Saber Forum

Hi all :).

You've prob heard me talking about this lately- I'm really excited to have the chance to do this special project, which is celebratory of a young boy finishing some very tough, very serious medical treatments, that IMO nobody, let alone a boy his age, should ever have to go through :(. 

I won't talk about the details of this too much out of respect for the family involved, because I don't feel right divulging personal info online without a prior understanding with the people involved, and plus who knows- maybe Ethan will join the forum one day, so who am I to be telling you his story- know what i mean? 

But aside from what I've already said, the rest of the back story is- Charlie, Ethan's father, contacted me locally about doing a saber for this occasion, and of course when I heard the details I decided to make this somehting that will just (hopefully lol) amaze him :).  Ethan's a to the bone SW fan, with many toy sabers, but no 'real' hilts, this will be his first Ultrasaber.  On top of this I know he wants a green blade, he's never had one that colour before.  Also his fav character is Vader, with kylo a close second- so I can kinda get a sense of his taste... and seems like a little man after my own heart!  I like his style lol. 

So- the time frame we need this by is the first week in April.  Not scrambling for time, but no time to waste certainly.   This thread will let me keep Charlie up to speed on the progress as it happens, I'll send him the link so he can watch it come together etc.  And then at the end I can link a vid to demo the saber and show instructions for Ethan.  I'll be starting with a chosen one se as the base- keeping his fav character in mind.  It will be cool to give him his own unique version :).  Basically the idea is, that this hilt will be Ethan's pride and joy, the crown jewel of his collection- I want to go for impressiveness over practicality- he's a young buck, so he'll be growing like crazy over the next little while, and if a premium hilt isn't as comfy a grip as an aeon v2 so be it- he'll grow into it.  I'm sure he'd rather have the holy grail than the sensible all things considered lol.

  I'll be personalizing the hilt like crazy- and I'm currently trying to perfect a technique of spot etching in experiments in another thread specifically for this project- gonna get some really cool aurebesh of his name in, etc.  Giving it a recharge port of course.  And since he wants a green blade, but yet his fav is Vader and kylo, and Vader's saber is the inspiration for this, I'm gonna throw in a 4 channel emerald so he can have best of both worlds, and absoutely set this thing to any colour blade and foc he wants- with added bonus of flicker/ pulse, which again, works perfect to his fav's.  It prob wouldn't be one of my builds without an accent or 13 lol, so I'm sure somehting like than will work it's way in lol, and I've got a pretty cool twist to this chosen one he he.  If you saw the updates to the sith 'flex then you can prob guess lol. 

I wanna do this up really awesome for him- even the way it's presented- so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a cool little old beat up chest a la the flex chest in TFA, in which I'll include a t track stand from one of my smith buddies, the charger of course, a circle plug, retention screw wrenches, etc, all wrapped up nicely in these litttle cloth bags I got from a friend. 

Alright enough flapping my gums- build log time  8)

Here's just some basic gathering/ preparing- can get a look at the twist I mentioned- the sleeve and act box off my sith flex ce.  It looks sweet on this hilt- matches the lines near the pommel like it was designed for it.  Plus the lack of clamp lever piece on this will ease grip for him a tad. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/664C1AEC-410F-4FA9-8F64-F1046DB56E8E_zpsmet5ojdr.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/664C1AEC-410F-4FA9-8F64-F1046DB56E8E_zpsmet5ojdr.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/DB0E3EE1-6905-4EE1-8ACE-251535F43D28_zpsuasflmvv.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/DB0E3EE1-6905-4EE1-8ACE-251535F43D28_zpsuasflmvv.jpg.html)
went with vented version because you still get the line in the vertical window, which gives you that look PLUS the windows- best of both worlds IMO. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/9A75AE8A-1653-47DE-88FE-7CE3648BFF4D_zpsuszbfjen.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/9A75AE8A-1653-47DE-88FE-7CE3648BFF4D_zpsuszbfjen.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/4224B920-BC5A-4A36-B72F-A7B4EF4F148A_zpsej0qcwvg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/4224B920-BC5A-4A36-B72F-A7B4EF4F148A_zpsej0qcwvg.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/EFA26363-8805-4315-A039-931873E0F2CE_zpsntmt9usj.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/EFA26363-8805-4315-A039-931873E0F2CE_zpsntmt9usj.jpg.html)
Man... I have to say- if I'm being honest, as excited as I am about all the new releases i have yet to own- there's like a 98% chance that the next hilt I buy for myself will be a chosen one lol.  It's gonna be hard to go any other way now that I've held one- so gorgeous!  Like really- it's breathtaking. 

Should have some time this weekend so I'll keep you posted.  Just have to solidify the plan/ vision which entails staring at this for a while longer lol, plus I need to keep on the etching practice too.  Lots to do, better get at it!

MTFBWY :).   

(EDIT) spotted something in pics I didn't mention- using a colour cycling rgb illuminated 16mm AV as the ignition switch, will go well with the emerald's infinite blade colours. 

Wow, I can't wait to see how it turns out, and it's so cool that you are willing and able to help out like this. Point to you for sure.

Thanks TR! 

There's gonna be some cool stuff along the way on this for sure :).  Can't wait! 

Looking forward to following this one.

Its looking great Revan--Point!

This is my favorite thing to see on SaberForum- people using sabers to connect with other people, such as a father customizing for a child or something like this, so I was really happy to see this.

Make sure to give Ethan all of our condolences and love from everyone on SaberForum.

Thanks guys! 

Will do for sure Boss :).  I will def be telling Ethan's father about the forum and this amazing community, and vouching for it as a totally safe and family friendly place full of positive, great people to share this hobby with- like you guys! 

Easiest recessed recharge port ever- just drilled a 5/16" hole in the body for the port to clear, then drilled a 3/8" hole in the sleeve for the countersink.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/C1FCBA2A-168A-45A1-BE80-CDF8C8B06E51_zpsvjisnjt9.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/C1FCBA2A-168A-45A1-BE80-CDF8C8B06E51_zpsvjisnjt9.jpg.html)
Next step- modifying the nut so it fits in that countersink.  That's becoming like one of my signature moves lol.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/78C7D49A-6689-495A-AD05-C003F11793EC_zpsfgrhlyux.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/78C7D49A-6689-495A-AD05-C003F11793EC_zpsfgrhlyux.jpg.html)
Look close- the nut is seated in there.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/ACEA3A85-E02B-4212-AB27-B9380831EEEB_zpsjkgu94bh.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/ACEA3A85-E02B-4212-AB27-B9380831EEEB_zpsjkgu94bh.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/5CBDF343-2F18-4574-8E61-987006BF7F19_zpssjvtix0w.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/5CBDF343-2F18-4574-8E61-987006BF7F19_zpssjvtix0w.jpg.html)
And here it is with the port fully tightened in place:
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/BF307957-206B-4322-978E-B639972003F4_zpsmhcujluf.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/BF307957-206B-4322-978E-B639972003F4_zpsmhcujluf.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/3FA8241D-A5AD-4C22-898E-3AA2C67E8A87_zpshkan6ncl.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/3FA8241D-A5AD-4C22-898E-3AA2C67E8A87_zpshkan6ncl.jpg.html)
Very happy with how that turned out :).  Spiffy little port. 

Now, when you look at the alignment of this you'll be thinking, oh man it's just a pinch too high/ skewed from centre with the switch, that bugs me!  Jed I know you will for sure lol...
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/3DA3ADEB-2388-4766-A9A5-A7C611B9C893_zpsokeueccs.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/3DA3ADEB-2388-4766-A9A5-A7C611B9C893_zpsokeueccs.jpg.html)

BUT WAIT!  The knurl I scooped for the key, a real beauty, comes from a source that uses offset ports- don't ask me why lol- but their keys and ports sit to one side:
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/3F20BBD7-76C7-4362-A7BD-CF4F9AB54E88_zpsqe0rmupk.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/3F20BBD7-76C7-4362-A7BD-CF4F9AB54E88_zpsqe0rmupk.jpg.html)
Sooo, now you see why I offset the port a smidge- it's the exact amount so that the key sits perfectly in line with the switch.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/AB5F9379-B722-48F4-AB34-AF6F8229120F_zpsnnrvg7db.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/AB5F9379-B722-48F4-AB34-AF6F8229120F_zpsnnrvg7db.jpg.html)
Only just finished, still need to clean up/ fine sanding around holes etc- but it turned out great.  I located the port strategically to not interfere with grip (Ethan's right handed), and it turns out it mimics the location of the transistor greeblie on the flex clamp on the iconic grenade grip saber from the OT, so that's a bonus. 

Keep you posted :). 

Rev,  I love watching you do your stuff. You need a plus 1000, too bad we don't got those.  Oh I mean -1000. 😊

What a great project and a great cause. Can wait to see what unfolds. The recharge port looks amazing. Blends in perfectly!

Great job Rev! Plusages all day long! Excellent work with the port.

Nice. I like this one. A little bit of both Vader and Anakin in a way :P

Exxxxxxxcellent (que Mr. Burns, lol). 

If the family changes their minds I will gladly have this Chosen One ;D

Points to you, brother . . . +1

Thanks so much everyone!!

Points heading back to you all as soon as possible of course :).  

Wow, this looks like nothing lol, but it was quite a task- precarious/ nerve racking lol.  I didn't like the fit of the flat bottom of the knurled piece on the sleeve, so I reshaped the bottom.  SO fine/ tiny scale of a contour tho, if you know what I mean- like the angles you're looking to hit are so subtle and the space is so small, yet it all has to match perfect or it just won't sit right, and once you get to a certain point where you're getting close, any nanometer you sheer off one spot affects how the OTHER side of the piece sits as well, so it gets tense lol.  But I'm happy with this :).  Not PERFECT, but it's pretty darn good, it looks like a nice 'seal' around the edge/ very nice fit, and I think it's about as good as I can possibly get it at this time with my current skill level, experience, tools, etc.  So I'm good with that.  All in all, I'm very happy with how the port turned out!  I'm going to etch something into the top of that kill key.  
This will all get cleaned up obviously.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/AA1739BB-2881-4429-B577-0F7B85500023_zpswljct3gg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/AA1739BB-2881-4429-B577-0F7B85500023_zpswljct3gg.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/2F37CFCF-B2A6-4AD8-8494-BA384F7C34F7_zpslskuixdg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/2F37CFCF-B2A6-4AD8-8494-BA384F7C34F7_zpslskuixdg.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/E69F37C2-76F0-4BED-8E0A-86C0E2356AB0_zpsf6wnylix.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/E69F37C2-76F0-4BED-8E0A-86C0E2356AB0_zpsf6wnylix.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/829BDE86-71C4-4BE0-9A40-4707ADDE9161_zpsgnegxkgg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/829BDE86-71C4-4BE0-9A40-4707ADDE9161_zpsgnegxkgg.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/34D1BFCB-913A-4874-A980-8510A0DF1988_zpsfcx2golu.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/34D1BFCB-913A-4874-A980-8510A0DF1988_zpsfcx2golu.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/3331BFCC-4AED-46F5-BC07-7AA0CA353F25_zpsycp7jt0d.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/3331BFCC-4AED-46F5-BC07-7AA0CA353F25_zpsycp7jt0d.jpg.html)
Keep you posted :).  

I know what you mean by that "nanometer" scale fitting, from other projects I've worked on. ;) Keep it up, you're doing a killer of a job! Looks amazing and I appreciate your dedication to the minute details.
Love to Ethan and his family.

Looking amazing Rev! cant wait to see how this finishes up!

I think that if we all keep pestering about a -1000 point bomb, maybe the SaberForum people will add it lol
 ;D ;D
Anyways, Rev, it looks awesome and I'm sure Ethan will love it.

Josh

Thanks SO much everyone, I really appreciate the support!  So does Ethan's father (who's watching this log)- when I spoke with him he said it was moving to see such support/ well wishes etc for this in the community, and he was most impressed :).  I hope this isn't weird to say, but I'm proud of this community lol. 

Thanks so much for the kind words, everybody :).  D7, great to see you!  Thanks for popping in!

Etched the knurl for the kill key today- lesson learned lol- make sure the resist you use to mark off your pattern is up to the task.  I cut the imperial cog out of a tiny sticker, the laminating felt plenty strong enough to hold up, but it began getting soggy and disintegrating- so I was forced to a compromise of sorts lol.  See, in the beginning it was turning out IMMACULATE- perfectly crisp edges and great shape- but the more I continued, the soggier and pulpier the sticker-template got, and the more I risked wrecking the whole etch (if it bled through anywhere there goes the shape).  I didn't want to stop right away tho because I wasn't deep enough yet- it would have been a perfect cog but only a black stain lol- I wanted this cut right in, so I pushed it absolutely as far as I could without wrecking the shape too much- reaching a compromise between a good shape and a deep enough etch.  The shape did suffer a tiny bit, but I feel it was worth it for the depth.  Happy with this, once I clean it up it'll look quite sharp- there's still crud on it here and it needs a caress from a sanding sponge badly lol.  But this will clean up nicely :). 

Sorry there's like 5.3 million angles to try and show you what I mean about the results of the shape vs. depth negotiating lol.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/75F09E93-64F9-4F5B-A6EB-07CE2B8F5ECB_zps5mhks2ef.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/75F09E93-64F9-4F5B-A6EB-07CE2B8F5ECB_zps5mhks2ef.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/0A9F0C68-C0C9-48C8-9F7E-192AD0D2132E_zpsvsx2fgfj.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/0A9F0C68-C0C9-48C8-9F7E-192AD0D2132E_zpsvsx2fgfj.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/AB86AF22-AF89-4537-8072-E0F6B15B91BE_zps137pw5ak.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/AB86AF22-AF89-4537-8072-E0F6B15B91BE_zps137pw5ak.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/B8448ABB-BAF2-4D2C-9804-6A17934925CE_zpscj4qu2ge.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/B8448ABB-BAF2-4D2C-9804-6A17934925CE_zpscj4qu2ge.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/0C2BAD7F-E5DE-422F-B7D5-E9277373B5C0_zpsi8folrs8.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/0C2BAD7F-E5DE-422F-B7D5-E9277373B5C0_zpsi8folrs8.jpg.html)

Like I said, all of this is only being roughed in ATM- tlc to come after.  Keep you posted :). 

Looks great is that the Salt/battery etch method?

Looking good, and I'm looking forward to following your latest project!

