Saber Forum

(http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/394/wiringw.jpg)

Obsidian uses a wiring harness, so no board level soldering is required.  Just make sure the right wires are going to the right places based on this diagram.  Reverse polarity on the input can damage the board, so please be double sure you're connecting things properly.  If you don't understand this diagram, do not attempt a sound board install.

Novastar made this one to help you out even more:

(http://www.saberforum.com/Obsidian Wiring2 (Novastar).jpg)

ok, the coloring/ placement on the diagram are slightly confusing. when wiring, do you wire the LED to the battery and the VIN lead on the board? or just to the board itself? same thing for the push button- does it go to the battery and the board or just the board? hope my question makes sense... thanks :)

It looks like one switch lead goes with the negative pole of the battery to the GND (ground) terminal on the board, and the positive leads of both the battery and LED go to the VIN (voltage in) terminal. I'll fire up TinyCAD and see if I can't make a diagram that's a bit clearer.

EDIT: Here we go. This should (hopefully) make things a little easier to understand. I left out the C1 terminals that Ultra showed, given that they weren't hooked up to anything. I suspect those are for the USB port that will be already soldered in, or perhaps for a sensor. Either way, I don't think it matters to the end-user. (If I'm wrong, well, Force knows it wouldn't be the first time!)

(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c291/kantlavar/output.png)

Oh SNAP, Kant.  You're the man... you're the MAN for helping out like that!  Much thanks!!


EDIT:

If I recall (and I may be wrong)... the wiring harness itself MAY have each wire separately colored... so it may become a non-issue if we eventually say "black = gnd... red = vin", etc.

Additionally, it will be advantageous to mark them as pins 1-6 at a certain point, and explain which pins share what, such as ("vertically from the left"):

PIN 1 = momentary switch / button
PIN 2 = LED - (Negative)
PIN 3 = Batt - (Negative / Ground) and also secondary switch lead

PIN 4 = SPK + (Positive) ---|
PIN 5 = SPK - (Negative) ------ in general, the SPK leads are interchangeable on a mono speaker setup
PIN 6 = Batt + (Positive) and also LED + (Positive)

If I made some error with this "pin" setup, please edit / correct / etc.

Nova, that is why you can't leave C1 off the diagram.  C1 is the capacitor for the class D amplifier.  It's next to the wiring harness and by using it as a point of reference, you will know what wires go where.

TinyCAD (http://tinycad.sourceforge.net) is awesome. It took me all of maybe an hour to put together a diagram for my proton pack electronics (http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/8660/r2devoreplicapropsschem.png), for example. And that included looking up some stuff. And, of course, the price can't be beat.


Huh. Are the pins more centered than I thought? Granted, I haven't had a good look at an Obsidian board (yet!) they looked far enough off-center that it should be easy enough to orientate the board to a schematic regardless...

Also, something I thought of while I was looking at this: I didn't see anything referenced for an AV switch LED; is that only an option that you guys will be able to do in-house, or will someone doing an install in their own saber be able to wire that up? I know the end-user could just parallel the AV LED off the blade LED output, but I do like the off-mode blinky.

what is C1?

wait a sec ultra just answered that. (facepalm)

I'd hate to be "that guy" but can someone make a wiring diagram that shows how to install a recharge port into the circuit? If anyone does, MUCH THANKS!!!

Positive from Board (VIN) and batt pack goes to central pin, and the neg from board(GND) and neg from pack are on opposite switches pins.  I'll try and get a pic fast.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but  I'm pretty sure that's how it works.  

http://www.plecterlabs.com/Media/Doc/RechargePort.jpg (http://www.plecterlabs.com/Media/Doc/RechargePort.jpg)

Hope the labs site is ok to link =\

Wonderful!!! Thanks a million!!!

how did you get the AV switch wired up as an indicator LED without additional LED pads on the board?

Geez, people, you don't need the board to do EVERYTHING for you.  I can wire up accent LEDs without any kind of soundboard and I can make them blink/fade/flicker with any manner of inexpensive components.  You should be able to also if you're even attempting a DIY install.

exactly. if you all want to wire AV switches and accent LED's, you just need to run them off the main LED but running them parallel.

Don't know what parallel means? At one time, neither did I. Do some internet research.
Where do you get accent LED's Do some research.
Where do you learn DIY saberbuilding.....DO SOME RESEARCH.

No offense peeps, but no one is going to spoon feed information. ALL of us learned this way. When I was learning to build sabers, I would always ask Nova stuff and although he guided me, he never directly told me how to do something. He told me to go look it up...so I did.

Tough love? Sure. But you'll live....and so did I.

Just to get it straight and prevent frying LEDs or the whole board. According to the wiring diagramm you don't need any additional resistor or something? Is there any battery type I should use or is this board really that universal?
And one more thing, what are the exact dimensions of the board?

regards from europe!

like i get wiring it in parrallel, but i just don't get how that keeps the AV light on when the main LED is off. if it's run parrallel to the main LED then wouldn't the feed be cut to the light in the switch when it is cut to the main LED? or was it run off the battery leads with a resistor and something to make it blink?...

Ever thought of running the accent led directly from the power source?

