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Thread: Long absence from saber building, need some advice.

  1. #1

    Default Long absence from saber building, need some advice.

    Hi all, its been a really really looooong time since I was last here. (Like 10 years, as you can probably tell from my avatar and sig,)

    Anyway, SW Celebration is happening in my backyard this year, so I figured I should probably get my sabers up and running. Ive been digging up all my old saber gear, as it was scattered in strange hiding places, stashed away throughout my apartment. It looks like I got a bunch of stuff to work with, but it all has to be rewired, cuz it was stored haphazardly and all the electrical tape like rotted off. So some of the connections broke.

    Anyway, I think Id like to replace the Lux 3 LEDs I have with some of the newer brighter ones, but Im not sure what else I would need to make the new ones compatible.

    My current setup uses an MR sound board, but I think I will leave that out of this build as sound will not be important at the Con. I was thinking of doing just a simple set up of LED->Resistor->4AAA battery pack->Switch

    My question is, if I want a super bright Sithy Red LED, and super bright cool Blue LED, 1: will the 4AAA battery pack be sufficient? and 2: which of the LED models should I get and with which resistor (the one I currently have is 5W)?

    Thanks all!
    RED 7 Standing by...

  2. #2

    Default

    Many of us are running the Tri-Crees sold at TCSS with a 3.7 Li Ion battery. As far as which resistor, it depends upon which color LED you choose, and what your supply voltage will be. TCSS lists all the FV and current needed to drive the LEDs. Also, on the store's main page, there is a LED calculator that can come up with the closest resistor that TCSS sells for your cree and power supply.

    Tom

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  3. #3

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by SilentBob501 View Post
    Hi all, its been a really really looooong time since I was last here. (Like 10 years, as you can probably tell from my avatar and sig,)

    Anyway, SW Celebration is happening in my backyard this year, so I figured I should probably get my sabers up and running. Ive been digging up all my old saber gear, as it was scattered in strange hiding places, stashed away throughout my apartment. It looks like I got a bunch of stuff to work with, but it all has to be rewired, cuz it was stored haphazardly and all the electrical tape like rotted off. So some of the connections broke.

    Anyway, I think Id like to replace the Lux 3 LEDs I have with some of the newer brighter ones, but Im not sure what else I would need to make the new ones compatible.

    My current setup uses an MR sound board, but I think I will leave that out of this build as sound will not be important at the Con. I was thinking of doing just a simple set up of LED->Resistor->4AAA battery pack->Switch

    My question is, if I want a super bright Sithy Red LED, and super bright cool Blue LED, 1: will the 4AAA battery pack be sufficient? and 2: which of the LED models should I get and with which resistor (the one I currently have is 5W)?

    Thanks all!
    No, 4AAA’s won’t cut it these days. You would need to run a Tri-Cree with a 3.7V li-ion battery setup. The resistors you need depends on which color you want. I have a tutorial floating around here somewhere that shows you how to do the calculations.
    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

  4. #4

    Default

    Hey guys, thanks for the responses. Id love to upgrade to a tri-cree, but I think I would need a whole new setup, and that would probably end up being around the cost of a whole new saber. So if I just wanted to upgrade from my Lux3, could I use my old set up and simply swap out for a more powerful LED? If so, which one would you recommend?

    Thanks all!
    RED 7 Standing by...

  5. #5

    Default

    I’d try a single Cree, if Tim has any left.
    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

  6. #6

    Default

    Can I use an old school heatsink for that? I have an extra from a while back. Also, will the Cree LED be appreciably brighter than my Lux3, say in like a Green color?

    Thanks
    RED 7 Standing by...

  7. #7

    Default

    I have no idea. All my old Lux 3’s were retired many years ago. That’s why I suggested the Tri’s. 2 of those would be significantly brighter.
    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

  8. #8

    Default

    Swap out your battery holder for a 18650 Keystone, and upgrade to a tri-cree stunt. If you're going to Celebration, you can't take a dull blade to a knife fight. 40 dollar upgrade, and some elbow grease.

    TOm

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  9. #9

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Tilmon View Post
    Swap out your battery holder for a 18650 Keystone, and upgrade to a tri-cree stunt. If you're going to Celebration, you can't take a dull blade to a knife fight. 40 dollar upgrade, and some elbow grease.

    TOm
    Ok, so, if I get a tri-Cree green (in the MVS for sake of ease,) can I use the MVS Panasonic 18650 battery holder? And then which resistor do I use? Would that be all that is necessary or would I need any other parts? (Besides a switch of course)
    Thanks
    RED 7 Standing by...

  10. #10

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by SilentBob501 View Post
    Ok, so, if I get a tri-Cree green (in the MVS for sake of ease,) can I use the MVS Panasonic 18650 battery holder? And then which resistor do I use? Would that be all that is necessary or would I need any other parts? (Besides a switch of course)
    Thanks
    Each green diode on the tri cree has a forward voltage of 3.7 volts at 350 mA. So, you can run them without a resistor, but since the 18650 can actually deliver 4.2 volts briefly on a full charge, it wouldn't hurt to put minimal resistors on them. For safety resistors, I use the smallest TCSS sells. .5 ohms.

    I figured you already had a button and led holder.

    TOm

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

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