This will be my first saber build... Hope it is right

[JAnderson392]

1. Blade holder style #16
- I plan to tap myself and I have plenty of screws to use. Would one screw be sufficient to hold the blade or should I do one on each side?

2. Hilt #3 drilled for an av switch.

3. Pommel style #8 with insert style #1 and clip.

4. Is there a difference between the Seoul P4 and the Rebel Star Leds. I plan to go with a green led with heat sink module of either one just not sure what the difference might be.

5. I plan to get the Pre-Wired Petit Crouton Sound Module V2.0
- Green av style short momentary switch.
- 2W base speaker.
- speaker mount V4
- Not sure if I would rather go with a rechargeable battery pack or just get a holder and use batteries. I think the batteries would be easier. Let me know what I would need to use a rechargeable battery pack and charge port. Not sure how all that would work.

6. "Corbin style" Show blade 1" OD 36" long with standard tip. What is the difference between the double and quad wrap.

I think that is everything. If I missed something please let me know.

Thank you,
Adam

[DarkarNights]

Here is a good resource thread (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...ghlight=Lumens (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?7266-LED-Brightness-Chart&highlight=Lumens)) for seeing the difference in brightness (measured in lumens) between different LEDs for various colors. There is no easy answer choosing between the P4 and Rebel Star, it depends on color and how much current you plan to drive to the LED. Also remember, what you see with your own eyes might not always agree with the mathematics or with other people's opinions. Both the P4 and Rebels are bright, so I think you will end up happy with either choice.

As far as recharge port and li-ion pack vs removable batteries, it depends on how you define easier. Is it easier to have to dismantle the hilt and replace the batteries every time they drain, or is it easier to wire up a recharge port and never have to open the hilt again?

[Boj-Vaati Mau]

1. Signle would be fine but you can go for more if you want the look.

2. Just make sure you use the APOP on the PC if you use a momentary switch.

3. Cool.

4. It depends on who you talk to, predominately the P4 White is good for filters.

5. Cool
-APOP setting on the PC for this.
-Cool for both the speaker & mount. With the V4 you might want to get some threaded rod and a chasis disk to hold the batteries & PC securely. I'd say got rechageables as you don't have to mess around with the saber once it all works or until something breaks. If you go that route, as you said, get the 14500 set and a Recharge Port along with the RPort drill service or the Style 6 Pommel insert.

6. Quad had twice the diffuser material. This is a taste issue as the more you put in the less intense the light will be. Generally a clear blade has 6' of poly wrap in it . If you go with a white Blade LED, a color filter, and the wrap you your blade won't be as bright as if you'd used a colored LED and wrap.

Do you have 26 ga wire, solder, & a soldering iron? If not then the Recharge Port wouldn't be a good idea and you should go the route of replaceable batteries.

[JAnderson392]

Thanks for the help. I was doing more looking into the sound board and was wondering do I need two switches on that starts the blade and one that controls other sounds? I can use a latching switch to start the blade and then the momentary will do the blaster block and blade lock sounds correct? I added activation box style 3 with the drilling for that and changed to the pommel insert 6 with the pre drilled charger port. The two switches would be the illuminated ones and wiring them for lights should be fun. Am I correct that the pre wired sound board would need extra wires soldered for that? What is the APOP on the sound board and how do I use it?

I think that is it for now.

Thank you very much,
Adam

[DarkarNights]

Thanks for the help. I was doing more looking into the sound board and was wondering do I need two switches on that starts the blade and one that controls other sounds? I can use a latching switch to start the blade and then the momentary will do the blaster block and blade lock sounds correct? I added activation box style 3 with the drilling for that and changed to the pommel insert 6 with the pre drilled charger port. The two switches would be the illuminated ones and wiring them for lights should be fun. Am I correct that the pre wired sound board would need extra wires soldered for that? What is the APOP on the sound board and how do I use it?

I think that is it for now.

Thank you very much,
Adam

Yes, two switches are required for the PC. The ignition switch can be latching or momentary (settings on the SD card must be changed to tell the board which one you have), the Aux switch used for sound effects must be momentary. The LED in the illuminated switches can be wired using the PC's pads for Accent LEDs (it has two), read the manual for the instructions. APOP is "Accidental Power Off Protection," a setting in the PC config that can be used to prevent accidentally powering off the saber while dueling, if you use a momentary as your ignition switch. Essentially you set how many seconds you must hold the button to power off. Not really an issue with latching switches.

[DarkarNights]

I forgot to mention this since you asked about the pre-wired board. The pre-wired board will come with a connector for one accent led. You will need to solder additional wires for the second accent led.

[JAnderson392]

I forgot to mention this since you asked about the pre-wired board. The pre-wired board will come with a connector for one accent led. You will need to solder additional wires for the second accent led.

Can I connect to the existing connector and splice the two switches or will I need to solder a second connector to the board itself.

