Saber Forum

There are two requests in the Obsidian Order regarding making the Diamond Controller more user friendly.  These requests have gone unanswered in the threads they were asked.  I've also sent an email to US customer support on the subject and did not receive a reply.

1) There is a thread (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=34478.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=34478.0)) which has the links for downloading various default color packages.  However, some colors don't have links, and some are entirely missing from the list.  These were posted on March 15, and the request to include links for all default colors was on May 5.  As it stands now, Sentinel Yellow is entirely missing from the list, and these colors are listed, but have no hyperlink to let us download the appropriate files:
*Orange
*Violet Amethyst
*Sunrider's Destiny
*Bane's Heart
*Hot Pink
*Pyrestone Orange
*Emerald Green

2) Another thread (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=34893.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=34893.0)) requests an express mode for the Diamond Controller launcher.  Something where we can plug in a few variables, such as default color, FoC color, pulse color, and sound font (i.e. Obsidian, Mute, Episode II, etc), with a "write" button that would create the font.  As this is a request that would make the US software much easier to use for the Diamond Controller, it would make simple configurations much quicker to do, and would make the saber customization more accessible to newer users.

I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting the Diamond Saber for the ability to quickly set up several different color combinations (I know I'm not alone because I've seen others request this).  I would like the ability to either download ALL of the default color combinations, or to quickly set up my saber with default sound fonts in different colors.  I'm curious why the links aren't all there in thread #1, and I'm curious to see if we can expect a Diamond Express tab in the US launcher.

You're not alone!

But after this long, I'm starting to feat that the time-frame is never. I've actually been thinking about selling my Diamond Guardian and replacing it with an Emerald version instead. My other Diamond board is sitting in a parts box waiting for a user-friendly update, but I'm thinking I may just sell it off.

Maybe down the road if Diamond ever gets the support and upgrades it needs, I might look at another one. But for now I don't even touch my Guardian because of that voice.

It's a shame that such a powerhouse system is let down by software :(

Same here. I have 4 of them now - 3 last Spring and 1 recently on a crossguard saber. The problem I noticed recently with the crossguard saber is the primary blade isn't as bright as the side blades, and I've confirmed with others that on the Emerald version the primary blade is nice and bright.

The software has been an obstacle for me as well, where while going in to make changes have found myself looking at the Emerald tab and wishing I could change the color and the sound as easily as I could with Emerald. The gesture programming hasn't been important to me as I thought. Rather than sell mine, I'm thinking of sending them all back to be "downgraded". I've gotta wonder that the loss I incur selling them used wouldn't be close to the cost to downgrade. I dunno, for me I just need a simpler, quicker interface and right now Emerald seems to be the answer. That's just me. Like Isola said the Diamond IS a powerhouse, but I just don't have the time to devote to and enjoy Diamond's features, so I've only used my on the default settings they shipped with.

 I guess that answers one question. I'll stick to the basics for now. If I want another color I will just get another saber.

I am going to comment that I will also like updates to the color packages.

Here's a color profile link for Sentinel Yellow, with Yellow pulse, and Emerald Green Flash on Clash:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/id7dz0mw8rz6ns0/Y.Shim.FocEG.pfnt?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/id7dz0mw8rz6ns0/Y.Shim.FocEG.pfnt?dl=0)

Hello everyone,

we'd like to let you know that we took all recommendations quite seriously, thus we are working on updates for both the software and the firmware of the Diamond controller. The estimated time frame would be three-four weeks from now, when testing will be done.
We are addressing a number of requests, the express mode being one of them along side a few others we think you will enjoy: 'Felicia' has been silenced as well a as new live volume control feature would be added. Here's a quick peek at how the volume control should work - http://rsx.ro/tmp/live_volume.mp4 (http://rsx.ro/tmp/live_volume.mp4)

Cheers to all,

Adrian

Awesome!  Thanks for the reply, RSX engineering!

Thanks for the info, Adrian. It's nice to know something is happening to try and fix the issues. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Emerald vs Diamond appeal when they are on a level playing field for ease of use  :)

Thank you, Adrian. Updates like this are always appreciated and this one is particularly encouraging. Thanks for your hard work.

That is great news.  I have not messed around with my diamond much, because it is pretty time intensive for me.  Having express options will be great!

As always, US is really responsive and customer focused!

How close to ready is the update?

Hi everyone,

We are sorry about the delay regarding the release of the new version of the US Launcher.
There is hope, however: we are just applying the finishing touches for the next release, this meaning that the wait is almost over (it's only a matter of days now). The Launcher will feature a new Express Font Wizard for the Diamond controller, a new live volume control feature and a Diamond Controller User Manual. Thank you for your input, understanding and support, it really means a lot to us.

Cheers,
Adrian

Cool. Interested in knowing more about the live volume control feature.

