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View Full Version : Sliding up and down..



DarthNihilus
07-23-2007, 07:25 AM
Hi,

I'm new to this forum and the "scene" of making lightsabers.. but I had an idea that could make it possible to slide the blade up and down. Basicly, the polycarbonate tube is sliced into three sections, where two of them are sliced in 3 more parts. This way, you can have a blade lenght of three times the hilt. This picture should explain it better:


http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2545/saber1xq8.png

This is of course only a rough design, and there are issues like should there be an electric motor to power it up etc. Also, when light is applied the 2 lines are probably going to be somewhat visible, but that is a trade-off for this feature..

TimeRender
07-23-2007, 07:53 AM
In the first picture you show all of the pieces nesting inside one another, where the inside diameter of one is the same as the outside diameter of the one inside it. However, in the second picture, you show all of the pieces locked together flush, indicating that they all have the same outside diameter. There is either a mistake in your diagram or a mistake in your idea. Please clarify.

DarthNihilus
07-23-2007, 08:53 AM
In the first picture you show all of the pieces nesting inside one another, where the inside diameter of one is the same as the outside diameter of the one inside it. However, in the second picture, you show all of the pieces locked together flush, indicating that they all have the same outside diameter. There is either a mistake in your diagram or a mistake in your idea. Please clarify.

They are all the same diameter, but when they are stored inside the hilt, they're in three pieces, so they can fit over the first piece.

I know they don't stack up like this perfectly in real life, but something like this:

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/5193/saber2cl5.png

TimeRender
07-23-2007, 09:04 AM
Ok, I think I understand what you are going for here. The blade tip is solid, while the middle of the blade and the third closest to the emitter is split into three pieces. Now I'm just wondering what mechanism causes the pieces to open and close? I see nothing that will hold the parts together when it is extended, nor do I see anything to pull them apart when it retracts.

DarthNihilus
07-23-2007, 09:13 AM
If the "connecting parts" are big enough, it should stay together just by itself (assuming that the first blade is locked into place inside the hilt). If the material wears out/is not precise enough and/or bends enough it will fall apart though. Keep in mind that this is just the rough idea how it might work. None of the blades needs to be solid like in the picture, I just tried to simplify the picture.

TimeRender
07-23-2007, 09:51 AM
The two horizontal breaks in the blade will hold together just fine with nothing more than a lip, just like in your diagram. That's not what I was talking about, though. I'm asking what holds the blade together down the long vertical splits. You haven't shown any means of connecting the blade this way.

scott5050
07-24-2007, 01:59 AM
If the splits are not in line down the length of the blade then it might work.

The biggest problem is flex - you can squeeze the base of the bottom section but not all of that force will be passed to the second section and the grip on the third section would be even weaker.

It would probably be fairly easy to tear off the third section.

If the sections were machined out of something rigid like carbon fiber it could work....

TimeRender
07-24-2007, 07:02 AM
I still don't see how you plan to get all of the pieces out of the hilt, or how they will hold themselves together. There would need to be some sort of spring system to pull the blade parts together, and that would likely need to be in the blade itself. Also you won't be able to use diffusion film with a setup like this, and there will be two areas that are discolored because of blade overlap and six seams where lights will shine through revealing the cuts in the blade. Any amount of flex at all on this will cause the pieces to fall apart, so dueling is out of the question, and that is one of the major reasons we choose polycarb tube here anyway. The LED will have to be placed further down in the hilt, meaning you will lose a lot of brightness. The cost of machining all of these pieces out of polycarb will be outrageous. It seems like a lot of work and expense to produce a result that is inferior in most respects to a regular polycarb blade, and for that matter a hasbro extending blade.

DarthNihilus
07-25-2007, 02:31 AM
The LED will of course slide closer to the end of the hilt.