10 watt RGB... (BUSTED!!!)

[erv]

may I ask which LED / datasheet you are refering to, Ace ?

That's one very interesting LED there.

A few things I noticed after viewing the PDF. Nine seperate die in three groups of three with a seperate positive terminal for each series of three die with a common negative terminal for all nine die arranged in a single interconnected matrix.

[acerocket]

Erv, Dregan was kind enough to share the pdf of the new LED he found with me. I don't want to get on his bad side by giving out his information. I will PM him and ask if he would be willing to share it with you or allow me to pass the info along to you also. I have 'hoarded' info before when I was working on projects until I finished it because I didn't want somebody to beat me to bringing and idea out. I can respect that Dregan may want to do the same. Case in point, this is why I didn't post anything about the tri-lux until I had a working prototype. But I will ask and see if would mind.

[erv]

Thanks Ace,
I don't want to bug Dregan with a second PM,
please let him know that I'm also working on a tri-lux, whatever the LED chip is : I'm planning a 3 LED version of my Crystal Focus Saber Core (what ? a buttered toast with 3 sides ? Yes : the top, the bottom... and the edge, if the toast is thick enough !)
Erv'

[Dregan]

For the record, I am the most easygoing guy you'll ever meet. PM's don't bug me.

There are several reasons I'm reluctant to publicly share the datasheet is that there are several people who make part of their living off these. I'm not one of them, I just make sabers for fun and friends that want one, but I have a high degree of respect for those that do try to turn a profit. I don't want to step on their toes by turning everyone on to a competing product, then get those people mad because the new LED doesn't have all the kinks worked out.

For everyone, the challenge with this LED is the size of it. I'm not going to be sure until I get mine (already ordered) but I'm doubtful it will fit in a standard holder, and almost certain that typical optics won't work. I'm thinking a refractory rather than a columnating lens, like what Ultra uses in his Padawan sabers. But there's still the challenge of making the holders and heatsinks.

Oh, one other thing, this LED does not come on a PCB like a Lux Star or cone thereof, so there's the additional challenge of a mounting system.

[Novastar]

I, for one, think Dregan should keep it to himself. Let others discover on their own... they should be able to do so!

What tends to happen with people and info is that they become so focused on JUST that info--they can forget about innovations that are happening as we speak. Sort of like not seeing the forest for the trees...

Anyhow... it's clear that as weeks, months, years go by--innovations will occur and just as "X" comes out for a solution for (let's say) a solid, working, non-failing Lux triad... there will then suddenly appear "Y"--maybe for more $$$, but maybe not---that will achieve a similar result.

Ace (and probably Dregan) knows this all too well.

Whatever the case, I think it will be cool to see what INDIVIDUALS do for their own sabers (just a few)... and what the BUSINESSES then offer for the "masses".

In the end, it is simply a matter of what WORKS. As it is, I strive to find tighter "choke points" for the forward hand of all things! Most people are not super concerned with that. Fine. Also, I don't even care about movie accurate hilts. Most people I see are striving for a "Luke" or "Mara" or "Kyle" or "Gra-bok-bok" hilt... Fine. Not I.

(I made that up, so don't go looking in the EU for Gar-bok-bok..)

[Firebird21]

There are several reasons I'm reluctant to publicly share the datasheet is that there are several people who make part of their living off these. I'm not one of them, I just make sabers for fun and friends that want one, but I have a high degree of respect for those that do try to turn a profit. I don't want to step on their toes by turning everyone on to a competing product, then get those people mad because the new LED doesn't have all the kinks worked out.

There's something about this that just doesn’t sit right with me... I think it's the fact that this is not a forum for a saber building wholesale warehouse for saber building businesses; it's a forum for hobbyists to acquire parts for their sabers, for the most part.

For example... This is a "Hobby Shop" not the place where the hobby shop gets their stuff.


The forum is also for free trade of information in regards to saber building focusing on Tim's store. Talking about this product and keeping the product secret bugs me. If it works or even might work let the people try it for themselves, don't tease everyone and then keep it to yourself because you don't think it would work. (Not the same as trying to keep a trade secret.) If it does work then I'm sure Tim would be more than happy to sell it, just like the K2's. Furthermore, if you're putting unproven technology in your sabers that you sell for profit then shame on you.


At any rate, I may just have a bug up my a$$ today, but the progression of this topic is not sitting well with me. I’m not trying to start a fight; I’m just trying to keep this forum that I love on the right track and true to the intensions of its founder as I understand it... But I could very well be wrong, and that I think is for Tim to decide.

[Dregan]

My point is that if someone (Tim, Ace, Erv. or whoever) wants to use this to develop a usable product, they can. I myself may yet do the same. I will certainly be using it in a non-lightsaber application. The LED is very raw, not even mounted on a PCB and with limited or no optics availability. It's not something that the typical hobbiest will be comfortable with.

Out of respect for Tim and Ace, who are working to bring the Tri-Lux to the hobbiest, end consumer market, I'm not posting it publicly. That doesn't mean that I'm not sharing. I don't think it's very couth to advertise (or even show the source publicly) for a product that could compete with something that Tim and Ace will sell here.

Ace has seen it. As has Erv. It's free for the asking. If Tim wants to carry it, even better. I'm just not going to post it.

[Firebird21]

Ok, I think I see what you're saying now. You don't want to step on the Tri-Lux toes specificly, and that's what you're talking about when you talk about making a buisness of it.

[Dregan]

Exactly. Since Tim may be carrying the Tri-Lux, and he's kind enough to let us play in his yard, I don't want to go peeing on the azaelas.

[Dregan]

So, I got my LED on Saturday... and I played around with it... and it's a bust.

not just for saber making, but for everything I can think of. I may have to post pics to be clear, but they wired wthin thing all weird.

Since this is not capable of competing with a Tri-Lux, I'll post the Data Sheet

If you look how it's made, you'll see three rows of three LED dies - 3 red, 3 gree, and three blue, from bottom to top. If you apply current to the top row, you get blue. If you apply to the second row, you get blue AND green. Third row, all three. THEY WIRED IT IN SERIES, NOT PARALLEL!!! HOW DUMB CAN YOU GET?

The size of this would have made it a challenge to fit in a saber, but I could have used it in one of my auto or home lighting projects, if it were true RGB, but there's no way to color blend. You get your choice of blue, teal, or washed-out purple (passes for white in the RGB world)

I'm gonna toss this thing up on ebay when I get home. I guess I'm stuck ordering my RGB's from China and still only having limited brightness. Grrr....