Glad to hear, I'll be downloading it and testing it out

Awesome!  I definitely look forward to trying it out.  Basically, I want to have several color options and a mute option or two for my sabers, and this should do the trick!

This is excellent timing, with my first Diamond saber arriving tomorrow! I'm not afraid to dive into complicated software, but any kind of user-friendly upgrades will help with the ability to just play around and tinker, which is one of my favorite things to do.

Nice. I have got too deep into the old software so I will wait until this one comes out to experiment with sounds and stuff. Thanks for the update. Also, did a search on here and are Gestures necessary to have on when you get into the software or do most turn them off? My AB saber wants to turn red and do some funny stuff from time to time and it is coming from a gesture. Didn't find much in the search I did. Thanks in advance.

I think the overcomplicated software is still going to be great for those who want to be creative with their sound fonts and make their diamond sabers truly their own.

I think the express tab will be great for those like me that simply want to have 9 colors and a mute font with the default sound.

I can't wait to check out the new features for the Diamond Controller software. I have 3 Diamond sabers now and I love them all. I have spent dozens of hours over the past few

 months carefully constructing custom fonts, gestures, and effects for each of my sabers and I am far from done. This has become my number 1 hobby and I really enjoy it.

I have noticed that even after loading 10 large custom fonts, (with big gesture files containing audio clips from the films up to 25 secs in length for each gesture) onto one of my

 Diamond sabers, I still have around 44% of the available memory free.

 I was really hoping a firmware upgrade could open up more font slots on the Diamond Saber. An additional 5-10 slots would allow me to make use of the remaining free memory

 by uploading more fonts to each saber.

Any chance of more font slots making their way onto the Diamond Saber soon? 

More fonts = More fun  :)

All for this.

Just curious, how much does the default font take up?  How about a default mute font?

The default Obsidian font uses  5.56 Mb.
The font can be muted using the new live saber volume in the Launcher's next release.

Cheers,
Adrian

More fun it is: we have prepared 16 slots: 9 having pre-installed fonts plus 7 empty font slots  ;)

Cheers,
Adrian
 

You can enable, disable or delete any gesture using the US Launcher Font Wizard in case they became a nuisance, or you can overwrite a gesture using the on-boar menu.

Cheers,
Adrian

RSX Engineering, do you work for Microsoft?  Because that was a technically correct answer, but it doesn't give me the information I wanted  ;)

I was trying to find out the percentage of space that it takes up on the Diamond board.

(I joke, of course, I love the work you're putting in and that you're communicating with us)

Oh wow! This is excellent news. I'm excited to create and upload more fonts onto my 3 Diamond sabers. With an extra 6 slots to fill on each saber, I think I'll be busy on this for

 quite a while. :)

Thank you very much for being so responsive and answering our questions. I thank you and I'm sure the rest of the community thanks you as well.

By the way. Anybody reading this who is considering buying a saber, you should definitely treat yourself to a Diamond Saber. IMO it is absolutely worth the extra expense for any

saber enthusiast and Star Wars fan. I have my Diamond sabers programmed so that it feels like I am reliving whole scenes from the films as a activate each gesture when I play

with my sabers. Also, with the more simplified Software options about to be released, you probably won't need to be a hardcore nerdy programmer like me to get a lot of extra

enjoyment from your saber with Diamond.

Meaning we can mute the file now on the fly?


This is pretty exciting! Thank you.

Any news on changing the settings for menu voice?

Well, that would be 2.171875 %, given that the board memory size is 256 Mb.  ;)

Cheers,
Adrian

The saber can be completely muted on the fly, or set to a different volume level using the new on-board volume menu feature, which will be accessed by performing a stab gesture while holding down the on/off switch.

As for the Launcher's use, an overall sound volume setting will be available in the Diamond controller Tab. Individual fonts can be muted or disabled (not erased) using the Advanced Font Wizard.

The voice menu can be silenced by pressing once (short press) the on/off switch during while the welcome message (“Welcome to the Diamond controller configuration menu. Rotate the saber clockwise to change the current font or counter clockwise to program a new gesture. To exit this menu, press and hold the switch for three seconds.”) is being played. The saber will enter to silent on-board menu.

Cheers,
Adrian

Will it then STAY in silent menu mode forever so you can juat scroll through like the normal Obsidian boards? Or does this need to be done every. single. time?

This is all so excitng.


I have to second this question/request of Isola815.

With the next firmware release, I am afraid so; the idea is not to confuse the users who are not as skilled as you are.

Cheers,
Adrian

Afraid so on which side of the "or"?

The bad side :(

Felicia isn't getting voted off the island :(

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-82E6iBwap2o/UPKe4qpv5NI/AAAAAAAAF9A/cyY3w3CAGOI/s1600/darth-vader-no.jpg)

I believe it would be best to also add a feature on the launcher to disable the menu voice.

