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Thread: Sound beginner guide?

  1. #1

    Default Sound beginner guide?

    Hey guys,

    About to start CNCing my second saber here, and I'm hoping to add sound to this one. Problem is I have no idea where to start. I went to the Sound second on custom saber shop, clicked on the first option (Pico Crumble), started looking for the guide on how this PCB worked and was greeted with Service Menus, Fonts (what?), Color Profiles..? I am completely utterly confused. There doesn't seem to be any section of any of the pages which backs up and explains what these things are or how you use them. So here are my questions:

    1. I'd like sound in my saber/ The typical "thrumming" when it's on, and a "swish" when I swing it. Nothing fancy. What's the simplest way to gain this?
    2. What is the next step up? What are my options? I'm pretty comfortable with circuitry, Arduino, pcbs, etc.

    Thanks! I'm just looking to understand the basics and get started!

    Edit: Found the Pico Crumble User Guide (on another site) and now understand a lot more. Sound, constant current power, all in one board? Pretty nice. I was thinking of making my own PCB to contain an Arduino and an accelerometer but it seems like that's all taken care of for me. Regardless, I'd like opinions on the best method of getting up and running with sound. Is there another board you'd recommend? Things I should keep in mind? Please let me know.
    Last edited by Zero__; 03-24-2017 at 10:32 PM.

  2. #2

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    Generally the nano biscotti is considered the "new" user sound card. The pico crumble is very new and is also supposed to be easy to use but its very limited in its abilities (by design of course). The next step up is the prizm or petit crouton sound cards both of which have the option to add accent leds that blink etc plus some other features discussed in way more detail in their user manuals. The crystal focus is considered top of the line.

    Hope that helps.

  3. #3

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    The various sound boards sold at TCSS are all good choices. Generally speaking, the less expensive boards are the beginner boards, and the more expensive ones have more features for the advanced builds. All the boards have a link to their manuals in their respective store pages.
    We all have to start somewhere. The journey is all the more impressive by our humble beginnings.

    http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz for the lazy man's resistor calculator!
    http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...e-to-Ohm-s-Law for getting resistor values the right way!

  4. #4

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ty_Bomber View Post
    Thanks! I watched parts one and two. That was incredibly helpful. I was halfway through modeling a part to 3D print that would house the battery and board, and it looks like the part already exists!

    Couple more questions. The saber I'm building is going to be a bit more advanced than the one in the video.

    I'm going to have an accent LED to light up some slits in the grip (there will be diffused plastic behind the slits). I notice some of the boards, like the Pico Crumble, have a 3.7V pad for this very purpose. But this pad does NOT get powered down when I deactivate the saber, correct? So to not have my battery drain very quickly, I'm going to have to put in a separate latching power switch along with my momentary activation switch. Does this sound right?

    Second, I definitely want there to be a "no sound mode" in case the lightsaber I'm building (as a gift for someone else) is used as a flashlight. I thought I'd have to add in a third switch to cut the speaker connection, but the Mute option on the Pico Crumble may be enough. I wish the Mute mode still didn't play the power down sound when deactivated, but I may have to live with that.

    Last - I'm adding in a sparkfun lipo charging card so this guy doesn't need to be taken apart. The pommel will have to terminate with this as opposed to the speaker! Are there any charging boards you guys specifically recommend?

    Thanks a ton again!

  6. #6

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    Read the Pico crumble manual again. If that's the board you want, the answers are there for both questions 1 & 2.

    You can use a recharge port and charger from the shop here to the same end. This is the most common method.
    Last edited by jbkuma; 03-27-2017 at 01:08 AM.

  7. #7

    Default

    Haha ok, RTFM was totally fair. I reread the manual and yes, upon closer inspection it did answer some of my questions.

    1. If I solder to a certain paid, that pad and my accent LED will indeed go off when I deactivate the saber.
    2. According to the data sheet,
    Upon retraction, the power off sound will be played indicating the saber returned to normal mode.
    So it will still play a sound upon turn-off even in Mute-on-the-Go mode, but I might just have to live with it. It'll be a lot more work to integrate a second switch to cut power to the speakers.

    Recharge is stil a bit confusing though. The manual makes two references to a "recharge port" but doesn't give any information on whether it has any built in recharging capabilities. I'm guessing "no", and it's just calling its power input a "recharge port" because I could connect my LIPO recharging board there, since it is meant to be wired in-parallel to my battery.

  8. #8

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    As far as I know none of the currently available boards offer on-board charging. Charging is generally handled through a charge port that automatically disconnects the system board from the battery when a charge is plugged in. Some sabersmiths have used a charging board installed in the hilt, but most simply use an external charger.

    If you cover the speaker opening it will significantly reduce the beeps. Perhaps not entirely, but enough not to wake a baby in the next room.

  9. #9

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jbkuma View Post
    As far as I know none of the currently available boards offer on-board charging. Charging is generally handled through a charge port that automatically disconnects the system board from the battery when a charge is plugged in. Some sabersmiths have used a charging board installed in the hilt, but most simply use an external charger.

    If you cover the speaker opening it will significantly reduce the beeps. Perhaps not entirely, but enough not to wake a baby in the next room.
    Thanks JB. I'll get in touch with the makers of the Crumble and see if the believe I'll have an issue putting my spark fun lipo charger in parallel with their sound board.

    As a side note (and I'll ask this when I contact Plecter too) do you know of any boards which also have Mute on the Go and also allow multiple sound profiles? I'm sure Plecter will know, since I believe Mute on the go is trademarked to them, but thought I'd ask.

  10. #10
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