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Thread: Makoto LED string blades: Diffusion and wiring

  1. #11
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    I think that's clear packing tape, not heat shrink. It looks too uniform to be heat shrink. It's not bumpy looking like it would be if it was.

    I've used a type of "clear" heat shrink, but it's not completely transparent, it's slightly translucent.
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  2. #12
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    what? no way how could that be packing tape! you would see the overlap! unless he did it lenght wise.

  3. #13

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    just google clear heat shrink tubing and lots of sites will come up
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  4. #14
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    Yeah, but if you do an image search for it, you won't find any that's as clear and shiny as the pics in that link that DJ posted.

    Here's a pic of some of the clearest I've seen:




    I still say it's packing tape. Maybe I remember reading that in one of Makoto's older threads or something.
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  5. #15

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    There is also a heat shrink very clear packing tape, shrinks to a clear acrylic look. Comes in rolls like corbin film - a few inches wide by x feet long. I only had a link to an australian supplier
    http://www.austwrappingco.com.au/
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  6. #16

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    if you wrap them up like that and with all the legs soldered together where is the heat going to go???

    I have a verision 2 full color blade from mako... it's awesome and crappy all at the same time but that's another story.

    anyway I've never had a problem with it overheating or anything but I think it's still a concern.
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  7. #17
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    Quase-necro.

    @Sloda - Yes, it's clear tape. I use it too, 3M clear packaging tape: it's crystal clear, functional, [lightly] heat-shrink-able, non-comittal (easy to remove), available everywhere, and best of all - cheap.

    @JKM - Unless you overdrive them to the point of color-skewing for like an hour, heat isn't really a problem... at least not in my experience. The multiple contact points helps disburse and distribute the heat too. There's not a lot of current running through each segment, so there's not a lot of heat to build up.

    @DJ - as above stated, it doesn't take much to drive a single segment of +/- 10 LEDs, 28g is fine, 30g is okay too.

    I actually like the way the LED string looks when it fades on with a CF. I like the scrolling too, but fading is just as cool to me (and with the right sound font, instant on is just plain BA). If you have it difused properly, you might get a tiny hint of corn during power on, but just for a second. I use white polyc and the cannabalized foam difusers from MR blades.

    In fact, I'd say my red makoto string is better, in most respects, than even a lux3 red or R/O... The CF that I have has a funny little bug in it that peaks the voltage on the initial power-up; particularly to reds with a lower vf. I blew 3 red star LEDs before I realized what the issue was. The LED sting bypassed that problem. It's inherently tougher because of the fact that it's many LEDs ALL in parallel. It takes all the current that a CF can push, plus, it's brighter... win.

  8. #18
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    There is another thread going talking about this. Polyfoam sheet has been discussed as a diffuser. http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...28&postcount=5

    To avoid the corn on the cob look, Makoto gets LEDs all from the same batch so they all match. Ask your supplier if the LEDs are "same batch." Tell them you doing a project that requires uniform lighting and the color of the LEDs needs to match.
    Last edited by vargose; 06-18-2010 at 07:45 AM.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by vargose View Post
    There is another thread going talking about this. Polyfoam sheet has been discussed as a diffuser. http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...28&postcount=5

    To avoid the corn on the cob look, Makoto gets LEDs all from the same batch so they all match. Ask your supplier if the LEDs are "same batch." Tell them you doing a project that requires uniform lighting and the color of the LEDs needs to match.
    Right... or you can just buy them from TCSS.

    http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/LE...cific-C60.aspx

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