Guys-

Starting my build thread. This is my first, so I'm going to try and put a lot of basic info in here to help other Noobs like myself.

Plan is to do a straight up Graflex ANH build. No crazy fancy crystals or high end fancy pants sound boards. That stuff is wicked cool, but I don't have the time or $$ for that.

Here's my Graflex 2 cell. First order of business will be disassembly and fabrication of a 3 cell bottom end. If you've looked on ebay, a clean 3 cell Graflex will easily go for $200, I got this little beauty for half that.

IMG_3906.jpg

It looks like these are stainless steel. The OD on the body is 1.5", ID on the pipe is 1.370". So I've got some 1.5" stainless steel pipe coming that I'm going to cut to length and have capped by a local welding shop. If all goes well I'll have a few spare 3 cell ends that I'll post up for sale for other guys who need to do the conversion.

My research tells me the 3 cell end needs to be 4.6" long. (t-track grip is 3.6" plus 1" to go inside the clamp)

Here's a shot of the graflex disassembled. You can see the channels I'll need to cut in the open end of the bottom portion so that it fits in the clamp.

IMG_3907.jpg

I've got LEDs, blade holder and other parts coming from CSS. Will post info on those when they arrived. Hope to have them over the weekend then you other Noobs can learn basic LED wiring right along with me!

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I found this and modified it, please tell me if you think this will work? Thanks Any help would be appreciated...





saber wiring diagram best NB.jpg

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• saber wiring diagram best NB.jpg (74.5 KB)

Nevermind

For this build I used Econo sound, a 40 inch erv style blade, and coloured disks for the lighting.
But you want pictures, SO HERE YOU GO! I was taking them throughout the build.


The unboxing and wiring. Note I wired the main LED from the speaker. The flicker effect this creates is nice and subtle, while still being plenty bright.
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Hi everyone,
This is my first post and over the next series of posts I hope to detail a retrospective build log of my first lightsaber.
Hopefully some people will find these posts interesting or informative.

The project was completed in early January, but only now do I have the time to do the write-ups.

Before starting this project I spent a number of weeks reading over the numerous helpful and inspiring posts by the lightsaber building community.
I am indebted to all those who have taken the time to selflessly share their insight and wisdom with others.
I am also grateful to those who offer their skills and services to provide the products and technologies that allow our lightsabers to become a reality.

Over the period of building this saber I learnt much, made mistakes, swore a little, read and re-read guides, burnt my finger once, and became totally engaged in this little project.

I'm afraid this first post will only be text, but I will include "in-progress" pictures later

So for now, listed below, is what was included in my shopping order:

• 1 of: White shouldered 1" thick walled blade tip with reflective disc
• 1 of: 1" Thick walled Trans White PolyC 40" long (30 inches)
• 1 of: Collimator Lens 5 deg viewing angle
• 1 of: LEDengin Lens Holder
• 1 of: LED Engin LZ4 10W Multi Color (RGBW)
• 1 of: Star thermal tape pad
• 1 of: MHS "new style" Heat Sink V2
• 1 of: 3.7V-14.8V Li-Ion Smart charger
• 1 of: 2.1mm Power Jack
• 1 of: 2.1mm Power plug
• 1 of: Tamiya to JST charger adapter
• 1 of: Kill plug style 2
• 1 of: MHS speaker mount V4
• 1 of: 2w bass speaker
• 1 of: SPST Momentary tactile switch
• 1 of: 16mm Anti Vandal Momentary Nickel Plated Switch
• 1 of: MPS Pommel style 10
• 1 of: MPS Clip
• 1 of: MPS Insert style 6
• 1 of: Screw on LED blade holder style 17
• 1 of: MHS choke style 2
• 1 of: Hilt style 3 with standard style switch hole
• 1 of: 8-32 x 1/8" Set Screw
• 1 of: Custom Mill Work Fee
• 1 of: Drill & Tap Hole (8-32)
• 1 of: Custom Mill Work Fee
• 1 of: Recharge port hole service (Style 1)
• 1 of: Machine recessed AV switch hole
• 1 of: Switch 22 mounting hole service
• 1 of: 6 Wire quick connector

• 1 of: PCB for 7.2V Li-ion battery packs

Some of you may immediately notice a couple of critical things are missing - notably a power source, and a way to regulate the current and voltage to the main LED - but I will get onto these in subsequent posts.

The aim of the build was to create a simple, sleek, minimalist design - something that could be swung around with a good feel to it
However, I must admit the copious amount of accent LEDs, while non-canon, were an indulgence.

To estimate how long I wanted the polycarbonate blade to be I used a broom handle, gripping it in my right hand, my arm relaxed in a natural way against my side and the handle pointed downwards. I then adjusted the location where I gripped the handle until its tip was about an inch off the ground. I then used the measured length of handle between my grip and the tip to determine the blade length. The ordered length needed to take into account where on the saber I would have my forward hand, how much distance would be taken up by the choke and blade holder, and how much blade was countersunk into the blade holder. All this mathematics ended up at a value of 30inches.

I'm afraid that I am not a machinist, and nor do I have room in my small apartment to house a milling machine and lathe, as much as it would be great to have these. So there are a number of custom work and drilling fees in this order - all of which were delivered exactly as specified. Thanks again to Tim.

So, that's it for this post - next post, batteries…

This is the second saber I've posted on the forum. The hilt is a Rainbow vacuum wand with a shroud of aluminum tubing. The grip material is called "whatagrip". The crystal chamber has a real quartz crystal. It's mostly finished. I'm still planning to weather the outer shroud with oil. The shroud is in two pieces and the front part slides off for access to the SD card. The speaker housing is a plastic garden hose cap, sanded to fit and drilled out. I took off the first two threads on the inside and the speaker snaps right in. It also makes a good resonance chamber.

Nano Biscotte
Red Seoul P4
Red Dot Short AV Switch
Recharge Port
Crystal Chamber (5mm red ultrabright LED)
2W Bass Speaker

Here it is with the board powered on and AV switch lit (kill key removed).
Left Side Powered On.jpg

With the blade ignited.
Blade Lit 2.jpg

The crystal chamber vents.
Crystal Chamber Lit.jpg

The speaker housing.
Rear.jpg

And with the forward shroud removed for access to the SD Card.
SD Card Access.jpg

Here's the chassis before it went into the hilt.
[img][/img]

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Build progress for my MHS based Obi-Wan V2 from Episode III.

When I first started on this build I had lots of open questions regarding how I was going to approach the activation box. I searched the forums for ideas and inspiration so I thought I would share my build progress so others might benefit.

Completed electronics chassis using parts from TCSS (PC 2.0, 14500, etc.)


Recharge port hidden behind the speaker and will be concealed in the pommel when closed.


Chassis is oriented in the main body section as shown below. The wires pointing upward feed into the activation box for the switches.


All the parts that comprise the activation box internals.


Slot cut into the side of the activation box. This was done by drilling a series of holes along the center line then squaring it out will considerable amounts of filing.


The switches are mounted to a board that is held in place with some wire wrapped around the mounting screw and attached to the board.


Switch activator required custom machining from plate aluminum and the generous help from a friend of mine who has a milling machine.


Hot glue was applied to the back of the switches to prevent shorting.


Here is how it looks inside.


Video of switch action.
http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/Ma...ce4a2.mp4.html

Here is how it looks with the chassis in place and wires all situated.


Activation box all complete.


Thanks for looking.