Saber Forum

I have posted this for all of you who are like me, lightsaber noobs!

MHS      - Modular Hilt System.  The modular hilt system supports interchange of light saber components such as the, pommel, hilt and emitter.
Pommel - The lightsaber handle.  The bottom of the lightsaber.
Hilt        - The shaft with the button, switches, etc.  The pommel mounts to the hilt at the bottom, while the emitter mounts to the hilt at the top.
Emitter  - The top of the lightsaber where the blade mounts.
MLS       - Modular LED System (I've also seen it as Modular Light System).  Supports interchange of different colored LEDs.
RGB       - Red, Green, Blue, referring to a tricolored LED (really three separate LEDs whether or not they are in one package) mounted into one lightsaber.
               An RGB lightsaber has at least three switches, one for each color LED. Some US lightsabers have a fourth, master switch.

NOTE: UltraSabers has two sizes of modular LEDs. The smaller one fits lightsabers such as the Prophecy, while the larger fits lightsabers such as the War Glaive.

All of this information is available here on the UltraSabers website and in the forums. It is my hope that this save noobs some time and brings them up to speed fairly quickly. Please forgive any errors and / or omissions and by all means post any additional, helpful information!

Good post, LaserRay! This should get a link in that 'Unofficial Guide to buying Ultrasabers' thread that cropped up the other day. A basic dictionary of terms is a great idea. :)

Good thread! If I had a nickel for every time someone asks what MLS is, or MHS means, I'd be set for life. I'll probably still be rich, cause a lot of people don't USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION, and/or actually READ THE FORUMS OR US SITE (like you obviously did, thank you for that) before posting questions, but this should help cut down on that!

I propose this be stickied.

Force Point! ;D

U read my mind. =D

Thanks for the Force Points!  I am glad I could make a contribution and that it is appreciated.

Thanks LaserRay, this kinda thing needed to be done.  You earned Force points from me!

me too! this is great info for people.

Somebody sticky this. Good work!

Topic set to sticky.  Good work on this.  Make sure it gets updated as things progress!

Force Points given for this gem of a post!


This actually answered a LOT of my questions regarding the acronyms.

thanks for info, good to know..

Agreed, breaking down the barriers to entry for getting into the genre is a good idea or pretty much everyone involved. We get a more lively and educated forum, Ultra gets more sales :)

Maybe add info about what makes a saber a "stunt" saber.  I am still a bit confused with that term  :o

A stunt saber just means a saber without sound.

great post! really helps people like me who are just starting to check things out!

Great post, that helps newbies like me pick up on the jargon used here. (+ to Force points)
Perhaps add the saber color abbreviations as well? For the most part they're easy enough to figure out if you know the actual colours but perhaps that would help too?
Your post inspired an idea that could possibly go well with this topic but more on that when I actually have my saber  ::)

Ok so I got my Raven saber and took some pictures to give some visuals for people to see what the parts you mention are, as well as some additional parts.
Here is the legend:

1. MLS
2. Emitter
3. Blade Plug
4. Covertec Clip
5. Switch
6. Pommel
7. Claw (Raven & War Glaive models)
8. Hilt
9. Blade

(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/sc1m1t4r/UltraSabers/Raven-Parts01.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/sc1m1t4r/UltraSabers/Raven-Parts02.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/sc1m1t4r/UltraSabers/Raven-Parts03.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u295/sc1m1t4r/UltraSabers/Raven-Parts04.jpg)

Very helpful image Scimitar, but what you tagged as the emitter is actually the Blade Holder(which only a few models have, such as the Raven and Bellicose). Still very helpful overall, so points!

Ah, my mistake then. Perhaps a mod can correct that?
I did the same on my Raven review  :-\

Thank you for posting that pic!  Made it much easier to understand so I no longer felt stupid when reading up on sabers!

Colors 4 noobs. I think i got them all and all of them right. Hope this helps

GB-guardian blue
CG-Consalur green
BR-blazing red
VA-violet amythest
AB-Artic blue
DVA-dark violet amythest
EG-emarld green
AS-adegan silver
FO-fire orange
SRD-sunriders destiny
SY-sentainal yellow
BH-banes heart
PO-bloody orange

PO is Pyrestone Orange. Other than that, the list is accurate.

