My First Lightsaber

[clahey83]

Well, it did'nt turn out exactly how i wanted, but I like it a lot. It was a lot of fun to build and feels nice in my hand. The only complaint i have is with the little tactile switch i was planning on using (the little bubble one from the shop). because of where i had the hole drilled it was nearly impossible for a guy with my NOOB skill level to press into place without messing it up so i went through 2 of them before giving up and finding a button in a local electronics store that would fit into the hole. Problem is its easier to accidentally hit, but it works for now. anyways... hope you enjoy the pics!

Specs:
Seoul P4 LED & MHS Heatsink Module
4AAA battery holder/ speaker combo
Trans White Battle blade 1" OD (32 inches)
blade holder style
choke style 3
4" Double Female Grooved
Gender Changer
2" Double female threaded connector
MPS Blank pommel short
Hasbro economy Qui-Gon sound board

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[Crystal Chambers]

Nice. There's lots of room to custom/modify it too. That hilt would work well with the choke and short double female reversed. You could also get away with a switch box on the mara grip section and grip up higher on the choke without fear of accidentally hitting the switch. Add some more holes there for some forward sound venting...lots of options. But you got a solid start. Installing any sound on a first build is something to be proud of. My first was six months of headaches and completely rewired till I was happy with it.

[clahey83]

Sorry, had to post 1 last picture of what the hilt currently looks like. Thanks for the comment Crystal! its greatly appreciated.

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[TuxedoCartman]

That is incredibly sharp! I like it, and for a first saber it's especially incredible. Will there be a second? :D

[clahey83]

there will be, unfortunately it wont be mine. my brother wants a saber for christmas that has a slight curve towards the bottom of the hilt. im thinking about going to a muffler shop and having them bend me a short 1.25" or 1.5" piece of exhaust pipe and putting sink tube adapters on either end, but im still in the planning stages and dont yet know enough to actually make it real yet.

[Jedi_Knight_Zekk]

Is that one of the mini Tactile switches for the On/Off in the choke? if so, really cool. I really like the look of this hilt too! AMAZING job for your first saber!

[clahey83]

so after several months of enjoying my first lightsaber, ive decided it can be better. ive been messing around with different configurations of my MHS pieces and i think i found a way to help it fit better in my hand. next i decided that i want to try my hand in building an internal chasis, and im also going to give the little round tactile switch another shot. i managed to break 2 of those switches trying to get it properly mounted into the hole i had drilled into the choke section i ordered. i love the switches location there but i want that tactile switch from the store in there still as originally planned lol. i also realize that particular switch is somewhat easily damaged from the inside of a lightsaber so i came up with a crazy idea... i will make my chasis system so that it will stay fixed at the point of the choke and the batteries/ speaker will be coming out of one end facing the pommel, and the sound card would be coming out facing the blade.
this led me to think about something else lol. the only wire i will need to hook into this entire choke/ chasis assembly is the wire going to the LED. this means there is the possibility of wires getting twisted too much (my current problem) so i came up with this idea... wire a recharge port in between the end of the chasis and the LED assembly. i figure if i measure the chasis perfectly i can make a mount on the bottom of the LED assembly to hold one piece of the rechare port in place (either the female or male end) and the other piece of the port would be fixed onto the end of my choke/ chasis assembly! if it work i will have no more need for any connecting/ disconnecting of wires when opening and closing my saber! all i have to do is line the pieces up and screw them together and everything is connected!
one thing im wondering though is what id the best way to cut the threaded sections in the MHS chasis system? i dont have access to any shop and dont own a dremmel (thought i wish i could afford it)

also, ANY suggestions on installing the tactile switch without damaging it will be greatly appreciated.
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SPST-Momentary-tactile-switch-P641.aspx

im attaching what my new build will look like. let me know what you guys think!

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[Dahi Esmeva]

Very nice first build. Hope see more from you!!

[jedimastergarcia87]

Nice first saber. Simple yet functional. I like your second design too. I think you should take the sound up a notch and get Petite Crouton from TCSS. =] What color you going for next?

[Jedi Mynock]

i dont understand the twisting problem... the new heatsink is designed to minimize twisting of your LED wire. make sure the heatsink/LED module is "spinning" (or rather standing still as you move the blade holder around it) when you are screwing the lbade holder into your next piece.
i recently built a saber with a very similar setup to yours (econo sound, P4 blue, battery pack/speaker holder combo) and had ZERO problems with twisted wires.

however your idea with the recharge port used as a socket/pin seperation point is pretty nifty! secure both sides with a chassis disc and it just might work!
pretty slick, beginner's luck! ; )

[clahey83]

the twisting problem has nothing to do with the LED. its from opening my hilt to access toe other internal components such as the batteries. anybody have any tips for installing that button? id REALLY like to get it in there without messing it up.

[Jedi Mynock]

ooooh i get it now! the twisting of your wires from the switch when you thread the choke into the mara grip section! got it.
couple things you could do:
1.(not the best) leave enough wire so you can dangle it all the way out the bottom side of the grip section, then solder to QG econoafter you thread the choke to the grip. slide it all in and "stuff" extra wire under the board. like i said, not the best, but it would work.
2.(costly?) rig a chasis to the bottom of the choke that your board would sit on, and slide that into the grip section and all of your electronics (except speaker and battery? depends on how elaborate the chassis is) would rotate inside the grip section in unison with your choke, and not be twisting up inside the grip.

as for mounting the switch? thats a head scratcher i've been dealing with on my MHS with a similar setup on a box 7 with card for almost 3 years now. NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER! lol im just stubborn i guess. try looking up how to flush mount a recharge port by... gosh, the name of who made the tutorial escapes me, but i'll post a link if i remember. but that might get your creative juices flowing and maybe use that method to help with your switch.

[DarkarNights]

Flush mounted recharge you say? Done by Jay Gon that was. Find it here you will. http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?2738-Jay-Gon-s-RLSA-EL-saber-conversion-(CF-V4)/page3