This is brilliant! Thank you, I've got my first Proffie saber, but want some non-Star Wars options for it, like a short dagger blade, and a big flame effect on the end of a pike attachment I've built, your guide will help me make these!
I just have two questions; is the first break in the LED chain and resoldering of that tiny gap at 3:40 just to keep the LED spacing even? There's no other benefit? And if I snip the LED strip anywhere can it still work? I plan to make a dagger blade so would be a lot shorter, and if possible use the rest of the strips to make a second, more expansive flame effect shape. Cheers!@@EccentricArtisan
@@cameronmcarthur4044 yes, and yes. Trimming and resoldering the factory joint is to eliminate that tiny gap or dark spot. It doesn’t have any additional benefit. And as long as you cut between the leds, down the middle of the copper pads, they will all continue to work.
Hey man, any chance of doing a proffie beginner programming video showing how to add more sound fonts? There are other videos explaining this but your channel seems extremely relaxed and easy to follow. Extremely impressed with your content and channel! Keep up the awesome content!
Among some other saber videos it is on my to do list. I need to properly plan out two or three proffie videos, but yes I do intend to make them. Thank you very much!
You are absolutely correct. It doesn’t look very bright. Luckily that is just the illusion of the video. Representing the true brightness of a light source through video requires comparison to other light sources. Or you can create the reverse illusion by underexposing the rest of the scene. However, for practical purposes this blade is just the same as any other two strip blades, and brighter than some.
@@EccentricArtisan Thank you ^.^ I managed to turn my baselit amazon hilt old LCL clone into a Xeno3 and I figured... well Might as well build the blade too XD Greatly appreciate such a detailed tutorial ^.^
Is it overall cheaper to buy the parts and assemble the neopixel yourself, or just buy the finished blade from a trusted supplier? Assuming I already have tools, soldering iron, snips etc
Good question. Depends on the vendor, but the quick answer is that budget blades are less expensive to buy in some cases and the higher end ones can be more expensive. To determine what the best course is for you, consider what you want out of the blade (shelf queen, cons, showing off with spinning, light dueling, heavy dueling) then find the blades for sale that best fit that need based on their reviews or the community opinion. That will give you the best idea on pricing.
Personally, I have been able to build blades cheaper than most available options, and I know my quality of build is consistent and solid. I feel like building is the obvious choice for me.
Good question. Assembly wise it is a tad simpler and you don’t have to be as careful about not bending it due to the rigidity. But as far as steps for assembly, I still diffuse basically the same way when using one. They can be trimmed down, but obviously you have to cut through a pixel because of the staggering. That is a bit more challenging but not terribly difficult. They are a shade brighter to the eye. And they are just as durable from my own experience. So to answer your question, it really depends on how you assemble the blade but maybe a shade easier yes. Also, I do wrap the diffusion cellophane on the outside of the foam for those until they fit snug in the tube.
@@EccentricArtisan thank you so much for this video. I’m debating on buying a bendu armory KRV2 or building one. Though my soldering skills are lacking your talents, that’s why I’m watching videos on complete neoblade builds.
@@pauly51 you’re welcome! And I have actually never purchased an assembled blade, so I can’t comment on those. But I do know that my method is highly effective and durable for dueling, which is what I love to do!
@@EccentricArtisan I’m a spinner, so I want a show blade. I have a 36” stock from my pachstore saber and I think it looks awful. Or it could be the Asteria that isn’t as good as the rest.
For this specific blade and the type of boards being used there are different but overlapping requirements for power. Lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries are not generally used in sabers for a few reasons including size and functionality. Lithium ion (Liion) are generally used, and oftentimes 3.7v with a 15A continuous discharge rate is the required battery. It does of course vary by the blade in question and the board in the saber, but for my application that’s what is being used.
I keep seeing pixels of a certain number (122 or 256). does that matter? if i dont add enough pixels, will the soundboard not recognize the blade at all?
