Possible to make TFU2 saber with 1 led?

[Order Sixty Six]

First off - image.




Alright so in my head I'm invisioning this can be done by extending the pommel slightly more in order to fit the battery pack and led in to the pommel to illuminate the hilt so that all the technology is shrunk down into the pommel itself.

I think the wires can be discretely laced through up to the power on switch.

I'm wondering about the brightness though by using 1 led for about 32-36' lightsaber (8-10 inches of the hilt 24 inch blades). Off all the TFU sabers I like this one the most, using the original tfu saber with the crystal couldnt be used for dueling I think because you couldn't have anything to choke without breaking the hilt or hurting your hand... This saber seems like it could be nice aesthetically and still good for maneuvering.

Any ideas anyone would like to contribute? One day I'd like to salvage my dual initative v2 guts and do this - probably after i get a raven/sith stalker lightsaber so I don't gut my only sabers. Suggestions about materials would be a huge help.

[Iyce]

Whoa.

[thejedimasternick]

Hm. Well. That is interesting. Hah, pretty cool saber though. I think the LED is going to have to be where the pommel is, but with the battery pack it will not be as far back as that. Maybe a couple of inches more, but I dont think that would matter. I was thinking, just get a hollowed out blade that is wide enough to stick another blade into and just put all the pieces on top of that. So really, the only problem you would have is just putting the LED and battery pack so low. The blade should be durable enough to be a handle. And if you put maybe two retention screws into the emitter for the main blade, it should be ok. All of those extra pieces can be added with glue and pvc I think, so no issue there. Well, those are just my thoughts. Oh, another issue would probably be the activation button. May want to add another towards the bottom of the hilt to be the main button and use that red one just for show.
 

[Order Sixty Six]

Hm. Well. That is interesting. Hah, pretty cool saber though. I think the LED is going to have to be where the pommel is, but with the battery pack it will not be as far back as that. Maybe a couple of inches more, but I dont think that would matter. I was thinking, just get a hollowed out blade that is wide enough to stick another blade into and just put all the pieces on top of that. So really, the only problem you would have is just putting the LED and battery pack so low. The blade should be durable enough to be a handle. And if you put maybe two retention screws into the emitter for the main blade, it should be ok. All of those extra pieces can be added with glue and pvc I think, so no issue there. Well, those are just my thoughts. Oh, another issue would probably be the activation button. May want to add another towards the bottom of the hilt to be the main button and use that red one just for show.
 

The button shouldnt be so hard I think, from the pommel you can see a black panel attached at the bottom of the hilt in which you can hide the wiring in. You'd simply lace the wiring out through a hole in the hilt before you apply the black panel and then cut an indent in the inside panel for the wire to go up to the rings, & apply electrical tape over the wire so you can't see it from the other side. Then you would lace the wire inside the rings all the way to the power switch, and there you go :]

But like you said, the transparent material for the hilt is tricky. It would have to be some kind of thick transparent tubing that doesn't distort the light.

[thejedimasternick]

Ah ok, now i see it. Ok, makes sense. Yeah, I guess thw switch would work that way then. Hm, I think you could do it. The hilt though, is tricky. Maybe see if US could custom make you a blade that would be the hilt with the film on the inside to help evenly spread the light throught it. Then with the emitter, find a way to make sure the light doesnt escape where the blade begins?

[Order Sixty Six]

Ah ok, now i see it. Ok, makes sense. Yeah, I guess thw switch would work that way then. Hm, I think you could do it. The hilt though, is tricky. Maybe see if US could custom make you a blade that would be the hilt with the film on the inside to help evenly spread the light throught it. Then with the emitter, find a way to make sure the light doesnt escape where the blade begins?

where I'm facing the trouble is getting all the measurements right and the threading (oh god the threading). If I had a simple clear hilt with a screw on pommel that I could slide a blade into, the rest is easy because I'd just need to get a thin black acrylic tube that fits over the outer diameter of the hilt - and I could just subtract from the black tube.

also like you mentioned - I'd need the film, that seems like an easier task. But the trouble that brings up is hiding the led. We don't really notice our leds in our US because they are stashed several inches inside of our hilts, but with the led not inches inside of a tube the array of the light might be escaping through the sides at the bottom of the hilt... so it would be really bright at the bottom where you can see the led and the rest would be the same.

It would be a 3 step process to changing the batteries. take the black pommel cover off, unscrew the clear pommel thats a piece of the clear hilt, and then change the batteries.

Heat may be something to worry about with the led so close to the batteries. I'm also trying to take damage into consideration.

[Duff Man]

This and the hilt from the first one are on my wish list. A Member by the name of "youseekyoda" made a pair out of PVC and they look pretty sweet. http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=509.0 I think He would be able to help you out a lot.  

Add: I just re-read your Idea, and looked at the rendering,  and realized you mean to make the whole hilt light up!  "DUH" That would be pretty sweet, and probably a pain,  but I think it is just suppose to be white and the artist just put some shine on it.   But if you can do it GO FOR IT!.....and post pics because I want to see that!.  

[Kaiden Shardsbane]

Couple ideas/problems: 1) The activation switch is too long to just sit in the middle of the hilt like that.  If you look, you'll see it comes down about halfway into the Ultrasabers hilt.  I'd advise putting it in the pommel with the rest.

2) You could do the glowing hilt without too much trouble, actually.  All you'd have to do is make it as if it were a giant emitter, and then buy the longest blade you can get your hands on and slide it into the hilt so that it comes all the way to the pommel, but still gives you enough for a blade out the front.

[The_Night]

i agree with kaiden. you could use a slide switch or try and find a small latching switch somewhere. momentary wouldn't work with a direct drive. but i'd put it in the pommel section. for the red button in the middle you could use one of the red thumb screws from TCSS. do you know what kind of tube you're going to use for the hilt itself?

[Darth Wraith]

I for one would Love to see this Saber Made!!!!!! (with Aluminum), if you are able to pull it off, please show it off for us 

[Order Sixty Six]

i agree with kaiden. you could use a slide switch or try and find a small latching switch somewhere. momentary wouldn't work with a direct drive. but i'd put it in the pommel section. for the red button in the middle you could use one of the red thumb screws from TCSS. do you know what kind of tube you're going to use for the hilt itself?

I have to visit a couple of hardware stores. I probably won't be able to work on this much until my next semester of college starts.
I dont want to use the same tubing for the hilt that the blade uses because it would be more awkward to detach. I'm thinking some kind of clear pvc - I just hope that it doesn't distort the light too badly in thicker, stronger tubes.