I was thinking more like

(https://i.imgur.com/EtTXps0.jpg)

lol




Yeah, that or ditch the rotational BS for font changing, and leave the voice in the gesture menu. That way font/color swapping becomes nice and easy like the Obsidian boards, and the dreaded voice can be silenced in the gesture menu with a button press.

Or, a selection in the software that lets you turn on/off what I just suggested so that those of us who don't use gestures can turn it off completely and use the button control like previous sabers. It would also be amazing if turning off gestures got rid of the super-long button press time to turn off a Diamond.

Diamond really should have had two buttons for the number of features it has. But the easy way to make it drama free would be:

Long press to get in to the main menu - with no voice.
Short single button presses from main menu to rotate through font/color profiles
Long single press to select and exit

Long press to get in to the menu - WITH NO VOICE
Fast double click to enter gesture menu
Single click to go through gesture profiles
Usual programming button holding and movement
Long press to exit

When using saber:

Press to turn on
One quick press for lock up and another to turn it off
Two quick presses for gestures then carry out gesture movement
Normal turn off time

Include a user manual in the software, and a brief description in the paperwork with the saber. So easy.

I'm still keen to see this update, but it looks like Emerald with sound is STILL going to be the better of the two.

Hi all,

We have noticed some strong feelings about the voice menu around here and, believe me, although we are aware of the fact that we can't satisfy all users, it's challenge accepted.
In so many words, thank you all for your input, with special thanks going out to Isola815 for the suggestions.
Constructive criticism works best and we'll keep improving the software/firmware for the boards.
Please bear in mind that our users' feedback is paramount, so be vocal in every way we may improve the usability of our products.

Cheers,
Adrian

I think that the current update is more about the express tab than it is about the saber itself.  Maybe the next update could be more focused on saber menu options?

We'll try a mix of new features, regarding both firmware and software (focusing on the Launcher Express settings).  Let's get 'Felicia' out of the way, first! So, yeah, this might happen sooner than you think.

Cheers,
Adrian

Yeah, yours is better! lol.


This. All of it!


This is exciting!

Hello Adrian,


I have another suggestion for a change to the Diamond board. I created a font a while back where I attempted to load different sound clips from Vader in ESB into the lockup effect

slots. My thinking was that it would be fun to take advantage of the huge amount of memory on the Diamond board and have a font where every time I pressed the button,

instead of a lockup sound, Vader would say one of his famous quotes like "Your Destiny lies with me Skywalker" etc.  I was expecting to be able to scroll through these multiple

lockup effect sound clips by pressing the button (Just like on the Obsidian board). I was disappointed when I discovered that for some reason it is only possible to upload one

lockup sound effect to the Diamond board even though it shows multiple available slots in the Ultrasabers Launcher software. Any chance you can make it possible to upload

multiple different lockup sounds into a single font on the Diamond board? It would help me to act out my favorite scenes from the movies when I play with my saber. Also it would

be great for being able to taunt my opponents on demand when I'm dueling. After a swing/clash I can press the button and make Vader say fun things like "You have learned

much young one" and "Only your hatred can destroy me"  Think of the possibilities! This would be so much fun  :)

Diamond Board needs multiple lockup sounds per font please. Thanks again for reading this.

Hey Obi Wan,

Your idea is surely interesting, thanks for sharing it. It definitely goes on our list regarding further developments for the Diamond controller. We dont't have an estimation, though, since we are quite busy pushing a Launcher release as we speak.

Cheers,
Adrian

Consider my breath held.

Mine as well.

Hi all. First time poster and potential buyer of several diamond sabers for my wife. She is a star wars junkie, though im sort of Luke warm about the series.

Anyway.......i had a question. Can a gesture be set up as a font switch? If it can, disregards the rest of my post.

 If not......WHY???? Like.....seriously........WHY?

Let me explain what i mean. If i have a jedi font(A) and a sith font (B) i should be able to design a gesture to switch fonts dynamically. So while dueling you could do a gesture and switch to angry mode (go from A to B)  and then switch back with anotjer gesture (B to A).

I realize programming said gesture would require some skill and familiarity with the software. But......not only would it be functionally cool........it could allow limited font  switching  on the fly without ever entering that terrible menue or hearing that awful voice. Plus, it would ACTUALLY MAKE GESTURES USEFUL and give your sabers a  a cool new feature no one else has.

Interesting idea. It would make me use the gesture feature, which I currently do not.

Before I get a diamond saber are there any files I should download just in case I accidentally delete something when I mess with it?

So are you saying that you can not program a gesture to switch fonts???

LAME!!!!!!

Thats literally the ONLY  legitimate use i can think of for a gesture.

I didn't think about it at first but wow a gesture for switching fonts would be a very good idea.

