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View Full Version : Atom's new project *design stage*



atomsk
09-04-2007, 02:11 AM
http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/saber_render.jpg

So this will be my next big project. Im gonna get started on this as soon as i can get all the components together. My initial idea for the concept was something along the lines of "sith gone good".. the owner would have once belonged to the darkside of the force but is now turned back to the light.. for now. So without getting into it too much, i basically want a hilt that looks sith-like and sounds dark, but with a light colored blade (I still havent decided which color).. and a weathered look i think would be good also.

Things that I want in this saber:

* All MHS hilt and pommel sections (some modified)
* PlecterLabs CF2.5 board (only thing i actually have so far)
* K2 or LuxV (?)
* Dual-Speakers (one on each end)
* 5 LED window (for 4 blink-pattern and 1 battery indicator)
* Force resonance motor
* Li-ion Battery solution (inline stick)
* Recharge port in pommell
* Hilt no longer than 12"
* Recessed grip area
* Easy inside access (PVC shuttle for components and quick connectors)

I 'm pretty far along into design for this concept and I'm happy with it for the most part.. but there will most likely be some changes as I start getting it together. I tend to over-design stuff and with a project this *ahem* costly.. I just wanted to remove all possible room for error.

http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/saber01.jpg
http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/saber02.jpg
http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/saber03.jpg

Those were a few other renders I did to show how it will all fit together. Please let me know what you all think of course! .. and if you see any potential problems in the design I would definately appreciate any suggestions. There are a few things I have some questions about too..

more on that later.... :shock:

Vazan Maceu
09-04-2007, 06:03 AM
It looks very good. I like the idea of the inner shuttle to hold the electronics, and the overall design seems to match your concept very well, with that wrapped grip and the black shroud... The blue blade looks good on it, but a green one would look better, but thatīs my personal taste :D

Iīm looking forward to see photos of this one being built :)

Hasid Lafre
09-04-2007, 10:03 AM
Great design, iam just not sure if you can cram all that in to a 7" section.

Yes I know the hilt is 8" long but the threads take up half an inch by themselves.

Good luck trying to cram it all in there cause your gonna need it. But I like the design by the way.

Madcow
09-04-2007, 11:38 AM
Sweet design!
I hope you leave yourself enough room for the blade to slide into the emitter at least 1 1/2'.
I'd love to see pics of your costruction process.

MC

xwingband
09-04-2007, 12:10 PM
The covertec on the threads of pommel is something I might rethink. That's just going to make ti harder to open and close. Not that the other alternatives are better... that's going to be really tight.

atomsk
09-04-2007, 12:57 PM
Thanks for the feedback guys, I will definately be posting lots of photos of the construction phase.. Glad you like the design.

I've been talking with Tim a bit about maybe having some of this custom work done. He mentioned a few things I would have to change, ie. (.7" clearing for threads on either end of hilt, and using 2 dbl. female pieces for the mid-section). So I think the hilt might end up being a little longer than I initially planned on. Should still come in around 12" though.. hopefully. That will give me a little more room to play with inside, which i desperately need!

http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/dimensions01.jpg

But this introduces another problem.. If i use 2 hilt sections and a gender changer inbetween I now need to clear 2" in the joint of any lathe or drill work. So... instead of using the 4"(A) and 5"(B) pieces I was thinking of cutting down a 5" and 7" piece to 4" and 5.5" removing the threads from one end of each. Then I could have the longer piece turned down all the way to the end and the shorter piece machined out from the inside to match, then slide one inside the other and attach with a setscrew.

http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/setscrew_idea.jpg

I have no idea if this will work or not, has anyone else attempted a joint like this?

Jay-gon Jinn
09-04-2007, 09:10 PM
I had a saber with a slip joint similar to what you're considering, and it didn't hold up well with one screw. I had to add two more, equally spaced, to get a good solid feel out of the joint. That design change looks like it may give you the extra room you need. I likre the hilt design, BTW. Very nice!

EDIT: Oh, and I had to use the button head screws, set screws didn't work very well...

atomsk
09-04-2007, 09:21 PM
Alright.. well i knew there would be some more changes to make. Things are still a little cramped in the hilt, so here goes:

* Going to swap-out the Li-ion stick for the 7.2v AA NIMHs (that will get me another 1.25" free)

I was considering getting this Li-ion stick:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2714
but they only sell in quantities of 5.. so unless i can find 4 other ppl that want em i dont wanna spend $130 on batteries i dont need.

* Making the shroud from a piece of Drawn Aluminum Tube instead of sinktube:
https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=12849&step=4&id=946&top_cat=60

Its aluminum so the part that extends past the blade holder will be a bit stronger than sinktube i think. (in case it gets dropped)
Plus i can get it anodized black, and I dont have to worry about grinding off a layer of chrome. Online Metals says it's ID 1.495" with a 0.065" Wall.
That should fit over the MHS stuff ok right?

