Ultra Sabers "Build Your Own Lightsaber" Tab

[Torin-La]

Hi SaberForum! my name is Torin-La and this is my first post.

I have been interested in going this route just to actually build a saber myself and possibly use it in a future fan film and I am not sure of everything I need to get from the website and what tools I need. So far I put the following items in my cart:
Emitter
Hilt
Pommel
Battery Holder
Switch
LED Module
Wired BuckPuck

Is there anything else I need from UltraSaber's end or am I good there? And what tools would I need?

Any info and tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[Sparky_D]

A blade? Or will you be CGing it in?

I'm pretty new to this as well, so not sure how much more help I can be...   

[Vivectius]

See here: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=11521.0

And pretty much the rest of the Technical Forum as well.  A lot of DIY questions have already been asked and answered in there.

[Torin-La]

Thanks for that!

Sparky_D: I am meaning the build your own hilt, I already have blades. I was planning on filming a scene of a Jedi putting a Hilt together.

Vivectius: Thanks! So then I wouldn't need the BuckPuck if I didn't want sound? Ugh this is still kind of confusing.

[scifidude79]

If you don't want sound, you just wire the LED module and battery pack directly to the switch.  It's a simple matter of breaking and completing the electrical flow to turn the light off and on.  The button is basically a light switch.  That's how my stunt sabers from US are wired.  Though, there is some kind of resistor in one of the wires between the battery pack and switch, you may want to find out from people who know about this stuff what kind it is.

[shade_1313]

If you don't want sound, you just wire the LED module and battery pack directly to the switch.  It's a simple matter of breaking and completing the electrical flow to turn the light off and on.  The button is basically a light switch.  That's how my stunt sabers from US are wired.  Though, there is some kind of resistor in one of the wires between the battery pack and switch, you may want to find out from people who know about this stuff what kind it is.

If you directly wire your LED to the power flow from the battery, be prepared to order a replacement LED, and the buckpuck/resistor you should have put in to begin with.

[scifidude79]

You may want to read more than the first sentence next time, since I said there was a resistor in there.

[GaleForceEight]

You may want to read more than the first sentence next time, since I said there was a resistor in there.

The LED is designed to work at a given voltage - which can vary from led to led depending on type and colour selection. So we want to deliver the correct voltage to the LED from a standard battery/power cell.

The resistor method drops the potential difference across the LED to the desired value by putting the correct value resistor in the circuit for the battery voltage and the required voltage that the LED needs. It is a system that works but it's not particularly energy efficient.

The buck puck works in a different way. It electronically controls the voltage being delivered to the LED by using an induction based voltage controller so that the LED gets the voltage it demands without wasting so much energy as heat (like the resistor method) so your battery will last longer.

[shade_1313]

You may want to read more than the first sentence next time, since I said there was a resistor in there.

I did, and what you said can easily be read as saying that the resistor may be unimportant.

[scifidude79]

I did, and what you said can easily be read as saying that the resistor may be unimportant.

In that case, I misspoke.  I certainly didn't mean for it to sound that way.  Indeed, one cannot stress enough the importance of something to lessen the current.  I only meant that a $14 buck puck isn't necessary when a 40¢ (or less) resistor would suffice.  I guess I didn't word it correctly.