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Darth Cipher
03-21-2009, 02:07 PM
Hello All,

I new to the whole saber scene and its pretty much addicting. I have been reading up on as much as I can. I have planned out my first saber and currently I'm waiting for the parts to arrive. I thought it would be good to get some opinions and advice from the masters of the art.

Before I discuss my saber, I have a question about soldering. Does soldering produce much smoke? I ask this as I am a college student in a dormitory with fire alarms that can be set off by burnt popcorn.

Well here is what I have so far...

I read the tutorials, and I know it said go basic but I had the money now so I figured I just by the lot of it.

*MPS Pommel style 4
*MHS choke style 3
*Double threaded hilt style 4
*MPS Insert style 6
*Covertec Clip
*SPST Momentary Guarded switch with red button
*Screw on LED blade holder style 9
*LED "Corbin style" Battle blade 1" OD (36 inches)
*Luxeon III / Seoul P4 Electronics Kit
*MHS speaker mount V2
*Premium Speaker
*8-32 x 1/2" thumb screw
*1/8" Adhesive lined heatshrink tubing
*1 Colored Discs

I already have a sound card from a Hasbro toy saber which I destroyed playing with a kid I help take care of.

The drill bit and the tap were out of stock...I figured I could get the at a hardware store anyway. And I forgot to order a clip to keep the pommel insert in place. Now I ask you, did I miss anything else?

I was thinking about adding an extension but I wanted to see how the saber felt first. (I'm already being to plan my second order)

Thanks for reading and any help that can be offered. I want to become part of this community also so please let me know if I have done anything that is aggravating or offending. Thanks!

Finally, here is what I plan the saber to look like (I will update with photos once it arrives)...

Obi-Ben
03-21-2009, 02:49 PM
Don't worry about the smoke--provided you don't do something terribly wrong, you're not going to set off any alarms. Your set up looks good from what I can tell, though I have yet to build my first saber, so hopefully someone else will chime in.

Kant Lavar
03-21-2009, 03:47 PM
Well, bearing in mind that I've only built two sabers, and neither of them used a Hasbro board (figured if I was spending this much money, I might as well get UltraSound boards) it looks good to me.

I would, however, be more specific on which saber, exactly, you got the boards from. From what I do know, different sabers require different wiring setups. (Anyone smarter than I on the Hasbro boards want to chime in here?)

Jedi-Loreen
03-21-2009, 03:59 PM
That's a nice, simple saber design. I like it. What color LED are you getting? White? Since you are ordering the colored disks.

Unless you're trying for purple, colored LEDs are better for getting pure colors. And you can't use colored disks with colored LEDs.

I see a Covertec clip on your order list, but no knob. Do you plan on using the plastic knob that comes with the clip to attach to your saber? You can certainly use that, but the back is flat.

If you are going to be routinely carrying your saber on your belt, I think you'll be happier with the machined knobs that are in the the store. For one thing, they are metal, and another, they are curve at the back to fit your saber hilt.

And no, as mentioned, soldering doesn't produce much smoke, not like a smoldering mass of burnt popcorn. I think that's one of my least favorite smells, too.

DJMoonbass
03-21-2009, 04:39 PM
hey darth cypher its nice to see a new guy in the saber community and a sith as well!!! welcome tot he darkside my friend!! im sort of new too. im custom building mine myself. good luck and i hope you find your saber building journey a good one!

Darth Cipher
03-21-2009, 04:39 PM
Thanks for pointing out the knob. I wasnt sure if the one it came with was any good. And I did get a white LED, I wanted to be able to change the color pretty much at will, and it seemed this was an easy (and cheaper) way of doing it.

Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie
03-21-2009, 05:59 PM
Welcome to the most addictive hobby in the world! :)

That's a nice looking design. (I just put it together in Saber Builder.) I just got a choke #3 in my last order, and I really like it. If you trim your blade so that the choke is your balance point, it will be very nice to handle.

Good luck, and don't forget to post pictures.

DJMoonbass
03-21-2009, 06:01 PM
Welcome to the most addictive hobby in the world! :)

That's a nice looking design. (I just put it together in Saber Builder.) I just got a choke #3 in my last order, and I really like it. If you trim your blade so that the choke is your balance point, it will be very nice to handle.

Good luck, and don't forget to post pictures.


Oh soo true about beeing the most addictive. its all i ever think about.

sithlordfaust
03-21-2009, 07:57 PM
And no, as mentioned, soldering doesn't produce much smoke, not like a smoldering mass of burnt popcorn. I think that's one of my least favorite smells, too.


uggh hate the smell of popcorn, period. burnt or otherwise. worked in theaters for 12 years and an orville redenbacher packaging plant for 2.

