The thing that gets me is the scale of it. Everything looks reasonably sized in the video, but there's no real preparing you for just how tiny that resistor is.
i guess Im asking randomly but does someone know of a way to get back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot my login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me
@Marshall Clay Thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process now. Takes a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Pro Tip: When working with anything that requires complex assembly, test as much as you can before you put it all the way together. What that means is, put power to your leads before you do anything. You might have a bad light strip. If it's ok, keep testing as you go. Put power on your assembly as you go, in case you have bad connections/soldiers, etc. In other words, don't hot glue wires together only to learn later on that the damn thing won't light up and you have to rip it all apart! =D
Just a little tip! When twisting and compressing the wires it will be much easier if you can warm them up a little first. Something like a quick pass with a heat gun to get the wires nice and pliable. Another plus when they cool they will be more set in that twisted position so that along with the hot glue will really keep everything all bundled up.
Love this tutorial! It answers many questions that beginners like me have and show best practice when wiring these to the pcb. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
@Jeremiah Bullfrog I usually put the headers into a breadboard and place the pcb into them, then solder. If the headers are only on one side, I like to use a ball of blue tack to prop up the other side so that the pcb is perpendicular to the header
Great video. I especially like that you didn't edit it so that it seemed like you just nailed it perfectly. Really helps to see all the little things that can get in the way and what you do about them, like wires not cooperating or bits of metal ending up in strange places.
Your a generous person to share your knowledge with others. You sound like a very giving kinda person. Mahalo from Hawaii. Hope to try this project in the future as my first electronic project.
I have written to you before after watching your videos and again I feel compelled to write and thank you on how well they are done. My wife on the other hand thinks it leds to more crazy hobbies. We actually live in the same town and hope to run into at some point if you are cool with that kind of fame.
I don't have any LS and wasn't even planning to have one but I still watched your whole video, your way of teaching -specially the details- is amazing! I enjoyed this built!
Brilliant! Love the use of tape to hold your electronices together during soldering. I havent built a saber since the pc 1.5 board was new lol I need a pixel blade!!!!
Awesome guide! I used it to build my blade. One thing that I did do differently is redo the halfway joint. The gap is bigger than the rest of the LEDs so it creates a black spot in the middle of the blade. So I just trimmed enough of each half and soldered them back together to get the gap to match the rest of the LED gaps. You'd probably have to do that first, otherwise, it'll throw off your original measurment.
These instructions are excellent, gave me the confidence to attempt it. And, success! The only thing I'd say to improve this is: Strongly consider replacing the stock wires with good quality silicone wires. I had my blade almost fully assembled, and was testing it, when one of the strips failed. Turned out: the ground line on one strip cracked off during the "twist the wires" step. The hot glue didn't protect it enough, and that's probably my fault. It didn't fail right away, but thankfully it did fail before I glued up the bottom adapter. Now, redoing all the wires with silicone will give them extra resiliency.
Very good tutorial of this new Neopixel blade system! You stated tgat we can purchase all the individual parts to assemble...where do we go to purchase? New to this and want to build a saber. Thanks and again...awesome video! Dave P. Whittier, CA USA
Great instructional video for pixel sabers! The best I've seen so far. I'm not seeing that parabolic tip in the shop. Will it be available soon? Also, will there be a 7/8 one?
Watched a few of your videos,and planning on building my own saber,would like your opinion on what kind of soldering iron to use for this type of soldering. My soldering experience is limited to RS hobby kits,the iron I currently have I feel the tip is to fat and I can't find finer tips. Help please?
Great tutorial. I just wanted to ask, is there any problem with twisting the two Data wires together and connecting them to 1 pad only? The NXPL connector I am using only has a single datapad. I'm guessing not, but wanted to ask the question.
A few questions. I see, No inner diffusion tube, or wrapping leds in heat shrink or mylar. So with the new foam are those methods obsolete? And do you use a capacitor if so is it in hilt?
This is a wonderful tutorial. I’d recently read how there’s a slightly larger gap between LED’s at the point the neopixel boards are joined, which can cause a shadow in the blade. So some people trim this connection and resolder? Is this not always the case, or not recommended?
Yes, I would recommend doing that. I used this guide to build my blade and I did have that dead spot where the joint is. I would definitely trim and re-solder.
THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH for this amazing video tutorial 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 By any chance do you have any videos of types of boards that you can use for a lightsaber?
Regarding sliding the pixel strip through the foam: Can you tie fine fishing line onto the end of the pixel strip and thread the line through with a rod and then pull it through?
Thanks for the great video. Quick question. I’m the config file when you enter the number of pixels, do you enter the number for one strip or both combined, so 140 or 280?
Thank you for this very informative video. In the parts list you have not linked the Neopixel strips or the resistor however. Since you offer a couple of different strips, which one are you using here?
Does nbv4 have preset parameters for neopixel applications? Just wondering if I can fire it up before putting the sd card in the computer and changing configs
I watched another video that used a different method, where the connections are looped back at the blade tip end of the NP strips, thus only having 3 wires at the base (hilt connection) side. Seems like that is better, so you don't have all those wires bunched together at base. Any reason why this method cannot be used?
Is the resistor on the PCB i the blade needed if you have one in the handle? A bit confused as to when to use a resistor. I have one on the data line prior to the board. To bridge or not to bridge and when that is the question? Also using a capacitor in between the power lines.
You only need ONE resistor. If yours is in the hilt - then you can just bridge those pads where I put the resistor. A capacitor is only necessary if you have an small battery. I've never used one.
Apologies in advance if this is unhelpfully pedantic, but the "resistor" that you refer to at 4:04 is in fact a capacitor. Easy mistake to make as they look very similar in their surface mount forms. Surface mount resistors will usually have numbers on them that signify their resistance. I've never seen a SMD (surface mount device) cap with lettering; they're usually tan colored, sometimes white. In this case the capacitor works as a so called "decoupling capacitor" and helps even out the power going to the neopixel, which are famously picky about power sources.
In the early phase of building my first ever lightsaber from scratch, wanna go with neopixel, but have a question. What about the heat from LED's? Is it ok to stick LED strips just to each other, and not on even very thin metal paper strip (kinda) for the heat removal purposes? Will it not melt foam part?
depending on where you source your parts and shipping and such, and using USD, potentially around $50-60? pixel blades are generally around $100-120, a parts build (assuming you have the soldering equipment) with the strips, the tube/foam/tip, the electronic components, I'd call that maybe like, $40-50.
Can you get dedicated colour neo pixel strips with a dedicated FOC colour? so say 3:1 ratio between the dedicated blade colour and FOC per pixel block if that's what they are called?? how many little LED's are there in the pixel block?? Does what I ask make sense??
Question: Why is the resistor needed? Does it matter which sound board you are using? I am using a Proffieboard v2.2, the configurator does not call for a resistor. Please let me know.
The resistor serves to limit the amount of power on the neopixel's data line. You do not _need_ it but they are strongly suggested to prevent possible damage to the first neopixel in the strip learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide/basic-connections
Hi Rob great video!! I have a few questions. The Nano Biscotti manual recommends adding a 330 to 470 electrolytic capacitor to the blade along with the resistor. Is this not required with the Plector Pixel connectors? Is blade wrap film in addition to the foam diffuser no longer required? Can you recommend an alternative glue to use on the blade connector? The Weld On glue is 19 bucks just for a 4 ounce can, ouch! When will the parabolic blade tips be available in TCSS? What is the rating and tolerance for the SMD 330 ohm resistor and will TCSS be carrying them? Thanks in Advance
The capacitor is not really necessary with any decent battery solution. The resistor can be almost any 330 ohm as it's only the data line. These resistors will be in store soon You can add addition diffusion methods, but I prefer to not add any weight to the blade that is not absolutely necessary. Tip glue can be any solvent cement that works with polycarbonate
The thing that gets me is the scale of it. Everything looks reasonably sized in the video, but there's no real preparing you for just how tiny that resistor is.
I never knew i wanted this in my life
Brilliant tutorial. Also, everytime you called your wire snipper "Snips," it made me think of Ahsoka. XD
lol I was thinking the same thing
i guess Im asking randomly but does someone know of a way to get back into an instagram account..?
I was stupid forgot my login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me
@Cole Francis instablaster :)
@Marshall Clay Thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process now.
Takes a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Marshall Clay It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much, you saved my account !
