Tons of questions.

[steamboat28]

I know there are loads of tutorials and videos and threads here to help beginners, but I had a few questions I couldn't find answers to, or that I just needed a second opinion on. If this is in the wrong place, please feel free to move it, but I'm curious about the following:


If you could only build one lightsaber, is it worth it to splurge on the highest quality parts, or to stay within a smaller budget?
Is there a way, besides just ordering a part, to get the dimensions of MHS parts so I can pre-prep some ideas on wooden shrouds?
Is there really a difference in the speaker types?
As a first time saber builder who can follow a wiring diagram pretty well, should I start small or go ham?
I want to build an internal crystal chamber with chassis parts. I've heard the metal disks don't fit completely into the mhs parts; how does that work? I've seena lot of designs for them, but no videos or diagrams about how they actually fit into the saber.
How do I know when my parts list is complete if I'm building from scratch? A lot of the helpful lists on the forums are either out of date or not the kind of project I'm after.


Thanks for putting up with newbie questions. I probably have more I'm not thinking of, but I didn't want to be too annoying.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Welcome to the Forums.

To answer your questions:

1. The beauty of working with the MHS stsyem is you can “add on” a bit later.
2. The outside diameter of most MHS parts are 1.45”, if you are going to use other parts, I would wait until you have them in hand.
3. Yes, a little.
4. Start small, it’s easier and less painful to screw up a $50 board than screwing up a $150. Board.
5. Some disks DO fit inside, you just have to make sure the disks you pick fit the interior sections you are fitting them into.
6. If you’re building from scratch?? As in not building MHS parts from the store? If you post what you’re trying to do, the experienced people here will likely be able to help you out.

[steamboat28]

6. If you’re building from scratch?? As in not building MHS parts from the store? If you post what you’re trying to do, the experienced people here will likely be able to help you out.
No, I'm building from the MHS parts in the store, and modding after.

Thanks for the help and the warm welcome!

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Your best bet would be to post a picture of your proposed hilt and what your planning to stuff in it, and we can tell you how realistic your plans are.

[steamboat28]

https://i.imgur.com/wvVcrqR.png

This is what I'm thinking so far. I am very, very, very open to suggestions.

All I really want is some sound, some lights, and room for a small quartz point inside. I plan to get a thick-walled blade for dueling, too, if that helps matters.

[Jediseth]

Welcome! I would ask on rather you want to go big or go small. Are you good with soldering? If not I would learn on some cheaper soundboards so you don’t ruin a CF on your first attempt. You can put a crystal chamber in line with the blade even with a Nano sound board. #2 disks should fit in your body and extension parts you purchase at the TCSS store. My experience is the boards are all pretty easy to soldier once you’ve done a couple.

[Tom Tilmon]

So, chassis disks, including enough room for a crystal chamber could easily fit in that saber with a bit of modifications. Have you seen madcow's video on building fixed chassis? If not, here it is.
https://youtu.be/dtFeuIbQxRc

I found TCSS Tutorials very helpful in expediting the learning process about the potential and uses for various TCSS parts. I basically took this idea from Rob's video above, and built a saber with crystal chamber using the same chassis system. The only mod you would need to make to your current saber design is to add a 2" double female and a gender changer (double male). The gender changer is how you secure your chassis into the hilt on the video above using the disks Rob describes. The hilt, your main hilt piece then screws onto the gender changer. Again, watching the video above several times is key.



Tom

[Tom Tilmon]

My results adding the crystal chamber to Rob's chassis style with TCSS disks:

Here were my results on a Nihilus-esque MHS saber I built. Fixed chassis, and simple crystal chamber. The hard part on this build is that your switches must be above the chassis, and before or in the blade holder. Here is the Nihilus chassis with simple crystal chamber:

https://youtu.be/tV2WmQdhJFI

Tom

[steamboat28]

I've been watching those videos religiously for a week now. They're so helpful! Also, the other video you linked? That saber is phenomenal, and the chassis is essentially what I'm after. Thanks!

Are the gender changer and the female extension necessary for space, or to hold the disks? In other words, can I exchange that 7" MHS hilt 1 for a similarly-styled extension at a shorter length, or do I need all that length for what I'm doing?

[Tom Tilmon]

To fit the Crystal Chamber in there, and RC Port, and Board, you will need that 7" section. Its very tight. It can maybe be reduced to 6" hilt section, but you are killing yourself for space then.

