Installing speaker/battery holder into the hilt

[Nassik]

Is there a trick to fitting this part: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MHS-speaker-and-4x-AAA-battery-holder-P315.aspx into the main body tube(http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Hilt-Style-1-7-Double-female-threaded-connector-P126.aspx)? The part slides in and fits perfectly. But once it's in, there's no gap between the speaker and the threaded end of the main body tube to screw the pommel back on to the main body tube.

[Nassik]

I, of course, acknowledge the distinct possibility that these two parts weren't made to fit together.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

They are actually designed to fit together and still allow you to attach your pommel. If there's no gap in the threaded end for the pommel threads to fit in, then the battery pack is not fully seated in the hilt. When it's seated/installed correctly, you should see this much space between the speaker and the end of the hilt:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/Chrome%20Saber%2024/100_6552.jpg

Removed:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/Chrome%20Saber%2024/100_6554.jpg

[Nassik]

Thanks for the photos.

It must be catching internally, then. I reversed the speaker/battery and slid it in upside down a little just to see if the end would fit. It fits fine with clearance. It won't slide in when I turn it back the correct way, though.

[Nassik]

I can get it in far enough that the speaker sits flush with the end of the main body tube. At that point the speaker fits snugly inside the inner diameter of the main body tube. I can move it in just a tad further and it seemed to lock in place. I had to push it out from the opposite end of the main body tube in order to remove it.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h161/Nassik/IMGP0002_zps575a10ea.jpg


If I turn it around, though, the speaker slips in with clearance all the way around.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h161/Nassik/IMGP0003_zps8ae7be58.jpg

[Jay-gon Jinn]

There's something else going on there, because even installed backwards, the speaker mount should sit fully inside the hilt tube like this:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/100_3647.jpg

[Nassik]

The speaker mount's diameter is simply too big or the main body tube's inner diameter is too small. I checked the inside of the main body tube... there are no burrs or obstructions in there. I tried inserting the speaker mount into both ends of the main body tube and it simply won't fit. If I try putting it in backwards it stops at the lip just past the threads.


Here's as far as it will go backwards:
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h161/Nassik/IMGP00012_zps3d294435.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h161/Nassik/IMGP00022_zps0ee21beb.jpg

I have mounted a D-ring to the side of the tube. I shortened the two 6-32 socket Head Cap Screws that hold it in place, though, and the ends of those screws don't extend into the tube. I cut them short to ensure that there was no obstruction when attempting to insert the speaker mount. The fact that I can't insert the speaker mount into the opposite end of the main body tube reveals that this issue has nothing to do with my shortened screws. Just to be sure, I removed the D-ring and attempted to insert the speaker mount... it still won't fit.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Try taking a piece of simple sandpaper, and sand down the bottom lip a little. Make sure you clean off the debris off the speaker holder before fitting it in again.

[Nassik]

Looking at it and thinking, looking, and thinking some more... I can only conclude that the main body tube's inner diameter is too small. The lip just past the threads marks the beginning of the tube's inner diameter and that's the point that the speaker mount just can't get past. The inner diameter at the threads is wide enough for the speaker to fit in easily.

Jay-gon Jinn's above picture shows a speaker mount fitting within the body tube. Assuming that every speaker mount of this style is identical in size, my speaker mount should fit in the same tube that is in that photo. If that is true then my main body tube must have a smaller inner diameter.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

I highly doubt it, it might be .001" off or something like that, but it should still fit. If not, the advice I gave you would still work, only sand the smaller diameter part of the speaker holder a little.

[Nassik]

I'll give it a go. If it's not the tube then it's the speaker mount that's too big.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

I'll give it a go. If it's not the tube then it's the speaker mount that's too big.

Exactly. It shouldn't take too much to get it to fit. You can also look through the other end to see exactly where it is getting "stuck". ;)

[Nassik]

The sanding is helping. I can get the speaker mount to slide in another few millimeters. I'll keep going.

[Nassik]

After quite a bit of sanding, the speaker mount finally fits.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h161/Nassik/IMGP00023_zpsc1761dba.jpg
As you can see, I had to sand off the upper lip of the speaker mount completely.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h161/Nassik/IMGP0004_zps41b92ceb.jpg

I did this slowly, a little bit at a time, until the speaker mount finally slid into the main body tube.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

You shouldn't have sanded the lip off completely. That lip is what holds the speaker mount in place so it doesn't slide up and down inside your hilt.

[Nassik]

I didn't have a choice. I sanded incrementally... a tiny bit at a time, followed by test fitting. Over and over until the thing finally fit. It literally took the complete removal of that lip for the speaker mount to fit. I didn't simply decide to sand the whole thing off and give it a go. :)

At the moment the speaker mount is in the main body tube along with the main activation switch and the Nano Biscotte v2 sound board. The speaker mount isn't moving.

I need to get some new batteries in order to properly see if the rig works. I popped some older batteries in and only got a repeating click. I'll put some new batteries in before thinking that I goofed something up. :)

[Strydur]

Sorry you had issues with this.. let me shed some light on what has been mentioned so far.

Where Jay-gon showed the mount itself going in backwards is a old style mount before we made them longer to fit the bass speakers. The pictures you posted with your mount in backwards is what it should have looked like and therefore proves that you did not need to remove that outer lip at all if you had sanded the inner section or the tube further. The issue is the inside of the tube not being concentric with the threaded section. This is the downside of using extruded tubing and not boring the inside out. I think I will start having a inch or so past the threads machined to help with this issue. We make the speaker mounts smaller diameter to help with this issue but you may have gotten a really off center one. So basically what happened is the outer lip is staying concentric to the threaded section so the part that goes into the tube cannot slide in due to the tube not being concentric.

BTW.. how do you like that powder coated knurling? I always like how that turns out.

[Nassik]

Thank you for that explanation. That makes complete sense.

The speaker mount is in there now and I'm happy with the fit. With the sound board and the wiring in the main body tube the speaker mount is held pretty well down at the pommel end. Since I have no intention of actually dueling with the lightsaber I don't think that speaker mount movement will be an issue. If I find that it shifts a bit I can wrap a little tape around the end to create a new lip if necessary.

The powder coated knurling turned out very well. It provides an excellent grip and creates a good-looking lightsaber body. The idea behind this lightsaber was to recreate the Corran Horn speeder bike handle lightsaber and the powder coated knurled section captures the look perfectly.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h161/Nassik/SMH_1458_zps04a6e8be.jpg

[Nassik]

And it works perfectly!

I installed new batteries this morning and everything works like a dream. :) I did wrap a single layer of electrical tape around the speaker end of the speaker mount. There was a slight shifting of the battery mount in the main body tube but it's sorted now.

The modular wiring system parts are fantastic!