Spark Color SC2-R2 - Naigon`s Electronic Creations

SC2-R2 SETUP GUIDE
© 2013 by Scott DeBoer, Naigon’s Electronic Creations. Spark Color 2™, Spark™, Igniter™ and Naigon’s Electronic Creations have no affiliation
with Lucas Film, Disney, or its subsidiaries.
1.
2.
3.
CONTENTS
Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................................4
2.1.
Color Mixing .................................................................................................................................................4
2.2.
New in SC2-R2 ..............................................................................................................................................4
Getting Started ......................................................................................................................................................4
3.1.
4.
5.
Important Notes ...........................................................................................................................................5
3.1.1.
3.7v Power Supply ..............................................................................................................................5
3.1.2.
Battery Protection ...................................................................................................................................5
3.1.3.
Battery Brands .........................................................................................................................................5
3.1.4.
Battery Size ..............................................................................................................................................6
3.1.5.
LED Choices ..............................................................................................................................................6
3.2.
Spark Color 2™ Layout..................................................................................................................................6
3.3.
TruDrive™ Separation ..................................................................................................................................8
Wiring Diagrams ....................................................................................................................................................8
4.1.
Basic Wiring ..................................................................................................................................................8
4.2.
RGB Wiring ...................................................................................................................................................9
4.3.
RGBW/RGBA/RGBX wiring ...........................................................................................................................9
4.4.
Rumble Motor and Accessory Wiring ........................................................................................................10
4.5.
Color Changing Crystal Wiring ....................................................................................................................11
4.6.
X-Saber Wiring ...........................................................................................................................................12
4.7.
Single Color Cross-Guard Blade ..................................................................................................................13
4.8.
Full Wiring With Accents ............................................................................................................................14
Configuration Editing ...........................................................................................................................................15
5.1.
Installation .................................................................................................................................................15
5.2.
Copy Files to your machine ........................................................................................................................15
5.3.
Launching The Application .........................................................................................................................16
5.4.
Changing Soundfonts .................................................................................................................................18
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5.5.
6.
5.5.1.
Master ....................................................................................................................................................20
5.5.2.
Blade Effects ..........................................................................................................................................22
5.5.3.
Blade Color .............................................................................................................................................23
5.5.4.
Audio ......................................................................................................................................................24
5.5.5.
Motion ...................................................................................................................................................24
5.5.6.
Advanced ...............................................................................................................................................25
5.5.7.
Accent ....................................................................................................................................................25
5.6.
Format Micro SD ........................................................................................................................................26
5.7.
Copy Files Back To The Micro SD................................................................................................................27
Saber Operation...................................................................................................................................................27
6.1.
6.1.1.
6.2.
6.2.1.
6.3.
6.3.1.
Idle Mode ...................................................................................................................................................28
Idle Mode Interaction Table ..................................................................................................................28
Running Mode ............................................................................................................................................28
Running Mode Interaction Table ...........................................................................................................28
Saber Tracks™ ............................................................................................................................................29
Saber Tracks Interactivity.......................................................................................................................29
6.4.
Saber Configuration ...................................................................................................................................29
6.5.
Color Editor ................................................................................................................................................30
6.5.1.
Color Editor Menu .................................................................................................................................30
6.5.2.
Color Editor Editing ................................................................................................................................30
6.6.
7.
EDITING SETTINGS ......................................................................................................................................20
Motion Editor .............................................................................................................................................30
Thanks ..................................................................................................................................................................31
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2.
INTRODUCTION
Introducing the Spark Color 2™, the simple and affordable way to get color mixing into your saber! By combining
the simplicity of Spark™ and the powerful color mixing engine from Igniter 2™, Spark Color 2™ allows an amazing
depth of features:
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Color Mixing is independent of fonts – set each color set separately from each font, allowing all the colors
to be used with all fonts!
Easy setup – with only a few tabs in the color editor, setup is a breeze while still allowing effects
personalization.
Use the Spark Color 2™ Color Editor by booting the saber with the aux button pressed, allowing colorconfiguration on the fly!
TruMix™ - hum sounds are mixed in real-time with other sounds
Six (6) sound fonts supported, along with Saber Tracks™; a mode to play your favorite music and audio
files.
Integrated MaxAmp™ allows for maximum volume with the 3.7v battery.
On-board 3axis gyro and 3axis accelerometer, using SaberSense™ for superb motion tracking.
22050Hz, 16bit crystal clear audio.
All of this now comes in a super tiny package – only 2.07” x .85” x .238” with TruDrive™ attached, and 1.75” x .85”
x .238” for the board detached! This board operates on ONE 3.7v Li-ion battery, making installation suited for just
about any build.
2.1.
