Luke ROTJ V2 lightsaber

[slothfurnace]

You guys, don't worry about not getting one. I will be regularly stocking these at my store, once they're in, I'll post a link and an announcement in the junkyard.

Unless someone has any serious feedback, I assume this card layout is green for production, and will send it out on Friday.

ETA approx. 3 weeks after that till they're back to me, and available to you.

 

[mburkit]

Totally awesome. I can't wait! I love how you guys jumped on this new information and are getting replica parts out to the community so fast.

 

[thd9791]

You guys, don't worry about not getting one. I will be regularly stocking these at my store, once they're in, I'll post a link and an announcement in the junkyard.

Unless someone has any serious feedback, I assume this card layout is green for production, and will send it out on Friday.

ETA approx. 3 weeks after that till they're back to me, and available to you.

Green light from me, looks more excellent than I could imagine

 

[Saberbay]

I really love my Russ Rep V2. One of three saber I bought from someone else without gutting because the install from my friend Mh is so good!

 

[Darth Lars]

The other side of the original board most likely has traces on it. Therefore, I will be laying out the ESB Luke layout on the other side, so that one board can be used for either saber. This is good for me, and good for my customers, if someone has an issue with it, I am open to hear it, but I believe it will be best.

Funny.. Only two days ago I submitted an order to a PCB manufacturer for a small number of Luke ROTJ Hero cards ... with ESB Luke layout on the other side.

I am very new at PCB design and I intend to attempt dyeing them blue myself, so I don't yet know if there will be any good ones for sale afterwards. The ROTJ Hero card is wider so any ESB card I would make would have to be cut anyway ... and I am not sure of PCB substrate colour.
I might just want to order a couple ESB cards from you anyway ... if the substrate colour is right and they are ENIG-plated.

I checked the Commodore 64 already, as James Kenobi 1138, suggested and this is the closest with the horizontal lines I saw :

http://www.8bit-museum.de/pcb/index.htm?group=2&id=7#

The card edge on the Commodore 64 is too short. I know because I once cut one off to use for a custom lightsaber.
(it was a C-64C where the main part of the board was rusty and corroded.. so please don't shoot me for destroying a vintage 8-bit machine, OK? )

 

[slothfurnace]

I really love my Russ Rep V2. One of three saber I bought from someone else without gutting because the install from my friend Mh is so good!

Yeah, I had a good time doing the reveal and install for my Russ Rep V2...

 

[cayman shen]

So any paint experts have thoughts on how I might handle an ANH Kenobi stunt? I think the "booster" and "grenade ridges" are a flat or satin black, but the "windvane" section looks like a darker bronze, bordering on black, and the emitter looks to be a charcoal/gunmetal, again bordering on black, but not. Looks almost like alumablack, but if so, it was painted black, with the windvane, later I'd assume? But the emitter looks too bright for alumablack by ROTJ.

Rattle can suggestions. ideas on how to get this effect? Experienced painters want to help me brainstorm this?

 

[thd9791]

It's my understanding that that V2 and shared stunt were painted for ANH once. (The shared stunt was obviously redecorated for rotj) from the look of the v2 now, it looks like all the black parts were the same type of black. I agree, I think the windvane portions is another color...brown/bronze/brass but I've never seen any good evidence for the right shade!

 

[cayman shen]

Don't craft stores have antique bronze paint or something? Or does the part need to BE bronze first? I don't do a lot of complex painting...

The emitter DOES look a lighter shade to me, but by the V2 it seems the same paint all over, minus the undercoat of bronze. So I do think it was given a uniform black coat at one point. But I could be wrong and it has no impact on an ANH I guess, except deciding whether the emitter and booster are dif colors or not.

 

[KaanE]

Rub 'n' Buff maybe? I know it's not from 1982, but it looks really close.



