How to make Light Sabers -- CF Wiring Guide (part II)

[littelgremlin]

hi i need help i am in suid africa. we don t have it here

[greytale]

@littelgremlin This may actually be a surprise, but... I know of at least ONE person who DOES own a Crystal Focus LED Saber... and he is indeed in Africa! He goes by "Skottsaber" if I am not mistaken... :)

My wife actually visited Africa to help aid sick folks + give out tons of food, clothing, water, electronics & health care some years back... in Ghana, Africa. :)

--Nova

[chaos09king]

what parts did u use and were they from the custom saber shop greytale?

[Michaud12]

so you say dont use solid core wire just because you think its harder to strip?

[greytale]

@Michaud12 No, solid core wire more difficult to solder to fine/small solder pads, and it has a tendency to be less malleable and break after it is bent this way and that. Not to mention, you can "tear off" solder pads more easily with solid-core wire if you're not careful.

In general--do your best to use the stranded wire... otherwise, it's your own risk regarding this type of project. :)

[Michaud12]

what the motor for again?

[greytale]

@Michaud12 Vibration or "feedback" in the hilt. Similar to that of a phone or pager, etc.

[Michaud12]

@greytale

ooh ok so its not required

[greytale]

@Michaud12 Nope, not at all. Then again... extra features and "bling" are what make an LED saber really shine. If you'll pardon the pun.

[Robotchicken09]

Can you connect it to the normal Hasbro or MR LED strand? Or does it have to be a luxeon?

[goodapple12]

Bravo.

[mtxilay13]

that green cheap or computer board is called crystal focus?

[greytale]

Right. Crystal Focus is name the of electronics board that controls the sound, light, and menu system (6 sound "profiles" may be used) for the saber.

Oh, I think you meant "chip", not cheap! heheh

[mtxilay13]

its hand made or that i can find in most electronics stores?

and yeah, i did meant chip , lol

[greytale]

Hand-designed by Erv of plecterlabs...

[jjjavatarcoolboy]

how much did it cost you to Build it

[jjjavatarcoolboy]

cool video but does it have the realistic Features as the real LIGHTSABER

[greytale]

Please see my other videos, especially the "FAQ" video.

[bac1o9]

Hey greytale. Are u able to put up another vid tut on how to make the sabers from your How To Make Lightsabers - LEDs & Crystal Focus vid... but only with the light efects not the sounds. i need to make a saber for a vid but i have sounds on my comp... i just need the light. can u post a vid like this? Thanks and realy, realy coll sabers/vids peace out

Bac1o9

[greytale]

Without a circuit board to "intelligently" drive the light... you cannot create any really decent lighting effects. There might be some very limited options without using chip-type components... but... there wouldn't be much point.

HOWEVER. There are some things in the works regarding MRFX boards and "adding" some effects. More on this later.

[BoB1ohya]

this is kind of random but i just saw a ultrasabers commercial

[GamzaTheChaosSoldier]

lol i like how you're like teaching/telling him at the same time teaching us like when he touched the LED to turn it on for a few seconds and you said "and we don't want to touch it for a few seconds just a touch to see the light go on to tell you IT WORKS!"

Also thanks for these videos! great info.

[greytale]

You're welcome! But regarding the concept of touching the LED for a few seconds... it really doesn't matter since it was on a heatsink... in fact, the whole point w/ a saber is that it IS on for hours, heheheh.

But it's true that once you confirm it works... it's fine. No need for blindness nor to chance over-voltage, etc.

It's also important to do the "touch test" with a cell setup that is close to the LED's fwd v. We did this with a SINGLE Li-Ion although his saber uses 7.2v (2 cells).

[swescjyuff]

where can i get a cf v4

[greytale]

More will become available soon from the plecterlabs website.  Get on the threads @ TCSS or plecterlabs and keep your eyes open... :)

[ImperialSith]

one q? 2,63 V3 V4?

[greytale]

Regarding the video shown (all four parts)... it would not matter--all three of those boards share the exact same general structure.

There are some new "bonuses" on v3 and v4, but they are not covered in the videos. Refer to the CF manuals for more about that.

Good question though... :)

[ImperialSith]

i really dont know why i asked about what version it was i know they are basicly the same.... :S know matter what.. GOOD noob tutorials! lol