Just in case it gets passed up: "Before I get a diamond saber are there any files I should download just in case I accidentally delete something when I mess with it?"

You can download all of the alternate fonts for the diamond saber, and about half of the fonts that ship as your primary font after you have the software.  The problem is they only have working links for about half the colors.

As to gestures to change fonts: as long as it's an optional feature.

Are the colors just numbers for RGB or is there something specific about the file?

Are the default fonts built into the program or do I have to redownload them?

Well if course it should be optiinal. Gestures in general should be optional. What kind of fool would make it so you couldnt disable them????

But.....yeah.....you beat me to it. Only working links to about half the colors.......firmware with bugs that hasnt been updated in almost a year,  inability to switch colors and fonts without entering a menu......... the more I learn about the diamond controller, the more I think my thousand dollars would be more comfortable in another saber smith's wallet

First and fore most Angel of Wrath you need to acknowledge the rules section as set by US.  Secondly, please stop with the senseless bashing here.  If there is something you don't like then don't spend that "thousands of dollars" here and try your luck with the other places then.  I can handle constructive criticism, but this just comes across as bad. 

Im sorry?

Im confused. Where exacaly did i "senselessly bash" ultrasabrs?

I am expressing legetimate concern over how a product im considering buying  is supported based on the available evidence......and i found the results troubling.
........i was even polite about it. But i do completely agree with you. When you add up all the info like that......it does "just comes across as bad"

 How is anything i said or asked against forum rules (which i have read by the way). If you have some type of problem with my phrasing please feel free to PM me so we do not continue to derail the thread

By the way, you didnt answer the question ......that update released yet?

One of the rules is that you post in the rules thread and acknowledge it.

I haven't seen the Diamond controller as buggy.  There's been a chip or two I've had problems with, but overall the firmware has worked.  It could use some QOL changes, but the firmware works.

I will agree completely though that it's ridiculous that only half the colors are posted.

I thought I did. But I did so from a mobile device so perhaps it did not post. Will remedy when I get home. (Done)

I still don't see where anything I said constitutes bashing ultrasabers though.

As for bug, what I am referring to is the volume control not working properly. What i had been reading is that even if you manually edit the file and make quieter, the controller somehow still puts the volume on full blast. And from what i can tell, a fix has yet to be implemented (correct me if i am wrong)......which is what brought me here in the first place. My wife complains about the volume of EVERYTHING being too loud so you can see why this would be a potential deal breaker.

I believe volume is being addressed in the next patch, along with at least a few QOL issues.

I'm glad I metaphorically held my breath and wasn't literally holding my breath...

It would be great if the new patch came out next week when I get my first diamond saber, hint hint wink wink.  ;)

You can all start breathing now:  ::)



Start the Launcher's Maintenance tool with the saber disconnected from the PC (with the Mac version following sometime next week) in order to upgrade the Launcher to v. 2.4.
Next, make sure you update your firmware to v. 240, but only AFTER the SOFTWARE UPDATE!

Once the new version of Launcher is installed, you can go to Resources in the Main tab and find the User Manual for Diamond controller. Other release specs include:

Software:
- express font wizard
- quick reconnect
- master volume control
- real-time board settings
- built-in resources page
- undo and redo for the Effect Editor
- bug fixes

Firmware:
- ability to support 16 fonts instead of 10
- real time volume adjustment (there's no need for a mute font anymore!)
- quick menus with significant fewer voice messages
- improved rotation detection for the on-board menus
- reduced power off and menu exit time from 3 to 2 seconds
- bug fixes

P.S. A farewell note from Felicia:

"Enjoy your saber!"

Cheers to all

Well this is the greatest surprise in the world. I have the whole day off, just got home from work, showered and see this update. I already updated my software and firmware of my Archon Diamond and Holy BLANK. RSX, you did it! I love the updates. Mind you, I was one of the very few who likes the advanced mode of the Diamond but having an Express Mode is awesome. Thank you so much!

The only thing I am having trouble with is quick reconnect. But maybe that is just me. Everything else is great. Thanks again! +1000 Points!!!!

I shall have a look at this over the weekend and see if it makes me decide to keep my Diamonds or if I still decide to give them the flick.

Thanks for keeping us informed while we were waiting!

Wow you really nailed it. The 3 second power off was scaring me off for a while.

Power off is really nice. And since I don't use Gestures as of right now, Felicia is "gone". Woohoo!!

Great work on this. Now I just have to get a diamond saber again...

AWESOME update to the Diamond controller. Perfect timing on the update too since I was off from work today and have a 3 day weekend. I just spent the last several hours tweaking some of my fonts and installed a new Mace Windu font on my Diamond Archon V2.1.  I now have 11 fonts installed on that saber. Thanks to the new update, I am able to  add 6 fonts on top of the 10 I already had on there. Here is a list of observations I have made so far after playing with the new software and my saber for a few hours.