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And here is Autumn Gold next to Antique Gold:

 

[cayman shen]

This person got a nice result on a mirror frame using a black undercoat with gold rustoleum on top. Looks like the windvane:http://www.ourfifthhouse.com/2013/07/spray-paint-vs-rub-n-buff.html Makes me think maybe the whole thing WAS black as an undercoat, with brass/gunmetal applied over top. Since metallic paint is fragile, it all chipped quickly, leaving almost no trace. Then the black undercoat also chipped, leaving the ROTJ V2 we all know and love. That's my theory and plan of attack if I do an ANH, unless anyone has a reason why that wouldn't make sense. Like I've said, not much of a painter, but the theory is super sound, and makes more sense than a re-spraying/refurbishing the ROTJ V2 at some point.

EDIT: It's worth noting that Rustoleum makes an antiques brass rattle can, in case anyone else is considering an ANH. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...667&thid=JN.D5+RwbrY2oPrPQ4Go93AbA&ajaxhist=0

And here's their antique pewter, which with a black wash or undercoat would look a lot like the gunmetal color of the ANH emitter I think: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...986&thid=JN.Llw5z8DPKFfQPegdszCyfQ&ajaxhist=0

 

[phase pistol]

I'll be down for a card and a lever!

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

How fortuitous that the RussRep V2 was mentioned, because here's something fun I just completed: Accurate-ish mods to my V2. After much hesitation, I finally threw caution into the wind and went for it. Having poured over the SWCA photos, I couldn't look at Russ' without seeing what was lacking.



This is what was done: bent the tail end of the caz lever a bit upwards, Apoxied the second groove in the neck, added the three set screws (1x booster, 2x nipple) as well as rounding the edges of said booster, added a groove under the pommel, and inserted a dummy rod in the nipple that's held in place by the set screws.

As much as I loved (and still love) this thing, I am seriously considering letting this go, at this point. I will be getting one of Starkiller's in the near future and I hate having duplicates of anything.

Until I make up my mind, or when getting Starkiller's V2 makes that descion for me, this will sit on the shelf for now.

 

[Wolfsburg]

Wow, the weathering on that looks fantastic to me!

 

[cayman shen]

So if at least one pic shows the ANH version with transistors, are there holes in the body where they go, presumably?

 

[Cantina_Dude]

I like your design a lot and it seems to accurately replicate all the oddities we see in the reference photos! One comment I have is I see in your design a little step on the right side of each wide gold trace, possible an artifact of anti-aliasing, that may need addressing as I think each gold trace should have perfectly straight and parallel sides. Below shows an arrow pointing to what I'm referring to on one of the traces:

Are you sure you've got the height of the board correct? I agree that the exposed area of the board should be about 0.4" as you suggest, but in your graphic it appears that you have cut off a portion of the bottom of the exposed board visible in the source reference image. This is hard to explain in words, so perhaps this image will help:

It looks like the reference image needs to be squashed about 0.05" shorter to fit into the 0.4" visible space between the jaws of the Graflex clamp, which would of course alter the proportions of your design too. Or am I looking at this wrong?

The only other comment I can make is regarding that irregular little shape in the top left corner. Is it possible that it is a round trace termination, similar to what I included in my design graphic below?

I feel like it could be that the light is reflecting off of the blob of solder and making it look like a little "comma" shape, but might actually be a round trace termination just like all the others on the board. And the bar at the top of the board could very well be another thin silver trace, again something similar to my above design, as opposed to just a thicker silver rectangle.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this stuff. I'm super stoked to see the best replica of this saber possible!

Ok, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit to you my detailed analysis of the clampcard:

http://www.slothfurnace.com/images/clampcard/slothfurnace_clampcard_05.gif

I still am unsure about the little shape on the top left corner under the ear. I can approximate this with a shape, since I would imagine it could just be a hand drawn groundplane, which I can draw in, but wanted to know what you guys thought.

