Anyone familiar with SF hilts?

[Tirreg_Kolar]

Hello, TCSS forum members! I'm a complete novice to the art of saber-crafting, but I want to modify my current hilt to have full electronics (l.e.d., sound, aux. switch, the works). The problems I think I'm going to run into once I start completing my hilt are 1) the only piece that comes unscrewed is the pommel, and 2) around the switch section of my saber there is a quarter-inch thick inner ring that spans the entire switch section length on the inside, which is probably going to be a nightmare for installing switches. My hilt is a Saberforge (I know, I know) arbiter V2. It seems like a chassis system would fit if I made it as compact as possible, and I could probably use a screw of some kind to secure an l.e.d. module, but as far as getting it all in there, I'm a little stumped. Is anyone familiar with SF hilts and how to d.i.y. electronics install on them? I know it's a lot to ask, given SF's... popularity... but if anyone could help out, it would be very much appreciated! Thanks

[Silver Serpent]

We're familiar with them. You already know our opinions. :)

In my personal opinion, the best option (other than building a new saber from scratch) is to completely gut the internals of your saber, and start with TCSS guts. I'm not entirely sure how you'd go about dismantling it enough to make a reinstall easy.

[rlobrecht]

13159

You're not going to find help for those products here.

[NanoRex]

It's probably doable. Might be tricky due to some of said company's design decisions, but if you gave the inner dimensions of the hilt, we could give you more suggestions as to how to install TCSS electronics.

[Tom Starkiller]

fx-sabers.com/forum/ is the best place to go for info on this.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

So, it doesn't have any internals currently, the hilt itself is 10.4 inches long, the grip section goes for about 5 inches before it comes to that weird inner section that I mentioned where it goes from about 1.25 in. internal diameter to about 1 in, just from eyeballing it. That goes for about 1.5 inches then opens back up in the emitter section, which is about 4 inches. I'm just eyeballing it on those dimensions, so I'm probably a little off, but I guess that leaves me with about 5 or so inches inside the grip for a chassis system or something like that. I'm mainly worried about the switch section, since the inner diameter in that section is smaller.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

Awesome, thanks.

[NanoRex]

The MHS V1 chassis discs in the store have an outer diameter of 1.24", so they fit nicely inside of a 1.25" ID hilt and you'll be able to use those to hold your electronics. You should get an exact measurement to be sure. You will probably have to drill your own holes to mount the switches.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

it looks like there are already holes, they just have these stand-in kinda things in the switch holes. They just look like they're glued in, so they shouldn't be too difficult to remove (hopefully!).
13162

one idea I had is to somehow find a way to mount an activation box onto the hilt, then use short switches in the box and just run the wires from the switches through the existing holes

[NanoRex]

You shouldn't need an activation box...you should just be able to mount some short 16mm AV switches right in those holes, if you can get the little plugs out.

[Kouri]

My understanding is it should take 12mm AV switches.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

the things i'm most worried about are the length of the switches and actually tightening the nuts on them, what with the smaller diameter in that area.
13163
idk if you'll be able to see it, but that's what I mean

[NanoRex]

My understanding is it should take 12mm AV switches.

My mistake. They should be 12mm switches. Also the length should be fine, but I have no idea how you could tighten the nuts considering how far into the hilt they are.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

it is a shorter distance from the emitter end, I could probably slowly tighten them from that end. would the nuts fit in that space?

[Cire Yeldarb]

The nuts should fit into the space; I've fit 16mm nuts through TCSS chokes before on the way down to where they go (switch went through the choke threads, so it had to be connected after the pieces were screwed together), and tightened them with a long screwdriver to rotate them. Took some time but it worked out fine.

[Kouri]

Some hilt designs don't leave much room room fur the nut. The builder is typically mass producing sabers and chooses to just hot-glue the switch in place. For those hilts, one trick I've heard from DIYers is to wrap the threads in electrical tape and friction-fit the switch in place.

Not sure how well this would apply to your specific brand of hilt though.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

The electrical tape trick might work. I'll have to get the parts and see for myself. If the battery doesn't fit, I might have to just use a single switch setup or an extension (if I can manage to find one that would fit the threads on my hilt)

[Tirreg_Kolar]

Also, what led colors should I use in the tri-cree led to get mint green (or something similar)?

[BartElroy]

Tirreg... The trick you're looking for here is actually pretty simple. Wire your switches up. Make sure the wires are cut long enough that they stick out of the end of the saber once the switches are inserted. Lay a hair dryer on high, or a heat gun on your work surface. Twist the wires from the switch tightly, then run then back and forth through the hot air stream from the hair dryer/heat gun for about a minute to a minute and a half. Then keep them under tension until they cool down. The wires will now hold the twist. Insert the switches into the switch holes. Thread the wire twist for each switch through the nut for that switch. You can now use the wires to guide the nut onto the switch. At this point, get a regular, cheap wooden pencil, and use the eraser end to turn the nut until you get it as tight as you can.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

So, it seems that the place where I was planning on mounting my LED module has an internal diameter of only 1 inch, which subsequently means that the switch section is only 1/2 to 3/4 inch internal diameter. Wondering if I should just sell the hilt to someone who wants it for a prop or if there is another path I can take with this build. Any ideas?