COLOR MIXING
Color mixing is done a bit differently in Spark Color 2™. Unlike Igniter 2™ which utilizes a color for each font, Spark
Color 2™ has nine (9) color sets which are independent from the fonts. A color set consists of a main blade color, a
clash color, and a blaster block color. These colors are stored on disk in the folders colr1, colr2, …, colr9. They can
be edited from both the Configuration Editor on the computer, or from the Color Editor by booting the saber with
the aux button pressed. The latter allows color editing in real time!
To change colors, simply perform the DualPhase™ motion from Igniter™ when a font is running. This will advance
to the next color set. When the last color set is reached, it will start again at the first.
When performing the retraction, the current color set is remembered, so that going to the next font will not reset
the color set. Going to any font and performing the extension will be for the last used color set. Inserting the kill
key or cutting power to the board will reset the color as the board always launches in the first color set.
2.2.
NEW IN SC2-R2
The SC2-R2 release adds a few great features.


3.
Change the motion for advancing the color to either twisting or holding the aux button and twisting.
X-Saber, the ability to have an RGB color-changing cross-guard saber! This requires the purchase of the
XDrive module, which is sold separately from the store: http://saberigniter.com/XDrive.aspx.
GETTING STARTED
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3.1.
IMPORTANT NOTES
PLEASE READ THIS SUBSECTION CAREFULLY AS FAILURE TO DO SO COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE SPARK
COLOR 2™ BOARD.
3.1.1. 3.7v POWER SUPPLY
Spark Color 2™ is designed around a 3.7v power supply input. In general, the best way to run Spark Color 2™ is to
hook up a single 3.7v battery to the VBATT+ and VBATT- pads.
NEVER HOOK A 7.4V BATTERY DIRECTLY TO AN SPARK COLOR 2™ UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, OR
YOU WILL DESTROY THE BOARD.
NEVER REVERSE THE POLARITY OF VBATT+ AND VBATT-/GND. IF USING A CONNECTOR FOR THE
BATTERY, MAKE SURE TO USE ONE THAT ONLY CLIPS IN ONE WAY TO PREVENT DAMAGING THE
BOARD BY HOOKING THE POWER IN REVERSE.
3.1.2. BATTERY PROTECTION
Only use li-ion batteries that have a built-in protection circuit. NEVER USE UNPROTECTED CELLS AS THIS CAN
CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE BATTERY AND/OR SPARK COLOR 2™. IMR batteries are okay but since they are not
protected they can allow large amounts of power to the board and do not act like a fuse when there is a wiring
issue, so they are not recommended.
3.1.3. BATTERY BRANDS
Because only one battery is being used, it is very important that a quality battery is selected to get the best
experience from Spark Color 2™. From internal testing, the following brands are the only ones recommended for
use with Spark Color 2™:
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AW
KeepPower
Solo’s Hold custom
Panasonic
Sayno
Tenergy
These batteries have the best life and have the most consistent voltage output, allowing for the best experience
through the entire life of the battery. If you choose to use another battery your experience will not be guaranteed.
Specifically when using the Z6 LED, the only battery that Naigon’s Electronic Creations recommends is the AW
3400mAh 18650 here: http://www.lighthound.com/AW-18650-Protected-3400-mAh-Rechargeable-LithiumBattery-_p_4149.html, or the AW 2900 mAh 18650 sold from lighthound here: http://www.lighthound.com/AW18650-Protected-2900-mAh-Rechargeable-Lithium-Battery_p_3671.html. These batteries will not trip when using
all 6 die of the Z6 with Spark Color 2™.
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Another good choice is the KeepPower with the 3 module protection circuit, as that battery can withstand high
drain. These are usually on Ebay; just search for “KeepPower 18650 3400mAh” and pick ones that have the good
protection circuit.
Finally, Solo’s Hold just released a new Panasonic battery that has the 3 module protection circuit mentioned
above. These are great as well and are highly recommended: http://www.soloshold.com.
3.1.4. BATTERY SIZE
The best battery to use is an 18650, space allowing. If that cannot be used, then an 18500, 17650, 16650, or 17500
should be used, in that order. 14xxx batteries and 18350 batteries are not recommended due to their shorter life,
and because those batteries may not be able to output enough power to run 4 die of a High Brightness LED
(HBLED).
3.1.5. LED CHOICES
When using Spark Color 2™ with a 3.7v power source the LEDEngin LEDs will not work well. This is because
LEDEngin’s green and blue dies require a forward voltage of 4.0v for maximum brightness. Thus it is highly
recommended to use the Z6 sold here at Naigon’s Electronic Creations. Other choices are the X4 LED sold by Lucien
Kane of the Imperial Royal Arms forum or a Tri/Quad Rebel or Triple Cree. The Z6 and X4 LED is by far the easiest
to wire as the positive pads of the LEDs are already bridged with the Z6 being even easier since the diode for the
red die is already built in.
3.2.
SPARK COLOR 2™ LAYOUT
Before getting started, it is important to familiarize yourself with the layout of Spark Color 2™, TruDrive™ and all of
the pads on the board. This will help in wiring up the board for use in a saber.
