Newbie Learns by Doing

[Waek_Hyndarus]

Hey all! Finally did some stuff on my own today. Nothing really productive...but it sure boosted my confidence for the real build.


First, is a PVC Hilt. I completed it in about....45 minutes I suppose. It's not pretty, nor is it supposed to be - the four dollar investment is meant as a test hilt for my electronics to come. When I make my order, I'll be rigging it with a regular black switch, green P4, and 2AA with a 3.3ohm resistor.

It's made up of 1" PVC, 1" PVC coupler and a 1" PVC cap and a 1/2" 8-32 screw, with a 3/8 drilled hole for the switch.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/WyoWolf17/1110091600.jpg


Next up is something rather trivial to most of you, probably. But it was a bit of confidence boosting - as I've told many of you here at the TCSS Forums, my former electronics experience includes nothing mor complicated than replacing batteries. But when I did my first soldering joint on some 18 gauge wire I bought for practice, I was pretty well satisfied and encouraged. It could only improve from here!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/WyoWolf17/1110091558.jpg

I have my electronics for my first "Test Hilt" planned out, so I'm really excited!

Thanks all,

And a big thanks to Jay-gon for his PVC tutorial!

[astromech_kuhns]

um.... i dont think a p4 will work in it. they get hot like the other LED's. and you can have to much heat in plastic like that. you will need to look into a LUX 1. Tim does not sell those LED's here.

jay gon talks about them in his post's. look there for the components.

[Waek_Hyndarus]

I realize they get hot. But the P4 will not be in this saber perminantly. This saber will be a test body for my electronics - the electronics, if successfully put together and tested, will later go into my actual saber of the future, Outlaw. plus, I'm counting on having a heatsink to help mounting it inside the saber.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

Also make sure you use heat shrink on all your solder joints. The Lux I works great in those. You can search on google to find a vendor that sells them.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Good idea.

I do hope you're not going to use 18 gauge wire in your actual build though. Most of us use 24 or 26 gauge. Use stranded wire, not solid.

And don't strip your wires so far back if you aren't going to overlap them very much.

Yes I know that was probably just a soldering test for you.

Don't forget to put your piece of heat shrink on one of the wires before you solder them together. And don't forget to tin your wires first, before you solder them together, or onto your LED. ;)

[Waek_Hyndarus]

Using 18 gauge? No way. I was just testing...and I did a lot of research and reading before hand. But thank you for the reminders...you can tell yourself how to do it over and over and still forget something. As for the LEDs....I'm not making this hilt a constent saber hilt. It's going to be used to test the electronics....then I'll empty it and set it on the shelf. Eventually I might get a Lux I and make it perminant...but otherwise, it's just a temp body.

My plan is to instal a small rubber washer inside the coupler to narrow the passageway, then I'll thread bthe wires to the LED through it. Then, threading them through a copper heatsink, I'll solder the wires to the P4. It'll work long enough to turn the power on and off to see if it works. Once It works, I'll be moving on to the real saber.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

question, what program/technique did you use to get the outline around your hilt in that image?

[Lan-Ja Hamil]

Waek,

Glad to see you're getting started. I can't wait to get mine going.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

I too built a pvc hilt (partially just to take care of the itch to build a saber :rolleyes:) I think you have a good idea if at least to make sure your measurements are right. That being said, there is NO comparison to having the parts in hand.

Great job on the wiring, keep it up! *thumbs up*

[Waek_Hyndarus]

Shadar, I used Photoshop...I think 7.0. and I just made the blade and hilt seperate layers then gave each of them the "Outer Glow" Effect. The Blade is actually just a blurred white line with a Green outter glow. Gotta mess with the spread and stuff, but it's a cool tool.

[FenderBender]

You can use a LUX III/P4 fine if you heat sink it. Just use a 3/4" copper pipe cap and drill holes for your wires. the LED star and optics assembly fits perfectly inside. Bam. Done.

[Crystal Chambers]

You can use a LUX III/P4 fine if you heat sink it. Just use a 3/4" copper pipe cap and drill holes for your wires. the LED star and optics assembly fits perfectly inside. Bam. Done.