...now that you mention it  ;)
it seems i have more research to do. to wikipedia it is!

LED's still need to be current limited by a resistor. By the looks of the diagram there is no power transistor to control constant current so no constant current driver on board.  Not sure why the resistor is omitted unless Vin = Vf of LED.

@Darth Turel... precisely, if you run Obsidian with a single Li-Ion cell, you have the option / ability to:

* Run the "main" LED with no resistor if the Vf is ~3.6v or ~3.8v
* Run an indicator LED in similar fashion, directly off of the power source

Matching forward voltages IS obviously pretty important, but that also begs the question that... if someone is ordering the DIY Obsidian setup (so... it's obviously not installed into any kind of saber hilt with no LED included and no battery solution)... they'd better DARN WELL BETTER know what they are doing!

I've "directly driven" Luxeon III, Seoul P4, Luxeon V, indicator LEDs and other similar LEDs in many sabers for 5+ years now.  I can verify--it works just fine.  If there are repercussions for not using resistors because I am aware of the Vf + battery solution, I have not yet ONCE seen them.

Again, this being said... for those who do NOT know what they're doing to play the "matching game" with batteries and LEDs... yes, always, always use a resistor, or some sort of current-controlling driver.

And the BOTTOM LINE is: if you're doing a DIY Obsidian project... EDUCATE YOURSELF on wiring, soldering, LEDs, current/voltage, "forward" voltage and everything else regarding the board PRIOR to wiring things up.

Is there any chance we can get a wiring diagram that shows how to wire a charge port?

Ooo, good one!  I forgot about that, d'oh.

Either way, a charge port is essentially "feeding" the batteries with current from your charger.  In other words, think of it like the charger "acting" as the batteries.  In MORE other words... you wire your charge port into the positive and negative lines of the battery.

To have a kill + charge... you'll need to use the third pin of your choice of charge port so that when a plug is inserted... it cuts power to the board.  Depending on your own wiring, you can cut either the + or - line (or both if you have a 4-pin solution!)... but thus far, I think we've traditionally cut the positive [[EDIT]] NEGATIVE line.  I may have DID forget ... lol

So, the short answer is... connect your port to the + and - lines of the battery lines.

EDIT / UPDATE:  I had Ultra add in my own "more simplistic"(?) wiring guide with a pin configuration into the first post... but here it is on its own:

http://www.saberforum.com/Obsidian Wiring2 (Novastar).jpg (http://www.saberforum.com/Obsidian Wiring2 (Novastar).jpg)

Eventually, color-coordinating the wired would be smart too... but--we'll see how it goes.  The pin configuration should make it pretty easy to get it right--even if you're new to wiring.  :)

Excuse me Novastar but don't you also have to wire the the positive and negative leads of the board to the recharge port as well? I'm getting this from the wiring diagram for recharge ports that Erv' made. Just checking. Thanks!

http://www.plecterlabs.com/Media/Doc/RechargePort.jpg (http://www.plecterlabs.com/Media/Doc/RechargePort.jpg)

Yes, just follow that diagram and you will be fine. The wiring diagram posted is to a standard battery pack.

To clarify, I mention that you need to wire the recharge port into the battery lines.

When you think about it more specifically (sorry, I wasn't THIS specific)... THOSE lines lead right into the board.  The battery lines, that is.  :)  So, by default:

* If you wire your charge port's + into the battery's +...
* and you wire your charge port's - into the battery's -...
* GUILT BY ASSOCIATION!!!  :)  The charge port is now connected to the board.  :)

This is also why you really should / MUST "cut" one of the lines (via the 3-pin setup of a port) to essentially take the board out of the circuit loop when your saber is charging.  That is why you see that Erv shows that you "cut" the negative line when a plug is inserted.

And btw... yup, I got that wrong/reversed in my original post about which line to cut--we tend to cut the NEGATIVE line, not the positive.  Although--again, to be very specific--it really does not matter WHAT line you decide to cut to the board... as long as you DO it.  The reason we all try to do the same thing is... that way if you want to charge someone else's saber--you aren't offering them reverse polarity, etc.  :)  Just be consistent with your own wiring.

Ok gotcha. I actually took another look at your wiring diagram video and between this post and that, I see what you're saying. Thank you very much and if I may, I saw your Balance of Power shows and I have to say AWESOME!!!

After "testing" out the board for the past few days, I'm really impressed...  I plan to order another for my personal saber, which is now running a mr vader board...  It'll be running a p4 white, 4.8 pack, with a 1.5 resistor...    I should be able to get this in the next few weeks, and I'll post a vid after the install...  Like Nova and Caine have said, the wiring diagram isn't hard to follow at all, as long as you've wired a saber before...  ;D    I'm looking forward to the install, and sharing the results afterwards.... 

I actually don't want to de-rail this topic too much, but... hmm, you have a 4.8v pack and a P4 white (3.25 - 4v).  If I were you, by my calculations, I wouldn't go quite that strong with the resistor--I'd say you'd only need maybe a 1ohm resistor, or ok, possibly you'd try 1.2ohms in case you thought it might get too hot / etc.