The 2" female is needed to give you a female end off the blade holder (giving room in blade holder for your heat sink). The switch(es) must fit in that 2" section for this style of chassis to work. Then the metal chassis disk, I think its Disk 5 fits in that female 2" section. The Gender changer then slides over the chassis and screws into the 2" female section to secure your chassis disk into place in the 2" female.

I could have maybe tightened this up by reducing the hilt body by an inch where you see the wires coming out of the crystal chamber to go to the board, but, man that would be tight quarters to come right out of the crystal chamber tubes and onto your board, but it could be done. If you used a 6" hilt piece, and the 2" female, you would only increase the length of your design by 1" to accomplish this. Of course, if you could figure out a way to connect the RC Port externally in the 2" section, that could allow you to shorten your chassis even further, because you wouldn't have the recharge port taking up the inch or so it takes. So there are ways to tweak this design from Madcow even further. You almost need to order all the parts, including extra chassis disks and metal disks to put it all together via brainstorming. I ordered a bunch of different metal disks and a bunch of NBIV/18650 chassis disks to brainstorm this chassis out. That way you know what you're dealing with. Build the chassis first to your liking, then engineer your switch/rc port locations, then build the saber around the chassis. Build from inside out. That is how I always think about it.

Thank you for the compliments on the Nihilus-esque saber, I had a lot of fun building it. I build it for one of my Garrison mates, and it was hard to cut that one loose. I have the parts to build another one now that will be a bit more technologically complex. Similar chassis design, better crystal chamber, better board, and neopixels. Its going to be awesome.

Tom

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

I've been watching those videos religiously for a week now. They're so helpful! Also, the other video you linked? That saber is phenomenal, and the chassis is essentially what I'm after. Thanks!

Are the gender changer and the female extension necessary for space, or to hold the disks? In other words, can I exchange that 7" MHS hilt 1 for a similarly-styled extension at a shorter length, or do I need all that length for what I'm doing?

You’d probably need all that length (if not more) for what you want to do.

[SFXER001]

I think you’re on the right track and Tom’s advice is spot on. I had similar questions a month ago or so when trying to figure out my build about affixing the chassis.

For my saber that I’m working on, I’ve got my blade holder, a 2 inch double female, a .75 inch double male, then a 6 inch body, and finally the pommel. The .75 inch double male traps the chassis disc 5 between it and the double female, allowing the 6 inch body and pommel to unscrew and reveal the chassis. I opted for the .75 double male instead of the gender changer as it makes it slightly longer for my long hands, and arguably better strength. The 12mm AV switch will sit in the middle of the 2 inch double female extension, which is “above” the fixed chassis as Tom was describing.

I’m also sticking a crystal chamber, rc port and NB4 in there similar to Tom’s saber he posted. Be tight, but I’m confident.

Also, for good examples of a chassis with chamber here on the forums, see this thread, the post by MikeC13:
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?17520-Chassis-Designs-and-ideas/page4&highlight=Mikec13

Also, this thread from Spacemonkey:
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?19778-Spacemonkey-s-TFA-Graflex-with-Crystal-Chassis-Build-Thread


These have been very helpful examples to take inspiration from, along with Tom’s work

[Tom Tilmon]

Yep, check other peoples builds then get some parts and mock it up. I actually got a switch 22 opposite a 12mm switch to get 2 switches in that 2" double female section. I think you could fit 2 12mm in there, but one would be through the threads.

I think buying some chassis disks, rods, etc. and then playing around with all your pieces is definitely the way to go. Plan it all out so you can see how they are going to work out for you! Its part of the fun with these parts.

Tom

[steamboat28]

All that for a crystal chamber I can't actually even see. I tinkered some in the MHS builder, and to get it to look good and have room for a (one) switch, I'm looking at around a 15 inch design. That's...I'm gonna have to do a lot of rethinking. I thought maybe an switch box might help, but the one I think would look best is too long for much else. I'll give it a day or two to think it over, excited as I am to start.

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

[Tom Tilmon]

All that for a crystal chamber I can't actually even see. I tinkered some in the MHS builder, and to get it to look good and have room for a (one) switch, I'm looking at around a 15 inch design. That's...I'm gonna have to do a lot of rethinking. I thought maybe an switch box might help, but the one I think would look best is too long for much else. I'll give it a day or two to think it over, excited as I am to start.

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

You can always dremel cutting wheel a damage tear over the crystal chamber so you can see it with the hilt on. Plus, venting sound out behind the speaker makes the saber louder too! Bonus. You can cut that length down a tad, you just need to be creative with your install. That is the challenge on these things.

