NeoPixel Lightsaber for Only $60 | Full Tutorial
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Today we’re going to create a Neopixel Lightsaber for only $60! It will have awesome customizable effects including the activation and deactivation animations and full color selection.
Here's the code: github.com/D4Q...
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SUPPLIES (for following along with the series):
Ultrasabers Cheapest Blade: ultrasabers.co...
RGB LED Strips (you’ll need 2): amzn.to/3pKYyHC
NOTE: While I use the ATTiny88 board in the video, I recommend using the Arduino Nano instead, as it's much more user friendly and has more room for the program. You can get it here: amzn.to/3QbOu5B
Packing Foam (Warning: this is WAY more than you need): amzn.to/49yoZl5
Buttons: amzn.to/3XOyQP5
Switch: amzn.to/3JSb8M3
9V Battery Clip: amzn.to/3D6zQod
Wire: amzn.to/46KA4io
Breadboard: amzn.to/3NJMsqg
Jumpers: amzn.to/43eRq3X
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If it is true, video is INSANELY underrated. Because, who dont wanted to make his own lightsaber in childhood after watching Star Wars? And wit this guide this dream becomes true!
Thank you! I can assure you it's true - I've done it! If you need any help, be sure to let me know here or on our Discord!
i've got my hand on my chin, as i nod with a focused expression. meanwhile my chimp brain fails to comprehend or process 90% of what it's witnessing.
lol that is a hilarious description
Don’t worry though, it took me some time to understand it too
I am a college student studying coding, i gotta say, Bruh this is too much for my two tiny brain cells
my brain hamster fell off its wheel
I’m sorry but I have to admit I’m stoned and this is beyond….just beyond cool.
Thank you!
I am going to combine this technique with 3d printing a hilt. By far the best video on how to make a saber. Well done chad.
Thank you so much! If you’re interested, I do plan to one up it very soon, making an even better saber!
@@SaberCPP Hell ya there brother!!!
Man you replied to every single comment. Your a real one +1sub
Yeah I try my best! Thanks for the support!
awesome video, good work!
next up program some flickers and other effects (maybe battle mode where it strobes a bit (would look cool when swinging it).
Also, consider an accelerometer and some sound effects.
one note:
the bg music needs to be down a bit, it's way out of balance with your voice.
If you need more music like that tho, you can use any of my tracks for free if you are so inclined, the music stood out because parts of it is in line with my style.
Thanks! I am planning on adding an accelerometer+speaker for smooth swing, hit sounds and flash on clash, but adding some flickering is a great idea, I'll definitely look into that!
Just re-listened to it and I think you're right about the music, especially when it swells at some points. Unfortunately YT doesn't allow you to fix that after upload, but I'll definitely note it down for future videos!
Thanks for the music offer as well, I'll check out your channel some more later for sure!
Liked and subscribed! Vader would be proud.
“Impressive... Most Impressive”
This will be a great project for my brother and I to do. Can’t wait to see how this project evolves!
Thank you! Be sure to let me know if you need any help and I'd love to see how your lightsaber(s?) turn out!
You were right I am proud
excellent video well written and recorded. only critique make sure your music is quiet enough and your voice is loud enough. the music usually needs to be 20% quieter than you think it does.
Thank you so much! I know the music is too loud, I really wish I could fix it after upload! Thanks for the number though, I love a good number.
@@SaberCPP if you need video support, maybe i could help you :)
It is really nice how polite novastorm is. I also agree with what he is saying.
Excited for the sound update! Great work man!
Thanks so much! I'll get it done as soon as I can!
I honestly had no idea I even wanted a Lightsaber, but you've fully convinced me now!
Good, gooood. Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.
This is really isefull for people who are making their own original star wars story
Glad I could help! Also if you make a cool video I'd be excited to see it!
That's amazing! Thanks so much for making this doable for me. There's so many possibilities with this. I already have 2 hilts that I 3d printed that would work great for this. You should put together a tutorial for how to add sounds.
That sound awesome! I'm hoping to put out a tutorial on a sound-equipped saber, but I haven't found anything affordable and high enough quality at the same time...YET!
At first I thought everyone was being dramatic about the volume of the background noise but then I looked at the time and it’s 11:15 pm local time and my infant daughter just started screaming while I’m jamming in the living room to this video giving future me some real lightsaber building skills
Aha sorry about that, I did make a new video about a saber with sound and I didn’t make the same mistake with super loud background music this time 😂
One of my recommendations would be to make a link with an explained diagram since many times it is difficult for some to guide themselves through a video, an idea on my part, I hope you take it into account
You mean like a schematic?
@@SaberCPP Yes, just that
Good idea, I'll see if I can create one for the lightsabers, if not then hopefully my next project!
Awesome video! This might have just helped me a lot in my project to create ahsokas blade.
I do have a few questions for you tho.
1. Can I make the saber white?
2. What app did you use to modify the Board
3. How do you even modify a board? I've never done stuff like this.
Yes you can make the blade white, it’s especially awesome as white is the brightest!
To modify the board code, you’ll need the Arduino IDE: www.arduino.cc/en/software/
If you want to learn about coding an Arduino board, you can check out this video which covers the basics: m.ua-cam.com/video/PLwluZ0m6PM/v-deo.html#dialog
Also I can help you out more specifically and easily in the Discord if you’re interested: discord.gg/ux9jEyhKVJ
@@SaberCPP yooo bet! After I’m done with the newest Ahsoka episode I’ll join! Rn my big project is to build Ahsokas sabers so yeah 😎
Excellent! I’m just about to start watching myself lol
Mum: Where are all the bathroom lights?
