NEED HELP MACE WINDU conversion AAA+

[killbillcruz]

Hey saber land entities.
I have a plan to build the ultimate mace windu saber. Since I like the weight and look.
I have the empty complete hilt. I have a NovaSound 3.0 light version. I will get a p 4 white w/ dics and conversion kit. ( I have done 3 windu conversions , I could do them in my sleep.) Heres is my plan so far.
I am going to used 2 lit ion 3.7 batterys for 7.4 volts ( do i need a PCB 7.2 v to work with it? Do they come in connected packs or should i get the onces with tabs ?
I plan to put a spst momentary switch under the rubber grip where the screw is.
I plan on drilling out the convect knob and putting the recharge port with covects kills switch there. What steps should i take?
I plan on adding a crystal chamber to even out the weight , arethere any designs out there ?
AM i misssing anything?
Thanks.

[thejedilestat]

you are going to need the PCB to charge the battery pack, you can also use 3.7V with or without tabs its up to you but i would say use the batterys with tabs on them. i had a hard time soldering one connection to my 7.4V pack and i would just like to save you the time and swear words =), i would also say use a Rebel White insted of the P4 the rebel is WAY better then the P4 so thats the LED to use.

recgarge port is easy enough with where you wanna put it just drill out a hole big enough and put in the recharge port (with all connections) and that is done and done. with the crystal chamber you are going to have to work out how its going to work for you build. there are plenty of crystal chambers that have ben done so have a look and see what you could do. :)

good luck

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?348-White-LED-pics&p=202658#post202658
^^^
link to white led photos mine are there with the P4 and Rebel in the last post both with fresh off the charger 3.7V Li-ions

[killbillcruz]

Thanks for the fast response! So 7.4 v will not fry a 7.2 v PCB that is sold here at tcss?
Ill be ordering the tabbed batterys because soldering batts. is not my idea of fun. Am I going to need any resistors anywhere?
For the crystal chamber im going to use the led from a force unleased hasbro saber that changes from green to red. And a salt crystal. Trying to find a way to make it purple. Im going to remove a few of the grips and have it peak through.
Im going to go with your suggestion for the led. I have been using a hairdryer to get the grips unglued , is there a better way? also what glue should i use for the rebuild?
thanks for the help again soo nice to see Jedi and Dark Jedi working together for a positive goal!
- Darth AXA

[thejedilestat]

the PCB will work just fine with 7.4V as for resistors you will not need any with the battery pack but you will need them for the crystal chamber. your best bet to get a purple crystal is to use a few red and blue accent leds i would think, you can use UV accent leds but i have never used them so i couldent help on that. i have my Mace conversion stock so i cant help with the grips but i think you need to slide them out not unglue them. take the black plastic sleve out from the saber and then give the grips a squeez and you will see what i mean.

[killbillcruz]

I was going to use the LED from a plastic force unleashed lightsaber the one that goes green and red , for the chamber led, maybe with a blue filter . It looks like it has a resistor attached to it ill try to get a pic up in a few days. the grips towards the pomel pop out fine. But the rubber grip around the top is a tuff one to figure out . Esspecially since I want to put a tactile switch under it. What glue should i use the plastic one? hmmmm?

[FenderBender]

Ok, you like 'em chunky. Ain't no shame in that man.

...but "Novasound"? Come ON man! Have some dignity and buy a board made by someone who actually gives a damn about the saber community.

As far as your chamber LED idea. FILTERING SUCKS. Period. Tip: go to LEDSUPPLY.com and look at their 5mm violet LED. Done. IF you are filtering for your main blade too.....well.....don't say I didn't warn ya.

[bk_renesis]

Listen to him ^^^ he is boss on such topics. Enough said.

[Skottsaber]

...but "Novasound"? Come ON man! Have some dignity and buy a board made by someone who actually gives a damn about the saber community.

