I need some help from an expert on light up lightsabers

Anakin Starkiller

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Hey guys,

I'm looking to do a run of sabers in the near future, and I'm interested in making them EL compatible. But, I usually only do static props, so I need some help from one of you who is an expert in building lightup/fx lightsabers. I have a bunch of questions about what I need to do to make the design compatible with the available fx systems out there. So, I'm putting out a call for assistance. Please PM me if you have the knowledge and some time to spare.

-best

Dan
 
EL? As far as I know that's pretty much considered old tech for sabers now. Most people use super bright LEDs, either one focused up the blade (meaning a blade you can spar with,without breaking lights) or a string of LEDs (which can give the ramp up/down and is usually brighter). I think the practical sabers n TFA were LED strings.
 
As AL says....

OLD TECH.

Dont bother.. they also arent nearly as bright as current tech.

good luck!
 
Right, so when I said EL, I was just meaning this as a generic phrase to indicate light up.

Basically, I want to know, for those who build light up/fx sabers, what are the requirements to make a hilt compatible with most light up systems. I get customers all the time ask me if my hilts will work with different lighting systems and I need to know what that requires exactly. What are most people using for light up blade and sound systems? What system is the best, what system is the most common, and what are the requirements to make a hilt compatible with said systems?
 
So, I've been planning on doing a ROTS dueling saber set for some time. It would be a replica of the dueling sabers that Hayden and Ewan used, with the simplified saber bodies

Like those shown here.
Obi-Wan_stunt_saber.png

attachment.php


I had originally planned on making these work with carbon fiber blades as per the original stunts. But a number of people have e-mailed me and asked if they would work with fx and lighting systems. So, I'm trying to figure out what that would entail exactly. If I can make them compatible with different fx systems, I will. But, I'm not an electronics guy. So, I need help to see what I'd have to do to my saber design to make this happen.
 
about 1.25" inside diameter would be needed for a chassis system to hold everything together, People do it with smaller but the more room the better.

Goth3D makes a lot of chassis for common sabers, but if youre going ground up with yours you can get a pre made sound board holder, speaker mount and battery holder for about $10 from TCSS. If you could design your internals off of this that would probably be the easiest/ most cost effective solution. It holds a 18650 battery, a 28mm speaker and a Nano Biscotte sound board. The Nano Biscotte is probably the most common sound board due to price and features. If this is too big they make other ones.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MHS-speaker-mount-V6-For-28mm-Speakers-P892.aspx

Next you would need a blade holder which many come with a heat sink for the LED. You would have to figure out if the saber you're making takes a 7/8th or 1 inch blade. After that all you would need to figure out where you would put the on/off switch and the recharge port. You can put the recharge port on the bottom or make the pommel screw off or have it somewhere inside.

Ive also seen people design a custom chassis that holds a 22mm or 28mm speaker, a 18650 battery and a sound board. If you want to go really high end you can make a chassis for a Crystal Focus board. You definitely want some kind of chasis to hold everything together.
 
All of that ^ is true, though if you're just wanting to make your hilts FX friendly all you need to do is make sure the ID is 1.25" or greater.
 
about 1.25" inside diameter would be needed for a chassis system to hold everything together, People do it with smaller but the more room the better.

Goth3D makes a lot of chassis for common sabers, but if youre going ground up with yours you can get a pre made sound board holder, speaker mount and battery holder for about $10 from TCSS. If you could design your internals off of this that would probably be the easiest/ most cost effective solution. It holds a 18650 battery, a 28mm speaker and a Nano Biscotte sound board. The Nano Biscotte is probably the most common sound board due to price and features. If this is too big they make other ones.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/MHS-speaker-mount-V6-For-28mm-Speakers-P892.aspx

Next you would need a blade holder which many come with a heat sink for the LED. You would have to figure out if the saber you're making takes a 7/8th or 1 inch blade. After that all you would need to figure out where you would put the on/off switch and the recharge port. You can put the recharge port on the bottom or make the pommel screw off or have it somewhere inside.

