Tengen Toppa Angel X
Knight Arbiter
Force Alignment: 38
Posts: 285
Logan Salazar - Tengen Toppa Angel X - Ultra 2
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« on: May 10, 2017, 09:30:37 PM » |
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I recently bought a Catalyst with the Diamond Controller. I just got it today and I love it! I'll do a review on it later, but one thing I was considering was swapping the emitter to make it a little more personal. However, I have heard things about the saber and its compatibility with certain emitters. I've heard something along the lines that the lens for the LED is located in the choke point I just was wondering what emitters that US sells work well with the Catalyst? Thank you!
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"Beneath the light....comes judgement!" - Cecil Harvey
Lightside points please
owned sabers:
Prophecy - Consular Green MR Darth Maul (converted) MR Luke ROTJ (converted) ForceFX Luke ESB Black Series Catalyst - Diamond Controller
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James Casey
Forum Watchman
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: 1510
Posts: 5981
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« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2017, 10:56:03 PM » |
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The Dark Catalyst would be fine... It's probably useful to touch on the anatomy of the Catalysts' emitters here. The lens is glued into the pronged part of the emitter. The LED sits on its heat sink at the top of the choke section, held in place by the pronged emitter. Catalyst LED coming out of choke, standard US MLS unit on top Breakdown of typical US MLS (top)/LED (bottom) units - casing holds the lens while the LED itself sits on the heat sink. That screws into the bottom of the casing, pressing the lens against the upper rim of the casing I'm guessing that without the lens, the light wouldn't be focused enough to illuminate the full length of the blade. If you want a different emitter, you may need to replace the whole LED unit, which may mean replacing the choke, or at least fitting a spacer section between the choke and emitter or the choke and lower part of the hilt (there isn't enough space in the hilt to accommodate a standard US MLS unit. Maybe an LED unit, as they're narrower - I'll try and check tomorrow, but I doubt it). As you have a Diamond Catalyst, I suspect you don't have quick disconnects on the LED unit, so you'd have to cut the wires to the LED to connect the new LED. In short, it's not the easiest thing to do! You'd end up with something like this: The other option would be to get a replacement emitter and glue a lens in place. You may be able to take the lens out of the Catalyst emitter by melting the glue (I think a hot hair drier may be hot enough?) and install it in place of the pronged part, or just buy one separately (I think US uses the same lens as in the LED/MLS units, but can't swear to it) . It would have to sit close to the bulb on the LED, possibly even flush to the surface of it, but it's hard to say if there's contact as there's no way to see through the wall of the hilt once it's assembled, of course! I've taken a couple of photos of a disassembled Catalyst that I'll upload and show tomorrow, but it's a bit late here so I'll leave it for tonight. But, yeah, the Dark Catalyst emitter would be fine...
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"I'll split this world open and tear down the sky before I let him come to even the slightest harm."
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Jediseth
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: 828
Posts: 1551
"If I told you, you wouldn't like it." Han Solo
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« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2017, 11:12:02 PM » |
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Hey James is that grip section you posted on that picture a 4 piece Arbiter grip section? I about crapped myself thinking there's another 4 piece saber I didn't know about.
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Guardian : GB, FOC Red, V4, 11-15 Reaper: V4, BR, 4-17 Chosen One CE : Emerald, V4, 12-15 Consular: Emerald V4, 1-16 Manticore: BR, FOC Orange, QD, V4, 11-16 Monarch: Emerald, V4, 2016 Autumn Raffle -1st Arbiter: V4, SD, Silver FOC, QD, 3-17 Archon V2.1, Diamond, 4-17
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Tengen Toppa Angel X
Knight Arbiter
Force Alignment: 38
Posts: 285
Logan Salazar - Tengen Toppa Angel X - Ultra 2
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« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2017, 11:17:01 PM » |
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The Dark Catalyst would be fine... It's probably useful to touch on the anatomy of the Catalysts' emitters here. The lens is glued into the pronged part of the emitter. The LED sits on its heat sink at the top of the choke section, held in place by the pronged emitter. Catalyst LED coming out of choke, standard US MLS unit on top Breakdown of typical US MLS (top)/LED (bottom) units - casing holds the lens while the LED itself sits on the heat sink. That screws into the bottom of the casing, pressing the lens against the upper rim of the casing I'm guessing that without the lens, the light wouldn't be focused enough to illuminate the full length of the blade. If you want a different emitter, you may need to replace the whole LED unit, which may mean replacing the choke, or at least fitting a spacer section between the choke and emitter or the choke and lower part of the hilt (there isn't enough space in the hilt to accommodate a standard US MLS unit. Maybe an LED unit, as they're narrower - I'll try and check tomorrow, but I doubt it). As you have a Diamond Catalyst, I suspect you don't have quick disconnects on the LED unit, so you'd have to cut the wires to the LED to connect the new LED. In short, it's not the easiest thing to do! You'd end up with something like this: The other option would be to get a replacement emitter and glue a lens in place. You may be able to take the lens out of the Catalyst emitter by melting the glue (I think a hot hair drier may be hot enough?) and install it in place of the pronged part, or just buy one separately (I think US uses the same lens as in the LED/MLS units, but can't swear to it) . It would have to sit close to the bulb on the LED, possibly even flush to the surface of it, but it's hard to say if there's contact as there's no way to see through the wall of the hilt once it's assembled, of course! I've taken a couple of photos of a disassembled Catalyst that I'll upload and show tomorrow, but it's a bit late here so I'll leave it for tonight. But, yeah, the Dark Catalyst emitter would be fine... I really appreciate all the information here. Thanks a million! I wanna do some minor customization to it, but I'm not sure what yet. One thought was the Dark Catalyst emitter and pommel
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"Beneath the light....comes judgement!" - Cecil Harvey
Lightside points please
owned sabers:
Prophecy - Consular Green MR Darth Maul (converted) MR Luke ROTJ (converted) ForceFX Luke ESB Black Series Catalyst - Diamond Controller
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James Casey
Forum Watchman
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: 1510
Posts: 5981
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« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2017, 06:42:03 AM » |
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Hey James is that grip section you posted on that picture a 4 piece Arbiter grip section? I about crapped myself thinking there's another 4 piece saber I didn't know about.