Point for this

Well I thought I know what these meant. Glad this got posted or I would still be wrong.

Can anyone explained the difference between a blade holder and an emitter, please?

And if I understand it rightly, a shroud is a covering for part of the hilt, like the metal over the black on a Consular hilt, is that correct?

Finally (I've been looking for a topic for this since I joined, so I've picked up a few questions...) when the hilt is fully put together, would the MLS go beneath the emitter, that is, the emitter is the last thing plugged into the hilt?

The emitter is the end of the saber from which the blade protrudes.  Typically the emitter functions as the blade holder and secures the blade into the saber by means of a set screw(s). 

Shroud - Your assessment is correct.  The Guardian has a similar shroud component.  The silver segment of the Reaper & Crimson Reaper is also defined as a shroud.

The LED is installed into an MLS unit or some structure which holds it in place, acts as a heatsink, and usually includes a reflector and lens to focus the LED beam into the blade.  The emitter is always the end of the saber where the blade originates, but not all sabers have removable emitters  (Aeon, Dominix, Initiate, Prophecy, etc..).  For some designs without removable emitters, the LED is likely the FIRST thing installed into the hilt.

Thanks, Schtuperman - very helpful reply.

Question If I have a blue saber no clod disc can a buy color disc and change it? Or will it just mess with the color?

Disks will have little to no effect on the color.

Thanks Luna

Noob question here.  Can someone explain the quick disconnect to me? 

Quick Disconnects (QDs) are a small black clip that connects to the wires that go from your LED to your power source. It allows you to swap between different LEDs, and by doing so, change the color of your saber.

Thanks.  Much appreciated.

Not a problem :)

A couple more noob question.  What is the difference between the regular and UltraEdge blades?  Is one considered better than the other or is it just aesthetic?

It's just aesthetic. Ultraedge has white film in it rather than silver/clear. It can make your colours a bit more pastel looking actually.

Thank you sir.  I guess I'll give the regular blade a try next time and see how different it looks. 

You're welcome :)

I've got an UE blade, and a bunch of MGs. I prefer the MG on all colours that I've tried so far except for SRD. SRD looks amazing in UE!

As to colours I've seen in person, I've seen CG, EG, GB, SRD, BR, VA, AS, SY and each of them look best in MG in my opinion.

As a rule, I recommend ultra-edge for cooler colours - my Arctic Blue and Adegan Silver 'sabres have UE, while my Violet Amethyst and Pyrestone Orange 'sabres have mid-grade. I'll bow to BenPass' greater experience of the other shades, though, as I can only go on my own first-hand experience and preferences.

In every ones experience which LED colors are the brightest ? Maybe top 3.

From what I can see its AS, GB then CG with the least brightness coming from PO and DVA is that pretty accurate ?

I want to get a Consular in CG and I'm debating between 3 other colors for a second Module with Quick Disconnects - debating between just GB for the fact I would have two of the main colors or something Sith ier so I can take the shroud off an have something in either PO , FO, or VA ... Definitely not BR ... BR, BH,DVA are the only colors I've ruled out


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They're all fairly equal, but FO stands out as being the least bright.

DVA and PO are certainly not the least bright by any stretch - in fact, DVA seems the brightest to me, even compared to CG and GB.

okay i have picked out a body style that says not MHS campatible...does that mean i cant choose my own pommel or anything sorry first day here little overwhelmed

You're right in that assumption. If it IS MHS compatible, then you can choose parts....if it ISN'T MHS compatible, you cannot choose parts.

That's probably because DVA has the shortest wavelength of light for any of the blade colors.

Except for VA, presumably (4,000 Å < 4,250 Å).

Yeah.  DVA is more blue than VA so VA would have shorter wavelength and should be brighter, although I don't have both so I can't tell you.

Glad I found this,  cleared up my confusion on the rgb emitters.
Take this point

You should add what the fourth letter for the RGB is (i.e. RGBA), as I personally have no idea what the various fourth letters in the LED types mean.

A stands for Amber (some kind of brown) and W (S for the 2-Channel Emerald Drivers) stands for White (Silver for the 2-Channel Emerald Drivers). All others just indicate the three colours Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B).

Thanks.