Ive also seen people design a custom chassis that holds a 22mm or 28mm speaker, a 18650 battery and a sound board. If you want to go really high end you can make a chassis for a Crystal Focus board. You definitely want some kind of chasis to hold everything together.

exactly what toms saying! :thumbsup

I've had to have watched these videos hundreds of times, this channel really helps explain everything

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCustomSaberShop/videos
 
All of that ^ is true, though if you're just wanting to make your hilts FX friendly all you need to do is make sure the ID is 1.25" or greater.

Prequel sabers make that hard as a lot were only 1.25 OD. The anakin for example, and a good portion of the windu. Not sure if maul was 1.25 or 1.375 OD off the top of my head (it's been 10+ years :) )
 
All of that ^ is true, though if you're just wanting to make your hilts FX friendly all you need to do is make sure the ID is 1.25" or greater.

Thanks everyone. Just to clarify. I'm not personally looking to build a FX saber. I'm just looking to make my saber FX friendly so that if someone wants to adapt my sabet to use it as a light up prop, they can
 
Seems as if the smallest chassis they offer is 7/8". That allows a shell thickness of 3/16" thick on a 1.25OD body.I'm not a machinist, but that should be ok.

but there are still a number of pieces that get thinner than that and less than 7/8". How do they handle stuff like Obi Wan ANH that gets down to 1/2" thick in the neck?
 
Thanks everyone. Just to clarify. I'm not personally looking to build a FX saber. I'm just looking to make my saber FX friendly so that if someone wants to adapt my sabet to use it as a light up prop, they can

Even easier. I would make the emitter have a "plug" that can accept a 7/8" blade plus a bladeholder. Hallow the inside as much as possible, and make it accessible. After that it's up to the end user to make the install as the see fit.
 
^^This. It's a complete rabbit hole when it comes to FX sabers. You can start drinking from the fire hydrant here:

https://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/

PM ARKM, he knows as much about FX as anyone here I would say. If you can make your sabers fit with some of the standard blade holders from Vader's Vault, CSS or The Graflex Shop you're home free.
 
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I have never made a light up saber - I tried looking into making a light up ROTJ box once and couldn't figure out resistors and whatnot - I'm savy in many things but not that

i would kill for a stunt saber with the same blade/retention system used on set, ANY set (I have a "grafflex riveted bladed ESB stunt in my sights) but the prequel ones interest me too. It's the magic of tricking the camera that I'm into, not so much the idealized universe
 
FWIW Parks makes many sabers that are undersized to the screen accurate ones. People complain (b****) a lot but they generally find ways to convert them. Of course complaints are bad for business so even Parks, often at the behest of Korbanth, has made them more screen accurate in terms of size. So generally the inner space is 7/8" or 1", which generally is ok for light and sound. Goth has made a number of chassis for small diameter Korbanth sabers and one can generally find some chassis that will work.

For PT sabers the key is to make the inner diameter about 7/8" or larger, though 1" or 1.25" is preferable as stated above. It is possible with careful planning to design accurate sabers that are true to the screen props in outer dimensions and still large enough to incorporate many of the necessary electronics.

To make it duel-worthy, it will require certain structural integrity so that it can withstand the impacts that will naturally occur from dueling. That will probably require certain design choices which will favor strength over ease of electronics installation. Generally it is better to have a single piece, but the reality of machining will like require multiple pieces which preferably threads together instead of set-screws. A saber held together by set-screws probably cannot stand the forces from dueling.

As long as you make it accurate and not terribly difficult (i.e. narrow), people will find ways to convert them. Or they will pay $$ to the smiths to do the work.

My two cents.
 
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A saber held together by set-screws probably cannot stand the forces from dueling.

This
We may be wrong about this. The V2/Shared Stunt WAS held together with set screws and some gaffer tape and they took quite a beating. Theres even footage of mark hamil using one of them to fence in a warehouse and he beat the crap out of it!
 
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