Okay!!! Here we go!

[J-door8]

Okayyy so I have been wanting to do this for over a year now, and I think I'm finally just going to give it a shot and see what happens. I went with the thread LDM made and only selected the items he advised me to but I cant help but feel like there are some things missing, so I will list what I have in my basket and hopefully someone will be able to help me out!

Screw on LED blade holder #25
MHS choke style 1
Hilt style 3
Pommel style 4
Pommel insert style 6
8/32x1/2" Blade retention screw
Rebel Star LED and MHS heatsink module

Should I be ordering batteries, switches, and resistors? If that's the case, then I have attempted to figure out which ones I will need...

16mm Latching amber ring switch
4- AAA 1000mAh NiMH Rechargeable batteries
150ohm 1/4w Resistor

Okay well hopefully this is right and all I need. I'm actually not really worried about getting a blade just yet so I left that part out just want the hilt itself.

Oh and I have a question about the covertec wheel and clips... How do they work? Do I need to machine a hole in the hilt of the saber to put a wheel on it or is it done another way....?

Thank you so much for any responses/feedback... It is greatly appreciated...

[Johannes Huber]

Hi!,

Welcome to the fun! You'll also need a battery holder for the Nimhs and a charger specific to them as well as either a buckpuck or resistor for the Rebel star. The resistor or buckpuck for the star will depend on what color star you are getting (Red or amber rebels can't generally go above 700Ma).
Also need a blade if you don't have one, Tim's are very nice.
Yep, covertec wheels do need a threaded hole to be attached as well as a specific screw (I can recall which).
I'm sure others will also chime in. Most important: Have fun with it.

[Starwinder]

First of all, welcome! Once you start on the fun, you won't want to stop!
To add to what Johannes was saying, you'll definitely need to drill and tap a hole in the hilt for a covertec wheel. 8-32 should do it. The screw holds the wheel in place. You can use http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/8-...head-P414.aspx or http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/8-...head-P107.aspx

Don't forget to order the machine AV switch hole service if you don't plan on doing it yourself - the 16mm AV switch won't fit the standard or guarded switch holes.

Also, just fyi, your blade retention screw will stick out quite a bit at 1/2" with that blade holder...

Happy building!

[Silver Serpent]

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MPS-Clip-P72.aspx to hold your pommel insert in place.

To attach the covertec button, you'll need a hole drilled and tapped for an 8-32 screw. The 8-32 socket head screws are used to attach the button. They come in varying lengths.

You already have the right resistor for your switch LED. You'll also want a resistor for your main LED. If your Rebel is one of the warm colors (red, amber, orange, etc) then the 3.9 ohm 2 watt resistor is appropriate. I think there's a 5watt in the store that will do the job. If you're going with one of the cool colors (cyan, green, blue, white) you're looking for a resistor closer to the 1.5 ohm 5 watt resistor in the store.

Since you're not getting a blade at this time, I highly recommend getting a blade safety plug. http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/1-...plug-P571.aspx It'll keep you from blinding people with the LED.

[J-door8]

Wow thank you all for responding so quickly!

Okay so I added the resistor for the main LED, I have another question though what the heck is a buck puck? Is it like a resistor for every thing? So instead of having a handful of little resistors inside the saber you just have that bigger one?

For the AV switch service, is this what I'm looking for?
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Ma...hole-P552.aspx
I do want the switch to be flush with the rest of the hilt so I think that's right...

I also had a question about being able to change from 4-AAA batteries to a pack with a recharge port etc. at a later date. Would that be too much to re do the inside of the saber or can it (and sound) wait to be installed at a later date??

I changed the blade retention screw from the 1/2" to the 3/8", will that make much of a difference or should I go with a shorter screw?

Another question - Should I buy my own extra wiring if I have nothing like that here at home? Or does everything come with enough of its own wiring?

[Silver Serpent]

A buckpuck is a fun little device that takes the guesswork out of using resistors. You feed it a minimum of 5v, and it will output a set current to your LED (either 1000mA or 700mA, depending on which one you get.) There are some plusses and minuses to using one.

Plus:
More efficient. You get more runtime on a single battery charge.
Constant current output. Your blade stays at the same brightness with a fresh charge, or a nearly drained battery.
Less heat. This is related to the "more efficient" listed above.
Works with different power sources. You could change the battery pack to a different type (e.g. alkaline to li-ion) and it will still work fine.

Minus:
You need a minimum of 5v to run it properly. A 4.8v NiMH pack *might* work. Then again, it might not.
More expensive than resistors.
Takes up more room in your hilt. Space inside your hilt fills up FAST.

I prefer resistors for simple builds. You really need a 6v alkaline pack or a 7.4v li-ion pack to run the buckpucks.

The AV switch service you have chosen is correct. It's actually listed as an option on the Hilt Style 3.

Sound can always be added later. Many of us started with soundless sabers, and upgraded them later.

If the blade retention screw is too long, you can always shorten it a bit. Grinding, cutting, filing, sanding, whatever you have available to you.

I'd definitely get some extra wire. Unless you're going 100% with MWS parts, you're going to need some extra.

[J-door8]

Okay cool so I will stick to individual resistors for this one then.

If the hilt already comes with the recessed AV switch hole as an option, I do need to select that service and put it in my cart still right?

Annnd gotcha, Ill grab two feet of black/red wire.

Oh I added two feet of heatshrink too, I don't know how much of that I will actually need but I am pretty sure I will need some, right?

[Silver Serpent]

When you add hilt 3 to you cart, there's a list of options on that page. One of those options is for the recessed AV hole. If you've selected that option, you won't need to add it again.

Two feet of black and red wire should be plenty. Heatshrink is always a good thing. You just need to use it over any exposed solder joints.

[J-door8]

Sweet! So then that should be everything? I can't think of anything else but that's because I've never done this before!

So this is it then I'm ready to get it all and go!

Oh will a dremel rotary tool work for drilling holes in aluminum? I should buy the tap you guys have here too.

Other than that I think I'm good to go!

[Silver Serpent]

You can use a dremel and drill bits to drill holes in aluminum, if you have steady hands. I don't really recommend it, unless it's your only tool available. A regular drill is better. A drill press is the best solution.

If you're going to tap the hole, you will need a tap. You can get them here, or at your local hardware store. Don't forget a tap handle. And read this first: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...Thread-Tapping