Who wants to hold my hand making an FX saber?

Hey @halliwax ! Yes, https://www.tequipment.net/ was the lowest price back then too and it was a pleasant purchasing experience!

Yes, the link I put up for the 28 AWG wire assortment is for 50' of wire in total. More than enough to wire several lightsabers.

I compared his 25' 28 AWG wire at $4.36 to the $10.34 at powerwerx when you posted their link and was like :eek. :lol

navships has several other gauges of wire if you click on "See other items".

For an assortment of 30AWG...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30-AWG-Sil...366525?hash=item36282e723d:g:10wAAOSwlMFZLvPb

... navships is $0.01 more per 25' length but $1.54 less for shipping, so you're saving $1.49 if you were buying 5 bundles of wire.

Everything from him is sent via USPS in a bubble envelope and arrives fairly quickly depending on USPS.


I know the GOTH-3D Chassis requires 30 AWG, but I'm making my own Chassis and Crystal Chamber, so I'm using the 28AWG. I had a line on some 28 AWG that was striped the way I wanted, had the higher 19 strand count, wasn't too expensive, but the quantity was 100' minimum with no returns and they wouldn't even send me a simple 6" length of wire in a regular old sealed envelope to allow me to make certain that it was thin enough to fit into where I need it to before I placed my order. Anywho, that's when I started looking for recommendations and navships was the guy that everyone was pointing towards, so I got my wires from him. He has 100% positive reviews on eBay.


As far as fluxes go, it's the formula for what it's to be used with, LEADED or LEAD-FREE. Here's a quick article...

https://www.itri.co.uk/solders/news-4/does-lead-free-flux-make-a-difference

I don't think Rob and Irv ever even mention flux now that I think about it. I didn't get any when I ordered all my soldering equiptment. I'll have to revisit their Youtube videos to double check!


Depending on who you talk to, LEADED solder is easier to work with because it has a lower melting/flow temperature than LEAD-FREE. I think it all boils down to experience with a certain product/technique. I chose to order all LEAD-FREE solders and solder pastes so that I don't have to worry about poisoning myself or anyone that ever handles my lightsaber. I just feel more comfortable health-safety-wise with LEAD-FREE and I'm going to have to practice soldering a lot anyway before I set iron to CFv8, so why not learn with something that's safer?!

p.s. Not having LEADED solder for your water pipes is a GREAT THING! ;)

OH! And seriously! If you have flux with a brush or whatnot that has come into contact with LEADED solder, you may have contaminated that container of flux, so it'd be a good idea to get a new batch of flux for LEAD-FREE ONLY USE!

if rob is east coast sabers, he mentions it in a few videos, i only know this because i binge watched his 2.0 series. shameem also swears by flux. i only know of flux because of all the plumbing and ac work ive done

as for the lead free solder on water pipes, it doesnt bother me since all those pipes in the ground to get to my house are 200 year old lead and asbestos lol

i agree with ya, lead free sucks to work with... and with joining copper it sucks....

really appreciate the info, and links you have supplied. if i didnt already order my wiring i would have gone your eBay route... my buddy wants me to do a few for him, so he covered the wire this time around
 
Nope, Rob is Rob Petkau aka MadCow from Genesis Custom Sabers and The Custom Saber Shop. ;)


Duh! :facepalm I had to revist MG Chemicals website to remember this, the rosin/flux core is within the LEAD-FREE solder wire! No need for flux, that's why I didn't get any.

HA! Looks like REVANSSkywalker beat me to it while I was off trying to figure it out!
 
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If you're still on the fence about a proper chassis, I can't tell you how helpful a real 3D printed chassis would have been for my first install. Not having one made the install 100% harder and required me to repair it afterwards. I really recommend a Goth 3Designs chassis from Shapeways, he has many options available and trust me it will be worth the extra few bucks.
 
You can also use the TCSS MHS builder app to test fit parts together..etc.

**(doesnt work on cell phones as it requires Flash Player Plugin to work)

Flux is not solder.
You can use .015" diameter silver bearing solder (62/32/2) if you like.. works great.. solder many places like the old Radio Shacks..etc..


As far as a core goes.. so many options.. its really whatever fits your design/budget..

there are parts/chassis disks at TCSS or you can buy fully 3D printers ones..
 
As for what type of soddering iron to use. Go to ebay or Amazon and type in rework station. They
come with a heat gun wich you WILL need to properly shrink heatshrink tubing. The one I have comes with a awesome iron with different tips. You want a small tip to soddering those tiny pads. Plus I spent 50 bucks on mine. It is a zeny 898D+. It is amazing!!!!
 
Speaking of solder and wire, @SethS ! If you don't have one, it would be a good idea to pick up a Smoke Absorbing Fan of some sort.

I live in California, so my workshop is a covered spot outside in the fresh air. :)

If you're still on the fence about a proper chassis, I can't tell you how helpful a real 3D printed chassis would have been for my first install. Not having one made the install 100% harder and required me to repair it afterwards. I really recommend a Goth 3Designs chassis from Shapeways, he has many options available and trust me it will be worth the extra few bucks.

I think a simple chassis to hold everything in lace without being a fancy reveal is the way to go. That said, I'll have some details on the saber body, like grip screws, that will get into the inner space. Once I finalize the body design and get my internal space measured out I'll have an idea of what I need. Because it's going to be an assortment of body parts I'm sure the chassis will have to be custom as well.

