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Author Topic: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board  (Read 30243 times)

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Offline jbkuma

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #45 on: January 17, 2018, 07:06:21 PM »
Did you buy it as 2m or two 1m strips? I assume it's just soldered half meter sections like usual.

Offline SA22C

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #46 on: January 17, 2018, 08:05:48 PM »
I bought two 1m strips but you're correct, there's a solder joint at 50cm.

Offline jbkuma

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #47 on: January 17, 2018, 08:45:47 PM »
I haven't had any trouble with shadows in my blades with the 12mm WS2812 5050s.  The 8mm SK6812 3535s are only slightly more LED per width (41% for 5050 vs 43% for 3535), but significantly less along the length (50% for 3535s compared to 28% of total gap).  Although 12mm is almost half of the available 23mm inside a thin wall 1" blade, where as 8mm is about 1/3.  Depending on the diffusion and blade type either strip or gap shadowing may seem more prominent.

Perhaps more importantly, I wonder what the brightness difference is between the 5050s and the 3535s and how that affects shadowing.  Datasheets are next to useless, this seems like a job for Space Windu's gadget.

Offline NobAkimoto

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #48 on: January 18, 2018, 03:37:53 AM »
Do most of you run these at 100% output?

I've tended to find that at full brightness the 2812's I run are 1) too bright (except in broad daylight) to the point that it actually leaves artifacts in my vision when I swing one, 2) corncob and will expose more blemishes in the packing, and 3) actually start washing out the colors to the point they don't expose properly in pictures.

Offline NobAkimoto

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #49 on: January 18, 2018, 06:20:01 AM »
Kind of an additional random thought - has anyone done a side by side comparison of those with black and those with white strip/PCBs? I wonder if the color of that strip makes any difference.

Offline profezzorn

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #50 on: January 18, 2018, 12:06:27 PM »
Do most of you run these at 100% output?

I've tended to find that at full brightness the 2812's I run are 1) too bright (except in broad daylight) to the point that it actually leaves artifacts in my vision when I swing one, 2) corncob and will expose more blemishes in the packing, and 3) actually start washing out the colors to the point they don't expose properly in pictures.

Only because there's no way to run them at 110% :)

Kind of an additional random thought - has anyone done a side by side comparison of those with black and those with white strip/PCBs? I wonder if the color of that strip makes any difference.

I've never compared, and the difference is probably small, but strips should be white to reflect as much light as possible.


Offline NobAkimoto

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #51 on: January 20, 2018, 01:58:28 AM »
I bought two 1m strips but you're correct, there's a solder joint at 50cm.

The 2m strips look like they'd be a pretty good bargain though, based on the price there.

How long did it take for them to arrive?

Offline SA22C

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #52 on: January 29, 2018, 07:51:48 AM »
I bought two 1m strips but you're correct, there's a solder joint at 50cm.

The 2m strips look like they'd be a pretty good bargain though, based on the price there.

How long did it take for them to arrive?

I paid for the EMS shipping and they arrived in three weeks.

Offline Meatsweats

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #53 on: January 29, 2018, 09:32:14 AM »
So any difference between sk6812 5050 and 3535 other than size?

Offline profezzorn

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #54 on: January 29, 2018, 10:51:30 AM »
So any difference between sk6812 5050 and 3535 other than size?

None that I've noticed.

Offline Darth Smorgis

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #55 on: January 29, 2018, 03:46:40 PM »
Just finished building my blade.  Waiting for my Ascend to test it out.  Should have it in about a week.

32” Blade was constructed using:
2 Adafruit Skinny Neopixel strips (228 leds)
Strips heatshriked with clear heat shrink
3’ of blade film rolled “inside” the TCSS foam
All of that inside of TCSS 1” diffuser
Then slid inside Trans White blade

Will post results as soon as my Ascend arrives.


Offline Darth Smorgis

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #56 on: February 05, 2018, 05:29:59 PM »
Just finished building my blade.  Waiting for my Ascend to test it out.  Should have it in about a week.

32” Blade was constructed using:
2 Adafruit Skinny Neopixel strips (228 leds)
Strips heatshriked with clear heat shrink
3’ of blade film rolled around the strips “inside” the TCSS foam
All of that inside of TCSS 1” diffuser
Then slid inside Trans White blade

Will post results as soon as my Ascend arrives.

Ascend arrived today.
Blade works pretty great as constructed above.

I have heard that using the “skinny strips” can cause the so called corn cob effect.  This has not been my experience.  I think using the clear heatshrink around the strip with the addition of the cellophane wrap around the strip & inside the foam helps to diffuse the light better.  This also helped to fill extra space since the skinny strips dont fit tightly within the foam.  Still see some slight side shadowing in areas, but not terrible.

All colors are pretty bright compared to XXW Tri-cree except for Red.  My RRW Tri-Cree GCS Bane saber is slightly brighter compared to my current neopixel setup.  Very close, but my Bane has a slight edge.

Will do some more testing when I have more time.


Offline jbkuma

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #57 on: February 05, 2018, 08:01:46 PM »
I think you just sold me that the skinny strips aren't worth it.  Blades with 5050 strips are way brighter than my RGB Star type blades.  I don't have any problem with shadows or cobbing.  My first blade was with a clear thin blade, cellophane and packaging material and it was honestly the best blade I made.  I don't like the white blades at all, and I think the foam tubes don't do as good a job.  Definitely easier to build with the foam tubes, though! It turns tedious rolling into sticking some things in a tube.

Offline Darth Smorgis

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #58 on: February 06, 2018, 03:42:30 AM »
I think you just sold me that the skinny strips aren't worth it.  Blades with 5050 strips are way brighter than my RGB Star type blades.

Keep in mind My comparison was in reference to a RRW, not and single red from an RGB.
The Green on my neopixel blade is much brighter then even my GGW saber.

Just not the case with the red, thats all.


Offline Obi_1

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Re: Neopixel blade assembly - an experience exchange board
« Reply #59 on: February 06, 2018, 04:51:06 AM »
Red is the only color which has been always difficult with string blades. This did not change with neopixel, remember, reds are the least bright of the 3 colors and a transwhite tube makes them look pinkish. If you are looking for a very agressive red color, Star LED is still your best choice. Otherwise a neopixel blade will make a decent red, and all the rest of the colors are great (mixed ones including).

 

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