  1. The new way of switching fonts while using the saber is EXCELLENT. Soooooo much better than the old way. Almost effortless to switch fonts now compared to before.

  2. The new "on saber" volume control is really cool and works flawlessly for me. Very convenient if you want to play with your saber and not bug anyone with it being too loud (even though I think only a fuddy duddy would find a saber too loud.. LOL. For me, I like em loud and powerful sounding  :D

  3.  The shorter 2 second power-off is a welcome addition. It was a little awkward to hold the button for a full 3 seconds previously to turn it off.


  4. I noticed that a font no longer fails to load if you have sound files with names longer than a certain number of characters. I had one stab sound with a really long file name to see what would happen and it loaded onto the saber no problem. However, the software did automatically truncate the name of the file to just the first 8 characters that were present in the file name. For me, this is not a big deal and it is certainly much better than crashing the board like before the update.

  5. I noticed on the "Express" tab, it does not seem to be possible to set the intensity of the channel 4 LED (white for my saber). Only the RGB channels can be set in this menu. It also does not seem to be possible to set a pulse time. Only the pulse color can be set. It seems necessary to go into advanced mode to adjust the pulse time to something really suitable. Not a problem for me as I have gotten VERY comfortable with the advanced mode over the past several months. This might be an issue for less advanced users or those who don't want to devote the time to it that I have.

  6. The time for the saber to establish connection with the computer when plugged in seems to have been dramatically reduced. It used to take quite a while for my saber with the 10 (now 11) large fonts on it to make the connection. I would estimate the time has been cut in half. This is greatly appreciated.

 7. The sounds are no longer normalized to max volume when written to the saber. Now I don't have to use fancy tricks with Audacity anymore to get the saber to play the hums at the correct volume relative to the rest of the font.

 8. I got a few different error messages when I first tried the update on the software. Eventually a message popped up saying it had become corrupt. Easy fix though. I just uninstalled/ re-installed the software and then performed the update without issue.

 9. Sorry Felicia, but I really don't miss you at all. I've enjoyed our time together but it's time for me to move on without you.

In summary, this is a GREAT update and made the Diamond sabers a lot better than they already were IMO.

Thank you Adrian for keeping us informed and answering our questions on the forum.

I'm looking forward to future updates as well. I think we have now begun to really tap the potential of the Diamond Controller.



  

Your number 9 made me laugh. Point.

Wow, this was absolutely great!  It has made my diamond sabers something to play with again, between A) the easier font changing, B) the volume control, and C) the express tab.  I'm surprised at myself that B is what I'm most excited about, but I am happy.  The extra font slots are just a bonus.

I am really looking forward to playing around with my diamonds over the next few months (because I don't get much time to work on them during the week).

If I have 4 suggestions moving forward, it is this:

1) As was mentioned earlier, a pulse time setting would be wonderful. 
2) A "flicker" effect, or a more random pulse, could be an awesome feature to add.
3) In the overview menu, we should be able to uncheck any feature we do not want included in the font.  For example, I don't use gestures or force effects.  As Darth Cephalus states in his review of the Diamond Controller, if you're doing a very spin-heavy routine, then all you get are the spin effects.  So if I could go in and uncheck gestures, force effects, and spin effect then it would simplify things a bit further.
4) A software reconnect instead of requiring us to unplug and plug in the cable again (which is what I have to do)

I think I'm going to have to write a review of this on the review forum.  It's very good.  Very, very good.  My suggestions are not complaints, but requests for additional features after seeing how awesome this update was. 

There's 2 versions of the color selector.  One lets you set the intensity of each channel, one gives you a more typical color picker. 

Man I can't wait, such great timing!

So I've played around with this for several hours now to explore the ins and outs of it all. Obi Wan had some good points, and this one was the most important one.



Both of these things are so important to an "express" mode. So now if I want to dial in my fourth channel I have to use the advanced tab anyway. This update is absolutely worthless to someone like me who uses white in most of my colors, or who uses white as the PRIMARY color, but I can't access my fourth channel. Even if you pick white in the "easy" pop up screen, it's still not white anyway.

I get it that express is "less features" but the whole point of the express mode was to NOT have to use the advanced mode unless you wanted to get experimental and creative. So having an express feature without the fourth channel is a massively huge fail as far as I'm concerned. I would have rather had a fourth channel control and a pulse length modification option than 6 extra font banks.

Also it seems that whatever color appears on the screen in the so called "express" mode is not indicative of what you actually get on the saber anyway. And when you go and test the effect before you write to the saber it seems to just add fourth channel for a bunch of other stuff anyway.

Example - I set a blue blade, blueish pulse, yellow flash on clash for my Guardian. When it powers on it's white, then blue/blue. When it powers off it turns white, then off. And the FoC became a very fast cycle of WHITE/YELLOW/WHITE What the actual f...