1.5 will work... but, you might consider trying to get the maximum brightness out of the thing.  :)

Thanks for the reply Nova...  I actually just ordered a white rebel from TCSS that is supposed to put out 320 lms.....   ;D  The voltage is just a bit lower than the p4, so I'm gonna go with the 1.5 just to be safe...    Looking forward to putting this diagram to good use next week..     

ultra mentioned it uses a wring harness. does any1 know what kind?

It's compatible with any JST style connector type.

You can get these in all sorts of configurations, although I suppose it depends on:

* If you want to have every pin "individually" quick-disconnect-able... (lol what kind of word is THAT?!?  lol)
* If you want to have wires in pairs to disconnect... for example, + & - for battery... speaker leads... etc.
* If you just want one 6-pin connector to remove all at once

Hope it helps... :)

thanks novastar

so, My wiring harness has seemingly a random wire color for each pin. Normally... ground is black.... but the red and black wires just seem randomly assigned

I ran into the same thing, you might want to check out my thread here.

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=1623.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=1623.0)

you kind of need to ignore the colors and just wire them based on where they need to go.

A C1 is a Schecter Hellraiser guitar. xp Jking. Anyway, seriously. Where would I wire a LEd driver at on Obsidian if I'm going to do it myself? Would TCSS constant current led driver work or is an LED driver included now even for DIY people? I have an MHS saber build planned in the future and I was thinking of using Obsidian for sound. Thanks for the info.

An LED constant current driver would go on the + and - leads of the.... *drumroll*... LED leads on the wiring diagram.  From there, you would attach your LED to your.... LED driver.  So, to put it simply:

Board's LED contacts --> CC Driver --> Actual LED.

Again... it may sound "horrible" to readers on this one (and the original poster), but... please... if you don't know the BASICS of what you're doing on a DIY project with Obsidian... please do not do it.

Unless you don't mind breaking stuff. XD.

Sorry, don't mind me. Carry on.

 Howdy,
 I'm new to this forum. I've been researching the Obsidian board, (for a DIY Obi-wan build) and of course wiring diagrams. This thread answered my questions very well.
 I did see that the use of a CCD is recomended, or a resistor. I was wondering if there was a big reason not to use a resistor, and use a CCD. (yes some of the effects of the CCD help to make up for what the Obsidian lacks....appearently) Must just be personal preference. I'm a resistor sort of guy. Has anyone noticed any sort of difference between using a CCD, or a restistor with an Obsidian board? Does it sound different? Light up different?
 Any thoughts or opinions would help with the research bit.  :)
 
 
 

Welcome!  Let's see...

* It will not sound different if you use a CCD vs a resistor.  At least... not unless your CCD becomes SOOO current/voltage hungry... that you simply steal FAR too much juice away from the batteries and the speaker magically can't get enough juice (unlikely), lol... :)

* Light up differently... well... that depends on how your CCD behaves.  For example--maybe the CCD YOU get/use... has a "ramping" effect with the current, so... as soon as you provide power... it sort of "fades in".  So that would be lighting up differently.

* Brightness difference... I know you didn't ask, but I felt like telling.  :)  Direct current... is current, is current, is current.  If a CCD driver provides 1A and you test it... but then you use a resistor instead that basically allows 1A to be " happenin' "... there will be almost NO DISTINCTION to your eyes whatsoever.

* Light up on FILM differently... aha, an amendment.  If you plan to capture your LED saber on film... although this is a bit hard to explain... actually, "directly driven LEDs"... tend to perform much better.  Basically, it's all about FPS + the swinging/motion of the saber.

Additionally, I can certainly say that--yes--CCDs can take up more space than your average resistor (although sure, basic CCDs are getting smaller by the month), and certainly consume/require certain amounts of power to run... PRIOR to giving an LED the juice it wants.

For example... if you have 7.4v and your LED "wants" ~7.4v... and your CCD takes ~1.5v while operating... and you are using a 7.4v Li-Ion pack... it's unlikely you'll be powering your LED at full power.  Why.  ~1.5v are used just to feed the CCD... meaning maybe ~6v will get to your LED.  So yup, people should remember--all electronic devices/circuits require POWER to run.

Resistors... uh... don't.  They are actually there to taper off / burn off voltage when it is in excess.  To which I tell people: USE LI-ION CELLS.  They match very well with LEDs.  :)  And even when resistance IS required... it's pretty low / minimal.

 First time posting in this forum, so please if i step on any toes let me know before dowsing me in kerosene :P.

Working with a OSB v1 (i think!) difference in wiring is instead of having a CAP (C1) its got two small guage wires - and there is a mini ubs tail on the other end of the board.

The reason im posting is because im getting a VERY interesting voltage issue, specifically, when following the diagram for the wiring, the board works as intended, post test when dropping in batteries, etc. BUT the LED is constant on. any ideas if im even dealing with an OSB or any insight on where to go next? Thanks in advance!

Dan Morningstar
SaberSmith - Saber Guild - www.saberguild.com (http://www.saberguild.com)

I am going to drop something here. I got the Liberator V3 with the buck puck. I bought the Obsidian V1 board from a friend of mine and it came with the LED driver. I  don't need to wire in the driver because I have the buck puck right?