You can also use the TCSS MHS builder app to test fit parts together..etc.

I've played with it a ton-- but again, since I'm using vintage camera flash parts I'm winging the ID design a bit.

New question-- when people do crystal reveals is a second LED used to light the crystal? I don't want to do a full on open up reveal saber, but my main body is likely going to be a Canon or Minicam flash. They both have a ring of plug ports like the MPP does, and it might be cool to have some glow lighting them up. If I use the Canon, there is a hole in the body mean for a dial I'll have to remove to make space for new guts-- it would be perfect for a peek into a crystal chamber without having to do an entire reveal style chassis.

But if that requires wiring a second LED and figuring out extra resistors and junk, I don't need to do it my first time out.

And thank you again to all of you for the great responses, videos, and shared experiences!
 
@tomleech, hey tom i am in need of a new soldering iron. i see a lot of guys using this model

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D...15902418&sr=1-4&keywords=hakko+soldering+iron

do you know is this is EDS? there is also a bunch of fake hakko's out there, anywhere we can purchase real ones with confidence?

Yeah that one would be fine, these two are what I use:

This is the iron we use at work, it's better than my home one but fewer features:
https://www.amazon.com/Tenma-21-10115-Compact-Digital-Soldering/dp/B008BW9LX6/

This is my home one, the rework heat gun is really useful and a bench power supply is pretty critical, perfect for measuring forward voltage to calculate resistance properly :)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RKX0JQA/

Okay-- just looking at TCSS parts...

Do I need an LED driver, or is that for bigger things than what I need?
Should I get one of the units where the LED and heat sync are already together?
Do I want 12 or 16mm switches? What's the difference between momentary and latching?
Do I need a speaker mount, or will a chassis take care of that?

You shouldn't need a driver if you're using a sound board
I'd say order a Tri Cree XP E2 from the relevant area on TCSS, they'll custom make it for you with the right colours. The heat sink you'll need will depend on the flash you have and how you're going to mount a bladeholder.
Switch size depends on what you want :) Depends again on the flash you want to use. Momentary switches just push in and out, connecting the wires 'for a moment', latching switches click into place and stay sunk in until you press it again, they keep the wires connected continuously.
If I design you a chassis I will put a speaker mount in it :)
 
You can also use the TCSS MHS builder app to test fit parts together..etc.

I keep hoping they'll add the MHS Chassis Parts to the Builder!


I live in California, so my workshop is a covered spot outside in the fresh air. :)

"COUGH" explitive! "COUGH" :lol

when people do crystal reveals is a second LED used to light the crystal? But if that requires wiring a second LED and figuring out extra resistors and junk, I don't need to do it my first time out.

Yes, but once you figure out the first 3 for your Tri-CREE you'll be an old hand at it and that 4th little LED for the Crystal Chamber will be a breeze!

And thank you again to all of you for the great responses, videos, and shared experiences!

Closed-eye Yoda nod. "Pass on what you have learned." ;) We're all having great fun helping you out! It's just a little thankyou for your efforts on the Lightsaber Guide.
 
Yeah that one would be fine, these two are what I use:
Switch size depends on what you want :) Depends again on the flash you want to use. Momentary switches just push in and out, connecting the wires 'for a moment', latching switches click into place and stay sunk in until you press it again, they keep the wires connected continuously.
If I design you a chassis I will put a speaker mount in it :)

Excellent-- thank you!

- - - Updated - - -

@SethS, your inbox is full buddy ;)

Fixed!
 
"COUGH" explitive! "COUGH" :lol

Not to **** off anyone willing to help me that's in a frozen state-- but this is my work area right now:

ws.jpg
 
Lead free solder is difficult to work with and not recommended for new users. I'd recommend Kester 60/40 in whatever diameter best suits your needs. Flux is a cleaner that helps the solder bond and flow. It's typically in paste form but also comes in a no-clean liquid form. It's needed most for reflow work where you're using a pad that already has solder on it. You need a soldering station, not a reflow/rework station. Those are used for ic chips, led stars, etc. If the videos you're watching didn't come from Madcow/TCSS or Plecter, I wouldn't trust them. Most were made by new or inexperienced builders and are riddled with errors, misinformation and shortcuts. I found some really old school instructional videos on soldering but I'm not sure if I can share them here. They totally remind me of the ones we watched in the Army when I got my soldering certification. TCSS and TRA are excellent sources to learn how to build, too.
 
Thanks to the op for getting this going and everyone who has contributed so far! I will be consulting this thread regularly as I go... Must admit though, I'm having to retrain my google-fu to understand what all these darned abbreviations mean. Lol.
 
Thanks to the op for getting this going and everyone who has contributed so far! I will be consulting this thread regularly as I go... Must admit though, I'm having to retrain my google-fu to understand what all these darned abbreviations mean. Lol.

the youtube videos really help explain everything, the more you read the more you learn. but youtube really helped me understand, shameem also has a few video installs

east coast sabers
shameem
genesis custom sabers

all great channels to watch
 
I keep hoping they'll add the MHS Chassis Parts to the Builder!
.

That would take a lot of work to incorporate, (I know) so I dont think that would ever happen. ;)

(besides, its flash based, and not mobile friendly by any means, not really worth the further investment)
 
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