So, my first MHS saber was ginormously long, heck, its still long. Its a beast. I put a windowed section in there, and built the crystal chamber as a standalone unit in the window section. Then I built an MHS Chassis that slid in and out via the pommel. Even though this saber is a beast, and way too long, I still love it for what it is. I learned a lot building it. Don't get too down in the mouth if your first saber is longer than you want, you'll learn how to save space as you build. I think the important thing is to build it.

My long MHS Saber is Mako. Here she blows on her 4th re-build. She is now neopixel. Even though I could have re-designed her to make her shorter, I decided to keep her the monster she always was. Mako is still my favorite saber that I have built. Keep charging!


https://youtu.be/ruZzUHHHR_o

Mako is around 15 inches long, longer if you include the shroud at the emitter. Who cares? Build the saber you want!

Tom

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

All that for a crystal chamber I can't actually even see. I tinkered some in the MHS builder, and to get it to look good and have room for a (one) switch, I'm looking at around a 15 inch design. That's...I'm gonna have to do a lot of rethinking. I thought maybe an switch box might help, but the one I think would look best is too long for much else. I'll give it a day or two to think it over, excited as I am to start.

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

You could always “fake it”, if you look through the archives and find my “Apex” Saber, it has a faked “crystal chamber”.

[steamboat28]

So my crystal is 1 1/16" long. If I can find the parts that I want in-stock, can I just measure up the chassis parts to see how they fit together so I know which ones to order? Then I can build the chassis and see what kind of length I'll need in hilt parts, once I figure out how exactly the metal disks work. Is there a way I can do a mockup? I've seen people use a CAD program; are all part dimensions in their descriptions?

I'm still on the fence about the CFv9; given the nature of my income, I might never be able to build a second saber, and I do have experience with a soldering iron. It's just hard to justify when I don't know what I'm doing.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

If you’re never going to open the saber, you won’t see the chamber. The design you posted doesn’t lend itself too well to doing a reveal build. As far as the CFv9, if you haven’t built before, I’d start off “small”, like maybe a Prizm.

[Tom Tilmon]

If you’re never going to open the saber, you won’t see the chamber. The design you posted doesn’t lend itself too well to doing a reveal build. As far as the CFv9, if you haven’t built before, I’d start off “small”, like maybe a Prizm.

I second the Prism. Its a great board. Not too hard to wire, and has many of the great features of the CF. Its a sweet board, particularly if you go RGB.

Tom

[steamboat28]

Ok. I scrapped the choke because it was just aesthetic. I swapped out the main body for two double-female extensions separated by one of the double-male extensions with slits in it for the crystal chamber. My final length is down to 12.5" - 14.5", depending on where I put the activation box (to get the rc port out of the way of the chassis). That should clear me out some room to do the things I want to do, in theory.
https://imgur.com/a/kD3OH

As for the sound card, the Prizm may be a great board, but it's not enough cheaper to warrant it given my current budget. Same with the boards less expensive than the NBv4; I figure I'll either hang out at one of those two boards because a $90ish difference is something to fret over, whereas a $40ish one isn't as major a concern to me at the moment. The NB would be the better starting point, I agree.

Are all of the speaker holders set for threaded rods, or is that a thing I need to look for specific models for? How do we feel about activation boxes mechanically, not aesthetically? Do folks put controls at the rear of the saber often? Am I being too frustrating or question-y?

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Ok. I scrapped the choke because it was just aesthetic. I swapped out the main body for two double-female extensions separated by one of the double-male extensions with slits in it for the crystal chamber. My final length is down to 12.5" - 14.5", depending on where I put the activation box (to get the rc port out of the way of the chassis). That should clear me out some room to do the things I want to do, in theory.
https://imgur.com/a/kD3OH

As for the sound card, the Prizm may be a great board, but it's not enough cheaper to warrant it given my current budget. Same with the boards less expensive than the NBv4; I figure I'll either hang out at one of those two boards because a $90ish difference is something to fret over, whereas a $40ish one isn't as major a concern to me at the moment. The NB would be the better starting point, I agree.

Are all of the speaker holders set for threaded rods, or is that a thing I need to look for specific models for? How do we feel about activation boxes mechanically, not aesthetically? Do folks put controls at the rear of the saber often? Am I being too frustrating or question-y?

