Hyperdyne/Luxeon System comparison

[Jedibum]

In case there is some confusion about V1 and V2 Hyperblade stuff ... I'll try and clarify. There is a major difference between V1 Driver Board and V2 Driver Board ... so you definately want to make sure you are using the V2 Driver Board. In case you aren't sure what version you are using ... here's something simple ... if you have the ability to tell the board if you are using a 7.2 Volt set-up ... or an 11.1 Volt set-up ... then you have a V2 Driver Board.

For the blades ... there is a physical difference between V1 Blade Boards and V2 Blade Boards. It's pretty simple ... The V2 Blade Boards have more LED's ... and a much better improvement with dark spots. You don't have to have a V2 Blade Board with a V2 Driver Board. You can use the V1 Blade Boards, they are capable of reaching the same brightness protential ... they just don't have as many LED's and they have more noticable gaps.

The 11.1 Volt battery packs came out when the V2 Driver Boards came out for sale. I will have to double check this, but from what I remember you need the 11.1 Volt battery pack in order to get the Hyperblade to go to max brightness. The difference between max brightness with the 7.2 volt and the 11.1 volt may not be huge ... but I do believe to get it to full potental you need the bigger battery. I will try and confirm this asap.

you don't have to worry about frying the Driver Board or the Blade Board, just keep the battery pack to no more than 12 Volts and everything should be fine.

It seems possible that if the Blue Blade Board came with a 7.2 Volt battery, then it may be a V1. The only other reason to use the 7.2 Volt (if you have a V2 Driver Board) is if the space in your hilt won't fit the larger battery.

[Jedibum]

Also, I want to thank Eandori for taking the time to get some facts out about the Hyperblade. I know first hand that no matter how many times I told people the Hyperblades lasted for 30-45 minutes ... I would keep hearing how you only had a few minutes till they went out. I never know how these ideas just keep going and going, but I know no matter what I said it didn't seem to stop them. Hopefully the facts you get from your tests will help stop some of the false rumors for good.

[Eandori]

Then this board is definitely a V2, at least for the blue Hyperdyne. Because I can go into battery select mode and see the blade blink once or twice for 7.2v mode or 11v mode. These blades though... they might be version 1. It looks VERY even on the video I made but in person I can see darker spots which must be gaps between the LED's.

Ok, I will go ahead and build a 10.8v (rated) battery out of 1000mAh AAA NiMH cells, or I might even switch over to some RC Car cells (3500mAh, same voltage 1.2v each, biggest difference is VERY low internal resistance.) I'm expecting the Hyperdyne board to regulate it's own current, not depend on weak batterys to limit current so I should be fine.

To your last response, hey I'm all about getting the truth out there. I know I was a nuisance when I was bugging you with your comparisons, but now those roles are reversed I'm going to spend a decent amount of time verifying all this hardware before I run the actual comparison.

I just got your email, sounds great. Light meter + measured values on their way to me next week. Wonderful!!!

EDIT: Quick note... I just looked at the pictures of the V2 LED array on the Hyperdyne website http://www.hyperdynelabs.com/hyperblade/purchase.php I'm pretty positive these are the V1 blade strips. The LED's in those V2 pictures look much more densely packed onto the PCB.

Also, Jim Shiima really needs to update his feature mapping between saber technologies. It seems very misleading as a Luxeon saber with a CF board has many of the effects he's claiming they do not. As I'm sure you know, since you have that Oddy2 saber from Erv'.

Cheers.

[xwingband]

As far as Jim's concerned Erv copied him and would never acknowledge that. Plus he could always say that the chart is true... it's not his ClashEffect(TM).

He also states Luxeons aren't as bright as Plasma... maybe back when I's were the norm. Not so now. I'm one of the few that still probably own one and it's not so great anymore, Luxeons certainly match if not exceeds Plasma.

[Darth_DevilGuy]

I'm not going to question the hyperblades look, they look great, but what I think turns alot of the community off of them isn't technical specs but jim's blatant lying about other people's products, if you look at his site he's either lying or hasn't updated anything not favorable or directly related to his own stuff in years. Honestly I like his product but he strikes me as kinda self centered and too into self promotion.