That's exactly what it is. I got mine 2-3 years back, never got around to getting the Arbiter piece, sadly.
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"I'll split this world open and tear down the sky before I let him come to even the slightest harm."
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Jediseth
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: 828
Posts: 1551
"If I told you, you wouldn't like it." Han Solo
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« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2017, 03:04:36 PM » |
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I would love to get one, unfortunately they are discontinued.
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Guardian : GB, FOC Red, V4, 11-15 Reaper: V4, BR, 4-17 Chosen One CE : Emerald, V4, 12-15 Consular: Emerald V4, 1-16 Manticore: BR, FOC Orange, QD, V4, 11-16 Monarch: Emerald, V4, 2016 Autumn Raffle -1st Arbiter: V4, SD, Silver FOC, QD, 3-17 Archon V2.1, Diamond, 4-17
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James Casey
Forum Watchman
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: 1510
Posts: 5981
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« Reply #6 on: May 11, 2017, 09:36:48 PM » |
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I really appreciate all the information here. Thanks a million! I wanna do some minor customization to it, but I'm not sure what yet. One thought was the Dark Catalyst emitter and pommel No problem, here's the extra photos I took: Catalyst LED in situ. Note that the wires go to the pads around the edge of the 'star'. I assume it's the same for a Diamond setup, but don't have one myself. Catalyst LED. This has no casing, just an extra-wide heat sink. With the lens in place. It sits on the black square around the LED's bulb, so shouldn't (I think) cause any damage with an emitter screwed in on top of it. Oh, and as an idea:
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"I'll split this world open and tear down the sky before I let him come to even the slightest harm."
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Corwyn VonBeck
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: -340
Posts: 1071
Grey Knight
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« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2017, 11:03:43 PM » |
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Nicely done James, thanks for that!
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JaceLansing
Knight Lance Corporal
Force Alignment: 28
Posts: 59
"Your expectations aren't my responsibilities"
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« Reply #8 on: June 13, 2019, 04:17:50 AM » |
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The Dark Catalyst would be fine... It's probably useful to touch on the anatomy of the Catalysts' emitters here. The lens is glued into the pronged part of the emitter. The LED sits on its heat sink at the top of the choke section, held in place by the pronged emitter. Catalyst LED coming out of choke, standard US MLS unit on top Breakdown of typical US MLS (top)/LED (bottom) units - casing holds the lens while the LED itself sits on the heat sink. That screws into the bottom of the casing, pressing the lens against the upper rim of the casing I'm guessing that without the lens, the light wouldn't be focused enough to illuminate the full length of the blade. If you want a different emitter, you may need to replace the whole LED unit, which may mean replacing the choke, or at least fitting a spacer section between the choke and emitter or the choke and lower part of the hilt (there isn't enough space in the hilt to accommodate a standard US MLS unit. Maybe an LED unit, as they're narrower - I'll try and check tomorrow, but I doubt it). As you have a Diamond Catalyst, I suspect you don't have quick disconnects on the LED unit, so you'd have to cut the wires to the LED to connect the new LED. In short, it's not the easiest thing to do! You'd end up with something like this: The other option would be to get a replacement emitter and glue a lens in place. You may be able to take the lens out of the Catalyst emitter by melting the glue (I think a hot hair drier may be hot enough?) and install it in place of the pronged part, or just buy one separately (I think US uses the same lens as in the LED/MLS units, but can't swear to it) . It would have to sit close to the bulb on the LED, possibly even flush to the surface of it, but it's hard to say if there's contact as there's no way to see through the wall of the hilt once it's assembled, of course! I've taken a couple of photos of a disassembled Catalyst that I'll upload and show tomorrow, but it's a bit late here so I'll leave it for tonight. But, yeah, the Dark Catalyst emitter would be fine... This is great! Just what I was looking for. Thank you. Points given. lol
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« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2019, 12:38:49 PM » |
