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Author Topic: Need some help with battery voltage  (Read 3541 times)

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Offline Bolteh

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Need some help with battery voltage
« on: January 24, 2020, 02:10:36 AM »
Hi,

I'm in the process of building my very first lightsaber (as a birthday gift for my brother) and had decided to go all out with a NeoPixel blade. I've ordered most of the parts I need, but am now wondering which battery I should get (I'm completely clueless about electronics).

I'll be running 2x WS2813 LED strips (144) using a KR Sabers Rotary PCB connection and a ProffieBoard v2.2 (with one extra RGB LED for the crystal chamber and a 24mm 4ohm 2W bass speaker). The LED strips mention a max voltage of 5W. It's my understanding that a single 3.7v 18650 Li-ion Battery (PCB Protected) would work fine for this setup, without the need for any resistors. Am I correct? Or will this thing just sizzle and die the moment I give it a go?

Thanks in advance!
« Last Edit: January 24, 2020, 02:13:45 AM by Bolteh »

Offline SirRawThunderMan

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Re: Need some help with battery voltage
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2020, 05:01:08 AM »
Okay, I am not an expert on Neopixels, and I'm sure one of the experts (jbkuma, Exar Kun, etc) will be with you momentarily to correct me if I'm wrong, but for pixel blades you need a High Discharge 18650 instead of the normal 18650s. pixel strips are power hungry. there's a lot of numbers floating around, and theoretical maximums of how much current a pixel blade can draw, but the base line comes down to this: most PCB protected 18650s will cut off if you draw too much current from them, and most pixel blades have power requirements above those limits. Hence, you need a High Discharge 18650. TCSS and most TCSS resellers sell them.

Also, while the strips have their own onboard resistors, it's generally considered good practice to solder in a resistor to the data line of the neopixel strip. I can't remember the exact resistance, bit it's something like any resistor between 300 and 500 ohms will do.
Better late than never.

Offline scott

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Re: Need some help with battery voltage
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2020, 05:07:41 AM »
You definitely need the 15a high drain 18650. I initially used the TCSS standard 10a cell and it did not properly power my neo blade (red specifically pulls more and with a full charge, ref blades caused the speaker to go crazy. )

I picked up the 15a also from TCSS and when I swapped them all was well. With 3.7v, you will definitely drain the battery in short order...I always wore to a recharge port but know others prefer the removable batteries given the shorter run time.

Offline Bolteh

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Re: Need some help with battery voltage
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2020, 05:40:21 AM »
Alright. Thanks for the info!

So I guess this battery will do? newbielink:https://www.jqsabers.com/product/keeppower-3-7v-18650-battery/ [nonactive]

This particular lightsaber won't be used for duelling and most likely won't be lit for more than 5 minutes at a time, as its main purpose will be as a display piece, with the actual blade and sound functionality as a very expensive added bonus, so I hope the 3.7V should be fine if I provide a recharge port.

Offline SirRawThunderMan

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Re: Need some help with battery voltage
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2020, 05:49:56 AM »
*waves hand wisely* That is the battery you're looking for.  :wink:

it's the one I've got in my only pixel saber, at least. You should get 5 min run time out of it easily enough, and a recharge port is pretty much mandatory on a modern saber.
Better late than never.

Offline scott

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Re: Need some help with battery voltage
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2020, 09:31:17 AM »
I never officially clocked it, but I have build a lot of pixel sabers and always use the Sony 15a 18650 from TCSS and definitely get more than 5 minutes. Guessing usually 10-15.

Offline jbkuma

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Re: Need some help with battery voltage
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2020, 10:45:57 AM »
It will vary wildly based on the color, the draw will be between 2 and 8 amps most likely. It's not a straight math calculation, but you should get 20 minutes at least.

Offline ShtokyD

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Re: Need some help with battery voltage
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2020, 02:11:27 PM »
Hi,

I'm in the process of building my very first lightsaber (as a birthday gift for my brother) and had decided to go all out with a NeoPixel blade. I've ordered most of the parts I need, but am now wondering which battery I should get (I'm completely clueless about electronics).

I'll be running 2x WS2813 LED strips (144) using a KR Sabers Rotary PCB connection and a ProffieBoard v2.2 (with one extra RGB LED for the crystal chamber and a 24mm 4ohm 2W bass speaker). The LED strips mention a max voltage of 5W. It's my understanding that a single 3.7v 18650 Li-ion Battery (PCB Protected) would work fine for this setup, without the need for any resistors. Am I correct? Or will this thing just sizzle and die the moment I give it a go?

Thanks in advance!
Batteries topic: Best Batteries for sabers

 

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