Poll: Anakin AOTC ('02/EL) - convert? or no?

[Whi-ja]

Poll: what to do, what to do?

So I have an Anakin AOTC (2002, EL blade) in which the sound card has gone kaput, as is common with these sabers.
I don't have a joe Jedi card lying around.

I entreat the council's guidance. Should I:
1) rip out the EL blade and board, and do a full LED conversion with sound? (I know Tim's banker would prefer this option...
2) keep the EL blade and cram a NB board into the hilt for sound?
3) sell it and make it someone else's problem?
4) a fourth, hitherto unexplored option? (Good word, "hitherto". Not used enough IMHO.)

I look forward to your opinions and reasoning on the subject. Thanks in advance!

[Silver Serpent]

Option 1 would give that saber the brightest blade and best sound. I'm not experienced with conversions, so I don't know how hard it would be.

Option 2: The power supply for EL and NB boards are not compatible. This would be a pain, and you'd get a much dimmer blade with EL than with a LED conversion.

Option 3: I don't have any idea what the resale value on the old EL sabers is looking like these days. More of the value is determined by the condition of the saber than by its rarity. If it's still in nearly pristine condition, with just the electronics going out, you might consider this. If it's worn, beat up, and generally well loved...I'd recommend upgrading it. If it's in great condition, do a price check on eBay to see if it's worth your while to sell it.

[ARKM]

I had that saber and hated it's "oversizedness" and craftsmanship so much that after I gutted it, I threw it away. I knew I could have sold it but I felt that I would be doing the world a disservice by doing so, lol.

[JakeSoft]

I don't think there is any question that Option 1 will give you the best possible saber, but it might require some custom machining work from Tim (or somebody). As far as I am aware, there are no conversion kits for that particular saber, but I don't see why one could not be made.

As I'm sure you are aware, saber technology has come a long way in last 12 years. EL blades have kind of become Walkmans among iPods. If you put that 2002 EL blade next to a modern LED saber and power them both on, you probably won't even be able to see that the EL blade is on. Plus, you'll have something pretty rare; I don't think I've ever seen one of those converted.

Best of luck with your project, whatever you decide.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

I highly doubt that Tim would do custom work on a piece that he didn't sell from the store.

[Whi-ja]

Thanks, everyone. I expected there to be a little more division of opinions than there seems to be.
I'm not a fan of the EL blade, but I'm also a bit of a traditionalist, and my intuition is that it would be a waste of a working EL blade.

That being said, I agree with ARKM's assessment of the hilt. I know there are folks out there who love them (for whatever reason).
I was thinking that with a small board like the NB and a voltage regulator I MIGHT be able to squeeze a sound card into the hilt.
The hilt is in pristine condition, so I need to do SOMETHING with it other than let it rest in its box on the shelf.
(Also, how rare would it be to tinker with those electronics?! The 2002 EL board is like some Old Republic artifact - a good first stab (get it?) at the lightsaber.

There are vid tutorials for converting the hilt using a 616 board, so I know it's possible, and I have read in the forums that the Mace conversion kit can be made to fit the AOTC without too many issues.

But it sounds like the consensus is that, while theoretically possible, it's probably not worth my time and effort.
I'll post a build diary with pics once I decide what I'm going to do.

I will also contact the authors of the AOTC conversion threads for their input.
Difficult to see, the future is. But I see a NB and LED conversion in my future, though...

Thanks, everyone!