The quick reconnect feature has worked not once out of 50+ attempts. Every time I write a font I have to shut the launcher, turn off and unplug the saber, start the program again, turn the saber on then plug it in. Quick? ...no... no it's not quick.

Also the turn off time either didn't change on mine, there was an option to change it that I didn't find, or something else went wrong... Because compared to all my other sound sabers it still feels like an eternity has passed before it shuts down.

I'll stick with Emerald and V4 from US and products from other manufacturers that are just hands down better than Diamond, especially when it comes to the software. I most definitely appreciate the effort put into this update, but in my usual blunt and honest opinion; Diamond sabers are expensive paperweights.

(https://i.imgur.com/UUcMIYD.gif)

Isola, did you update the firmware on your saber itself?

Uh, yeah. Not my first rodeo ;)

I too am kinda disappointed that express doesn't have the 4th channel  so doing foc is kinda weird not having the white led. perhaps a mini update is needed to add the 4th channel.

Everything else is a welcome change.  Although i don't seem to have the same issues about reconnecting.  Perhaps due to my diamond controller being newer but i doubt that has anything to do with it.

Ask the dumbest question first to get it out of the way, instead of assuming that the other person did that task and coming back after hours of troubleshooting to realize that something simple would have fixed it.

Like the old story about the guy trying to troubleshoot why his computer won't turn on, and after 10 minutes the technician asks the guy to unplug and re-plug in the computer, and he goes to get a flashlight to see the wires because the power's out.

Hi guys!

First of all I have to thank you all for your reviews, both positive and negative: they all helped. If after the recent update Diamond has become a better saber than it was before, this is mainly because of you taking the time to tell everybody what you like and don't like about it. Massive thanks for this!!!

Now let me shed some light on the dark side of the Express Font Wizard: it builds fonts based on your color options and some templates. White does NOT define color, only Red, Green and Blue, so this is the reason why you don't have a "LED4" slider in the color selector. However, WHITE IS USED on the fonts created by the express wizard, to control the light intensity (not the color!) on most effects. What White does to each effect is defined by the underlying templates, but if you want it to do something else then you can just edit the effects generated by the express wizard. Yes, if you want advanced control then you'll have to use the advanced wizard, but at least with Express you don't start from scratch. Same goes for pulse timing.

As for quick reconnect: it only works when you reconnect. Each time you start the Launcher, on the first connection it will take longer than on subsequent reconnects, because the software has to know what's on the internal memory of the Diamond Controller in order to allow you to edit. So if you want quick reconnects, don't close the Launcher until you finished working: for testing use the "Disconnect/Connect" button or physically disconnect the USB cable, but leave the software running. That's one of the many tips you can find in the new User Manual  ;)

Marius.

Hey Marius, just to touch on your last point. I did see that in the user manual about connect/reconnect, but my saber won't have any of that. As soon as I write to the board, is disconnects from the software and the ONLY way to reconnect it is to close the launcher, unplug the saber, open the launcher again, then plug the saber back in. It will NOT let me click "connect" to reconnect to the software like I can with my Emerald sabers.

It's a real shame that the Emerald interface couldn't have just been copied over for the "quick" editor with the addition of a drop down font selector. Because that one lets you have all four colors to work with as well as a pulse color and is still faster than the Diamond express. Plus an Emerald saber can be connected and disconnected by the launcher instead of the fumble-fest of a Diamond reconnect (at least for my saber anyway).

This is not normal behavior. When it finishes writing it resets the board, which temporary disconnects it from the Launcher, but it should reconnect automatically (unless you clicked on Disconnect, which puts the connection in manual mode because, obviously, if you disconnected manually it can't reconnect automatically). Have you tried just unplugging and plugging back the cable, without closing the Launcher? If you did, please try reinstalling the USB driver - you'll find the instructions in the User Manual at the Troubleshooting section.

Anyone else encountered this problem?

Marius.

For my sabers with Diamond, every time I write to board, it writes, disconnects and for me to reconnect, I have to physically unpkug the USB from my laptop and plug it back in to reconnect.

Are you guys experiencing this kind of connection/re-connection issues when running the Launcher on Windows 10 machines or also other operating systems?

Adrian

I tried many different ways, but the only thing that worked was what I said before. Close, unplug, reopen, plug in. Absolute pain in the butt.

I tried reinstalling both the software and the driver but I still have the exact same problem. I am on Windows 10.

And yes, fully charged batteries as well as updated firmware.

Windows 10, I don't have to restart the software.  However, I wish there was a way to hit a button on the launcher to make the saber think I reconnected it, without having to play with the wires.  It would make it more cumbersome.


I'm not a programmer, but this sounds like an excuse to me.  Considering Adegan Silver is one of the colors offered by ultrasabers, it makes sense for Adegan Silver (white) to be an option in the LEDs.  At the very least the download link for the stock Adegan Silver options are available.  Plus, some sabers use an amber 4th channel.