The following diagram shows the important components of Spark Color 2™, with an accompanying table describing
what each component does.
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Figure 1 – Important components on the front of Spark Color 2™.
Name
1. Micro SD card
holder
Label
NA
2.
TruDrive™
board
Battery +/pads
Speaker pads
Accent
Common +
LED DRIVER PCB
Accent LED
pads
Accent LED
pads
LED connect
pads
1,2,3
Color Pads
C1-, C2-, C3-, C4-
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Switch Pads
BAT+, BATSPKR
VLED+
4,5,6,7,8
1,2,3,4,GND
MAIN, AUX
Description
Holds the micro SD card that contains the fonts and
configuration for Igniter 2™. Make sure that the card is fully
inserted before applying power to Igniter 2™.
Driving board that powers the high-power LEDs from Igniter
2™.
Hook power and ground from a 3.7v li-ion pack here.
Hook a 1.5-3.0w, 8ohm speaker here.
Used to power all three of the accent LEDs. Optionally,
additional static LEDs can be powered from this pad. The
output is 3.3v, and it is rated at 200mA.
Each pad can hold one 20mA accent LED. These LEDs will be
sequenced by the chosen pattern.
Remaining LED pads that are smaller in size. 28AWG or smaller
wire is required for these pads.
Pads that hook the TruDrive™ board to the Igniter 2™ main
board. Hook the corresponding numbers together with a wire.
Pad 1 connects the ground, pad 2 connects C1-, pad 3
connects C2-, pad 4 connects C3- and pad 5 connects C4Hook the main LED cathodes to these pads. C4- may also be
used for an accessory such as a rumble motor.
Pads for the switches. MAIN can be a momentary or latching,
AUX must be momentary. Make sure to select the correct type
of switch for MAIN in the Config Editor.
Figure 2 – Description of each component.
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3.3.
TRUDRIVE™ SEPARATION
Igniter 2™ will come by default with the TruDrive™ attached to the main board. If it is desired to have the
TruDrive™ separate from the main board for the install, then you can detach the two boards.
Separation is much easier than with previous board versions and can be performed by hand or with a small set of
needle nose pliers or forceps. Make sure to keep pressure off the middle of the board; hold it in your hands by the
two edges.
It is important to note that once the board has been removed it cannot go back on; plan accordingly before
separating the boards.
4.
WIRING DIAGRAMS
The following diagrams are the most common to get your board up and running.
Note: It is very important that the correct resistor be used between the negative pad of the LED and C1-, C2-, C3and C4- to prevent burning out the LED for warm color LEDs. For Rebel LEDs if a red, red-orange or amber LED is
used, then a 1ohm 1watt resister is needed. For any other Rebel colors a resistor is not needed. The STTH2L06
diode can be used in place of the resistor and it is a slightly smaller part.
4.1.
BASIC WIRING
This is the most basic wiring that is possible to get the board up and running. It is great for testing your Spark Color
2™ on the bench, or if you are doing a simple install into a saber that will have a removable battery.
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Figure 3 – Basic wiring for Spark Color 2™. This will drive a single main LED and would require a removable battery for charging. Note that a
resistor between the blue wire and C1- of TruDrive™ would be needed if the LED is red, amber, or red-orange.
4.2.
RGB WIRING
The preferred setup of Spark Color 2™ is to use an RGB LED. This allows the use of all the popular Igniter™ specific
features, such as separate colors for clash/lockup and blaster, ClashShade™, BlastShade™, and BladeShade™, and
the popular R4 feature Saber Dual Phase™.
The recommended LED to use with this setup is the Z6 LED that is sold right from our store! This LED was
specifically designed to have the brightest possible colors throughout the entire color range, and can do vivid
oranges, purples and other mixed colors that other LEDs cannot do as well. Another good choice is the X4 LED that
is distributed via Lucien Kane of the Imperial Royal Arms (www.imperialroyalarms.com) forum.
The following diagram shows the Z6 wiring
Figure 4 – Wiring up Spark Color 2™ with the Z6 LED. This setup uses RGB wiring and allows for full color-mixing for main blade and blade
effects. Notice that the diode for the red is built-on and thus no external resistance is needed!
4.3.
RGBW/RGBA/RGBX WIRING
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With Spark Color 2™ a fourth die can be utilized for even more flash effects, and even more main blade colors! The
following diagram shows an X4 RGBW, but any combination for a fourth die could be used. For instance, an RGBA
LED would allow for very rich purples not previously available under the standard RGB color mixing model.
Figure 5 – X4 wiring that uses four unique colors instead of doubling up on one color. This setup allows for more varied colors but is not as
intuitive to get correct color mixing. Also, while an RGBW was used only the RED die needed a resistor/diode; if an RGBA is used a second
resistor would be needed for the amber die as well.
4.4.