Me: On my new light saber!
Hahaha! I mean, the lightsaber works just fine as a light for the bathroom…
Great work man!!!
Thank you!
I bought the stuff and on my way to making 2 of them, it would be helpful if you put images to your github page about the soldering of the cables or the connection of the breadboard. Thank you for making this tutorial!
Glad I could help and I hope you enjoy the build process!
As for the pictures, that's an excellent idea and I should've definitely done that, but as of now the build is long done and unless I were to make another one I don't have a great way to get those pictures.
@SaberCPP ok 👍, I'll find out ways like stopping the video at the right moment. Very nice channel you got right there!
was about to make one, then realized that shipping for the blade itself cost $60... dreams crushed I guess lol
$60 is INSANE 😭
Ultrasabers does offer free shipping with an order over $50 (at least in the US, not sure if it applies wherever you are that shipping is that expensive) so you could try that (especially if you know a couple people who also want to make sabers, you could all order together and pay $0 shipping)
Add sounds and smooth swing
Yeah for sure. I'm working on it and will get a video out ASAP
If you've got two RGB strips in the saber attached at the top to effectively doesn't that mean lights should travel up and then back down the other side of the blade? It seems like you'd want to activate each light and it's corresponding LED on the other side, unless I'm misunderstanding how the addressable LEDS work, which is a definite possibility.
No you’re actually correct, I didn’t realize at the time, but you can wire the LED strips in parallel, simply connecting the power, ground, and data wires for both at the start of the blade because they both need the same information (as you said). It even saves some extra program space on the Arduino!
Just make sure you have the arrows on both strips going up the blade for this
Great vid, but the music was a bit overwhelming at parts.
Thanks! Sorry about the music, I’ve since been informed that it’s too loud but I can’t change it after upload. 😢
You’ve convinced me to do this.
Yes!
I have a cheap metal hilt lightsaber i got off Temu for like $20. Im going to try this with it. Thank you.
Haha 😂. You seem to have read my mind! I’m just about to try this with a cheap saber from TEMU once it arrives! Be careful though as TEMU is still seems suspicious in the information stealing area.
@@SaberCPP I've done a few orders. I have three lightsabers (~$20 each) and two more on the way (one $20 and the other ~$40). I've noticed that the USB-C type charging hilts should be avoided. They have the USB-C charge rotated 90 degrees from what all the Proffie/Xeno boards have.
I've never owned a saber that has smooth swing or any of these neopixel features, but the hilt seems about the right size. Although the blades are the thinner 22.2cm instead of 25.4cm common.
I plan to order a cheap VHC part and see if the threads and size are compatible. If so, I'll probably buy a cheap $10 board/battery frame that I've seen on vire sabers and see if I can get it to fit.
I'd rather do that instead of just buying an expensive xeno board and hope it fits.
If you can, please see if it works. I haven't found anyone on youtube or elsewhere that's tried this yet.
And feel free to hmu for photos and measurements of the current sabers I have. I can also grab the links I used on temu.
@@supreme84x Yeah I just got a couple at $18 each with DC charging ports (whew!) and they're actually not bad for that cheap, but certainly no smooth swing and there are only two sounds (one for clash and one that repeats over and over and over). Of course I can use the button and charging port, and I think I can reuse the batteries and speakers as well, which would make it a great deal and make these the best lightsabers yet with my modifications!
@@SaberCPP If someone wants a 22cm blade, getting it with the hilt and everything is cheaper than ordering it from a US or UK supplier.
Smooth swing and other missing features are why I want to upgrade these.
Have your's arrived yet? I am wondering if their hilts are the same inner diameter and threading as other VHC parts. I'd love to add customization and easily fit a soundboard chassis without dealing with 3D custom prints.
Mine have arrived and they're not standard, also the blades are extremely short, so I'll probably swap them out, but I can't use the blades I usually use due to the inner diameter being less than an inch 😢
my brain after i finally finish it , "chimpi chimpi champa champa
lol
I've always wanted to build a hilt basically for display only.
lol if you're interested I actually JUST made a video about making a hilt that looks like metal off a 3D printer: ua-cam.com/video/Kk2hqF99Y1c/v-deo.html
it's Obi-Wan's hilt, which I think is one of the best looking
This is awesome, so glad ive had a few programing classes so i could follow along!! One suggestion, maybe at the end of each function you could insert more examples of what the function is doing.
Also i wonder if adding a light sensor to the tip could allow for "tip drag" from some of the fancier sabers? I havent had a lot of practice with sensors on arduino, but it would be cool to add, and theoretically if you figure that out, a string of them may let you note when two sabers are crossed so you could add flaring colors there to emulate the flash when dualing
Yeah it actually wouldn’t be too hard to add a light sensor to the tip that’s a great idea!
Although since people use sabers in the dark mostly, that might not work…
@@SaberCPPhaha actually after a quick googling this was the top reply for tip drag on a reddit post.
"There aren't any special sensors. You configure how many LEDs are in the Pixel blade to the soundboard. So if your blade has 130 pixels you tell the board the blade has 130 pixels.
