MHS Diameter & Similar Questions

[Tom]

Looking into constructing a rather modular set of sabers, have a few questions. They're mainly about fitting electronics inside a short saber.

1) What is the diameter on the MHS pieces?
2) The double ended male connector appears to have nonthreaded parts right before the center section. Will it sit flush with 2 center sections? http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Double-ended-male-threaded-connector-P127.aspx
3) Which would last longer on an LED? 8AAA or 4 AA?

[Stinky Bantha]

1) I don't have a piece right next to me, but I think the MHS pieces are around 1.3ish" outer diameter, and I'm not sure about the inside. Someone else will probably have the dimensions.

2) The wider portion in the very center will sit flush with whatever you're screwing it into. The threads will carry it as far down as it can go, despite the fact that there are some small unthreaded parts.

3) You'll get longer battery life with 4 AA. The only difference when you add more cells is the voltage. If you had a driver, the added voltage would increase the saber run-time by "converting" the extra voltage into current (way oversimplification), but with a direct drive setup it's not going to do anything to the runtime.

[Lord Maul]

1. 145" OD, not sure about the ID.

2. It will be flush on the outside, but it is a lot thicker than a normal MHS piece.

3.They would be about the same.

[Stinky Bantha]

Nevermind, on the dimension... Maul's got it. I thought they were wider than what I said. As for the batteries, I'm not sure though. I thought that simply adding more wouldn't increase the runtime noticably with direct drive, but I'm probably misunderstanding something.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Let's see if I can help you.

1) The outer diameter of the MHS pieces is just a shade under 1 1/2". This is so that the 1 1/2" sink tube that Tim sells will just nicely slide over it. The inner diameter is something like 1.4".

2) The double male connector has a 1/4" section that is visible between the other sections. If you look under the MHS section in the Misc. folder, you will see an item called a Gender Changer. This piece will join two female sections with nothing showing, but the trade-off is that it is thinner material, and therefore not as strong.

3) What battery setup you choose will depend on what LED you are using. AA and AAA batteries both provide the same voltage. (About 1.5 V.) 8 batteries will give you 12V, and 4 will give you 6V. The difference is in their capacity. AA batteries have much greater run time than AAAs.

Hope that helps.

[Tom]

Wow thanks guys, that was quick!

Little disappointed with the diameter - I was hoping for something thinner (i have small hands I guess.) 1 1/2" just isn't all that comfortable, especially for large flourishes... Ah well, I'll cope I suppose

[Stinky Bantha]

The diameter isn't really that bad compared to a 1.5" sink pipe. Another option, is the thin neck piece. It goes down to 1" diameter and feels fantastic.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

You could use the MHS to sink tube adapter.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MHS-to-15-sink-tube-adapter--P162.aspx#

It's designed that a 1.5" sink tube will fit over it, or a 1.25" sink tube will fit inside of it. Basically, you can have a 1.25" grip area and still have the MHS blade holders and pommels.

I got two of them for my next project, and can post a picture tomorrow if you need a visual.

[strengthofrage]

Hi Tom,

The diameter of the MHS hilt pieces is quite comfortable really, it handles well when assembled.

One thing to remember about inside diameter is that if you chose to use any of the ribbed sections the ID is smaller than the hilt pieces. You wont be able to fit a battery pack in them but it is a good place for your driver or sound board.

The thin neck piece that Stinky Bantha mentioned looks sweet and is said to be great for twirling your saber. I haven't used one yet but Obi-Dar used one in his hilt and it turned out amazing. It is a nice option.

[B5813]

I fit a 4AAA battery pack just fine in a ribbed extension piece. If the inside diameter was any smaller than the main hilt body(with switch hole) I didn't notice it. The double male ended connector will restrict the ID quite a bit but again I've passed a 4AAA bat pack through it also.

[Hasid Lafre]

ribbed section and vgrooved section I have posted the dimentions before, and the male to male connector has an even smaller id.

[Tom]

I have another question - I want to make a modular hilt - one I can wield comfortably one-handed or two-handed, so I want to get a long center piece that I will optionally attach a shorter peice on to.

The activation button will be in the pommel using an insert (http://thecustomsabershop.com/MPS-Insert-style-2--P69.aspx).

Short Style
Blade Holder: http://thecustomsabershop.com/Screw-on-LED-blade-holder-style-3--P184.aspx
Center: 5" Female/Female
Pommel: http://thecustomsabershop.com/MPS-Pommel-style-1-P175.aspx

Then When I Lengthen it...
Blade Holder: (same)
Center:
5" Female/Female
Male/Male: http://thecustomsabershop.com/Double-ended-male-threaded-connector-P127.aspx
3" Female/Female
Pommel: (Same)

Yes the activation switch won't play nicely with the extendability. I'm going to use a method similar to the quick-connect to make it work - that part I'm not worried about.

What I am worried about is: am I going to have enough room in the 5" Center section for the parts I need?

I was planning on a 4AA Holder: http://thecustomsabershop.com/4AA-battery-holder--P134.aspx
along with a Luxeon V.

My roomate just built her first saber and she doesn't think it's worth risking... but I think it'd be doable, just a little tight. What do you guys think? Easily doable? Damn hard but possible? Or impossible?

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I don't think you'll have enough room. That battery holder is going to be about 4.5" long. The 5" section is 5" total length. That doesn't count for the depth of the threaded sections. By the time you have a heat sink sticking in the front, and a switch sticking in the back, I don't think you'd have enough space to screw it all together.

If you went with the 4AAA holder, it might all fit.