Good question. It actually depends upon what soundboard is being used and which version of software it is running as well as the way the blade is wired. Generally speaking though, a lower number than the LEDs present on a strip will result in partial illumination. Whereas a larger number than what is present will illuminate everything, but the animations will be slower or incorrectly spaced because the board is still factoring in the LEDs that aren’t physically present. The best thing to do is become very familiar with the manual for the software and board in use. To give a little more explanation about the blade itself, 144 pixels exist in 1 meter of the 5050s used in this video. So for example, if the blade is wired exactly like I’ve shown here and you used two of those strips back to back that are 1 meter, a proffieboard v2 is looking for the number 144. In other words, the amount on 1 of the strips. It’s basically just asking for the length of the blade and then it accounts for the other side of the blade automatically. So if you had fewer LEDs because you made a shorter blade, you would enter that number to get accurate animations. However, 144 would still allow the blade to fully ignite, it just wouldn’t represent effects totally accurate.
@@EccentricArtisan Thats honestly the clearest way I've heard it explained, thank you! I'm trying to create a shoto blade for my Electrum Saber, but they have a closed software so it looks like I'll make do with the animations until I can properly build a proffie saber :)
@@shassafrass1770 ah, I see. I know of Electrum, but I’m not familiar with their electronics. You are welcome! I’m glad I could help. Good luck with your builds!
So I'm looking to build a basic stunt light up scrolling only lightsaber no sound,with just a snap connector into the hilt. Amy advice on how to do this what parts I'd need. Thanks!
Just to clarify and make sure I understand you, when you say scrolling are you referring to having a blade that incorporates led strips like in this tutorial that can animate up and down the blade?
@@jamiewilliams4212 gotcha, just wanted to make sure! So this is a question that comes up fairly often for various reasons, and I can say without a doubt the most efficient method (for most people) is to use a typical soundboard. Doesn’t matter if it’s Proffieboard, Goldenharvest, Verso, Crystal Focus, etc. all will allow for the animations and give you the ability to mute the volume if desired. Additionally you could leave a speaker out of the build and it would work just the same, but speakers themselves aren’t costly, relatively speaking, so you don’t really gain much by doing that. Some people insist on going without sound or without mainstream soundboards to create their animations, and that is fine. BUT, finding the desired hardware, creating/finding the code and animations, and implementing that is then entirely up to them. And I’m sure you can see that for most people it doesn’t make sense to do that, considering that the soundboards listed above do it already, and offer a lot of customization in a very small package. So long story short, I advise utilizing modern and pre-existing saber boards that I listed above.
@@EccentricArtisan thanks for your help man I'm just learning how to work with electronics. So do you have a board recommendation that comes programed with the ignition. Effect?
@@jamiewilliams4212 you’re welcome! Glad I can help. Generally all mainstream boards will have all effects available, but whether they are setup for you depends on the seller. So capability wise you could use Proffieboard, Golden Harvest, CFX, or verso. But whether it is ready to go out of the box or requires some setup is a question for your chosen retailer.
Love your content, hi My name is Mundo, I do a saber show on Sundays for Civilized Sabers at 8p central time would love to have you on if you have time. Saber Talk Sundays
I tried your method on testing the leds with the saber what an awesome idea, works great, thank you for showing the viewers that method. If you ever change you mind and want to come on show invitation is always open.
Followed this video while building my first NPXL Blade. Worked great 👌
Glad to hear it helped!
Pretty cool man! More work then I expected, but honestly, super well done and worth the effort.
Thank you! And yeah, definitely more than expected when you start out but 100% worth it!
Super informative! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!
Glad you found it useful! Thanks for watching!
This is brilliant! Thank you, I've got my first Proffie saber, but want some non-Star Wars options for it, like a short dagger blade, and a big flame effect on the end of a pike attachment I've built, your guide will help me make these!
Excellent! I’m glad it’s helpful to you. Good luck with your builds!
I just have two questions; is the first break in the LED chain and resoldering of that tiny gap at 3:40 just to keep the LED spacing even? There's no other benefit?
And if I snip the LED strip anywhere can it still work? I plan to make a dagger blade so would be a lot shorter, and if possible use the rest of the strips to make a second, more expansive flame effect shape.
Cheers!@@EccentricArtisan
@@cameronmcarthur4044 yes, and yes. Trimming and resoldering the factory joint is to eliminate that tiny gap or dark spot. It doesn’t have any additional benefit. And as long as you cut between the leds, down the middle of the copper pads, they will all continue to work.