Then it detects:
The angle of the board, if it's pointed down
Check for a clash on the board
If those are met then trigger some effects near the end of the 130 pixels and play a tip drag sound"
@@SaberCPPlooks like the flash on hit is a gyroscope program too, so I think you could program both into your kylo build and it would act similarly to the very high end sabers
Interesting…
@@SaberCPP hope it helps! If it does I would love to see it in your next video!!! I plan on making my own lightsabers for me my son and my wife.... (Eventually lol) But I want to make each slightly differently, maybe one with an exposed kyber crystal, and maybe a "zweihander" or hand and a half version haha
Hello! Seriously great video, just today I just received my LED strips to make a lightsaber and I came across your channel and your videos and they will be of great help to me, but there are a couple of doubts that I want to solve, for example The total number of LEDs that you use are 265, in my case I will use less, like 112 more or less. Does the number of LEDs that will be used affect the code in any way?
And the other thing is that I see that in the future you will add sound effects and more, I had bought an MPU-6050 accelerometer, I don't know if it can help me in the future to add all that, it would be cool to know. waiting for new updates :D
Greetings from Chile!
Thank you so much! You should just be able to change the NUM_LEDS constant in the code from 265 to 112 or whatever it ends up being. I'm planning on adding an MPU6050 to my next build along with a speaker for smooth swing flash/sounds on clash, etc. so you should totally add that (It connects on 3.3V, GND, and whatever the SCL and SDA pins for your board are.) Also awesome that people from other countries are seeing this!
Not all heroes wear capes
You nailed it!! Thanks man
I’m glad I could help!
wow men this is amazing, would it be possible to add sound to the lightsaber?
I’m working on a build with sound and flash on clash! Hopefully I’ll have a video in the next couple of weeks!
@@SaberCPP thanks men I will be attentive to your next videos🤙
“Background Music” is WAY too loud bro… can barely hear what you’re saying
Sorry about that, I’d like to change it but YT doesn’t allow you to change after upload 😭
Nice call that after 2 min of video, you used the nail clipper for a better finishing 😀
lol I get more comments about clipping my nails than I'd like to admit, but at least this ones positive!
I've thought about also building a lightsaber, but it seems you are connecting 9V directly to the led strip. Won't this damage the LEDs?
Yeah I haven't had any trouble with it, but it could have longer-term consequences as it's outside of what's recommended. If you wanted to do like a battery holder with 3 AAs or AAAs (for a total of 4.5V) that would probably be better.
I'm also hoping to work something out with rechargeable 18650 batteries, but as they have a voltage of 3.7V that may be a bit tricky. (I might do something with two of them, 7.4V, but that takes a bit of space.)
Thanks for your video. I was amazed how coding worked you made it look really easy but the one detail i did not see was the sound. Have consider of making a video how to add sound ?
Thanks! I’m working on a build with sound but getting good quality sound is actually quite difficult! Hopefully soon though!
This is bloody amazing and think you are incredibly talented I doubt I could pull this off even with the tutorial but nevertheless is there away to get audio with smooth swing without paying to much?
Depends on how much is too much! I did a tutorial on how to make it with sound, but it was in the hundreds of dollars: ua-cam.com/video/FhlplOZJapk/v-deo.html
this is awesome! Is there some sort of circuit diagram for me to follow? i wasnt quite able to understand what get soldered where... Thanks!
Not exactly, I've sent what I have to you on Discord. (Feel free to ask if you have any questions on that though!)
WTF with that nail, my guy!?! other than that, all props to you. video's pretty good.
Thanks so much! Don’t worry, I’ve cut my nails since then 😬
The lathe went over my $60 budget. Where did you get on so cheap?
Well I was actually given it, so I guess it fits on the budget, but you don’t need a lathe, you can certainly add details by hand
(I’m no expert, just look at my finished hilt 🤣)
sad that I can't save this video to my watch later/favs to find again
I appreciate it nonetheless! (also why not? they still have a watch later feature I believe)
Can you use one of those recharchable usb batteries used in stuff like airsoft gun? If so do you have a sort of guide showing how on an arduino nano
Yeah you can definitely do that. If you get a USB power bank it would be super easy because you could just plug the Arduino’s USB into that
@@SaberCPP damn you actually replied thank you for the help
Of course, happy to help! Let me know if you need anything else
As soon as I can afford 60 bucks imma do this, the only thing I don't particularly like is the hilt and accent quality but it should be pretty simple to grind out my own using something like aluminum and a Dremel, although it's gonna take ten years lmao. That's fine, it's gonna take forever to save up anyway, I have time to think on it. Anyway, amazing video thank you!
Yeah I was very pressed for time and obviously didn't do the hilt justice. I hope you can make something cool, be sure to let me know if you need any help!
@@SaberCPP i will, thank you! And thank you again for such a great video!
for 60$ you can also get a really nice baselit SRGB lightsaber, not a pixel blade but very fun
@@MarkyJayTX where from? I think I could scrape up sixty bucks in the next few months so
@@misterfedorattv TXQSaber their alibaba store has tons and tons of sabers. I highly recommend any of the SRGB one, they have smooth swing and an sd card slot so you can customize your soundfonts. I have complied a pretty good list of their cheaper options if you wanted suggestions
can you add sound to it like smooth swing
I plan to add a speaker and gyroscope for sound and smooth swing, clash effects, etc. for the next build! It's currently in development so it will be a little bit before that video comes out, but I'm working on it as fast as I can!