RUMBLE MOTOR AND ACCESSORY WIRING
When not using a fourth die the C4 pin can be use to run an accessory. For those familiar with the original Igniter™,
the C4 pin is actually a cross between the Crystal Pin and Flash- pin from Igniter™. Thus, it can be used for a single
crystal LED, a rumble motor, or any other accessory if not used as a fourth color.
The following diagram will show the use of a low power (3.3v) shaft-less motor that can be purchased from Pololu
here. If using something that required more voltage than 3.3v, the power could be drawn directly from the battery
instead of the VLED+ pin.
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Figure 6 – Diagram with a small shaft-less rumble motor running off the C4- pad. In this application the C4- pad is like the Crystal pad of the
original Igniter™. Note that if more than 3.3v is required the power could be hooked to the battery directly. Also, note that the C4- pad can
only handle up to 2A.
4.5.
COLOR CHANGING CRYSTAL WIRING
With the advent of color mixing many people are wanting a blade matching crystal chamber to go along with their
build. If you want to experience this thrill, then look no further! The following diagram shows how to get this LED
wired and working.
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Figure 7 – Wiring with an RGB crystal chamber. This will have an RGB led that matches the blade color and pulses with the blade. Note that
the red pin of the accent LED has the proper resistor applied.
4.6.
X-SABER WIRING
The following diagram shows the wiring of the XDrive and Spark Color 2™ board to utilize the X-Saber functionality.
Three Z6 LEDs are shown; a TriCree can be used as well but resistors will be needed for all three red die.
Note that it is recommended to use a 26650 since the runtime drain for this setup is quite high.
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Figure 8 – Wiring with the XDrive for the X-Saber feature. If TriCrees are used then 3 resistors/STTH2L06’s would be needed for the red die.
After wiring this feature, not only does X-Saber need to be enabled in the master config, but also c4Percent should
be set to 95, and then for each colorset where it is desired to have the side LEDs engaged the color should be set
to a non-zero value. I recommend 100 as the side LEDs are short and running 3 high-power LEDs causes a large
drain on the batteries. So for color set 1, the following would work: C4COLOR=100, C4FLSH=100, C4BLST=100.
If you want to do something more advanced like having a color set where the side blades only come on during the
clash effect, you could set the following: C4COLOR=0, C4FLSH=100, C4BLST=0. This allows each font to have a
different cross-guard setup.
4.7.
SINGLE COLOR CROSS-GUARD BLADE
If you want to run a single color blade with the cross-guard functionality, then the following diagram for Spark 2™’s
Cross-Saber will work.
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Figure 9 – Single color cross-guard wiring. This is almost the same as Spark 2™, the only difference being that the second group is controlled
from C4 instead of C2. Note that a resistor or STTH2L06 diode would be needed for each die if the blade color is red or amber.
The same as with X-Saber, for each colorset that utilizes this feature c4 needs to be set appropriately in the color
set to a non-zero value.
4.8.
FULL WIRING WITH ACCENTS
The following diagram shows how to wire all accent LEDs and the recharge port, which will utilize every feature of
Spark Color 2™ (except for C4-). This will be the typical diagram for most folks that are looking for a build that
utilizes all the great features of the board without overly complicated wiring. Note that the accent pads 4-8 are in
the middle of the bottom of the board and require 28-30 gauge wire and surface type soldering (strip a small bit of
insulation from a solid core wire and push it through the accent LED hole from the top side and apply solder on the
top of the pad on the bottom side to seal).
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Figure 10 – Full wiring using all accent LEDs and a recharge port/kill key combo. This wiring will allow most features of Spark Color 2™ to be
experienced without getting into super complex wiring. Note that the resistor/diode is needed for the red color.
5.
CONFIGURATION EDITING
Once Spark Color 2™ has been wired according to the wiring above then it will work immediately with the default
configuration. However, changing the fonts and effects is completely possible and encouraged by using the
Igniter™ Config Editor. The following section will go through installing and using the editor to modify Igniter™
configuration.
5.1.
INSTALLATION
To install the application, launch the .msi file from the installer zip file. You can get the file from SaberIgniter.com.
A version is also included on the micro SD card that came with Igniter™, but I recommend going to the site to get
the newest version in case any enhancements have been made to the program. Click through the wizard until the
application launches.
5.2.
COPY FILES TO YOUR MACHINE
Before opening Spark Color 2™ Config Editor you will need to copy the files you want to edit from the micro SD
card to your local computer. First, insert your micro SD card into your computer using your SD card reader. If you
do not currently have one, I recommend this cheap one off eBay: Micro SD card.
Then, open a new window and find a place to put a new Igniter directory. In this example the Igniter directory will
be placed right on the root c:\ drive. Create a new directory and name it “Igniter”. Then, inside that directory,
create another folder with the name of your saber. In this example, “Saber1” will be used.