I'm sure he'll love it; Sounds like he has had a rough time of it, but Ultrasabers make everything better!

That kill switch looks killer. Great job.

(https://imgflip.com/s/meme/Mugatu-So-Hot-Right-Now.jpg)

That Kill Switch is so hot right now...

I WANT ONE!! Hi Ethan's dad!! :) :)

Again can we please get the -1000 point bomb?

Thanks guys!!

Ya Jediseth that's the method- just used a bit of salt dissolved into some vinegar and some batteries :). 

HAHAHA, Ginsu!  I'm dying laughing ATM lol, just got to work, I needed that lol.  Thanks man! 

Keep u posted :). 

Hey everyone :)

Sorry, I got blindsided by a wicked flu and sinus thing- totally rocked me.  Was outta commission all week. But I'm back lol!  Not a ton of time today but I managed to get some housekeeping/ prep done.  I'll need the module totally secured- it can't move at all because I'm gonna be running a handful of wires up past it for a wicked status indicator I'm putting in.  I know a way I can keep them out of the blade socket.

So the chosen one is cool- on top of just being gorgeous, it turns out it comes standard with a module retention screw.  The only thing I noticed about this one tho, is that due to the shape of the US mhs module (with the lip), the screw tends to lock it in place at an odd angle. (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/724E39F4-5B9B-4831-85E7-43945804FA23_zpswfp3yrqs.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/724E39F4-5B9B-4831-85E7-43945804FA23_zpswfp3yrqs.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/86F9537C-BBAE-4CA4-AC2A-6C5CE78487DC_zpsomorpdb6.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/86F9537C-BBAE-4CA4-AC2A-6C5CE78487DC_zpsomorpdb6.jpg.html)
This probably doesn't matter at all lol.  But the more I looked at it the annoying little jiminy cricket voice was wondering if the blade might turn out a little more evenly lit if i had it sitting in there straight lol. 

So first thing I thought was to tap a longer screw clean through the module (trimmed to not protrude inside it obviously) so that the retention screw continued right inside the module rather than pressing against it, and as it did it would draw the module back to centre.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/FC3237D3-0A09-4B2D-A432-9BAB94CA2792_zpszoqoe1zt.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/FC3237D3-0A09-4B2D-A432-9BAB94CA2792_zpszoqoe1zt.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/A1FF8385-0863-422D-9D26-783AE25ED14D_zpsnzhqtew1.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/A1FF8385-0863-422D-9D26-783AE25ED14D_zpsnzhqtew1.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/046534D9-80C6-40AF-A8C4-DC18130BCA15_zpsmqf6h76m.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/046534D9-80C6-40AF-A8C4-DC18130BCA15_zpsmqf6h76m.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/B16FF8F8-B1EC-4A46-ADDF-03D32A85C3D0_zpsjt3djbv9.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/B16FF8F8-B1EC-4A46-ADDF-03D32A85C3D0_zpsjt3djbv9.jpg.html)
Worked like a charm- or so i first thought lol.  Problem was there's a tiny gap between the top surface of this module where it sits in hilt, and the blade holder that slides down onto it- that's the thing it doesn't quite sit onto the module, there's a slight space between the two- and because of the direction of the threading and the motion of screwing or unscrewing in that retention screw, that module can still wiggle around in that gap a surprising amount.  So too much rattle for my tastes, and a wiggly module simply won't do here. 

Was all set to go back to drawing board, but then I realized I had already done all the work for the perfect solution- it's somehting I've done before elsewhere.  All i had to do was flip the module around to face the other way, and fit a much shorter set screw into the hole I tapped, which acts as an adjustable spacer.  So all I had to do was adjust the screw until it was the perfect height to shore up the empty space around the module/ the area under its upper lip, then use the original retention screw that comes with the chosen one to hold the module just like it did originally... only now with much better results :).  Epoxy the spacer set screw in place and trim anything protruding into module, easy peasy. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/469FFCA8-DDA4-40DB-9B7A-37F04A63A519_zpsg8legzws.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/469FFCA8-DDA4-40DB-9B7A-37F04A63A519_zpsg8legzws.jpg.html)
That's one secure module.  Like I was saying that will be important for an accent feature I'm adding later.

Another bit of playing around and deep thinking had me swapping the socketed 8-32 blade retention screw out for a long set screw.  I do like the way the socketed screw looks on the bulb release accent, but it's a tricky thing- see the socket screw only looks good up until a certain height, once it's sticking up so high it starts to look bad.  Sure you can trim the screw so that once you've tightened it against a blade, it sits very low to or even on the little bulb release box- but that leaves no room for the inevitable wearing that occurs along the blade/ screw over time, the loosening that occurs where you'd simply tighten the screw down a bit further... o wait- Ethan CAN'T tighten his retention screw down any further cause it's already butted up to the bulb release cause we wanted the socket screw sitting so low pro... see what I'm saying?  So for this reason, in this particular situation, the long set screw is a much more dependable, smarter option.  Looks a little better in there anyway IMO.  I like it recessed.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/10DC3243-B8FA-4DC1-83DC-71E620E2C5DF_zpscpyj3wjh.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/10DC3243-B8FA-4DC1-83DC-71E620E2C5DF_zpscpyj3wjh.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/98144CFB-7118-48D9-A75C-08F464D7177C_zpsqen9p0oi.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/98144CFB-7118-48D9-A75C-08F464D7177C_zpsqen9p0oi.jpg.html)

Ok, so that doesn't look like much- but those were practical issues that needed to be taken care of before I could move on to some flashier stuff lol.  Now I can do the body work for the accent feature, and also get some etching done.  Keep you posted :). 

Pretty innovative Rev.

Nice job. :)

I can't wait to see the end result.

-1

Its the attention to the tiny little details like this that make your mods so awesome. Enjoying seeing this come together!

This looks like it's really starting to come along. Can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done.

Point to you

No problem man lmao, the detail looks too fine for a q-tip, what did you use to make the etch

Any thought of locking the black bar down with a shorter socket screw and instead replacing the silver detail with its own 8-32 thumbscrew?

Thanks everyone!!

Ooo, Kouri I just got real intrigued real fast!  You mean in the bulb release box or the act box with av switch?

Actually Ginsu I totally did just use a q tip but you're right it was really tight, one dab in centre pretty much covered the whole pattern.  I used a little cog sticker to make the symbol, just stuck it over the knurl, taped the edges to protect against the overflow, and cut it out with a tiny exacto.  Next time I know to clear coat the sticker before cutting out shape tho, it got soggy and caused me to bail earlier than I wanted to on the etch to save the shape. 

Man, I was making good progress today and then the power went out :( lol.  I went to bed and when I got up to get ready for work it was still out lol!  Jeez!  It better be on by morning I have work to do.

Ok so with the module secured now I can start doing the body work for the accent- a wicked status indicator light that displays three statuses and lights dynamically to the sound of the saber.  So step one is mount the light, step 2 is pave the way for wires so they run outside blade socket and around module on their way down to board.

So first goes the 13/64" hole to clear the narrow part of the 5mm rgb lens.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/B30E0A03-6EE9-4C04-9B64-4ED33EE9A947_zpsz7jtdke1.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/B30E0A03-6EE9-4C04-9B64-4ED33EE9A947_zpsz7jtdke1.jpg.html)

Then on the underside a slight 15/64" recess for the flange at the base of the lens- but only JUST enough so it sits up inside without affecting fit of the bulb release box on hilt- I don't want ANY extra room in there for accent, so the fit of box holds it super tight.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/FAFF8FFA-6476-4C06-8633-64C6339EA6E3_zps6irlgtup.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/FAFF8FFA-6476-4C06-8633-64C6339EA6E3_zps6irlgtup.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/487C5BFF-275F-4F7C-BE4C-B4814D2BEDAD_zpsfypg7yeo.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/487C5BFF-275F-4F7C-BE4C-B4814D2BEDAD_zpsfypg7yeo.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/172B9640-E1D5-4C51-A156-BFF1100A0BEB_zpsd9fpb5ks.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/172B9640-E1D5-4C51-A156-BFF1100A0BEB_zpsd9fpb5ks.jpg.html)
So now the accent will be mounted tightly by the fit of this box.

But I need the 4 legs to pass through.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/B0898218-E114-4CB0-AAD1-DEB1B7A3BEBE_zpsmuvgncxe.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/B0898218-E114-4CB0-AAD1-DEB1B7A3BEBE_zpsmuvgncxe.jpg.html)

To do that I drilled a hole big enough to get a file started (I had smaller files that could have gone in smaller holes but this one actually had the narrowest footprint when turned sideways so I used it)- the hole is hidden by box completely.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/DE5319F5-6710-44C6-A70F-713E6EA52211_zpstxo1hjro.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/DE5319F5-6710-44C6-A70F-713E6EA52211_zpstxo1hjro.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/3144541E-CD7D-432C-91C1-FCE3C616CC41_zpsxxgrj5to.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/3144541E-CD7D-432C-91C1-FCE3C616CC41_zpsxxgrj5to.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/65C05CCD-1F3F-47E2-9EE5-026E7E20CE98_zpscdwk0lxg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/65C05CCD-1F3F-47E2-9EE5-026E7E20CE98_zpscdwk0lxg.jpg.html)

And there you have it- step one roughed in (tlc to come after). 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/E05EC093-C8A2-458F-A8CF-7E63863C7C68_zpskge58yhe.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/E05EC093-C8A2-458F-A8CF-7E63863C7C68_zpskge58yhe.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/38DA891D-8AD3-476F-9C3E-E4CF69EBF58F_zpsroaqm7yb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/38DA891D-8AD3-476F-9C3E-E4CF69EBF58F_zpsroaqm7yb.jpg.html)
Now I need to cut a path through the outside of blade holder and through outside of module.  Hydro electric power providing, I'll keep you posted lol :). 

Is that accent led an RGB led? And how are you going to get all three colors to work?

I'm not even going to pretend to know what you're doing, but it looks cool, so I'll give you a point. :D

Very cool Rev . . . . point bomb Bro  ;D

Yeah, was talking about the bulb release. I'd assumed that emitter-end socket screw could help secure the black bar (though current pics make it look like there's no lip to lock - I still haven't handled a Chosen One), and since there's already that raised silver detail, you could just replace it with a long 8-32 thumbscrew. Don't have measurements to compensate for the bar, but I'm guessing 1/2"-9/16" ought to do it. Then you can use a small o-ring as an adjustable washer to keep tension and cover exposed threading when it's not tightened down 100%.

Just go run an eBay search for "8-32 knurled screw" and you should find a bunch of options.

I just mention because the ease of tool-free blade retention is my personal preference when 110% accuracy isn't a concern.

Alternatively, you could treat it like a Force FX conversion and have the emitter shroud thumbscrew double as blade-retention - even if it means having to glue the shroud in place. I know TCSS stocks a decent replacement, but similar styles aren't difficult to find online.

Could also swap all the hardware for brass screws for a little extra Kylo influence~

Yup- frosted/ diffused lens 5mm common anode rgb led.  Wow that's a mouthful isn't it lol?  

you see shared negative rgb's used in sabers more often- but for this set up it's more straightforward to go with common anode (shared positive) rgb.  Although, this is a 4 cannnel emerald lol... but don't even get me started lol, we need this by the dawn of April.

It's simple enough, not complicated, though it creates an awful lot of splices all over the place and extra wire to worry about- so good thing to be comfortable with installs before trying.  If you're like me and you wanna visually follow everything around to make sure it works in theory before powering, even somehting small/ simple like this can be enough to give you an ulcer lol- small price to pay for this indicator tho IMO.  

There's different ways you could do it, and you could choose to use any colours/ mix in any sequence you wanted, but here's what I'm doing.  All the dice share their positive, that's important to visualizing how this works/ keep in mind- they're all live at once.  So I'm gonna do the green as the idle/ stand by status indication.  Seems natural choice, and remember Ethan wants a green blade (tho he'll be able to set to whatever he wants) so that jives nicely too.  So to start I'll wire the positive (for all dice) to my positive recharge port post, the equivalent of wiring directly to battery basically, for an always on (except when kill key inserted) stand by indication type configuration for that first colour, green, so our indicators green even  when saber off.  The negative of that green diode simply gets wired to the switched negative post of the recharge port, or the negative of battery directly if no port, the same way you'd do any accent you wanted direct wired (like a switch etc).  So that's our first status taken care of.  

Next colour will be yellow, to indicate the sabers working full power, and at this point the light will actually start to articulate what the sabers doing-  so like when the sabers sound fonts hum is really spiking or during a particularly climactic sounding point in a swing sound (or even flash but we'll get to that) etc the yellow will flare the brightest, and in general the yellow will fire to the rhythm of the saber, sputter, flare, basically animate what the sound is doing.  that shift from a nice solid steady green status to this type of yellow is really effective for an indicator light :), looks great.  

introducing the red diode gets the golden yellow colour I need- so I just have to wire the negative of the red diode to the speaker negative.  The power is already sitting right on the reds front door step waiting to go running through its light emitting diode, but it can't cause the door's closed until the channel opens up for the speaker signal.  That gives the yellow life in harmony with what the saber's doing at the moment.  

Then for extra flare, I'll have that yellow spike to a bright complex white'ish colour with random diff hues in it but mainly a hint of purple.  I'll grab the remaining blue diode's negative and send it to the flash on clash pin.  With all dice firing you get a white'ish colour, but the yellow cuts out for nano's at a time, leaving purple that's a little too brief to show outright.  I was gonna do a purple hue'd white for the foc anyways, plus I think that white is a good neutral flash colour- will provide the right effect no matter how he's got the emerald set.  

Something similar to this, but obviously not exactly- this one uses multiple leds, but they're actually wired exactly the same way.  Somehting like that would be too clunky here, this will be nice and low impact... but at same time high impact if you know what I mean:

https://youtu.be/DAEnhu5byjs

Ah I see!  That's a sweet idea with the knurled screw and washer Kouri :).  I also like the brass idea big time.  Thought about that too intially, thought I could slip some trimmed brass rod into the vertical running holes on each side of the rear of the emitter shroud too, not sticking out but just to have shiny brass plugs in there to match brass hardware, which automatically had me thinking electrical pins lol- but then I thought pins and brass might be a bit overzealous lol, I'd almost certainly do it if it were mine haha!  I really like the sound of the tool free retention tho, perfect idea for a younger guy who's gonna grow into this saber :). 

