I use Adobe Illustrator and Autodesk 123D Design. AI is subscription based and moderately priced. You can even do monthly. 123D is freeware.
I use Adobe Illustrator and Autodesk 123D Design. AI is subscription based and moderately priced. You can even do monthly. 123D is freeware.
I use Creo Elements/Pro student edition. It's free, you just have to sign up. I attend a university that doesn't give out .edu email addresses, so I emailed PTC and they didn't even request verification of enrollment status, they just sent me a download link
I will post a picture or two tomorrow (on duty today) but here is how I did my current crystal chamber, turned out very cool.
Parts needed:
2 regular TCSS chassis discs
2 brass faucet seats from your local hardware plumbing section
1/2'' 20t tap
29/64ths drill bit
4/40 threaded rods
alminum chassis spacers
I took the chassis discs and drilled the large center hole slightly larger with the 29/64 bit, and threaded the new hole with the 1/2" 20 tap. The brass faucet seats now thread into the chassis discs and will hold a crystal of your choosing quite well. Measure and cut the aluminum spacers and insert 4/40 rods. Secure it to your existing chassis system. You can also "connect the dots" between the other holes in the chassis discs with a dremel or drill press to make a channel for wires to pass. If you mar the brass or aluminum parts while doing this, fine grain steel wool can make them nice and shiny again.
If you haven't seen Brass faucet seats, google them. They are fantastic looking little solid brass thingamajigs that really look at home in a crystal chamber. It is almost like they were made for just that. They can be found very commonly at ACE hardware or most chain hardware stores. They come in many different sizes and styles and are between $2 and $8 for two. Pay attention to the threading. It usually says on the box what they are threaded for. They are hollow in the middle, and have the perfect amount of room for a 5mm accent LED.
Last edited by Zahc Zi Phan; 09-08-2015 at 10:38 AM.
Thanks for this! Just downloaded them and going to start designing!
@RobotCamel - would you be able to do me a quick favor? I like your chassis build and am thinking about doing something similar. Could you line up your chassis with the inches ruler on your cutting mat so I can get an idea of the total length needed? I'm trying to fit all of that into a 5" extension piece... not sure if it'll work
That is a gorgeous chassis setup. I really like your crystal chamber too. And that kill key! I must have one!
Here's my first chassis. All TCSS parts, although some are a bit modified.
Attachment 12306
Attachment 12307
Some lessons learned:
-zip ties around the spacers won't fit inside the saber body
-heat shrink that will go around a JST connector doesn't shrink tight enough for 2 wires
-too much heat will melt the shrink around a 18650 battery
-acrylic chassis discs are really brittle - buy extras, they are cheap
-cooled hot glue peels off acrylic easily
-the 4-40 nuts sold in the store are smaller than the ones I had on hand or could find locally
-Tim will sell you chassis discs with only the rod holes drilled in them. Thanks, Tim!
Here's what the chassis has from right to left:
V4 speaker mount and 28mm Premium speaker
Chassis Disc style 5
Chassis Disc for Recharge Port (and Recharge port) - custom cut spacers because the 1/2" ones were out of stock when I ordered
1" spacers so I can get to the SD card
Panasonic 18650 battery in the back, MWS NB in the front - the connector had to be shaved slightly to fit
Chassis Disc for NB and 18500/18650 pack x2 with custom length spacers in between
3/4" spacer
Chassis Disc for NB and 18500/18650 pack with the NB slot cut off
solid disc cut into a D shape - these two are glued together
really sloppy glue job holding the PLI on, because I couldn't find small enough screws or taps (which was my original plan)
solid disc cut into a D shape
chassis disc style 2
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