Lightsaber No. VIII (PIC Heavy)

[ScopesMapeo]

This is my eighth build, and first build for another person. My client (AKA my girlfriend...have to start somewhere!) wanted something that was "sleek, and cool, and you know like an apple product". Running a search on "apple and lightsaber" just wielded a bunch of less that useful images of the Google's Andy the Android slicing up an Apple logo with a lightsaber...so no inspiration there. Then I decided to channel my inner Jony Ives...I decided to look at lightsaber designs that came out of canon and the expanded universe that were simple, aesthetically pleasing, had clean lines, and had a certain "Apple" feel to them. I searched for awhile and I eventually decided that the Imperial Knight hilt felt like the right mix of what I was going for. Luckily she felt the same way, and we finally had a design that pulled from the design aesthetics of the Imperial Knight Lightsaber but was just different enough to be its own design.

Of course, Vader's Vault is clearly the master of the Imperial Knight design...so, I am really just standing on the shoulders of giants here when it comes to this style of lightsaber! The switch mounting and recharge port mounting were an extension of what I did in my No. VII build...and after noticing that Vader's Vault had been able to pull off a similar switch layout on their Imperial Knight, I was confident I could replicate what I did on the No VII in the No VIII build even though I would be dealing with a reduced inner-diameter after I cut into the MHS section.

My girlfriend also asked if I could personalize the saber...knowing that she came from proud homesteaders out west who had their own branding mark for cattle back in the day, I incorporated her family brand into the grip section of the hilt. 3D printing truly is a great thing!

At the end of the day I was very happy with the build, and so was my girlfriend. And really, that is all that matters!

Specs:
All MHS with some modifications (Dremel-fu)
PC v3 with Color Extender
Premium Speaker
rBRG Tri-Cree LED
14640 Li-ion batter pack with recharge port
White Right AV switch
3D Printed Parts for the grip and switch/recharge port mount
3D Printed Parts for the chassis (locked-in via covertec knob's screw)
SOUND FONTS:
Heirloom (Cyan colored blade)
Shatterpoint (Purple colored blade)
Rouge (Yellow colored blade)

PICS:
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/14995050078_0dfb5c53dc_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oR4xYb)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/oR4xYb) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5567/15158615946_7cab444643_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/p6vSpm)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/p6vSpm) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3850/15181633045_64f1dc6eb5_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/p8xQzT)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/p8xQzT) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/15158608396_d735f5986e_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/p6vQab)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/p6vQab) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3872/15181258292_72908dcb7f_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/p8vVbC)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/p8vVbC) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5553/14994968410_750e7e9ba9_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oR48G7)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/oR48G7) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5596/14994969280_7b115c5044_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oR48X7)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/oR48X7) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5577/15178627441_24c3f090c5_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/p8hr88)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/p8hr88) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3835/15158611656_c7df20a990_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/p6vR8o)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/p6vR8o) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3842/15181264562_7f4ff28e7f_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/p8vX3J)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/p8vX3J) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5553/14994882149_4f7a52a90c_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oR3G3R)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/oR3G3R) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5571/14994881569_71d63a0c3a_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oR3FSR)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/oR3FSR) by scott34567 (https://www.flickr.com/people/63816877@N07/), on Flickr

[amwolf]

Clean, simple, shiny. I like it. Having fiddled with some 3d-printed designs for chassis (which haven't gone anywhere), any pics of that pre-install? Always interested in seeing how you planned it to work... now what we know that it did!

[Starwinder]

I'm a fan of the Imperial Knight hilt, so of course I like what you did with this. Very clean! And the 3D printed body gives it a nice and subtle unique look too.

[sks1138]

Very sleek and elegant. I like it!

[Silver Serpent]

Very nice indeed. I definitely get the "Apple" vibe from that saber.

[Arkanjel]

Clean and understated, very nice. And the simplicity still tips its hat to great execution. Looks like it could be an 'Issue' lightsaber.

[Sevinzol]

I think Steve Jobs would approve of your iSaber.
I can't really see the brand in the grip section. Have you considered some lighter color, like white in the grooves? Since its a personal touch maybe it wasn't meant to stick out.

[ScopesMapeo]

Thanks for the kind words!


Clean, simple, shiny. I like it. Having fiddled with some 3d-printed designs for chassis (which haven't gone anywhere), any pics of that pre-install? Always interested in seeing how you planned it to work... now what we know that it did!

Unfortunately I didn't take any pics. I'm overall pretty bad at taking WIP pics...I get something put together and then realize, "that would have been a good WIP shot".

But the basic idea is that the grip is really like any normal PVC chassis (same idea, think Madcow style PVC chassis) but instead of being inside, it has a portion exposed. The switch holder slides inside and is a friction fit reinforced with adhesive...I needed both parts to be separate while fitting in the switches and recharge port. By 3D printing those parts I could ensure specific tolerances, since I am unable to modify or turn down PVC (no lathe) or drill at perfect angles (no drill press). So everything fit right the first time without needing to cover myself in PVC dust...or risk messing up a part since I had already worked "prototyping" things out in the design process.