Thanks again everybody!!  Points coming to eveyone as soon as possible! 

I'd say to keep it simple since you're on a time limit. Ready-to-buy brass hardware instead of machining new bits.

Half of the 8-32 thumbscrews you find will be brass.

The socket screws can be replaced with slotted brass machine screws, as long as you file the heads down (just chuck 'em in a drill and spin against a file).

Brass covertec wheel's an option, but US gold-anodized is a good match, too.

16mm brass AV switches are easy to get hold of, but I don't think they come lit. The yellow-anodizes lit switches are a totally different color from natural brass, so I wouldn't go that route.

Gotchya, ok its settled Im going out to buy alligator clips to salt etch lol. Whenever I do my Supernatural saber that will be my method.

Hey everybody :)

To anyone I still haven't responded to for pm's I'm SUPER sorry!!!  My inbox is down to 35 as of the moment so I'm almost caught up- just had zero time lately with work and this project ramping up to full tilt. 

Had to work this weekend but I still hammered out some awesome progress here :).

Modified led module for wire to clear and for mounting etc.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/5E067CB1-F179-48B1-9956-F6EBEB968D39_zpsibmw3bft.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/5E067CB1-F179-48B1-9956-F6EBEB968D39_zpsibmw3bft.jpg.html)
the spacer set screw is there below the red mark, and the black mark is where the retention screw doing the work locks it in place.  This allows me to REALLY fine tune where and how the module mounts, which is awesome cause I needed that for this build lol.  Super happy with that.  The three notches are for the negatives of each colour in the rgb, which will pass down on one side of the retention screw, while the positive goes down on the other so I can keep the wiring tight/ clean. 

Removed the material from the back of the blade holder- triangular shape so the 4 legs can split/ diverge to their slots, with the set screw in the middle, and there's extra room for generous layers of shrink for hard edges and heat from the module.  The spot for the set screw is marked in red, the other is from this modules previous home. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/D4453269-FF41-483A-8794-D7AAC9B7EB2F_zpsnvxujgs4.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/D4453269-FF41-483A-8794-D7AAC9B7EB2F_zpsnvxujgs4.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/974C95A8-B94D-4FFA-BF74-72F52D3142CA_zpsm2emcmdo.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/974C95A8-B94D-4FFA-BF74-72F52D3142CA_zpsm2emcmdo.jpg.html)
Big fan of this module retention set up- let me shore up the nano gap that used to be between module and bottom of blade holder, now they butt up to each other so zero chance of pinching wires in blade socket :).  Plus I could get the module centred, aligned straight, and even favour the side with the most wires passing by just enough that you can't even tell. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/C9876A24-5F66-4A94-BD0A-F3BB2B684AA4_zpsrmfq7aef.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/C9876A24-5F66-4A94-BD0A-F3BB2B684AA4_zpsrmfq7aef.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/E567D2F0-8667-4C8B-8ADB-BABE1B8494A4_zpslkqhp03l.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/E567D2F0-8667-4C8B-8ADB-BABE1B8494A4_zpslkqhp03l.jpg.html)
Slapped on loose to show you.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/6BB0BA8E-3026-486A-B4EF-5F513FFC79A1_zpslychaztf.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/6BB0BA8E-3026-486A-B4EF-5F513FFC79A1_zpslychaztf.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/9CC3CCB9-0F95-4507-AEB2-E69192852C1B_zpstneubhpv.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/9CC3CCB9-0F95-4507-AEB2-E69192852C1B_zpstneubhpv.jpg.html)

Sweet!  So that takes care of the status indicator in a structural sense... now the fun part :).  Some gold circuitry inlays with a trace connecting it to the kill key- I've always wanted to do something like this, for SO long now! 

Fun might be a strong word though haha!  A few cap fulls of salt, a few shot glasses of apple cider vinegar, almost 400 q tips, about 11 hours, and a few Robax later, I'm still not quite deep enough yet.  Suppose I could have skipped the robax if I had the sense to elevate the work piece lol, but what am I an ergonimicist?!  ;)  haha!  I'll be shambling around like golem without his precious tonight! 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/AC19A533-6042-45AC-9900-86B6327D9021_zpskqak9h4t.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/AC19A533-6042-45AC-9900-86B6327D9021_zpskqak9h4t.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/AFBF8A00-4450-4061-97C1-95E09FD473BB_zps8hpehazv.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/AFBF8A00-4450-4061-97C1-95E09FD473BB_zps8hpehazv.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/BB27464E-AD82-4C7E-96F2-86A793FE47A9_zpsizdpcwuu.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/BB27464E-AD82-4C7E-96F2-86A793FE47A9_zpsizdpcwuu.jpg.html)
It's actually really deep already- any other circumstance I woulda stopped by now but I need this REALLY really deep, so when I put the gold and clear in it still looks deeply cut with a layer sitting in the bottom.

I'm still really impressed with this method- for a pattern this size and this deep you'd really use acid or submerged electro, but this is working awesome for what it is!  I need more time to experiment/ practice other etching techniques, so just some extra patience/ determination required here.

Sorry guys, I'll be back around to catch up on everything on here and pm's- gotta work tonight so need to keep at this- just had break to eat and I actually depleted that battery pack lol, needed to charge some 14500's.  Can't wait to see what's up with all these projects tho like the lantern core and temple gaurd etc!  There's def been a boom in customs lately- very cool :). 

Look like good progress. Can you hook up an RGB led to Obsidian?  Or just only one of the colors?

Thanks :)

Yup- the board itself doesn't handle led driving so you'd need to add emerald, but you could hook an rgb in any config you want to obsidian and it'll power it- it just can't articulate/ drive the dice for you.  In terms of accents there's plenty of ways to make obsidian work an rgb for you. 

Well, I better crash- work is gonna be a nightmare tonight.  Was a rough weekend in there and by the end I started ignoring the calls so I could do this haha, now I know exactly what's waiting for me tonight.  Ugh lol. 

Good rinse, then a little tlc with alcohol or acetone, but light on that it'll mangle the tape and compromise the shape. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/981D66D7-7897-4840-ACE3-A04A92BFF314_zps2olsiqmi.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/981D66D7-7897-4840-ACE3-A04A92BFF314_zps2olsiqmi.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/D1CF11B7-AC7A-4B9D-BCF4-3948025E8274_zps1xzjmcjy.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/D1CF11B7-AC7A-4B9D-BCF4-3948025E8274_zps1xzjmcjy.jpg.html)
I didn't put enoug paint down to really get a reflective gold finish like you see on the tape around the area- I would have had to build up too much of a layer down in there and eliminate the depth- but I'm hoping/ thinking it will still show enough of a gold tone and contrast to the silver hilt- just will look older, more bronze from the patina under the gold.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/1A6B6A3B-6524-4EE7-9ADF-D9ACA697C504_zpsumungpdp.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/1A6B6A3B-6524-4EE7-9ADF-D9ACA697C504_zpsumungpdp.jpg.html)
Keep u posted :).

Once again, very nice.

Point to you

Thanks TR :)

All night at work I was thinking about getting home and getting that tape off lol.  Check this out:
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/23BD6150-00C5-488A-8951-6D3BA83BEA78_zpsyaohwebn.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/23BD6150-00C5-488A-8951-6D3BA83BEA78_zpsyaohwebn.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/019B6B69-CA82-450E-AA7B-2534A1E50ADF_zpsz7r9vukx.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/019B6B69-CA82-450E-AA7B-2534A1E50ADF_zpsz7r9vukx.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/0555403C-009C-4E23-8CCB-8E3560C9D918_zpslpznggpd.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/0555403C-009C-4E23-8CCB-8E3560C9D918_zpslpznggpd.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/37F02652-8C0B-4F6B-995C-21A0E1741C74_zpsk58tiejb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/37F02652-8C0B-4F6B-995C-21A0E1741C74_zpsk58tiejb.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/FC83F9EB-A991-4A41-841B-938965B1D5D1_zpsmk9bforb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/FC83F9EB-A991-4A41-841B-938965B1D5D1_zpsmk9bforb.jpg.html)
Not too shabby 8) lol.  Still need to clean it up, but I'm really happy with how that turned out.  The rest of the etching won't need to be so insanely deep because it'll be getting aluminum blackener which won't raise the profile at all in the etched area.  Gonna do 'Ethan' in aurebesh for sure, and I also thought considering the occasion for this hilt, the first line of the Jedi code would be wicked- 'there is no fear.'  But I'll have to see how well I can pull off the lettering lol, don't wanna bite off more than I can chew. 

Keep you posted :). 

THAT LOOKS AWESOME REV!!  :o :o

Very cool indeed.  Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do next. ;)

-1

Wow, that came out really well, looks fantastic Rev!

If the masking ever stars peeling before paint, you can always just spray the whole area and then wipe off the raised surface with a solvent-soaked rag. 90% isopropyl alcohol will work fine on fresh paint, but you might need a stronger paint thinner on something that's cured overnight. Would let you add some accent colors to the clamp grooves, too.

Oh I like that idea! adding the same gold to the clamp grooves would look awesome! (and I dont like gold... go figure! lol)

Thanks guys!!

I'm really stoked- big moment for me taking that tape off this morning lol, I've imagined doing my own custom inlays since I got into mods etc, kinda surreal to look at this now :).  Next project I do it on I'm thinking I'll gold leaf it, and then after that I'd like to try my hand at actually plating the etch.  But I need to know what I'm doing at that point lol. 

Kouri that's a wicked idea, thanks for the tip man!  That would look insane!  You know, looking at the grooves in the clamp- they're kinda beveled/ rounded wide, which looks stunning, but makes me wonder how they'd hold the paint with gripping over time?  BUT if I etched those grooves a little to make them more right angled, not to mention how the etching turns the metal all porous and great for taking paint, then it'd stick like a champ...

Not sure I'd have the time to etch the whole clamp for this project- but that gives me a wicked idea about doing something like that around the kill key- making a little area around the key have gold in the grooves- I think that would really tie it to the status indicator nicely and bring it all together.  Might be hard to imagine what I mean but I'll show you soon :).  Thanks for the idea!  I'll def have to do that full clamp etching and inlay of the grooves in the flex mod I plan to do soon tho, no doubt- ill have all the time I need for that one it's just mine. 

Keep you posted :).  Points still coming to everyone ASAP. 

Thanks to chronic disorganization at work, I was stuck in there all weekend saving the day lol, so I don't have any new etching to show yet- but I told them it's crunch time for this project now, so not to even bother asking me about overtime until after :).   I've just been crashing on the couch lately with the saber on the coffee table, staring at the circuitry etch (uncleaned atm) and dreaming up how to do the rest of etching.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/C32CD235-CECD-4C13-A292-61C713B7E7C2_zps3lzx2hlj.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/C32CD235-CECD-4C13-A292-61C713B7E7C2_zps3lzx2hlj.jpg.html)

 I still got to some loose ends this weekend tho, turning out really nice.  I also reorganized the shop/ outer rim lab when I picked up a sweet little work station they were ditching this weekend.  Perfect for a dedicated soldering area, freeing up much needed room for body work and such- no more worries about dust wrecking electronics etc and the extra room to move is really making things easier :). 

The key, and also the spacer screw in the mls module, are all epoxied.  I also cleaned up the notches in the module so there's no rough edges etc.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/15C0BDC2-4939-4D60-A9C6-2E9F0E374105_zpsdojvyzca.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/15C0BDC2-4939-4D60-A9C6-2E9F0E374105_zpsdojvyzca.jpg.html)

Started cleaning up the key- man it's nice having my whole bench!
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/5937702D-A2F1-41E8-8E8E-F281C368A714_zpssqymctlm.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/5937702D-A2F1-41E8-8E8E-F281C368A714_zpssqymctlm.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/04C0B634-EEF6-4663-ACEC-644FE5B9E5D4_zpsi6gsxm8r.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/04C0B634-EEF6-4663-ACEC-644FE5B9E5D4_zpsi6gsxm8r.jpg.html)

A normal US circle plug sits down in a Chosen One deep if you want it to sit on the module and be visible in all the windows- I'm glad cause this lets me do the type of blade plug I thought would look best.  Sort of a hybrid between vaders return hilt (MoM saber) and the Graflex.  If you're wondering Charlie, the blade plug is mainly to protect eyes, cause these leds are powerful enough to cause permanent damage to sight- kinda like staring directly at the sun or being caught with the sight of a weld type thing, whenever I test leds I'm seeing spots lol, I need some goggles or somehting.  But the plug blocks the majority of the direct view and helps keep people safe from being flashed/ blinded when the actual blade tube isn't in, like when he's wearing it, got it on the dresser, etc.  Plus they just look cool lol.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/1C54B6D4-19C2-44F1-8BEA-12935B116376_zpsg7an961s.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/1C54B6D4-19C2-44F1-8BEA-12935B116376_zpsg7an961s.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/40F133B5-3D94-464A-8792-6B4E47FDCD35_zpsxkg5osnd.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/40F133B5-3D94-464A-8792-6B4E47FDCD35_zpsxkg5osnd.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/EFAB74A1-E4C0-40EB-845E-AFE2549A18B0_zpsjasye4wi.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/EFAB74A1-E4C0-40EB-845E-AFE2549A18B0_zpsjasye4wi.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/F7545A71-24EC-42E9-A405-07103D3DA9F7_zpshchhft1f.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/F7545A71-24EC-42E9-A405-07103D3DA9F7_zpshchhft1f.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/5BB54655-6728-4B32-9E81-A1B88E5A8E9C_zpsngnlvmyx.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/5BB54655-6728-4B32-9E81-A1B88E5A8E9C_zpsngnlvmyx.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/2B3A6426-9C1C-4750-9C0C-0CA9B7A8723B_zpsfq56qkre.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/2B3A6426-9C1C-4750-9C0C-0CA9B7A8723B_zpsfq56qkre.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/94AEE72D-740E-493B-80CE-C3F7AD9405BA_zpsb4v9uvw0.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/94AEE72D-740E-493B-80CE-C3F7AD9405BA_zpsb4v9uvw0.jpg.html)
Can't wait to see that all lit up!

Progress will really start showing this week.  I'll have the internals all wired up and ready to go within a couple days, while I get the last of the etching into the body.  Then I install and give it a test :).  I have some pics of the insides at the new soldering area, and what's going on there, but I'll save that for tomrrow morning so i can demonstrate it and show people here how to get one of these accents running as a 3 stage status indicator on their obsidian sound board set ups.   Keep u posted :). 

