Graflex 1" Bladeholder Question (Neopixel related)

Hello friends!

I am new to the Saberbuilder scene and i wanted to start with a Lightsaber, which has been the first one i ever saw on the TV. So i got myself a Graflex Kit and many other Parts for my very first Neopixel Graflex powered by Proffieboard and 1" Blades.

Now, i have seen some video guides on how to build a graflex (didn't finished them yet though) but since all of them use the included 7/8" Bladeholders, i wanted to know more before i go and screw any more holes in the Bladeholder i got from TCSS. It is about the placement of the Neopixel Hilt Side Adapter (also delivered by TCSS) and where in the Bladeholder it should be mounted with a retention screw. So the question is, using the picture from TCSS's shop below, the little hole in midst of the Bladeholder, is this one meant to be the place for the retention screw to hold the Hilt Side Adapter? And if so, where exactly should i place the Adapter to be hold with that one? Lower End, just in the middle or top end of the Adapter? Any advice here would be great!

https://www.thecustomsabershop.com/A...ages/g201B.jpg

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Originally Posted by Dash'Paladin'Starbane

Hello friends!

I am new to the Saberbuilder scene and i wanted to start with a Lightsaber, which has been the first one i ever saw on the TV. So i got myself a Graflex Kit and many other Parts for my very first Neopixel Graflex powered by Proffieboard and 1" Blades.

Now, i have seen some video guides on how to build a graflex (didn't finished them yet though) but since all of them use the included 7/8" Bladeholders, i wanted to know more before i go and screw any more holes in the Bladeholder i got from TCSS. It is about the placement of the Neopixel Hilt Side Adapter (also delivered by TCSS) and where in the Bladeholder it should be mounted with a retention screw. So the question is, using the picture from TCSS's shop below, the little hole in midst of the Bladeholder, is this one meant to be the place for the retention screw to hold the Hilt Side Adapter? And if so, where exactly should i place the Adapter to be hold with that one? Lower End, just in the middle or top end of the Adapter? Any advice here would be great!

https://www.thecustomsabershop.com/A...ages/g201B.jpg

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Mount your neopixel hilt adapter as close to your battery as you can get it (if your battery is in the chassis). If you're following the "Lets Build a Graflex" series, he mostly uses the Knight chassis, and the battery goes into the blade holder. Where the battery terminates, that is where you put your neopixel hilt side adapter, and associated set screw.

Proffie, Neopixels, and the 1" bladeholder is pretty ambitious for a first build, but by all means give it a go. If you're using the switch 22 in the 1" holder for your Aux switch, that switch is not fun. There is currently an OS upgrade for Single Button Solution now for Proffie.

The TCSS Graflex Kits are my favorite kit saber, I love them. Massively. Good luck on your build!

Tom

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Mount your neopixel hilt adapter as close to your battery as you can get it

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Alright, will keep that in mind when i start to build everything up.

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(if your battery is in the chassis)

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Actually, i am not 100% sure what i will go for. I have seen the "Lets Build a Graflex" series and i like the Knight Chassis in overall with the Crystal Chamber at all, but i was wondering if the runtime of one 18650 would satisfy me since the battery can not so easily be replaced with that one. That's why i was thinking about going for a dual battery build, using a Padawan Chassis.

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If you're using the switch 22 in the 1" holder for your Aux switch, that switch is not fun.

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I was already wondering how i should mount the Switch onto the 1" holder with that kinda huge hole right beneath it.

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There is currently an OS upgrade for Single Button Solution now for Proffie.

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Yup, i saw it on the FB Group where it's been presented. If it would have been released like 3 weeks earlier, i would have started an OWK build i guess :p

I would prefer an AUX function in a Button at the position of the Glass Eye (2). But since i'm not ready to make any huge modifications to the 1" holder, i will most probably go for a 2-Button Setup. (1) will be Poer On/Off and my AUX function will go with the switch 22 and the bezel that came with the 1" holder.

At first i liked the Idea of using the Clamp with 2 switches but when i held the Graflex the first time in my hands, it felt uncomfy for me to use it. May because of my hands, if they are too small/huge.

However, i know i made some choices that will surely will make it not easier for me to build it but i will take my time with it and find a way to accomplish my goal with it!

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Proffie, Neopixels, and the 1" bladeholder is pretty ambitious for a first build

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Yeah i know. I just wanted to make a saber that offers me the options to change colors of the blade as i wish, have these cool smoothswing feature and is able to survive some light to medium duelling. :P Maybe not the smartest choice in this case but if i am to invest hundreds of bucks into that project, i want to learn some things instead of just buy a finished one and see it as an expensive toy.

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Good luck on your build!

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Thanks alot!

