Modifying a Tri-Cree LED to have a UV LED instead of a blue LED

 Hello everyone,

I was recently asked on Reddit how I modified my custom lightsaber to have an ultraviolet blade. I have no pictures of the process, but the process was simple enough to be pretty self-explanatory. For this modification, you will need four tools:

  1. Tweezers
  2. A multimeter with a diode mode
  3. A heating plate for soldering (The one I used was very inexpensive, but it is also very basic. It will work for this purpose, but I am hesitant to use it for much else: TKDMR 300W PTC Heating-Soldering Plate - Hot Plate LED Remover Chip Welding Station for LED Repair DIY Laboratory - - Amazon.com)
  4. A magnifying glass (optional if you have good eyes)
You will also need a minimum of two materials:
  1. A Tri-Cree LED (The one I used is an RGB Tri-Cree LED: Red/Green/Royal Blue Cree XP-E2 CopperNova (thecustomsabershop.com. If you want a different color combination, you can choose a different Tri-Cree LED. I chose the RGB option because I wanted to retain most of the color combinations possible with an RGB setup.)
  2. At least one UV LED (ATDS3534UV405B Kingbright | Mouser. These LEDs are the right size, but they aren't as bright as the other LEDs that we will be keeping. As such, they work best in combination with the other colors. If you have only one UV LED installed and you only have the one UV LED running, then the blade will be barely visible even inside. When combined with the other colors in the RGB (now RGUV) LED array, they become bright, vibrant, and almost neon. If you want a bright UV blade, you will want to order 3 of these and replace each LED on the heatsink.)
Now, onto the steps:
  1. Take out your multimeter and set it to the diode mode. Use the multimeter's probes to touch the positive and negative points on either side of each LED on the Tri-Cree LED heatsink. It should provide enough voltage to dimly light the LEDs without burning them out. You are looking for the blue LED. Once you find it, make note of which one it is. You can use a sharpie to put a little mark on the board next to the LED, bit as long as you can orient yourself off of the red LED (which is a noticeably different color from the other LEDs) then you should be good.
  2. Prepare your workspace for the heating plate. I did not trust the little silicone(?) footpads on the heating plate to properly insulate the heating plate from my wooden table, so I setup the heating plate on top of a ceramic dinner plate. Plug in the heating pad and wait for it to get hot. It will take a few minutes to get to the proper temperature. Once it's the proper temperature, be sure not to leave it pugged in too long
  3. Place the Tri-Cree LED on the heating pad with the LEDs pointing up away from the plate. Wait a few seconds for the solder that's holding the LEDs onto the heatsink to melt, then use the tweezers to carefully remove the blue LED from the heatsink. Be careful not to bump the plate, as you don't want to have to reposition any more LEDs than you have to.
  4. Use the magnifying glass to find which side of the UV LED is positive. There should be a tiny little "+" mark on one side of the LED. I didn't use a magnifying glass, as with corrective lenses my vision is 25/20. I still could barely see the + mark, so it is absolutely minscule.
  5. Use the tweezers to place the UV LED exactly where the blue LED was, making sure that the + side lines up with the side of the heatsink with the much larger + side. Carefully and delicately press the LED onto the existing solder from the old LED. There should be enough residual solder to make a solid electrical connection to the LED.
  6. While being careful not to jostle the heating plate, unplug the heating plate's cable from the wall. Do not blow on the Tri-Cree LED to cool it down faster. You could easily blow all the LEDs off of the heatsink, and then you're in real trouble. Once it has cooled down enough, your modification is complete. Now just wire the Tri-Cree LED into your saber like you normally would and enjoy your ultraviolet blade. I personally recommend a Darksaber font for the UV blade.
I hope this guide can help whoever reads it. I apologize for not having any pictures to illustrate the steps. Hopefully this guide can give you some idea of what's necessary to do this mod properly.

Thanks for reading!

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