Very cool Rev.  Way to go snagging that workstation - can't wait to see.

Yes, let's see that puppy lit-up...lol

Look how awesome you make a blade plug.  A BLADE PLUG for Pete's sake. :)

Blade Plugs are something I can understand. Very cool little mod you did there. It will look great once it's lit up.

Point to you

Great work. I love the gold inlay and that's a sweet mod to the blade plug!

Thanks guys!

Ok I didn't get as much time as I expected but I pretty much have everything prepped, so tomorrow's the day for sure for having together to test, and I can show you how to hook in one of these accents. 

I'll just be hooking together to make sure it's all working like I think, that it's all good, and to confirm the condition of the speaker and switch-I have extras if need be, need to make sure these are good.  Not to mention, for purposes of intstall there's no point trying to finalize the internals yet- once I've got things running into the body then I can braid nicely and trim to length etc- but would be premature at this point- I've got more length than I need inetntionally pre-install. 

Alright, so the stuff at the new soldering area: the 4 channel emerald, v3 obsidian (I think), the 2x 14500 Li ion holder, speaker, usual soldering stuff obviously, some tape, plus some other things I'll need like resistors, random shrink, the colour wire I'll want (sticking with 24gauge for strength), etc. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/3E882713-4DC6-4768-B0CE-53A071F957B2_zpszltu4d0d.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/3E882713-4DC6-4768-B0CE-53A071F957B2_zpszltu4d0d.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/A88B2F13-F018-4CFD-B364-2DA089AB5586_zpscfnyo9fz.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/A88B2F13-F018-4CFD-B364-2DA089AB5586_zpscfnyo9fz.jpg.html)

Looking at this just gets me that much more excited about the diamond controller, if that's even possible lol. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/B2ACA8EE-097F-4D9F-99AB-28BA5D42813E_zps3yxqcvg1.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/B2ACA8EE-097F-4D9F-99AB-28BA5D42813E_zps3yxqcvg1.jpg.html)
I'll need to get this real tidy for Ethan to slide out and change his colours/ sound font.  The top of the boards have the resin, but you can see the bottom, which is handy for tracking the foc pin/ wires without consulting a diagram (one day I will, it could clear up some questions I still have the easy way lol).
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/854FB983-34AC-4F7C-ACF0-2FDDC2EF2EAB_zps7ott5hs6.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/854FB983-34AC-4F7C-ACF0-2FDDC2EF2EAB_zps7ott5hs6.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/9E8E1F64-A3C3-4A05-9547-433A98665A72_zpssodct3y9.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/9E8E1F64-A3C3-4A05-9547-433A98665A72_zpssodct3y9.jpg.html)

I can't even tidy this up yet until I see the speakers legit.  Then I can permanently attach speaker, finalize that part of the wiring and lock in the batteries for good. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/0E37F9C2-02EB-4989-A792-AD4029822F3A_zpsgkjhe0vj.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/0E37F9C2-02EB-4989-A792-AD4029822F3A_zpsgkjhe0vj.jpg.html)

I had the led sitting in its old module just to let it set onto its heat sink since I opted to go for a couple star thermal tapes instead of the grease.  Now it's nice and locked on from sitting held/ compressed while I finished tweaking the new module.  So time to move the led to its new home, and give it a shiny new lens while we're at it.  Gotta admit, the emeralds not wired like I expected- 4 individually addressable dice you'd expect 8 leads right?  Nope- 6.  Somethings common (?), but that's interesting cause any channel could be foc depending on whim of user, so it must all be in the board- how it actually articulates the dice?  Dunno- wish I had time to examine this a bit but it'll have to wait till I get a look at my other emerald- no time here. (Or I could just check a diagram lol, but I'm stubborn).  Either way doesn't even affect me here- I'm not changing any part of the main led circuit- I'm messing with everything else lol. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/C4EB51C9-E187-4E8A-9A47-FCE7397535B7_zpsy5mdowkh.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/C4EB51C9-E187-4E8A-9A47-FCE7397535B7_zpsy5mdowkh.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/C3F0F639-15EC-4476-B5B8-E8647F056745_zpsqdxnog1x.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/C3F0F639-15EC-4476-B5B8-E8647F056745_zpsqdxnog1x.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/495B9C33-456C-4F63-AE4B-A04C44011BE6_zpslnzwgs41.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/495B9C33-456C-4F63-AE4B-A04C44011BE6_zpslnzwgs41.jpg.html)

Time to break out the trusty tester pack- chunk of a kylo toy with a latching switch patched on to a 700mA puck, perfect for testing/ identifying etc most high powered dice I'll work with on the safe side, and a 5mm deep red off a 20mA dyna ohm, handy to tell me if the switch is in on position, and removable so I can safely test just about any small led I'll work with- which I'll do now to identify which legs/ dice are which.  Easy since there's only one positive for them all.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/DEF24436-6038-4FC3-9395-557B978ACEB5_zps0rilx6fx.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/DEF24436-6038-4FC3-9395-557B978ACEB5_zps0rilx6fx.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/792C7B87-7A1A-45DB-B9FE-149A72A006D0_zpsppl2nwhb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/792C7B87-7A1A-45DB-B9FE-149A72A006D0_zpsppl2nwhb.jpg.html)
Bam
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/833AF8B4-B808-4364-8130-8F6638C457D8_zpsyfnzosek.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/833AF8B4-B808-4364-8130-8F6638C457D8_zpsyfnzosek.jpg.html)
Bam
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/8EA18A1F-B0B5-4941-8C6F-4A45E4BB8376_zpsp3ge8yyi.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/8EA18A1F-B0B5-4941-8C6F-4A45E4BB8376_zpsp3ge8yyi.jpg.html)
Bam

Now I can solder the leads on- let's go red for positive, black for green since those two are just running to recharge port, white for the red (-), and purple for the blue (-)... probabaly wonder why not blue lol, but the blue die is the foc in this config, and I'm so used to using purple for foc. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/09F757C1-1B1B-4D52-B1A3-E7F8BC6BAD1A_zpssrnv6wqe.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/09F757C1-1B1B-4D52-B1A3-E7F8BC6BAD1A_zpssrnv6wqe.jpg.html)
I could have trimmed the ends a tiny bit more to be perfect, but those are solid joins, and these leads simply won't be able to move at all anywhere near the joins.  It's all locked in place well.  The hardest thing I did today was get the bloody shrink over those bends and snug all the way to the base of lens so no potential for shorting lol- the legs are so close the shrink interferes with the next shrink, doesn't wanna go on all the way lol, but I got it!
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/C8096F34-9CEC-40B5-B619-6FD0B859C9E6_zpsfwqblgal.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/C8096F34-9CEC-40B5-B619-6FD0B859C9E6_zpsfwqblgal.jpg.html)

Good idea to put somehting soft down when working with your switch- flat ones will show scuffing way easier than you expect.  I'm realizing looking at this pic now that I didn't trim switch posts like I usually do- hoping that doesn't come back to bite me lol.  Not worried there's plenty of room in this one- I'm running less wire/ etc than I seem to be averaging lately lol. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/B6E49A60-BE55-464D-BED0-B68DB7B517E9_zpsplcqvr0u.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/B6E49A60-BE55-464D-BED0-B68DB7B517E9_zpsplcqvr0u.jpg.html)
The switch led wires just go 3/4" to the right to the recharge port, so they're shorter- the switch wires are longer cause they'll connect down to board and be done up nicely to allow access. 

So now I grab the 2.1mm jack and we're ready to hook all this up :).  Piece of cake from here- that's going down tomrrow morning.  Keep you posted.

You make it all sound so simple! lol

Totally awesome Rev!

Yes, tell us what you learn about adding an Emerald board - I'll be doing that someday. ;)

Trim switch posts huh?

Very cool. (I think ::) ) Anyways, great job again. Point to you.

Your technical prowess never ceases to amaze, Rev. This will be a fine saber when it's completed!

Thanks everyone, really appreciate!

Great to see you Sedsti!  Best wishes in the academic quest brotha, look forward to having you back :). 

And now it's time for another episode of: Rev makes hilariously embarrassing mistakes in public!  Lol

So let's take another look at the led from yesterday-
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/C4EB51C9-E187-4E8A-9A47-FCE7397535B7_zpsy5mdowkh.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/C4EB51C9-E187-4E8A-9A47-FCE7397535B7_zpsy5mdowkh.jpg.html)
Notice anything hilarious?  Especially in light of the comments I made about it not looking like I expected etc... ?

How about those two unused solder pads right smack in the middle of the friggn mcpcb haha?!  If we have a rgbw led- there's no other dice on that puppy- and we clearly see empty pads, it means one of the dice isn't wired (green) lol.  Doh!  Pretty hard to get Ethan his green blade without that haha!  Remember how I said I wished I had more time to look at this lol?  Well maybe I should have lol, for like even for 10 seconds at just what was in front of my face lol.  Thankfully Jed was looking out, and tends to observe the things in front of his eyes on a regular basis lol, and gave me the heads up. 

So THAT's why there were only 6 wires lol.  This was a special emerald saber originally- was a 1st prize in a raffle :), which explains the unique 3 channel emerald configuration- and I hadn't played with the settings at all to realize this yet.  (It came in a wicked unstable chaotic white flicker that I always kept as is). 

Wow- it's amazing I don't run into stationary objects more often lol :(. 

Reasons why discovering this now is annoying: 1) I just finished thoroughly levelling up the leds ability to dissipate heat... if this were final fantasy 7 it would be at level 99 with its final limit break and all the master materia and ultimate weapons etc... and now i have to solder to it lol.  I sense a disturbance in the force... it feels  like melting wires and gross stains on the mcpcb lol. 

2) Jed gave me the heads up that the spots I'll need to solder on the emerald to get my green channel in are super tiny and hard to reach.  And not just a little- like there's a 50/50 chance I'll just wreck it lol.  Awesome lol.   Well I'm just getting home so I'm super eager to take a look!  Gonna go do that now. 

It's no deal breaker either way :).  First- through the force all things are possible lol.  I honestly think I can solder this no matter how tricky it is... (famous last words ha!)... PLUS, if I toast it, I know exactly what I'll do with it- and it will still serve me well- it will give its remains to the furthering of my knowledge in saberdom lol, so I'm ok taking the chance.  And I have another 4 channel emerald that I can use in that case, so all good there too.  So I'm actually not really sweating it.  Ok gonna go get to this- keep u posted.

Thanks again Jed!!

Hey, nice catch though.

I have full confidence in you, Rev.  I have absolutely no doubt at all that you'll not only do this very well, but shine at it - and likely discover something new while doing it...lol  ::)

Thanks LR! 

Welp, there's good news and bad news lol. 

Jed wasn't kidding.  It's a tricky spot for this particular channel.  I did a yo yo on my plan of action.  First I looked at the spot, saw how tight the spot was where I needed to go on the top side of board where all the other wires are joined- saw the backside was way more open, and was like o sweet I can totally get in there with an smt tip:
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/8C3B16C9-37A7-45BA-919B-E2FC4785C8F5_zps6ak32nnr.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/8C3B16C9-37A7-45BA-919B-E2FC4785C8F5_zps6ak32nnr.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/E0EFB089-8914-420D-950F-C5FFDDD8943D_zpsdx25kcxu.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/E0EFB089-8914-420D-950F-C5FFDDD8943D_zpsdx25kcxu.jpg.html)
But then I noticed the robot caterpillar (that's what I call them, no idea what the device/ package is really called), which is the processor, the most sensitive part of this whole rather sensitive mountain of pcb and wire lol.  Of course this had to be the one channel that was located right at that component lol.  So I decided never mind I'll go in the top like normal, it's tighter but I can get in there:
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/C80F2A3F-C86A-4461-8C55-8873BE5C4430_zpsdikn3k9x.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/C80F2A3F-C86A-4461-8C55-8873BE5C4430_zpsdikn3k9x.jpg.html)
But then I saw that the solder from the connection to the right of the pads I'll use had built up a bit around the ground pin running through it, and basically overflowed- making the little bit of separation between the pads dissapear pretty much- gauranteed the second I put heat to my positive pad, the ground next to it is bridging to it :(.  It's like a nano of separation, the bead of solder on that neighbouring ground pin is almost touching the tinning on the vacant pad I need to use already...
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/2A5399D2-DA4B-4951-B174-3A2160DC6DB1_zpskdtqc9tp.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/2A5399D2-DA4B-4951-B174-3A2160DC6DB1_zpskdtqc9tp.jpg.html)
You can see the pin I'm talking about under the white wire, where it runs down through the next board the solder beads, and the tinning on the pad to the left is pretty much a whisper away from making contact.  So I'm gonna solder around that processor on the backside after all lol.  Those things don't like esd, I'm safe there, but they don't like that kinda heat, and certainly don't like being poked with iron.  But I like my odds there better- not only would desoldering the top side risk scorching everything around for miles lol, I'd likely just end up bridging the connections right then and there- on the backside I have a shot at removing the excess tinning with the braid and not burning things, which will be me best bet at not soldering those pads together lol.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/849B0CE4-24D4-4C44-AEC7-95B6136B4004_zpsyqwcihxk.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/849B0CE4-24D4-4C44-AEC7-95B6136B4004_zpsyqwcihxk.jpg.html)
Wish me luck :). 

Holy crap! yeah, have fun with that! lol  If there is a tight spot to be found, count on Rev to find it, then make the rest of us feel inadequate by rocking it! :P

Well, good luck. It certainly looks sort of difficult. But from what I've seen of you, I'm pretty sure you will be successful.

Haha, thanks for the votes of confidence and kind words guys!  There were some tense moments... and believe me lol, NOBODY's gonna feel inadequate looking at these solder joins haha!  But incident free (it seems, won't know till test lol). 

