TOPIC: Plug and Play LED

I am buying my first saber and I have a stupid question that needs a stupid answer.

I am looking to buy a legacy saber and cannot afford the top dollar Hero platform. As I read all the lower tiers I can meet, I am struggling to find if I can buy a plug and play LED and switch them as I please.

Thanks for kind replies.

I'm not sure I understand. Let me break this down.

Your aim is to buy a Legacy saber despite being low on funds, or at least, you can't afford Hero tier. Okay, fair enough.

Are you asking if you will be able to use an ASP Plug and Play kit to wire your saber, and if you'll be able to get multiple LEDs to switch out? Or are you asking if you will be able to switch out LEDs no matter what tier you buy?

Eddlyss64 wrote:
Correct, I don't have the funds for hero tier atm and If I buy a veteran or champion tier, can I switch out the LED to another color via the plug and play LED.

You realize you can put together an RGB led with a nano biscotti v4 that would be pretty much the same as the HERO tier for less than 150 dollars which is prolly the amount you'd spend on any lower tier so if you are more budget conscious and want the most bang for your buck, do that build. Looks up Shameems youtube video, just get all the same parts and follow it step by step like I did. AND as an owner of both sabercore 3.0 and the rgb nano biscotti build it's my opinion that the NBv4 build is much better in the quality of sound fonts and the motion control plus you get that RGB function at a fraction of the cost.

I don't see where quick connects are an option for either Legacy saber, and you wouldn't be able to easily swap the LED without them. However, just because they aren't listed doesn't mean it's not possible. You may want to contact customer service about having them added. The worst they can say is that it can't be done.

For sabers that support the LED quick disconnects, to change the LED you would do the following: (1) take out the blade, (2) loosen the LED retention screw, (3) gently shake the LED out the front of the saber, (4) disconnect it, (5) reverse the steps to install the new one, (6) profit. It's easy.

Sadly, to me, in my amateur opinion, neither of the legacy sabers will support it. I don't think it's an accident that the option is not listed on the order page. One of the legacy sabers has a crystal (permanently revealed), and crystal sabers don't support the LED quick disconnects. The second legacy saber looks like a thin neck saber, and thin neck sabers don't support the LED quick disconnects either. So in this case, you're hosed. Sorry!

Danielbs80 wrote:
I don't want to hijack the thread, but to me, blade brightness is more important than sound quality. Is it naive to assume that since the SF LED's have four die in them, and the NBv4 drives an LED with 3 dies, that the SF setup will be brighter than the NBv4? Do you notice a difference in brightness when you dial the NBv4 to a similar color as your SF saber?

Well my sabercore one is frost only so thats white with some blue so since 3 whites may be on at once it may be brighter than when a single color going on my NBv4 but its hard to compare since i only have RGB on the NBv4 but it sure is bright and id say they look equally as bright.

Thanks for that.
I saw the instal Video too and tought about building the electronics myself but the question for brightness cause of the quad Cree(is it?) comes to my mind too.
I dont want to sacrifice brightness.
Are there quad cree LEDs to purchase separate on custom sabershops?
Could i instal them on a NBv4?
Would it be possible to purchase the non-quick connect LED from SF an wire it to the NBv4 or another soundboars or is the quad cree limited to SF technology?

Damn thats a bunch of questions coming up XD

Has anybody already tried that?

Well if you dont have enough independent pads for each led even with tbe power extender u can always solder two to one pad so they will be controlled together like if you have 2 whites and you want it extra bright maybe.

So if the LED is RGBW an i have to solder two oft them together on one pad i lost two pure colors right? I dont know anythimg about that stuff and never soldered anything so forgive me if my questions sound stupid XD

True so that's not how you probably want to do it I was thinking if you had two of the same color but what's an RGB LED you can also create white by setting each one to full intensity. So you could have a green blade and white flash on Clash or a purple blade and green flash on Clash and you could set it to glow a certain color more intensely as part of the Flickr and you could set how fast do you want it to flicker there's so many settings that you could do that you can't really do with other types of soundboards

Heres both my lightsabers

Back to the subject at hand....