@@SaberCPP that would be sick
It is!
you're such a great person
Thank you so much! 😊
Damn bro this is incredible. Very serious questions, how do I get smart like you? Like I want to start to learn how to code and do electronic so I can make cool shit but I honestly don’t even know where to start. Like how did you learn all this stuff?
Thanks so much!
I mostly learned by following UA-cam tutorials and doing tutorial-guided projects. I think my first intro to it was one of the starter kits on inventr.io which came with some pdf tutorials.
An awesome project to check out is the MicroCade, which is the newer version of a little arcade thing I learned a TON of programming on and it comes with a soldering iron, which I definitely recommend getting and learning how to use! It has a bunch of written tutorials and I’ve done a few video tutorials (the tutorials that say 8BitCade and MicroCade are interchangeable, the MicroCade is just newer hardware, same software).
If you’re passionate about it and you just start following projects, learning the basics (I do have an Arduino basics video), you’ll get there faster than you think.
Also let me know if you have any questions or need links to some of this stuff and I’ll be happy to help!
Yoo thanks
Of course! Glad I could help!
Can I program the board with out the breadboard
You don't need the breadboard, I just like to use them for prototyping. Since I've already done the prototyping for this build, you can go straight ahead with the programming and final assembly (soldering, etc.)
Really good vidéo
Thanks you! I really appreciate it!
okay, i have completed the saber by following your instruction❤, can you show me how to make it color white like ahsoka’s
Awesome! Unfortunately white can't be selected through the color wheel system (which is what happens when you double click) but you can just set it as the default color by setting each of the float r, float g, and float b at the top to 255 and then you'll want to remove the if statement in the setup function that goes like if (!(EEPROM.read(0) and so on. (The whole thing from the if to the '}' a few lines below.)
You have to remove that if statement so it doesn't load a different color if you saved one previously.
"Background" music is WAY too loud! It is more like Foreground music and barely audible background voice description. 😢
I know 🤦♂️But I can’t fix it now that it’s uploaded. 😢
Can you put the code in the description fully so I can copy and paste it
I have a link to it in the description but I can see if it will fit, I believe there’s a limit to how many characters you can have
The LED strips say that anything over 5V will damage them, but you are sending 9V to them, correct?
Correct. I don't think I've had any issues, but there could be more long term problems. If you can supply something closer to 5V, better safe than sorry. If not, I mean, it's working fine for me!
Quick question: can we ad a speaker for the sound effects?
Yes!
But you do have to keep in mind that the Arduino doesn’t really have enough storage for sounds or enough power for even a pretty small speaker. I recommend using a DFPlayer module that can hold an SD full of sounds and can also drive a 3W speaker and combining that with a small round 3W speaker.
I actually did a video on that pretty recently if you want to check it out
Awesome project! I have searched for something like this for a long time, and finally found it! I do have one problem though. My LED:s just don't seem to be as bright as they could get... How could i potentially fix this?
Thanks! Try changing the FastLED.setBrightness(64) to 255 instead of 64.
@@SaberCPP Thanks! I will try that!
A little over 60 but thats on me bc i bought some misc stuff 😅🎉
awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
Is there a place i can copy the code?
Yeah it should be in the description, if not: ua-cam.com/users/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazJHUFNmTEtLRUN3dURsekl2eG1hdmxsMm9kd3xBQ3Jtc0tucThDNVpWblI2U1FqeW04V0Y5OER6dUd4amlnYkpDM0p1TExqZGdEM2p4dEtjSzJ4aTlzVFJuSkpkdnZnclhDbDZwaDdNU2k5Sm5MSXZwWlgxMzM3dV9sVGh5bDMtdXMzSzJxWHZjUjQ4cDI0aUs0Yw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2FD4Q2%2FRedSaberLightSaber%2Fblob%2Fmain%2FFinalLightsaberCode.ino&v=ZKYb_dgEIXs
@@SaberCPPit is i didnt see it lol
@@calebsmith4455 Yeah no worries!
Yes please
Thanks!
the button cover you talked about? im currently building a lightsaber hilt and i cant fihure out how the button works... and i can still take the hilt out of my hilt yk
For this one I used a button like this: amzn.to/3Lvq7Ml (affiliate, though I assume you already have this)
and then I glued a piece of paper (painted) onto that and the hilt on both sides of it, so the button was invisible but you could press the paper and it had enough flex to press the button.
will a motion sensor fit? and whats a good speaker for it?
I think this video about making a saber with sound will answer both questions: ua-cam.com/video/FhlplOZJapk/v-deo.html
BUT if you don't feel like watching it,
a) a motion sensor will certainly fit, I recommend the MPU 6050, a popular gyroscope to use with Arduino (like this: amzn.to/3MM3hRc)
b) you can use any speaker that will fit in the hilt, but you need to find a speaker driver board that can power it, I used this speaker driver: amzn.to/3zbAsLb with this little 3 watt speaker from The Custom Saber Shop: www.thecustomsabershop.com/Electronics/Speakers/22mm-Speakers/3w-22mm-Speaker (there are plenty of options on Amazon as well, but since I was ordering a few things from TCSS already and they had a very powerful speaker that was this small, I went with this one and was not disappointed)
edit: added links, these links are affiliate links so I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you if you do end up using one of them.
There are actually two neopixel lightsabers on Amazon. One for $61 and the other for $89.