Hmmm, that design seems a bit familiar (looks a lot like my Padawan’s saber):

https://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=50860.msg648041#msg648041

Usually, control boxes tend to go toward the front of the saber, and most speaker holders are “ready” with threaded holes for use in a TCSS chassis system. Your bottom half shouldn’t need to be very long. A 5” section should be good. Just keep in mind the
at the internal diameter of the pieces changes (the crystal chamber piece has a narrower ID than the other pieces. ;)

[Tom Tilmon]

Yeah, I believe you need Disk 3 to get into that window section. Then, if you want to fix your chassis and slide the hilt off over it, you'll need MHS Speaker Holder #4.

Linky for MHS Speaker Holder #4 (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MHS-speaker-mount-V4-For-28mm-Speakers-P661.aspx)

...and its out of stock, so put yourself on ye ol' email restock notification list.

Tom

[steamboat28]

If you’re never going to open the saber, you won’t see the chamber. The design you posted doesn’t lend itself too well to doing a reveal build.
What about it doesn't make it good for a reveal build, so I can better design the saber?

[Tom Tilmon]

Now that you've added the windowed section to see the chamber, that section has a smaller inside diameter than the rest of the MHS stuff, so you can't slide it down off of your chassis. Now, what you could do, is to build a standalone crystal chamber in that section, not attached to the chassis per se. Then have a reveal chassis beneath that. Or you could just shorten up the hilt and have a slide out chassis, or you could even use the MHS V6 chassis. This would make your first build far easier, and allow you to envision how to put together your next project.

I think the mistake many make, including myself with MHS, is that you try to build your dream saber right out of the box. I think you should start out simple, and incrementally build more advanced/complex/tight stuff. My vote is for you to build a crystal chamber that will lock inside of that windowed section via set screws, you'd have to drill and tap those holes to do that, or have TCSS do it. This way you would be able to learn the disks and rods in a very short application. Then shorten your main hilt, and use a MHS V6 chassis. That will give you swappable 18650 batteries, and can the RC Port on this first build. Prism will work in that V6 chassis with a little dremel ingenuity. You would access your chassis by removing the pommel and the chassis would slide out. The MHS V6 chassis system is a one piece delrin (I think) that has a space for the 18650 battery holder, speaker, and board. It is a very good platform for your first install.

MHS V6 Chassis Link (www.thecustomsabershop.com/MHS-speaker-mount-V6-For-28mm-Speakers-P892.aspx)
18650 battery holder for V6 Chassis Link (www.thecustomsabershop.com/18650-Single-Cell-Holder-P886.aspx)

Picture of mock up of my first crystal chamber built to go inside the windowed section:
https://i.imgur.com/UQcSZlZ.jpg

Inside the windowed section:
https://i.imgur.com/fcc9krJ.jpg

Madcow's video on the MHS V6 Chassis:

https://youtu.be/oGdwJqifXqE

Tom

[Tom Tilmon]

So, in keeping with the basic precepts of your original design, I have tweaked it a bit. Here is a general idea:

https://i.imgur.com/7QRiCtl.jpg

Parts List for this hilt:
Blade Holder 5 (don't forget to order the heat sink for it)
Choke 2
Double Male with slots style 3
1.2 inch double female (goes between double male with slots and the choke)
4 inch fluted double female body
MPS Pommel V 3
MHS V6 Chassis and 18650 Battery Holder
Prism
I'd go RGB LED with Prism don't forget the lens and thermal tape
RGB LED for your chamber (I wire parallel to the blade, but to each their own)
2 Metal Disk 3s for constructing your chamber in the windowed emitter (I'm pretty sure its disk 3, haven't double checked though, make sure the OD of disk 3 will fit in the ID of the windowed emitter.
Threaded rods for your crystal chamber disks
nuts for the threded rods, 4 of em.
Various brass spacers and greeblies for inside your chamber (hardware store has tons of little things that work, plumbing and hardware sections)
Crystal
18650 battery
Wire
Switches (if you want to put the switches in the 4" main body, we might need to make that into a 5 inch section, or you can use smaller tactile switches in the choke, but that is more advanced.
Resistors for all of your LED's calculated with Ohms law.

Or, you could remove the choke and add a 5 inch body and get something like this:
https://i.imgur.com/E5tF2Zz.jpg
that saber is 11". Or you could even add a 6" body to make more room for your switches. I'll measure v6 chassis here in a bit.


There you go.

[SFXER001]

I would personally go with the 5 inch section. 11 inches is a sweet spot for saber hilts, I feel.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

What about it doesn't make it good for a reveal build, so I can better design the saber?


There was no place to easily take the saber apart to show it off, unless you retired it each time. The version you have now is better.

In your latest design, you’ll probably want the 6” section for your sound card, battery, switches, etc.

[steamboat28]

Thanks again, everyone!