I'm used to RGBA being Red-Green-Blue-Alpha, but an alpha setting wouldn't make much sense since you can just lower the output on the LEDs anyways,

Gah, thank you so much!  I feel much less stupid now.  Point!

This proves that I am indeed a noob, but do they assemble your CUSTOM lightsaber for you before they ship it? Or wouldI have to assemble it? ~:>

It arrives completely assembled. :) About the only thing you might have to do, depending on set up, is remove a small folded piece of electrical tape from the end of one battery.

Hello all one quick question how do the points work and what is the bar that fills up green under your name that states what level of night you are im a noob so don't know about all that yet thanks for any info. May the Force be with you!

The Point system is just for fun :) And the status bar fills up with every post you make, until it is completely filled. Then something cool will happen ;)

But be warned: your posts must have constructive content (suggestions, constructive critique, helpful information), posts like "Yes", "Okay", or other short, lame posts (excluding the acknowledgement of the rules) only to fill the bar doesn't help anybody....not you, and not the community ;)

WHEW WHO!!!

After snooping around for a bit I couldn't wait any longer...
I have put together a couple Wish List Sabers, but it'll be a month or two
before I can move on any of them...

Sooo, I ordered a Grab Bag Saber early this morning.
This is my fist US Saber, and I have to admit I'm pretty Excited!
All I know for sure is it should be Fire Orange - Flash Red...
Got a message saying it Shipped already...

Time to put on some Woodland Camo and Stalk my FedX Driver.   ;D

I'll post pics in a new thread when She Arrives.

Wishing Everybody The Best!

-gus

I have another question. When do you think a lightsaber would arrive when you ordered it on a
Sunday and you lived in Colorado? And we all know that they come from California. -:>

Hello all thank you for the info about the Force bar and the point system. also to answer the shipping question it all depends on the shipping option you chose but an the average for me no more than a week max in the states hope that helps and may the Force be with you!

Alright, you have my thanks friend. So if I just did standard home shipping, it would come at max the next Sunday? And would I get an email? I got one that my order was confirmed. (Which makes me happy ) -:>

You'll get an email when your order is shipped along with FedEx tracking information. So you can see where your order is at a certain time, when it arrived at/departed from a certain FedEx hub and what the estimated delivery date is.

I haven't gotten as email that says it's been shipped. Only that my order was confirmed.

Well, that's the first email you get after you placed your order. Once your saber is completed (normally two to three days after placing your order), you'll get that shipping information :)

You have my thanks friend. May the a Force be with you.  -:>

One more question. What is the difference between the Obsidian Soundboard and a normal soundboard?

There is no difference. Obsidian is the official name of the sound board Ultrasabers uses in their builds. It's named like that because the upper side (the one you see when pulling the battery pack out) is coated in black epoxy.

Do you need a Buck Puck for the internal wiring for a saber?

You can use a resistor for your main LED instead, but a BuckPuck is recommended. It has much less heat development and thus much less loss of energy and it can maintain the current to the LED far more precise than a resistor could.

Anyway, a resistor is ALWAYS needed for the illuminated AV switches and if you want a colour different from Red, Green, Blue and Silver/White.

Just to elaborate on what Racona Nova said -

The main difference is you have to figure out the right resistor for the specific LED - using a buck puck does it for you.  Basically no requirement for figuring out the right resistor, which is awesome if you plan on swapping LED or putting Quick Disconnects on it. 

For example say you build a saber and resist for a Blue LED and you decide you want a mixed LED to make purple you will have to replace the resistor, with a buck puck it is a "smart " resistor and figures it out internally and does not require complex mathematical calculations that simple folk like myself are incapable of solving. 

Thanks for going in detail. I still don't have that much knowledge on functionality to explain it properly, so I just gave some rough pros and cons :P

But do I need at least one of them? Or can I do the wiring without either?

No, if you wire the battery pack directly to the LED, it'll blow up faster than the Millenium Falcon doing the Kessel Run. You need at least a resistor matching the LED specs, a BuckPuck is better, though. That's also why you always need a resistor for illuminated AV switches to prevent their LED's being blown up. The Li-Ion voltage is far too high for those LED's without a resistor or another voltage/current limiting device.

YES !

