LED Selection and Forward Current

PropBoard
#1

I’m looking to select an LED for a lightsaber I’m building, and the language in the manual has me a little concerned with my potential selection.

On the manual webpage, under “Connecting the LEDs”, it states “the recommended forward current of the LEDs is 700mA and up.” I’ve been eying the Cree XML - RGBW Star LED for my lightsaber (in order to give me the option of adjusting the blade color). However, it’s per-LED forward current is only 350mA.

Is this LED compatible with the Propboard, or will I see a performance hit due to it being less than 700mA per LED?

If it isn’t compatible, could you recommend me a different LED?

Thanks in advance!

#2

Hi,

By the test we’ve made and the way the LED drivers work, we recommend >700mA LEDs to get the maximum of your LEDs. However, you can use 350mA LEDs without any concern.

By the way, the LEDs you’ve linked are 1A maximum forward current (Maximum Drive Current 1A per LED (1000mA)). What you have read is that, for example, the green LED would need 3.3V of forward voltage when driven at 350mA, but in fact the LEDs are rated at max. 1A, so it should be fine.

In any case, I think 350mA is a little dim for lightsabers. Most builds use the XPE2 @ 700mA or 1A, that could be the industry standard for lightsaber builds.