Darth Nihl Saber Electronics/blade parts ( hilt 80% finished)*pic*

[phylo]

Greetings!

First post! First star wars cosplay. Costume is almost done just finishing up the light saber.
This will also be my first light saber.
Already have the PVC cut out and measured.
(thanks to Darth Midian for the inspiration)

Using 1inch pvc (gray)with a 1 1/4 inch pvc overlay(white). Now I am stuck and ready to buy some electronics.
Sadly I cant afford a sound board just yet. But will upgraded later down the road depending on how it comes out.



Worried about holding the blade in the pvc and if im missing anything.

Pic of hilt at the bottom.
I have heat shrink, soldering gun and solder
Would appreciate greatly a good look over before I purchase.
So here is my list that I have now. Im ready to buy as soon as i know i have everything i need.


RSLM Rebel Star LED & MHS Heatsink Module
Luxeon Rebel Star (Red-Orange)
stip1Thick-R Shouldered 1" thick walled blade tip with reflective disc
1PolyCThick 1" Thick walled Polycarbonate 40" long (36 inches +$0.50)
Thickdif 40" LED blade diffuser for 1" thick walled blades
72PCB PCB for 7.2V Li-ion battery packs
S18650P Li-Ion 18650 3.7V 2600mAh PCB Protected Rechargeable Battery Module
LRBR 16mm Anti Vandal Latching Red Ring Switch
83238SS 8-32 x 3/8" Set Screw x 4
2.1Jack 2.1mm Power Jack

http://i.imgur.com/SMz0jNw.jpg

[Silver Serpent]

You won't need the 7.2v PCB, since your pack is already protected.

I notice that you listed the Rebel LED and heatsink module, and a Rebel LED. The LED is included in the module, though maybe you were just telling us what color you were choosing.

You're going to need resistors for your Rebel LED and the illuminated AV switch. Check the link in my sig for a resistor calculator.

[phylo]

Thank you so much!!! Good to know I did not need the PCB. I will remove that.

And yes, I was just listing the color. the formatting for it went wrong I guess.

Now time to figure out the resistors! I completely forgot about those!
But looks like I wont need to buy any cause I have the ones I need already!

[Solan Starr]

RSLM Rebel Star LED & MHS Heatsink Module
Luxeon Rebel Star (Red-Orange)
stip1Thick-R Shouldered 1" thick walled blade tip with reflective disc
1PolyCThick 1" Thick walled Polycarbonate 40" long (36 inches +$0.50)
Thickdif 40" LED blade diffuser for 1" thick walled blades
72PCB PCB for 7.2V Li-ion battery packs
S18650P Li-Ion 18650 3.7V 2600mAh PCB Protected Rechargeable Battery Module
LRBR 16mm Anti Vandal Latching Red Ring Switch
83238SS 8-32 x 3/8" Set Screw x 4
2.1Jack 2.1mm Power Jack


Couple things:

Your optic module - The MHS heatsink module won't fit inside your PVC. In my PVC builds, I place the star and optic w/ holder inside a 1 inch long piece of thin wall 1 inch blade stock. If you're worried about heat from the star (depending on what you're driving it with) I use a 3/4 inch copper cap. Check the pluming section of you local hardware store. Drill holes for wires and the LED star, holder and optic fit perfectly inside the copper cap.

Your blade - I'm assuming your hilt is in the area of 3 feet long. Noticed you want a 36 inch blade. How far is this going inside the hilt? Most people shoot for 2 inches of blade depth. How much of your blade will hang out? You've picked thick wall blade stock. Do you plan on really dueling with this? You'd be surprised how durable thin wall is for playing around with friends. I've only ever broke one, and that was my intention going into it. And it was the glued seam at the tip that failed.

As Silver Serpent stated - lose the PCB

Personally, I would jump up to a 7.4v 18650 stick pack (lord knows you'll have the room) forget about a resistor and use a buck puck to properly drive the LED. Red-Orange LED, I would use a 700ma buck puck.

Set screws - check out threaded inserts (I believe Jay Gon Jinn uses them in his PVC builds. So do I. Search for his build logs.) to make your set screws more durable/effective.

As for the AV switch and recharge port....I doubt a latching will fit in 1 inch PVC. It may. But I doubt it. They're pretty long. If you're set on AV, search 'pololu boards' to turn a momentary into a latching. The switch and recharge port may prove to be a MASSIVE headache depending on how your hilt is assembled. If it's one long piece, I'm sorry. You might get it assembled, but you'll probably create new cuss words in the process. If it's multiple pieces allowing you to gain access to the middle areas of the I.D. shouldn't be too big of an issue.

[phylo]

Thanks for the reply Solan Starr.
You have provided me with great info!

Sadly I have already bought all the parts. So I will have to make due. I have to complete the build by the 24th for a con!


Its good to know that the MHS wont fit in there. I will probably take up your suggestion. I was just trying to keep it as simple and cheap as possible since this was my first build.

And for the blade, I got thick walled to try and counter balance the weight that the long hilt for a more of a balance than dueling. I was thinking of it going into the hilt about 4-5 inches. Also for counter balance and weight distribution.

I will lose the PCB!

I would love to have went with the 7.4 and a buckpuck and a sound board etc but I have to keep it cheap. Maybe Ill be able to upgrade down the line. But for right now, all i need is functionality.

I will give the threaded inserts a try. I was actually kind of worried what I was going to use. This info is perfect!

And lastly the av switch. I was actually planning on putting the switch over the white overlay that is 1 1/4 inches in diameter. I think this will allow it to fit in there but it will still be tight.
The hilt will be 2 pieces. I made the cut last night and will be using a 2 wire quick connector that goes from the jack at the bottom of the hilt to the electronics at the top.


Thanks so much for your reply! I definitely look up to you guys and your knowledge and paving the way for noobs like me! If you have any other suggestions PLEASSSSSSEEEE let me know!