This 1000 times... A buck puck is suggested  if you are doing AV because you can wire the buck puck from power source to buck puck to av switch and buck puck to lLED otherwise you would have to  figure the resistor value to the LED and to the AV switch and that is not good business for an efficient build. 

The Buck Puck will calculate the proper output to the AV switch without frying it otherwise every time you activate it the battery pack will send all of its juicy power directly to the very small illuminated light source on the AV switch and burn the LED out quickly most likely.  Then you wont have any thing to go to the LED unit itself. 

Resistors are good for cheap builds in which you plan on ever replacing LEDs but if you are building a Li Ion Set up and want to be able to swap LEDs easily by installing QD and if you have an AV switch a Buck Puck is always recommended if not required to avoid the complexity of it.   You can multiple styles of this type of smart resistor with 4 wires, 6 wires and I believe they have others as well up to 10 or 12 or something.  I dont know that much about it just very little knowledge.  Master Bluespike would be a great resource for detailed questions such as these. 

I need help with the Obsidian Sound Board!!! Losing my mind! Can't change any of the sounds and don't know how to become administrator or get the old sounds back

I think the guide below is correct. Someone will be sure to point out anything that's changed since I last posted this :)

First off, your profile must be a profile with Administrator rights. If not, switch to one that is.

Download and install the Obsidian Launcher. You must have it set to run as Administrator (right-click the icon, go to Properties, click on the Compatibility tab, then 'Run this program as an administrator'). This is in addition to running on a profile with Administrator rights.
Download some fonts (various options at http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?board=36.0, (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?board=36.0,) or at http://www.ultrasabers.com/Sound-Font-p/soundfont-manual.htm (http://www.ultrasabers.com/Sound-Font-p/soundfont-manual.htm)) and extract them to a folder
Make sure your 'sabre is fully charged before plugging in. If your batteries die mid-transfer, you can mess it up.
Switch on your lightsabre and plug it into a USB port. Wait for it to install on your computer
Load up the Obsidian Launcher program. Your lightsabre should power down, and in the top right of the Launcher screen you should see the serial number of your 'sabre
Clear the right pane of the Launcher window of any fonts that may be there.
Navigate in the left pane of the Launcher window to where you have your fonts installed
Drag the .lsu files over to the right pane. So, for example, the Yoda font I downloaded has poweron.lsu, poweron2.lsu, poweron3.lsu, poweron4.lsu, poweronf.lsu. You'd put one those into the Power On section. The Motion, Lockup and Impact sections can have more than one option loaded.
Continue until you're happy with the selection of fonts on the right side of the window.
(Optional) Save the configuration file - I have all mine in the Ultrasabers folder (that the Launcher installs to by default) for convenience, along with all the font folders
Click on the round button with the down arrow in it. You'll start to download the fonts onto the 'sabre.
There's a check box on the progress window. It says something like 'verify integrity' or something. Best to check it.
Once it's complete, close the Launcher, unplug your 'sabre, and enjoy the new sounds.

Also, you can mix and match sounds - Starkiller power up, Sith swings, Yoda clashes and so on.

Hope that helps!

Thanks! Appreciate it!!

I have a saber using MHS compatible parts and I am trying to make sure I can put either the regular LED unit or the MLS in it, right ? Which one would work best ?

I think full MHS sabers use the MLS unit, whereas part-MHS sabers like the Aeon v3 (where the emitter can't be changed) use the normal LED unit. I don't know if that's true for all sabers, but for most of them.

A number of full MHS 'sabres, like the Mantis, use the slimmer LED units. If you let us know what the internal diameter of the hilt is, we can say whether it's the LED or MLS unit you need - the units are identical, other than the MLS units having a ridge around one end that holds it in place inside wider hilts.

Thanks for the posts guys... also, I was intending on using a dark shock body, so it has the MHS compatible EMitter and Pommel and body. would you say that if I used that, or another MHS emitter, would that be acceptable ? or would you say it would just be easier to get the regular LED unit ? I just wanna make sure I get everything I need for it. So I really just want to make sure I get the right wiring for whatever units I get. Both for the sound card and for the LED. I just don't want to spend all this money, have it get here, and find out that I cant use the wires I got, or that I=the wiring I got will be fine for the LED, but not the sound card, things of that nature. If anybody knows of a good video showing how to wire the internals, please, post it up for me :)

I think the MLS should be fine for the Dark Shock.

