THE PURPLE HYPERBLADE IS HERE

[OBI-WAN KENOBI]

Jedibum was kind enough to mention this in a post.  But I think this definitely deserves its own thread.  So here it is - the first ever (true) purple blade. 

[Sidneyious]

How is any other purple blade I see not true purple?

[Aluke123]

What's with all the red in the power down sequence? It appears to me to be a red diffuser with blue LEDs.

[darthmorbius]

:-\  That red streaking on power-down looks like a camera issue.

[OBI-WAN KENOBI]

:-\  That red streaking on power-down looks like a camera issue.

DT, you're 100% correct.

Mark said that their purple blade is NOT made up of blue LEDs with a red diffuser.  The red flash is merely a by-product of the camera, just like red eye.  They're actually using true purple LEDs.  And they're not UV-based, so they're brighter and not hazardous.  So the official word from Hyperdyne Labs is that this blade is a real purple - not a mix, or a color concoction.  ;)

[Sidneyious]

I never said anything about uv leds, I was saying how is it every other purple blade Ive seen not a true purple? just liek you said in your post that this is a true purple blade?

Did you mean to say true purple leds? instead? Yes we can use uv leds and there not as hazardous and most think. white led with filters is fine and allows you to get the purple you like.

[OBI-WAN KENOBI]

Yes, I meant to say that they're true purple LEDs.  In response, yes you can have other types of sabers that look purple, but all I was trying to say is that this one is straight purple.  No need to mix and match colors - like on a stock FX, and no need to add filters to a white luxeon LED.  That's all I was getting at. 

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

It's gorgeous!

[Jedibum]

Alias ... Jedimoves meant no offense.  He was just pointing out that when it comes to Luxeons they don't make a purple and the word is that they will never be able to.  So unless you are using a UV type LED ... the only way to achieve a purple color is to come up with a trick ... like a bright white LED and a filter of some kind.  Or what MR did ... using blue LED's and a redish diffuser of some kind ... which in my opinion, having owned a Mace, does not work well.  I have also tried the filter style and not been happy with the outcome.  But I have seen pics of a few sabers built by people that say they have found the best balance to make the purple look decent. 

So Jedimoves was just pointing out that other than a UV led, all other purple sabers are using a trick to achieve the color and they aren't "true purple".  And, from my experience with filters, it is never going to be as good as a Luxeon of that color.  So having a "true blue" luxeon would be better than a white luxeon with a blue filter.  And chances are, having a true purple LED will look much nicer than using a white LED with a purple filter.

Aluke123 ... don't worry, these are the real deal ... all real purple.  And the color is awesome in person.  I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I can get one of my own.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

I'm confused though how these can be TRULY purple LEDs when Phillips has been saying they CANT make purple LEDs because the gasses needed to make LEDs purple dont exist? Or did I misunderstand something?

[Jedibum]

Hi Onli-Won Kanomi!

I have heard the same thing.  I'm not very knowledgeable about how these companies make their LED's ... but I do know a Purple LED is possible.  Many years ago when EL technology was out I bought a few EL sabers from a company called Lightech Industries.  Over time I had made some custom changes to them, one of the things I did was add accent LED's.  I found the perfect ones for me, they were at my local Autozone, and they were "accent LED's" for car customization.  But they were the perfect size and they were very bright.  And they came in all kinds of colors, including purple!  Below are some pics of these LED's that I added to an EL saber:









As you can see the LED on the right is purple.  And it looked even more purple in person, it was a very good color.  Later on when Luxeons become popular I learned that it was impossible for Luxeon to make a purple.  But, for whatever reason, some LED's manage to achieve that color.

If you want bigger versions of the above pictures, here are the links:
http://img125.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00712ej6.jpg
http://img253.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00718cf2.jpg
http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00729mg0.jpg
http://img252.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00745dn6.jpg

[Aluke123]

The LED on your lighttech hilt is a white LED with a purple shell. The gases for a purple LED don't exist.

[OBI-WAN KENOBI]

The official word from Hyperdyne is that their new blade uses true, dedicated purple LEDs.  As far as the specifics as to how the LEDs came about, don't know (and don't really care all that much) 

That's without a doubt the nicest, most authentic-looking purple blade I'v seen.  That's what counts at the end of the day.

[Jedibum]

Aluke123 - I'm not sure what you mean by "purple shell".  You don't mean it literally right?  Because the LED was completely clear, just like the other colors.  You can see it in the picture when they are all turned off.  There was no "color" on any part of it.  But if you are talking about something else when you say "purple shell", please let me know.  I am anxious to learn.

[HAN SOLO]

Nice. Looks Mace to me! (I'm the average Joe when it come to all this techy stuff. I buy them because I like'em. Not disect'em! :D