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Author Topic: Effects of flickering on a long and prosper life of your emitter...  (Read 5420 times)
Syrran
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The Vulcan Jedi


« on: July 22, 2014, 12:46:14 AM »

Hi folks, I got a new Catalyst with an Emerald emitter and I set the light pulse in a flickering mode, alternating between Red 255 and Red 215 at 0.02 sec each, with no transition time.

Well, it looks awesome, no doubt, but... does anybody know if in the long run fifty pulses for second will damage the unfortunate led?...
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Relan Tarel jedi kinght
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« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2014, 04:06:27 AM »

No it shouldn't. Because an led isn't actually on all the time it actually pulses much faster than the eye can regesture. So an led that is on a pulsing circut will lastlonger than one that is on constantly even if the flicker effect is verry fast.
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Syrran
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The Vulcan Jedi


« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2014, 09:20:28 AM »

Thanks, now this is what you call good news! Flickering is a truly realistic effect, indeed!  Cool
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AC5FF
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« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2014, 05:33:14 PM »

No it shouldn't. Because an led isn't actually on all the time it actually pulses much faster than the eye can regesture. So an led that is on a pulsing circut will lastlonger than one that is on constantly even if the flicker effect is verry fast.
That doesn't ring true for me.  However, is that what the Emerald Driver circuit is doing? 

If you hook up an LED to a battery w/it's resistor in line that LED is lit 100% of the time. 
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GreySaber
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« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2014, 12:02:36 AM »

Thanks, now this is what you call good news! Flickering is a truly realistic effect, indeed!  Cool

I love the real high-frequency flickers (pulse) like .02 and contrasting colors for FoC.

The Emerald driver is fun to play with Smiley
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Abraxus
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« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2014, 01:18:56 AM »

I would like to convert at least one of my existing sabers to Emerald, and install a charging port, but I think that will be almost as expensive as the original saber.
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LeoninJesterXII
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There is no Light Side, or Dark Side of the force.


« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2014, 01:28:48 AM »

That doesn't ring true for me.  However, is that what the Emerald Driver circuit is doing? 

If you hook up an LED to a battery w/it's resistor in line that LED is lit 100% of the time. 

Wrong. The LED itself is an interrupter. It fires an arc from a prong to a dish repeatedly and constantly at a rate of several million arcs per second. The actual amount varies by colour. All resistors do for LEDs is prevent you from wasting energy by over-feeding the LED. They do not change the workings of the LED.
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Relan Tarel jedi kinght
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« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2014, 03:00:08 AM »

Point

Wrong. The LED itself is an interrupter. It fires an arc from a prong to a dish repeatedly and constantly at a rate of several million arcs per second. The actual amount varies by colour. All resistors do for LEDs is prevent you from wasting energy by over-feeding the LED. They do not change the workings of the LED.
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Molina00
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« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2014, 01:14:50 PM »

I would like to convert at least one of my existing sabers to Emerald, and install a charging port, but I think that will be almost as expensive as the original saber.

It was $190 to convert one of my Manticores to Emerald.  $140 for the driver and $50 for disassembly and labor.  With a recharge port you are probably looking at the $250-$300 range.
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AC5FF
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« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2014, 07:54:36 PM »

Wrong. The LED itself is an interrupter. It fires an arc from a prong to a dish repeatedly and constantly at a rate of several million arcs per second. The actual amount varies by colour. All resistors do for LEDs is prevent you from wasting energy by over-feeding the LED. They do not change the workings of the LED.
Sorry; I know I'm fairly new here but I have to disagree - at least in part...
From what I have learned in my years of working with and schooling in electronics; with an LED there is a wire (whisker) from the prong to the anvil; but there is no arcing involved.  Light is emitted by the free electrons in the PN junction area loosing energy and falling back into a stable orbit around its nucleus.  The colors are primarily determined by what doping material is added to the PN junction of the chip that is positioned in the dish.  The anvil holds the dish (reflector) and the prong and whisker only provide the 'positive' charge to the PN junction.  As long as a forward biased voltage is applied there will be conduction across the PN junction and light will emit as long as that voltage is there.
On second thought; I guess I can see where it could be said that it was 'arcing' because of the fact that each electron loosing energy emits a photon of light.  millions of these happening every second make it appear constant.  Maybe I should just disagree with the term arcing?   Wink

As for the resistor; yes, that is basically to provide a constant current source to the LED and keep from over feeding it.  A good example is to hook up an LED directly to a battery.  It works (assuming polarity is correct) but the LED will get very hot very fast.  Add in the appropriate resistor for the LED and there is no real change in brightness; however the LED will not get as hot as fast.

AC
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Tobytheterrible
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« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2014, 01:28:39 PM »

Sorry; I know I'm fairly new here but I have to disagree - at least in part...
From what I have learned in my years of working with and schooling in electronics; with an LED there is a wire (whisker) from the prong to the anvil; but there is no arcing involved.  Light is emitted by the free electrons in the PN junction area loosing energy and falling back into a stable orbit around its nucleus.  The colors are primarily determined by what doping material is added to the PN junction of the chip that is positioned in the dish.  The anvil holds the dish (reflector) and the prong and whisker only provide the 'positive' charge to the PN junction.  As long as a forward biased voltage is applied there will be conduction across the PN junction and light will emit as long as that voltage is there.
On second thought; I guess I can see where it could be said that it was 'arcing' because of the fact that each electron loosing energy emits a photon of light.  millions of these happening every second make it appear constant.  Maybe I should just disagree with the term arcing?   Wink

As for the resistor; yes, that is basically to provide a constant current source to the LED and keep from over feeding it.  A good example is to hook up an LED directly to a battery.  It works (assuming polarity is correct) but the LED will get very hot very fast.  Add in the appropriate resistor for the LED and there is no real change in brightness; however the LED will not get as hot as fast.

AC

I like this. I appreciate you sharing some of that knowledge!
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