Finally building my first LED saber.

[MaverickJsmith]

Well swear said I might try running it off the battery. I took that to mean wire the accent led in series with the battery to the sound board.

As for parallel, I hadn't even considered that, please tell me more.

Maverick

[swear000]

wire between 26-18 gauge I would think. Smaller the gauge number, the fatter the wire if I remember correctly. CF wiring guide may have some clues. I don't have a CF yet so I haven't looked into it extensively. I would most likely lean toward 18 since I have a tendency to use the fattest wire I can get away with.

Yes, the LED will drain the battery unless you put in a very small switch or another driver board. I am pretty sure the CF can be used to drive accent LEDs. Did you see Mad Hatters "CF4 10W with the Works - Video + Tons o' Pics"? It looks like he used a custom logic circuit to drive the accent LEDs. CF on one side of the battery pack and logic circuit on the other. There is probably a way of creating a simplified version of the circuit for powering your LED.

I have been Googling circuit schematics for the past several weeks looking for one that I can use for a PLI. There may be one to fit your particular application, I just haven't stumbled across it yet.

[MaverickJsmith]

I'm using an Ultrasound V2 lol

Maverick

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Sorry to be late to the dance! I'd go ahead with a lux III because the US can overdrive it anyways (it'll be really bright) As far as batteries go, It depends upon how accessible the battery pack will be in your hilt. If you just have to unscrew the pommel and there it is, then use alkalines or Li-Ion rechargeables. If it is in the middle of your 6" section, then use a recharge port setup. 22-24 gage wire will work just fine. P.S.- I love converting old El sabers!!!!!!!!

[MaverickJsmith]

Thanks for chiming in man

Yeah, the battery pack will be towards the pommel. I'll be using the AAA battery pack since my saber has an ID of around 1.240".

...Wait, could I use a AA pack? Will it fit?

As for my little accent led I could always run it off the Luxeon's circuit. Though I'd need a fat resistor. I just went on a spree today getting things I'll need. I hit radio shack and got my little green led. These things run off 2.1 volts dc and 25 milliamps. That's just a wee bit less than 1500 milliamps. And if I change my main led type in my ultrasound's configuration, I'll fry the little thing. So I'm not sure what to do.

Maverick

EDIT: The shop only has 4 quick connectors left, and I need 5 oh no! Anyone know where I could get some?

[eastern57]

If it's a green LED you need, stand by. I prefer 26-28 guage wires, they're fine for batteries and LEDs - I like them because they take up almost no room. As for batteries, if you're considering a recharge port, you may as well consider Li-Ions .

[MaverickJsmith]

Oh, LOL no, my accent LED is green. The main led will be royal blue

And the shop has 1 quick connecter less than i need @_@

Maverick @_@

[swear000]

I just remembered that the Li-ion packs generally come with a PCB. That circuit has a LVC (low voltage cutoff) and should, in theory, cut off the power to the LED when the battery voltage drops below a certain point.

These connectors are another good option:
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/connectors.htm

I use ones called micro deans but since sabers can have extensive wiring, I direct connect wherever I can. I will try the 26 gauge wire since making more room in the hilt seems like a good idea.

[MaverickJsmith]

I'm starting small right now. I have a small budget, so no rechargeable setup right now, maybe in the future.

I simply want to get this done for Holloween

Maverick

P.S. Got everything ordered! Next week I'll have everything I need to make this saber light up minus the ultrasound and bladeholder.

[Sairon]

the 4 aa pack that is made for mhs should fit in that space. just make shure it is the one that is made for mhs. I would go aa because of the longer run time