Also, I don't see why white needs to be the color that is used as what the launcher uses for effects.  Why can't another color be used, for example if I want my saber to turn from green to blue when I'm spinning?  I don't see why "effect" can't be a 4th color option, which the others are based on.  After all, we can choose the Flash-on-Clash color.

As to pulse mode...why can't we set the frequency?  (Other than it isn't in this patch).  That one seems like a no-brainer to me that it should be available.

Like I and others have said, this patch is a huge step up from where we were before.  But I think there's room for the express tab to grow, and I think making all 4 channels (and I'm now adding the ability for spin effects to be based on effect color instead of just white) available, as well as making pulse frequency a setting should be among the top priority.

The Express Font Wizard is a quick and easy tool to allow users to customize the fonts without going into too much details. The decisions not to include pulse timing, keep white exclusively for other effects and define colors on RGB only, were all dictated by the requirement to keep it light. On Emerald we could have all the effect settings in a simple interface because it has only Idle Pulse and FOC effects with just two time points each, but Diamond is a different animal: it has 15 effects and each can have up to 20 time points and multiple repetitions. If we would add customization options to cover more use cases, we still won't be able to satisfy each individual requirement and the express wizard would look more like the advanced wizard, which is against its purpose. Keep in mind that Express is aimed mainly as a quick start for inexperienced users, once you are familiar enough with its capabilities you can go to advanced mode and edit the express-generated effects to do exactly what you want.

Nevertheless, your feedback was noted, although for now I cannot promise we will extend the express wizard. There's no "one size fits all", so it all depend on the overall reception of this addition to the Launcher.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Marius.

You don't have to play with the wires: press "Disconnect" and it will go offline. Press "Connect" and it will go back online. But keep in mind that once you pressed "Disconnect" it can no longer reconnect automatically, otherwise it would override the disconnect; it will only reconnect when you press the "Connect" button.

Marius.

I am going to completely disagree with you that adding in features to the express mode that would automate what is possible to do manually in the advanced mode makes it look more like the advanced mode.  In the express mode you could simply have a slider for pulse time.  In advanced you have to adjust each datapoint individually.  To put "pulse color" with a "pulse rate" button right next to it would not make it look like the advanced.

To configure the colors for each of the effects would also take a lot of time.  If that feature is available for the express mode, it is a time saver.

The express mode should be considered an easy way to perform color-changing tasks in an automated fashion.  Something that can be used to set the colors within the pre-defined timings of the fonts.  Something that can be used with a shallow learning curve to accomplish most of the tasks you would want to accomplish.  I do not feel that automating what can be done manually with the advanced tab makes it too difficult.  I also see that adding support for the 4th LED channel, and adding pulse rate are very popular suggestions.  I don't see how adding an "effect accent color" would make it that much more difficult for a new user.

Currently I have over 6 GB worth of fonts in a folder just for the default colors.  And those are just the ones I was able to download, as over half the colors aren't available for download.  The launcher software, on the other hand, is 162 MB.  I think there's plenty of room to make the client a bit fatter if it's going to give us better automation of font generation.

----

I hope I don't sound too harsh.  This is version 1.0 of the Express mode, and in my opinion it is a huge success.  Most people seem to like it, or at least see it as a net positive.  This update fixed at least 90% of what was wrong with the Diamond Controller launcher and firmware, and expanded on the features available.  It was a very good update.  However, version 1.1 should definitely have a couple of those features that seem universally desired - LED4 control, pulse rate control, and (the third one is not as universally-requested, but seems to be a good way to throw in LED4 control) the ability to set your effect color.

---I will try the disconnect and connect buttons when I get a chance to play with the software some more.

So there is no "reconnect" button.  I simply have Connect (or Disconnect) and if I press Connect it will only work if I unplug and re-plug in the cable.

Also, the LEDs are different power (I have a similar problem in my RGB saber, which I will do a review on shortly).  So 255 255 255 is a pinkish-white color.  I run about 128 255 191 to get as close to white as I can get.  So the ability to set white based on the 4th channel would be greatly appreciated.

As far as this disconnect issue i don't seem to have that but i do still get random crashes when adding sound fonts or even adding points to the led controller on the advanced mode.
I've tried getting it to crash the same way each time but it doesn't repeat itself so thus im classifying it as random.  And so i've gotten into the habit of saving every time i edit one effect before moving to the next. Time consuming but better than editing everything only to have it crash on the last one and you have to start over from scratch. ::)

But that doesn't work on mine. It WILL NOT reconnect without a launcher restart and it will not recognize the saber without pulling the cord out and plugging it back in. So some of us, at this point, DO have to play with the wires.

I don't have to restart the launcher, but the wires are required to be played with.

