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View Full Version : Jay-gon Jinn's MHS Mara Jade(ish) build (MHS, Petit Crouton, 7.4v Li-Ion, AV switch)



Jay-gon Jinn
01-10-2011, 03:47 PM
This saber is being built for a friend of ine in the rebel Legion that is putting together a Mara Jade emperor's hand costume and is based on the Mara Jade hilt as seen on the "Decipher" card game card, and the version sold at Parks Sabers. It won't be an exact replica, but should be similar in appearance.

Here's the basic parts this will be made from:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9504.jpg
MHS blade holder style 15, a 9" double female threaded connector with custom machined grooves, a pommel style 9 w/mpsi style 12.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9505.jpg
The emitter/blade holder....I have the correct t-grip material to add to this later...that will likely be the last thing I do on it.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9506.jpg
The custom machined grooves on the 9" MHS double female threaded connector....Tim did a great job on that as usual!

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9507.jpg
The rear grip sleeve.....I'll have to drill and tap this for 24 button head screws....that'll be fun, I'm sure ;)

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9508.jpg
The batteries....Li-Ion Trustfires.....premium speaker....two-AA battery holder and style 3 speaker mount.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9509.jpg
The soundboard...a Petit Crouton. I think I'll be using the Shatterpoint font by Madcow on this one.

Also seen there are the two switches...the purple dot AV is going to be the main activation switch, and the smaller one will activate the blaster deflection and the blade lock-up effects. Mara's saber actually has a control box of sorts near the emitter, but that wasn't going to work on this since the store doesn't have one that will fit, and ordering one form Parks takes forever. Even then, I'd have to have it shortened somehow, since the ones he sells are 2 1/4" long, and this saber only needs one about half that length. I think it'll look better with the light-up Anti-vandal style switch anyway.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9510.jpg
These are the new chassis discs style 2 with holes and will be used to hold the soundboard in place. this is the first time I've used the new chassis discs, so this should be fun!

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9511.jpg
This is the main blade led....it's a 3W RGB, and has all three main colors, red, green and blue under the center dome. I'll be using the red and blue to make a violet blade for this one similar to what I did for Chrome Saber 31.

MooseStuff
01-10-2011, 07:34 PM
I love the Mara Jade style I'm really excited to see how this turns out!

Jay-gon Jinn
01-11-2011, 06:25 PM
I figured the hardest part on this one was going to be drilling and tapping all of those holes for the screws on the rear grips, so I started on those today to get them done and out of the way.

I set up my drill press to drill the first set on one end of the grip sleeve:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9514.jpg
The vise grips act as a stop for the part to ensure that they are all the same distance from the end of the sleeve and in a straight line to each other....I had to eye-ball the location on the grip to try to get them centered in each one. this would have been easy to do if I had an indexing tool to mount the part to. I made do with what I had, and drilled all the holes:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9515.jpg
I deburred the inside of the part using the sanding drum on the rotary tool:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9516.jpg

Then I test fit over the main hilt:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9517.jpg

Next, I took a measurement for the next set of holes...these ones need to be further in from the end of the sleeve to not have the holes interfere with the threads for the pommel:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9518.jpg

I reset the vise grips and drilled the next 12 holes, deburred it and slipped it onto the hilt again:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9519.jpg

I was hoping that I might not have to drill into the actual hilt, but I'm afraid that isn't going to happen:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9520.jpg
The 1/8" 8-32 button head screws I have are just a tick too long, and I'd rather drill into the hilt and tap both parts than shorten 24 screws. (in hindsight, though, that may have been quicker. ;) )

Using the holes in the sleeve as guides, I drilled into and through the sidewall of the hilt for each hole:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9521.jpg

I tapped one hole to see how well it would go:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9522.jpg
It went well, and I'll wait to deburr this mess until after I've tapped all of the holes:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9523.jpg

I tapped the rest of them:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9524.jpg

Since I'm planning on using the chassis discs to mount the soundboard, but really have no way to secure the discs in this saber, I decided to use three of the screws in the front part of the grip sleeve as set screws to hold the disc in place:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9525.jpg
I'll place three 1/4" screws evenly around the sleeve.

These three screws should hold the disc in place just fine:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9526.jpg

The rear disc should fit right about here:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9527.jpg
There's plenty of room behind it for the 2-AA battery pack, and more than enough in front of the other one for the two switches, so this should work out nicely.

The finished rear grip sleeve:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9528.jpg

So, that's all I managed to get done today....all that drilling and tapping took about 2 hours to complete, but that was the hard part and the rest should be fairly simple. The next thing I'll be working on is drilling for the main and aux switches.

Jay-gon Jinn
01-12-2011, 06:24 PM
I set it up today to drill for the main switch:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9529.jpg
I started with a 3/8" bit and drilled, then switched to a 5/8" for the illuminated anti-vandal switch size:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9530.jpg

I de-burred the hole using a sanding drum on the rotary tool:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9531.jpg

Then test fit the switch:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9533.jpg
The second aux switch will go right behind it. I drilled the hole for the main switch where I think it should have gone, and after looking at it again, it's a little too far forward for the heatsink for the led to fit....I'll have to remove the "nub" from the back of the heatsink for it to fit. I've done it before on a few other sabers that needed extra clearance, and it works fine.

The next thing i worked on was the chassis discs....I decided this saber really only needs one to hold the soundboard, so I drilled out three of the holes that were already there to accept an 8-32 screw:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9534.jpg

Then tapped the holes, added some spacers and made up a soundboard mount:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9535.jpg

The soundboard fits on top of the screws like so:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9536.jpg

I put the soundboard back into it's anti-static bag, then test fit the soundboard mount in the saber:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9537.jpg

It slid all the way down to where the first set of screws are in the rear grip:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9538.jpg

I should be able to use one of the grip screws to act as a set screw to hold the chassis disc in place, thereby locking the board in position inside the hilt:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9539.jpg
I had to spend a bit of time on the hilt using a cylinder hone to clean out the inside diameter....the chassis discs are a very snug fit, and after drilling into the hilt, it made the discs impossible to get through the section that had been drilled in. It fits fine now, and should work like a charm.

I'll work on the placement for the secondary switch tomorrow.

Crystal Chambers
01-13-2011, 09:26 AM
So one disc balances well? Your board won't bounce up and down on one end?

I would think deburring a hole before tapping would be more logical since you have to bring your tap forward and back and you might pull shavings into the thread and damage it...maybe I'm just being too cautious/paranoid.

Azmaria Dei
01-13-2011, 12:57 PM
So one disc balances well? Your board won't bounce up and down on one end?

I would think deburring a hole before tapping would be more logical since you have to bring your tap forward and back and you might pull shavings into the thread and damage it...maybe I'm just being too cautious/paranoid.

i've been deburring before and after tapping...

looking great JGJ! can't wait to see it finished. ^_^ i do have to wonder about the single disk as well, though...

Bertuzzi
01-13-2011, 01:51 PM
I also ordered some of the chassis disks so for me it's very interesting to see how you are going to mount the soundboard. Until now I mounted my soundboards with double-sided adhesive tape but that is not possible hear. How are you going to do it?

Jay-gon Jinn
01-16-2011, 04:06 PM
I usually use double sided tape, too, but I'll cover that when I get to it. ;)

I worked a bit more on this saber this weekend, and here's what I got finished....

I made up the mounting clip for the aux button:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9543.jpg
This is made form a small section of a 1 1/4" pvc sink drain extension.

I drilled a hole and used the switch itself to make the threads for the hole, since I don't have any metric taps (The threads on these switches is M5 x .5):
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9544.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9545.jpg

I then drilled a 13/64" hole in the hilt just behind the main switch in a spot that won't interfere with the nut for the main switch:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9546.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9547.jpg

I used a pair of cutting pliers to split the pvc ring into a c-clip, and checked the fit:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9548.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9549.jpg
I cut too much of the c-clip out when I cut the ring, so that allowed the switch to have too much compression when it was pressed, so I cut a new, larger c-clip and replaced the other one.

Then I figured it might look better with a red button, and changed it:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9550.jpg

The new clip is also long enough to house a recharge port, which isn't required for this saber, since it will have removable batteries, but may come in handy for shutting down the board without having to remove the pommel, and pull a battery:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9551.jpg

I installed the main switch to use as a reference for drilling the hole for the recharge port, to ensure it was directly opposite and in alignment with the switch:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9552.jpg

I loaded the hilt in the drill press' vise, and drilled a pilot hole:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9553.jpg

Then drilled the hole for the recharge port using the pilot hole as a guide:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9554.jpg

With the c-clip installed in the saber, i also drilled the hole through that. the bit I used happened to also be the correct one for the tap for the threads on the recharge port:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9555.jpg
I tapped the c-clip for the recharge port's thread size (5/16-32) and threaded it into place. I'll have to come back to the hilt and re-drill the hole to allow the recharge port to fit through using a 5/16" bit.

The last bit of cutting and drilling I need to do for now on this one is removing the nub on the heatsink so it will clear the main switch body:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9556.jpg
I used a cut-off wheel on my rotary tool to start cutting through it, but then thought better of it and took it up to the garage and use my hack saw....that was a little faster. I cut it off, then brought it back to the basement where my bench is, and used the rotary tool to sand it smooth and de-burr it.

There is now plenty of room for the switch and the heatsink together:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9557.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9558.jpg

I loaded the hilt back into the drill press and drilled the 5/16" hole:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9559.jpg

With all of that done, I started prepping the PC for installation into the hilt....I added the clash sensor, a few wire leads, and loaded the sound font onto the microSD card, then did a temp wiring job on it to test it:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9560.jpg

I borrowed the completed RGB Violet led I have made up for CS-35:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9561.jpg

Installed two Trustfire 14500 Li-Ion batteries:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9562.jpg
I immediately heard the boot sound for this font, "This party's over"....cool....

I used a pair of tweezers to activate the board:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9563.jpg

I slipped the blade holder over the led, added a blade and took another couple of pictures:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9564.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9565.jpg
It looks like when I wire up the led for this saber, that I'll have to use a lower value resistor than what I did for the led for Cs-35....that saber will be powered by an Ultrasound 2.5, and a 3.7v Li-Ion battery so that required a different resistor to achieve the shade of violet I was looking for on that saber.

Since I know it works, I can start assembling this one, and hopefully get it closer to being finished tomorrow. I still need to get the Graflex red button thumbscrew for the blade retention screw, and that could take some time to get hold of, since Tim is out of them.

Skottsaber
01-17-2011, 02:19 AM
Its looking cool, the placement of the switch is nice.

Will you still wire in the recharge port for charging (i.e the positive lead), or just wire it to kill power with the 2 negative leads?

Jay-gon Jinn
01-17-2011, 06:44 AM
Yes, I still wired it for charging if it ever becomes necessary. I also plan to use a QD on the battery pack so in the future, if it ever needs a rechargeable pack installed I'll be able to do that without totally dismantling the saber.

erahard
01-17-2011, 09:11 AM
Nice job! Thanks for posting it step by step as helps noobs like me a lot. By the way, could I know where can I get a violet AV switch? I don't find other colors besides red, green, blue, orange and white. Do you have a link to the site maybe?

Thanks.

Skottsaber
01-17-2011, 09:12 AM
Unfortunately it would be against forum rules to link to where he buys them.

erahard
01-17-2011, 09:39 AM
Sorry about that. I forgot.

Knighthammer
01-17-2011, 09:51 AM
Love'n the WIP post Jay-gon.
Always a fan of your builds.

Jay-gon Jinn
01-17-2011, 10:58 AM
I got this one pretty much all buttoned up last night and today, here's how it went....

I started to solder up the soundboard last night, then my camera's battery died, so I didn't get much in the way of pictures until I had it pretty much ready to install:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9566.jpg

you can see the recharge port in there from this angle....it will allow for charging batteries in the saber, but it's not really necessary, since the batteries are removable. They are also individually protected, so they may not get an even charge if you were to charge them in the saber:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9567.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9568.jpg
Here you can see the wires for the switch and the plug for the main blade led. It'll be able to change the led for another color, but it will have to have another modified heat sink to do so.

To secure the sound board to the chassis, I used a few pieces of double sided foam tape and then a thin strip of 1" heat shrink tubing:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9569.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9570.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9571.jpg
This is safe to do with this sound board since it's not totally covered and will bleed off any excess heat just fine. The PC boards generally don't get very hot anyway.

With that done, I was ready to install the sound board chassis and the recharge port/aux switch assembly....I only really have one shot at getting this in there correctly:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9572.jpg
This set up works great for mounting these parts without any nuts on the outside of the hilt, but if something goes wrong, it can be a real PITA to get out again....

I had made sure to add enough wire for the speaker and battery pack so it'll reach the end of the hilt:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9573.jpg
So far, so good....

I used a flat bladed screw driver to work the c-clip into position, first snapping the aux button into place, then the recharge port:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9574.jpg

Success:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9575.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9576.jpg
Both parts snapped right into place and are nice and secure!

There's plenty of wire to add the battery pack and speaker:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9577.jpg

But I'll add the main switch first:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9578.jpg
These wires are for the the switch led and the activation button. White is the actual switch lead, orange is the positive for the switch led and is wired to the PC to led pad 1 (it will blink when power is supplied to the saber, but it's turned off) and the gray wire is the small signal ground from the accent led pads. I'll use this for the ground for the switch, as well.
I shortened the wires up a bit, then added a jumper to the switch's negative terminal for the led, and the switch negative:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9579.jpg
Then I added the negative lead from the board.

Next up, the positive for the switch led:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9580.jpg

I added the white wire for the activation switch, slipped some small pieces of heat shrink tubing over the tabs, and pushed the switch into the saber:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9581.jpg
The nut was already in there on the wires, so all I had to do next was slip it over the threads on the switch, and then tighten it up:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9582.jpg

Now it's time to add the battery pack:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9583.jpg
The first thing to do was thread the speaker wires through the battery holder:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9584.jpg
Looks like there's just enough wire to work without having to shorten it.

I made the connections at the battery pack and heat shrunk them:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9585.jpg

Soldered the leads to the speaker:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9586.jpg

Fit it into the speaker mount:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9587.jpg
I also glued it to the speaker mount by using a blob of hot glue on the back of the speaker. No pics of that, had to have both hands....;)

I installed a couple of Trustfire Li-Ion batteries, and heard the boot sound again, "This party's over." :) Then the activation switch led began blinking, right on cue:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9593.jpg

I powered the saber down, inserted the kill plug into the recharge port, and added the led from CS-35 again and powered the saber back up:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9594.jpg
Not bad....not as purple as I'd like it though....

I added the pommel so I it wouldn't let the battery pack fall out, and shot a little video:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/th_100_9597.jpg (http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/?action=view&current=100_9597.mp4)
It's pretty loud, but I think it'll quiet down a bit once I add the actual led and the blade holder.

Here's how it looks as it is right now:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9598.jpg
It still has some cosmetic parts to add, but it's almost done, and will actually be usable later today. ;)

I moved on to the actual led for this one:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9599.jpg
this is a 3-watt ( I hate that term, it's really accurate, but it's what it's called on the site I got it from) RGB....I'll put the red and blue in a parallel connection and resistor the red to make purple/violet.

I added an adhesive pad first:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9600.jpg
This not only holds the led on the heat sink, but aids in heat transfer, and insulates the aluminum base the led is attached to from the copper heat sink.

I wired it up on a temporary basis, then added the lens and the blade holder, and checked it for color:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9601.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9602.jpg
Not bad....I like! It's a nice shade of purple/violet that isn't too hot pink looking. I think it'll work.

I finalized the wiring on the led, then installed it in the saber:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9603.jpg
This is a little tricky to do, since the main switch is right there in the way for the led's connector. I had to slip it by the switch body, but it fit just fine, so I added the lens and holder:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9604.jpg

I added the blade holder and my Trans-White blade from CS-X and powered it up:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9605.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9606.jpg
nice!

I adjusted the camera a bit and took another that shows the blade a bit more true to color:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9609.jpg
I think that'll do!

I also shot a little pre-review video:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/th_100_9610.jpg (http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/?action=view&current=100_9610.mp4)

Now to get that Graflex button ordered and make up the t-track grips for the blade holder.

bk_renesis
01-17-2011, 02:38 PM
Love your builds and well done on another cool saber. Can't wait to see it finished. I got a MJish project in the works but leaning more towards a samurai look. Cool purple blade too. Cheers.

