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Thread: Nihilus II (MHS Nihilus-esque) Lightsaber

  1. #1

    Default Nihilus II (MHS Nihilus-esque) Proffie Neopixel Lightsaber

    Greetings all,

    I have begun my build process on Nihilus II. This saber will different from my first version, in that I've created a design that closes off the pommel. The chassis/body of the saber will be similar, but more refined. I'd like to spend a great deal of time on crystal chamber details. I want this saber to be more refined, and I'd prefer most of my wiring to be latent. This will be a neopixel saber driven by TeensySaber V3, perhaps with Bluetooth and OLED Display. I haven't made up my mind about the OLED Display yet; however, pretty sure I'll be popping the blue tooth in on this one!

    TCSS:
    Parts List:
    Blade Holder Style 18
    MHS Module for TCSS Neopixel Hilt Adapter
    2 inch double female
    2 tactile switches
    Gender Changer
    Hilt Style 1
    TCSS Shroud Material 18"
    Chassis Disk 5 for lock in with Gender Changer into 2" section
    2 chassis Disk 2 for Crystal Chamber
    2 NBIV Chassis Disks
    2.1 mm switchcraft recharge port
    RC Port Chassis Disks
    Threaded Rods
    Various brass tubes for chassis support
    Blank kill key (cut down to fit in chassis)
    1" Blade blank with TCSS Strip Diffuser
    Bullet Tip
    extended kill key to reach through hilt
    saber clip

    Elsewhere:
    Aluminum Pipe that fits over TCSS Shroud Material
    Neopixel Strips, probably 5050 WS2812s.
    TeensySaber V3 Fredrik Hubinette with Teensy 3.2 Arduino Microcontroller
    Blue Tooth Transmitter paired with the Teensy on alternate RX/TX pads of Teensy 3.2
    Various greeblies for crystal chamber (harvested computer parts, tools, air hose pieces, cable connectors, Darth Chasm Conduit, etc.
    Hardware (various bolts/screws that hold this monstrosity together)
    Brass switch hats, I'm hoping to pull of brass switches on this one.
    Samsung 21700 IMR LithiumIon Battery with added 15A Protection PCB (external)
    Quartz Crystal Points

    Still looking for: some kind of brass mesh to camoflauge wiring areas (if anyone has any advice here, I'll take it)

    Brainstorming hilt, nothing is permanent or decided on yet but this is my progress so far:








    Thanks for looking, and don't be bashful about feedback. If you dislike something I've done here, please say so. Shrouds are all still loose. I made a square cut on the forward end of the outer shroud on the pommel. I'm thinking about a mitered cut on the forward end to match the saber. That square cut seems like it doesn't fit, it doesn't look balanced. The outer shroud up top, is needed to balance out that larger piece on the aft end. Its much more 3 dimensional than my first iteration. I'm content with the progress, but not enough to bolt the shrouds into the hilt.

    MTFBWY!

    Tom
    Last edited by Tom Tilmon; 12-17-2018 at 09:25 PM. Reason: changed title, switched boards

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  2. #2

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    I think the mitered cut on the pommel end would pull it together nicely.

    Brass mesh https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-12-270-M...sAAOxypNtSlEwD

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by PCModulus View Post
    I think the mitered cut on the pommel end would pull it together nicely.

    Brass mesh https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-12-270-M...sAAOxypNtSlEwD
    Yeah, i'm going to miter another one so it fits in better, and feather it out. The only pipe I could find to fit over the TCSS shroud was a bit thick as you can see, not to mention heavy. So I don't want to add too much more material, but I think I can get it to blend a bit better. Thanks for the link on the mesh! Brainstorming chassis this week. Shaping all that out. I have some unique ideas that are either going to flop, or be pretty awesome.

    Tom

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  4. #4

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    Are you concerned that fitting another pipe over the shroud over the MHS will result in a pommel that looks extremely bottom heavy? Nihilus's saber always looked more evenly balanced, to my eyes. As PCModulus suggested, a mitered 90° angle cut, offset from the center line by 45°, would give the look without the bulk.

    How do you plan to cap off the pommel? Just thread an MHS pommel on like normal hidden within the shroud material cut that you'll feather out? That's what I'd do.

  5. #5

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    I'll try to take better photos later. These pieces are very rough. I intend on doing a lot of hand filing and shaping of the larger pipe. I don't want it to look heavy. This is all VERY rough form. I'm going to try to feather out the thickness and create some smoother shapes/bulges in that thick aluminum. It will all be done by hand, so I have some work to do. I'll be trying to kill the hard delineations you see in the big pipe pieces.

    This chassis will have a fixed chassis into the upper saber. The lower hilt will unscrew from there, revealing the chassis/crystal chamber. So, the main hilt with shrouds will have the pommel with insert in there underneath the shrouds. The pommel is already in these pics, just without the insert c-clipped into it.

    Tom

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  6. #6

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    Nice to see the progress here. I have been strongly considering a MHS build based on your original builld, but I am really trying to think up a way to get a detachable pommel so I can add in the screen that covers the speaker in the bottom. The idea of an exposed speaker kinda worries me as I have done hundreds of troops and kids can get brutal. I see that you are adding an inner pommel to your current build so that has piqued my interest. How will you attach the shroud pieces to that pommel and have it be functional? I would really like my saber to function like a basic saber, that is, blade holder > body > pommel in 3 pieces.

    Also, I've never really understood what keeps the internal chassis in place. Is there a lip inside the MHS parts that grips onto the aluminum chassis disk you use at the top of the chassis?

  7. #7

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    The fixed internal chassis has a terminating disk that fits into the threaded female section, then double male fits over the chassis and onto the threads behind that metal disk to secure it in.

    This hilt will have a pommel with protective cover. Shrouds go over the hilt. You could take the pommel off if needed, but the lower hilt de-threads from the upper hilt, so you can leave the pommel on almost permanently. Madcow has a good video on how to make this style of chassis. You can't fit: blade holder, body, pommel with this style of chassis. It wont work. Where the heatsink terminates in the first body piece precludes that. Then you have to have switches in there. You can get switches around the heat sink, but I really don't have the proper tools to machine all that in to look good.

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  8. #8

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    NOTE: THIS IS ALL ROUGH DRAFT CUTS. I have a lot of work left to do. Just look at the general shape, and give me some feedback. Maybe I need a poll or something. I'm out of TCSS Shroud, so I can't make a working example of my last idea, but its basically to create the swallow tail on one piece of shroud with no layering. Its the last picture. But it would be long enough to reach into the other shrouds with a matching shape/gap.

    Here they are:

    Thick pipe with mitre cut for swallowtail over pommel, will be feathered out and shaped. Won't look like this, this is merely the rough cut shape:


    No swallow tail, just an angled shroud hanging out over pommel:



    Last option, which is the swallow tail and handle angle mitre cut out of same piece of shroud:

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

  9. #9

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    Yea, first pic, evens out the shroud on the emitter end.

  10. #10

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    I'm debating first or last. Still looking at it. If I do the last one, I need more shroud material from TCSS. I'm out. Didn't have a scrap long enough for that last piece. I may shape that pipe a bit before I decide. This is all still very rough draft. I think I'm going to work on the chassis disks tonight. I'm modifying them for the 21700 batteries and TeensySaber V3. If I can get that done, I can go ahead and begin assembly of the chassis, so its ready to roll. Maybe figure out if I have room for the OLED display and blue tooth module as well. I want this saber to be off the hook on the inside, worn and nasty on the outside. That is what I'm shooting for.

    Tom

    "Mistakes are our greatest teacher."

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