I was going to post this question in another saber thread but thought it might be best with its own post.
Id like to know if there is a 'universal' technical spec to making my own custom saber.
I am mainly interested in how a lit blade ( LED/LUXON etc) needs to plug into the hilt 'emitter' and if there is a universal type of part I could use to accomplish this.
Also, with regards to soundboards, what sort of spacing is generally left in the hilt to hold the board and the battery source?
Is it worth just buying a ready made saber from someone and taking it apart?
It'll be more for show than dueling.
Ideally Id like to be able to program my own sound FX although Delmustator has helped me out here previously ;-)
I have floated in an out of a few light saber boards but they tend to assume knowledge already, and The RPF is probably full of the same people anyway!!
Any help gratefully received,
D
D, there is no universal specs on how to build a saber. It's mainly your imagination and the electronics you have available. Let me see if I can break this down some..
--You basically have the hilt. Everything you can put into it must be based around the amount of space you have inside the hilt.
--To have light and sound means you need something to generate the light (i.e. string of LEDs or single/multiple high output LEDs, etc).
--Some sort of soundboard (i.e. Master Replica, Hasbro FX, Ultrasound, Hyderdyne, Crystal Focus). These also function as drivers for the LEDs.
--A power source (i.e. regular AAA/AA/CR123/9 volt batteries, NiMH rechargeable, Li-Ion rechargeable).
--Any good speaker to produce the desired sounds.
Custom saber with Master Replica sound
How and where you place these items is determined by the hilt you design. So when your in the planning stages of building your saber. You must consider things like the type of blade it will have (fixed or removable).
Most fixed blade sabers (i.e. Master Replica and Hasbro FX) are for display only - NO dueling. They have rather fragile LED ladders inside the blade that illuminate when turned on. You can custom build your own LED ladder with high efficiency LEDs to make the blades much brighter than stock (usually 3-4x brighter).
Removable blades usually are hollow and used with a single high output LED and are used for dueling. The blades usually sit deeper into the blade holders for added strength. LED selection is a science in itself. LED lumen output, color, saturation, power requirements, heat generations/dissipation, etc etc etc. Most sabers utilize Luxeon, Cree, and Seoul LEDs in various colors. It's mainly up to you which you use. Most of the available LED driver/soundboards can support them. The range from 1 watt to 10+ watts.
LED drivers/soundboards are the heart of the sabers. Which you use is determined by what you want the saber to be capable of doing. Master Replica FX boards have fixed sounds, typically jedi or sith, and detect motion and impacts. They are simple to wire and require a single latching switch. Ultrasound/Hyper/Crystal Focus boards allow flexibility for higher power LEDs, either preset or fully programmable sounds, and accent LEDs for multiple buttons, indicators, etc, etc. These are very popular and can be rather difficult to acquire due to limited production runs. The Crystal Focus is the only soundboard that is fully programmable (that I have experience with). The soundboards are recommended to be near the base of the hilt so their sensors can easily detect movement. But this is not a requirement.
Obi-Wan Kenobi TPM with Ultrasound 2.1 attached to emitter, magnetic activation switch, and speaker
Power sources for the saber can be any number of battery combinations. Most saber smiths tend to go with rechargeable batteries with external recharge ports. Lithium Ion batteries are very popular due to their output and run times. Some of this is because once the sabers are assembled, it's a true PITA to disassemble them to remove the batteries (no joke here). I've put sabers together with hemostats because I could not get my fingers inside to position things. Usually the more true to original sabers (i.e. Obi-Wan TPM, Yoda, etc) require this type of surgery. The choice of battery is determined by the available space in the hilt and power requirements of the saber.
Speakers are typically .5 to 1 watt high performance. They are used for all kinds of things. Again the hilt design determined what size the speaker will be.
How you arrange all these goodies inside a hilt is up to you. There is no spacing requirements but you don't want uninsulated electrical connections to be touching anything. Nor do you want stuff rattling around in the saber. The only required placement is the blade LED in the emitter of the saber. The rest can go just about anywhere.
Old Republic saber electronics chassis with Crystal Focus 4.3
I would say that you should get a ready made CUSTOM saber that you can open up and see how it's built. If you REALLY want to be able to program your own sounds? You'll need to find a saber with a CF inside (shown above).
Side by side comparison of the sabers
Hope this helps...
