Spinning Inquisitor Lightsaber Build

[Logermeister]

Minus the helicopter function, I've always loved the Inquisitor lightsaber design. I'd always assumed a functional prop would be physically impossible, but then I saw this work in progress from the ever talented Makoto Tsai:

Seeing that it is in fact possible I've set out to build my own! I'm taking heavy inspiration from Makoto's setup, but making a few personal changes.



The first main difference is structural. Whereas Makoto used what looks to be a 12-inch lazy Susan bearing, I'll be using a 10-inch bearing. I had originally used a 12-inch myself but after adding the emitters it ended up looking far too long. I did some rough calculations using screenshots from rebels and concluded that the Grand Inquisitor's lightsaber is approximately 15 inches in length. With the smaller bearing mine is now 16 inches. Close enough for me!

Makoto's design also uses two motors, whereas on mine I'm hoping I'll only need one. I plan to use the extra space on the other end to work in a locking mechanism for when it isn't actively spinning.



My first full spin test with blades started alright, but then there was a terrible screeching noise (prepare your ears!)

Turns out the gripper I was using on the motor was a bit too large and it was placing undue stress on the mechanism. I replaced it with a slightly smaller one and did a second test which went much better.

For the test I used two 32-inch 7/8 polycarbonate blades, and while it did spin faster than I expected it was still a bit slow for my liking. I'm currently looking around for some much lighter rigid tubing to drastically decrease the weight, which should in turn put far less stress on the motor and increase the speed. Needless to say this will definitely not be a duel-worthy saber

And here's where it stands as of right now. Just working on fleshing out the main body and figuring out the placement for switches.

 

[Halliwax]

Didn’t I just see this on YouTube? Incredible work!

 

[EgroegSacul87]

This is such a cool project!! I remember when they released a toy version of this when Rebels was airing and being disappointed it didn't spin like the ones in the show, haha!
Your version looks great and I think you nailed the proportions. I think the ten inch bearing is the perfect size!

 

[Eruonen]

That’s crazy. So cool!

 

[Logermeister]

Update time! While browsing the hardware store for some extra screws I happened across a piece that works perfectly as an emitter mount! My old hand cut emitters were admittedly imperfect and only had a single connection point, whereas the new ones have two. I had to drill an extra hole in the lazy Susan but this should be much more stable.



The one drawback is that this piece sits centered on the ring, meaning the emitter would be quite offset from the main body. I did some crafty cutting of the main body tube to allow it to wrap around the central support bar rather than sit on top of it and that brought it much closer in line. It's still a bit offset and there's a slight bulge on the side with the motor, but it's a compromise I can live with.

 

[Logermeister]

I've fleshed out the main saber body a bit more and begun to add the emitter details. I still need to trim down the innermost aluminum tube that functions as the blade holder proper, as they were repurposed from my earlier emitters back when the whole saber was a bit longer.



And another spin test! I found some PEX pipe at the hardware store in 7/8 diameter which was about half as heavy as the old polycarbonate blades. It spun a bit faster this time, though the motor appeared to stall at a few points. I may need to find a blade material that's even lighter. The grommet got a little worn down as well so I'll be looking into more abrasion resistant rubbers. But all in all, it's progress!

 

[Logermeister]

Update time! I was encountering some issues with the motor and grommet setup used to drive the rotation. No matter which grommets I used they always ended up getting very worn down with minimal use and no longer spinning the assembly effectively (not to mention getting rubber dust everywhere). After a bit of research into more durable rubbers, I replaced the grommet with an automotive o-ring mounted to an axle wheel adapter.



I'm fairly certain this is the same setup that Makoto Tsai used. I initially thought it was a custom machined part but was overjoyed to find something that looked almost exactly like it readily available! I've also replaced the blades yet again, this time with 2 26" lengths of 3/4 PEX pipe. They're slightly heavier than the old blades but the reduced diameter seems to have greatly reduced the drag. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it spins faster now!

The spinning mechanism should hopefully be settled now. The next thing to tackle will be the blade electronics!

 

[Logermeister]

Well, I'm still waiting for my resistors and blade batteries to come in. In the meantime I've upgraded the mechanics to a heavy duty 1621 rpm planetary geared motor.


I've also relocated the charging port next to the switch. Now I can charge the motor without needing to dislocate the emitters!


It spins a little slower, but the torque has increased tremendously. This feels much more reliable and stable than the old setup. With any luck natural optical blending will give the illusion it's spinning faster than it really is once the blades are glowing.

 

[Astyanax]

Looks plenty fast to me!

 

[Logermeister]

I'm back! I've got the main body fleshed out a bit more. Since the new motor is smaller in diameter than the old one I needed a spacer to keep it properly aligned with the outer ring. I used three stacked washers initially, but it didn't feel very elegant. It ended up getting replaced with a custom motor clip made from PVC conduit. Looks much more professional!

I also tidied up the switch/charging port area, also with a piece of PVC.

While I had originally hoped I could get the design vaguely similar to the Grand Inquisitor's I'm seeing now that it's simply not going to happen. However, I'm absolutely digging the look being formed from functional necessity. I'm embracing it!

Still figuring out how to mount the battery for the blade electronics. Since I'm not limited to an internal diameter like with a standard saber I'll be using a larger 21700 battery as opposed to the usual 18650. This thing will be running 4 LED diodes, so a larger battery should help the runtime. I'll be using ABS project boxes to hold the battery, soundboard, and speaker. They're a little large, but I'm confident I can trim them down a bit to better integrate with the ring.

 

[EgroegSacul87]

This is looking great! Even if it's not a perfect replica of the Grand Inquisitor's hilt, I think it still pulls off the look of the Inquisitor Lightsabers really well. I'm excited to see your continued progress with this. Keep up the awesome work!

 

[Logermeister]

The project boxes have been trimmed and mounted.



These should fit the blade electronics nicely.

 

[Logermeister]

At long last I was able to run a full test with light and sound. I'm ecstatic to report that everything worked perfectly! Now it's time to get to work on hiding all of the wires.

 

[Astyanax]

At long last I was able to run a full test with light and sound. I'm ecstatic to report that everything worked perfectly! Now it's time to get to work on hiding all of the wires.
View attachment 1909566

OMG, WICKED COOL!

(Sorry Halliwax)

 

[Logermeister]

Quick update. It looks even cooler at night!

 

[Logermeister]

I figured out a good placement for the switch so I can operate it entirely one-handed.