~~ LED Sabers... the Past, Present... and Future...

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Well I guess thats the kinda thing this timeline will help clear up...very interesting I'm learning lots...thanks Novastar and everyone...

[Novastar]

Novastar sent over his pre-production sound fonts for my feedback, of which I gave him some. Not as much as I wanted to. I edited a few of his sound fonts and sent them back, basically I made his Pheonix font more of a flame sword, and took out the movie quotes and tried to make a few of his saber fonts more saber like, rather then theatrical. That was my preference of saber font, make it sound like a saber

Just for clarity's sake, the Phoenix sound font was always "a flame sword"... Edwin just didn't particularly care for the "hawk/bird cries" heard within the font. I offered both options on the CD.

Also (since we're de-railing here, heheh!), I learned most of my core electronic basics from Corbin, and my own experiences and studies. From there, I learned more from the forum/threads on TF.N and TCSS (mainly TCSS)... and then people like Don and Erv. THEN I met Edwin when he came onto the saber scene... and certainly I learned even more there.

Cardcollector: I'm not sure yet if I think BOP I influenced the saber community in a way that was all THAT significant. It may have built INTEREST from newcomers or what not... but... again... it did not change/alter or otherwise enhance the way LED sabers were built. So... I don't know if it belongs in the timeline that *I* was sitting here trying to design.

Again: the timeline *I* am proposing has to do with significant events that influenced the LED SABER. Edwin's flash on clash via additional LED certainly has a part of that. But my sounds and Edwin's personal changes to my sounds? Nah, neither are very important in terms of their relevance to "changing the LED saber" in a significant way.

I don't really want to make this thing too complicated. However, if someone out there wants to make a timeline including every event and every change from every person they can get the 411 from... be my guest! I'm not going to do that--it would be an entire anthology of uber-SW geek stuff from every perspective imaginable!

[vargose]

I don't really want to make this thing too complicated. However, if someone out there wants to make a timeline including every event and every change from every person they can get the 411 from... be my guest! I'm not going to do that--it would be an entire anthology of uber-SW geek stuff from every perspective imaginable!

Thats what the "Expanded Universe" of saber history is for

[Novastar]

Eandori,
You've helped LED technology quite a bit. I think we should clarify that the clash on flash you're talking about developing utilized a separate LED to give the flash (even in a different color, which is cool), and not just increasing the brightness of the single LED, which my driver does. By using a separate LED, you really increased the look of it over what I had done with my driver's Clash and Lock function.

EXACTLY! These are both significant developments with LED sabers, and both will get covered in the timeline.

Also... while I'm talking about things, I'm hoping to be able to do this kind of thing for the timeline:

EVENT + DATE
INVENTOR / PERSON TO CREDIT
DESCRIPTION OF SAID EVENT
*VIDEO LINK* (hopefully!) showing an example, although this might just be a photo in certain cases... or nothing at all if it's an "obvious" thing that doesn't need more clarification.

Hope it sounds like a good idea.

I had a couple guys ask for my autograph at C4 and it felt weird. I also had some other guys (at a different con) not know who "Corbin" was and they informed me that Ultrasabers (who had made their hilts) originally invented Luxeon saber technology. I didn't argue. LOL

Yup... yet AGAIN one of the EXACT reasons I think this kind of thing should be done. I sort of want it to help make clear distinctions (as best as is possible) as to the major inventions and/or discoveries/wiring solutions that have tangibly affected the LED saber scene.

[acerocket]

Well, since I am mentioned, let me see if I can offer a little of my own timeline.

April 2004: My wife is 5 months pregnant and has been on bedrest for a month and I am going crazy. I buy a manual 3-in-1 lathe and start looking for ideas so I can make my own art-deco style lamps. This leads me to the TFN where I find Jedi Loreen's EL blade tutorial and I thought "hey, I can do that."


November 2004: I finish my first EL bladed lightsaber



Sometime late 2004/early 2005 I discover ASAP and start learning about LEDs being used instead of EL wire. There I met Corbin who was a big LED supporter.


Early in 2006 I made my first LED saber and used a tutorial/kit I purchased from Psab Keel to build my first blade:


Also in 2006 I started talking to Corbin about working on a new saber he was wanting. I started the work on my 3-in-1 manual but ran into some problems with a broken bolt on the tool turret.


July 2006: I purchased my CNC mill and decided to start from scratch and make Corbin's saber entirely on the CNC machine. It took quite a while to do since I had to teach myself everything, but just before C4, I met up with Corbin and delivered him the 'Killer Penny'.



In December 2005, Corbin asked about doing something to increase the brightness of the LEDs and asked if it would be possible to get two or even three LEDs in a saber. Throughout 2006 I found a small enough optic and worked up a design and in December 2006, unveiled the Tri-Lux unit.



In 2006 I post a few important topics in the LED saber thread on TFN about battery sizes and specs and heatsinks and how to properly size them for a given LED (some of you may remember the pictures of hand written pages of notes with equations on them).

August 2007: I make the move out of California to Idaho and aquire a CNC lathe to go with the CNC mill. I have dreams of opening my own one man CNC machine shop.

April 2008: I do a very small run of Obi TPM sabers that are, in addition to being very accurate, are LED bladed.



So, that's the highlights of my history I suppose. There are a few other contributions to the saber community I have made, but I those are for another day.

