Slothfurnace's Entropy: A Prizm V5/NeoPixel blade test saber

[Obi_1]

Excelsior, please see my above post for the video.

I, too, dislike the slow animation, and have sped it up to match the ignition sound more accurately.  I feel the speed I have it on now is appropriate to the font I have chosen.

I do not notice any corncob effect.

Thanks for the video! It was great seeing it in action. I'm glad to hear you don't have any noticeable corn cob effect. What type of diffusion did you use? I'm planning to build up my Roman Mk.1 with a Neopixel blade in the next month or so, and I'm trying to get some ideas. I figure I'll probably end up using some type of foam wrap inside of a TCSS diffuser tube, inside of a TCSS trans-white blade. My only concern is overheating the LEDs--I imagine they get pretty hot, especially using white for FOC.

I do like a slower ignition like Vader in ESB and Rogue One, but not too slow, if that makes sense. For other sabers, like a Luke ROTJ, having a fast ignition is just part of the saber's character. So again, I'm glad this is one of the parameters that can be tuned.

There is already a thread for a neopixel desing idea exchange platform:
Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board


I would suggest to use that thread to discuss general neopixel diffusion, assembly etc. topic to keep all these info in one place. Just an idea to make it easier for others to find relevant hints.

[slothfurnace]

Excelsior, please see my above post for the video.

I, too, dislike the slow animation, and have sped it up to match the ignition sound more accurately.  I feel the speed I have it on now is appropriate to the font I have chosen.

I do not notice any corncob effect.

Thanks for the video! It was great seeing it in action. I'm glad to hear you don't have any noticeable corn cob effect. What type of diffusion did you use? I'm planning to build up my Roman Mk.1 with a Neopixel blade in the next month or so, and I'm trying to get some ideas. I figure I'll probably end up using some type of foam wrap inside of a TCSS diffuser tube, inside of a TCSS trans-white blade. My only concern is overheating the LEDs--I imagine they get pretty hot, especially using white for FOC.

I do like a slower ignition like Vader in ESB and Rogue One, but not too slow, if that makes sense. For other sabers, like a Luke ROTJ, having a fast ignition is just part of the saber's character. So again, I'm glad this is one of the parameters that can be tuned.

For diffusion, I used a salvaged Hasbro foam diffuser.  My two neopixel strips, I extracted from the rubber sheath, and double sided taped them together, back to back, making sure I wasn't shorting something out. Then the two strips went back into one of the rubber sheaths for stability and protection.

The two strips, inside the rubber housing, inside the foam diffuser, went into the translucent diffuser and blade from TCSS.

[Excelsior]

Thanks, Sloth. Sounds like the ideal setup. Now if we could only get someone to start producing these foam parts so we wouldn't have to rely on salvaged MR and Hasbro sabers all the time... I'd be happy to look into it myself eventually, but I'm currently occupied with designing and preparing to launch my own line of original sabers.  Hopefully Tim at TCSS will consider offering these though. We'd need some various adapters as well to mount the mini XLR or DIN connectors in the blades and emitters. Looks like you lathed out an adapter for yours? I'm sure as time goes on we'll see some kind of standardized system of components for these new blades. I have a feeling they're going to be very popular.

Awesome looking build again! Definitely looks like something out of the OT. Roger Christian would be proud.

[Ridire Fíréan]

The darkening I applied to the aluminum neck and other areas of this saber turned out nice, and it was a new method. I spun the pieces in the lathe against a fingernail buffer till it got hot enough to friction oxidize the surface.

Wait, what?  Hey @slothfurnace !  Was there a chemical involved like "aluminum black" or was that oxidation achieved strictly through the heat created by the friction of your fingernail buffer?

Crazy effective technique one way or the other!  It "turned" out really spectacular!!!

[slothfurnace]

The darkening I applied to the aluminum neck and other areas of this saber turned out nice, and it was a new method. I spun the pieces in the lathe against a fingernail buffer till it got hot enough to friction oxidize the surface.

Wait, what?  Hey @slothfurnace !  Was there a chemical involved like "aluminum black" or was that oxidation achieved strictly through the heat created by the friction of your fingernail buffer?

Crazy effective technique one way or the other!  It "turned" out really spectacular!!!

Ayup, I was attempting to polish the metal with a fingernail buffer, but the longer I applied pressure, the darker the metal got.  Then I went and did that on purpose to see how dark it would get.  The black on the saber is the result of that friction oxidation. No chemicals.

[Thexter]

I thought I'd post something I built over the weekend

I envy you. Something like this would take me a month of planning, and much more than a weekend on the actual build, and it still wouldn't be anywhere near as beautiful as this. Well done.

[darthgrant]

The bald base is interesting...... trying to figure that one out myself...