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The Dark Catalyst would be fine... It's probably useful to touch on the anatomy of the Catalysts' emitters here. The lens is glued into the pronged part of the emitter. The LED sits on its heat sink at the top of the choke section, held in place by the pronged emitter. Catalyst LED coming out of choke, standard US MLS unit on top Breakdown of typical US MLS (top)/LED (bottom) units - casing holds the lens while the LED itself sits on the heat sink. That screws into the bottom of the casing, pressing the lens against the upper rim of the casing I'm guessing that without the lens, the light wouldn't be focused enough to illuminate the full length of the blade. If you want a different emitter, you may need to replace the whole LED unit, which may mean replacing the choke, or at least fitting a spacer section between the choke and emitter or the choke and lower part of the hilt (there isn't enough space in the hilt to accommodate a standard US MLS unit. Maybe an LED unit, as they're narrower - I'll try and check tomorrow, but I doubt it). As you have a Diamond Catalyst, I suspect you don't have quick disconnects on the LED unit, so you'd have to cut the wires to the LED to connect the new LED. In short, it's not the easiest thing to do! You'd end up with something like this: The other option would be to get a replacement emitter and glue a lens in place. You may be able to take the lens out of the Catalyst emitter by melting the glue (I think a hot hair drier may be hot enough?) and install it in place of the pronged part, or just buy one separately (I think US uses the same lens as in the LED/MLS units, but can't swear to it) . It would have to sit close to the bulb on the LED, possibly even flush to the surface of it, but it's hard to say if there's contact as there's no way to see through the wall of the hilt once it's assembled, of course! I've taken a couple of photos of a disassembled Catalyst that I'll upload and show tomorrow, but it's a bit late here so I'll leave it for tonight. But, yeah, the Dark Catalyst emitter would be fine... Thank you for this JC. This has been very informatice. I've never seen the twisted construction of this saber before. It's a bit disheartening that the MHS really only applies to the pommel.
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Sig by For Tyeth...the Force shall set me free. Arsenal: (* w/ sound) Scorpion*(BR) Emerald Mantis CE* Chosen One*(BR) Shock LE*(FO) Archon V2.1*(CG) Dk Prophecy(BR){Thanks Qui-Lar} Menace CE staff*(BH) Flamberge CE*(BR) Initiate LE V2(BR) Dk Initiate V3(CG) Manticore CE*(SY) Dominix LE V3(AB) Bellicose*(GB) Dk Arbiter*(VA) Dominix V4(BR) Emperor's Hand*(DVA) Aeon V4(GB) Dk Initiate V4 (HP) Project:BOOYA!
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« Reply #10 on: June 13, 2019, 02:09:40 PM » |
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Thanks James! I've thought about playing with the emitter on my own DC, and now I know that if I do, I need to get a lens as well. :-)
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signature picture by DarthScrub Master Singer of the Mak'Tor
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firehand10k
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: 388
Posts: 1324
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« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2019, 03:54:34 AM » |
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This is interesting to know. When I do get a catalyst I'll have to change up that LED mounting. Thanks for sharing the info.
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Have: Azure Reaper Crimson Scorpion Aeon LE V4 pair Monarch Azure Omen Mantis Manticore CE Guardian Chosen One Graflex Menace staff Sentinel V4 staff Zweihander Shark Bane Brood Guard
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Therion Jinn
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: -1426
Posts: 4429
May The Force Serve You Well
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« Reply #12 on: June 15, 2019, 02:16:31 AM » |
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TCSS flips the holder the other way. Works as a much better setup, and you can make the US LED and heat sink work with the TCSS holders juct fine. Did it with both Therion's Wrath, and with Kyrathalia's Drathcry
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KaiserSosay
Duke of the Diamond Order
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: -839
Posts: 2033
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« Reply #13 on: June 16, 2019, 10:01:42 PM » |
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I just now saw this thread. Here are my pictures and experience with the dark catalyst. I bought mine as an empty hilt and intended to put a emerald driver in it. I ran into trouble because none of the led housings would fit. I didn't like how small the neck was any ways so I switched emitters. Everything in this thread has been very informative to me. So thank you everyone! I was wondering what was up with this saber. The distance between the switch and the emitter threads do not allow enough room for an led housing. Simple solution, get an extension piece. The one you see in picture two is off of a renegade saber. Ultra Sabers hooked me up with that piece. That did the trick for me! I can use any emitter with it now. Another solution is the emitter you decide upon and which led housing you use. The smallest led housing ultasabers sell also worked for me, if I used the war glaive emitter. The emitter is long enough for the blade and the Led to fit in. Last is a bit of info on led housings. UltraSabers offers two types of housings. The small, no flange housing that fits in the war glaive emitter and the one with the flange on the top of it (pictured earlier by the switch). TCSS sell a few different types now. They have a small no flange housing. The metal thickness and quality is a joke compared to Ultrasaber's version. The flanged version TCSS sells is pretty good quality, but the flang is at the bottom and because of that rattles in my sabers. I personally prefer the Ultrasaber led housing. The thicker the housing, the better the heat dissipation. The last photo is my TCSS led housing that I do not use.
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