Gin Malinko
03-21-2009, 08:09 PM
Welcome to the most addictive hobby in the world!

riiiight. i find myself in my free time just reading mass amounts of posts on this forum. ^_^ and i havnt even finished my firs one yet lol

Gin Malinko
03-21-2009, 08:11 PM
uggh hate the smell of popcorn, period. burnt or otherwise. worked in theaters for 12 years and an orville redenbacher packaging plant for 2.

omg i know your pain. i worked in a movie theater for 4 years....ugh i got so sick of popcorn. im still cool with all the candy though ^_^

Rhyen Skytracker
03-21-2009, 08:43 PM
What type of hasbro are you using and how old is it? I have used alot of hasbros (over 50 sabers with them) so, let me know if you have any questions. Great first saber and I am sure it will not be your last. lol

Darth Cipher
03-21-2009, 09:27 PM
Its a newer one. Anakin Skywalker Force Action Lightsaber, it was spring-loaded...it was actually pretty cool. lol

Titoshi
03-22-2009, 08:46 AM
the force action I found to be tricky. I used one in a saber and just straight wired it to the battery pack with no problems. Then I built a second saber with the same electronics set (with the exception of a brighter led )and it fried, twice. I think to be on the safe side you just have to add a resistor somewhere between the power switch and the board. I am sure somewhere there is a post about which resistors to use with which boards. I do have a question though, as you said you are a college student, how are you gonna buy beer if you spend all of your money on lightsabers?:grin: good luck and remember to take your time with the wiring. If you start to feel a little flustered or overwhelmed, take a break, play some force unleashed, eat some ice cream, and then get back to it. That is the easiest point in the building of a saber to try you crazy.

Darth Cipher
03-22-2009, 09:37 AM
beer goes under the essential catagory...along with food, gas, and bills lol.

beggarsoutpost
03-22-2009, 10:30 AM
Small 2 cents here about the covetech knob....I don't particularly like the ones with the rounded back to fit the OD....They look to fat and kind of clunky....If you like the look of the one that comes with the clip...but you'd like it to be stronger...You can ask Tim to grind down the back on the black ones he has in the store...it gives it a much sleeker profile and stays a little truer to the look of the films...

Darth Cipher
04-06-2009, 11:22 AM
First stage: I just got the parts for the saber.

Here's the basics: First is all the parts I bought. Second is the actual hilt third is the electronics and fourth is another shot of the hilt. I'm looking at how to wire it all up now. Just wanted to put out an update. I will post how its going to be wired before i solder anything to make sure its right.

UPDATE: I haven't done much yet but....As I was figuring everything out and planning how to do it i noticed that the guarded switch is going to be particularly difficult to install. How do I do actually? Do i have to solder the wires to the switch while its in the hilt already? or is there a way to take apart th switch to make life alot easier? Next issue i noticed was putting the LED lens on...the blade holder wont completely screw in....what am i doing wrong? If i take the Lens off the lens holder keeps the LED in place and the blade holder screws all the way down.

I researched the first question and couldn't find anything...haven't had a chance to look into the second sooo don't burn me to bad if the answers out there please....

UPDATE: Asked a few questions and thanks to Jedi-Loreen and Rhyen Skytracker knowledge and wisdom the answers were found! Soldering will begin in a few days!

Darth Cipher
04-10-2009, 07:10 PM
Sorry for the double post but i thought this warrants it.

I just finished the electronics for my first saber....here are the photos! Let me know what you think. I'm planning on adding a shroud or some sort of grip maybe some paint...

Jedi-Loreen
04-10-2009, 07:21 PM
Good job. http://judgesabersmith.com/Smileys/default/045.gif

Kal El Rah
04-10-2009, 07:33 PM
Nice, very nice indeed. Hope mine comes out as nice.

Darth Android
04-10-2009, 08:38 PM
Nice saber. Plan to start building mine soon, just trying to learn the soldering techniques first.

Thaxos
04-11-2009, 09:14 AM
Nice saber. Plan to start building mine soon, just trying to learn the soldering techniques first.

Always a good idea to practice soldering first! I've seen so many people screw over their stuff because they just grab the soldering iron, poke it to the component and let it heat and heat and heat, or they just poke the solder and iron to the piece and make a terrible connection.

Darth Cipher
04-11-2009, 12:05 PM
i practiced on a few wires before i started too...got the hang of it pretty quick. check out some tut videos online before attempting it helps alot. this is the one i used..http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=solder&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=9BfQSaPYAdPKlQfbhInvCQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#

Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie
04-11-2009, 02:36 PM
Here's a good soldering tutorial from Erv.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOdnGUMi7lQ