Parts List Questions

[ZachDarden]

I was looking into building a saber. I started looking a couple months ago but some things came up and I did not have the time to actually purchase anything.
I want to be 100% sure that I have everything I will need for a basic Saber.

I have gone through the two posts below to double check that I will be purchasing everything I need however I see they are a few years old and some of the pieces have changed.

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...d=1#post108682
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...istor-variant)

From the two lists above I have gotten the below parts list.

Cree Star Pre-Wired LED & MHS Heatsink Module - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Cr...dule-P998.aspx
SPST Momentary switch with red button - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SP...utton-P42.aspx
4AAA Battery Holder with JST connector - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/4A...ctor-P724.aspx
MPS Clip - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MPS-Clip-P72.aspx
MPS Insert style 7 - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MP...le-7-P264.aspx
MPS Pommel style 4 - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MP...yle-4-P91.aspx
Hilt Style 4 - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Hi...e-4--P866.aspx
MHSV1 Blade Holder Style 4 - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MH...le-4-P247.aspx
"Corbin style" Battle blade 1" OD - http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Co...-OD--P198.aspx

Would all of this work? i ahve some extra wires as well as heatshrink and other tools to complete it.
What I noticed was Buckpucks and Resistors. Are they needed for a basic single LED? or is that already Included somewhere and I missed it?


I am also trying to stay on the cheaper side as this is my first build and if I do mess something up, it wont be as big of a deal. Trying to stay under $100 for right now until i have done this a time or two and then may get into a more advanced option.
Please feel free to advise other options as well. Thank you so much for any input!

Notes: I know some of these are currently out of stock and I will keep an eye out for when they are available.
Also, I have a threading tool to save some money, would a chrome sink saber be easier/cheaper to machine myself with the proper tools?

[Silver Serpent]

Yes, you will need a resistor or BuckPuck to regulate power to your LED. I recommend resistors, as they take up a lot less room in the hilt, and are much cheaper. There's a link in my signature to FJK's sticky post about Ohm's Law. It will help you calculate a resistor.

You will likely want to swap your momentary switch for a latching one. Without a sound board, you'd need to hold down the momentary switch to keep the saber on. http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/St...Style-C66.aspx is an appropriate switch. You could also keep the momentary switch, and get the converter: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Mo...16V-P1129.aspx

Sinktube sabers are less expensive to build if you already have the tools to work with them. There's nothing wrong with a good hardware saber. It can be a bit trickier to secure a blade in a hardware saber than an MHS build, but it's certainly doable.

[ZachDarden]

Thank you for the input. That would be a pain to hold that down lol. I will be getting the latching switch.
Just to make sure as well, the 1" OD is an actualy 1" outer diameter? Would it be possible to slightly sand down the tube so it fits in a 1" pipe?
Also is there an issue with getting too large of a resistor. like the 2.7 ohm 10w resistor may be a little much but does that have any effect?

[Silver Serpent]

You can sand the tube a bit if necessary, but I wouldn't remove too much material. Blade stock measurements are for the OD. If you buy 1" PVC, measurements are typically for the ID. Pick up an inexpensive set of calipers and wander around your friendly local hardware store until you find something in an appropriate size.

For your resistor, you want the Ohm value as close to the calculated value as possible (preferably rounded up). Calculated wattage values are a minimum. You can always use a higher *wattage* resistor and it won't affect brightness or anything else with the electronics, but it will take up more room. The 10W resistors are pretty chunky. If space is at a premium (and it usually is), you should try to find a resistor closer to your calculated wattage.

If you use too low of a wattage resistor, the resistor will likely blow out. If you go too low on Ohms, the LED will draw too much power, overheat, and possibly blow out.

[ZachDarden]

Yeah I read around on the forums and found out about the resistors. And thank you for the link to Ohm's Law that was really helpful.

I think I'm going to check out the hardware store today and see what my options would be. I want as tight of a fit as possible but also don't want to ruin it.

Thank you for all the advice!