Parts check - recharge port upgrade /w li-ion

[DarthZero]

Purchased and assembled my first saber last Friday, extremely satisfied. Now i want MORE!

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/74v-Li-ion-1050mAh-14650-Battery-Pack-P759.aspx
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Kill-plug-style-1-P242.aspx
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/JST-connectors-P360.aspx
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/21mm-Power-Jack-P37.aspx
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/37V-148V-Li-Ion-Smart-charger--P129.aspx
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/21mm-plug-adapter-for-smart-charger-P36.aspx

MAIN CONCERN is that i will get good use out of (read: not explode) the 1050 mAh battery - my red LED only requires 700mA. I have a pre-wired Petit crouton and will be soldering the recharge port (read that like 30 times) using JST connectors along with a kill plug.

I chose that li-ion battery because its the only one that will fit in my hilt alongside the PC. Also buying the metal rails with battery holder / PC holder and wire management.

Please let me know if there is anything wrong with this setup.

[Silver Serpent]

That battery pack is perfectly acceptable for use with your saber. mA is a measure of current, mAh is a measure of stored power. On paper, you should get a little over an hour of runtime from that pack. In practice, it's usually a little less than that.

It looks like you have everything figured out. Print out a copy of the recharge port wiring diagram. It'll help, trust me. :)

[DarthZero]

I've got the recharge port diagram down, thanks to you guys on the forum.

Unfortunately, i just had a critical issue happen - my pommel threaded wrong into the hilt and now has big time problems screwing on. Metal shavings have been seen. I'm going to try to rethread it tonight, but if i fail, i'm out out pocket for those costs. Unless Tim has pity :(

[Silver Serpent]

Ouch. Yes, you want to be careful to avoid cross-threading the pieces. If you find yourself unable to repair the threads and don't want to shell out for new pieces, there is an option for salvaging them.

Grind down the threads until the parts slip together, and use a set screw to hold them in place. It wouldn't be my first option, but it should work reasonably well on a pommel.

[DarthZero]

Ok, got it re-threaded last night, cleaning the threads constantly with WD-40 and a toothbrush. Whew.
Went to order parts listed for my recharge conversion - nada. The AC charger itself is out of stock.

[DarthZero]

Another question.... NOBODY has ever mentioned the PCB board on the forums apparently....

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/PCB-for-72V-Li-ion-battery-packs-P482.aspx

Is it worth the $5 and the soldering? Is it really needed?

On another note, i picked up my soldering iron /w pencil tip connector and a full dremel set for my pending upgrade :D

[Silver Serpent]

If you're building your own battery pack and want to charge the batteries together as a pack, then yes it is needed.

If you're getting a prebuilt pack (which has a PCB in it already), or you are going to charge the batteries individually outside the hilt, then you will not need one.

[Kevin Starwaster]

Another question.... NOBODY has ever mentioned the PCB board on the forums apparently....

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/PCB-for-72V-Li-ion-battery-packs-P482.aspx

Is it worth the $5 and the soldering? Is it really needed?

On another note, i picked up my soldering iron /w pencil tip connector and a full dremel set for my pending upgrade :D

PCB is talked a lot quite a bit actually. However if you use the forum's search function it won't work because the search term is too short. (and/or if the term is used a lot then it may refuse to do the search)

Sometimes it pays to use Google instead and you can search a specific website as follows:

site:forums.thecustomsabershop.com pcb (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&output=search&q=site%3Aforums.thecustomsabershop.com+pcb)

The site: prefix will limit your search to the specified URL followed by your search terms.