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

[ARKM]

Sorry if I helped to take the fun out it Corbin. That was not my intent nor do I believe it was the intent of anyone else. That said I will now remove myself from this thread. I have nothing to contribute as I know pretty much nothing of LED saber history. Again, sorry.

[Madcow]

Ok, here's some more from sabers in Canada

Spring/summer 2001 - Flashlights, ABS pipe and golf tube
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabe...h%20sabers.JPG

Spring 2004 Madcows first machined sabers with LED technology - stil golf tubes
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabers/blue%20LED.JPG


Spring/Summer 2004 What I think is still the first real crystal chassis
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabe...saber%205b.JPG
http://www.freewebs.com/genesis_sabe...0saber%207.JPG

Summer 2005 Gelukhandar invites me to join forums at TCSS - I discover the sabersmith commuinity!

Fall 2005 My first Polycarb bladed LED sabers

Spring 2006 - I discover the only other sabersmith I can find in Canada - Jedi Ranger

Summer 2007 - My First CF saber

[Barmic Rin]

While I'm not a Moderator here, may I suggest we try to steer the thread back towards the topic of the history timeline please? I appreciate the support for my driver and I agree that there's sometimes people out there that have a way of taking the fun out of it for others, but we really should try keeping the subject matter focused on this thread.

SECONDED!!!! There's plenty of other topics to argue on, let's stick to subject & build this timeline!
I for one am getting memories of all those 'how to' guides on ebay regarding plasma sabers before LEDs came along in any real way. Back when they were solely used for accent lighting on the hilt because the invertor for the EL took up so much space inside!!!

[Novastar]

I appreciate all the help, guys! really... that's exactly what will be needed for me to make this thread "accurate to the best degree... while still being concise".

And Corbin, OF COURSE you're helping. After all, I gathered most of this 411 by working with you over the course of 2005 to 2006, and per further conversations. And ***YES*** that was it: Psab Keel. thanks! I knew if I saw the name I'd know who it was... but my brain was low on charge and needed to get a little Li-Ion boost, hahahah

SO. What I'll eventually do is compile what we can amass here... organize it in a nice fashion, then work with Tim to lock THIS thread... yet we'll re-open another one with a single big post, and lock it as well.

Additionally, I might even try my hand at a "graphical timeline" that simplifies things even MORE--using only super short captions and time markers--and see what can be done.

As time goes by, things can (and probably will) get added to this "text timeline" later on, but... I hope it sets a nice standard of "the history" as best as can be.

All this being said:

* The intention is not to insult nor to leave out anyone... but... the timeline will NOT be perfect. Just like life. Tough nachos, so sue me... whaddaya gonna do? Cry?
* In general, we'll stick to things that have to do with LED sabers (whether single high-powered or "array"-based)... but also leave room for innovations such as shouldered blade tips and blah blah blah. But we won't start extrapolating about plasma sabers, laser sabers, nor will we be talking about blasters or costumes.
* Certainly little "blurbs" about (for example) when EL first came out or when the first plasma saber might be included... but not a whole history on THOSE too!! The timeline will be long enough as it is...

To be clear (and a bit direct)... if anyone becomes insulted by my actions here, I hate to say it, but I just don't even care. It's not like someone is paying me to do this, and it's not as if I have axes to grind nor hidden objectives. It's pretty forkin' simple: LEDs. Timeline. Who, when, what, where, how. 'Nuff said.

[Lord Maul]

Pex tubing was started by GeluKhan if I remember correctly. Look at the blade in this picture. Posted here, way back in early '06. This blade is either Pex or nylon, I think Pex.

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...14&postcount=4

Speaking of Gelukhan, I think that he should be added for making the very first controllable RGB saber, the Golden Chameleon.
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...09&postcount=2


Nova, shoot me a PM when you want this thread locked. I can do it for ya

EDIT: You are forgetting Parks Sabers in your timeline. They were making EL blades long before MR came out with them. Lori made her first EL saber around the time that Parks did, if memory serves.

[Jedi-Loreen]

No, Parks had EL sabers before me, but they used EL sheet, not wire. Light Tech Industries also had EL blades that did use the wire. I bought a kit from them to make my first EL saber that consisted of the blade and hilt electronics. It had a nice latching momentary switch that I and another friend asked Tim to carry in his evolving store.

I decided that I didn't want to pay (then) $65 for other blades if I wanted to change colors, so I figured I could probably make my own, so I reverse engineered my Lightech blade.

I found out that they used double core EL wire, which sounded more impressive than how it actually performed, and some sort of paper for a diffuser.

I scoured art and craft stores, but I couldn't find any paper that would work for that, so I thought maybe some kind or tubing might work as a diffuser.