I was planning on cutting out that template by hand using a dremel and files. Hope that will still work with aluminum.. i dont have much experience working with it. Also, I'm not sure what to do about the Covertech problem with it being where the pommell threads are. I was hoping I could cut back the attaching screw so it doesnt reach the pommel.. but if i end up locking the pommel in place thats ok, i could still seperate the hilt at the mid-section to get access to the inside.

xwingband
09-05-2007, 05:05 AM
MHS is 1.45" OD so you'd have to turn it down for that tube to fit.

That minimum at battery space is new to me... I'm becoming a fan of "protected" li-ions anyway. They have built in protection so it's just solder them together and be done with it. :D

Hasid Lafre
09-05-2007, 09:24 AM
Sense your using a k2 a 4.8v store pack will be fine. you can mount the board on the battery pack.

I would use a 7" section with a 3" extension and gender changer.

Its a 12.45" long hilt total length which IMO would be a very comfortable 2 handed design and should have all the space you need to cram everything in there.

To save space you can use a 1.25 sink tube as the inner chassis. Just figure out a way to mount it to the pommel but make it free wheel, that way you can unscrew the pommel and slide everything out and it all looks need and tidy and you don't have to completely disassemble it just to get to a component inside the hilt.

Also I would say ditch the vibrating motor, It's more of an annoyance than anything.

As for a second forward speaker...I would place it in the area of the hilt joint.

So the regular gender changer. the one with the center lip. that way you can drill neat and tidy holes all around it. place the speaker near it and you got your duel speaker system that works well.

IMO that's the only way to get a forward speaker to work well cause the setup I have it doesnt work very well.

Jonitus
09-05-2007, 09:32 AM
The only problem I can see with your design that you will need to consider (and I speak from experience), is you will need a minimum of 1" for your resonance chamber and you will have to run small gauge wiring to your recharge port. Otherwise, the thickness of the wiring will make it difficult to get around your resonance chamber, and it will have to bend to make it to the tabs on your port.

Also, if you can track down a black plastic housing (for the board) from a Darth maul FX, it works perfectly to support the CF board if cut in half lengthwise, and the diameter is perfect to make the resonance chamber and mount the speaker to.

Tenric Starkindler
09-05-2007, 03:19 PM
WOnderful idea and renders!
I look forward to seeing the results!

atomsk
09-05-2007, 08:10 PM
MHS is 1.45" OD so you'd have to turn it down for that tube to fit.
... By my math it works out alright. :?
(Drawn Aluminum Piece 1.495" ID) - (MHS 1.45" OD) = 0.045" clearance
maybe a tight fit but it should still work yea? am i missing something?



Also I would say ditch the vibrating motor, It's more of an annoyance than anything.

As for a second forward speaker...I would place it in the area of the hilt joint.

So the regular gender changer. the one with the center lip. that way you can drill neat and tidy holes all around it. place the speaker near it and you got your duel speaker system that works well.

IMO that's the only way to get a forward speaker to work well cause the setup I have it doesnt work very well.
thanks for the suggestions.. I will be doing alot of experimentation with the inside configuration once the rest of the components arrive later this week. Originally i had planned on putting the 2nd forward speaker in the mid-section near all those holes, and i might end up moving it back there depending on what sounds better.. I am a little worried about having it too close to the LED heatsink, not exactly sure how hot a K2 will get but i bet those speakers melt pretty easily. I already have the motor, so I'll try it out first. I can see how it would get annoying though, i might end up taking it out after all. I have a few resistors to try, maybe if it's underpowered to a degree it will still be noticible but less annoying.


The only problem I can see with your design that you will need to consider (and I speak from experience), is you will need a minimum of 1" for your resonance chamber and you will have to run small gauge wiring to your recharge port. Otherwise, the thickness of the wiring will make it difficult to get around your resonance chamber, and it will have to bend to make it to the tabs on your port.

Also, if you can track down a black plastic housing (for the board) from a Darth maul FX, it works perfectly to support the CF board if cut in half lengthwise, and the diameter is perfect to make the resonance chamber and mount the speaker to.
Ah, thanks for the heads up.. I only had about 0.5" in clear for the resonance chambers in-front of the speaker. After making a few changes in the hilt, i should be able to give them the 1" they need now.. I will look around for the maul fx housing, that sounds like a simple solution. If i cant find it Ill just have to make due with pvc or whatever other materials i can find.

