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Thread: Neopixel blade not lighting up

  1. #1

    Default Neopixel blade not lighting up

    Ok, so I built a neopixel lightsaber, wired it up outside the hilt and it worked fine, but when I put it inside the hilt the LED's don't light up. I took it out and checked all the connectors and wires, they're fine, nothing is shorting so I'm stumped as to what the issue could be. Any idea's as to what the problem is? The wires did twist a fair bit when I tried to get it in the hilt. I'm using a NBV4 assembly, momentary switch, a 18650 panasonic battery (protected), the css neopixel adaptors and two WS2812B strips. The soundboard still works without the LED's plugged in so the board is fine to my knowledge. Any advice would be much appreciated

  2. #2

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    If memory serves the Panasonic 18650 can't supply the amps for a neopixel blade, if grab one of the 15A 18650s from the store and see if that gets it working. When you did the test, was it with one strip or both strips?

  3. #3

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    Are you still getting sound, or does it just crash dead?

    Traditionally most 18650s have been protected at 3-5amps which is not sufficient for the pixel blade. It may or may not be related to the cell, but the protection circuit is what makes it cut out.

  4. #4

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    Actually, reading it again and not in a pre-caffinated state (i.e. just woke up), you noted that when the LEDs don't light up and you get sound without the blade in place. Does that mean you get completely dead electronics when the blade is in or do you get audio and no light?

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by RavenXp View Post
    Actually, reading it again and not in a pre-caffinated state (i.e. just woke up), you noted that when the LEDs don't light up and you get sound without the blade in place. Does that mean you get completely dead electronics when the blade is in or do you get audio and no light?
    No the sound still works even with the blade in place. And the manual reccomends using a panasonic battery which was why I got it. It was lighting up fine when I wired it up outside the hilt, it's when I put it in the hilt that it stopped working

  6. #6

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    how did you have it wired up when outside the hilt? were you using the quick disconnect or just connecting the wires to the board?

  7. #7

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    With the quick disconnect. The only one I changed was the switch connector. I can take a video to show what it's doing it it helps?

  8. #8

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    You do need the 15a high drain battery, but the 10a would light the blade, it would just be jacked up with crackle in the speaker. Is it the Sam board as you used externally, same config, and same solder joints? Doesn’t appear to be the switch since you are getting sound. I am guessing data, + or - either failed at the solder joint, was cut or damaged when you were putting the rig in the hilt. I’d you are extremely careful to not bridge the positive and negative pins on the hilt side adapter, you can check that you are getting the expected voltage to the blade with a multimeter.

  9. #9

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    Yeah that was my guess, I re did all the solder joints, nothing looked bridged. And yeah, everything was the same. I'll check it with the multimeter and see how I go

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by scott View Post
    You do need the 15a high drain battery, but the 10a would light the blade, it would just be jacked up with crackle in the speaker.
    This is not correct.

    Panasonic makes the cell itself, but the protection circuit is a point of interest. You can have a cell capable outputting 20A but have it capped at 1A by the protection. That isn't to say any cell is capable of putting out 15 amps, but in general your blade will probably not draw more than 8 amps. (assuming 2x120 pixels) As the draw approaches the batteries limit the voltage will drop (this is called sag), the LEDs draw slightly less current, and things reach an equilibrium. Toward the end of the discharge cycle it may sag bellow the operating voltage of the amp, but this is highly unlikely to happen with a full cell that is capable of operating the blade for at least several minutes at the extreme, and probably half an hour for a properly selected cell. This is all depending on your color since it is 2x120 pixels is actually 2x120x3 LED and 720 LEDs for full RGB white is quite a bit more than 240 red leds.

    It doesn't sound like the protection circuit is an issue here since your sound still works. If it was a cutout then the board wouldn't work either.

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