Pro Tip: When working with anything that requires complex assembly, test as much as you can before you put it all the way together. What that means is, put power to your leads before you do anything. You might have a bad light strip. If it's ok, keep testing as you go. Put power on your assembly as you go, in case you have bad connections/soldiers, etc. In other words, don't hot glue wires together only to learn later on that the damn thing won't light up and you have to rip it all apart! =D
Just a little tip! When twisting and compressing the wires it will be much easier if you can warm them up a little first. Something like a quick pass with a heat gun to get the wires nice and pliable. Another plus when they cool they will be more set in that twisted position so that along with the hot glue will really keep everything all bundled up.
brilliant and pedagogic teaching as usual rob, bravo
is there any chance that there will be an video of how to wire and install the cfx?
Also great audio in these vids. Its like Bob Ross for saber nerds! Thanks Rob and TCSS!
Love this tutorial! It answers many questions that beginners like me have and show best practice when wiring these to the pcb. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks Rob!!, as usual, a great contribution to the community
Nice! One of the biggest issue with lightsaber blades is the uneven lighting. This one looks fantastic. I also like the shade.
Thanks Rob, the tape trick for the SMD resistor is golden. I'll use it.
@Jeremiah Bullfrog I usually put the headers into a breadboard and place the pcb into them, then solder. If the headers are only on one side, I like to use a ball of blue tack to prop up the other side so that the pcb is perpendicular to the header
Thing is, they at Custom Saber Shop do sell pre-made (soldered) parts. All that’s left is blade assembly/hilt wiring.
Great video. I especially like that you didn't edit it so that it seemed like you just nailed it perfectly. Really helps to see all the little things that can get in the way and what you do about them, like wires not cooperating or bits of metal ending up in strange places.
That last tip about the programming was gold! As simple as it is, I wouldn’t have even thought about it. Thank you!
This looks very cool rob...top notch video as always bro. Can't wait for them to get the Neopixel Strips/ribbons in-stock.
Your a generous person to share your knowledge with others. You sound like a very giving kinda person. Mahalo from Hawaii. Hope to try this project in the future as my first electronic project.
I have written to you before after watching your videos and again I feel compelled to write and thank you on how well they are done. My wife on the other hand thinks it leds to more crazy hobbies. We actually live in the same town and hope to run into at some point if you are cool with that kind of fame.
I don't have any LS and wasn't even planning to have one but I still watched your whole video, your way of teaching -specially the details- is amazing! I enjoyed this built!
Just getting back into lightsaber building, and this was a great tutorial Many thanks!
Brilliant! Love the use of tape to hold your electronices together during soldering. I havent built a saber since the pc 1.5 board was new lol I need a pixel blade!!!!
I have so much respect for your work, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you so much!!
Thank you for sharing this - very well described and executed tutorial.
wow Rob even shows you how to build your own, what amazing guy
Just a fan. Hope you're doing well. Merry Christmas!! P.S. Love the work!
Bro your thumbnails make you look like a evil Scientist. I love it!
I'm not even looking to touch NeoPixel until I can just buy the stuff prebuilt, but I love watching these videos anyway.
Incredible tutorial. You are an excellent instructor.
This video is a lifesaver. Thank you!
Awesome guide! I used it to build my blade. One thing that I did do differently is redo the halfway joint. The gap is bigger than the rest of the LEDs so it creates a black spot in the middle of the blade. So I just trimmed enough of each half and soldered them back together to get the gap to match the rest of the LED gaps. You'd probably have to do that first, otherwise, it'll throw off your original measurment.
Thank you, Rob! Trying to build one of these was on my list.
Brilliant tutorial Rob! I know what I'm making this winter break... 😁
These instructions are excellent, gave me the confidence to attempt it. And, success! The only thing I'd say to improve this is: Strongly consider replacing the stock wires with good quality silicone wires. I had my blade almost fully assembled, and was testing it, when one of the strips failed. Turned out: the ground line on one strip cracked off during the "twist the wires" step. The hot glue didn't protect it enough, and that's probably my fault. It didn't fail right away, but thankfully it did fail before I glued up the bottom adapter. Now, redoing all the wires with silicone will give them extra resiliency.
Rob, that makes me want to dig out my MHS parts and build a new saber! Excellent video.....
Such a great tutorial! Thanks Rob!
This is...beautiful. Thank you!
Thanks for the vid just was able too do a repair job thanks again Rob 😃
You're the man Rob.
I love your videos! Very cool!
