Slightly OT: How did you feel when you first fired up the electronics successfully?

So I've been building my first saber with hardly any time to do it. Usually, I pick a night a week to sneak to the workshop in the basement and give myself a couple of hours while the family sleeps. It's slow going, but steady. I've been building from the inside out, focusing on the electronics.

This past weekend, I finally got to the point where I was ready to wire the PC. I was apprehensive about this step. Soldering wires is one thing. The biggest problem is to just make sure the heat shrink is on first, but this is a sensitive piece of electronics. I already made the decision to splice wires going to the same spot on the PC upstream so that only one PC solder was needed, i.e. the main switch and aux switch returns were soldered together to form one wire, and then solder the one wire to the return pad. I did this everywhere it was applicable.

I had my wire diagrams and PC manual in front of me, checking twice and then soldering: Two for the RICE, bridge FoC (channel 2), FoC -, flip (roll 180-degrees), two for the speaker, two for the recharge port, obsess over whether I got the recharge port + and - correct, flip (yaw 180-degrees), three for the main/aux switches, one for progressive power on (tight!), one for the main LED - (caught some rubber on the hobby vice, lovely smell), and one for the main LED + (caught some of the progressive power on wire, a little burned but intact).

I double checked the wires, and all were connected properly. Double checked the solder joints, shiny and solid. It was ready for the power up.

I made a promise to myself right here at 12:15 A.M.: if there was an issue, I would not spend more than five minutes to troubleshoot it. I had to get up at 5 A.M. Anything bigger than this would have to wait for another night. After properly setting my expectations low, I connected the battery to the recharge port and removed the kill key.

In a moment that seemed like an eternity, nothing happened. "Wasn't there supposed...(to be a boot sound)," I begin to think to myself. Just then, BOOT SOUND. My excitement is tempered by the fact that unless my configuration is correct, the main LED of two Blues wired in series may not light, per the couple of threads here about the issue by others. Thankfully, I paid attention to those threads. I hit the switch, and everything fired up perfectly!

It was too late to test the RICE, but everything one must have for a proper saber with sound in regards to the electronics worked. I was so happy. I did it right! I could sleep well not worrying over any issues.

Now, I just need the rest of my parts, build a chassis, and work the cram-fu. However, I am pleased that my soldering efforts are apparently successful.

I'm just curious of others here. I know you all must have felt this feeling before too.

Congrats on getting the electronics all working.

That feeling you felt is even better once you've beaten the cram-fu beast, assembled the completed saber, and ignite it for the first time.

It was a long time ago. But I recall the stress of my first CF build and the joy when it worked.

Well done!

Congratulations!

Cram-Fu sucks. It's my least favorite part so far. The finish line which seems so close may actually be miles away. :(

Beyond words, a mix of relief and joy. The cram-fu is a puzzle to figure out. In my opinion was the hardest part, but that all goes away when you have the ignition sound and the blade lights up and the hilt is completely put together.

What I've been doing is small increments and then test the saber again. If it's a successful test, I continue the final assembly. If not, I undo what I just did and fix. I figure this is good because I can isolate the problems better and faster.

The other night was brutal. I spent five hours on it. I was able to secure the electronics in the hilt though, but it took the whole time. However at the end once I moved on and got to the blade holder, I sheered off the wire soldered to the FoC LED resistor, and I have way too much wire coming out of the Box 13 holes. I need to fix the FoC, shorten the numerous switch wires, attach the blade holder, and attach the switch box. Sounds close, but I'm cynical.

Congrats!

It is a very satisfying to have something you've built yourself. Enjoy your success!

Each saber presents its own challenges and sometimes things can get stressful but it is a great feeling once you have it complete. Personally enjoy the challenge and obtain great satisfaction from cram-fu builds. It often times requires creative thinking and LOTS of patience.

-Denzil