The Saber Building Dictionary

[Lord Maul]

Similar to LDM's n00b saber build tutorial, here is the saber dictionary.

MOVIE TYPE STUFF
TPM = The Phantom Menace
AOTC = The Attack of the Clones
ROTS = The Revenge of the Sith
ANH = A New Hope
ESB or TESB =The Empire Strikes Back
ROTJ = The Return of the Jedi
EU - Abbreviation for "Expanded Universe". This means anything not pertaining to the Original CANON Six movie Saga or the Cartoon and CG Animated Clone Wars Series. Comic books, TPB Graphic novels, Literature books, Video Games, etc. all fall under this category. Corran Horn, Revan, Darth Malak, Bastila Shan, A'sharad Hett, and the like are all EU characters.

LEDS
LED = Light Emitting Diode, the thing that makes our sabers light up
3 watt/3W/III = Luxeon III LED like these. Saying "III" is more correct than 3W or 3 watts. Dimmest of the common saber LEDs
K2 = Luxeon K2 LED like these. They are middle of the pack as far as brightness. Red, red orange, and amber are really dim in this category so don't buy them.
P4 = Seoul P4 LED like these. They are the brightest white LED in common use.
5 watt/5W/V = Luxeon V LED like these. Saying "V" is more correct than 5W or 5 watts. They are the brightest LEDs used in sabers but are hard to power effectively.
Rebel = Luxeon Rebel LED. As bright or nearly as bright as a V, see this video for reference. CLICK
Endor/Rebel Endor = 3 Rebel LEDs mounted on a single star.
EMITTER- The Actual LED that is not mounted on a star PCB
Lambertain - Pattern of light emission that most sabers use. The light is emitted in a column that is focused forward more than outward.
RGB - Red, Green, and Blue LED wafers under one dome, or three separate LED's. These can be mixed using variable resistors to achieve many different colors.
Side Emitting - Pattern of light emission that is not as widely used. Side emitting LED's have a different optical dome that is an inverted cone shape. This causes the light to flare out to the side more. The light is emitted in more of a "doughnut" shape, more outward than forward.
Star PCB - Hexagonal Aluminum and silicon Printed Circuit board on which an EMITTER is mounted. This PCB has notches to fit a nylon 4-40 thread screw to hold it on a heat sink.
Heatsink = Metal plate that the star PCB is mounted onto. It takes heat away from the LED and transfers it to the hilt, keeping the LED from frying.

For more information on powering each LED, see the resistor chart.

HILT ELECTRONICS
Driver Board = a specialy desighned circuit board that allows special features wich allow the bllade to apear to extend an retract when turning on/off, flash on impact and shimmer on command.
Corbin's Board/3W driver = This is a luxeon driver board designed by Corbin Das which TCSS exclusively stocks. See the item description for more info
Buttered Toast/CF/Crystal Focus = The Crystal Focus sound card designed, built by hand, and sold by Erv. It is the best sound card yet made for sabers. There are a ton of versions including 1.1, 2.0, 2.63, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.1
US/Ultrasound = The Ultrasound sound card build by Ultrasabers. It is a good mid grade sound card. There are 3 versions. US 1.0, US 1.1, and US 2.0
MR sound card/ Master Replicas sound card/FX Sound Board = The sound card inside all Master Replicas sabers. They are the 3rd best sound card and are best used with luxeon III LEDs.
Hasbro/Economy sound card = The sound card in all Hasbro toy sabers. They are bottom of the pack as far as sounds go, but are dirt cheap (~$20)
Erv's dimmer/ Luxeon dimmer = A board that Erv makes which controls only the LED of the saber, no sound. See description for details
Buckpuck = Bare bones LED driver. No special effects at all. It conserves battery life. Don't use in conjunction with any of the sound cards - it isn't needed. Comes in 2 flavors, 700 mA and 1000 mA.
Resistor = The worst (and cheapest) way to drive a LED. Very innefficient but if that doesn't matter for the saber then go ahead and use one.
Ohm's Law - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law You NEED to learn about this if you plan on building a lot of sabers.
Push button Latching switch: This type of switch "Clicks" and "latches" into the ON position.
Push Button Momentary switch: This type of switch comes in two flavors, Normally Open, or Normally closed. Normally open must be held down to close the circuit. Normally closed must be held down to open the circuit. These two types are typically used with Sound boards or LED drivers that require them.
SPST - Single pole, single Throw (Switch)
SPDT - Single Pole, Double Throw (Switch)
DPST - Double Pole, Single Throw (Switch)
DPDT - Double Pole, Double Throw (Switch)
Kill Switch = A Kill switch can be used in any electronic setup in a saber. It is basically a way of wiring the recharge ports sold in the store, so that when you insert a plug into the socket, it shuts off all battery power to the saber. A plastic plug is sold in the store for this purpose. The plug is the kill key, while the recharge port retains the name, even if wired like that. Mostly used with soundboards because they draw more power while on 'standby' or 'idling'. Alternatives also include putting a latching switch between the batteries and the rest of the electronics

