I didn't intend to post this yet, but got swamped with requests for more info after people saw my YouTube videos last night...
Larbel Qui Gon Jin saber
Crystal Focusv4.2
LedEngin 10W RGGB (Green blade, 60ms blue clash flash)
powerXtender
7.2V Li-ion
1.3mm microchargeport
Rumble motor wired to main LED to match the flickering/pulsing effect
I built this saber last month. At first it had a Tri-R GGW, but then I gutted it saber and started over, adding a rumble motor, too.
Many pics on my PB account:
http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Larbel%20Qui%20Gon%20CF4/But here are a few shots of the saber in his new shoes:
To add the motor, I extended the channel in the main body. You can see the original depth, then the addition.
By the way, here is a shot of the original groove on the stock Larbel.
After that, I ditched the shoddy heatsink setup I used originally and turned down a new TCSS adapter. I needed the heatsink's ability to screw in, because the original setup had twisted wire issues. MUCH better solution the second time around ;) The original emitter was widened to 1" at the face, and 1.18" at the throat to hold the TCSS optic/heatsink adapter.
The 2.5mm's hole was milled square to fit the new 1.3mm I bought (thanks Eastern57 for the tip). I opted for the taller model because I wanted it to fit snugly against the inner wall of the body, which the shorty ones would not do. This way it doesn't rattle and doesn't require any glue to stay firmly in place, yet it can be moved to the side easily to access the SD card as needed.
The speaker mount sits snugly against the wall with the ArkLight Arsenal symbol, and is made to hold the speaker 2mm above the charge port's base so they don't actually rub. The original Larbel pommel threads down and snugly butts up against the mount. I had never drilled it because I didn't want to mar the original. 'Turns out you don't need soundholes in this saber, so I'm happy with the decision to keep it stock...
I got a new roll of 28ga wire and used a new CFv4.2. For this redone saber, I wanted to use wire that was all the same color wherever possible, to dissuade someone from trying to tamper with my work. I also *tried* to route the wires neatly (Madcow you're my hero). The powerXtender is attached to the CF using doublestick tape, trimmed so that its height doesn't hit the inner wall (btw, the wall has a layer of electric tape on it for added protection)
Layout:
And wiring:
I didn't solder the switches at that point because the way the saber is set up, there is ZERO slack in the wires. The saber is basically "sewn in". To mount the motor, I first used tweezers to glue it in its proper place:
Then set the board in its place, and afterwards soldered those two leads to the main LED pad. Again, basically zero slack to work with, but tweezers and toes help the process go smoothly:
Then, from the emitter side, I threaded in the four switch wires. Brass tube helps hide the wires and keep a "clean" look:
That little slack will be tidy once they're wired to the LED...you can also see the CF access space here:
Next up, sewing the LED into place. Tough because the LedEngins can't be mounted to the heatsink or else they won't solder, so you need four hands: hold the LED, position the wire, position the solder, position the iron.
Toes ;)Then, on goes the head. Anti-twist three times, thread four times. No tangling and no risky tension on the leads:
The neat thing about the way the entire saber is engineered is that the silver shroud can be completely removed free from the saber. The black body/emitter contains all of the parts. The one other Larbel Qui Gon CF I've seen had the port and speaker mounted in the pommel, it it had lots of twisting wire slack in it. Not mine.
Lastly, about that LedEngin 10W RGGB... The two Greens are in series off the main pad, obviously. Right now, I set the blue on clash, with a very short clash time (~60 miliseconds). This makes for a nice effect, because it is so quick, it seems like my almost registers the brightness first, instead of the actual color.
WATCH THE VIDEO ;)
Now get out there and innovate, people!
-John :)