Lightsabers yes, neopixel I don't think so. NeoPixel sabers are the ones where you've got the RGB LEDs all the way down the blade so you can create some cool effects like the activation/deactivation going up/down the blade or just the different LEDs of the blade being slightly different and changing to create more lightsaber-like effects (and the light is really even).
Most cheap lightsabers have an in-hilt LED, which is great for dueling (you're much less likely to damage an LED in the hilt than you are a bunch of LEDs in the blade) but the lighting is less even and you don't have the cool effects.
So if you don't want to make a lightsaber, those might be good options for you to buy, but you can make a saber for less that has better lighting.
@@SaberCPP there are actually 3 pixel sabers on Amazon. I own two of them. One I did a video review on, and another one coming up. They are not base-RGB. They have animated pixels within the blade. They do have limitations for their price compared to a Xeno or SN, including it's non-removeable blade. But they are indeed budget pixel sabers. The cheapest one went down to $44 during Prime Day. The blade brightness is indistinguishable from any solid blade style from a xenopixel.
@@LightsaberCulture I stand corrected. Very interesting and definitely quite competitive to what I made here, especially when on sale! Nice video too.
@@SaberCPP no worries! Just been exploring the pixel sabers at the lowest costs simply for the interest.
@@LightsaberCulture Yeah awesome!
what would you add to the code (and the saber) if you wanted sound for ignition and turning it off? no need for the other sounds, just want to know how to do that.
as well, would an arduino uno work (and what changes to the breadboard would you have to make)? i only have experience with those but i dont mind buying the tiny or nano if you think it wouldnt work well.
The second question is easy: the Arduino UNO and Nano are basically the same thing just in a different shape, so if you can somehow fit an UNO into your hilt, you can use it just the same as you would the Nano. Also your experience with the UNO will pretty much carry over to the Nano, as it has the same controller, the same number of pins (I believe), etc.
The difficulty with adding sound is that the Arduino isn't very well equipped to play sound out of itself (it doesn't have enough power, it has limited storage, and it just isn't designed very well for sound). So you typically want to get something like the DFPlayer (Item: amzn.to/4dW956Y Tutorial/Example: maker.pro/arduino/projects/how-to-use-the-dfmini-player-mp3-module-with-arduino) that can take sound from an SD card and play it on a speaker. Then all the Arduino has to do is tell the DFPlayer what track to play when it's time to play something.
Hope that helps!
@@SaberCPP alright thank you! thats very helpful
what would be a good cheap solution to adding sound to this i was personally thinking using an esp32 dev board as they have wifi for remote sound upload and if you could make an image for it that does the lights sounds and possible clash effects that has its own wifi network (similar to wled) then possibly hooking up a speaker to it im not as experianced with making programs for them though was thinking maybe you knew of a good image or library to make this a reality
I responded over on Discord (it's much too long and too many links to send here)
Ok question: why do we need the second on/off switch? And is it possible to modify this build to work without it?
One of the switches is for power and the other is for control, so the power switch keeps battery from being wasted and the other switch allows you to have the LEDs animate up and down the blade and change color.
You could have a momentary switch be used for power with a little PCB that makes it act like a latching switch and then also be connected to the Arduinos data, try searching something like this on Google/Amazon: ‘momentary to latching converter’. You need to find one of those where a tap won’t turn it off/on, only a hold, so that you can have holding bturn the saber on/off and tap to animate the blade or double tap to change color.
What’s the program you used for the programming and is it free?
Yeah it's the Arduino IDE and it's free! You can get it here: www.arduino.cc/en/software
@@SaberCPP Thank you! You are so underrated earned a new sub👍
@@BerttheNonsolid Thank YOU! I really appreciate that!
How long did it take you to complete this great project?
Well, this is my third lightsaber, so the design certainly took a while, but once you know the process and components, it can be done in a day or even a few hours.
@@SaberCPP ok Nice thanks
Basic question but how did you connect the switch to the wires while prototyping?
While prototyping, I think I just didn't, I just had the wires connected to be constantly powering the Arduino and LEDs.
You code for purpose but why not just add the EEPROM.read values together and test once for zero? efficiency means something too. But I grew up in the 8 bit computing era... memory conservation and code efficiency meant a LOT. And things were ROCK SOLID in software too. We've devolved so badly over the years.... use and waste all of the RAM, "reboot" to solve the abused of resources problem! It's insanity.
I actually thought that myself, but we don't want to skip loading the color if only one or two of them are zero, because then we'd miss saved colors like red (255,0,0) or yellow (255,255,0) or so many more.
Software bloat is a big problem though, we really could do so much more with the hardware we have (some companies do better at this) 🤣
@@SaberCPP Addiing without carry is just logical ORing. Just OR the values. Anything non-zero will appear in a single 8 bit value. It won't be missed and would serve the purpose of having a single compare operation over three separate compares.
I have a boss that grew up in the bloat era. I made the argument that if a bug can be fixed, it can be avoided. He responded with some cost-benefit garbage. People have grown accustomed to bad software and instable systems. My truck has a touch panel all programmed with the functions and features. But because a bunch of people who code in high level languages and have no idea what the machines actually do produce results that require rebooting. Twice, so far, I have had to reboot my truck's console display just to get it back working again. How long before this happens to the engine controls? I imagine it's already happening.
Even back in the 80s, people said "if architects built the way programmers code, civilization would collapse in a day." They aren't wrong. And increasingly instability is the norm and serves as a way to sell MORE things to replace the old ones the makers refuse to update. We're all growing more and more stupid. Incredibly so. Dangerously so. Most people in the US would 100% starve if we lost power for an extended period of time.