Regarding the wiring, it's identical for both regular and MLS units. The only difference is the shape - the regular LED unit is long and slim, the MLS is rather short and wider than the regular LED unit.

Hi all guys! I have a question or..better two XD
In this period i can use only the winter raffle coupon or can i use others too?
Question 2 is.. in the cart, where i have to type "winter raffle" ? i didn't find a coupon field..
Thanks!

Hi Shinizanna.  Suggest placing your post in the proper section which is Ultra Saber Questions, as it has no connection to this topic.  :)

OOOK! thank u Master!

Hi.  I am no Master, just another member trying to help you get your question answered accurately.  Really I would reply to your other coupon question now if I knew for sure.  Please perhaps start a new subject in the Ultra Saber Questions section where someone can read and answer it before the raffle ends and not in Discussion where it could get missed.  Hope you get the info that you need.

I'm sorry but I'm still confused, on the MHS lightsabers, could I get a pommel from maybe ultrasabers, could I put it on an ultrasaber?

Sure, any MHS part can be used on a MHS compatible saber, no matter where it comes from. But take into account that not all Ultrasabers are fully MHS compatible, some can only accommodate a MHS pommel, but not a MHS emitter. Hilts belonging to this category are:

Aeon/Dominix v3 & v4 (also LE; v2 completely MHS incompatible)
Apprentice/Dark Apprentice v4 (also LE)
Bane
Bellicose
Catalyst/Dark Catalyst (design related)
Chosen One SE/LE
Graflex SE/LE
Initiate/Dark Initiate v3 & v4 (also LE; v2 completely MHS incompatible)
Liberator/Dark Liberator v3
Prophecy/Dark Prophecy v3
Monarch/Dark Monarch
Scorpion/Crimson Scorpion
Sentinel/Dark Sentinel v4 (also LE)
Standard Issue/Dark Standard Issue v3
The Guardian

All other sabers are fully MHS compatible.

Thanks so much!

Thanks Laser Ray - really handy and useful summary. Point from me for thinking of us all out here!

Thanks. This is helpful to know.

Thats a hell of a sig lol  :o

Thx for the help

Good stuff thanks. I'm actually kind of glad the blades aren't real, I'd be a lot shorter right now. Makes ya wonder how new Jedi get trained. It's not like I haven't bonked myself with the blade trying to learn the Obi-Ani flourish. If that blade were real I'd need a paramedic, duct tape, and a Vaseline gift set by now. Just sayin.

Don't the younglings practice with specific really weak crystal that can only sting or burn? I thought I saw it somewhere reading about the types of lightsaber crystals.

There is a mention of limited power training lightsabers used by the younglings prior to undergoing the Gathering, the mission to select their own crystal.

Yes, the Youngling lightsabers are power-reduced sabers and won't cause the usual lightsaber injures. It's nothing to do with the crystals used, they're still normal Adegan lightsaber crystals :)

Hey guys I'm fairly new, what's the gist of the group.

Hi and welcome to this saber community.  We can't answer your gist questions until you take care of some business.  Try to be more specific with your questions as you browse through the multiple topics and sections.  First, please go to the main page to read and acknowledge the Forum Rules.  Look for the large red print.  Also leave a hello in the Introductions if you would like.   :)

Sith training sabers are durasteel rods covered with microscopic barbs from insects which cause temporary paralysis simulating loss of a limb.

Fantastic bit of information here, thanks a lot.  Due to my general knowledge of swords and lightsaber designs, I knew most of these terms, but I was wondering what MHS stood for.  Thanks for clearing that up. :)

every one of these posts of information is appreciated.  thanks .

Good to understand what I am reading. Thanks.

Guess this topic was made for people like me :P very informative anyway :D thanks for the info ;(

Does anyone know if a Saber Forge spear extension is compatible with an Ultra saber Light Saber?

Not just you^^  It's been an invaluable resource to (speaking for myself and other newbs) all of us, especially first-timers  ;)

thanks for the info

Is the only difference with the LE hilts that they have the extra color in the grip grooves or is there some other functional difference?   Is LE meant to be "Limited Edition"? 

-GT

Only difference is color.

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