Using a transistor as a switch/amplifier with a Force FX board

[Arkhan]

the reason I made one out of a bolt: I didn't have thumb tacks on hand

[RevengeoftheSeth]

LOL, I couldn't even find them at Walmart last time I went. I had to go to the Dollar Store.

[Matt Thorn]

Here is the corrected, updated diagram, but I didn't find time this weekend to test it. Although this project is complicated by the color-changing aspect, if this works as I hope it will, the basic NPN transistor set-up should be able to boost the brightness of any basic Force FX-based conversion/mod without using a relay.

EDIT: I simply could not get this to work. It looks good on paper, but either I'm messing something up, or something in the Force FX board renders this set-up unworkable. (Possibly the clash sensor on the positive lead?)

[RevengeoftheSeth]

Are you sure VDD should go to the base of the transistor?

EDIT: Oh, I'm thinking PNP. Nevermind.

[Skottsaber]

So exactly how much could you boost the output of the FX board?
Enough to run a 10w no problem?

[Rhyen Skytracker]

You should be able to get around 1530 mA out of that set up if you use AA NiMH batts. I am not sure exactly how much you would get it you used a transistor for each color LED.

[Matt Thorn]

I just could not get this to work. I was getting lots of heat and no light. And when everything was hooked up exactly as you see in my diagram, I was getting a "clash loop", wehre the clash sound would just repeat over and over again. I suspect the fact that the clash sensor is hooked into the positive lead from the Force FX board has something to do with this. It may simply be that the Force FX board will not work with this set-up. But it might also be that I screwed up somewhere.

Either way, I have given up on this project, and did a simple straight-from-the-board drive, putting 1.5 Ohm resistors on the red and amber chips. It works basically well enough, but the red and amber are current hogs, so any time one or both is on, other chips that are also on tend to be dimmer than I would like, and the red and amber dominate among the 15 different combinations. You can see this pretty clearly in the accent LEDs, which become quite dim any time red or amber is on.

[bk_renesis]

Just to add my 3.5 cents i tried using a pnp with a 616 and just couldn't get it to work. I applied the setup as per we do with 2010 w/dvd soundboards but no ignition.

I wonder if a relay would work for the 616 or i could always go down the DPDT swich option i guess.

I hope this definitely gets looked into as it would open up a whole new world for led options using force fx boards.

Cheers.

[Matt Thorn]

Just to add my 3.5 cents i tried using a pnp with a 616 and just couldn't get it to work. I applied the setup as per we do with 2010 w/dvd soundboards but no ignition.

I wonder if a relay would work for the 616 or i could always go down the DPDT swich option i guess.

I hope this definitely gets looked into as it would open up a whole new world for led options using force fx boards.

Cheers.

The 616 is a very fragile, quirky board. It was popular as soundboard for a while because it was relatively cheap and available, but it's not a board I would choose to work with if there was an alternative. I suspect that if there is any success to be had in this area, it will be with the more "standard" Force FX boards.

[bk_renesis]

I hear ya loud and clear but the 616 aside r&d into your idea for the fx boards would be a great advancement for saber building. I mean the base idea and schematics are up and ready they just need to be tweaked to make them work.

I hope the experts are rolling up there sleeves on this one!