Super! Thanks again :D@@EccentricArtisan
Anytime!
Amazing work!!!
Thank you!!
Great vid
@@mundocabrera7007 Thank you!!
Hey man, any chance of doing a proffie beginner programming video showing how to add more sound fonts? There are other videos explaining this but your channel seems extremely relaxed and easy to follow. Extremely impressed with your content and channel! Keep up the awesome content!
Among some other saber videos it is on my to do list. I need to properly plan out two or three proffie videos, but yes I do intend to make them. Thank you very much!
@@EccentricArtisan awesome can't wait!!
Looks good but i thought that light isn't very bright to me
You are absolutely correct. It doesn’t look very bright. Luckily that is just the illusion of the video. Representing the true brightness of a light source through video requires comparison to other light sources. Or you can create the reverse illusion by underexposing the rest of the scene. However, for practical purposes this blade is just the same as any other two strip blades, and brighter than some.
By the Gods I see why these neopixel blades are as expensive as they are now. Time, Resources, and nerve racking work went into them.
For sure. They definitely take some practice to get good at building.
Awesome video! Makes me want to try this.
Thank you! It’s a pretty rewarding process. Building sabers is even better.
I will have to give this a try :o THank you for the video ^.^
You are welcome! And I wish you luck with your build!
@@EccentricArtisan Thank you ^.^ I managed to turn my baselit amazon hilt old LCL clone into a Xeno3 and I figured... well Might as well build the blade too XD Greatly appreciate such a detailed tutorial ^.^
Super vid. how does the blade stay in the hilt? I don't see anything to grab onto.
Thank you! The most common form of retention is a threaded hole in the hilt with a thumb or grub screw that presses against the blade from there.
Thank you! @@EccentricArtisan
Good stuff bro! 🙂
Thanks man!
So even though you use Weld-On 4 to fuse the tip onto the blade, you don't trust it enough to omit the tape? I wonder if E6000 would work better?
Correct. I’ve done a lot of dueling, and heavy dueling will break any bond eventually. The tape gives an extreme mechanical advantage.
Is it overall cheaper to buy the parts and assemble the neopixel yourself, or just buy the finished blade from a trusted supplier?
Assuming I already have tools, soldering iron, snips etc
Good question. Depends on the vendor, but the quick answer is that budget blades are less expensive to buy in some cases and the higher end ones can be more expensive. To determine what the best course is for you, consider what you want out of the blade (shelf queen, cons, showing off with spinning, light dueling, heavy dueling) then find the blades for sale that best fit that need based on their reviews or the community opinion. That will give you the best idea on pricing.
Personally, I have been able to build blades cheaper than most available options, and I know my quality of build is consistent and solid. I feel like building is the obvious choice for me.
@@EccentricArtisan I appreaciate that. Thank you!
@@JayFolipurba not a problem man!
Thank you for using flux.
Certainly makes a job easier. It can be hard to explain to folks who haven’t tried it.
Is ridged non flexible KR pixel strip easier to use than the WS2812B flexible strip?
Good question. Assembly wise it is a tad simpler and you don’t have to be as careful about not bending it due to the rigidity. But as far as steps for assembly, I still diffuse basically the same way when using one. They can be trimmed down, but obviously you have to cut through a pixel because of the staggering. That is a bit more challenging but not terribly difficult. They are a shade brighter to the eye. And they are just as durable from my own experience. So to answer your question, it really depends on how you assemble the blade but maybe a shade easier yes. Also, I do wrap the diffusion cellophane on the outside of the foam for those until they fit snug in the tube.
@@EccentricArtisan thank you so much for this video. I’m debating on buying a bendu armory KRV2 or building one. Though my soldering skills are lacking your talents, that’s why I’m watching videos on complete neoblade builds.
@@pauly51 you’re welcome! And I have actually never purchased an assembled blade, so I can’t comment on those. But I do know that my method is highly effective and durable for dueling, which is what I love to do!
@@EccentricArtisan I’m a spinner, so I want a show blade. I have a 36” stock from my pachstore saber and I think it looks awful. Or it could be the Asteria that isn’t as good as the rest.