[Kevin Starwaster]

- Not sure if I would rather go with a rechargeable battery pack or just get a holder and use batteries. I think the batteries would be easier. Let me know what I would need to use a rechargeable battery pack and charge port. Not sure how all that would work.

I think that is everything. If I missed something please let me know.

Thank you,
Adam

Charge port isn't that hard.

Since you're going to be going for pre-wired, you'll want to get a JST connector along with the 2.1mm recharge port:

JST Connector (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/JST-connectors-P360.aspx)
2.1mm Power Jack (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/21mm-Power-Jack-P37.aspx)
Also, a battery pack from the store, which will have a JST connector coming off of it.

The JST connector from the store is two parts, one male and one female, male being the one with the slightly smaller plastic housing that plugs into the female. Both positive wires will be soldered to the positive tab on the 2.1mm jack.

7023

The negative on the female JST connector (the one that you will be plugging your battery pack into) will be soldered onto the middle tab on the 2.1mm jack. (also indicated in the diagram above)

The negative from the male JST will be soldered onto the remaining tab. (labelled as board in the diagram)

That's all that's needed for a wired recharge port compatible with the store's battery packs and prewired Petit Crouton.

You'll also want a charger and 2.1mm adapter:

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/37V-148V-Li-Ion-Smart-charger--P129.aspx
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/21mm-plug-adapter-for-smart-charger-P36.aspx

One thing though is you might want to think about trimming quite a bit from the JST wires but that'll depend on where your port is in relation to your battery pack and sound board. Lay everything out against your hilt and see how much wire length is actually needed to do the job. I left mine a little longer than it really needed to be and had coiled wire packed under the switches. Not very elegant :(

[DarkarNights]

Can I connect to the existing connector and splice the two switches or will I need to solder a second connector to the board itself.

Splicing into the first accent LED connection might work in theory (I don't know). I wouldn't recommend it simply because the PC is designed with led control features that you can adjust the programming for. So by having both accent LEDs on their respective separate pads the PC can tell each LED how to behave (blink rates, patterns, etc.). Also you may need to use a resistor for each LED also based upon their values. Each pad will send 3.3v/18mA to it's LED. That's another reason not to double up, if two LEDs are sharing one 3.3v pad they will probably end up each being dimmer from being under powered?

[JAnderson392]

Thank you for all the help I have already purchased the parts to make the hilt and everything went together nicely. I have all the electronic stuff saved in my wishlist and just wanted to do a double check and make sure everything is there.

Rebel Star LED & MHS Heatsink Module (Green)
MWS Pre-Wired Petit Crouton Sound Module V2.0
LED "Corbin style" Show blade 1" OD (36 inches) (Standard Tip) (Double Wrap)
3.7V-14.8V Li-Ion Smart charger
2.1mm plug adapter for smart charger
2.1mm Power Jack
MHS speaker mount V4
2w bass speaker
Kill plug style 1
Acrylic Chassis Disc for PC 2.0 and 14500 stick pack (Black)
7.4v Li-ion 800mAh 14500 Battery Pack
Stainless 4-40 all thread
Aluminum 3/16" OD tube
Will the prewired sound board come with both sides of the jst connectors or just the side wired to the board? I know I will need at least 1 for the secondary led switch led. I also have seen two different opinions on whether or not resistors are needed for the accent lights. If the pads give 3.3V and the supply for the switch lights is 3.3V than a resistor is not needed right?

I think that is all my questions at this point.

Once I finish with the hilt I will post some pictures.

Thank you all for your help.

[DarkarNights]

Right, if your accent led is the 3.3V 20mA a resistor is not needed to run it off the accent led pad. The board will only have the connector sides that are attached to it, all are female except the speaker which is male. The only thing I noticed missing from your list were additional Chassis Discs to support your Chassis. Just the 2 PC and battery discs will not be enough support as the PC is less than 2 inches long, it would be sturdier with discs at each end as well.

[JAnderson392]

So I get disc 1 with holes to go at the top where the blade holder meets the main body and disc 2 for the pommel end since disc 1 doesn't work with pommels. Does the chassis disc sit against the back of the led holder? I just need to space it so that when both discs are against something so nothing moves inside. I think I have that right.

[DarkarNights]

There is no right or wrong way, you need to figure out what will best work for your particular build. Locking the Chassis in with disc 1 at the top is one way to go, you have to ask yourself if you do it that way how will it affect your ability to access your electronics quickly. Every design has different needs, and you probably won't have a clear picture of what you need to do until you have every part in from of you. I spent about 6 hours the other day just messing around the Chassis parts for my build unroll I found a configuration that didn't produce conflicts with other parts. If you are putting your speaker in the Pommel end you won't want a disk blocking where it goes too, so think about that. If you are attaching your speaker holder to the chassis then you may not need a disk there. You should sketch out some pictures of how you incision everything going together.