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Thread: Wiring Diagram? Petit Crouton v3.5 + Color Extender

  1. #1

    Post Wiring Diagram? Petit Crouton v3.5 + Color Extender

    Hello saber fanatics!

    Robust Stardust, PCv3.5_CEx Wiring Diagram v1.0.jpg

    (Please see here for a MUCH higher resolution upload of the diagram)

    I have completed the first draft of my wiring diagram for the PCv3.5 + Color Extender, and would love to hear comments and suggestions from the pros! A lot of hours were spent reading over the amazing manual that Erv wrote and the many helpful posts on these forums. How does it look? Everything is pretty by-the-book (or so I hope). My only major question is if I'm wiring up the crystal chamber LEDs correctly. I'm using three separate LEDs instead of a common cathode, but I'm wiring them with a common ground to the accent LED ground pad, basically making a DIY common cathode RGB LED (kinda-sorta). Is this okay, electronically speaking? And don't worry, I have plans for making the RGB LEDs diffuse and blend together to evenly illuminate the crystal.

    Also, I'm assuming that all the PWM control signals for color channels 1, 2, and 3 are all 3.3V, and at a max current of 18mA. Correct?

    The LEDs for the crystal chamber that I'm using are all rated for 20mA max, but I'm choosing to run them all at 15 mA (or 0.015 amps) just to be safe.
    Red forward voltage (Vf) = 2.0
    Blue Vf =3.0
    Green Vf =3.0

    My resistor calculations for the crystal chamber LEDs using Ohm's Law are as follows:

    Red: 100 Ohm, 1/8 watt resistor
    R = (3.3-2.0)/0.015 = 86.66 Ohms, so round up to 100 Ohms?
    P = 86.66 x (0.015)2 = 0.01949 watts, so round up to 0.125 or 1/8 watt?

    Blue: 20 Ohm, 1/8 watt resistor
    R = (3.3-3.0)/0.015 = 20 Ohms, no rounding?
    P = 20 x (0.015)2 = 0.0045 watts, so round up to 0.125 or 1/8 watt?

    Green: 20 Ohm, 1/8 watt resistor (same Vf and current as the blue die)
    R = (3.3-3.0)/0.015 = 20 Ohms, no rounding?
    P = 20 x (0.015)2 = 0.0045 watts, so round up to 0.125 or 1/8 watt?

    I've been wondering where the best electronic supply place is to find these small wattage resistors, as they aren't carried here at TCSS.... perhaps Mouser?

    Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions!

  2. #2

    Default

    The diagram looks fine to me. I hope your cramfu skills are up to putting 3 LEDs in instead of just one. The shared ground for them should be fine. Your calculations for 15mA (as well as your assumptions on final values) look correct, though I'm not sure why you would want to sacrifice those 3 extra mA, knowing the board won't output the current the LEDs are rated for. \_(ツ)_/
    Mouser will have all those resistors, yes.
    Last edited by sgcdialler; 07-09-2015 at 06:41 AM. Reason: I accidentally a character

  3. #3

    Default

    Thanks for giving it a look over! Yep, this saber is testing my cramfu to new limits in many ways, somewhat frightening at times haha. Shared ground is good, that's good to hear. And yeah, I was planning for the 15mA mostly for aesthetics, I wanted the organic fissures, colors, and details of the quartz crystal I'm using to still be visible (a test LED ran at 20mA washed the details and colors out a bit too much). Still lots of experimenting! Good points though, I may very well end up running them at the 18mA. Alrighty, looks like I've got some Mouser parts to order, thanks for your feedback!

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