My TCSS MHSv1 Saber Walking Staff...

[Schuyler Bain]

This is a Lightsaber Walking Staff I designed and built using TCSS MHSv1 parts. Thank you to Tim and the team for the excellent parts. I have not completed the electronics yet, but that is next on the list.

This was inspired by Obi-wan's lightsaber in ANH (notice the top & bottom). With the standalone Obi-wan movie in the works I adapted my original design to resemble his lightsaber and considered how he might have concealed his saber as a useful tool while on Tatooine. Notice the resemblance to a Gaffi Stick and Rey's staff...

I could use some opinions from you all about the electronics. I have made some stunt sabers and am ready to take on one with sound. I have reviewed Madcow's video, Building a basic saber with sound PART 1 & Part 2 (thank you) and will likely use this method for my first time. I have been considering using the NBv4, but I would also like the ability to change the color. I know with some of the other boards you can have a color profile sorted with the sound font profile and I would like to confirm this is the case with the NBv4. I don't need to change colors on the fly, but the option to change them occasionally is what I am looking for. It would also appear that I should use a tri-cree (or similar) to accommodate the color change (if supported).

Another aspect of this particular build, that is new to me, will be weathering. That is a lot of aluminium, and while beautiful, I would like to give it more character. I have read about many of the weathering techniques provided by all the talented sabe engineers on this forum and elsewhere, I am having trouble committing. I would like to start with something that could be undone with minimal effort (minimal being subjective I know) due to the money I have already invested in the parts. That said, I understand that sometimes you just have to take a leap so I am open to suggestions.

I will try to get some better pictures once there is more to see.

Lightsaber Walking Staff small.jpg

[Tom Tilmon]

the good news is that you have plenty of internal space to work with. Investing this much money, with that much room, you may well just go all out with the Crystal Focus board. I don't think you'll have any issues fitting a 7.4 Volt solution in this saber. Heck, you could fit a parallel 26650 7.4 double pack in this thing. Your run time would be completely sick. RGB LEd with color changing, you can work a crystal chamber reveal in there, or order one more part to go ahead and expose the crystal chamber. Some leather wrap, here and there where your hand is on it. Maybe a wooden stick shaft wedged in the middle, held in via set screws. If you did the crystal exposed up high, you could vent your sound through crystal chamber, and not worry about sound coming out of the bottom. The world is your oyster. I bet top dollar you spent top dollar on those components. Go big, or go home! Ha! This will be an expensive gadget for sure, and you don't even have a blade on it yet! Watching, pass the popcorn.
Tom

[Schuyler Bain]

LoL - your not kidding Tom! Good thing my wife loves me because finding a dog house that would accommodate me and this "saber" would be tough!

You have some nice suggestions and one iteration of this beast had a wooden section in the middle, but as you say go big or go home. I could always adapt it in the future and each individual part is unaltered save for a few of them so I could make at least 3 or 4 normal hilts with what I have here. I do have a vented section in the top quarter and could swap that out for a crystal chamber. One thought is to store a shorter blade 16"/12" in the shaft itself.

I just need to settle on the card I want to use and get to soldering. I'll admit I have already placed some of my other sabers with sound on top and the sound is impressive (most impressive). I will likely add another vented section towards the bottom and likely use a nice base speaker to get the full affect.

[Rampant]

Are you going to keep it all silver?
Ever thought of finishing some parts dark, along the lines of this:



Personally, I think it would add some dimension and personality and really set it off.

[Schuyler Bain]

Are you going to keep it all silver?
Ever thought of finishing some parts dark, along the lines of this:



Personally, I think it would add some dimension and personality and really set it off.

Hi Rampant - I totally agree. No doubt Rey's staff played into my initial inspiration. I was hoping I could get some suggestions and advise from the group (lasts paragraph in my initial post). While the shiny aluminum is nice, I think it would look so much better with weathering across the whole and some "darker" pieces as well. The top (above the vented section and the bottom) fit together to form Obi-wan's ANH saber (more-or less). I think I will darken a few of those pieces to match that saber.