@@EccentricArtisan would you mind if I’m ever having a problem with soldering I could as here?
Will a 3.7V LiPo be ok to power the Strip?
For this specific blade and the type of boards being used there are different but overlapping requirements for power. Lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries are not generally used in sabers for a few reasons including size and functionality. Lithium ion (Liion) are generally used, and oftentimes 3.7v with a 15A continuous discharge rate is the required battery. It does of course vary by the blade in question and the board in the saber, but for my application that’s what is being used.
I keep seeing pixels of a certain number (122 or 256). does that matter? if i dont add enough pixels, will the soundboard not recognize the blade at all?
Good question. It actually depends upon what soundboard is being used and which version of software it is running as well as the way the blade is wired. Generally speaking though, a lower number than the LEDs present on a strip will result in partial illumination. Whereas a larger number than what is present will illuminate everything, but the animations will be slower or incorrectly spaced because the board is still factoring in the LEDs that aren’t physically present. The best thing to do is become very familiar with the manual for the software and board in use. To give a little more explanation about the blade itself, 144 pixels exist in 1 meter of the 5050s used in this video. So for example, if the blade is wired exactly like I’ve shown here and you used two of those strips back to back that are 1 meter, a proffieboard v2 is looking for the number 144. In other words, the amount on 1 of the strips. It’s basically just asking for the length of the blade and then it accounts for the other side of the blade automatically. So if you had fewer LEDs because you made a shorter blade, you would enter that number to get accurate animations. However, 144 would still allow the blade to fully ignite, it just wouldn’t represent effects totally accurate.
@@EccentricArtisan Thats honestly the clearest way I've heard it explained, thank you!
I'm trying to create a shoto blade for my Electrum Saber, but they have a closed software so it looks like I'll make do with the animations until I can properly build a proffie saber :)
@@shassafrass1770 ah, I see. I know of Electrum, but I’m not familiar with their electronics. You are welcome! I’m glad I could help. Good luck with your builds!
So I'm looking to build a basic stunt light up scrolling only lightsaber no sound,with just a snap connector into the hilt. Amy advice on how to do this what parts I'd need. Thanks!
Just to clarify and make sure I understand you, when you say scrolling are you referring to having a blade that incorporates led strips like in this tutorial that can animate up and down the blade?
@@EccentricArtisan yes exactly the animated ignition of the blade sorry I probably should have worded that better lol
@@jamiewilliams4212 gotcha, just wanted to make sure! So this is a question that comes up fairly often for various reasons, and I can say without a doubt the most efficient method (for most people) is to use a typical soundboard. Doesn’t matter if it’s Proffieboard, Goldenharvest, Verso, Crystal Focus, etc. all will allow for the animations and give you the ability to mute the volume if desired. Additionally you could leave a speaker out of the build and it would work just the same, but speakers themselves aren’t costly, relatively speaking, so you don’t really gain much by doing that. Some people insist on going without sound or without mainstream soundboards to create their animations, and that is fine. BUT, finding the desired hardware, creating/finding the code and animations, and implementing that is then entirely up to them. And I’m sure you can see that for most people it doesn’t make sense to do that, considering that the soundboards listed above do it already, and offer a lot of customization in a very small package. So long story short, I advise utilizing modern and pre-existing saber boards that I listed above.
@@EccentricArtisan thanks for your help man I'm just learning how to work with electronics. So do you have a board recommendation that comes programed with the ignition. Effect?
@@jamiewilliams4212 you’re welcome! Glad I can help. Generally all mainstream boards will have all effects available, but whether they are setup for you depends on the seller. So capability wise you could use Proffieboard, Golden Harvest, CFX, or verso. But whether it is ready to go out of the box or requires some setup is a question for your chosen retailer.
Love your content, hi My name is Mundo, I do a saber show on Sundays for Civilized Sabers at 8p central time would love to have you on if you have time. Saber Talk Sundays
Hey man, I appreciate that and the consideration! I’m super strapped for personal time, even on weekends, so I have to politely decline.
I tried your method on testing the leds with the saber what an awesome idea, works great, thank you for showing the viewers that method. If you ever change you mind and want to come on show invitation is always open.
Thanks! I appreciate it!