 

[Halliwax]

im so excited over this, its unreal

 

[slothfurnace]

I like your design a lot and it seems to accurately replicate all the oddities we see in the reference photos! One comment I have is I see in your design a little step on the right side of each wide gold trace, possible an artifact of anti-aliasing, that may need addressing as I think each gold trace should have perfectly straight and parallel sides. Below shows an arrow pointing to what I'm referring to on one of the traces:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/cantinadude/slothfurnace_clampcard_05_zpsmzv7rl02.jpg

Are you sure you've got the height of the board correct? I agree that the exposed area of the board should be about 0.4" as you suggest, but in your graphic it appears that you have cut off a portion of the bottom of the exposed board visible in the source reference image. This is hard to explain in words, so perhaps this image will help:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/cantinadude/slothfurnace_clampcard_05_height_zpswdteunh2.jpg

It looks like the reference image needs to be squashed about 0.05" shorter to fit into the 0.4" visible space between the jaws of the Graflex clamp, which would of course alter the proportions of your design too. Or am I looking at this wrong?

The only other comment I can make is regarding that irregular little shape in the top left corner. Is it possible that it is a round trace termination, similar to what I included in my design graphic below?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/cantinadude/Cantina Dudes V2 circuit board 2_zpsxvtlpr5m.jpg

I feel like it could be that the light is reflecting off of the blob of solder and making it look like a little "comma" shape, but might actually be a round trace termination just like all the others on the board. And the bar at the top of the board could very well be another thin silver trace, again something similar to my above design, as opposed to just a thicker silver rectangle.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this stuff. I'm super stoked to see the best replica of this saber possible!

First off, the step you're seeing is an anti-aliasing artifact, when I zoom all the way in, the sides are straight and parallel.

I measured the height of my own personal card I have in my V2. That's 0.6 inches. If you guys think it needs to be wider "just in case" that's fine, but that will introduce some trimming issues for customers who might not be able to trim it down.

As for the "comma" I will just go ahead and replicate that shape in the traces. Why not? It will read as this element, and I think it will be fine.

I don't know if we need a thin trace at the top of the board or a rectangle, but that part will be covered anyway. I suppose I could make it a trace, and put a part number up there so I can keep track of the board versions. It won't be visible.

I'll make some edits today as I have time, and post my changes. Might push out submitting the layout for production till Monday.

 

[Cantina_Dude]

I figured it was just an anti-aliasing thing, but I though it would be best to check.

I'm not suggesting that the board should be any wider, I'm suggest that the design should be squashed about 0.05" so that the entire design is visible in the 0.4" space between the jaws of the clamp. As it appears in your posted graphic, it seems that 0.05" of the intended visible area the board would be hidden under the jaws of the clamp. If I'm still not being clear here, let me know and I can try and rig up another illustration of what I'm talking about.

The "comma" thing isn't a big deal either way, I just wanted to bring it up to discuss it. If it is that odd shape, then replicating it would be a good idea as you suggest. If it's actually a rounded blob but is reflecting light in a strange way giving the illusion that it is that strange shape, perhaps it would be best to make it more of a rounded blob. Either way, it wouldn't be too hard to dab a blob of solder on top of the card if an individual decides to go that way.

As I said before, I don't know if a thin trace at the top of the board is necessary either, as a plain rectangle will look pretty much the same when held in the clamp, but again I thought it would be something to consider.

This will be an excellent replica for sure!

First off, the step you're seeing is an anti-aliasing artifact, when I zoom all the way in, the sides are straight and parallel.

I measured the height of my own personal card I have in my V2. That's 0.6 inches. If you guys think it needs to be wider "just in case" that's fine, but that will introduce some trimming issues for customers who might not be able to trim it down.

As for the "comma" I will just go ahead and replicate that shape in the traces. Why not? It will read as this element, and I think it will be fine.

I don't know if we need a thin trace at the top of the board or a rectangle, but that part will be covered anyway. I suppose I could make it a trace, and put a part number up there so I can keep track of the board versions. It won't be visible.

I'll make some edits today as I have time, and post my changes. Might push out submitting the layout for production till Monday.

 

[scottjua]

but each clamp is different... and they don't all clamp the same distance between edges... based on how they're bent.

There's no perfect solution.