So before I threw the fine tip on I had to get the green die- that's a broader tip all the way... and a friggn blow torch woulda probably helped too lol!  Like I said, haha, feast your eyes on these babies haha!  Ugliest joins ever!  You don't wanna see them clumpy like this, I'll redo- but for the test it's ok.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/40285076-C94E-4511-95EA-46AAD99FEEEB_zpsyx7vnakg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/40285076-C94E-4511-95EA-46AAD99FEEEB_zpsyx7vnakg.jpg.html)
Bet u can't guess which ones I did?!  Bwahahaha!  Yikes. 

they wouldn't break off for the life of me, so I'll leave on to test- def getting redone though lol.  Work anyways lol.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/A5006B00-8814-4B18-B5CC-B3F0D6254CFB_zpsrty249yb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/A5006B00-8814-4B18-B5CC-B3F0D6254CFB_zpsrty249yb.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/1D88E0F5-51B8-4972-9042-3C528DB469E3_zpsk6zn79ll.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/1D88E0F5-51B8-4972-9042-3C528DB469E3_zpsk6zn79ll.jpg.html)
Ya that was tight lol- dirty tight.  Needless to say, I'm never touching those again lol.  I'll take the ends off the led and just use new lengths of wire for those- I'd have to splice that way for the install anyways.

There- that should make it a little easier to get the green blade Ethan's looking for haha!  Doh!  So where were we?  Ah yes, basically right where I thought I'd be to start this morning lol :(, so I'm thinking tomorrow's d day for hooking up/ testing after this hiccup.  For real this time haha, cause now I really AM where I thought I left off last time I said that lol. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/6418AA94-DBBB-47D6-81A6-46B580BF4518_zpskqqhretn.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/6418AA94-DBBB-47D6-81A6-46B580BF4518_zpskqqhretn.jpg.html)

So now we're left with all the basic connections you'd have coming off your saber when you unpacked internals more or less, just my battery pack and speaker are cut off where yours likely wouldn't be.  From this point forward that means you could consider this section like a mini tutorial on how to set up a 3 stage indicator like this in your US with obsidian.

And it's a cake walk from here- just a matter of hooking these parts together a certain way :).
 (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/B7D54BA5-2A9C-43EC-87AC-BD37BF8ED6A5_zpsebje3enx.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/B7D54BA5-2A9C-43EC-87AC-BD37BF8ED6A5_zpsebje3enx.jpg.html)
Keep u posted! 

If I had those skizzles, I would never do anything except build sabers. Great job, and they don't look that bad. Much better than mine would.

Point to you

This is how I feel looking at all that circuitry...

(https://media.tenor.co/images/b7a43f2a884a5469c505b3b0838b6aa2/tenor.gif)

Lol ha ,ha I feel like that all the time. Looking good Rev!

Thanks guys :)

Haha, Ginsu I swear you the have the best timing ever man!  I'm right there with y'all too today lol. 

First tho- where we left off everything was all good to go/ prepped except for port:
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/03525727-DE6B-4FBF-B096-44B323B61AB0_zps3gdfi9fg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/03525727-DE6B-4FBF-B096-44B323B61AB0_zps3gdfi9fg.jpg.html)
Trim/tin legs

Then hook on a single piece of thicker wire for each leg, which multiple splices will get joined to- you can solder those spots where many wires are twisted together directly to the legs, but a lot of times it's better to do this if you have the space I think.  Shrink each lead mostly to control bending and then a piece over it all for insulation.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/51F00085-CC2E-4599-9BCF-30F06457B42C_zpsr8zaybeq.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/51F00085-CC2E-4599-9BCF-30F06457B42C_zpsr8zaybeq.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/0BBDD723-9603-4FF3-A3DD-ECF498B6FBD5_zpshqdygp2a.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/0BBDD723-9603-4FF3-A3DD-ECF498B6FBD5_zpshqdygp2a.jpg.html)
SC/ lightning bolt marks the switched negative post (board, green 5mm die, switch led), directly opposite that is the positive centre pin post (battery, board, switch led, 5mm), and the remaining post is just the negative to battery. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/17808948-B1D8-4A63-9FFF-5CBAC05F20AE_zpsrkmfbxsw.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/17808948-B1D8-4A63-9FFF-5CBAC05F20AE_zpsrkmfbxsw.jpg.html)
Starting to connect all these pieces/ internals - the port is kind of the key stone in that regard.  Here the positives are grouped ready to go to port.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/CFB9FFE8-5919-46D9-8761-62CAF07A7D10_zpspcxjt54l.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/CFB9FFE8-5919-46D9-8761-62CAF07A7D10_zpspcxjt54l.jpg.html)
And now's a good time to slap the resistors on the 5mm dice negatives.
Stand by colour (green) goes to battery/ port, second stage colour goes to speaker negative (red, for a yellow when mixed with the green), and flash colour goes to foc pin. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/E5B48E60-4647-4BE6-8D7A-3B22975906C4_zpsrcspsuhx.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/E5B48E60-4647-4BE6-8D7A-3B22975906C4_zpsrcspsuhx.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/88EB5CFA-C0D6-4145-BD8F-CD8223F23E2D_zpshglhnait.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/88EB5CFA-C0D6-4145-BD8F-CD8223F23E2D_zpshglhnait.jpg.html)
 So there we have it- Ethan's internals, roughed out for test and configuration etc...

Everything looks good- BUT I don't seem to be able to use the green channel lol.  Tried reseting the board in the launcher etc, but the dang thing doesn't wanna give up that 4th channel lol.  The soldering/ wiring is good, been tested separately- no clue. 

Almost like I need to physically do something more to the board to get that channel active?  Or maybe I just need to solder to top after all?  Bit of a bummer but eveything esle about the test checks out- I have another emerald I can use, so we're good there as well :).  Just a son of a gun burning the last couple days, I'll have to suck it up and do this again on the other emerald.  Hoping I'll have that ready by Friday.

Sorry lol, I'm SUPER tired!  This vid will explain better :). 

https://youtu.be/UgK7r09Sa9Y

If anyone has any ideas about what would get that channel active I'd be super grateful lol!  Not the end of the world though. 

That is a lot of wires. Glad it's you dealing with them and not me. Sorry to hear about the LED not working properly, I hope you get it fixed.

Point to you

Im guessing its noth8ng as simple as wiring the green channel and dedicating it to the AV Switch, sometimes I have to step back from a project or get fresh eyes because its usually the simple things that get us because we overlook them due to soending too much time in the details

Thanks everyone :)

D7 it's great to hear from you!  Thanks!  We'll get it, one way or the other, even if i just end up redoing this on another emerald, so nothing to worry about :).  Actually if I go that route, the added bonus is that other emerald is attached to a v4 obsidian, so it would upgrade the sound as well... thinking that might be the best way to go actually now that I'm realizing this lol.  But the only thing is, that will require a bit of a sacrifice to the saber gods lol, so before I go and do anything drastic I think I'll take a break for a day, just kinda do some odds and ends for this when I get home from work in morning, and get to bed early- that will give me a day to think and a fresher mind, and then at that point if I can't figure it out I'll just commence the mk 2 lol. 

Hope things are awesome!! 

Keep u posted.

Few things come to mind.

1) Are you soldering to the opposite side of the board compared to the other LED wires? There's no guarantee the traces cross over to both sides, so you might very well need to de-solder and resolder to the other side of the board. (Also, some of those LED solder joints look cold. Make sure you're getting your iron nice and hot before working. A very hot iron that only has to touch the components for half a second has a much lower chance of causing damage than a cooler iron that has to sit for a while to melt solder).

2) It might be something as simple as having the + and - wires on there backward.

3) Assuming you can't get the fourth channel operational, you only really need Red, Green, and Royal Blue for full-range color mixing, so you could replace the white with green. A nice silvery White FoC can be accomplished wtith ~60% red, 85% Green, and 100% Blue on most LEDs, and the slight white pulse can be achieves by just bumping up whatever sliders aren't currently used in the color.

Haha, I guess I didn't try new batteries, no!   :P

I think the LED itself is good- I've tested it through the wiring it's got now and fires up green no prob.  It could be somehting as simple as I need to solder the green channel on the top with all the other channels, but I doubt it- the pads on the underside clearly look to be one and the same/ interchangeable.  

Actually, I don't think there's anything wrong  with the emerald at all either- it kinda makes sense- this was in the Scorpion- it was a 1st prize which was billed as a 2 channel emerald... but they had just stopped doing the 2 channels at that time.  When I saw it had more than the 2 hooked up I assumed it was 4- but it was actually a 3 channel.  So def not complaining, my prize came with a bonus channel :).  But what I'm getting at is i bet physically this emerald was set up for these channels when it was put together- and the green channel wasn't prepared to be used.  Like I think it was simply built to be this way- the last channel must not have been hooked up/ prepped in construction, if you know what I mean? who knows?  Maybe I could take it apart and change this.

But even the three channels is cool- I'll just keep this one and give Ethan the 4 channel- then likely what I'll do is take the white channel off the white for this one and slap it on the green, which will leave me with a fully adjustable rgb saber and all the extra perks of the emerald too.  The rgb can still do pretty much any colour- i'd just have to remember that white is green in the emerald software, and use the white slider tab for green.  No biggie for me.  

Thanks D :).  No need to worry!  I'm just gonna do some easy/ loose end type stuff today and hang with arlo a bit cause i haven't been giving him enough attention lately- I'll crash early for once and get this redone tomorrow in one shot I bet.  I'm off work this weekend.  

Keep u posted.

Hey Kouri :)

Thanks man!  Yup those green die joints look like cold barf lol- def getting redone anyway, like I was saying earlier they just drive me nuts being so bad lol- but surprisingly they won't break off for anything and when you power the other side of the wires the green fires no prob. Think the prob was if u see earlier in the thread I somehow didn't notice the green die wasn't wired before haha,  so the mcpcb was all done up to the sink with a couple thermal stars and eveything- it was nearly unsolderable lol!  I was all cocky cause I got this new iron and i had it set way high, but dang those pads didn't wanna get hot.  I should get one of those big 'ol hoof tips.

I'll try the top side of the board for sure before I throw in the towel.  That's where all the other channels are hooked... pretty tight soldering that tho lol, that's why it was last resort. 

Haha now I'm def gonna check those leads before bed today just in case lol- wouldn't that be hilarious if were just backwards lol? 

Appreciate the help :). 

Hey everybody-

Laid down for a nap yesterday afternoon before I got to redoing the internals and I woke up this morning lol.  I'm just doing laundry ATM, ugh, so figured at least this would be a good time to get these up- some stuff I was picking away at the same time I was wiring everything up the first time.

Finished blade plug:
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/A2099BE3-560F-48F7-B36A-53980977A91D_zpsgsit6x42.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/A2099BE3-560F-48F7-B36A-53980977A91D_zpsgsit6x42.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/87E1F114-1C91-4171-8444-DE09ACEFAE84_zpslexramdt.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/87E1F114-1C91-4171-8444-DE09ACEFAE84_zpslexramdt.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/250B1B3F-F0C0-47BD-81A6-7D1D120ECDF6_zpsvuscpduf.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/250B1B3F-F0C0-47BD-81A6-7D1D120ECDF6_zpsvuscpduf.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/EB74BA66-6436-48CE-B72F-828BF6C16E82_zpsxghkmmrs.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/EB74BA66-6436-48CE-B72F-828BF6C16E82_zpsxghkmmrs.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/75278C6E-B0CE-46F4-B641-3D9EA173FEF6_zpsqyzxketr.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/75278C6E-B0CE-46F4-B641-3D9EA173FEF6_zpsqyzxketr.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/B1BCC467-CC7B-4652-B705-871BFBF06D84_zpstoziwkmn.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/B1BCC467-CC7B-4652-B705-871BFBF06D84_zpstoziwkmn.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/11988746-9B35-497D-B164-B920D4FB557C_zpsq2yos25h.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/11988746-9B35-497D-B164-B920D4FB557C_zpsq2yos25h.jpg.html)

Here u can see the brass plugs I cut for the emitter shroud- they look really nice, tie the plug and inlays together- I like the way they sit in a tripod config with the plug.  Little details like this just get your mind/ imagination wheeling, it's like you just get drawn in by them, they catch your eye and you're just like 'ooo those look cool, I wonder what they are/ what they do etc?', it's like a certain depth to the look/ imaginary futuristic tech/ engineering. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/1F5558BB-D988-45D3-BC3A-ABE8B80881B4_zpskq4r7x1g.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/1F5558BB-D988-45D3-BC3A-ABE8B80881B4_zpskq4r7x1g.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/20DC4B53-5E97-4342-8044-3C94F046141F_zpspgmx54i8.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/20DC4B53-5E97-4342-8044-3C94F046141F_zpspgmx54i8.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/3AB89B75-CC90-47D8-9A1C-2B78F4E23127_zpsvyld1qeu.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/3AB89B75-CC90-47D8-9A1C-2B78F4E23127_zpsvyld1qeu.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/9E2EE1BF-FB21-40BC-8A08-4A6011CE2772_zpsb3l3olr1.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/9E2EE1BF-FB21-40BC-8A08-4A6011CE2772_zpsb3l3olr1.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/44F385D3-23DB-4F12-BA9E-0947B225B188_zpste2lhpm0.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/44F385D3-23DB-4F12-BA9E-0947B225B188_zpste2lhpm0.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/EA6B9235-8AD4-4AA3-AAB0-4484D7A3B346_zpsmmfksoh2.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/EA6B9235-8AD4-4AA3-AAB0-4484D7A3B346_zpsmmfksoh2.jpg.html)

I've got a small mountain of laundry to process here lol, put away etc- then I gotta take arlo to the park and then get my haircut before they close cause I'm starting to look all grizzly Adams over here lol, but I'm back on it after all that crap- keep u posted :).

Awesomesauce Rev. :)

That does look cool.  Nice touch indeed. 

Ahhh - chores.  Never-ending chores...

-1

Very cool Rev. I really like that plug. I may even consider modifying a blade plug myself sometime. Point to you

And one for you too D7, that is a really cool....time thingy?  ;D

Thanks everyone!

Haha, D7 im just borrowing it! ;) That's an AWESOME piece (clock), thanks for the pic, very cool. 

Yup LR lol, I had been procrastinating on all that type stuff- had to make a dent in the to do list lol.  Arlo's all tuckered out now, sleeping like a log lol, so I'm gonna get back at this thing. 

I must ask where did you find a gear for that blade plug? It's awesome by the way.

Great work so far, but I have to say, this what I see when I look at the wiring.......

