Seoul P4--how many volts do I need?

I am constructing a PVC saber, with a 1" interior diameter. There will be no sound, no accent lights, the only thing the battery will be running is the white Seoul P4. There are only two battery packs so far that fit inside: a 2 AAA from radioshack, and a 3 AAA pack from a flashlight...I'm unsure if I can make the three pack work, however. It connects top and bottom, and I'd have to solder the wires directly to it.
As the P4 says it's max is 4 volts, will it run well on only 3 volts? (I don't want to use those Lithium-ion batteries, that thing about exploding scares me). Also, if I am running less than max volts, do I still need a resistor?

Some say to always use a resistor but me personally from my experiance if you input voltage is less than the max voltage then your ok 99% of the time.

there is a tuto here for PVC sabers give me a few...
Here it is! http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...l-on-last-page

Also try using the thread index

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...3-Thread-Index

this will have answers to 99% of your questions, just find the topic your looking for.

something else to consider. put a coupling on the end of your hilt then use a piece of thin walled 1 inch PVC the same length of your battery holder and use a cap for your pommell. this methood works great for the 4 aaa cell battery holder. It's also the one I recomend using, no saber I've ever built had less than a 6 volt pack (4 AAA's) and be sure to get the proper resistor. If you use a seoul P4 white then you'll need a 3.3 ohm 5 watt resistor. The best thing to do is follow this link http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Bu...-Kit-P469.aspx. I was going to go with a quick and simple reply, but my mind is exploding with info you'll need. it's all I can do to not type more lol. happy saber building

I was really hoping to not have to add anything to my current design. Adding anything at this point would probably 'look' like an add-on. I was compiling my wishlist from that actual page, building your own Seoul P4, but it is actually cheaper to buy everything separately... I think. I did find this old post where someone used a 3 AAA holder like I have from the flashlight http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...attle-Tutorial
Unfortunately, it is an old post, so the pics aren't there. But at least it shows me that it's possible. Now I just gotta find out what the heck flux paste is... This is what the battery pack looks like
http://emob1147.photobucket.com/albu...6/photo-37.jpg
http://emob1147.photobucket.com/albu...6/photo-36.jpg

those aren't to bad to solder leads on to, but they melt very easily so take your time. What is flux paste? Flux paste does 2 things. It helps to make a better bond and to keep the tip of your soldering gun clean. However it's easier to just use soldering wire with flux already in it. The pack your wanting to use will be sufficent for a P4 white and you'll want to use a 1.5ohm 5w resistor. Also to keep your batteries from coming loose when dueling of showing off wrap the holder a few times with electric tape.

Yeah, it sounds like solder with flux already in it would definitely save a step. Hopefully my tiny local radioshack will have some...

They most likely will (have flux cored solder) you could also get away with using rosin cored solder. Also if you use flux cored, be sure to clean the joint afterwards to prevent it from rusting