Djmehs' "Ascension" First Build

[djmehs]

Hi guys,

I just finished getting some pictures of my completed first saber this morning and finally feel pleased enough with it to go ahead and post the build log on here. I started a WIP build log a month or two ago, but I'm pretty sure I didn't post it in the right area and it was somewhat underdeveloped so I figured I'd post a new one altogether. I learned a ton from this build, not only because it was the first time I'd touched a soldering station, but also because I feel like I went with a more complicated build than my comfort level would normally prefer. I can't say that my first build turned out EXACTLY how I pictured it in my head, but I'm proud of myself for building something completely new to me.

That being said, now that it's done, there are definitely some things I'll be doing differently for my next build that become immediately clear in hindsight. This thread will serve as a reflection on my first build, my journey into this hobby, and the things I will do differently for my next build.

My original inspiration for the design was my favorite toy lightsaber as a kid. I always played as "Ace Windu" who was Mace Windu's son. Yes, I realize that there are a slew of reasons that back story makes zero sense, but I was 7 years old. Bear with me here. This is also where the name of the lightsaber, "Ascension" comes from. (ACE-ension) The toy was an absurdly thick prequel OWK hilt with a purple blade. Sometimes I'd duel wield two of them.

Here's the toy lightsaber in question:



Here's what I came up with:


I planned for a chassis reveal hilt that allowed the bottom to be removed, exposing the chassis, charge port, and SD card and a Tri-Cree RGrB LED with a NBv4 for color mixing. I knew I wasn't going to be content with just purple and would want to be able to change colors as I got tired of one, so the RGB was an important feature for me.

Later I discovered that TCSS no longer offers selective machining. So to get the black bands on the ridges and the blade holder, I'd have to do it myself with equipment I didn't have and wouldn't have anywhere to put even if I had the money for it. The parts were going to be all black or all metal.

I also realized that I'd have to somehow integrate the additional Male to Male adapter into the hilt design as it would throw off any groove patterns if I didn't. I went to Tim with a new mockup and he helped me to fine-tune it, assisting me with putting equally spaced grooves up the entire hilt to hide the Male to Male adapter in the middle of the hilt holding the chassis to the top piece. We came up with this:


With the hilt design finalized, I turned to gathering components.


Summary (In case you saw the above wall of text and said "Forget it.")
Just finished my first build. Wanna share it with you guys. Brand new to soldering electronics and proud of what I was able to build, even if it's not exactly what I pictured. Wanted a hilt loosly inspired by a Prequel OWK, with a chassis reveal and charge port. Wanted the hilt to have black accents on the grooves originally but TCSS doesn't do multi-colored powder coated parts anymore. Had to redesign and came up with a design with ridges up the entire hilt, hiding the Male to Male adapter holding the chassis in the middle.

I'll continue in a separate comment to break up the thread and hopefully make it easier to digest...I know I write a lot. Hopefully I haven't lost anyone.