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/05/24/14/02/spaghetti-781795_960_720.jpg)

 ;D

Hey Rev, sent you a PM, dunno if you got it. It was off topic from this thread

Thanks everyone!



eBay has a ton of that type of stuff- it's probably the way to go if you need it fast.  Etsy and sites like that have them too- i got mine off Wish, cheapest option by far, but that's coming direct from china with no real tracking, it can take months sometimes for stuff to arrive.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/A211A90D-73D9-401F-88AD-14C15650F1AA_zps5dbbg8pt.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/A211A90D-73D9-401F-88AD-14C15650F1AA_zps5dbbg8pt.jpg.html)



thanks for the heads up Ginsu, i would have missed it- i'll go find it asap- tbo I've pretty much given up on pm's lately lol, i wish i had more time- at one point i had it down to like 30, i'd be busy for a couple days, come back on and almost catch up, then get busy for a couple more days, etc, slipping a little further behind each time.  right now my inbox is at 130 lol.  i'm so short on time atm and i NEED to have this done really soon so I've just been focused on using any time here- once this is complete i can get back in touch with everyone/ thing :).  Don't get me wrong tho lol, i'll def go find that pm- i just meant in general that's pretty much how it's been lately.  In general tho you never have to worry about that in my threads man lol :).  You can post tangents or random detours as many and often as you'd like, i'm totally cool with it- just more to love lol.  It's like a surprise bonus in a thread the way i see it. 

So my phone has basically become useless except for calls etc, it can't even run photo bucket or a lot of other 3rd party apps etc, so for now i've actually got to get on my computer to update threads and such :(, gonna be a huge pain, being so busy i often just took pics and did all my posting on mobile it was way faster/ easier that way. 

Ok, so anyways lol, i retried the connections to the emerald on that back side in case they weren't good, and also on the top side, and no dice either way unfortunately, pun intended lol.  also double checked that the connections to green die were good, which, don't know why i did that really, it's getting redone either way, but they worked, so that wasn't the prob lol.  i'm thinking it's all in the assembly/ set up of the board, but who knows- not this cat.  One day. 

therefore- officially time to grab the other 4 channel emerald. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2947_zpsoz2bgvxh.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2947_zpsoz2bgvxh.jpg.html)
tbo, i've kinda always felt it was wasteful having this in here anyways, because other than orange or purple for fun here and there... i mean safe to say this is a red saber lol.  I might just go with something totally diff to replace the catalyst internals and save the 3 channel emerald for something else- thinking i can make better use of the rgb emerald than here in the uber sith catalyst. 

starting to get the new boards ready- since I've already tested the rig and have an assembled version of it in front me, i'm gonna go about putting this one together differently- cutting to the chase more and going straight for finished state wherever possible- tho i still need to leave excess for install and all that of course.  but i can at least start off the hop doing a more 'finished' version of everything.  containing the mess in a shield, and labeled the mini usb access' for ethan as well.

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2948_zpsk74zlwrq.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2948_zpsk74zlwrq.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2949_zpsjs6uhyxo.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2949_zpsjs6uhyxo.jpg.html)

the detail around the port i mentioned earlier from Kouri's idea-

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2950_zpstvybigi6.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2950_zpstvybigi6.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2951_zpsz5yeccv0.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2951_zpsz5yeccv0.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2952_zpspfxzuupj.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2952_zpspfxzuupj.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2953_zpstmrh3ewz.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2953_zpstmrh3ewz.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2954_zpsdo5f6uxo.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2954_zpsdo5f6uxo.jpg.html)

this still needs a lot of cleaning up- the edges are really rough from some angles, etc.  it needs a good sanding for sure, this is just raw pretty much after the tape came off.  but i'm thrilled with how this came out!  not perfect by a long shot lol, some of the edges got away from me a bit, but it's such a tiny area that it's really not a thing- like when you look at this whole detail it's not even obvious in person, you have to really check it out close- i had to try and find all the angles that made this areas pop for pics.  in person it's surprisingly subtle- but i love it :).  Just a nice little bit of extra detail, depth to finalize the port, and tie everything together.  the gold took more like what i expected to get the first time, so doesn't match the upper inlay, but that's because this etch can't hold as much paint, the patina shows through the gold.  looks more bronze or old brass- but it's gonna look good, cause all the etching that goes on the lower portion of hilt (below that port) is just getting blackened.  so all the etched designs will transition from black at the bottom to gold at the emitter, will look sweet. 

but like i said lol, i really need to sand along the lower edges.  they need some serious cleaning/ straightening.  already sanded the upper edges and those look great :).

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2955_zpsafyohkbn.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2955_zpsafyohkbn.jpg.html)
that's easy though.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2956_zpsextswuxb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2956_zpsextswuxb.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2957_zpsneqnjc4d.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2957_zpsneqnjc4d.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2958_zps2holdkrc.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2958_zps2holdkrc.jpg.html)
love how it looks like a grill, or like a heat sink or something like that- it just makes the port look like its supposed to be there somehow. 

I'm outta time i gotta crash, seriously spent.  i'll def tackle some pm's tonight when i get up tho and get back to people.  really sorry i'm awol guys- but we need this to be ready for ethan's last treatment so i'm really just being super determined about my scheduling.  keep you posted.

Looks so good - from the inside to the outside!  +1 :D

Looks great Rev, but the poor Catalyst. Love that saber.

It might behoove you to read my pm because it deals with having an emerald drive so you dont have to take one of your other saber apart, or you can put it back in if you already did

I had to read this a couple times, but I think I'm catching on. Thanks!!!

I'm still following along too, Rev . . . more points bro  :)


And, I also had a suggestion with the other Emerald issues, that'll be buried in your pile of PM's . . .  ;)

but either way, I know you're good with what you're doing . . .  8)

Hey everybody sorry!!

THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH for all the offers of help and ideas/ thoughts etc!!  It just goes to show you what an amazing community we have here- i truly can't thank you guys enough.  No need to worry about anything at all guys, i appreciate everyones ideas of solutions etc BIG TIME, but we're totally good on this one, I'm knocking on wood as i say this lol, but i've got everything i need and i'm on pace for d day- the start of next week sometime.  It'll be done this weekend basically. 

these darn technical difficulties with my junk phone are preventing me from updating as frequently (or simply being present on the forum for that matter) just cause i'm in the home stretch and can't afford the time to get that sorted out atm or to be at my computer- once this project is complete ill get my devices and whatnot sorted out and be back around like normal for sure.

Ok- so lots to catch you up on, i've been busting my butt on this.  we left off with the etch around the port.  Next came one of the things i had been most nervous about from the start- etching the aurebesh.  i practiced plenty with this technique (which is good cause i made some mistakes along the way) so time to just see how it goes lol...

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2959_zpsu1j7xffl.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2959_zpsu1j7xffl.jpg.html)
i didn't need this nearly as deep, since the blackening doesn't raise the profile to speak of (unlike the gold).  And Charlie, this isn't a typo haha!, in aurebesh when 'th' are together they can be represented by that one character :).

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2960_zpsgkh1ygsa.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2960_zpsgkh1ygsa.jpg.html)
either of these will do the trick- the aluminum blackener on the left is the more traditional go to, but i find it takes some practice getting it down well, it can be really brittle/ flaky and also prone to really dirty finishes until you figure it out- the gun blue on the right isn't really thought of for use on non ferrous metals so much, but it works too, it's a wildcard, cause sometimes you can get it to do neat things on the finish.  it's what i used here.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2961_zpsiounuuhj.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2961_zpsiounuuhj.jpg.html)
this was super easy to put down, since all the work taping it off was already done for the etch.  I just rinsed the etch out well and cleaned gently with acetone before i applied.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2962_zpsonrvibxh.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2962_zpsonrvibxh.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2963_zpskwhebvu8.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2963_zpskwhebvu8.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2964_zpsbaax1jqx.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2964_zpsbaax1jqx.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2965_zpsu96rtac7.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2965_zpsu96rtac7.jpg.html)

here you can see all the etched areas in one shot.(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2967_zpsc9emksgf.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2967_zpsc9emksgf.jpg.html)

So the good news is i'm thrilled with how this came out- the bad news is, my idea about the 1st line of the jedi code will have to wait... it's just beyond my skill level atm with this manual pattern cutting method, and i don't have the time to learn the digital transfer method (i will be doing that in near future).  to put it in perspective, the aurebesh lettering here is about a 1/2 centimetre in height (6/7mm's) and about 4.5 cm's long in total- i probably could have gone a little smaller, but i'd need at least twice as small to fit the line in the spots i was thinking, and just to not fill up the whole hilt in writing lol.  i simply couldn't get that pattern worth a darn right now at that miniature of a scale- the cutting involved in lettering that small is insane, you poke the tiniest tip of the knife through the resist and you're already outside the lines, it's a nightmare lol.  (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2968_zpsvgzvcdvi.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2968_zpsvgzvcdvi.jpg.html)
but that's no biggie- getting Ethan etched in there was the main thing, in the future once i've got digital transferring down i can always add anything to this if he wants no problem, i'll be doing tune ups/ maintenance every once in a blue moon i imagine down the road sometime anyways.  if i have time I'm gonna make a metal plaque for the stand thats etched with the "there is no fear" in aurebesh which will do for now at least.

So i didn't realize this at first, but this chosen one came with a silver finish socket screw- so i swapped it out for a black one which i think looks better in this case, and trimmed the new one so it doesn't protrude into the ID. 
 (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2974_zpsfggyrzar.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2974_zpsfggyrzar.jpg.html)

Now, this got me 'ta think'n...
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2979_zps68ocidkf.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2979_zps68ocidkf.jpg.html)
I don't mind the covertech knob at all in the grips, kinda like them actually it gives you an anchor, but especially for a younger guy like Ethan who will be likely 'growing into' this hilt in some ways, i thought the t tracks might already be pushing it a bit, so wouldn't it be best to let him see what he likes, and then have the option to go covertec or d-ring?  I love having both on my hilts whenever possible, because the wheel is most solid and great for when really moving around hard, i mean nothing sucks worse than getting smacked in the nether region by your own hilt mid lunge due to d ring lol- but that said i like how the d rings hang the saber a little better, so when i'm not going nuts (pun intended lol) i prefer to use those.  But anywho- now Ethan will be able to decide for himself... with a little help from Charlie of course :).  I'm including a covertech removal kit along with this so that if the wheel is too much for Ethan, Charlie can just use the larger of the two allen wrenches in this bag to remove it for him, and then take the little silver set screw that i've trimmed (kinda painstaking lol) to be a plug for the covertec hole and sink it nice and flush, it's just the tiniest nub, so it doesn't stick down into ID- and i'll include a mini tube of super glue so he can put just a micro dab on the threads, that way it can't wiggle loose with jarring over time and end up lost or rattling inside the saber lol. 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2976_zpsj178bfo2.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2976_zpsj178bfo2.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2975_zpsfuwd7gwb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2975_zpsfuwd7gwb.jpg.html)
like i said, i genuinely like having both, but if Ethan finds that wheel to be too much i'm sure this will be better.

and while i was putting that little 'kit' together i did this one up too, cause it just seems like a good idea.(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2978_zpsrclkpu3x.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2978_zpsrclkpu3x.jpg.html)

Ok, so now for that d ring lol... i was excited for this part, but, like the etch, i was also a bit nervous because i only had one of these d ring pieces to try this with, not to mention i only had one chosen one pommel lol!

starting out with the ANH d ring from a 2.0 graflex kit i'd been saving, and a couple brass pan head knurled screws (aka 'lamp screw').
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2970_zpsfwlgjwg1.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2970_zpsfwlgjwg1.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2969_zps1n5vt4ve.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2969_zps1n5vt4ve.jpg.html)
but you can see how this covers most of the sound vents, and also just looks bad lol.  So time to turn this into a one of a kind vented pommel/ d ring solution 8).

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2977_zpsfneyifll.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2977_zpsfneyifll.jpg.html)
strategically shape the d ring tab for the vents, and get a very carefully placed hole for a second screw, which is super important because by eliminating all that material on the tab i've taken away what used to give it the rigidity it needed to not bend upward/ away from hilt slowly over time from the weight of the saber when hanging etc.  but now this second screw will secure the tab flat to the pommel much better anyways :), with a very cool added bonus.  Ethan will be able to adjust the rattle'y'ness of his d ring completely.  i'm totally doing this in the future- the main screw up in the rounded area will be held in place by a locking nut- it's not budging.  but this second screw that sits in the slant of where the tab wraps around the d ring, it's just got regular 'ol hex nut holding it in place so that it's easy to loosen/ tighten- and by doing so you make the d ring looser/ wiggly/ rattly, or super tight so it just holds its position and doesn't wiggle at all.
 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2972_zpswprdc7qh.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2972_zpswprdc7qh.jpg.html)
then break out the files, sand paper/ sponges, and dremel stuff.  drill out the centre hole for the first/ main anchoring screw, then remove the material in the way of the second screw and the nuts on the inside, trim the length of the screws etc.

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2973_zpssnkwaoji.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2973_zpssnkwaoji.jpg.html)
that brass piece is a left over bit from a graflex electrical pin contact strip that i've put the screws through- since the second screw will be raised slightly this will hide the exposed thread and just give a better look down there.

add a few custom vents to help make up for the bit covered by the tab, and plus i just thought this would look totally sick :).
 (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2980_zps4p3tab1v.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2980_zps4p3tab1v.jpg.html)

and voila!, one wicked custom vented d ring pommel:(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2981_zps3dvcpd4m.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2981_zps3dvcpd4m.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2982_zpstruio4qg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2982_zpstruio4qg.jpg.html)

i gave it what i'm pretty sure is the best orientation for a right hander- which is also a pretty familiar orientation to buffs of OT hilts.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2983_zpswrf9nj5j.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2983_zpswrf9nj5j.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2985_zps63uc0i0n.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2985_zps63uc0i0n.jpg.html)
if you look close you can see the brass sheet between/ under the screws, giving a more finished look.(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2987_zpsgfwythns.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2987_zpsgfwythns.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2989_zpsixb35slg.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2989_zpsixb35slg.jpg.html)
and there's how it would hang- i think thats best for a right handed person, to have this on your left side (easiest to grab with right hand and remove saber) and this way it sits with the business end forward, and the kill key on the outside and ready to be popped he he.

