Lightsaber calc bubbles

**Clutch** · May 6, 2009

Finally decided to crack open the calculator and get the bubble strip out. There is no comparison between the real deal and a repro. The bubbles are crystal clear and not as squashed together.

First, I unscrewed the back over and removed the main assembly from the case. The clear strip is held in place by plastic pins that are melted into the circuit board. I took a small needle file and popped it off by sticking the tip between the plastic and board.

Here you can see the pins and how the bubbles are in a recessed area.

I masked off the bubble area and cut the pins off with an exacto knife.

Compared to an already finished one, you can see that the recessed area is the exact length the strip needs to be.

I put the strip in a mitre box and carefully sawed the ends off.

Now it is personal preference. Leave the strip tall or sand it down. I wanted mine to fit in the clamp better, so I sanded the bottom down. To do this, I started with 100 grit sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood. I then slid the strip back and forth to sand it down. I made sure to flip it every now and then to get an even sanding. I then worked my way up to finer and finer grains of sandpaper. Once sanding was finished, I completed it with some Novus scratch remover and polish.

**RPF Support**

**Grey** · May 6, 2009

Ok, I dont build Lightsabers, but how the hell did someone ever figure out this is what the 'bubble strip' was from

**sskunky** · May 6, 2009

Nice 1 Clutch!

I'm still looking for the correct calculator, I keep missing them on the bay

Any sources? where I can get 1

Mark.........

**Chingon** · May 6, 2009

sskunky said:

Any sources? where I can get 1

Mark.........

The three I got all came from eBay. I'd say thats the best source unless you really get out there and pound the pavement for one.

**Clutch** · May 6, 2009

I found a case of mint ones in my grandfather's attic.

Not! lol! I got mine from fleabay as well.

**Serafino** · May 6, 2009

Spike said:

Ok, I dont build Lightsabers, but how the hell did someone ever figure out this is what the 'bubble strip' was from

That would be a fun story to hear. Not hard to believe that someone who was into props had once taken apart a calculator and knew how the old LED style was set up and just looked for one with the right number of lenses.

IMO the most amazing discovery was the balance pipe. The obscure nature of the drawings that had to exist on the net in order to be searched, and the tiny little part in an exploded drawing which was the first clue. The false starts, wrong variants, uncertainty, and the many people involved--that was an amazing investigation.

**TazVader** · May 6, 2009

I looked around too. Everyone who sells them apart 1 sells them too long. Maybe someone her should start an accurate run for all the lightsabers that Russ has made lol Mmm....there's and idea

Regards
TAZ

**Clutch** · May 6, 2009

it is unfortunate that the one guy I know who could do it is no longer casting

**James Kenobi 1138** · May 6, 2009

The ones from Blast-tech are fine but I've wished for years that someone would either make a pressure cast of an un-modified real bubble strip in a high density crystal-clear resin or have them milled and machined out of clear acrylic or lexan.

I've never seen a replica bubble strip that even comes close to the correct shape and profile of a real one.

**TazVader** · May 7, 2009

Yeah....agreed.

Taz

**Chingon** · May 7, 2009

James Kenobi 1138 said:

I've never seen a replica bubble strip that even comes close to the correct shape and profile of a real one.

I thought the ones GR did back in the day were pretty damn good. But, it was GR, so who knows if anyone actually got them.

**sskunky** · May 7, 2009

I'll keep searching ebay!

**TheRealMcFly** · May 7, 2009

James Kenobi 1138 said:

The ones from Blast-tech are fine but I've wished for years that someone would either make a pressure cast of an un-modified real bubble strip in a high density crystal-clear resin or have them milled and machined out of clear acrylic or lexan.

I've never seen a replica bubble strip that even comes close to the correct shape and profile of a real one.

You've nailed it. It's a shame because the Parks incorrect strip is probably the best in this respect. IIRC it has all of the correct elements on the back.

**SnDMaN** · May 7, 2009

What's wrong with Blast-Tech's? They seem okay to me...

**scarf man** · May 7, 2009

That's just it, they are OK, not great replicas.

**Chingon** · May 7, 2009

scarf man said:

That's just it, they are OK, not great replicas.

But thats probably the best they are ever going to get. I dont think this is one of those items that really merits an all out "deluxe" version. I doubt enough people would want to pay more than what they already do for a replica calc bubble set. After all, its not like these are really that hard to find and when you do find them, they dont go for outrageous prices, either. Heck, I was even able to recoup a good portion of the money I spent on the vintage calcs by reselling them on eBay. The guy who runs that vintage TI calc website bought them. And yes, I fully disclosed how I had "modified" them.

**Darklighter** · May 7, 2009

I still don't have the heart to take my exactra apart.

**Probe Droid** · May 7, 2009

I was even able to recoup a good portion of the money I spent on the vintage calcs by reselling them on eBay. The guy who runs that vintage TI calc website bought them. And yes, I fully disclosed how I had "modified" them.

Really? People are willing to buy them with the strips removed? Good to know.

**Chingon** · May 7, 2009

Probe Droid said:

Really? People are willing to buy them with the strips removed? Good to know.

From what I've been told, the replica calc bubbles we normally use for our sabers will also work in the calcs. Assuming you didnt damage any of the electronics when removing the strip and that it worked in the first place, I guess it can be made to work again with a replica set.

**Ripcode** · May 7, 2009

Chingon said:

From what I've been told, the replica calc bubbles we normally use for our sabers will also work in the calcs. Assuming you didnt damage any of the electronics when removing the strip and that it worked in the first place, I guess it can be made to work again with a replica set.

SWEET!

**lonepigeon** · May 7, 2009

Of course at least the ESB/ROTJ Vader saber uses the circuit board under the bubble strip as well - so that calculator would be scrap.

**Justin WFCOMICS** · May 8, 2009

Spike said:

Ok, I dont build Lightsabers, but how the hell did someone ever figure out this is what the 'bubble strip' was from

Boy, this brings back memories

.

There might be others who came to this prior and/or independently, but I was the one that "outed" the Exactra on the RPF years ago. This and proposing that the Luke ESB saber did not have a beer tab are two of my small and humble contributions to figuring out the OT Graflex based sabers.

At the time, my post sparked a passionate debate since there was still varying opinions over what we were actually seeing in the available reference.

I don't know who first theorized they might be or were LED magnifiying lenses, but I just followed that assumption (while personally believing that I should be looking for 7 bubbles) and began investigating 70s era electronics. At first I thought they might have been longer lense strips, such as those from a Speak & Spell, cut down but nothing I found came out to be the right size after it was cut. Finally, I came across the short-lived Exactra 19 and 20 models.

If you examine enough of these, you'll discover there were actually two types of bubble strips in them. One is completely clear while the other is frosted with only the lense area being clear.

Justin =)

**Clutch** · May 8, 2009

Very cool! I wish I hadn't of gotten in on the a##-end of all these discoveries.

**franz bolo** · May 20, 2009

Weird, post 21, 22 and 23 are all double posts on the 3rd page.

FB

**Sym-Cha** · Jun 19, 2009

Hi everyone,

I took the liberty of using the pics in this thread as an example and added a 50% redline. Are the bubbles NOT completely round. See pictures attached. See what I mean?

And when I opened all my TI Exactra 19's and TI 2000's all those bubbles were not full circle either

So here's my question : Are all the authentic vintage calculator bubbles like that and thus are all the replica's mistaken? (The Parks has a perfect round finish.)

Any of you with real calculator bubbles ... could you please enlighten me.

Thanks for you attention.

Chaim

Lightsaber calc bubbles

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