"Boy, it feels good when the hardest part's over!" That's what I told Gently! =D
Excellent tutorial thanks!!
Helpful as usual.
Great tutorial!
Awesome work , where can I get the materials to build this in the UK, and how do I make the actual hilt with the soundboard etc, thank you 👍👍
you do some fantastic work i want one
Excellent installment! Might be doing this for a friend.
Might I ask what brand soldering tin you're using?
I was afraid to make the transition to a new blade technology (my current sabers are tri-cree), but this looks pretty solid.
Awesome. Thank you for the video
Very good tutorial of this new Neopixel blade system!
You stated tgat we can purchase all the individual parts to assemble...where do we go to purchase?
New to this and want to build a saber.
Thanks and again...awesome video!
Dave P.
Whittier, CA USA
Great instructional video for pixel sabers! The best I've seen so far. I'm not seeing that parabolic tip in the shop. Will it be available soon? Also, will there be a 7/8 one?
The tip will be a new item in the store very soon.
Watched a few of your videos,and planning on building my own saber,would like your opinion on what kind of soldering iron to use for this type of soldering.
My soldering experience is limited to RS hobby kits,the iron I currently have I feel the tip is to fat and I can't find finer tips.
Help please?
Great Tutorial. Do you plan to do a video on how to connect to the Nana Biscotte V4 sound and speaker assembly?
Very good tutorial
Thanks a lot Rob!!
Rob always makes things look so easy. Lol -.-
@Jeremiah Bullfrog O.K.
Is there going to be any tutorials on how to use a prizim v5?
Great tutorial. I just wanted to ask, is there any problem with twisting the two Data wires together and connecting them to 1 pad only? The NXPL connector I am using only has a single datapad. I'm guessing not, but wanted to ask the question.
bob ross of electronics. i love it.
FINALLY!!!
Thank you
will you be stocking neopixels soon as well? If not, which did you use here?
A few questions. I see, No inner diffusion tube, or wrapping leds in heat shrink or mylar. So with the new foam are those methods obsolete? And do you use a capacitor if so is it in hilt?
You can certainly do those things. I personally do not like to add any weight to the blade that is not absolutely necessary.
I know I'm commenting on a year old video...but could you use a pull cord to pull the pixel strips through the foam?
sure!
You should make a showcase video so we can see the result in different light conditions etc...
This is a wonderful tutorial. I’d recently read how there’s a slightly larger gap between LED’s at the point the neopixel boards are joined, which can cause a shadow in the blade. So some people trim this connection and resolder? Is this not always the case, or not recommended?
Yes, I would recommend doing that. I used this guide to build my blade and I did have that dead spot where the joint is. I would definitely trim and re-solder.
I'd suggest using a string thru the foam to gently pull the pixels thru
good idea!
He’s the bob ross of lightsabers
THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH for this amazing video tutorial 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
By any chance do you have any videos of types of boards that you can use for a lightsaber?
I would recommend a Proffie board V2.2, they work amazing! They can be a little hard to find though. I got mine from The State of Build.
Does anyone recommend just using the foam inside for diffusion, or also using diffusion film for the light?
How can you make the power on effect a half second slower? Power down looked great but power on I couldn't see it extend at all.
This might be an already answered question, but could you use a heavier grade tube for this to make it more combat-ready? Great tutorial, thanks!
Anyone know what electronics to couple with this to get the switching colors, the start up and shut down light progressions and sound?? Thanks ALL!!
Proffie board for sure, I think the Crystal X as well. As long as the board supports Addressable or Neopixel, that should work.
Do you have a video to show how to hook up the connector to the sound chip plz
Awesome!
Regarding sliding the pixel strip through the foam: Can you tie fine fishing line onto the end of the pixel strip and thread the line through with a rod and then pull it through?
Thanks for the great video. Quick question. I’m the config file when you enter the number of pixels, do you enter the number for one strip or both combined, so 140 or 280?
Thank you for this very informative video.
In the parts list you have not linked the Neopixel strips or the resistor however. Since you offer a couple of different strips, which one are you using here?
Does nbv4 have preset parameters for neopixel applications? Just wondering if I can fire it up before putting the sd card in the computer and changing configs
I love luke v2 green led~~
Can the blade setup up be used on a diy hilt like a pvc made hilt?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
I watched another video that used a different method, where the connections are looped back at the blade tip end of the NP strips, thus only having 3 wires at the base (hilt connection) side. Seems like that is better, so you don't have all those wires bunched together at base. Any reason why this method cannot be used?