GENERAL HILT BUILDING STUFF
1.5" sinktube/overlay tube = These can go on the OUTSIDE of your MHS parts. You can dremel them and make a bunch of cool shapes.
Chassis = Sled that holds all the electronics together in a saber. It makes it easy to adjust things because you can slide all the electronics out quickly.
Crystal Chamber = In-story, the internal space of a lightsaber that houses a focusing crystal. In real life, some saber enthusiasts like to add a decorative crystal chamber, using plastic gems or actual crystals, often with an LED display.
D-Ring = Metal rings attached to, or close to, the pommel of a lightsaber, used to hang the lightsaber from a belt hook. Used for the original Trilogy lightsaber props. Not to be confused with O-Rings.
O-Ring = A rubber ring that we use on our sabers to give grip or accent the hilt in some way.

THREADING
4-40 Thread - The numbers mean: Size 4 (diameter), 40 threads per inch (T.P.I.). These are very small, fine thread screws. The nylon screws for holding an LED to a heatsink are 4-40 threading.
6-32 Thread - The numbers mean: Size 6 (diameter), 32 threads per inch (T.P.I.). These are a little larger than size 4, fine/medium thread screws. A good example of these are the socket head cap screws used to hold heat sinks to the conversion kits here in the store.
8-32 Thread - The Numbers mean: Size 8 (diameter), 32 threads per inch (T.P.I.). These are a little larger than size 6, fine/medium thread screws. A good example of these are the blade retention bolts found on most Luxeon sabers. They are also the most commonly used thread pitch on a saber for many other things.
10-32 thread - The Numbers mean: Size 10 (diameter), 32 threads per inch (T.P.I.). These are a little larger than size 8, fine/medium thread screws. A good example of these are some of the Thumb screws that are sold in the store here. Typically, 10-32 screws are about the largest most commonly used screw on a saber hilt.

BATTERIES
Li Ion = Lithium Ion batteries. They are the most power-dense rechargable batteries we use in sabers. Li-Ion cells require a PCB (printed circuit board) to help control the cells regarding drain, over-drain, over-charge, short circuit, and several other safety measures. Using Li-Ions without a PCB is not recommended
LiPoly = Lithium Polymer batteries. Avoid a t all costs for saber because they are unstable at best.
NiMH = Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. They are a very stable battery and are user friendly.
NiCD = Nickel Cadium batteries. Generally not used in sabers for various reasons.

EL STUFF
EL= electroluminescent wire; an older form of saber lighting not used much anymore with the advent of LED sabers, as EL sabers are much dimmer. Sometimes EL wires are used for hilt lighting. They are also currently used for blades by a few other lightsaber makers.



Guys, this is a work in progress. Post new contributions in the same format if you feel inclined, this thing is a pain to work on.