Yet another newbie thread...

[Sunrider]

Anyone looking for switches that take up very little space i did find some nice cheap micro switches at digi key under tactile. There is a lot to sort through but if you can use a low amperage momentary & support a surface mount switch on a breadboard there are 5x5x3 mm good looking parts for a couple bucks.

SR

[AardvarkSagus]

Well I thought I was nearly there, but I have run into the crossroads of where my DIY nature intersects my innate incompetence. Our "Summer project" that I have really been scrambling to finish in time for Halloween. During what I assumed to be final assembly, I have somehow managed to lose my blade tip. That however is the least of my worries. Apparently my soldering skills are quite as pathetic as I previously suspected, because I have succeeded in frying one of the protection cirtuits that I purchased to allow me to use the unprotected 18650 cells that I happened to have laying around.

My goal has always been to design it in such a way so that it would have enough slop to accomodate any inconsistencies in cell size or poorly fitting components. As such I had intended to use Rare Earth Magnets as battery contacts. Turns out though that they aren't exactly easy to solder to however. After a solid hour of trying to assemble all of the parts, I still don't have a working hilt.