Am I missing anything for my first saber?

[Formula]

Hi, I'm Dave...looking to build my first saber, I've spent the last 4 days researching on here, and I have assembled my wishlist.
-hilt #1, extension, pommel #3 v2, choke, blade holder 17
-LED tcss 1" battle blade (38") 'complete'
-rebel star led & heatsink module (green)
-MWS pre-wired petit crouton v2.0
-3.5mm r.i.c.e port style 1
-mhs peaker and 4x AAA holder
-mws standard style latching switch

I've also got some extras and some accent pieces on my list
-1" safety plug
-black and yellow o-rings
-1/8" shrink tubing
-8-32 x .3" black thumb screw
-drill/tap set
-extra two wire connectors
-extra thermal compound
-trim ring (going to see if I can add it in)
-3/4" d-ring
-acrylic crystals
-12 colored disc pack
-extra blade holder style 16

I guess I just am looking for any obvious flaws in my design, or any extra pieces I may need, or that you guys may recommend. I'm a little confused on the switch I should use, and the battery power I need. I guess if I have the PC board, I can use one of the AV accent light switches as long as I have a custom hole drilled? Also, is there any powdercoating or anodizing available, everytime I add it, it removes it.

Thanks for looking,

Dave

[Machinimax]

If you are using a PC, it is highly recommended you use a Li-Ion battery pack as a power source. Look in the store. Tim has plenty of them pre-made and chassis disks that can hold them as well as the soundboard. That being the case, it would be in your best interest to look into getting a recharge port for your build as well. Tim sells control boxes that can hold your switches and the two ports. As for your switch question, you can basically use whatever kind you want whether it be latching or momentary. You would just have to configure the settings on the SD card to tell the PC which type of switch you are using. The aux. switch that you use for blaster blocks and lockup however must be momentary.

[Formula]

If you are using a PC, it is highly recommended you use a Li-Ion battery pack as a power source. Look in the store. Tim has plenty of them pre-made and chassis disks that can hold them as well as the soundboard. That being the case, it would be in your best interest to look into getting a recharge port for your build as well. Tim sells control boxes that can hold your switches and the two ports. As for your switch question, you can basically use whatever kind you want whether it be latching or momentary. You would just have to configure the settings on the SD card to tell the PC which type of switch you are using. The aux. switch that you use for blaster blocks and lockup however must be momentary.

Thank you, I'll look at the lithium battery options, I would love to be able to plug in and recharge w/o dissassembly.

[Machinimax]

Yup go for it. With the RICE and recharge ports installed, you would only have to open the saber if you wanted to switch the font on the SD card.

[DarkarNights]

I concur, if you are going PC, you need to go with a 7.4V Li-Ion pack. If you are going to wire a R.I.C.E. port, you might as well do a recharge port as well, since it's much easier than than the R.I.C.E. (which is a PITA to solder those tiny pads on the PC lol). Just replace your battery holder/speaker combo with a Li-Ion pack and a separate speaker and speaker mount V4. One odd thing I noticed about your list is the colored disc pack, but you chose a Rebel green module. If you intend to have color swapping with the discs then you should choose a white led module. Also, not sure if you need the extra thermal compound since the module comes already assembled, the thermal compound is used for building a module from scratch.

[Formula]

Thank you for the input, I added the colored discs before i knew what they were :) They were so cheap I figured I might need them. I also removed the thermal compound, because I am getting the assembled module.

I am a little confused on how to mount the acrylic discs with the threaded rods...i have some aluminum spacers on my list, but what are the end caps for this mounting system? I understand how the rods/discs work together, but I don't know what to put on either end of this kind of chassis.

Also, I am a little unclear on how the blade actually stays in the holder? Do I need two threaded holes for screw tightening the blade into place?

Thanks again

[Silver Serpent]

...what are the end caps for this mounting system? I understand how the rods/discs work together, but I don't know what to put on either end of this kind of chassis.

That would be the 4-40 hex nuts in the store. http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Chassis-Parts-C74.aspx They come in brass and stainless steel varieties.


Also, I am a little unclear on how the blade actually stays in the holder? Do I need two threaded holes for screw tightening the blade into place?

Just one screw, place it close to the end of the blade holder. Thumbscrews are nice if you don't want to use tools to remove your blade. Set screws are good if you want a flush look.

[Formula]

Thanks, you guys rock. My wife is *thrilled* with my project here. It honestly started last week, after visiting disneyland and making my own $22 lightsaber...i wanted more!

[DarkarNights]

If you look in the store under Services you can find a service where Tim will tap the hole in the blade holder for the screw, if you'd rather not tap it yourself. There's also tapping tools in the Tools section if you do want to do it yourself. As Silver Serpent said above the Chassis is held together with the hex nuts. You can use any combination of the acrylic and metal discs, but you need to figure what will best work for your design, there's no one set way to do a Chassis.