3/4" EL to LED conversion

[jedi.master.boy]

Hello all,

Recently I puchased an EL saber that I would like to convert to an LED. Being fairly new to the custom saber scene, I would like recommendations for the parts I would need from The Custom Saber Shop to pull this off, as I have no idea which LEDs and heatsinks will work with this hilt. I have a link to pictures of the saber below and here are the dimensions:

Overall Length: 13"
Top Length: 5 7/8"
Top Inside Diameter: 3/4"
Lower Length: 7"
Lower Inside Diameter: 1 1/4"

http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/j...di_master_boy/

Again, any suggestions on parts and methods to make this work are most appreciated

[Jedi-Loreen]

Why are your pics so small?

That saber looks like it started out as one from the old Lightech Industries. But it's been customized since then.

[jedi.master.boy]

The pictures were small because I originally intended to embed them in the post, but then figured that photobucket was easier. The larger pictures are now uploaded.

I bought the saber off eBay back in october 2010. I've got no idea about who originally made it, but it came with an EL blade and an acrylic stunt blade. All i really want is to turn this thing into a really expensive flashlight i can hit people with j/k

[dgdve]

Ofcourse you can convert that.. it will be a challenge with that blade holder(from what I'm looking at, nice looking saber btw). you need to work out the Heat sink and blade holder section first and foremost because that makes or breaks this build(although you could put the heatsink/optics in the hilt/neck section if need be.. dont be discouraged easily).. you need the spec's from that to determine if its possible to put a heatsink up there and where.. great project btw I love el conversions

[jedi.master.boy]

OK, after thinking about this and consulting some local people, I think I'll be attaching the heat sink to the bottom of the blade holder, that way the LED and lens can shine through the hole. I would need to put some sort of protection to keep the blade from touching the lens directly; but the main problem is I don't know where to get an LED that'll fit in a 3/4" round hole. It doesn't look like TCSS sells one that would work, and I'm fairly certain that rounding off the hex shape most LEDs come in would be a bad idea. Feedback?

[Luke-SkyMarcher]

There's a couple things you could do. You could use some PVC of various sizes to try to put together something resembling the inside of the bottom of the MHS bladeholder (you can see what that looks like by going to the MHS builder, putting up a blade holder, and doing an internal view.) You could then use the standard heatsink, and hold the parts together with set screws. Of course, you wind up with a very deep blade holder, but it should work - just takes a little ingenuity.
Another thing you could do, depending on what resources you have, is machine out a little of the bottom of the top section, basically to accomplish the same thing in a different way.
As to grinding down the sides of the star, I did it once with a Lux V back when they were still being made... It certainly worked, but there are other details you have to work out in a setup like that. If you want to see pictures of what I did, look here

[jedi.master.boy]

Awesome. This is the information I was looking for! How did you get the wires threaded near the blub? Was the a feature of that LED, or did you drill holes in it?

[Jedi-Loreen]

The LED itself is the emitter that's covered by a protective dome (which you're calling a "bulb") and the 2 leads that connect it to the star, which acts as sort of a small heat sink (though not well enough for our purposes) with pads for easier soldering and makes a stable platform. I've never seen LED stars with holes in them next to the emitter, so he must have drilled them himself.

Obviously, you need to be careful, if you try that yourself.