Is Xenopixel better than Proffie?
Many lightsaber enthusiasts can be overwhelmed when it comes to selecting their perfect weapon of choice. With so many different hilts, a vast variety of cores with different boards and multiple options for customisation, it really can be a minefield.
So one questions that has come up, ‘Which is better, Xenopixel or Proffie?’ To answer this we first need to understand the boards.
The Proffie
The "Proffieboard" is a type of circuit board designed specifically for creating custom lightsabers, which are replicas of the iconic weapons from the Star Wars franchise. The Proffieboard is notable for its advanced features and flexibility, making it a popular choice among hobbyists and enthusiasts in the lightsaber community.
Some key features of the Proffieboard include:
Sound Effects: The Proffieboard can generate realistic lightsaber sound effects, including ignition, hum, clash, and retraction sounds. Users can customise these effects to suit their preferences.
Motion Sensing: It is equipped with motion sensors that detect movement, allowing for realistic swinging and combat sounds.
LED Control: The Proffieboard can control the colour and intensity of the lightsaber blade through LED strips. This allows users to create various blade colours and effects.
Customisation: One of the most significant advantages of the Proffieboard is its high level of customisation. Users can program the board using Arduino-compatible software to create unique lightsaber effects and behaviours.
SmoothSwing: This is a feature that provides smooth and realistic sound effects corresponding to the motion of the lightsaber. It adds an extra layer of immersion to the lightsaber experience.
Overall, the Proffieboard offers an advanced platform for creating highly customisable and realistic lightsabers, making it a favourite among DIY lightsaber enthusiasts.
The Xenopixel (Xeno3)
The “Xenopixel” is another circuit board build on using very similar technology as the Proffie. It has a whole range of similar features including the sound effects, motion controls, LED pixel control and also more recently additional customisation.
It also has smoothswing, and you can add sound fonts to it like you can with a Proffie. In fact, it is a lot easier to add the fonts because you do not need to use any 3rd party software to upload data to the board, you can just add the sounds to the SD card located on the board.
So what actually makes them different?
The customisation options on the Proffie is where the real difference is. If you understand coding, it helps, but you can make the Proffie do anything you want to really. If you don’t fully understand coding then don’t panic. There are a lot of guides and help out there where you can work on blade styles, preons and offs (the blade effect while igniting on turning off), sounds and when they play.
The Xenopixel does not allow this. It has some pre-defined features already set up and lots of features you can edit but you are not able to customise these. This really does make the Proffie far superior to the Xenopixel as the options are almost endless on it.
So what should you go for?
Well this all depends on what you want from your saber. If you want to have the bright LED blade, loads of cool features like smooth swing and motion controls and a piece that shows off to friends, but not interested in customising further, the Xenopixel is perfectly fine and will live up to expectations.
If you want to go all the way and learn how to add some remarkable blade style and change what the saber can do entirely, then go for a Proffie.
If you are still unsure, check out some of our videos on YouTube.