT switch which means the Luxeon will be on a separate circuit isolated from the decorative led string. I think you may have mis-read my diagram.

Lightsaber Warning Label: "CAUTION: Do NOT attempt to sharpen blade." http://www.geocities.com/projectstm/lightsaber.html

[LAN-ED-TUL]

okay, heres one you guys can answer for me: i have a project saber i will be working on in the near future. it will have a red/orange lux led powered by one of the hasbro saber sound boards.(one of the 8 dollar ones with motion and clash). now then, i would like to have 2 regular(radio shack) leds in the switch box. i'd like a green/constant, and a red/blinking led. the switch to fire the board, of course is a momentary. how can i hook those leds in the setup to come on when i fire the lux/sound at the same time using the single switch?

any help and diagram of hookup would be appreciated.

thanks,

Lan-Ed-Tul

[GeluKhanGharr]

Lan-ed-tul,

do you not mind the flashing of the blade from the Hasbro module?
Couple of suggestions - see if you can create a setup that will fit 2 C or even D batteries. RED/ORANGE forward voltage is at 2.9 volts. If that doesn't work, get a 4 AA setup and create 2 3volt paralel circuits so you get higher amperage. 3 volts with a 1 Ohm resistor is perfect for a red/orange. 3volts is also the nominal curent for the hasbro board. The LED gets wired like that: Positive with a resistor directly from the battery and the negative from the wire labeled "LAMP" from the board. The same way you can wire your flashing deco LED - it will flash on clash at the same time with the blade. The other LED is a bit more problematic - if we could find a simple solution for this we wouldn't complain about the flashing of the blade. Well, one way it would be to wire it with the speaker. It would vary, but not really flash.

Vincent,
Setups with more than one battery pack make me cringe. The setup I suggested is also a good power indicator and you don't need to put the Lux on a separate circuit from the Deco LEDs. If voltage requirements are different, just regulate it with a Zener. But you could have multiple serialized deco LEDs add up to the same need as the Lux and wire them up like in my diagram to a single switch/single battery pack - 2 paralel circuits.

Born of Sith, seduced by the light.

[LAN-ED-TUL]

gelu. nah the flashing blade clash dont bother me none. but one thing i said, maybe it was the way i said it, but it was the part about the blinking red led. the red blinker led blinks on its own when power is applied to it. i have used these in several simple electronic sabers i made. and i pair it up with a constant led. this is what i wanted to have on this saber, but it looks like i might have to wire a 2nd switch/on-off, and seperate battery to run it.

i done it that way in the one saber i posted that was a blue el blade with a red blinker and a constant blue led on the opposite side. 2 switches, but in that configuration i can flip on the leds, and have it hang on belt with those lit up. looks cool, and draws attention.

[vadeblade]

Gelu,
Great reply. I had not considered that having the deco LEDs dim out at the end of a series would make a good indicator of source voltage. Very good point and I may apply that instead of building a Voltage indicator from scratch (Corbin's PLI is beyond my budget).
-V


Lightsaber Warning Label: "CAUTION: Do NOT attempt to sharpen blade." http://www.geocities.com/projectstm/lightsaber.html

[scaarmor]

Hello all!
I wanted to chime in and see if someone knows- If you wire multiple LEDs in series and it gets the dimming towards the end effect, would a diffuser tube even it up. I guess a better question would be- How do they get the MR multi LED blades to get even light without a resistor for each LED? Sorry, I have never been inside of an MR blade and just wanted to know how they work to get some technical info (any info you have such as; what LEDs they use, how many, how they are setup in the blade,etc,etc would be greatly appreciated). I have a few ideas to make the MR style blades stand up to dueling-i.e. rolling over ideas in my head to strengthen the solder points as they are the defect not the LEDs.

Cain

***It is now that we battle.When you die, await my arrival in the afterlife where we will battle again.Perhaps there you may have the ability to defeat me,but not here,not now,not this day.So let us part with words and embrace the blade.***

[LAN-ED-TUL]

all i know is MR's have 64 leds in a series. they light up in groups up and down the blade. i think like 5 or so at a time or something like that. i might be wrong. these other guys would know for sure, since i havent tore into my vader MR.

[GeluKhanGharr]

Scaarmor, Lan-Ed is right, there are 64 LEDs in there, but they are connected in paralel. I believe there are 4 banks of 16 LEDs each and they get lit up one bank at the time. The diffusion is accomplished by the use of a foam sleve.

Born of Sith, seduced by the light.

[LAN-ED-TUL]

ok, gelu, you can probably answer this question for me on this next saber project im working on. i asked it earlier but didnt really understand, or maybe i asked it wrong.

i will have a lux 3 red/orange led in Tims holder mounted in a heiland synchronar handle. i have made a switch box which sits on the outside of handle. it has the momentary switch to fire a 8 dollar sound board, and i want a green/constant and a red/blinking regular radio shack leds. can, or will it work, if i take the power lead that goes up to lux led, which also has the battery connected to the same wire, and wire them like this, power lead/+side of one led/-side out to other led + side/ out from - side back to main lead to lux? in other words, have the main power lead to lux led cut with the regluar leds connected between the cut?

i have a simple cad prg. but i cant get it to post. if i could, then i could show what i mean.

well i got paint to work, sorry for the not so neatness but i was trying to hurry.




can i wire it this way, or will that draw too much current off the lux led? if it would work, then the regular leds should fire up at the same time as the sound/lux led all off the one momentary that fires the board/lux led.

[GeluKhanGharr]

Lan-ed,

What you did there is serialize all LEDs. Doing it that way splits the voltage to each individual LED. Without getting into details of why, the Hasbro board would not supply enough voltage. One or more of the LEDs would not light up at all or light up very dimly. I'd say go with a parallel set-up like in my post from 12/14(page 1 of this thread). You don't need the resistors. Imagine the line that goes to the battery is the positive and the 2 lines going to the switch connect to the "negative lead to LED/LAMP" from the hasbro.
However, that set-up will still give you 3 LEDs that will be flashing when the Hasbro board sends out the flash. The only difference will be that your blinking LED will be blinking all the time. Like I said before - If I can figure out a way to draw constant power from the Hasbro(which is what you need for your 2 decoration LEDs) and still use the single momentary switch for the whole set-up, than I'd have a way to eliminate the flashing of the blade, but I still haven't found that solution yet.

Born of Sith, seduced by the light.