@@erroneus00 Oh add them and check yeah I misunderstood. Good point, that would be more efficient. Didn't even think of it!
i'm not clearly understand how the light could travel from the hilt to the top when two strips have different arrow directions, do we need to solder the end of the arrow line ( which is the female connector you desolder at 13:06) to the hilt male connector? what should i do with that? i'm really scared to mess this up, i hope you will answer my question. Love your work man
You have two options: the one I went with in the video is to solder the arrows so the go up the blade on one side and then back down on the other. Then all of the LEDs are in order so the Arduino can control them.
The other option is to have both strips with arrows pointing to the tip and solder the wires from the Arduino to both strips. Then both strips will do the exact same thing (as they receive the same data) which is fine because both sides of the blade should do the same thing
@@SaberCPP thank you for the explanation
Could you maybe make an updated part list since some of the links are not working?
Thanks for pointing that out! I've updated them, they should work now!
@@SaberCPP Thank you so much, now I can finally order the parts and start the series :D
@@70aon Awesome! Let me know over on Discord if you need any help or to show off your lightsaber once you finish it!
@@SaberCPP Sure! Ill probably already need help before ordering the parts since im buying them from Germanys amazon since it has cheaper shipping to here lol
@@70aon yeah!
This was really cool right up until you started hot gluing pieces of paper onto the PVC tube….
Why not to spend another 10-40 bucks for a metal tube, Greeblies, paint and 3-D print a chassy for the guts? This could have been a hellavuh a lot cooler. And I’m sure half the stuff you could scrap to save money. I’m all for DIY, but then there is DIWHY…..this is right on the cusp of why?
With your knowledge on how to program the board, I would like to see what you could actually do if you put in some real work on the hilt. Because honestly, if you could make a Neo pixel Lightsaber that you could duel (
Well this was sort of my quick prototype and then I went on to spend months building one including sound (the video is up now if you wanna take a look) but I kind of like the idea of a super budget whacking stick and a more expensive saber with sound
As for the hilt, I was trying to get the videos out on time and yeah it was rather disastrous…
I want a neopixel lightsaber so bad but considering I'm in middle school I can't sodder or understand any programming. I also don't want to buy a neopixel lightsaber considering the cheapest good one seems to be 160 dollars by imperial workshop. Idk what to do, make one or buy one. Any recommendations on what to do or if there are cheaper good neopixel lightsabers available.
Yeah neopixel lightsabers are super expensive, that’s why I made these (I’m actually surprised by the one on Imperial Workshop, might be the cheapest I’ve seen). I would definitely recommend making one if you can find someone to do the soldering, I also recently did a video on some other ways to make cheap sabers without soldering (not neopixel, but pretty good and cheap too), if you want to check it out: ua-cam.com/video/dzagQAo-MQ0/v-deo.htmlsi=1yBq4FVaZv1TcHtI
@@SaberCPP thanks so much for the reply. That helps a lot.
MANY of the online sellers are actually resellers, you can get a pixel lightsaber with a simple hilt for around 100$ [shipping included]
also if you are worried about toughness, you might want to consider a baselit. you can get a solid baselit SRGB saber for about 60$
If you want to make a baselit, you can do that for like $40 (I have a video on it and I’m sure you could find others with a quick search)
I’m trying to do it double sided, do i just run two boards or run two blades in parallel?
Yeah you can control two blades with one board, but you’ll probably need/want more power for double the LEDs. (And of course you’ll have to modify the program a bit)
Is it problem if LED type i bought is WS2812B. The code does not work for me sadly. It starts to blink on both ends of the LED strip as soon as i switch ON/OFF button. And the button for effects does not seem to work. Some advice? :(
WS2812B is fine, that’s what most of them are!
As for the specific problem, I haven’t seen that before but I would try running an example program and see if that works. You can get one by going (in the Arduino IDE) to File>Examples>FastLED>DemoReel100
This should light up 100 LEDs. If it doesn’t, you’ll know it’s a wiring issue (maybe with the wires going to the LEDs) and not anything with the program.
If it does work, it could be a problem with the program or the button wiring
Feel free to join the Discord so we can communicate more easily if you need more help troubleshooting this: discord.gg/uj7yGF7eVK
I followed your steps for setting up testing on the breadboard. The LED strip will not light up except for one LED at the very base of the strip where the connector is, but only for about 5 seconds when the switch is flipped before it fades out. Pressing the button doesnt do anything either, Im not sure what Im missing, any advice?
I would try using one of the example programs (you can get them by going to File>Examples>DemoReel100 or whatever the name of the example you want to try is). Upload that and if it works, it must be a program issue, if it doesn't, it's a wiring issue. That'll help us narrow down the problem.
Also, it may be easier to communicate on Discord if you want to do that: discord.gg/qcpKpWedmj
@Saber C++
how long was the batterie running?
About an hour
Hey, is it possible to use this design for a crossguard lightsaber? I'm not that technologically inclined so i'm just wondering if the tiny can take 3 rgb strips or some cheaper alternative.
Yeah you definitely can! The LED strips can be cut so you can take two 1 meter led strips and cut four 5 inch cross guard strips and two 30 inch main blade strips!
