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Thread: My first MHS build: Brimstone

  1. #1

    Default My first MHS build: Mako

    brimstone.jpg

    The gray will be polished aluminum, TCSS shroud material. This is only a semblance of my design. I'm not good at drawing. I can see what it will look like, but cannot portray it as well. Red will be subdued and smoked out. Black will be flat.

    I have ordered my hilt parts, will order electronics as paychecks permit.
    Hilt Parts List:
    1 of: MHSV1 Blade Holder Style 2
    1 of: Switchcraft 2.1mm Power Jack
    1 of: 12mm AV switch bezel for MHSV1
    1 of: 12mm Anti Vandal Momentary Red Ring Switch
    2 of: Star thermal tape pad - Tri LED
    1 of: Recharge port hole service (Style 1)
    1 of: Machine recessed 12mm AV switch hole
    1 of: MHS Sleeve material - 18"
    1 of: MPS Insert style 1
    1 of: Double male with slots style 3
    1 of: MPS Pommel style 8
    1 of: Hilt Style 1 (7" Double female threaded connector)
    1 of: 1.2" Double Female
    1 of: MHS choke style 1 short
    1 of: MPS Clip

    Chassis Parts List:
    1 of: Li-Ion 18650 3.7V 2600mAh PCB Protected Rechargeable Battery Module
    1 of: MHS speaker mount V5 - For 28mm Speakers
    1 of: 2W 28mm Bass Speaker
    2 of: Chassis Disc style 3 with holes
    4 of: 2" Brass 3/16" OD spacer
    10 of: 1/2" Brass 3/16" OD spacer
    8 of: 3/4" Brass 3/16" OD spacer
    8 of: 1" Brass 3/16" OD spacer
    3 of: Acrylic Chassis Disc for NB and 18500/18650 pack - S3 (Clear)
    4 of: Stainless 4-40 all thread
    4 of: Brass 4-40 Hex nut
    1 of: Brass 3/16" OD tube
    1 of: Kill plug style 2
    Plus various and sundry brass greeblies and doohickies from Home Crepot.

    Full Disclosure: I will be using NEC Spark Color 2. I know that TCSS board users predominantly use Plector Labs Boards. I will try a Plector Labs Board in my next build (Graflex); however, I know NEC boards from 2 previous installs on the Hasbro Kylo Ren Lightsabers. So I was afraid to leave my comfort zone. I do want to get to know Plector Boards for possible future ventures.


    This is MHS. I plan on this being RGB with a Crystal Chamber that matches blade color. The crystal chamber will be exposed near the top of the emitter in its own chassis system. I'll wait until TCSS gets their laser back up and running to use TCSS chassis parts. Will probably radiatorize the crystal chamber. Using a clear quartz crystal with 5mm RGB. I am going to use a 18650 pack and recharge port. The downfall, and necessary evil of my Kylo conversions were removable battery for quick change outs at cons. Its a downfall, because the shuttling in and out of the chassis puts great strain on the wiring system. When I button this one up, I want it to remain buttoned up, unless I desire to change things around on the SD card. I did some color blending on my second iteration of Kylo, but this will be my first RGB. I'm very excited to get this build going.

    I have been stalking this board forever. I recently converted 2 Kylo Ren Hasbro sabers. Those conversions were each different with different aspects on each. This build is fairly complex; however, nothing more difficult than I already accomplished in both my conversions. This will be a slow build process, but I will try to document updates in this thread.

    Wish me luck. If I can pull this off, I'll be pretty proud of my skillsets.

    Tom
    Last edited by Tom Tilmon; 02-05-2018 at 04:38 AM. Reason: Added parts list

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  2. #2

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    Good luck then!
    Join me, join the dark side!

  3. #3

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    Does anyone know what that micro tactile switch on the PLI at TCSS does? Is it an auxiliary switch, or does it activate the PLI. Thinking about putting that box and PLI near back of hilt...thinking about it.

    Tom

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  4. #4

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    It's just a momentary switch that is pre-installed on the PLI board. You can use it anywhere you'd use a momentary switch. It doesn't interact with the PLI (unless you wire it to do so).
    We all have to start somewhere. The journey is all the more impressive by our humble beginnings.

    http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz for the lazy man's resistor calculator!
    http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...e-to-Ohm-s-Law for getting resistor values the right way!

  5. #5

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    Thank you for the info on the PLI. I'm basically trying to do as many different skillsets as possible with each different saber I work on. Adding a PLI will be new, seems like a cool feature, and the box will add some needed dimension to this fairly plain looking hilt. I'll be more adventurous with future builds. I didn't mean to post this in the tutorial thread. Should have posted it in the MHS Build Section. My apologies, move if necessary.

    Tom

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  6. #6

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    I ordered my chassis parts today for the sound card and crystal chamber. I also ordered my battery. Made a run to the home depot to pick up a lot of brass trinkets to use as spacers and such. I also ran to Michaels, and picked out some art crystals, I have various sorts. Some with tons of facets and some that look rough. Once I get the saber, and get a feel for how its going to look, I'll pick out the right crystal. Next paycheck, which is next week, I'll order all the electronics.

