1st Mod Attempt ? Maul Force FX Questions

[Kowalski]

Hi everyone,

1st saber mod attempter here. I’m looking for some advice on a few upgrades that I want to make to a Force FX Darth Maul (fixed blade) Saber. I’m hoping to manually install brighter/possibly more red LEDs in a string setup and still retain the original sound system and control system (that gives the blade the power up/power down effect). My electronics knowledge is…workable, and I can use a soldering gun fairly well

After reading through a popular Maul FX conversion tutorial and another overview about how to solder a new ‘Makototsai-style’ LED string (I’ve seen some of Mokoto’s amazing sabers), I have a good idea what needs to be done to get to and remove the original fabricated LED string, but I’m still wrestling with many electronics unknowns. I have NOT begun to disassemble my saber yet, as I’m still in an early research/buying materials phase. My questions at this point are:
1) Is it possible to install a larger battery without disabling the original sound system? The original speaker is built into the 3-AAA battery pack, so I’m hoping to avoid removing it or having to cut the power pack apart.
2) If the same 3-AAA battery power source is used (which delivers ~4.5V to the whole saber…I think), could I still make a noticeably brighter LED-string with just higher quality LEDs?
3) Anyone know what specs the LEDs have from an original Maul Force FX LED strip (voltage, amp draw, etc.)? …I haven’t disassembled my saber yet to perform any tests.
4) Can anyone recommend any really bright 5mm red LEDs?
5) How is the control system (that affects the blade power up/power down behavior) actually integrated into the circuit? It looks like the LEDs light up in sections to produce this effect…not sure what kind of sorcery…I mean wiring this requires.

In a nutshell, I’m just curious whether I can make a noticeable upgrade to the blade’s brightness and still maintain some of the original features of the saber. Honestly, I’m hoping to have something put together before Star Wars TFA premiers in December…so any help now would be much appreciated!


Sorry if I should have posted this under the LED String Blades section.

Thanks a bajillion!