I ordered 2ft samples of at least six different types of white opaque tubing from McMaster and tested them with several colors of lit EL wire. It turned out that High Density Polyethylene had the diffusion properties I was looking for, it hid the wire (no "hot spots"), and lit up with a nice, even glow. That became the "standard" for EL tube type diffusers.

My blades have gone through several revisions over the years, especially after the High Brightness EL wire came out.

I made myself blades in every color that EL wire came in, because I could. People saw them and started asking me to make them for them. I made more red than any other color, because people with Parks sabers didn't want the pinkish blades that Parks offered.

Then people started asking me if I could make electronics kits for them to put into sink tube sabers or sabers they bought as static versions. So I sourced all the parts and began making kits.

People began asking me how I made my blades, so I wrote my Tutorial that I posted on TF.N (if you Google Jedi-Loreen it will come up). I actually had my own "Fans", which was kind cool, and strange, at the same time. I'd go to conventions, and people would come up to me and say, "You're Jedi-Loreen, aren't you? I read your tutorial, nice work."

New people coming into the saber building hobby, don't know of my former "Fame", now that LED sabers have become the rage and then the norm.

[xl97]

Nova-

when your ready to do ao time line.. I might be able to make somethign for ya in Flash..

easily updated by editing an .xml (text) file... with another entry (date & caption)

[Ravage179]

to think there's still more history than led, el , plasma, hasbro toy saber, and golf tube flashlight sabers... people have been trying to build real lightsabers almost as long as the movies have been out!

[Hasid Lafre]

Isent neon the oldest saber blades?

[erv]

Several thoughts :
- excellent idea
- corbin, I did get the history line you sent me (well, the second time you did, now it's archived, thanks a lot !!)


personnal history, if it's of some general interest. Including some CF history too !!!

- Sept '05 : I discover MR Fx Sabers by accident on thinkgeek.com, looking for a... geek tshirt. GF says it's expensive (shipping was pretty intense)... she added we needed TWO (to battle in the garden, at night). I said "what if I build them ?"

- Mid September : while working on a light costume for a dancer, I discover the EL sabers (and EL wire/tape), and try to source parts as presented in the tutorial of Fanwars.be. Finally able to build an EL blade after finding polyC (in France !!) and EL wires. I find a way to modify an EL driver to increase power and brightness, build up my first EL saber called "graflex inspiration", write a tutorial that I'll finally post later on my blog... at work (nov '05).
I join the French Costume Ligue (LCF StarWars) in the same period.

- Oct '05 : discover the luxeon/LED blade thread on TFN. Contact corbin to buy my first luxeon parts, a blue lux III, optics, and film. I also present to corbin my project and wish to provide luxeon supplies in France.

- I present and "forward" the luxeon tech on french forums (LCF) on oct 25 '05. In France, fans are still not fully "mastering" EL blade, no real tutorials, no easy source for parts, just PITA group orders twice a year. Only a very reduced number of people will take a chance to wire a EL blade. I get a "mmm... it's interesting" reaction. With a "let's see in the future how it goes" (understand : I'll never buy anything like that unless it cost 2 euros and will be proven to work... that will happen either never or in 10 years...).

- Corbin confirms me the shipping of the goods the first of november '05. I'll receive the package 1 week later. Start to work on a sound module with motion detection around the 10th of november. I'll have the first official results on the 19th, reading audio samples from a SD card.
Idea behind was to have this sound board compatible with corbin luxeon driver.

- oct 30th '05 : My first official post on TFN, starting sharing and exchanging about my future electronic plans
http://boards.theforce.net/costuming...9/21080099/p31

- Feb '06 : first release of my saber sound board (no luxeon driver).

- May '06 : I buy a lathe+mill combo machine and start learning about machining.

- Summer '06 : I machine my first saber (obi TPM / AOC), lux K2 / no sound and design my jedi costume, learn about leather to make belts and pouches.

- Winter '06 : protyping a 16 bit version of the sound module while designing CF

- Feb '07 : first release of Crystal Focus (sound + driver on the same board). Name found thru a little challenge, Judge Saber Smith is one of the contributors for the final naming. Sound is then "only" 8 bits / 22K

With the increasing demand / enthusiasm / sound font makers etc, things accelerate :
- May '07 : CF 2.0 / 16 bit sounds
- June '07 : CF 2.1
- August '07 : CF 2.5
- Sept '07 : CF 2.6 / 2.61
- Oct '07 : CF 2.63 (unofficial + bug fixes of 2.61 )
- Nov '07 : CF 3.0 then 3.1 (second run)
- '08 : I start looking for another house / moving, things slow down. CF 4.0 release I think in april / may '08, then 4.1 in nov '08 after a worldwide part shortage


Hope this helps. Not that I consider CF as a "dominant" subject, but since it's closely related to saber building, I thought that would be nice to explain how I went there and how this electronic board evolved !

Erv'