I was refraining from saying this, but as Fender has already posted it I would like to say QFT :mrgreen:

[killbillcruz]

Thanks for that excellent site! If i don't use a filter ( which i have used 3 time and really like the TOR YELLOW) How do i go about gettting a good purple?
If im running 7.4 and do go with the violet accent light, what type of resistor do i use?
I have seen a more loud speaker , anybody know where to grab one?
It was the first time I picked up a Nova board, it was off ebay , and i got 2 3.0 for 200$ with overnight shippiing. I really cant complain , super smooth transaction and he answered all my questions and drew me a diagram. So to blacklist somebody because a few people don't like him is bad business where I come from.
Thanks folks!
Darth AXA

[FenderBender]

We're not blacklisting him because a few people don't like him. That amount of absurd ignorance made me laugh:D We're blacklisting him because he is selling a product based on stolen IP. There is a whole history there, and if you did a little reading, you'd know it wasn't "just because a few people don't like him". He also shafted many people from his eBay sales. Sending them defective boards, not returning emails, then disappearing from eBay entirely for a while to let things cool down. Please don't assume that I'm that trivial to boycott someone who has done that much damage in the community without knowing first hand what he has done. Also, I believe in supporting those who support us. That means TCSS, PlecterLabs etc. Both of those companies have done HUGE things for this community and keep on giving. Also, the Novasound board just sucks. Period. It's an inferior product in pretty much every way. So to spend pretty much the same $ and not support those who are actually involved in the saber community is bad business where I come from. And since I come FROM a business perspective in this industry, I think I can speak with some authority;)

[killbillcruz]

Again I did't start this post to bash anyone.
And I'm not here to take sides in an ongoing cat fight. I am here to build great sabers and share them with the world. I learn by doing and learning from mistakes, so if the boards suck then lession learned and I move on. Im a big supporter of TCSS , I've ordered all my stuff from here and will continue to do so because Tim is the man. I haven't gotten the oppertunity to get a crystal focus board or petite board but I intend to get them as well again to learn and progress . As I repeat Im just trying to learn, not make friends or enemies. I have a few saber conversions on ebay >>>>PLUG < PLUG. But I don't consider myself in the "industry", and I refuse to get caught up in DRAMA between factions; as I have retired from stage combat.
I still would love to know what type of resistor to use with 7.4 v running the violet accent led , obtaining a louder speaker , and tunning an rgb led to get a windu like purple? I appreciate the advice and sincerly hope i didn't offend anyone here , as it was not my intention do hurt anyones feelings.
Regards,
Darth AXA

[thejedilestat]

ok im dumb you are using a nova sound board and that is the stolen Ultra sound board and if it is the same. im willing to bet that it is you only need one 3.7v Li-ion to run it with a 3W star led 7.4v if you wanna use a 5w led. the sound board has 2 accent led pads an with them you will not need to use a resistor on the accent led/leds and the TCSS speaker will work just fine.

if you use a 3w LED on the nova board ant a 7.4v battery pack you can over heat the board if i rember corectly. i love my Ultra sound 2.5 it may not be the best sound board but it is not bad i must say having used econ sound, MRFX sound, Ultra sound, and a PC-L i would stick with the PC but all the sound boards are better then no sound. i think so atleast and why not try them all that is how you will find the one you love most.

[FenderBender]

I don't really like cats all that much, and surely wouldn't fight them:cool: No offense taken, or meant. I have thicker skin than that (6061 aluminum, though it is scratchy). There aren't really "factions" either. Either you're part of the saber community or you're not. Jesse Randall is not part of the saber community. Nuff' said.

On your louder speaker, the Regal speaker sold here is plenty loud and fits in tight spaces. Tim also has some new speakers coming if you want more boom. You can also check out model train stores (online/offline) and check out anything 30mm and under round, 8ohm, 1-3W. That'll fix ya.

As far as tuning an RGB, well....I could spoon feed ya, but we frown on that here and you wouldn't learn anything. There are color mixing tutorials on this forum to show you how, but basically here is a run down of what you'll need:

A digital multimeter
A 1W 100ohm to 200ohm (lower ohm ones are harder to find in 1W) potentiometer
A complete series of 1W resistors. They're cheap, and you'll always find uses for them. I have on hand complete series of 1/4W, 1W, and most 2W, as well as a complete set of SMD resistors.
DX RGB LEDs. They're cheap, buy several of them, enable bulk rate pricing, look around for other cool gadgets you might need (desoldering braid, heatshrink, tools etc.) www.dealextreme.com

Basically, you hook the pot inline with the red die (the DX RGB's are marked BACKWARDS, + is - etc) and hook it up to your sound board. Tune the color with the pot (with a blade of course). Disconnect pot without turning the knob. Set the multimeter to measure resistance, 200 ohm setting. Touch your probes together, the number you get is your "slop" and you subtract that from whatever value you get from measuring things. Measure resistance of the pot with the multimeter. Bam, that's the resistor you need. Simple. Done.