    I expect my MHS parts tomorrow or Thursday. Once they come in, I'll clean/prep threads, and start painting and creating the design for the shrouds. I'll have a shroud on the main emitter, and a shroud on the body. Hard to find brass washers that will work to radiator out the crystal chamber. I'm going to try a marine store tomorrow, and local hardware stores. I am looking forward to putting into the saber what is in my mind. My picture does what I'm envisioning no justice. Some of you guys are great at rendering, whereas, I am not.

    I'm so excited!

    Tom

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  7. #7

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    In planning out my chassis, I have a couple of questions:

    1. Is it acceptable to allow your chassis to slide out of the body where the pommel goes on? I have seen Madcow lock his chassis in the upper receiver, and that certainly makes for neater wiring, but I didn't plan for that when I ordered the parts.

    2. If I install switchbox 1, and a PLI, I intended on using the small momentary switch. If I install that box on the rear of my hilt like I want to, this will create some issues for wire routing to allow the chassis to slide in and out of the bottom of the hilt. Basically, that switchbox will be right over my chassis. Can you notch out the chassis, and perhaps hot glue wires to the inside of the hilt so they stay where the chassis is slotted? I've been thinking about this all night, and wondering if anyone's builds had the same issue. I'll have wires for the switch and PLI coming out of there. I might be able to mount it a bit further forward, and move the wire hole further forward inside the switch box, that way, maybe I could run the wires through my last chassis disk, and leave a loop for cram-fu.

    Thinking aloud here to see if anyone has run into this. If not, I'll figure it out. Haven't even ordered that stuff yet (switch box 1/PLI). I believe that I am going to order that for this saber. This thing will eat batteries for breakfast! Which is ok, it'll be pretty awesome. My MHS parts should arrive today or tomorrow, and I should get most of my chassis stuff next week, although, I think I need a couple more disks for the crystal chamber.

    When using the 5mm RGB bulb, what kind of holder mechanism do you use for the bulbs? I was thinking about drilling out the center hole on the chassis disk I'm using inside the windowed extension, and then maybe fitting some brass plumbing pieces in as kind of a bulb holder module, perhaps line the inside with aluminum tape for reflectivity to focus as much of the light into the crystal as possible. I've looked through a lot of crystal chamber threads, and it seems like most are keeping how they put their bulbs in a closely guarded secret. If that is the case, I'll figure it out, but if anyone is willing to share ideas or pictures of their bulb set up, that would be awesome.

    Also, I have a bunch of cheezy plastic crystals. Is there any good source for actual clear quartz crystals? Seems that a real crystal would look better than this plastic junk. Plastic will do for now, and help me to figure out how I'm gonna squeeze the chamber around the crystal. Then I can add in all kinds of doo-dads, greeblies, and wires in there around the crystal. This saber is all I can think about here lately, and I'm super excited to begin this build.

    Tom

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  8. #8

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    For genuine crystals, I highly recommend Dah Rock Shop. Reasonable prices, great stones, and friendly customer service!

  9. #9

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    Mako has arrived in rough form:

    Brimstone.jpg

    I had them put the threaded kill key in line with my AV Switch. Its a tough reach on fingers, and too cramped for even my small needle nose to start threading it in. I figure once I have a kill plug, if I can line it up over the hole, insert the kill plug, I'll be able to thread it in. I think I'll wire the recharge port before I do that, once I get it in there, it is not ever coming out again. Other than that fiasco, which was self-imposed, I am super stoked about the arrival of these parts. I almost hate to paint it, but I think I'm going to, in order to get that contrast I want. I'll be polishing up the shroud material, then taping it up so I can begin fabricating the shroud like I want it. Looks like I'm going to have to re-work the clocking between the main body and the windowed extension tube. I'd like the window to be centered on the top with the switches. Clocking washers or sanding? Its not off that far.

    I'm ready to begin this, but simultaneously, I'm shooting my approval shots for my Kylo Ren with the 501st. Its going to be a crazy busy weekend and week next week. Shrouds are what I need to get cut out. I think I'm going to pattern in paper, and then transfer the pattern onto the shroud. I don't have fancy saws, looks like I'll be going through some dremel cutting wheels.

    I know the dremel will work, to cut it out. I'll just have to cut any sharp corners straight, and then shape them with the sanding disk where rounded.

    Anyone got any other suggestions on my threaded re-charge port that is hard to reach, I'm accepting any wisdom you are willing to impart upon me.

    Tom
    Last edited by Tom Tilmon; 05-08-2017 at 11:57 PM.

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  10. #10

    Default

    Forceps / Hemostat. Or better yet, two. Get a long, straight pair to hold the switch down the length of the body, and a short, small-surface pair to put into the port and turn (gently, of course!) to thread it in.
    Last edited by Jenny; 04-14-2017 at 07:51 PM.

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