I did another saber build more recently with that design (and sound, but that adds a bit of cost)
@@SaberCPP Omg i was not expecting a response, thank you. I did see that video, but i'm trying to keep costs down atm since i'm aiming for a splitsaber design and i don't really have $400 to spend. Thank you so much for the reply.
Of course! Yeah you shouldn’t need to spend any extra on LEDs because you already have to get 2 meters for this project t anyways.
What will cost extra is covering those LEDs with blades, because you’ll need around 40” of blade for what I did in that video. There is a store called TCSS that sells 40 inch blades but you do have to cut it up yourself and it costed me I think like $20 for the blade, maybe $10 for the diffusers (1 foam diffuser and 1 plastic diffuser) and $10.50 for the tips, so a bit more expensive than a $15 blade off Ultrasabers
@@SaberCPP Thank you, you've saved me a ton of trouble, have a great day
What about programming a rainbowed blade?
It's actually quite easy. I did that on an LED strip in this video here: ua-cam.com/video/lILwrXv2VMk/v-deo.html (WARNING: I made this video a while ago, so the quality is, let's just say, a bit lower 😳. If it doesn't make sense, feel free to ask me anything or join the Discord so we can talk easier and I can send code and stuff: discord.gg/QuARc66rAE)
I have a problem and that is that when I connect the button to pin 4, the leds start to turn off and on again and again, the only way I can make it stop is by connecting the button to pin 3, but this doesn't work.
It sounds like you might've connected the button with the 5V wire going to the wrong place so port 4 is constantly getting a positive signal, which would cause the lightsaber to think it should activate and deactivate over and over again. I don't know how easy it is to see, but the button should be like this (Button: [()], Button lead: |)
| |(Maybe GND Resistor)
[()]
5V| |SIGNAL PORT
Sorry about the drawing, I can explain better with a picture on Discord server or something.
@SaberCPP Do you have a Discord server? An image would help me a lot as a guide now, since I still have this problem and I am already in the assembly section and I still cannot correct this problem
Hey@@vegelgamer8568, did you find a solution to this one. I am doing this project now and I have the same happening.
🤯 yeah coding is little bit out of my league but great video.
Thanks! Don't be intimidated by the code though, with a little practice you'll be writing the programs without even thinking about it!
When I was looking online with what you recommended the total price I'm looking at is almost $150 did I do something wrong?
I was not looking at the grab bags and I also had the price of a soldering iron added in, your price is still slightly off but not nearly as high as mine
Yeah it will probably cost more than $60 buying just 1, I tend to get packs and stuff which bring down the price, and with Ultrasabers I try to buy enough grab bag blades or whatever to get free shipping ($50+ gets free shipping) because their shipping is SUPER expensive
I also didn’t include the soldering iron (or any tools at all) so it will cost more if you don’t have those
And it’s possible prices have gone up, they tend to do that and I haven’t bought supplies for one of these in a while
It's terrible on how in France all these items cost twice to 3 times the prices listed in that video.
Really?! That’s unfortunate…
@@SaberCPP just imagine the polycarbonate tube is around 30 euros on amazon, plus the shipping costs (around 12 euros).
For a plastic tube.
@@gaelcross agh!
@@SaberCPP yeah and i just don't know why, here in france it sells for no less than 10 euros in industrial pipe sellers, without taxes or shipping added yet. Afters it still goes at 20-25 euros.
I bought everything needed on Aliexpress but i can't even test anything yet cause the arduino type chip just doesn't want to work with IDE. Yeeey.
@@gaelcross did you see my video on burning the boatloader? That typically works (you do have to have 2 arduinos though)
Hello. I got the materials needed for this build.
Problem is , I can not for the life of me get the ATTINY 88 programed.
Alot of other posts say is trash and others say its the best .
BUT..... i cannot get it to do a simple blink program.
please help..
BTW it seems my computer does not recognize it.
Ok so thé ATTiny88 works a little differently than most Arduinos, you have to install a separate package to interface with it, I believe I have a video about it on the channel which I can try to find for you.
I don’t really recommend the Tiny because of its jankiness and it has very little storage so you may have issues from that…
When i try to make the prototype only 1 led is on, the one just above the connection. And the botton wont work if i press.
There could be a couple of issues here. One possibility is the program could be messed up. To check that you can go to File>Examples>FastLED>DemoReel100 and upload this program, if it works, it'll light up the first 100 LEDs (assuming there are enough).
Another possibility is I've heard of some people having trouble with using 9V, you could try it with 5 or so volts instead if possible.
@@SaberCPP ok thanks, btw is there any problem if I use the oficial nano arduino board?
@@laiasimon2809 Not at all, that would be even better!
Is there an rgb/ baselit with sound version similar to this?
I haven't done an RGB baselit as it wouldn't be very cost effective I don't think, you'd still have to include an Arduino or something to control the colors. I did do a single color baselit once: ua-cam.com/video/07BX3gMovIc/v-deo.htmlsi=msIcGUsnJl9hpgdP
Ok small problem… I only have 2 dollars on my Amazon account
😬
Awesome but how i charge it or change batterie
Fair question
In my care I used a 9V and that wasn’t a great choice
A better option would be to use one of those round USB power banks off Amazon and then you can pull it out and charge it very easily
Ok but can you make video about it I’m suck at it (I’m still 13 lol)
@@Rachakitsangthong which part seems to be the problem?
for the USB power bank, all you do is take the cable you use to program your arduino and connect the power banks USB port to the Arduino's USB connector and you have power!
for a 9V you will need to solder, but you just want to take the wires from your 9V battery clip and solder the red one to the VIN pin on the arduino and the black one any of the GND pins on the Arduino
As far as being able to take the battery in and out (to change it) I believe what I did was create a plug with a piece of cardboard that was about the same size as the PVC (so it could slide in and out pretty easily) and then add hot glue around that plug, let it dry (it basically becomes a rubbery seal) and then it was a nice, tight-fitting plug that would stay in the saber pretty well.
does any of that help?