Good luck.

[killbillcruz]

GEEZ WEEZ WOOZIE wookie WOWZA
Thats led tunning sounds complex. Im humble enough to understand my limits and it looks as if tunning/bomb making is where I tap out.
My new master plan is to maybe use 6 aa nimh with a 6 battery holder wrapped in rubber band to prevent a battery wardrobe malfunction. With a white luxeon, colored filter ( i dont think they are too bad, i do love that TOR yella) 8.7 deg lens , luxeon lens holder. spst mom switch hidden under the top rubber grip , and rechargeport where the covect knob is. Im thinking the addition weight of the bats will give me the attributes i enjoy.
After all I am a chubby lightsaber chaser.
As for the speaker i've alway used Tim's in the past and I think history may repeat itself again and again.
With the accent light somewhere , still taking suggestions.
Thanks so much for all the responses, good, bad and indifferent , I'm devestated with appreciation.
I think ima use all this knowledge for power, then with the power I could spread a lil knowledge? Much?

BTW. my sound boards say ultrasound 2.5 on it wah wah

[thejedilestat]

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5736&d=1314597460

^^^^
if you want a KOTOR yellow blade in my opnion the only way to do that is with the rebel white. that led with the yellow TCSS color disc is great i just love it and it is "BRIGHT" as you can see in the photo. now that photo was taken with my iPhone so it is not 100% to real life but it is bright and it will make you happy and if TCSS yellow is this nice i would love to see it with some high end color filters. you may be able to get a nice purple lee color filter and add that to the white rebel and you may just find a great looking blade in the end.

[killbillcruz]

6057

Like this one I did a while ago? Some lucky womprat just bought it off ebay for a mer 125. Good for him , I'll use the $ to buy more TCSS parts for my next windu. So I have sent a windu to France and now to Cali . Yes you will know my name is the lord when I lay my force upon you. IF anyone is interested I also have an ani and a luke on ebay currently for the same gutslicing low prices . Ouch.
Now for my last question of the hour. What is the best glue to use when making a saber and what do you guys use for a "skeleton" on the inners of the saber . I mean really the inner structure from speaker to battery to board to , in this case, windu blade holde, I was thinking of the speaker holder to the 6 pack batter to the OEM soundboard to the blade holder. But as to prevent the rattling of my expensive saber inners? I'm open to suggestions.
Regards, :twisted:
Darth AXA (conjoint twin of Count Sudooku)

[thejedilestat]

with the glue go to a craft store and ask them what a good plastic glue would be. i have a multi type glue that is good foor wood, plastic, metal, ect ect i havent used it yet because i have not cut the parts for my chassie yet.

[FenderBender]

So....you're selling conversions done with filters?

[MedicineMan]

so....you're selling conversions done with filters?

fail!

[killbillcruz]

Yes selling non complex swords to gather parts for better swords is one way I finance sabersmithing.

What do you guys suggest ... Bank robbing?

[zephyr37]

Killbillcruz

just curious - so you got it on ebay advertised as novasound 3.0 but the card actually says ultrasound 2.5??? So, when you boot it up/turn it on, does the voice say ultrasound 2.5 or
novasound 3.0? Like, did he send you incorrect item / advertise incorrectly, or is it a novasound 3.0 using an ultrasound platform??? I am curious because before I knew about all this fraction etc. I ended buying 1 too from him on ebay. I haven't gotten it yet. I wanted a PC, but don't have money for that yet due to budgets, considering the PC is 124 plus 100 plus dollars to install.

[thejedilestat]

considering the PC is 124 plus 100 plus dollars to install.

depending on who you are geting to install the PC 100 is not bad at all. but then again if money is an issue just build it yourself its not hard to do really. its only when you want a full display chassie with crystals and all the blinkies then it gets hard =)

[killbillcruz]

It was a typo . I got 3 boards from him , all recent , all work 100% great. Im using one for my luke with chamber , and the other two are going to be with a MR darth maul conversion. the 2.5 is light sound and the 3.0 is dark. Im a nubbie and beat the crap outa the 2.5 and it works great. Hopefully i can sell them and get a real sound board like the PC .
..... maybe gut a tickle me elmo and use that board.:cool:

[thejedilestat]

..... maybe gut a tickle me elmo and use that board.:cool:

hahaha well that would be diffrent