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Now, with both the Saber1 empty directory open and the micro SD card opened, select all the files from the micro
SD card, and drag them into the Saber1 directory. When done, all the files should be copied to your hard-drive as
shown below.
Figure 11 – After creating a new directory called “c:\Igniter\Saber1”, the files are copied from the micro SD card (on the right) to the new
Saber1 folder (on the left). From here edits can be made to the files from the config editor.
5.3.
LAUNCHING THE APPLICATION
To launch the config editor, you can use either the desktop shortcut that was created, or you can use the shortcut
from the Start Menu. Once launched you should see the program as below:
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Figure 12 – Igniter™ Config Editor launched after installation.
You can then go to File->Open, and the open dialogue will appear. Navigate to the “c:\Igniter\Saber1” folder and
then go into one of the fonts to edit. When you see the config.ini appear in the window, double click it or select it
and click open to load the program for editing this font.
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Figure 13 – Navigate to “c:\Igniter\Saber1” in the window, and then one of the font folders (font1 – font9) to edit. When you see config.ini,
double click it to open editing for the font.
5.4.
CHANGING SOUNDFONTS
Changing soundfonts was never easier with the enhancements to the config editor in R5. With the auto-sync of the
app open you can switch fonts easily even when directly editing a font in the config editor. You also swap the font
before opening it for the first time.
To copy a new sound font, first go to the font that you want to change. In this example it will be
“c:\Igniter\Saber1\font1”. Navigate to that directory in explorer and then select both of the .wav files (font.wav
and multi.wav), and all the wav folders. I find the easiest way to do that is to select all (edit->select all or ctrl+A),
then hold control and click the config.ini and accent.ini files (along with the backup folder if already present) to
unselect those files. Then you can delete the original files to the recycle bin. Make sure you have a separate
backup of these waves before doing this.
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Figure 14 – Delete the existing font by selecting all the files, then hold control and uncheck ‘accent.ini’, ‘config.ini’, and ‘backup’ if it is
present. Then the selected files font.wav, multi.wav, and the wav folders can be deleted or cut and pasted into a backup location.
After the wav files are removed and all that is left is the config files and backup folder, you can copy in all the new
wav files from a new font. You can find these from online saber sound websites, and there are some free ones
available from my website as well: http://SaberIgniter.com/fonts.aspx.
Once the files are copied, then either open the font in the config editor, or if the config editor was already opened
to this font, simply switch back to the config editor, and it will auto-sync the font numbers from disk, and it will
auto-convert them to 22050Hz, mono with appropriate headers!
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Figure 15 – After making changes on the disk simply switch back to the app and it will sync with the correct numbers. In this case the
blst05.wav was deleted, but this will even work for swapping out an entire font.
5.5.
EDITING SETTINGS
With the file open, you have access to all the configuration settings from Igniter™. With Igniter™, complete editing
of all parameters is available. This allows a completely customizable experience from font to font and saber to
saber, though it does mean a lot more tweaking of settings to get a saber working to one’s liking. The settings in
the Config Editor are logically grouped by tabs that correspond to the high-level feature. It is best to open a font
and get familiarized with all the settings before doing any editing. Clicking any individual setting will show a
description in the Description textbox below the Ignite-ulator™. Further, for any setting where the text is in red
changing the value will show the change in Ignite-ulator™.
After any edits are made, simply go to File->Save to ensure that all the changes are written back to the config. The
Config Editor will prompt before trying to open another font or close the program if there are changes that are not
saved.
Tabs are used to group individual settings into a high-level feature, helping to logically separate the changes that
are made. The following subsections document each high-level feature and what changes it makes to the saber.
5.5.1. MASTER
Master settings control features related to the overall saber. These are settings that are not font specific and
remain the same for every font. The most important settings in this section are C1PERCENT, C2PERCENT,
C3PERCENT, and C4PERCENT. These control the drive percentage for C1-C4 dies. These can be adjusted
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individually; however, the easiest way is simply to pick the dropdown for the LED being used and it will be autopopulated.
Figure 16 – Master settings in the config editor. Use the top dropdown to auto-set the 4 drive parameters below. Also set if the main switch
is momentary or latching, and if the boot sound is being used.
The rest of the settings are described as follows:
ORIENTATION sets which way the board is facing in the hilt, so that the board can be aware of the saber’s angular
direction (ie which way it is pointing).
New in SC2-R2 – X-Saber is the amazing new feature that allows an RGB color-mixing cross-guard saber! After
enabling this make sure to set each color set’s c4 values to non-zero in order for the side LEDs to turn on; see 4.6
X-SABER WIRING for more details on wiring and settings.
New in SC2-R2 – Require aux button when twisting requires the aux button to be held when doing the twist
motion to advance to the next color set. This prevents unwanted color shifts when swing the saber or dueling.
MBUTTON defines if the main button is either latching or momentary. If set to latching, do not enable SWAP
BUTTONS, as that is only supported for two momentary switches.