Hasid Lafre
09-06-2007, 09:42 AM
currently on my saber I got my speaker near my heatsink and its fine near it but I have it also sitting sidwase agenst the hilt with the holes infront of it but I got a plate overlay to kinda hide the holes. but I ahve to make some vents in the overlay and make the holes bigger then find someway to hide the holes.

virus692
09-06-2007, 05:56 PM
atomsk,
What did you use for the making tyour design pictures?
I have blender and was hoping to use it to do some saber designs.

atomsk
09-06-2007, 10:51 PM
virus - I use Maya primarily for modeling and animation because thats i use at work and im comfortable with it.. It's by no means as cheap or easy to work with as some other 3D packages that are out there. Ive seen some nice models and renders done with blender and rhino etc.. but I've never used them myself. I use Mentalray for rendering.

definately give this thread a look see,
http://thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3406

Timerender was nice enough to build models for all the existing (and some soon to exist) MHS parts. If you can convert the geometry into whatever format is native for your package that'd sure be a great start. On that note.. I think its probably best to get whatever you can worked out in mspaint, photoshop or on paper first though. it saves a lot of time. :wink:

atomsk
09-07-2007, 02:55 AM
Made a few more changes to the design.. this should be getting pretty close to final now.
Here's what i changed:

* Reversed the switch and LED portal locations
(so the buttons will be near where the top hand will grip, closer to the emitter)

* Added some more of the 'socket head' screws to the joint
(so theres a total of 4 now)

* Made the shroud a little longer
(think i like it better the other way maybe)

* Changed the battery indicator LED to a red one

* Rearranged the internal component locations:
- moved the forward speaker back to the mid section
- added 1"+ for resonance chamber infront of both speakers
- cut channel into topside of the pvc shuttle for running wires

http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/switch_layout.jpg
http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/x-ray_inside.jpg

ArkaiHalon
09-07-2007, 04:59 AM
I really like that shuttle. if it works out as planned, you'll have to share the schematics.

B5813
10-30-2007, 01:07 PM
atomsk, have you tried that drawn aluminum tube as the shroud sleeve yet? Just wondering how well it fits?

Novastar
10-31-2007, 01:38 AM
Very cool! :)

great work....

BlackDOG
10-31-2007, 07:58 AM
Very nice look. I am hoping to do a "grey" saber (part sith, part light side) as my next saber.

The chassis is something I was consider for my last saber, but ditched it due to clearance issues and problems with sliding it in and out. Basically the activation switches and the covertec clip sat "proud" of the inside wall of the hilt and that proved to be too much trouble to work around. I also ran into a big problem with clearance of the PLI I really wanted to use. Do you see a good way to work around that?

atomsk
11-10-2007, 05:21 PM
B5813: the drawn aluminum tube is actually a NEAR PERFCT fit. It is on the side of having a little extra clearance to be honest. I was afraid it would be too tight and id have to sand or remove material, but a few strips of tape inbetween would fill this gap and make it nice and snug... not even noticeable.

here's the link to it on online metals:https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=12849&step=4&id=946&top_cat=60

BlackDOG: The shuttle is now a reality, I will try to take some pictures soon of the internal components all put together. The MHS stuff for the hilt is going to be re-worked by AceRocket probably sometime early next year. Very excited. As for clearing the switches screws etc when it slides in/out... its just a matter of design. I put the battery to te forward of the hilt instead of the rear because it allowed enough room to fit under the switches (The switches im using actually ended up being even shorter than in my design. All the screws for attaching hilt pieces and covertec etc will have to be filed down flush with the interior wall. There is a small gap in between clearance for the PVC and the inside wall so im not sure what to do about it rattling around in there. Probably need to lubricate it too. :shock:

atomsk
12-01-2008, 01:39 AM
Revived!!!

That's right! over a year later and this project may actually see completion... AceRocket at Orbital machining has done a freakin fantastic job with the metal work on this hilt, and it will be outfitted with a shiny new CF4 board as soon as i start putting it together. Here's some pics of the amazing work.

http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/100_3442sm.jpg
http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/100_3443sm.jpg
http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/100_3444sm.jpg
http://www.ethereal-muse.com/images/sb/100_3445sm.jpg

I can't even put into words how great it feels to see this project come so far.. I'm tearing up a little bit right now. Gawd it's beautiful. *sob* *sob*

Well, from here Im gonna try to get tim on powdercoating the shroud and pommel gloss black, then do the leather wrap, and then wire it all up! Exciting yea?! I'll pe posting pics of the process as it comes together. Wish me luck.

Hasid Lafre
12-01-2008, 11:51 AM
Congrats on it finally comming to life!

Titoshi
12-01-2008, 03:39 PM
gorgeous ! Great concept and execution.

Count Malik
12-01-2008, 08:29 PM
can't wait to see it finnished! Good luck!:p

Lord Maul
12-01-2008, 08:37 PM
Sweet saber. You've been turning out some great ones lately. Keep up the good work :cool:

NewberL337
12-01-2008, 08:45 PM
I'm keeping my eye on this. It looks like its gonna be real good.