[Kouri]

Not entirely sure what your problem is. 12mm momentary switches aren't overly long.

1" LED heatsink up front. Blue/Green/Green Tri-Cree if not getting a Prizm board. 12mm AV switch. Momentary-to-latching converter, if you're building a stunt. For the second switch hole, drill out the plug for a recharge port or use a second switch for a board that supports Aux input. 18650 lithium-ion to power the setup.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

I may have found a solution. One of the problems I've run into it that the blade holder doesn't come off the hilt, my guess is SF does some weird thing with their builds, idk. The problem was that it seems that TCSS LED modules are designed to sit inside the threads between the blade holder and the rest of the saber, meaning the whole thing is wider than 1 inch, which is all the room I'm gonna get at that end. Ultrasabers has a 1 inch led module that may work, which I'lprobably end up using unless I'm totally missing one from TCSS, haha.

[NanoRex]

The MHS V2 LED module has a 1.025" OD with a 1.175" lip on the back. If you machined the lip off, it might work.

[Kouri]

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Heatsink-module-for-1-ID-tubes-with-center-hole-P1011.aspx

I mean, you'll need to assemble your own LED unit anyway to get a custom LED n there.

[Ty_Bomber]

The MHS V2 LED module has a 1.025" OD with a 1.175" lip on the back. If you machined the lip off, it might work.

It doesn't. I tried it this weekend, thinking I was so clever, and machined through the thing before I got to 1"

[NanoRex]

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Heatsink-module-for-1-ID-tubes-with-center-hole-P1011.aspx

I mean, you'll need to assemble your own LED unit anyway to get a custom LED n there.

This is probably your best option; you could simply drill and tap a small hole in the hilt for a retaining screw. I didn't even know the store had those.


It doesn't. I tried it this weekend, thinking I was so clever, and machined through the thing before I got to 1"

This is the MHS V2 one you're talking about? The MHS V1 LED module is much larger (1.13" OD).

[Tirreg_Kolar]

[QUOTE=NanoRex;253553]This is probably your best option; you could simply drill and tap a small hole in the hilt for a retaining screw. I didn't even know the store had those.

I must've missed those when I was searching TCSS for the parts. Definitely a cheaper option than the UltraSabers module! It should work, assuming that it isn't wider than 1 inch. Luckily there is already a set screw in there (I guess this is how SF does their LED module installs) so I'll do exactly what you said, make a small hole in the LED module and put the screw through there.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

The 18500 Li-Ion single cell battery should work for what I'm doing, right? Just basic saber with sound, maybe flash on clash if I'm lucky, haha. Not planning on doing an aux. switch at the moment, but if the nano biscotti supports it I'll work it into the plan.

Also, the inside diameter of the grip section is right at 1.25, actually just a bit under. The MHSV1 Chassis parts are 1.25 inches, should I use those and lightly sand them down till they fit or should I use the MHSV2 chassis parts and just fill the space?

Also, I had a thought with the switch mounts. If I get the activation box style 21 without switch holes and then get a 12 mm av switch hole put in it and another hole for a small aux. (assuming a NB will support aux. functions) I could use the existing holes to run the wires through and get a little bit more room. Thoughts?

[NanoRex]

The NB doesn't support an aux switch. I suggest reading the manual a couple times before you start planning your electronics. As for the LED module, you should be able to retain it simply with pressure from a set screw; you shouldn't need to make an additional hole in the LED module (although you could if something doesn't work out). I would use the MHS V1 chassis parts.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

Gotcha. The NB does support accent LEDs, right?

[darth_chasm]

Gotcha. The NB does support accent LEDs, right?

Not like other boards but there are ways to use them.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

will the power xtender 2.0 work on the NB V2? for flash on clash tcss website says that the nb is flash on clash compliant when you use an external power extender

[darth_chasm]

will the power xtender 2.0 work on the NB V2? for flash on clash tcss website says that the nb is flash on clash compliant when you use an external power extender

Yes, you need a PEX for FOC on the NBv2.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

awesome. Thanks for your help!

[jordanbeck724]

best way I have found to do installs on those is to do a custom PVC chassis, as far as switch and recharge, SF just glues them in... seems absurd to me but thats what they do, switch goes right in, for recharge you can drill and tap the dummy switch they use as a place holder and mount your port that way. I know the allure to them, they make nice looking hilt but doing the install always makes me regret the purchase.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

Since you've worked with SF hilts, do you know if a MHS pommel would fit? If it does, that'll give me another inch or so of room to work with.

[BartElroy]

SF hilts are not MHS compatible. The threading on them is different.

[Tirreg_Kolar]

best way I have found to do installs on those is to do a custom PVC chassis

What size PVC should I use if I went that route? And would I need to construct something similar to what rob at Genesis Custom Sabers does for his builds?

[jordanbeck724]

not sure, just bring your empty hilt with to the hardware store and see what fits, and kinda, although you dont need anything as elaborate as Robs, keep your dremal handy as you may need to get creative based on how much room you have. also in my case the pvc was able to easily be adapted to hold a 20mm speaker, so yay for that.