Attachment 17456

I had to remove the rabbit ears to get the switch 22 in. Its tough. If you're building ANH version, then you can't put the aux switch where the glass eye is. You can with ESB. I actually like clamp switches better in a graflex than the buttons near the emitter. Dual batteries will be a tight fit, even in the Padawan chassis. Your biggest problem there is independent charging. Each lithium ion battery would need independent charging circuits and switches. Maybe a better solution would be a different chassis altogether with removeable 18650s. You can get about 40 minutes to an hour of run time on a 18650 depending upon use, cooling, and colors. If you have swappable batteries, and you want it to last longer, that might be a more viable solution. Its all about personal preference. I have installed a 21700 into a Padawan chassis, but it was not fun, and I had to modify the chassis a great deal to accommodate it. To make life even harder on me, that one had the sandwich TSV3 Soundboard. It was very tight.

Tom

The last two days, i reconsidered everything a little after your tips and arguments. I think i will stick with the Knight Chassis and one battery setup as it will still be my first build and i may need to get some more experience before i do something that gets too hard for me.

However, about the Aux Switch, i would like to keep the original one that came with the hilt instead of the one that is with the 1" holder, just because i like the looks if it better. I would just need to find a way to mount it somehow, unfortunately the 1" holder is not prepared for the original tab plug. Any suggestions there? I already did a forum search but could not find any usefull tips using the keywords graflex, blade holder, aux switch.

And for better handling, i decided to go for some kind of hybrid build from ESB and TFA. It's pretty much TFA Edition but with the 7 Grips from the ESB bottom since i already mounted them on my kit -.-. Will maybe get a new one by some time to change that.

If you're talking about using the second red button on the bottom of the saber, you will have to dremel in a wire channel for it. I don't think you can use the button with the hollow bolt on it. YOu would need a graflex button bezel that just screws into the outer hilt. Then cut a wire channel in your blade holder to some point where you can penetrate into your chassis with a hole. If that is too difficult for you to imagine, I'll try and do a quick vid about what I'm talking about.

Basically, I'm assuming you are talking about using the two red buttons? Top for Main, bottom for Aux? If so, that will work, but you need an extra button bezel. The kit only comes with one bezel, and one with a hollow bolt. The one with a hollow bolt won't work. You can probably grab some extra 2.5 button bezels on other areas? Maybe TCSS has some? Can PM with alternative options for that, if you can't find them.

Tom

I'm sorry, i didn't make clear on what i am going for now. I will try to clarify this.

After some reconsideration, i decided to stick with the 'Let's build a Graflex' series as much as possible. Means, i will use the Knight Chassis, going with 1 18650 battery, also the Clamp Switches. Following a picture with some descriptions on how i want it to set up.

Attachment 17463

Since i felt not so comfortable with the position of the Clamp in the ESB configuration, i decided to go with the ANH version or better the TFA version, since i already have a shine-through glass-eye here and the wielding feels much better to me this way. Only thing that will be different are the 7 Grips on the lower section since i already mounted them. Maybe i will get a new lower section by some time and just build a proper TFA version for the saber.

I think i will go with the AUX function in the upper button, right at the bunny ears as i feel it is the better place for me to do saber locks or other stuff while duelling. The clamp will then either contain only the On/Off Function or another one for anything what i can't think of right now.

There is currently only one thing that bothers me. It is the slide switch bezel, showing here:

Attachment 17461

For the better looks, i would like to keep the original one, which came with the hilt. But as shown in the following, the original bezel can not be held by the 1" holder. I was thinking about getting some sort of metal stripe with a thread to fill the place and give the screw its hold.

Attachment 17462

(Sorry, messed up something with the attachments)

Maybe you could build out the slide switch connector with E6000, and secure the original one that way. E6000 should form around it, and would hold it in place by bonding with/around the screw that came with the slide switch? Just a thought there. Just back the hole on the inside of the 1" hilt adapter with painters tape or something. Like a form. Once the E6000 sets up, after 24 hours, remove the tape. Bada bing. Seems easy enough. On the new Knight Chassis, there is no hole in the chassis for the switch wires to go into from the clamp switch holder. I just drilled a hole there for them to pass into the chassis, and then fed them through where the other wires come to.

Tip: to minimize the amount of wires coming from the clamp, you can run one common ground for each switch, so they are wired together. If you use 30ga PTFE, you can actually drill small holes into the clamp switch holder to pass your wire through so you can wire the common ground to the second switch. This way, you only have 3 wires coming from the clamp: common ground, main, aux.

Tom

I have no experience with E6000 but i will look into your idea and report later what i did when i found a solution.

About the wiring, that sounds intriguing. I was about to use 22 AWG PTFE wires for the Neopixel + / - and the battery. Switches were planned with 32 AWG PTFE wires as recommended on the diy guide for the knight chassis, over at goth3design.

If you're running single wires off your neopixels, then yes, 22 ga PTFE will work. You can use thinner wire 30 or 32 for switches/data. I was able to fit my 2 strands of 22 into the knight wire passage along with my switch wires. I even add additional switch in clamp, and those wires fit too. Its an external cutoff switch under the lever. So, the Knight chassis can fit quite a few wires. Plenty of room.