Help needed: how to get enough space in the hilt in spite of swicthes?

[Obi1]

Help! I have this issue now with multiple sabers: the switches (AV, latching, momentary, you name it) are all quite bulky and eat up most of the place inside the hilt, even the smaller ones stick in halfway through the inside of the hilt, basically blocking the way to extend the chassis. Even with ridicolously long hilts, I face this issue. Moreover as they are screwed in place, I need to draw 2 long wires from them to be able to connect to the Chassis when it's pulled out of the hilt. The LED module is usually above it and sits just below the blade holder, i.e. again I route a bundle of wires from the LEDs bypassing the obstrusive switches to the chassis, this ends up in a mess, a jungle of wires which gets squeezed, time to time causing signals to get disconnected...

From some of you guys I see chassis in which it seems both the swicthes and the LED module are integrated. Ideally I wish a chassis which I can shift in and out, being everything there. But I would like to hear what you do to have more space in the hilt and less wiring.

Thanks a lot in advace for sharing your thuoghts!

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Well, a lot of issues like this goes back to design. Though I have used an Anti-Vandal switch in most of my builds in the past, I haven't used them everywhere. For example, I used a modified AV in my Illustrious build along with a small momentary. In my Apex build, you'll be very hard pressed to see the switches at all. Like I tell ALL Padawans, it's one thing to draw it out on paper, but it's another to cram it all in there, or as we call it in this field "Cram-Fu". The only time switches are integrated are those people who have the heavy machinery to make their own internal chassis, but even then it's still how you design and lay out everything. Usually the chassis don't include the switches. That's a separate "part that you have to work around" when you finally install everything.

[Johannes Huber]

One thing I find makes things a bit easier is the various activation boxes. These both lift the switches and anything else in them up and somewhat out of the way as well as making it easier to deal with screwing in any of the various relevant parts (switches, recharge, etc). The clever use of the various chassis disk won't solve the issue with switches but can help with other things like the recharge port as well. I'm constructing saber #5 now and it seems to be primarily a learning process of figuring out what will work from the experience of self and others as well as lots of planning.

[ghoti115]

The idea of building the chassis is what I've been focusing on since my first post. I'm still trying to get the idea and layout just right before even trying to order the pieces I think I will need. The main point I am wondering about is if you really need to have a chassis that runs the entire length of the hilt or if you could just break it down into two sections, one below the switch and one above the switch. Would you be able to use Chassis Disc Style 4 as the anchor point for each section with one at the bottom of the hilt and one at the top hilt? It might not be a perfect solution, but it will allow you to have an empty section for the switch.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

You don't need a chassis to run the entire length of the saber, just enough to secure your batter and sound card. The idea is to keep things from rattling around and coming loose.

[Obi1]

Hi guys!
Thanks a lot for your insights! Yes, I fully agree, that the Chassis is there to hold the battery and the electronics secure, maybe a switch is not at the right place there. I just had this Notion after I red one of the posts telling something about a C-ring...
Now as Johannes pointed out, building a saber is a constant learning process, I wholeheartedly agree! I modify my builds constantly (maybe I should not...), the main issue with switches is: so far I tried to avoid using activation boxes, because some of my hilts are more like stunt hilts, lean designed with one simple recessed swicth, well, it is recessed viewed from the outside but very obstrusive from the inside. I had some misgivings about activation boxes because friend I showed my Hasbro lightsabers to all told me that they were less ergonimic due to the big clamp boxes just there where one wants to hold it. But I guess a clamp box is much bigger than a cleverly desiged activation box, so I start to reconsider.

That about 2 sections of chassis is definitely a good idea. I'm also forced to do that, as in 2 of my sabers I cannot put the LED module on the chassis, in one of them due to the damn swicth, in the other due to a neck section having a smaller ID separating the main section of the hilt from the blade holder.

Problem is I still have to find a way how to make an activation box myself. Or to find low profile switches.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

In most cases, you should only need one "chassis". The LED assembly and switches can be installed in a "stand alone" fashion. Clamp boxes are indeed bigger than the smaller lower profile curved switch "boxes" that Tim has. Begun, your lesson in "Cram-Fu" has...

[Obi1]

Yes my lessons have indeed begun! It just feels so much better to know that it's not a frustrating time killer but a recognised art Yesterday I was heavily practicing the basic movements: cram everything in the hilt, does not fit, remove, resolder, reconsider, the circle begins anew...

But now I fully see that there is hardly any way around an - ever so slightly - elevated box to hold all those switches, plugs etc.

But I definitely look forward to build my own activation box, my first idea is to find a thick sleeve tube fitting over the hilt, cut a piece along the length, then work on the edges and finally cut the openings. I would love to have Tim's curved boxes, I just did not consider them during my last order, and I still have to wait till more parts come together to be worth the interplanetary shipment

[bigkevin61]

Despite trying to plan out my saber as best I could before ordering, it was no substitute for actually getting the parts in hand.

I'm pretty good at macro-cram-fu (you should see how much stuff I can pack into a moving van), but this micro scale is presenting some difficulty, as I was un-prepared for how annoyingly uncooperative wire is (even 26 gauge stranded wire).

I was expecting this to be analogous to a jigsaw puzzle. It is turning out to be more like a Rubik's cube, and I DESPISE those things.

But, if it was easy:
1) everyone would be doing it.
2) it wouldn't be as satisfying when you get it to work.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Despite trying to plan out my saber as best I could before ordering, it was no substitute for actually getting the parts in hand.

I was expecting this to be analogous to a jigsaw puzzle. It is turning out to be more like a Rubik's cube, and I DESPISE those things.

But, if it was easy:
1) everyone would be doing it.
2) it wouldn't be as satisfying when you get it to work.

DING, DING, DING. We have a winner here! BigKevin just learned the "Second Rule of Cram-Fu!"