Great work! I really like the additions.

Me too. Every time I write to the saber it auto-disconnects from the software when finished writing. Then, in order to reconnect to the software, I have found the only way I can do it is to unplug/re-plug the usb cable with the saber still running. I do not have to restart the software, but it seems "playing with the wires"  :D has been the only way I have ever been able to achieve re-connection to the computer after writing to the saber. It's a relatively minor inconvenience but I have found it becomes annoying when I am making multiple changes to multiple different fonts during one session.

I did have an issue reconnecting the saber after erasing a font that required me to reboot my computer (not the US software, but the OS).

My Computer has Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. I have updated my Ultrasaber launcher to Ultrsaber Launcher v2.4 I have connected one of my Diamond Lightsabers and added a few Fonts on to it. It has 16 font spaces on it now and I like the new controls, but when I try to Change a Color, adjust a color on the chart in the font wizard, or turn off a color LED my Ultrasaber Launcher crashes. I have uninstalled my Launcher and reinstalled. I have rebooted my computer. Everything else seems to work fine. It crashes when I do ANYTHING to change a color. This is in the advance Font Wizard. I have not used the new Express Wizard yet, but seems like you should beable to change the colors without it crashing. I have seen one other person having the same issue. http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=36378.0.

I also have this problem. This so far, is my biggest issue with the Diamond Controller.

This is interesting. I wonder if this is a problem unique to Windows 7 machines? I have done a LOT of font creations with all kinds of crazy color changing and pulsing effects/gestures using the Diamond software over the past several months and it has never once crashed on my Windows 10 machine.

Has anybody had the launcher crash on their Windows 10 machine?

I wish I had some suggestions for you guys but I've just never experienced a crash with the Diamond software. I can imagine it would be very frustrating and make me rage like Kylo Ren when he was informed of Rey's escape.  ;D

Twice after the latest update but while I was doing two different things so I wasn't sure if it was the software or my PC.

This problem only started after the up date. Before the update my
launcher worked fine.

I've had crashes as well and im on windows 10.  The problem is that its so random and not tied to doing anything in particular.  I've had it crash while changing colors, adding points, adding sounds. But all of it has one thing in common and that is it only crashes in advanced mode.  The express mode does not crash or at least i haven't had it crash on me. 

I am running on Windows 10, I have yet to have my launcher crash on me since the update.

Bye, Felicia!

I love the new font change set-up, though my friends will miss my annoyed expression every time Felicia came on  ;D.
Power down in 2s is great.
I had some issues updating the launcher, but I resolved them with an uninstall/reinstall and running everything in administrator mode (I've used Windows for long enough that doing that is like breathing to me)
Haven't messed with the new volume settings/express mode yet, but I appreciate more tools in my tool box!


I am very excited by this bug fix, as I made a bet with my co-workers that I could make my Diamond saber oscillate through the rainbow while playing the Star Spangled Banner backwards and the sound files wouldn't load because of that bug. I didn't really put the pieces together until you just said that, but that should solve my puzzle of doing a patently ridiculous thing with my saber.

Also, and I don't think this has been mentioned yet, but there's a MANUAL now!  ;D :o ;D That....shouldn't excite me as much as it does, but I do love me my technical documentation.

Yours in the Force,
DubTak

We are working on this issue and try to get it out of the way as soon as possible, including the re-connect after every effect/font write on the board.

As for the crashes some of you encountered while using the Launcher after the update, so far we couldn't determine (replicate) the exact cause (not enough data). An eventual fix (which pretty  much sums up what we recommended in previous posts) has been posted by DubTak http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=36378.msg591937#msg591937 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=36378.msg591937#msg591937)

Looking forward for more feedback.

Cheers,

Adrian

I'm thinking the crash I had might be somewhat self-induced.  I tried to create a font without a hum effect, one which would essentially only give the light and sound when the sword is moving (essentially a stealth font).  It...didn't work.  To say the least.  When I plugged it back in is when my launcher crashed.  I had to change the font on the saber in order for the launcher to recognize it again.

I can't wait to get a chance to poke at this update. There are just 2 stacks of papers to grade between me and being able to sit down with it. I figure I owe you guys an updated review. I mean since my last one is apparently cannon now. Best I help bury Felicia, since I named her...and suggested killing her with fire.

I got a chance to update the firmware, and it is much better. I would rather have had the commands to get into the gestures and the fonts reversed, but that is just nitpicking. The on board volume is a great feature. It would also be nice to have a duration setting on the express setup for blade pulse to be able to easily make a flicker.

I have a new saber that is all updated. I also have the latest software with 16 fonts. When I click on any of the colors to change them the program crashes. I have a brand new computer (My old one worked fine) HELP

Thank you for the update, looking forward to receive my saber to try it out. Keep up the good work!

Merry Christmas all!