First Build planned for spring, could use some advice

[Dogo]

1207412075

So I'm planning my first build for the springtime when I've saved some money and recovered from Christmas shopping. I was just looking for some input on this design, and some help figuring out how to put in together.

I plan on having sound installed with the Nano Biscotte.

The space for the battery pack itself would be at most 3.75 in. Would that fit with a 4AAA pack? Also, would the pommel/end of choke be sufficient to store a speaker/case in? It looks like the speaker case would be able to fit in length, but I don't know about the internal diameter--I'm assuming from the internal view it's the same as the ribbed extension piece.

Also with the pommel--I'd actually prefer a shorter one, so I was wondering if the sound is as loud or of different quality without the reverb chamber longer pommels provide.

Is it necessary to have either a kill-key or momentary to latching converter when dealing with AV switches? Or could I just forego the momentary entirely and use a latching switch for sound?

What are the benefits/drawbacks from buckpucks and resistors? And how much do the differences in say, 700ma vs 1000ma buckpucks impact the saber? Same goes for resistors. I just haven't seen an explanation for that in the tutorials.

Are some LEDs brighter than others?

Also, is this a good summary of the electronics I'd need?

Battery Pack
Speaker
Nano Biscotte
Resistor or Buckpuck
NB V2 MWS Header and Wiring Harness
Heat Sink/LED module
Latching Switch

I also plan on using this as a dueling saber. Still figuring out if I'm going with a D-ring or Covertec.

Now for a looks question: What color scheme do you guys think? I'm gonna dirty it up a little as well. Not sure yet of blade color. I've already got a purple saber from another vendor coming in, and I'm not so interested in red yet. So Green/Blue/Yellow and variants are what I'm looking at for it.

[Silver Serpent]

You've got some reading ahead of you. I recommend reading the Nano Biscotte manual a few times.

That being said, let me try to answer a few of your questions.

The ideal battery solution for the NB is a single 3.7v li-ion battery. A 4AAA pack is 6v, which is outside the 5.5v maximum rating for this board. A single li-ion battery is fairly easy to fit into most any saber design, far easier than a 4AAA pack at any rate.

Speakers don't necessarily have to be placed in the pommel, or even facing the pommel. If you're careful with your planning, you can place the speaker in a good spot for a good sized sound chamber.

The Nano Biscotte only uses a momentary switch. You don't use the converter with it. Kill keys are optional, but having a recharge port can save wear and tear on your saber.

Buckpucks are really only used for stunt (soundless) sabers. They need 5v minimum to operate, which is dangerously close to the NB's upper limit. The higher end sound boards have LED drivers onboard, and regulate current without needing a 'puck or resistor. Resistors have the advantage of being small and cheap. Most times I recommend using a resistor over a Buckpuck, since the only place they're typically used is in a budget build, and the cost savings is very nice.

Yes, some LEDs are brighter than others. Right now, the Cree LEDs are easily winning the brightness contest for virtually all colors.

For your summary of parts, drop the Buckpuck, keep the resistor. Swap the latching switch for a momentary. Your ideal battery pack will be one of the 3.7v li-ion packs.

[Greenie]

Welcome to the party Dogo. Good luck with your build. MTFBWY

[Dogo]

I looked up the Li-ion batteries and then got curious and looked at youtube when it talked about the dangers part and now I'm scared:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpb-n22Y-sY

Then I remember these are in cell phones. Not sure whether that's better or worse.

Either way, cool. You need a charge port to use these at all, right?

If the kill key is left out while using a momentary, does that mean the saber is always on, just not the LED?

[darth_chasm]

Welcome to the forums.

I would not recommend a li-ion if you are planning on taking a hammer, knife, torch etc to it :(

You can design your internals to make the battery removable and charge it externally if you wish.

Kill key and switch are unrelated in the manner you're thinking. As SS said, some reading will do you well. I believe specifically page 7 in the Nano manual will be of interest.

[setelf3of5]

welcome

[Dogo]

Oh yes,and does anyone have any suggestions for making an activation box look good on top of a ribbed extension?

[Greenie]

Oh yes,and does anyone have any suggestions for making an activation box look good on top of a ribbed extension?

Yeah. Some painstaking, time consuming work with a dremmel and files to match the profile

[Dogo]

Okay... I've decided on green after seeing Vader's Vault's Photon blade... that's really cool.

[MikeC13]

Don't sweat the battery composition IF you stick to the proper guidelines. I have no idea how these horror stories get so much traction.

Reminds me of 6-7 years ago when Lithium Polymer cells became the in thing for powering r/c trucks. The weight and space savings were too good to ignore, yet there were so many people telling horror stories that it got to where guys were like "I built a bunker in my backyard and lined it with steel and installed an automatic sprinkler system just in case..." It filled new users with so much trepidation that they wouldn't make the switch. My personal experience after years of charging a bunch of Li-Po packs over and over is I've never even had one get warm on me, much less explode or combust in any way. If you observe the "rules of engagement" for Li-Ion chemistry you will be fine...

[MikeC13]

I saw this happen 7-8 years ago when Lithium Polymer cells became the go-to power source for r/c trucks. The size and weight savings were just too good to pass up, but yes they are slightly more volatile than Ni-Mh packs. A couple guys screwed up and blew up a couple packs, and before long guys were like "I built a bunker for my charger in my backyard and lined it wth steel and installed an automatic sprinkler system just in case..."

My personal experience after years of charging lots of Li-Po packs is the opposite, I've never even had one get warm on me. If you follow the "rules of engagement" for Li-Ion and invest in the right charger you will be fine. Like Darth Chasm says cells are not to be modified in any way other than maybe cutting off a connector to hard-wire a recharge port. Handle them with respect and they'll be fine...

[Silver Serpent]

The Li-ion cells in the store have a hard metal covering. Most li-po packs are softer and less durable. Both cells will generate a rather energetic fire if ruptured, but ruptures are FAR more likely with li-po due to it's less rigid outer shell.

In the event of a fire/explosion with a R/C truck, you will likely lose your R/C vehicle. If you have a fire/explosion in your saber, you could lose your HAND. This is why we recommend against li-po packs in sabers. We bang these things around quite a bit. Not every saber builder secures their batteries as well as they should. In the interest of safety (and avoiding one-handed Jedi), we prefer li-ion cells.