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New in Spark Color 2™ – the SWAP BUTTONS setting is used to swap which buttons are main and aux. This is
especially useful if the two buttons are inside a control box, as it allows the top/bottom button to be whichever
the user prefers. Think of this as look inversion for console shooter games.
When USE BOOT SOUND is enabled, the default boot.wav from the root will be played. Disabling this setting will
boot with the first sound font’s font.wav.
New in Spark Color 2™ – LOWPWR defines the length in seconds before the saber goes into Low Power
mode, which is where the accent LEDs shut off and the motion for the menu is disabled. Handy for cons as it saves
a lot of power when hanging on the belt since the accents drain a lot of power.
5.5.2. BLADE EFFECTS
The blade effects tabs contain settings for the blade’s pulsing scheme, along with the settings for the extension
and retraction effects.
For Spark Color 2™, the blade effects for the main blade and clash are both set with a simple dropdown. Simply
select the desired effect from one of the pre-defined choices. The blade offers different types from static to subtle
flickering to deeper flickering, along with a few different pulses as well.
Figure 17 – The Blade Effects tab in the Config Editor contains settings for the blade plusing along with the extension and retraction lenghts.
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The values for INLEN and OUTLEN set the length of the blade effect for retraction and extension respectively.
Setting these to 0 will auto-detect the length of the sound file and match the blade length to the file, allowing for
varying file lengths to work perfectly!
5.5.3. BLADE COLOR
A unique feature for Spark Color 2™, this tab contains the ability to edit each color set.
First, use the dropdown to select the desired color set to edit. Once chosen, the sliders for the blade color, clash
color, and blast color are loaded. Then, modify each C1, C2, C3, and optionally C4 to match the blade color mix.
Assuming the standard RGB color scheme and that C1 is Blue, C2 is Green, and C3 is red, you can use a site like
colorschemer.com to find colors and enter them into the tool.
If you want to add a new color set just go to the file explorer, copy the colr1 folder, rename it to colrN (where N is
2-9) to the next available number, and then switch back to the Config Editor program.
Figure 18 – Color set editing in the Spark Color 2™ Config Editor. Edit each color set from this tab, regardless of what font is currently loaded.
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5.5.4. AUDIO
The audio tab has some settings related to the audio and audio related features.
HUMSTART sets the time when the hum will start mixing in with the outNN.wav sound, as a reverse offset in
milliseconds. For instance, if the outNN.wav being played is 2 seconds long and humStart is set to 500ms, then the
hum will start mixing in at 1500 milliseconds, which is 500ms before the end of the out wav sound. This allows for
a consistent experience with varying length out sounds.
The two volume settings are pretty straight-forward. Higher settings will make louder volumes. Recommended is
16 for effects and 15 for the hum.
Figure 19 – Audio settings tab to set when the hum starts mixing in and for the volume.
5.5.5. MOTION
The motion tab contains a few simple settings for the on-board motion detection of swings. Use the thresholds to
set how easy/hard of a swing is required to register a swing and slash sound respectively. The swngWait is used to
set the swing sensitivity; lower values allow for quicker swings but can produce two swing sounds for one really
long swing; higher values will always make one swing sound but really quick swings may be missed. Recommended
is 300-500ms.
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5.5.6. ADVANCED
The Advanced tab is used to help adjust the mix of colors for an LED, specifically for LEDs like the X4 where one
color is doubled up. For these LEDs where one color is stronger than the others, they may cause separation during
the retraction effect. To fix this, use these sliders.
For example, if a red and green mix is getting redder near the end of the retraction, then the red needs to be
turned down. This is true for the other colors as well; if any mix of two colors turns more towards one color then it
needs to be turned down a bit. If a value is already below 15 then it may be that the other two need to be turned
up.
5.5.7. ACCENT
Unlike Igniter™ which has complicated accent settings, Spark Color 2™ has simple drop-downs to run the accents.
This allows for easy setup and ensures a nice pattern.
To change the accent pattern for each mode, simply choose the pattern from the drop down for that mode. To see
the pattern in the simulator, make sure that the desired mode is chosen from the Accent mode dropdown.
Figure 20 – Accent settings. Use the Accent Mode dropdown to adjust the current mode’s settings. Make sure to use the dropdown for each
type to set all the patterns.
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5.6.
FORMAT MICRO SD
It is important to format the micro SD card before putting the modified config and sound fonts back on the card.
Starting with a clean card will ensure that there are no extra files and that the file chunks are contiguous on disk.
This will allow the fastest possible access times for the card. FAILURE TO DO THIS CAN RESULT IN CHOPPY
AUDIO AND A LESS SMOOTH EXPERIENCE.
To format the card, insert the card into the computer. After the card is inserted into the computer, go to
computer. There the micro SD card will be listed as one of the drives on your system (on this computer it is listed
as G:\). Right click the drive and then click Format.
