Converting Stunt Saber to Sound

[Molina00]

Hello and greetings fellow saber enthusiasts. I have a stunt saber I bought elsewhere that I am wanting to give some sound treatment. I think there is just a hair over 1" ID to work with. I pulled out all the electronics and the guys work left a little to be desired, ie: electrical tape instead of heat shrink, not clear which wires are +/-. Anyway, I am wanting to gut the saber and install an NB soundboard, new LED and battery pack. I just wanted to make sure I am on the right track as far as parts go and not missing anything. I have built one stunt saber before and I can solder okay, but this would be my first time working with a soundboard.

Parts List
NB Sound Module V2
SPST Momentary Switch w/Black Button
2W 20mm speaker (I would have liked a premium 28mm speaker but not sure it would fit)
2AA Battery Holder (I didn't see dimensions on this, would it fit inside a 1" ID hilt?)
Dummy Cell (already have an extra Li-Ion battery)
Luxeon Rebel Star White LED
Luxeon Rebel Lens Holder
Collimater Lens 8.7 Viewing Angle
Star Thermal Tape Pad
1ohm, ?W resistor


I had read I could make a heatsink using a copper fitting cap and that is what a lot of people use on PVC builds. Would that be sufficient for this sort of build?
In the PDF about the NB board it mentioned 28 AWG wire. I have 24 and 26 so should I get 28 or would one of those be sufficient?
I read one 14500 Li-Ion battery is enough to power the NB board and no buckpuck is necessary, but is it sufficient for a white LED since they are supposed to be run at 1000 mA?


I'm looking forward to any suggestions or input you might have on this. :)

[Starwinder]

First of all, welcome to the forums! :)

You should be fine with 24/26 AWG wire. I think 24 gauge is the one most normally stocked in the store.

Definitely just use one 14500 Li-Ion battery as the board only needs 3.4v-5.5v to operate. You can't use a buckpuck due to the voltage required but you won't need one anyway. Just be sure to put the appropriate resistor in line with the positive of the LED. OR you can go without a resistor by changing the drive configurations on the SD card. Page 21 of the manual shows you how to calculate it out.

[Molina00]

Thank you for the information, much appreciated.


Just be sure to put the appropriate resistor in line with the positive of the LED.

Using a resistor calculator I came up with the 1ohm 2W resistor. Using manual calculation a 1ohm 4W resistor. I will readily acknowledge I could have messed something up because I have never dealt with resistors before.

[Silver Serpent]

Either one is fine. Wattage rating is a minimum. You can always use a higher wattage resistor, but don't go overboard as the higher wattage resistors take up a lot more precious room in your hilt.

[Molina00]

Either one is fine. Wattage rating is a minimum. You can always use a higher wattage resistor, but don't go overboard as the higher wattage resistors take up a lot more precious room in your hilt.

Thanks. Is there a big difference in size from the 1ohm 2w and 5w resistors in the store?
I don't think space will be a problem. It is about an 11" - 12" hilt and the switch goes in the pommel. The only extra thing I will be adding that it doesn't have now is the soundboard.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

The 5 Watters can be a bit chunky.

[Darth Obi Don]

For a sound try one of these oval speakers made for model trains. They come in 8 ohm 1 or 2 watts .
Do a search for "model train sound systems" to find a supplier. They are under an inch wide and will fit your hilt nicely.
10220
Don

[Molina00]

For a sound try one of these oval speakers made for model trains. They come in 8 ohm 1 or 2 watts .
Do a search for "model train sound systems" to find a supplier. They are under an inch wide and will fit your hilt nicely.
10220
Don

Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into it.

Can anyone tell me if a copper cap would work for a heatsink for this?
I found information on how to do it but I'm not sure if it is good for anything other than PVC builds.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Since you are using a single die. It should work well enough for your purposes.

[Molina00]

Since you are using a single die. It should work well enough for your purposes.

Thanks again. :)

[Molina00]

I ordered and received the parts but am a bit confused on the witch.

I got this one, http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SPST-Momentary-switch-with-black-button-P43.aspx and I don't see an indication which wires are positive and negative. Any advice on this would be appreciated.

[Starwinder]

Switches don't have polarity so there is no positive or negative to worry about :)

[Molina00]

Switches don't have polarity so there is no positive or negative to worry about :)

I wondered if that was the case but really wasn't sure. Thank you much! :D