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Post by Darth Chasm on Jul 12, 2019 10:27:27 GMT -5
As some of you may know, I make the embedded LED crystals sold by TCSS. Well the next step in evolution for those would naturally be smart LED embedded crystals that work with pixel setups. These feature smart LEDs with embedded WS2812 IC in a 5050 package on 10mm diameter PCBs. They operate in the same color order as pixel strips. The tiny PCBs are embedded directly into the epoxy resin with an extremely strong bond. The PCBs have 6 pads offering 2 positions each for +5v and GND and one pad each for Data In and Data Out. This new crystal is considerably bigger than the ones produced previously measuring roughly 10mmx10mmx35mm (0.39"x0.39"x1.378") While these could never replace real crystals, they do provide a very strong second option that is "all-in-one," making them easier to incorporate into a setup.     |
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Post by treansorturi on Jul 12, 2019 12:21:42 GMT -5
Wow great work!
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jakesoft
Pilot
The Arduino Jedi
Posts: 83
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Post by jakesoft on Jul 12, 2019 14:15:56 GMT -5
I am always impressed by what you and also JBKuma cook up. These will be a must-have for any reveal or open chamber build. This may motivate me to add pixel accents to STREAM. This looks so awesome.
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Post by Darth Chasm on Jul 12, 2019 18:22:24 GMT -5
Thanks guys!
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Post by forcellama on Jul 12, 2019 18:50:39 GMT -5
how much are they, DC? was thinking of upgrading the one that came w/my PP/7C Starkiller...
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Post by Darth Chasm on Jul 12, 2019 19:09:37 GMT -5
how much are they, DC? was thinking of upgrading the one that came w/my PP/7C Starkiller... Retail price will ultimately be up to Tim. But as the regular 5mm rgb crystals are $10, you can expect to pay a bit more for these. The pixels are more expensive than regular leds and I'm using a different resin which is also a bit more expensive and requires more production time. |
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Post by darthbrooks on Jul 13, 2019 13:14:38 GMT -5
Now that,,, is awesome!
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Post by ARKM on Jul 13, 2019 14:03:15 GMT -5
Very cool.
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Post by Luke Skywalker on Jul 13, 2019 15:24:17 GMT -5
Outstanding.
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Post by Darth Chasm on Jul 13, 2019 18:38:53 GMT -5
Thanks gentlemen
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Post by ghostfire on Jul 28, 2019 17:07:15 GMT -5
Dang you beat me to this! Been wanting to do it for awhile. Nice work!
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Post by darthbrooks on Jul 28, 2019 17:45:47 GMT -5
Dude I can't get over how BOMB this is!
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Post by dayadjocen on Jul 28, 2019 21:04:54 GMT -5
Question is... when will these be available?
I already can envision needing some of these for a few upcoming projects
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Post by Darth Chasm on Jul 28, 2019 22:41:17 GMT -5
Thanks guys. Question is... when will these be available? I already can envision needing some of these for a few upcoming projects I finished up the first batch this weekend and shipping out tomorrow. However, I can't speak for TCSS as to when they are able to get them in their system and on the site. |
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Post by darthbrooks on Jul 30, 2019 18:48:25 GMT -5
I honestly gotta just stop looking! I can't do anything for quite a while and this awesome stuff just gives me too many ideas..😅😂🤣 great stuff
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Post by tbenen on Jul 30, 2019 20:54:38 GMT -5
I really like this idea! Are the bubbles in the crystals intended for diffusion or are they an unavoidable part of the process?
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Post by Darth Chasm on Jul 30, 2019 21:14:04 GMT -5
I really like this idea! Are the bubbles in the crystals intended for diffusion or are they an unavoidable part of the process? They are avoidable through the use of a pressure pot, but it was decided to leave them in for a number of reasons, one being diffusion. When left in, the amount and size is random and not really controllable. I am however, using a new resin which has reduced the amount and overall size. Here you can see some of the randomness in a few rejects.  |
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Post by Darth Chasm on Aug 5, 2019 18:09:25 GMT -5
Updated the thread title to match the name chosen from a contest I did on Facebook. These are now up for sale Illumicore Crystals |
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Post by dayadjocen on Aug 5, 2019 18:20:43 GMT -5
Sweet! If they haven't sold out by Friday I will pick up a couple to play with!
