Looking for Advice...

[Old Stormtrooper]

Hello. I'm a new user, but have been lurking around here for a while now. The title says it all. I've been studying all the tutorials and threads that I can find in preparation building my first lightsaber. Any and all advice will be appreciated.

Things like:
Best battery set up? Maybe 2) Li-Ion 18650 3.7V 3400mAh PCB Protected Rechargeable Batteries wired in series? Would this need another Protection Circuit Board?

Switch preference?

Do you prefer quick disconnects or straight wiring?

Best location for sound boards?

Do you recommend chassis? Can they take up too much space?

I know questions like this are in other threads, but I thought I'd ask to generate more opinions. Please fill me with your wisdom. MTFBWY

[Cire Yeldarb]

Best battery set up? Maybe 2 Li-Ion 18650 3.7V 3400mAh PCB Protected Rechargeable Batteries wired in series? Would this need another Protection Circuit Board?

Depends on your Soundboard. Personally, I would just go with the highest mAh value of the pre-built li-ion packs in the store (of the correct voltage for my particular board).... assuming it will fit in my planned saber.

Switch preference?

I know a lot of people like the 12/16mm A/V accent LED switches, but personally I think it depends what look you are going for on your saber! If you are going sleek, I might go with the A/V; if you are going minimalistic, go with a hidden tactile switch. I've only completed 4 sabers so far, but they all have a different style switch based on the aesthetic I was going for (Standard, Guarded, A/V, and Small Red Momentary), and my in progress sabers have another Guarded, and A/V switches respectively. My Blaster uses 2 Standard switches, 1 Small Black Momentary, and a microswitch inside attached to the trigger. It really all depends on what you like and what the situation calls for.

Do you prefer quick disconnects or straight wiring?

I use a combination. Since I generally put my chassis in through the pommel-end, I use JST connectors on all the LED wires and the Switch wires after putting those parts in their respective holes. The rest is straight wired. If I could get away with straight wiring everything (like in my Antikva) I would gladly choose that option to save space.

Best location for sound boards?

Anywhere but the middle of the hilt (or the axis of rotation). So generally more towards the butt of the saber, or up closer to the LED; whichever works better for your layout.

Do you recommend chassis? Can they take up too much space?

YES! I made my first saber without a chassis and got really annoyed because even when padded, my battery pack was shifting around whenever I moved the saber, and I could feel it very clearly. They do take up space, but you want that as it helps keep things in proper position. Plus if you have li-ion batteries, you definitely don't want those bouncing around at all. You can make a chassis without it being bulky, it may just take a few iterations after you have all the parts in front of you before you come up with the best way to package everything.

[Greenie]

Hello there, welcome to the forums.
Best battery set up will depend on you choice of sound board but I like to use protected li-ion. Switch preference is up to you and your design, a momentary switch is required for sound boards. I believe it best to place the board as far from the balance point to ensure motion sensors pick up the movement. Personally, I prefere (and enjoy) soldering, connectors take up valuable space but are great if you choose a removable battery set up rather than in hilt charging
As for a chassis, they are usually designed to hold all your electronics in place so they don't rattle about. They 'manage' space rather than take it up.
Hope this of some help. Good luck and MTFBWY

[Old Stormtrooper]

I'm looking at a CF v7.5 with a CEx for my driver. Too ambitious to start? I've downloaded the manual and still studying it. Wiring seems pretty straight forward. Programing seems a bit more intense, I'll have to spend more time on that.

So, I'll need a 7.4 battery. I'd like to get the most life possible from whatever I can load in there. Possibly set up in the chassis with a disconnect so I can swap out if needed.

I'm also going over all of the dimensions to figure out the best Tetris Cram Fu. I'd like to keep the overall length around 12" if possible.


MTFBWY

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

A CF is a bit ambitious to start with. Maybe you should start with a PC or a Prizm. The Prizm only need a 3.7V battery.

[Johannes Huber]

Actually, you may also want to explore the Nano-Biscotti as a start for several reasons: 1) they are hard to accidentally break while soldering (lord knows my soldering isn't the neatest and I can still make these work...) 2) they are amazingly versatile with a little experimentation (you can, with the right wiring, run as many as 4 accent LEDs and, if you're clever about it, make them so they flicker when the blade does the FOC. They may be able to run more, I just haven't tried it) 3) they and their battery solutions are small comparatively. What I learned very fast on my first saber a few years ago was that setting up things outside the saber wasn't nearly as hard as setting them to fit and work inside a saber (total agreement on the use and joy of chassis) 4) if one does manage to "kill" the card, it is a much more affordable mistake than any of the other boards except an older MR/Hasbro sound board 5) It can run a tri-rebel LED with out issues (I haven't had a chance to try a tri-cree but I don't think it would be different) although due to the power source (generally 1 lith-ion at 3.7vF though they work nicely with Nimh batteries at 4.8 vF too) one does have to run them in parallel instead of serial.

[Old Stormtrooper]

I just ordered an ESD safe soldering iron to be safe. I have a bunch of the toy sabers to play with and practice my soldering skills. Please elaborate on why a 7.5 is too advanced. Wiring by the diagram seems pretty straightforward. What am I missing? I'm not trying to act/sound bullheaded. The 7.5 has what I would really like to have in a saber and I only have so much money to fund this near obsession. I realize that I'm getting sound advise. What are the difficulties in assembling the 7.5 in a saber? I can be very methodical and patient in my projects. Thanks again. MTFBWY