Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Brightness question

  1. #1

    Default Brightness question

    Hello folks. First post here. I was wondering if anyone knows where to find information on the brightness of the LEDs in Lumens? I'm building an Arsenal of stunt sabers for a fan film and my 250 lumen flashlight driven prototype sabers don't seem to be as bright as most of the photos I see here. I've ordered a green led and heat sink but have yet to wire it up. The plan is to get them bright enough to look correct on film without digitally enhancing the blades. Any and all info would be appreciated.
    Thank you!

  2. #2

    Default

    Welcome to the Forums.

    The actual lumens count is a bit hard to quantify, because they are measured at a fraction of the current we typically use. If you want bright sabers, using a Tri-Cree (whatever color), and properly powering two of the dice, should give you the nice bright blade you see in many pictures.
    TCSS MODERATOR
    All n00bs READ these first (PLEASE)!!!:
    1. Forum Guidelines
    2. FJK’s “Down and Dirty” guide to Ohm’s Law

    "Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before... you want blindingly bright, super loud, running 1138 blinkies off of the cheapest sound card you can find AND you want all of it to run on a battery the size of a dime, and run for a very, VERY long time. That one cracks me up every time..."
    My email: fjk_tcss@yahoo.com

  3. #3

    Default

    Excellent. I appreciate the reply. Now I know what I must do!

  4. #4

    Default

    FJK is quite correct and to further explain why "250 lumen flashlight driven prototype sabers don't seem to be as bright as most of the photos I see here" you might also consider that LED flashlights are normally equipped for 'general purpose' use with reflectors or diffusing lenses designed to illuminate a wide area so one can view what is within its light cone. Our sabers however have to not only produce a lot of light [which the tri-Crees certainly do] but just as importantly need to focus that light VERY tightly up a narrow hollow tube to illuminate our saber's 'blade'. For that 'special purpose' use we build sabers to mount special narrow-beam "collimator" lenses in front of the LED/heatsink assembly. In practical effect the difference between a flashlight and our sabers is like the difference between a floodlight and a spotlight. So in addition to getting a super bright LED like the Tri-Cree FJK recommends be sure to get a proper narrow-beam collimator lens to go with it [also available in the TCSS store] and together you will see a much better effect lighting up a saber blade than from a typical flashlight. Good Luck with your fan film and MTFBWY

  5. #5

    Default

    Thank you for the information. That makes perfect sense. I never even considered that the lens design would make a difference. I did order a tri-Cree and a lens and I'm excited to see the results. I'm having lots of fun experimenting and putting these things together. This forum is a wealth of knowledge. I'll keep you guys posted on the progress. Thanks!

  6. #6

    Default

    You could make a string blade. They look pretty good and have even brightness, they just take time, materials, and plenty of padding. I haven't done one yet, but I've been looking into it for a little while now.

    Another thought is that most lightsaber effects in film are done post production. You could just get some carbon fiber blades, which I am to understand very durable for dueling.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •