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Drewbacca
08-05-2006, 09:58 PM
When you get all your parts laid out and your soldering iron warmed up, there are some things you should make sure you do first.

I got my MHS and I have to admit that it had been about 6-7 years since I've done any electrical work. I used Tim's MHS wiring tutorial and though it shows exactly what to do, I think he forgot to mention a few things. So I thought I'd lend a hand.

--Before you do anything, screw your saber together and lay out the wiring next to it. <u>Make sure</u> that you're going to have enough wire to place the switch where you want it. If you come up short, head to the hardware store and grab some thin copper wire. I got a foot of double wire (so 2 feet) for .19 cents.

--I didn't have any scrap wood laying around to solder on, so I cut a square out of the box Tim sent my saber in to use...worked great.

--It's a good idea to get solder without mercury. The obvious reasons is that it can cause tons of health problems. Even lead isn't that great. Just make sure you get adequate ventilation when soldering (preferably have a fan sucking the solder smoke away from your work area), and don't forget to always wash your hands.

--If you don't have any wire strippers, you can lightly hold your soldering iron on the wire (where you would strip it) and slide the iron off. This will melt the plastic. This should ONLY be done on RARE occasions. <font color="red"><u>Warning!!!</u></font id="red"> It WILL cause your iron to get pits. When the tip of the iron pits, it's harder for the solder to stick to it. Also causing it to "pop" when solder is applied, and when it gets on your skin it HURTS...and you really don't want molten lead on your skin.

<font color="red">--WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!!!!</font id="red">

--When soldering your resistor, make sure that when you tape it, you tape all the way up to the resistor itself. You do not want any exposed wire. If your saber is on for extended periods of time, and another wire is touching the exposed surface, it will cause the wire to melt and fuse to the resistor wire...that's not good.

--When you have everything wired up and ready to slide into your hilt, it's a good idea to make sure the lens and the lens holder fit into the emitter. I slid all the guts through the ribbed section (what my emitter screws to) and let everything just hang there. Next I slowly began to screw on the emitter, careful not to shake the lens holder off the LED itself. I stuck my finger through the emitter when I got close to hold it in place. At this point you may have the same problem I did. It will feel like the emitter is getting stuck or "crunching" the lens holder. The feeling is correct. However, all you have to do it back the emitter off a bit, and then screw it back on.

I'm hope this helps someone. I probably forgot some things, but that's where other people come in. [:D]

There's nothing like igniting your saber for the first time with the blade on.

________________________________
"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that."

Lord Maul
08-05-2006, 10:44 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">and when it gets on your skin it HURTS...and you really don't want molten lead on your skin<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

do you know this from expierence [?][:p]

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

Drewbacca
08-06-2006, 12:27 AM
Actually back in highschool I DID witness it happen. A kid was soldering a circuit board for a motorized car, and the solder popped and splattered on his face. Luckily it didn't hit his eyes, because he wasn't wearing safety glasses. Made some nice scars.

________________________________
"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that."

Firebird21
08-06-2006, 06:27 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Drewbacca

Actually back in highschool I DID witness it happen. A kid was soldering a circuit board for a motorized car, and the solder popped and splattered on his face. Luckily it didn't hit his eyes, because he wasn't wearing safety glasses. Made some nice scars.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">


I took plumbing for a couple of weeks in H.S. and they told us just about every Hr. of every day "NOT TO SPIT IN THE POT OF MOLTEN LEAD!" (Used to make old cast iron sewage pipe joints)

It would cause this strange phenomenon where as the Cold Spit would sink into the HOT Lead, instantly evaporate inside the lead, and cause an explosion of molten lead, covering anyone within a 20'-50' radius.



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Lord Maul
08-06-2006, 09:48 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">It would cause this strange phenomenon where as the Cold Spit would sink into the HOT Lead, instantly evaporate inside the lead, and cause an explosion of molten lead, covering anyone within a 20'-50' radius.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">


that is a huge explosion [:0][B)]

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

Jedi-Loreen
08-06-2006, 01:38 PM
<font size="3"><font color="maroon">That's some good advice, especially about making sure you have enough wire for your switch layout before you solder parts together. With the extension pieces, it's likely you will have to add wire to your configuration.


As illustrated in Firebird's post, solder "pops" or "explodes" because there's moisture somewhere, or maybe some contamination, it doesn't do it spontaneously, so I hope everyone's not scared of soldering. Where I work, I solder all day, on parts that have to be washed first, I get mad when they aren't dry, I don't like having solder exploding as the water flashes to steam under the heat of my iron and splatters the solder on my hands. It doesn't hurt as much now, but I never get used to it.

I've never seen any solder that has mercury in it, the typical solder is 63% tin, 37% lead. At my work, we are going more toward silver/tin solder, instead of lead/tin, but it's bear to work with, it doesn't flow as well and has a melting point about 20 degrees higher.

Personally, I hate electrical tape, I use heat shrink tubing, it's neater, looks professional and won't peel off, unwind, slide around and bunch up, or get sticky.

I know that people will probably never see your wiring jobs inside your sabers, but I wire kits up for my friends, so that's one of the reasons I like my work to look professional, since, I literally am a professional solderer.</font id="maroon"></font id="size3">



In order to see the Light, you must sometimes risk the Dark.

Lord Maul
08-06-2006, 04:47 PM
where do you get heatshrink tubing and how do you use it?

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

xwingband
08-06-2006, 05:07 PM
You could buy it from the store... otherwise an electronics store. Even Radioshack has some.

It's bloody simple to use. Slide it over the wires (sometimes you have to put it on before you solder) then apply some heat (soldering iron, heat gun, whatever...). It will shrink over the wire and form to it.

<center>Read the FAQ (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=552) or x-wing won't be happy. :(
Before posting did you check the Thread Index (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=577)?.

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Lord Maul
08-06-2006, 05:24 PM
do you twist the wire together or not? what store? like a hardware store or what

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

xwingband
08-06-2006, 05:28 PM
Just like I thought... 290 some posts and you don't realize this forum is attached to a store??? or did you really space that much and not realize what I meant?

The Custom Saber Shop = the store, this forum is primarily meant for products sold through it.

<center>Read the FAQ (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=552) or x-wing won't be happy. :(
Before posting did you check the Thread Index (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=577)?.

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Lord Maul
08-06-2006, 07:12 PM
OOPS[:p] never noticed that stuff before in the store

so do you like twist it or just line the wires up with eachother [?]


<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">what store?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

man x-wing, that one question sure set you off

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

xwingband
08-06-2006, 07:50 PM
Well, THE store is the one attached to the forum. It was kind of "WHAT?!?!" when I read it... occasionally we get people that totally don't realize stuff is sold here and Tim isn't like Corbin or Ultra and he actually sells stuff through here.

Twist or line up... well you solder the wires first. So it'd depend on what is being soldered. I like to twist them if I'm soldering multiple wires together, then slip the heatshrink over it. If it's just 2 wires I slip the heatshrink over one, solder them in a line, slide it up and shrink it.

<center>Read the FAQ (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=552) or x-wing won't be happy. :(
Before posting did you check the Thread Index (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=577)?.

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Drewbacca
08-06-2006, 09:33 PM
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=26

Halfway down [:)]

________________________________
"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that."

Lord Maul
08-06-2006, 10:00 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Twist or line up... well you solder the wires first. So it'd depend on what is being soldered. I like to twist them if I'm soldering multiple wires together, then slip the heatshrink over it. If it's just 2 wires I slip the heatshrink over one, solder them in a line, slide it up and shrink it.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

thanks, that clears it up a bit

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

987654321a
08-08-2006, 07:46 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Firebird21

[quote][i:288b7d198d]


"NOT TO SPIT IN THE POT OF MOLTEN LEAD!"



Have you read your Thread Index (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=577) today?
FAQ (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=552)
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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">


ooooooo sounds fun!

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WeirdoTransvestite
08-08-2006, 09:49 AM
Sure. Fun. Having your face melted off by lead. Sounds like a great time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
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-Neon Genesis Evangelion

Gott weiss ich will kein Engel sein
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Lord Maul
08-08-2006, 09:50 AM
do it and tell me how long your in the hospital for countdown

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

987654321a
08-08-2006, 03:14 PM
good times

I DONT KNOW WHAT WE'RE YELLING ABOUT!!....LOUD NOISES!!!
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Lord Maul
08-08-2006, 04:01 PM
good times, good food, big @$$ bill

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

Lord Maul
08-08-2006, 07:40 PM
guess i forgot that one. lol [:D]

At last we will reveal ourselves to the jedi, at last we will have revenge.

Tenric Starkindler
09-05-2006, 08:17 PM
http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm?category=125
soldering gun in a jar....
interesting alternative?

Reality often interferes with what would otherwise be an idyllic delusion.

987654321a
09-05-2006, 09:13 PM
thats awesome i might get that

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xwingband
09-05-2006, 09:29 PM
Cold solder is brittle... it's better than twisting them together (I've heard of people doing that). The best thing in the long run is invest in a good iron and practice. Ironically my saber building has been honed by architecture soldering raw stock and weld-on with plexi sticks for saber tips.[:D]

<center>Read the FAQ (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=552) or x-wing won't be happy. :(
Before posting did you check the Thread Index (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=577)?.

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Lord Maul
09-05-2006, 09:46 PM
there is also a liquid solder that is in a tube and you use a lighter to heat it up. not so sure how well that one works either. i'm just staying with the iron cause it is fun to use and works great

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Do-Clo
09-05-2006, 10:13 PM
Practice your soldering with a iron and solder on some scrap material, it is the best way to go the other stuff doesn't work

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james3
09-06-2006, 05:36 AM
I am going to say that first off if ya got a solder iron then use the darn thing[:p] It makes a great connection and life is good.

With that said there needs to be a quick check on "other options".

<ul> 1 Twisting the wires together is fine if it is a tight twist and you are using something to hold that connection. B connectors are the #1 choice for this application. If you don't believe me look in your or your folks Alarm panel. If you are hell bent on twist and tape then there is a way to properly do it. If y'all want a tutorial I will be happy to do it for you. Splice kits for car wiring will work but again. Look at the first statement I started this off with. If your going to buy a car splice kit you have already spent more then getting a decent iron and solder from Tim. [/list]

Like anything else in life there is more then one right way to do something. The quick and easy solder methods all fall short in the work that we do, I have tried several and asked about others (remember the Cold Heat discussion) If you plan on building a hilt that you can be like xwing and beat the snot out of a light pole with then it is a good idea to go with proven methods.

And yes if you bend solid wire to much it will break, use stranded ANY time you can.

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