[Marsupial]

As far as Jim's concerned Erv copied him and would never acknowledge that.

as far as everyone is concerned, Jim copied MR and Corbin, but Jim would not acknowledge that.

Anyway...
While he was developing his blades (the pre-V1 ones), I asked 3 simple questions which he never ever answered, still up to this date. even when I re-asked on several occasions.

That alone made that most people didn't believe his statements regarding his blades.

I still can't have anything answered from him regarding the blade brightness, power consumption, robustness.
enough said.

[Jedibum]

Darth_DevilGuy - I think you are a little out of line trying to imply Jim is posting lies about other people's products. I don't see where you are getting that and I hope you don't spread that lie.

If you are familiar with Jim's website than you know that most of what is on there has been on there for multiple years ... so if you are referring to the page that says Luxeon's don't have scrolling effect or clash effect or things like that ... it's because it was listed before we had Crystal Focus or Ultra Sound. And while I have not spoken to Jim about it, the fact that he has patent issues with other sound boards may be why he has not bothered to update it. Either way, it seems like you have a lot of hostility toward Jim and Hyperblades and I dought it just comes from a "updating the website" problems.

Marsupial - Jim did not copy MR. For those that think MR came first that is incorrect. Jim was making realistic, high quality lightsaber sound before MR even had a contact with Lucas. Jim even took his lightsaber sound system to C1 to see if he could get any interest in it. I don't know corbins history with lightsabers and lightsaber sound so I can't comment on that ... but it's a fact that Jim came before MR.

Also, Marsupial, I have been publicly answering all of those questions on these forums for years.

[Darth_DevilGuy]

I am reffering to that, it's been there for years, it should either be taken down or updated, like I said I'm not down on his products or implying anything, but the fact is that the information he gives out is behind the times and misleading in a way thats favorable to him.

In this situation thats a conflict of interest as well as a detriment to his public image, claim whatever you want but make DAMN sure you can back it up or you'll get burned, the community's attitude toward him is a direct reflection of this. Again I have nothing against him, but when the info he's using to promote his products is obviously wrong, and long out of date it calls everything he says about his stuff, true or not, into question.

Honestly I'm glad to see him still out there, but he really needs to update his site and do a little work on his PR, when you make the statements he does you're going to have to prove it, and bad or out of date info on your competition won't help you one little bit.

[Jedibum]

Well, you say you aren't implying anything but I think it's clear you are trying to suggest that Jim is deliberatly misleading people. That's clearly implying something. When it's a fact that at the time that information was posted (and for a long time after) what it says was exactlty correct. So the information on the website hasn't changed, and it's a fair argument to say that new technology has changed the facts. But to make the leap that Jim is purposely misleading the public because a list of information has become outdated is a far leap in my opinion ... unless you already have a negative view and you let that taint what you think.

And, as far as the idea that in the lightsaber community you better be able to back up your claims with facts or you'll get burned is just a joke in my opinion. As many years as I have been involved I have seen lies and false facts traded throught all these forums and people rarely get burned ... most just get to go on saying whatever they want. To imply that there is some kind of strict rule that we all uphold and we all make sure we don't believe anything until we see facts is just funny. I hear the same false facts over and over again no matter how many times I or others post corrections.

I think you are putting too much mystery behind the hyperblade. I don't see how the possibly out-of-date information on his website can be used to call all of what he says about his product into question. People have actually purchased the hyperblade. And there have been many who posted about it on various forums, including the Hyperdyne forum on fx-sabers. Customers post their pictures and comments. It's not like it's a mysterious product that has been only seen and reviewed by Jim ... you have plenty of other people who own one who give first hand accounts about it or who would be happy to talk to you about it. If he's lying about his product it would be obvious to all who have purchased it. It's too late to say that he can be lying about it once it's out in the open.

[Eandori]

Whoa, major thread de-rail going on here!

Let's just all agree that Jim's Hyperblade website NEEDS to be updated, and his products up to a few months ago were still largly misunderstood. And let's just leave that as that. If you guys want to continue discussing history of who did what first and who is spreading false facts purposely, please make another thread and discuss it there. I reallly want to keep this thread specifically on the subject of a fair and top notch, data driven saber comparison.

No offense meant to anybody, let's just "stay on target..."