Figure 21 – Right click the SD card’s drive from “Computer” (My Computer on XP), and click Format…
When the format window pops up, choose FAT32 and 16kilobytes for a 2gb card or larger. If you have a 1GB card
use FAT32 and 4096bytes. No other card below 1GB is supported by Spark Color 2™. Choose a name for the card,
probably the name of the saber or something to distinguish it, and then click okay.
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Figure 22 – After the format window pops up choose FAT32 and 16 kilobytes (4096 bytes for a 1GB card) to get the micro SD card ready to
load the modified fonts and configurations.
5.7.
COPY FILES BACK TO THE MICRO SD
To copy the files back, simply move all the files from the “c:\Igniter\Saber1” directory to the root of the micro SD
card ONE FOLDER AT A TIME. This will ensure that the files are written well and can be accessed quickly by
Spark Color 2™. If you try to copy everything at once they may get written in an incorrect order on disk and access
times can suffer, causing a jerky experience. Once this step is done the micro SD card is ready to be loaded back on
to Spark Color 2™ to enjoy the new settings and fonts!
6.
SABER OPERATION
To use your saber, with the micro SD card inserted and the wiring correctly completed, insert the battery or pull
the kill key. You should hear the boot sound or first font sound play (depending on the config setting), and you
should also see the first accent LED blinking rapidly. After this your saber will load into idle mode for the first font.
There are three main modes of operation for the saber: Idle mode, Running mode and Saber Cinema™ mode.
These two modes will be discussed in detail in the next sections.
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6.1.
IDLE MODE
Idle mode is when the saber is loaded for a font but not running. This is where the accent LEDs are running the idle
pattern, and the saber is ready for use. In this mode there are two ways to interact with the saber. The first is
hitting the AUX button to advance to the next font. When you are on font three, hitting AUX goes back to font1.
Spark Color 2™ always assumes that there are 9 fonts present on the config card unless configured otherwise, so
make sure they are always present on the micro SD card.
The other way to interact with the saber is by hitting the main button. This puts the saber in running mode. For
more details on that see the next section.
6.1.1. IDLE MODE INTERACTION TABLE
The following table lists all the interactivity that is possible with the saber while in idle mode.
Entry
Main button
Label
MAIN+/-
Action
Press/Latch
Aux button
AUX+/-
Press
Aux button
AUX+/-
Hold + point
saber down
6.2.
Description
Pressing the main button (latching when it is a latching switch)
puts the saber into running mode
A single press plays the current font; multiple will advance to
the next font(s).
Holding the Aux button while the saber is pointed straight
down
RUNNING MODE
When the saber is running, there are many actions that are possible. Swings, Blaster Blocks, Clashes, Lockups and
retraction all become available. Further, this is when the main LED runs and accent LEDs follow the patterns for the
actions performed. A detailed description on how to interact with the saber is given in the following subsection.
To stop the saber from running, simply hold down the main button (unlatch if it is a latching switch) until the
retraction sound and effect occur. The saber will then return to Idle mode. From here you can re-insert the kill key
or remove the battery. Do not remove power when the saber is running, as this can cause the micro SD card to get
corrupted, and then it would need to be reformatted. Granted this is very rare but it is better to put the saber into
Idle before disconnecting the power.
Specifically for Spark Color 2™, the color set can be advanced when the saber is running. Simply perform the “flick
the wrist” motion (aka the DualPhase™ motion from R4) to advance the color set.
6.2.1. RUNNING MODE INTERACTION TABLE
The following table lists all the interactivity that is possible with the saber while in Running mode.
Entry
Aux Button
Label
AUX +/-
Action
Press
Aux Button
AUX +/-
Hold
Description
Pressing the aux button engages Blaster Block mode. Once in
this mode, swinging the saber will perform EzBlaster™, where
another Blaster Block will be performed. Keeping the saber
still will cause the mode to exit.
Holding the aux button is the second way to engage the
Lockup effect; the primary way is by EzLockup™ - tapping the
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Aux Button
AUX +/-
Press (in
Clash)
Swing saber
NA
Swing
Rotate saber
NA
Rotate
Hit saber/Blade
CS
Clash
Main Button
MAIN+/-
Hold/Unlatch
6.3.
aux once after performing a Clash. Depending on the chosen
config setting, either releasing the button or tapping it again
will cause the mode to exit.
Pressing the AUX button will perform EzClash™; immediately
after the press the Lockup sound will play when in Clash
mode. This is the preferred way to perform a clash on
Igniter™.
Swinging the saber causes a single swing sound to be played.
If the swing is performed rapidly then a Slash sound will be
performed.
Rotating the saber will advance the color set to the next
color, loading in the new blade, clash and blast colors.
Hitting the saber against something or hitting your hand on
the hilt will cause the Clash sound to play. To return to
running simply wait for the clash to finish.