Knighthammer
01-17-2011, 03:00 PM
I am curious why you opted for the grooved sleeve and drill / tap your own holes vs. getting the one 4" extension that is already drilled & tapped - just curious. I for one would not trust myself to get 24 holes lined up correctly.... ;)

Skottsaber
01-17-2011, 03:03 PM
If he got the one with holes he'd have to use a gender changer or double male. Keeps it cleaner, and his Drill Press-fu helps ;)

supersith
01-17-2011, 03:34 PM
Amazingly beautiful step by step build...dont know what to do with all the ideas you just put in my head. Thanks a heap. Cant wait to see completed saber.

Jay-gon Jinn
01-17-2011, 04:10 PM
I am curious why you opted for the grooved sleeve and drill / tap your own holes vs. getting the one 4" extension that is already drilled & tapped - just curious. I for one would not trust myself to get 24 holes lined up correctly.... ;)


If he got the one with holes he'd have to use a gender changer or double male. Keeps it cleaner, and his Drill Press-fu helps ;)

What Skott said. ;) It also worked out better for having Tim machine the grooves in the center of the hilt...there was more space to work with on the 9" extension than there would have been if I had opted for a 5" or 6" extension.

Knighthammer
01-17-2011, 04:20 PM
What Skott said. ;)

You are the master of Drill Press-fu then...I'd botched a few of those up for sure.

Azmaria Dei
01-18-2011, 12:43 AM
that is quite beautiful. and the step by step pictures really help a lot too! thanks! ^_^

jin starkiller
01-18-2011, 12:44 PM
well done as always jay-gon ...very nice wip

Jay-gon Jinn
01-18-2011, 07:05 PM
I cut the grip material I had on hand to make up the fins that ring the emitter today:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9611.jpg

Before I could apply them, though, I had to drill a couple of holes in the blade holder:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9612.jpg
The Replica Graflex thumbscrew button I have on order will have 10-32 threads so that's what I drilled and tapped in the blade holder. I used my replica button from my brass Graflex to gauge the size and spacing for the one that will go on the saber.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9613.jpg

The other hole is for the brass valve I have:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9614.jpg
I'll cut off a brass screw and thread it into the hilt, then screw the valve onto the screw:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9615.jpg
I'll do that tomorrow.

With the holes all set, I applied the grip sections:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9616.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9617.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9618.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9619.jpg
This is where the red Graflex replica button will go when it comes in. It will actually function as a blade retention screw...I hope the threads on it are long enough to reach.

Here it is, getting even closer to being finished:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9620.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9621.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9622.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9623.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MHS%20Mara%20Jade/100_9624.jpg

Knighthammer
01-18-2011, 08:32 PM
Look'n good!

Rafalema
01-18-2011, 09:59 PM
Lookin' really good!

Azmaria Dei
01-19-2011, 12:59 AM
that's looking downright amazing.

JamoUp
01-19-2011, 06:56 AM
I've used the graflex red button thumbscrew on a few MHS sabers now, and the threads are plenty long. Your design is coming along nicely. looks very good.

Jay-gon Jinn
01-21-2011, 03:41 PM
Thanks for the heads up on the graflex button screw...I did have to shorten it a bit, because I like them to be flush with the hilt when the blade is installed. I finished this one off today, and posted the finished pictures in the Forum Gallery: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?12409-MHS-based-Mara-Jade-Style-saber-by-Jay-gon-Jinn&p=190211#post190211

dgdve
01-22-2011, 05:43 AM
Another great piece by the master J... bravo my friend(my fav part is the c clip ;)

DarthSerious
03-13-2011, 10:59 AM
I really like the design of your soundboard mount. I have hesitated for a long time about building a saber with a board, as I didn't find a straightforward way to secure everything in place. Could you tell more about the pieces it is made with? I know about the TCSS Chassis but can't really understand from your posts what you are using for the actual "tubes". It looks like they are made of plastic and don't seem to be sold on TCSS. Any advice on how to build the mount using TCSS parts alone? I don't know what an OD spacer is used for. I think that a non metallic surface is highly recommended for the rods (tubes). Could we just tape aluminium tubes so that they are not in direct contact with the board?

Also, could you indicate how you wire the RGB Led to get this wonderful purple as well as the resistor that is used?
Thank you
-DS

DarthMarr
01-18-2012, 03:10 PM
where does one get that led because i am looking to achieve a violet blade and you fascinate me to the point that i want to make more sabers.

i planned to only make one.