Atom's new project *design stage*

[atomsk]

So this will be my next big project. Im gonna get started on this as soon as i can get all the components together. My initial idea for the concept was something along the lines of "sith gone good".. the owner would have once belonged to the darkside of the force but is now turned back to the light.. for now. So without getting into it too much, i basically want a hilt that looks sith-like and sounds dark, but with a light colored blade (I still havent decided which color).. and a weathered look i think would be good also.

Things that I want in this saber:

* All MHS hilt and pommel sections (some modified)
* PlecterLabs CF2.5 board (only thing i actually have so far)
* K2 or LuxV (?)
* Dual-Speakers (one on each end)
* 5 LED window (for 4 blink-pattern and 1 battery indicator)
* Force resonance motor
* Li-ion Battery solution (inline stick)
* Recharge port in pommell
* Hilt no longer than 12"
* Recessed grip area
* Easy inside access (PVC shuttle for components and quick connectors)

I 'm pretty far along into design for this concept and I'm happy with it for the most part.. but there will most likely be some changes as I start getting it together. I tend to over-design stuff and with a project this *ahem* costly.. I just wanted to remove all possible room for error.





Those were a few other renders I did to show how it will all fit together. Please let me know what you all think of course! .. and if you see any potential problems in the design I would definately appreciate any suggestions. There are a few things I have some questions about too..

more on that later....

[Vazan Maceu]

It looks very good. I like the idea of the inner shuttle to hold the electronics, and the overall design seems to match your concept very well, with that wrapped grip and the black shroud... The blue blade looks good on it, but a green one would look better, but that´s my personal taste

I´m looking forward to see photos of this one being built

[Hasid Lafre]

Great design, iam just not sure if you can cram all that in to a 7" section.

Yes I know the hilt is 8" long but the threads take up half an inch by themselves.

Good luck trying to cram it all in there cause your gonna need it. But I like the design by the way.

[Madcow]

Sweet design!
I hope you leave yourself enough room for the blade to slide into the emitter at least 1 1/2'.
I'd love to see pics of your costruction process.

MC

[xwingband]

The covertec on the threads of pommel is something I might rethink. That's just going to make ti harder to open and close. Not that the other alternatives are better... that's going to be really tight.

[atomsk]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I will definately be posting lots of photos of the construction phase.. Glad you like the design.

I've been talking with Tim a bit about maybe having some of this custom work done. He mentioned a few things I would have to change, ie. (.7" clearing for threads on either end of hilt, and using 2 dbl. female pieces for the mid-section). So I think the hilt might end up being a little longer than I initially planned on. Should still come in around 12" though.. hopefully. That will give me a little more room to play with inside, which i desperately need!



But this introduces another problem.. If i use 2 hilt sections and a gender changer inbetween I now need to clear 2" in the joint of any lathe or drill work. So... instead of using the 4"(A) and 5"(B) pieces I was thinking of cutting down a 5" and 7" piece to 4" and 5.5" removing the threads from one end of each. Then I could have the longer piece turned down all the way to the end and the shorter piece machined out from the inside to match, then slide one inside the other and attach with a setscrew.



I have no idea if this will work or not, has anyone else attempted a joint like this?

[Jay-gon Jinn]

I had a saber with a slip joint similar to what you're considering, and it didn't hold up well with one screw. I had to add two more, equally spaced, to get a good solid feel out of the joint. That design change looks like it may give you the extra room you need. I likre the hilt design, BTW. Very nice!

EDIT: Oh, and I had to use the button head screws, set screws didn't work very well...

[atomsk]

Alright.. well i knew there would be some more changes to make. Things are still a little cramped in the hilt, so here goes:

* Going to swap-out the Li-ion stick for the 7.2v AA NIMHs (that will get me another 1.25" free)

I was considering getting this Li-ion stick:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=2714
but they only sell in quantities of 5.. so unless i can find 4 other ppl that want em i dont wanna spend $130 on batteries i dont need.

* Making the shroud from a piece of Drawn Aluminum Tube instead of sinktube:
https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchan...946&top_cat=60

Its aluminum so the part that extends past the blade holder will be a bit stronger than sinktube i think. (in case it gets dropped)
Plus i can get it anodized black, and I dont have to worry about grinding off a layer of chrome. Online Metals says it's ID 1.495" with a 0.065" Wall.
That should fit over the MHS stuff ok right?

I was planning on cutting out that template by hand using a dremel and files. Hope that will still work with aluminum.. i dont have much experience working with it. Also, I'm not sure what to do about the Covertech problem with it being where the pommell threads are. I was hoping I could cut back the attaching screw so it doesnt reach the pommel.. but if i end up locking the pommel in place thats ok, i could still seperate the hilt at the mid-section to get access to the inside.

[xwingband]

MHS is 1.45" OD so you'd have to turn it down for that tube to fit.

That minimum at battery space is new to me... I'm becoming a fan of "protected" li-ions anyway. They have built in protection so it's just solder them together and be done with it.

[Hasid Lafre]

Sense your using a k2 a 4.8v store pack will be fine. you can mount the board on the battery pack.

I would use a 7" section with a 3" extension and gender changer.

Its a 12.45" long hilt total length which IMO would be a very comfortable 2 handed design and should have all the space you need to cram everything in there.

To save space you can use a 1.25 sink tube as the inner chassis. Just figure out a way to mount it to the pommel but make it free wheel, that way you can unscrew the pommel and slide everything out and it all looks need and tidy and you don't have to completely disassemble it just to get to a component inside the hilt.

Also I would say ditch the vibrating motor, It's more of an annoyance than anything.

As for a second forward speaker...I would place it in the area of the hilt joint.

So the regular gender changer. the one with the center lip. that way you can drill neat and tidy holes all around it. place the speaker near it and you got your duel speaker system that works well.

IMO that's the only way to get a forward speaker to work well cause the setup I have it doesnt work very well.