Holding or unlatching the main button will cause the
retraction sound to play and then the saber will return to Idle
mode.
SABER TRACKS™
Saber Tracks™ is the special seventh (7th) font of Spark Color 2™ that can play the track files. Place track01.wav,
track02.wav, …, trackNN.wav, in the /TRACKS FOLDER, and then engaging this font will play the tracks.
6.3.1. SABER TRACKS INTERACTIVITY
The following table describes the interactivity for Saber Tracks.
Entry
Aux Button
Label
AUX +/-
Action
Press
Main Button
Main Button
MAIN +/MAIN +/-
Press/Latch
Hold/Unlatch
6.4.
Description
Advances to the next track. When the last track file is reached
it goes back to the beginning.
Enter the Saber Tracks™ mode.
Exit the Saber Tracks™ mode.
SABER CONFIGURATION
In Spark Color 2™ a new Saber Configuration menu is available. To access this menu, when in the idle mode hold
down the aux button while the saber is pointing down. From here the two configuration modes can be accessed,
along with jumping back into the main idle mode of Spark Color 2™.
Once inside the menu the following interaction is possible.
Entry
Aux Button
Label
AUX +/-
Action
Press
Main Button
MAIN +/-
Press/Latch
Description
Advances to the next mode. The three possible modes are
Color Editor, Motion Editor, and Spark Color 2™ (main
firmware).
Enter the current mode.
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6.5.
COLOR EDITOR
The Color Editor is an exciting new mode that allows editing of all the colors for every font on the saber. This
allows easy adjusting of colors selected from the Config Editor, and it even allows completely swapping the colors
without having to remove the SD card!
6.5.1. COLOR EDITOR MENU
The color editor has a menu similar to the menu in Igniter™. This menu is used to navigate the fonts to select the
one to edit.
Entry
Aux Button
Main Button
Aux Button
Aux Button
Label
AUX +/MAIN +/AUX +/AUX +/-
Action
Press
Press/Latch
Hold
Hold + point
saber down
Description
Advances to the next color set.
This button will activate the saber for editing.
Plays the instructions.
Returns to the Saber Configuration menu.
6.5.2. COLOR EDITOR EDITING
Once a font is selected the Color Editor is in editing mode for that font. From here all the changes can be made.
Entry
Aux Button
Aux Button
Swing saber
Label
AUX +/AUX +/NA
Rotate saber
NA
Action
Press
Hold
Swing + hold
aux button
Rotate
Hit saber/Blade
Main Button
CS
MAIN+/-
Clash
Hold/Unlatch
6.6.
Description
Increments/decrements the current color value by 10.
Changes between incrementing and decrementing.
Change the action being edited between: Blade, Clash, and
Blast.
Rotating the saber will change between the colors blue,
green, and red.
Increments/decrements the current color by 1.
Holding or unlatching the main button will cause the
retraction sound to play and all changes made to this font will
be saved to disk.
MOTION EDITOR
The motion editor is an app that is used to adjust the motion parameters on the fly. Setting these values will
update the motion settings for every font of Spark Color 2™, as well as the sensitivity of this editing mode.
Once in the Motion Editor, press the main button to enter editing. From there the following actions are possible.
Entry
Aux Button
Aux Button
Swing saber
Label
AUX +/AUX +/NA
Action
Press
Hold
Swing
Rotate saber
NA
Rotate
Description
Increments the current motion parameter by 10.
Plays the instructions.
Plays the swing sound; swinging around the saber gets a feel
for the current motion settings.
Plays the Dual Phase™ sound (no color change). Performing
this motion gets a feel for the current settings.
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Hit saber/Blade
CS
Clash
Rotate saber
NA
Rotate +
Hold Aux
Swing saber
NA
Hit saber/Blade
NA
Main Button
MAIN+/-
Swing +
Hold Aux
Clash +
Hold Aux
Hold/Unlatch
Main Button
MAIN+/-
7.
Hold/Unlatch
+ hold Aux
button
Plays the clash sound. Performing the clash gets a feel for the
current motion settings.
Advances to the next motion parameter to edit. Parameters
are Swing Threshold, Slash Threshold, Clash Threshold, GyroX
Threshold, and GyroYX Threshold respectively.
Same behavior as rotating the saber and holding Aux; see
above.
Same behavior as rotating the saber and holding Aux; see
above.
Holding or unlatching the main button will cause the
retraction sound to play and all changes made to this font will
be saved to disk. The saber will then enter the Saber
Configuration menu.
If the aux is held when the main is held or unlatched, then the
values will not be saved to disk, and the saber will enter the
Saber Configuration menu.
THANKS
Special thanks to everyone that has supported me on this journey. It is the community support that makes this
worthwhile and gives me the passion to continue.
Godspeed, and MTFBWY!
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Revision History
Date
Revision
16 February 2015
Initial version of Spark Color 2™
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