My recommendation to OP would be (if they aren't looking to do a self install) to either save more money to get what you really want, or go for one of the cheaper versions of the two Legacy sabers. The Elite Grandmaster is $200, and you can add acid weathering or etching to that model. The Unleashed model is still a Crystal Reveal saber, but it's $250 for less greeblies and specialization.

Both look good on camera but i was realy dissapointed of the brightness from my US so i was looking for a brighter opportunity and so i mentioned the 12W quad cree on SF sabers.
I think i will wait for my first SF saber to be delivered and check out the difference.
But going on two same colors on a DIY quad cree instal might be a good option for better brightness.
Thanks for the information it was very helpfull to make my further decisions on my installs as im planung to do that on my own in the future.

EJT wrote:

We've had this "debate" several times before. Simple answer, no, SF's "12w" LEDs are not as bright or evenly lit as a tri-Cree/Rebel would be in most circumstances. The quad modules only pull ahead on the 3+1 mixes of Indigo (rB/rB/rB/R), Yellow (AAAG), Mint Green (GGGB), and Frost White (WWWB). I would put Lime Green into that, but the Luxeon Lime diode is stupid bright. With any other color, an XXY (color/color/FoC) tri-LED will be brighter and more evenly lit due to having a proper lens. The SF LEDs cluster 4 diodes in the center of the PCB under a single die lens and there's a lot of light loss from that. The tri-LEDs have the diodes spread out and each have their own lens under the optic.

That is a realy interesting point.
So do i have to expect a less brighter blade from my SF saber then it is on my US?
Or is it a comparisson to another tri-cree module like the rebel that you mentioned?

So on a DIY instal you would clearly prefer a three die LED or do you just recommend the SF quad cree.
Cause i think i saw the quad cree XPE2 from thesaberarmory.com have the diods also around the center and a lens for every one.

https://thesaberarmory.com/product/quad-cree-xpe-2-custom-configuration-lightsaber-led-lens/

The SF 12w LED will blow an US LED out of the water.

US uses old, dim, and cheap LEDs for their standard colors - Seoul P4 for single colors (Blazing Red, Guardian Blue, etc) and LEDengin RGBW for mixed colors (Violet Amethyst, Arctic Blue, Sunrider's Destiny*). While they do have a tri-LED option that's a 3-up single color LED... it's most likely not a Cree XP-E2 (the standard LED most vendors use). While I haven't had one personally, I do know some people who compared the US TRI LED to a 3-up Cree XP-E2 and the Cree was much brighter.

*Fun fact about US SRD color: they wire the Green and Royal Blue of the LED, which makes Arctic Blue.... then add a green color disc between the lens and the heatsink to shift it to a "mint green" color. Instead of just resistoring the rB down, they risk the disk melting and being a hazard to keep it slightly brighter.

On a DIY install I would absolutely use a custom tri-Cree XP-E2 or tri-Luxeon Rebel LED over anything else, for the most part.

The other benefit to the SF quad module, besides the 3+1 mixes, is when used with the SF style of thin neck sabers, where the LED is down in the hilt body and must shine the light up through the narrow neck of the saber. Spread out LEDs don't work as good as an LED centered under the hole.

That quad from KR is new and was custom made to be an efficient type of quad LED. I haven't seen many people use it yet, but it does look promising.

To answer the other questions from your previous post regarding a quad LED and the NBv4, you cannot use a 4 channel LED with that board as it only has a maximum of 3 LED channels. Depending what blade and flash on clash color(s) you're wanting to get, I can recommend an optimal LED setup. RGB gives the most variety, at the tradeoff of dimmer single (red, green, blue) colors and a good white is difficult to mix on it.

Dedicated colors or specific setups give a more limited range, but better brightness for your chosen color(s). Such as the Cree RO/PCA/W LED I had put into my custom Princess saber. A similar shade of orange can be mixed using Red/Green, but the Red-Orange/PCAmber is brighter and more even by comparison. Or the Rebel Cyan/Green/PCAmber that was used in my "Serenity" Aeon saber. While I could mix all of the colors used, even the "sea green" that the Cy/G mix to, with RGB... they wouldn't be as bright.

You just touched on another interesting point with the thin neck sabers. In comparison to standard neck sabers with the SF LEDs is there typically a noticeable difference in brightness? Or is there very little difference between the 2.