Oh, and I got to meet a few of the big names at C4 - Corbin, Novastar (who doesn't remember it though), Kit Fisto (FX sabers) and a few others whose names escape me now.


Edit: I almost forgot. In late 2004, after having made a few EL blades, I was a bit frustrated that it was so hard for our community to find parts (at the time, just EL parts was all I knew about) so I started formulating the plan to buy in bulk and open a webstore to sell the parts to others who wanted to build their own blades. I decided to also include machined parts. But alas, the idea never amounted to much because my newborn son was taking a lot of my time and I could never get the idea off the ground. I finally revisited the idea one day and did some quick searching and found that Tim had just opened his store and was doing the very thing I had wanted to do. Oh well, my loss for not being quick enough to market. At least someone thought of it and brought all this coolness to the market.

[xl97]

Nova-

video link as in, IN the time line 'app'? or to an off-site video? (ie: youtube.com)?

[cardcollector]

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I know it is off topic but I have to say Those sabers are amazing!!!

[Firebird21]

Very cool Novasar! But where am I in all of this? I know I've been out of touch for a while, but I didn't think I was forgotten! lol

Then again, I suppose I had little to do with the evolution of Lightsabers and probably more to do with the degradation of the forums. ie. the mostly defunkt Derailment Unit.

Ahh... Good times... good times....

[Novastar]

Ace: THANK YOU!!!!
XL97: probably, it depends.Ace (again): O. M. G. Right, the KP. Geez, there ya go. Good thing to add! It just shows, I can't remember it all!!---------------------------------------------------------------to some others: PLEASE... will everyone *please* stop saying "why am I not mentioned" when I am specifically saying over and over:

THIS IS A WIP. Read the thread please.

I also specifically state that I do not know EVERYONE's exact contributions... and further... it's impossible to know at this point whether or not people's contributions directly influenced the evolution of the LED saber.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE ALREADY "BEEN MENTIONED" to pipe up and tell me something. What do I look like--a human hard drive???!?? With a search function that can retrieve data at 10,000 bps? OHHHHHhhhhhhhh--NOT.

But... *SIGH* here's another example of how my thinking is lining up... just to be CRYSTAL BLOODY CLEAR:

* Tim invents the TCSS shop = YES, this influenced things
* Corbin finds that cool printer film ("corbin film") and it replaces the Psab Keel fishing line method = YES, this influenced things
* You wired up your first FX saber and shared it publicly and people were happy and the peasants rejoiced and everyone watched Monty Python afterward and discussed Jon Cleese's distinctive voice...

... = NO, this significantly influenced ZILCH!

Cool as that night with your buds & suds & Life o' Brian mighta been.

Other "NO" things:

* You saw a cool wiring guide with relays and posted photos detailing your experience working with the relay setup and your ____ board.

* You educated 5, no--10, no--50, no--100 people on the threads about using _____ while doing _____ which made their saber building more efficient because it resulted in _______... for those 100+ people.

* You promised to make a new, innovative change with LED sabers... but despite all the hubbub... whether purposeful or not... you never actually DID it.

* You invented the plasma saber. You invented the laser saber. You invented the BackStreet Boys saber. You invented the TMNT saber. NO X 4-- and "bye, bye, bye"!

* You made a ton of sound fonts for Crystal Focus. You released them onto a CD. You think you're sooooo cool because you can do an averagely pitiful backflip and a shakey, girly-lookin' b-twist. Sorry, you're just some punk padawan proby--GET LOST.

* You're a patent troll.


Other "YES" things:

* You invented or innovated a new feature in some way, shape or form for LED sabers... ... ... Suuuuurrrrrvveyy SAAAAAAAAAys... ..... .... DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDI NGDINGDINGDINGDING!!!!!!!!

* You found better (or "different") ways to do ______ or facilitate _____ with LED sabers, and made some significant steps to "get it out there".

* You designed and implemented a driver board that helped LED sabers to function better, or in innovative ways.

* You designed a circuit setup that had several components which--when COUPLED with existing driver boards--achieved some pretty nifty results! Booley for you, you CHHHEEEEEKY monkey--you're da man, daaahhhwwwg! (Or "da woman" if you're Loreen)

* You are Erv... ... ... ... Just kidding. You can't get onto the timeline just because you're French.

* You posted a video and/or design guide and/or photos and/or a detailed text post or thread that really REALLY clarified or verified (or dispelled!) some pre-existing concept(s) with LED sabers. Such as: "how to make a _____", or "Why LEDs aren't _____ but they ARE ____" or... whatever. You get the idea.

* You affected: blades... tips... diffusers... optics... battery solutions... wiring setups... hilt designing... ease of use... BLAH BLAH BLAH!

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So. Now.

PLEASE. Please stop telling me "why am I not mentioned" and instead, FRIGGIN' EXPLAIN TO ME about it!!!! Tell me!!! Dit a moi, s'il te plait!!

I did NOT "forget" anyone. I simply... can't hold all of that in my pitiful little brain.

To quote Emmett Brown, "Please, you'll have to excuse the horrible crudity of this model, I didn't have time to build it to scale, nor to paint it..."

"Uhhh... it's fine, Doc... it's great!"

[Firebird21]

Ouch... Wow...

It was just a joke... I don't expect to be recognized for any lightsaber milestones. Nor did I expect to get a 10 pg. garbage rant on how far up the pole really goes.

I guess I really have been forgotten around here...