Now that you have done the blade are you going to do a tutorial for the hilt PCB with a NBv4?
That "film" actually is called tape in the industry!
Is the resistor on the PCB i the blade needed if you have one in the handle? A bit confused as to when to use a resistor. I have one on the data line prior to the board. To bridge or not to bridge and when that is the question? Also using a capacitor in between the power lines.
You only need ONE resistor. If yours is in the hilt - then you can just bridge those pads where I put the resistor. A capacitor is only necessary if you have an small battery. I've never used one.
Perfection
Apologies in advance if this is unhelpfully pedantic, but the "resistor" that you refer to at 4:04 is in fact a capacitor. Easy mistake to make as they look very similar in their surface mount forms. Surface mount resistors will usually have numbers on them that signify their resistance. I've never seen a SMD (surface mount device) cap with lettering; they're usually tan colored, sometimes white.
In this case the capacitor works as a so called "decoupling capacitor" and helps even out the power going to the neopixel, which are famously picky about power sources.
Bryan Siepert you’re wrong, it is a resistor
I'm trying to build a neopixel from scratch does anyone know where to buy the base plate that the adapter touches to
How do you find the right chassis that will communicate with this blade?
How are you determining the length of your blades? i was thinking shorter than usual since the blade is a bit heavier than a hollow one.
very nice
In the early phase of building my first ever lightsaber from scratch, wanna go with neopixel, but have a question. What about the heat from LED's? Is it ok to stick LED strips just to each other, and not on even very thin metal paper strip (kinda) for the heat removal purposes? Will it not melt foam part?
Fantastic video! Does anyone know about how much money can be saved making one as opposed to buying one?
Don Saito at least $0
At maximum $100000
depending on where you source your parts and shipping and such, and using USD, potentially around $50-60? pixel blades are generally around $100-120, a parts build (assuming you have the soldering equipment) with the strips, the tube/foam/tip, the electronic components, I'd call that maybe like, $40-50.
Thanks for the serious reply.
@@donmak0427 you can get ready made neo blades from AliExpress for as little as 95$
Can you get dedicated colour neo pixel strips with a dedicated FOC colour? so say 3:1 ratio between the dedicated blade colour and FOC per pixel block if that's what they are called?? how many little LED's are there in the pixel block?? Does what I ask make sense??
Question: Why is the resistor needed? Does it matter which sound board you are using? I am using a Proffieboard v2.2, the configurator does not call for a resistor. Please let me know.
The resistor serves to limit the amount of power on the neopixel's data line. You do not _need_ it but they are strongly suggested to prevent possible damage to the first neopixel in the strip
learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide/basic-connections
Could you please help me with a part list for an ROTS Anakin conversion. Site says out of stock for the conversion but I'd like to build a Neopixel.
can you cut the wires more so you don't have to twist them a lot to fit them in?
What soundboard are you using? I love the ability to go through all the colors
I would recommend a Proffie board V2.2, they work amazing! They can be a little hard to find though, I got mine from The State of Build.
And if you have a RGB+W Strip ? On for soldering points
Hi Rob great video!! I have a few questions. The Nano Biscotti manual recommends adding a 330 to 470 electrolytic capacitor to the blade along with the resistor. Is this not required with the Plector Pixel connectors? Is blade wrap film in addition to the foam diffuser no longer required? Can you recommend an alternative glue to use on the blade connector? The Weld On glue is 19 bucks just for a 4 ounce can, ouch! When will the parabolic blade tips be available in TCSS? What is the rating and tolerance for the SMD 330 ohm resistor and will TCSS be carrying them? Thanks in Advance
The capacitor is not really necessary with any decent battery solution.
The resistor can be almost any 330 ohm as it's only the data line. These resistors will be in store soon
You can add addition diffusion methods, but I prefer to not add any weight to the blade that is not absolutely necessary.
Tip glue can be any solvent cement that works with polycarbonate
@@MadcowGenesis Thanks for the reply and great information
What soundboard would you recommend for a cross guard neopixel? Would they need a larger battery?
This would be useful as work lamp for auto repair.
head lamps like the ones that are sold for camping are the way to go. Not nearly as cool as a lightsaber, but very useful.