Ty
The LEDs don't bright as Much as we expected when we puted the foam, any tip?
Well you can use as little foam as possible while making sure the LEDs aren’t individually visible from outside the blade and you can change the BRIGHTNESS variable I. The code up to 255, though the actual brightness will depend on how much your battery can supply AND cranking this up will drain your battery.
@@SaberCPP did you use 255 brightness as well on the video? We are using the same LEDs as you.
@@marsi1084 I think I used 64. It's also possible your power source can't provide enough power for the LEDs, which would cause them to be dimmer. What are you using for power?
@@SaberCPP a 9v battery from Amazon basics
@@marsi1084 yeah that's the same as I was using. I'd make sure you're using a fresh one, but other than that it's important to note that sabers do tend to look better on camera, so you could compare a video of yours to the video of mine.
What’s the average inside diameter of the hilt you find works best?
Usually it's around 1 inch, but the bigger it is the easier to work with, and I have done some a little smaller than 1 inch. Of course, it's hard to have a hilt with an outer diameter of more than 1.25 or 1.5 inches without it looking silly, so you kind of have to strike a balance between style and the difficulty/possibility of cramming electronics into your hilt.
make the music louder pls
yeah sorry, this is the best video I've made and it's drowned out by music 😢
Is there any code to make the led orange?
So the double click will make it go thru the colors and you can select orange or (if you haven’t uploaded the code and saved the color to EEPROM yet) you could set the default color to like 255, 165, 0 which is orange
Thanks I really appreciate
@@sillyboz0 Of course!
I don’t have a sauturer is there an alternative
I don't think so, unfortunately. However, you can pick up a good one for as low as $40, here's my preference: amzn.to/48gQBL4
(Note: it's an affiliate link, so if you do end up buying that one, I may get a small bonus at no extra cost to you. But if you want to buy a different one, that's perfectly fine too.)
How long does It take to upload the program in the Arduino nano board?
Not very long, you just have to download it from the link, open in the Arduino IDE, hit upload, and it'll verify and upload in like less than 10 seconds probably, it's not very big.
i know nothing about coding but i want to make this, can you send the arduino code pls?
Yes it’s linked in the description!
I followed the whole process step by step but the LEDs burn out after a few minutes. Has this problem happened to anyone and if so is there a solution to resolve it? I thank you
What do you mean by burn out? Like are they permanently damaged?
I'm sorry I actually burned the LEDs once because I had reversed a connection but now it works perfectly. Thanks again for your great video.😀
@@AlexisK-un7kx Of course, happy to help! Glad it's working now!
Hey, I may be a little late to ask this but I have a question. I followed through the tutorial and I used the code from the description. I have ws2812 leds (not quite as many per meter as this is all I had) but for some reason when I turn it all on and hit the button, only a few lights come on and they're stuck on orange. I can't even get them to turn off without turning off the main power switch. Any ideas on how to make this work better?
Hmmm. I'd try using one of the examples (in the Arduino IDE go to File>Examples>FastLED and pick like DemoReel100). This'll narrow it down: if it works, you know it's an issue with the program. If it doesn't, it's probably a physical/wiring issue.
It'll be easier to communicate and figure this out on Discord, if you want to join the server: discord.gg/N6zuUuTRUg
Was this only when connected to an external power supply?
If so that is the problem I am running into atm
@@maverickbeckmann9220 Mine worked when connected to the computer or an external power supply (though I believe I only tested with AA batteries and 9V batteries), but when the batteries are close to dead they don't really produce the proper results, so definitely make sure you're using batteries with enough charge.
Do you think running it off of a 9V battery would be better than using a external power bank straight to the port on the arduino? @@SaberCPP
@@maverickbeckmann9220 Probably not. What are the specs of the power bank?
Can I use neopixel led strips please
Yeah for sure. I just used an off brand version of the same thing because it’s cheaper!
@@SaberCPP also I don’t have a soderer and I’m inexperienced in this field. Would you say the process is difficult
@@marleygraybay431 Not really difficult, per se, but it may take some time to learn the skill of soldering, just like learning to sew or something would take time.
@@SaberCPP okay thanks for help I might leave the saber with the slow animation because it looks cleaner
@@marleygraybay431 Yeah that's cool too. A lot of people prefer slower!
The music is too loud!
Yeah I know 🤦♂️ I wish I could fix it now…
MUSIC IS TOOOOOO LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, sorry about that, I’d like to change it but YT doesn’t allow you to change after upload 😭
Dude, I can barely hear you over your own backing music.
Yeah, I know 😔. Wish I could edit it…
60 dollar maybe if you work for free, but time equals money, so probably not only 60 dollars. 😀
Yeah, that’s why it costs $500-$2500 to buy one! 😅
@@SaberCPP Yeah, I work as CNC programmer/operator, so I know how long time it takes to build something from zero to final product, sometimes even months and you are hoping that someone will be buying that product to pay for time you spent by developing it. 🙂
Exactly!