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Post by Darth Chasm on Aug 5, 2019 19:07:07 GMT -5
Sweet! If they haven't sold out by Friday I will pick up a couple to play with! You should be fine. These wont fly off the shelves like other items. |
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Post by dayadjocen on Aug 5, 2019 19:12:05 GMT -5
Sweet! If they haven't sold out by Friday I will pick up a couple to play with! You should be fine. These wont fly off the shelves like other items. you sure about that? Lol |
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Post by Darth Chasm on Aug 5, 2019 19:16:35 GMT -5
You should be fine. These wont fly off the shelves like other items. you sure about that? Lol Hah. Well obviously I would love that to be the case. I'm just going by the sales pace of the 5mm I've been making for the past two years. Those don't go fast. We shall see. In any case, good luck and hope you enjoy it if you do get one. |
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jakesoft
Pilot
The Arduino Jedi
Posts: 83
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Post by jakesoft on Aug 5, 2019 19:52:30 GMT -5
Hah. Well obviously I would love that to be the case. I'm just going by the sales pace of the 5mm I've been making for the past two years. Those don't go fast. We shall see. In any case, good luck and hope you enjoy it if you do get one. Not lack of coolness, just probably because most hilts don't feature an exposed crystal chamber. |
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Post by Darth Chasm on Aug 5, 2019 20:00:29 GMT -5
Hah. Well obviously I would love that to be the case. I'm just going by the sales pace of the 5mm I've been making for the past two years. Those don't go fast. We shall see. In any case, good luck and hope you enjoy it if you do get one. Not lack of coolness, just probably because most hilts don't feature an exposed crystal chamber. Absolutely. It's a niche within a niche. |
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Post by neverwayne on Aug 7, 2019 13:48:14 GMT -5
Definitely need to check these out!
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Post by dayadjocen on Aug 13, 2019 18:05:54 GMT -5
Ok so... here are my initial thoughts: whoa. Yeah you heard me: WHOA. So first. REALLY nice job on the resin. These things look like quartz. While the bubbles are present these things are super convincing unlit at first glance. And yes the bubbles help with diffusion nicely. Second: they ARE large so work well in larger chambers but would be a struggle to fit into compact chambers. I actually have revised plans for my Graflex custom chamber and am going to use one of these instead of a real quartz. Third: there is VERY little light loss in transfer from the SMD to the crystal unlike glueing a 5050 segment of a strip to the back of a quartz or sticking a PL9823 into the cavity in a shapeways crystal. These things are SLICK. Biggest feedback to you Darth Chasm is this: I want additional sizes! Namely some shorter variants like 15-20mm vs 35mm length, maybe even a step or so down in diameter ( if need be using a 3535 SMD instead of a 5050)? In other words, if you could somehow get these to the more standard Goth chassis shapeways sized crystal; I'd be buying these by the truckload. These are some seriously cool components to step up the ease and beauty of pixel builds. I am thrilled with the two I bought and WILL be buying more. |
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Post by Darth Chasm on Aug 13, 2019 19:02:24 GMT -5
Wow. Thanks dude. I'm so happy you're pleased. We will probably introduce more sizes, but want to assess the demand first with this initial design and make plans from there. I'll keep an eye out for pics  |
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Post by darthbrooks on Aug 13, 2019 19:07:36 GMT -5
Glad to hear dayadjocen! These do seem sweet as heck |
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Post by dayadjocen on Aug 13, 2019 19:16:45 GMT -5
Wow. Thanks dude. I'm so happy you're pleased. We will probably introduce more sizes, but want to assess the demand first with this initial design and make plans from there. I'll keep an eye out for pics absolutely. This actually solves one dilemma I was dealing with on my Graflex bespoke chamber which was holding the real quartz stable through impact. I was going to do a sleeve + set screw setup but now with these I no longer have to. I can use adhesive and glue the base in from the bottom of the chamber and have a more "floating crystal" look which is what I was originally wanting before I ran into quartz stabilization issues. So this DEFINITELY eases my chamber build with almost NO sacrifice to beauty and maybe even enhances it because it is less material contact covering the Illumicore than it would need to be for real quartz. I am SUPER happy to hear about you considering additional sizes. I am SUPER stoked. Most of the fancy chassis I do or use call for crystals around 8-9mm (tho sometimes 10) in diameter and around 20ish mm in length. Sometimes 20-25... So having like a hair smaller diameter and the ~20mm or so range would be AMAZINGLY versatile. |
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Post by Darth Chasm on Aug 13, 2019 19:27:45 GMT -5
Glad it's making your build a bit easier. That's the whole idea! Yeah, personally, I use smaller crystals and the original 5mm RGB ones are done in the sizes I usually go for (5-7/8ish mm). But the request for this first round of the new crystals was to go a bit bigger.
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