In a PVC hilt? I've seen people jump all over this before even with a heat sink. I'm glad they did because it encouraged me to be more ambitious with my hilt.

I find it odd that anyone would complete electronics first before hilt...I hope you have the design and measurements ready so that the wiring set-up will fit. I'm doing the opposite...hilt first based on electronic dimensions to go in, test electronics and sled design, and then install in hilt. But that's me.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

I use photoshop as well, and can show you a really neat way to do the blade. if you want you can pm me. I wondered as i was trying to do the glow on the layer of the hilt but couldn't get it to work right lol. Here i see you did it wonderfully...

Back to the drawing board...

Thanks ;)

[FenderBender]

In a PVC hilt? I've seen people jump all over this before even with a heat sink. I'm glad they did because it encouraged me to be more ambitious with my hilt.

I find it odd that anyone would complete electronics first before hilt...I hope you have the design and measurements ready so that the wiring set-up will fit. I'm doing the opposite...hilt first based on electronic dimensions to go in, test electronics and sled design, and then install in hilt. But that's me.


Yeah, but theres a big difference in a PVC stunt and a custom saber with sound.

We have made over 150 PVC stunts with this method. No problems with any of them.

Also Waek', 2aa batts on a green p4? That wont be near enough. If you cant find or use a 3aa/aaa pack then you need to use a 4 pack with the appropriate resistor.

I use this one: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=12BH432A-GRvirtualkey56100000virtualkey12BH432A-GR

Its tricky to solder, but it works great for the blues and greens.

[Waek_Hyndarus]

Thanks, Fender. Actually, I've been told 2AA will work fine for a P4...it's what I've been planning for the actual saber for a while now.

But, just in case, is that the only 4AA holder that will fit in a PVC hilt?

[FenderBender]

Its not a 4 its a 3. And 2aa will NOT work for a green or blue P4 or Lux III.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Thanks, Fender. Actually, I've been told 2AA will work fine for a P4...it's what I've been planning for the actual saber for a while now.

If someone told you that all the Lux 3s and P4s will run on 2 batteries, they were wrong.

If you look at the Resistor Chart in the Store, you can see that all the blue, green, cyan and white Lux 3s and P4s have a Forward Voltage above 3V, so just 2 AAAs or AAs won't work. As Fender pointed out, only the reds and ambers have a FV below 3V.

[Waek_Hyndarus]

Ok. That's my fault then for not looking at charts -mainly because I didn;t think I would understand them. Maybe I should use my GI Bill to take an electronics class this spring. LOL

Well, then if I didn;t want something "Tricky to solder" I'm thinking maybe one of this style would work...

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/4AA-Battery-holder--P134.aspx

Maybe?

[FenderBender]

It'll fit. Barely, but it will.



....wait, you're using regular white PVC right? If you are then, I would also try one of the regular quad packs as the plumbing PVC is a bigger I.D. than the electrical conduit PVC that most of us use.

[ArkaiHalon]

It'll fit. Barely, but it will.



....wait, you're using regular white PVC right? If you are then, I would also try one of the regular quad packs as the plumbing PVC is a bigger I.D. than the electrical conduit PVC that most of us use.

quad packs do not fit. i've tried. much to my chagrin. dangit.

[ComdtJustin]

It'll fit. Barely, but it will.



....wait, you're using regular white PVC right? If you are then, I would also try one of the regular quad packs as the plumbing PVC is a bigger I.D. than the electrical conduit PVC that most of us use.

Apparently the ID of electrical vs plumbing PVC varies. At my local lowes, the 1-1/4" electrical has a slightly larger ID than the same in plumbing...

[Waek_Hyndarus]

Well, for the sake of information, my PVC hilt is 1" PVC, by label. Haven't really measured it specifially. I actually think my hilt is shorter than the Outlaw will be. Expecially if I have to get a quad hold for a P4....

Actually, can anyone tell me...will the 4AA holder I posted fit in a ribbed MSH extension section? The saber in my render below is a 5" extension with a ribbed extension for the main hilt body.