So there we have it guys!!  that's the body totally built :). 
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2990_zps8sfq80te.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2990_zps8sfq80te.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2994_zpspu88qjgy.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2994_zpspu88qjgy.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2992_zpsndhcfxmb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2992_zpsndhcfxmb.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2993_zps6xwkvrby.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2993_zps6xwkvrby.jpg.html)

The electronics are most of the way there, i'm just messing with some 1/4W resistors on the green of the rgb trying to get a more true yellow on the second stage of the accent indicator, but all that's left to do is get the electronics inside at this point.  That's my mission for the rest of the weekend.

keep you posted (well actually the next update will likely be the finish, just due to time and technical constraints), but i can't wait to have this all together and configured!!! I'm really loving this saber. 

Thanks again everybody and sorry for not being around!  I'll try and get back to everybody who's pm'd me as quck as possible- I've got SO much correspondence i'm behind on it's overwhelming lol, but i'll get it all eventually- right now i just have to give this project top priority though, as every hour of this weekend counts.  like literally lol, i put in a full 24hr's from the time i got home from work yesterday morning until just now lol, and this is my first break to get to computer.  I'll likely be taking (first a nap lol) care of all the loose ends, installing, and wrapping up here before i get back to the computer again.  Thanks for bearing with me, and for all the support!!

Truly spectacular Rev!   :o :o

That etching is the bomb. :)

Can't wait to see the finished product, and maybe even get some technomancer back. :P

-1 all day.

Lookin' good.  :)

Phenomenal work my friend, just awesome. So happy for you that you are so close to finished with a little time to spare!
Points all day Rapine? more like all week! lol

Yeah, well...look at his ratio...doesn't exactly need a boost...lol

(-1 again Rev ;))

Wow Rev, this looks great. I'd be very interested to see how well it wields, because to me (and this is just my opinion) the Chosen One doesn't look the most comfortable. However, with the Graflex box instead of the CO one, it actually looks fairly comfortable.

Points to you

Yeah but look at what he does. There's something new an innovative every time Rev touches an new saber. The etching is just awesome.

I can't disagree. ;D

-1 yet again Rev.

Hey everybody :)

Thanks you guys!!  You're too kind!!  I can't tell you how much i appreciate the support- it's been a pretty intense/ strenuous few days trying to hurry up and get this install licked in time for Ethan's last treatment- it's had it's fair share of challenges and just tough goings in general, and i've been just relentless about it out of necessity (well ok let's face it I'm just like that anyways lol), but all that can have the effect of burning you out pretty quick- no matter how excited you are for a project or how much you're loving the saber etc, that constant pressure can start to get to you.  There were honestly a few times, especially here in the final stretch, where i could feel my nerves getting a bit raw so to speak just in general... but hearing all the wonderful words of support and encouragement is SUPER rejuvenating/ re-energizing etc!  basically, you guys are keeping me sane haha!!  ;)

Wow, I am SO close to calling this a wrap it physically hurts lol!

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/A628C42B-913D-4B1C-B0BF-C03CA0782535_zpsmrvkg890.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/A628C42B-913D-4B1C-B0BF-C03CA0782535_zpsmrvkg890.jpg.html)

So first thing i did was go back to the first rig/ internals i put together for this (the mk 1 set up) and used it to play around with/ tweak the colour mix on the rgb accent- specifically the yellowness of the second stage.  the green was just a bit too overpowering initially.  when the red kicks in and mixes with green it should look golden yellow, but there was a bit too much green hue left originally.  so i popped a volt meter on the leads with the green and found that the dynaohm was getting about 3V to that die, i cheated that up to about 3.2 so that i knew I'm figuring on the high side.  it's a 20mA dynaohm so i know the current obviously, and i know my supply, 7.4 (8 ) volts- so with that info i calculated that the variable resistor was providing about 240 ohms of resistance for the green in the rgb. so all i needed to do was go with a bit more resistance on the green and when the red fires up to mix with it i'll get a better yellow in the second stage. i pulled a giant bag of 1/4W resistors out of my resistor drawer and started sorting them lol- took forever just labelling/ grouping them all and picking out ones that would be useful, cause i buy all these in lot/ bulk.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2995_zpsyclt4vah.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2995_zpsyclt4vah.jpg.html)
i was kinda close with the 2 guesses/ options i picked out for replacement resistors, i scooped a 220ohm and then a 56 and 69, so that in series they'd total 276 and 289 ohms respectively.  they were getting there... but i actually had to jump all the way up to 330 to get a better mix.  works for me lol, cause that way i don't need to waste the space with 2 together (small but they rep a little spot of wire that can't bend- REALLY wanna avoid those as much as poss in a cram fu job like this one).  you can see the single little 330 ohm resistor on the bottom left of pic, if you follow the positives from port you'll see it.

I'm not joking about the magic wand i'm gonna need for this install lol.  Just to see what i was up against right from the start, i took the emerald/ obsidian/ spk pack in the shield and slid it up into place so that the pommel could close all the way...
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2997_zpswdfs896l.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2997_zpswdfs896l.jpg.html)
those orange wires are coming right off the friggn harness lol, it pretty much touches the port.  so the boards completely fill up to the switch and port, nothing fits under- the bottom of the module sits just above the sleeve, and obviously the switch sticks down straight into all this... so if you picture all that stuff boxing me in the clamp/ sleeve area... (which already houses the port and switch lol) you can see an area about 3/4" by 3/4" to the left and sorta behind/ under the switch and port that will have to contain EVERY SINLGE WIRE IN THIS THING haha!!  I'm cursed i tell you lol!  no matter what i do i end up with rubix cube's straight from down under- and i'm not talking Australia lol!  I even said to myself, Rev, keep it simple for this one due to time/ sanity etc- there was a lot i wanted to put together for Ethan in a short time so i didn't wanna go biting off more than i could chew- i just came up with a nice simple yet cool design- an rgbw/ emerald, obsidian, cool switch, an accent, and some etching.  piece of cake i said lol.   keep that 3/4" pocket in mind as we get this thing ready for the final countdown lol.

 So the first part to get mounted was the port.  that was like the first omen lol- over an hour of wishing i could just shrink my bloody arm or something lol.  but i got her good and locked tight :).  Next came the module, which i just tacked in place with the retention screw for now cause the accent needs to go on before the module screw can actually be attached lol.  but i couldn't just put the accent in first cause then the module wound't get past it lol.  (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2999_zpsmdigh7ri.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2999_zpsmdigh7ri.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3001_zpszz9hcnrw.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3001_zpszz9hcnrw.jpg.html)
it was important i keep that screw in as much as possible, not just cause the module placement is so crucial, but because when i go to run accent wires, i need to be sure they don't end up under this screw/ pinched- only way to be sure is make it impossible and have the screw already down when those wires pass. 

ok so now that the module is in exact place i can run the accent through... yikes, don't even ask me how i did this lol!  tense, to say the least- thought about making a you tube vid of it- but it'd be like a 2 hour long steady 'bleep' lol.  But hey, like the port- it might not have been graceful lol, but the job is done, and done well :). 

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_2998_zpsjvnntlw5.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_2998_zpsjvnntlw5.jpg.html)

had to pop that screw out to get the bulb release box on, but i waited till the wires were safely run through and didn't move anything else until it was back in.  so i know nothings pinched there. 

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3002_zpsvcwtwjek.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3002_zpsvcwtwjek.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3003_zpsvduu36in.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3003_zpsvduu36in.jpg.html)

sweet so now that all that's in i can actually get most of this thing assembled again- starting with the blade holder... which, as it turns out, i didn't quite remove enough of a cavity in for the accent wires lol, so i threw that back on the bench and dug out a bigger slot- forgot to get a picture but its the exact same thing expanded by like a 1/16" lol.
it was nice to get all these cluttered pieces back in place and out of the work space- but you can see what i mean about the sheer amount of wiring in the sleeve.  that will all get soldered at the switch hole and tucked in.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3004_zpsmxrxy9gq.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3004_zpsmxrxy9gq.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3005_zpswhu6w4mz.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3005_zpswhu6w4mz.jpg.html)
once i tweaked the blade holder (slides over accent connections without rubbing etc) i could get the whole top end back together again. (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3006_zps3xunrw6k.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3006_zps3xunrw6k.jpg.html)
and also you can see I've cleaned up the board/ battery side a bit too.(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3007_zpsfup5opas.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3007_zpsfup5opas.jpg.html)
so with that, i think we've reached the big finale lol, the DANGER ZONE! lol  ugh, LC's got me watching Archer again lol.  but tomorrow morning after work i get home, i shower, i say a prayer lol, then i solder a few more wires onto the board side of the wiring and pop the shield on, slide that all up inside and out the switch hole to be joined to the rest.  I'll be carefully trimming slack and awkwardly soldering and carefully packing inside until i can turn it on and play with it a bit test it so it's good for Ethan, ahem. 

The intensity/ difficulty has been steady building lol, but so has the potential pay off!  This thing is gonna be INSANE!  I love it, and i'm sure Ethan will too :).  Plus I've got a whole sort of package with it thats gonna be sweet- have a cool looking crate done all up to pack it in and i'm even excited about how it'll be presented and all that :).  Keep you posted.  Wish me luck haha!

Oh also D7 i love the profile pic i've been meaning to say- looks like my favourite kind of panther!

Holy smokes Rev!

That looks so awesome. ;D

I know you can see all of the wiring paths, but to me it's a rat's nest...lol

I'm glad I don't have that problem facing me. ::)

'Cause I KNOW you'll rock this.  Simply freaking own it - like you already have. 

Truly spectacular.  Ethan will absolutely adore it. :)

Way to go technomancer!

-1

This goes way beyond your typical cram-fu! I think you have surpassed every level of that there is, and invented a whole new mastery of super-ninja-cram-fu-do!

And I thought my build was cramped! lmao

Points... to infinity, and beyond!

D7: Sorry, even as skilled as the Master Revan is, even he can't fix the cluster that is Photoblackhole :P

Amen to that.

Hey Rev,

That thing looks so sharp   8)

If I post you my Graflex will you try & un-jedi it for me?  ;D

Point to you sir.

I was kidding. Should have used  :P thingy.

Great stuff Rev.

Apologies my Dauntless Lady for the confusion.

 :)

A break? Really? This man wouldnt know what to do with a break! He's a workaholic saber fanatic who gets pissed at having to sleep each day! are you nuts woman? :D: D :D

Now c'mon Corwyn.

We know what Rev would do with a break - he'd fix it.  O_o

I think there would need to be copious amounts of beer...lol

AWWW - A COURSE?!  I hope it's just a day long thing then... sigh!

Libations in consumption presently. ;)

(http://www.relatably.com/m/img/sensitive-memes/56332829.jpg)
:D   :D

I had fun weekend plans??

No one told me...  >:(

Might as well be in a classroom or on the hunt... ::)

(I think today was d-day though)

I think you're right LR, and thats why he was putting in so many hours last weekend. last open chance. Heres hoping it all came together for him.

WOW!!  JUST WOW!!  Ok sorry everybody lol!!  WOW!!  what a rollercoaster ride, holy indescribable moly lol!

Like this project turned into such a series of unfortunate events haha, i've never been pushed/ challenged like this before, not even close. 

Ok so heres why i didn't have time to keep the updates coming in the home stretch- here's the final saga of Ethan's saber lol!  I even had to split this post into 2 because it was too long- wouldn't let me post it in one lol.

we left off last weekend with all the port, led and accent wires run and out the switch hole, and the board side about to get cleaned up before put inside and joined with the rest.   

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3008_zpstfeomha7.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3008_zpstfeomha7.jpg.html)
wiring cleaned and batteries secured in.(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3010_zpszt9qfffn.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3010_zpszt9qfffn.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3011_zpsrnqfaanb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3011_zpsrnqfaanb.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3012_zps5iluyymn.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3012_zps5iluyymn.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3013_zps287pawg5.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3013_zps287pawg5.jpg.html)
shielding all secured around board etc.

and finally, it's time to slide the board side in.  Now i have all the wiring in place and it simply needs to have all the excess trimmed and connections made.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3014_zps0txrp9gb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3014_zps0txrp9gb.jpg.html)
This took me all the way till Tuesday.  had to call it a day at that point and get a few hours of sleep before work. 

i came home from work that following day determined to have this thing finished since it had become Wednesday lol, and Ethan's last treatment (the occasion for this hilt) was friday- so in my mind i needed it done Wed so that i had thursday to clean it up and put everything together nice etc, not to mention i figured Charlie might wanna grab it before the actual day. 

so the name of this game was intensely staring inside through the switch hole with a light shining in and visualizing exactly how to fit everything.  it's not always as simple as triming the slack out- sometimes i had to leave more wire to save space, to allow it to rest better/ deeper, especially wherever resistors were connected, sometimes you're actually better off leaving a little more slack if that leaves the bulkier parts of the wiring back inside the hilt out of the way more- hard to explain but the key is in thinking things out a few steps ahead like a chess game or something.  you spend a lot of time just positioning wires prior to connecting and eliminating space waisting tangles and overlaps etc. and making sure that whatever you're doing now, and where you're planning on putting it, won't become a problem 5 steps from now lol.  ton of time pushing wires back inside the hilt and fighting to reposition them and fish them back out prior to connections so they're not ending up all knotted/ crossed etc.
like here:
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3015_zpsiztbzwkt.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3015_zpsiztbzwkt.jpg.html)
it took like 45 mins just to get those blue and brown wires (led channel) to that side of the hole and not mangled up in the rest before i could even do anything with them lol.

little by little i worked my way so that only the port and switch wires were left.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3016_zpsd6mo1d1e.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3016_zpsd6mo1d1e.jpg.html)

and finally- by about 5pm, all that remained was the switch.  and somehow all the careful packing worked out like i thought and the switch could fit unhindered.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3017_zpsdpedpkzp.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3017_zpsdpedpkzp.jpg.html)
So, moment of truth lol...  this was a tense moment because i had just spent the last few days on this install, and i had one day left as far as i was concerned- so no time for anything but clean up and presentation really.  This had better work lol.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3018_zps9iatosty.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3018_zps9iatosty.jpg.html)
SWEET!!! look's good!  now i'll just fire her up, and...(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3018_zps9iatosty.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3018_zps9iatosty.jpg.html)
...AHEM! i SAID, i'll fire it up...(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3018_zps9iatosty.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3018_zps9iatosty.jpg.html)
...
...

