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.