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3063_zpse9duhjxp.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3063_zpse9duhjxp.jpg.html)

the foc worked fine, but the main blade was so dull you couldn't even tell the led's were firing at all until you looked right into the module- all diodes were lit, which they totally shouldn't have been, should have just been the green (i preset the emerald before i grabbed it in the first place).  Needless to say this was a pretty dark place for me right here lol.  even looking at that pic gives me the shivers lol and brings me back there to what it was like.  it was messed- something more than just a crossed wire, big time- and the worst part was i simply didn't have time for any of it- who knows how long it was gonna take me just to get stuff out again, it took me till 5pm (was home from work at like 6:30 am), let alone figure out what was wrong/ damaged etc, and what to do about it?!  All i could think about was that i was gonna not have this thing on time, it just didn't seem possible, and i was freaking out lol. such a terrible feeling- i was just like OMG i'm gonna let this little boy down :(.  cause you know no matter how gracious Charlie was gonna be about it, no matter how patient/ understanding etc, the fact would remain that Ethan wouldn't be receiving the saber when we had planned... just like yoda said, do or do not, right?  I can't hand Ethan my best effort/ intentions lol.  And i just couldn't accept that.

it was wild cause for all the whacky stuff i've done, all the harebrained ideas etc, i've never had this happen before.  sure i've fried some led's and stuff like that- but i've never had a failed moment of truth before this- and this was the one time where i just NEEDED it to be good lol, AND it was the eleventh hour no less.  So after running the gambit from kylo tantrums to panic attack and back a few times, i crashed hard lol- cause that was just about a 24 hr day at that point (not to mention every day since the weekend had been nearly the same). 

Step one: set ridiculous old school london clock co alarm for a couple hours and keep it out of reach so i can't shut it off in my sleep.  can't even be in the same room or i simply won't remember shutting it off and going back to bed lol. 

Step 2:  call in sick to work lol.  hey, i'm not encouraging shrugging off responsibilities or anything like that- but my moral compass is pretty clear on this one lol.  of all the things i could say, believe me theres a lot if you knew my work, it's as simple as this- fast forward 10 years- is anyone gonna go 'o wow, remember when rev came in and saved our butts here at work that one time?!' or even 'o wow, remember when rev screwed us that one time by calling in sick and we got behind?!' hahhaha!!  NNNNOPE.  That's like everyday day in that place, it's a circus lol.  One day they're up millions one day they're down millions, blahbadyblah blah.  It's all nonsense lol. 

but in ten years, say my name comes up in conversation- is Charlie and fam gonna be like 'o yeah isn't that the guy who really went the extra mile to do that thing for Ethan?'  you bet.  to me, the call on which of these things is actually meaningful/ important was a no brainer.

Step 3: Hail Mary- time is the essence- i've got one full day, one night and one day before i needed to be back to work again the next day, and that would bring me to d day.  So i was better off just gutting the whole thing outright and starting completely fresh with all new parts- i couldn't risk reusing the stuff i may or may not have pooched lol. 

took me all night to just get everything out pretty much lol.  by morning i was starting to build again.  I had to shoot for something a little more doable this time- both due to time constraints, but also just because i think i tried to fit too much last time, and that was a big part of the problem.  I need to keep a little more room this go around so things aren't getting too squished.  Plus i ran out of emeralds lol. 

So is this all starting to look familiar to everyone lol?  well it ought to lol, cause it's like the fourth time i've done it for this saber lol!  This RGBW led came from a BR module i had for something else.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3020_zpsx9px7hkf.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3020_zpsx9px7hkf.jpg.html)
popped the wires off the red and threw some on the green- blamo!  green with silver foc.

pop it back in our module and wire up another 5mm.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3021_zpss5zpnifr.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3021_zpss5zpnifr.jpg.html)

I wired up the green even though i wasn't gonna use it this time- but its there for future expansions at least.  gonna do something diff this time with the accent- i spotted an opportunity in the wiring of the board/ speaker that i'll be using this time, and i'm gonna try something with it.

 (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3022_zpshn4pkebc.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3022_zpshn4pkebc.jpg.html)

theres the v4 rig i'll be using- taken from one of my pending personal projects.  those black and orange wires at the bottom come off the speaker and foc, but it's a diff config than i've been doing for the accent on this the last times.  It'll just be red and purple, but it will still be a 3 stage indicator with the second stage articulated through speaker. 

getting all that stuff mounted and run into position ready for connecting was a lot easier this time- i must have learned a thing or two in all these redo's lol.(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3023_zpsr8igxp7g.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3023_zpsr8igxp7g.jpg.html)

so now here it is with everything awaiting connection- significantly less congestion than last time, that was encouraging lol.

(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3024_zpsemn4o6ch.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3024_zpsemn4o6ch.jpg.html)

again, i set about connecting and packing everything carefully.  By about 4/5pm it was done and ready for the moment of truth, again lol... my hands were literally shaking when i pulled the kill key lol.

SUCCESS!!!! WOOOHOOO!! it's alive!!!
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3025_zpsnvvicwcc.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3025_zpsnvvicwcc.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3026_zpsmodnadgb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3026_zpsmodnadgb.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3027_zpsp4glsyeu.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3027_zpsp4glsyeu.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3028_zpsgbxpbqle.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3028_zpsgbxpbqle.jpg.html)
that's the crate i'll be using to help make it a cool presentation, but i'll have more on that shortly.

here's the new accent set up indicating standby.(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3029_zpsz3bjjfp5.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3029_zpsz3bjjfp5.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3030_zpsxsl8j4at.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3030_zpsxsl8j4at.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3031_zpsudsnurlk.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3031_zpsudsnurlk.jpg.html)
a very low light- just enough to get the red colour.  this is a more true to life indication of the status, as this accent is actually running off the idle current.  a few mA.

then when you ignite, it jumps to the 'animated' blaring red of second stage that matches what the sabers doing atm.  still rock'n the rgb switch.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3032_zpsa5qqt7vb.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3032_zpsa5qqt7vb.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3033_zpsurgntjwa.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3033_zpsurgntjwa.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3034_zpszthe3ipu.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3034_zpszthe3ipu.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3035_zpsew9vuifq.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3035_zpsew9vuifq.jpg.html)

3rd stage is purple for foc/ lockup/ overdrive.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3036_zpshweu06j1.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3036_zpshweu06j1.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3037_zpsxkwirqpj.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3037_zpsxkwirqpj.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3038_zps7md5qtaa.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3038_zps7md5qtaa.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3039_zpsbyxcwckh.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3039_zpsbyxcwckh.jpg.html)

first time realizing the chosen one is it's own stand lol.  rests perfectly on the covertech and knurls. (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3040_zpsv8k6mofu.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3040_zpsv8k6mofu.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3041_zpshxnmv2x9.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3041_zpshxnmv2x9.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3042_zpsnthhef36.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3042_zpsnthhef36.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3043_zpsepl9elhi.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3043_zpsepl9elhi.jpg.html)
love the way the plug looks illuminated.

with a shoto blade in just so you can see it.(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3044_zpse9sasa8w.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3044_zpse9sasa8w.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3045_zpsm3wm36a8.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3045_zpsm3wm36a8.jpg.html)
trying to catch the foc but not having much luck lol, you'll have to just take my word for it, it's a nice dramatic white flash.

...(continued)

SWEET!  loving this saber... bit of a bummer i couldn't do the emerald after all, but all in all i'm really happy with how this turned out, he's gonna love it :).

so now time for a wicked, TFA inspired presentation.  this was a family affair.  i told my mom i was trying to find an old beat up crate or chest for this because she has a knack for finding cool stuff like that at barn sales and second hand shops etc.  she mentioned to my sister, who happened to have an extra crate from when she was making storage/ furniture.  She had been burning and weathering them for that look, so it was perfect.  So then we gave that to my dad who made a nice fitted lid for it and completed the finish.  so when i got it all i had to do was make some padding/ liners, and a little etched plaque.

foam sheets with black velvet sewed over it as a liner.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3050_zps1rpslgfa.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3050_zps1rpslgfa.jpg.html)
gathering up the stand, charger, plug, clips, wrenches etc, plus a kylo bobble and some other little things to get packed up with it.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3053_zps9pbmhh0p.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3053_zps9pbmhh0p.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3054_zps1jqihgln.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3054_zps1jqihgln.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3055_zps4w4ofke0.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3055_zps4w4ofke0.jpg.html)(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3057_zpsvaub3p6f.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3057_zpsvaub3p6f.jpg.html)
'there is no fear'
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3056_zps4vxnbay9.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3056_zps4vxnbay9.jpg.html)
and that's how i'll give it to him.  should be a real cool feeling for Ethan opening that up :).  i can remember a few times where my dad really went the extra mile to sell a cool gift with the details/ authenticity in presentation, and it always stuck with me. 

so finally, lets have a moment of silence to commemorate the path of destruction that forged this saber lol.  (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3058_zpsugta5bxf.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3058_zpsugta5bxf.jpg.html)
far left is the first emerald rig.  middle is the second emerald rig.  and right is whats left of the personal project i cannibalized to make the internals that are in it now. 

but i defy you to look at these next 2 pics and tell me it wasn't worth it :).
 (http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3060_zps4thghyru.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3060_zps4thghyru.jpg.html)
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx2/major_major/IMG_3061_zpsmjwvuthu.jpg) (http://s736.photobucket.com/user/major_major/media/IMG_3061_zpsmjwvuthu.jpg.html)

i also have a little vid of Ethan in action i'll try to get up soon- i have to say, he has a super impressive handle/ comfortability on this thing!  like seriously, he handles it amazing considering it's size/ weight- he was doing spins and everything.  very cool :). 

again, I'm SUPER sorry for keeping you guys in suspense all this time!  i finished the saber for the second time on thrudsay just in time to go to work that night, then spent friday getting it all ready and the crate done etc, then made the plans with Charlie for pick up, then went to work again, came home the next morning and met up with Chalie (a celebratory family get together on saturday was when Ethan would be getting the hilt), crashed like a sack of bricks, went in to work again, got home this morning and started this post- got half way done and went to my dads for my bro's b day, just got home again and immediately got back to finishing this update.  Now i'm gonna crash for the few hours till work again- so apologies for all the typos and stuff that I'm sure are in this lol.  just too tired atm but i wanted to get this up as fast as possible/ at first chance.  i feel terrible for leaving this hanging, but it was all i could do to just make sure i had it for Ethan on time. 

super grateful for all the support and encouragement and help along the way, you guys rock!  Points upon points coming to you all in time.  It was awesome to be able to do this for Ethan.  I'm SO looking forward to being back around like normal again!  Project Revanant has been calling to me for so long now lol, i'm really excited to get back on that also.  And on top of all the projects awaiting me, i've got like 15 million pm's to attend to i'm sure lol.  i'm super sorry for all the correspondence i'm behind on guys, i WILL get back to you, just give me a few more days and i'll be all caught up.

keep you posted, MTFBWY, and thank you all so much!  Couldn't have done it without you :).

I am WITHOUT SPEECH, RR! This is a phenomenal accomplishment! What a lucky young man, Ethan is, to have a Dad who loves him so much to walk through the valley of the shadow of.... INTENSE DETERMINATION to finish a project that would have caused many to pull out their hair and run away. Nice work on such a beautiful, impressive hilt, and all the while, trying to focus on this project taking the time to bring us along your journey with you. -1 point for the incredible focus, the amazing presentation (love that crate idea, btw - that inspires me to do a crate display like that of my own - what a ridiculously fresh idea with the Aurebesh writing on it).  Anyway, bravo, I applaud your amazing work!

Rev that is just awesome. So is your dedication and talent for making this saber to bring happiness to others. It's just plain inspirational. And you're completely right when you said seeing the pics of Ethan with it makes it totally worth it. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us. Now you should probably get some rest.

Bloody marvelous mate!
Can't believe the challenges you faced in this and yet still accomplished what you set out to.
Congratulations man, and thanks so much for letting us follow along!

Wow. Just wow. That is amazing.  :o :o

I'm not sure how you did it, but you pulled it off. You are truly the Technomancer of the Graflex Order. Very well done. Points inbound whenever I remember.

Right on man!

That's crappy that it didn't work for you the first time.  That's just got to be a totally horrible feeling - and on a timeline for somebody else?  I'd crap my pants.

You did it though, Rev!  It looks amazing too!  That crate too - freakin' awesomeness!

I can't blame you at all for begging off work for that.  You made the proper decision in my mind, and like you said, Ethan's face shows the proof. :)

Take a well earned rest m'man.  You totally deserve it. 

Way to go dude.  Amazeballs.

-1

That's a game changer for that young man ... one day he'll be able to look back and see how much TLC and The Force went into his lightsaber.

As a parent that makes me extremely happy to see him hopefully well & enjoying his new saber.  Really glad you did that - well done!

Very well done here. His expression in the pics makes it all worth it

Thanks you all SO much!!  I know Charlie and Ethan and fam really appreciate the show of support :).  Charlie's a really good guy, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, and they're a great family- I'm glad we were able to help be a part of making the occasion special, and awesome for Ethan.  You guys are the best!

This is my last night at work and then I'm off for the week- I'll be catching up around here like crazy starting tomorrow, can't wait! 

SOOO worth it Rev . . . and really, what more can we say . . . you are 100% an awesome person my friend . . . points, every time I check in over the next few weeks . . .  :)

and . . . I'm 100% sure you'll salvage those boards and put them to good use . . .  ;D

So glad you are getting a well deserved break after the chaos of the last couple of weeks. Sleep late, rest up. You've earned it!

Very well said indeed D7.

Who wants cake?

(http://i.imgur.com/xA63eEI.jpg)

thanks Jed!  yeah for sure i've got so many ideas about those boards already lol. 

Definitely well said D7!  Thank you :). 

Holy LR that's the best cake ever!!

Thanks. :P

haha!  o ya!  whoops lol!

Thanks D7 :).  lol, this was mostly just for Ethan and Charlie's future reference etc, but yeah i should have totally put this up lol, totally spaced.
 
https://youtu.be/NWu34bz2XJ8

it's insanely long and i kinda had to dwell on/ explain everything a lot just cause this was likely Ethan and Charlie's introduction to a lot of this saber stuff- just basically some instructions etc :).  But it does give you a really good look at the crate and the saber in action if you're curious- the crate and just basic reference is the first half, the saber should be the last half- in case anyone wants to skip to the good stuff.

Killer job, Rev!  ;D

Thanks Isola! 

Awesome Rev!

Good to see ya. ;)

That looks spectacular!  The crate just rocks.  What a cool way to present it. :)

-1