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Author Topic: Graflex 2.0 complete!  (Read 18009 times)

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Offline ken

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #15 on: January 19, 2016, 08:32:57 AM »
Yubnub check out Socalsabers guide on facebook, Jordan is a great guy and has posted pics of his build log, however I'm not sure there is a piece by piece guide to striping the Graflex down. Should be fairly simple to do though and mainly involves removing the brass pins and an Alan screw I think?

I'll take a look thanks! seen a few builds of the 2.0 now (still no one mentioned the hex size) one using the TCSS discs and one from DarthRyo on shapeways. He's got loads of printed chassis' and a reveal chamber option too! looks great but i'm trying to keep it simple (and cheap) however...none of that matters as there are no sound boards to buy anywhere!!

also, shipping to UK...wow!  ...anyone know of EU or UK palces?

Will probably go with chassis components from Shapeways and source most of the other stuff from here. But that NBv3 is looking very enticing!


looking like im going to do the same and get a NBv3 from uk i emailed plecter labs to see when theyll have more v3's in stock just waiting for the email

Offline Scottm2815

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2016, 01:11:40 AM »
Yubnub check out Socalsabers guide on facebook, Jordan is a great guy and has posted pics of his build log, however I'm not sure there is a piece by piece guide to striping the Graflex down. Should be fairly simple to do though and mainly involves removing the brass pins and an Alan screw I think?

I'll take a look thanks! seen a few builds of the 2.0 now (still no one mentioned the hex size) one using the TCSS discs and one from DarthRyo on shapeways. He's got loads of printed chassis' and a reveal chamber option too! looks great but i'm trying to keep it simple (and cheap) however...none of that matters as there are no sound boards to buy anywhere!!

also, shipping to UK...wow!  ...anyone know of EU or UK palces?

Will probably go with chassis components from Shapeways and source most of the other stuff from here. But that NBv3 is looking very enticing!


looking like im going to do the same and get a NBv3 from uk i emailed plecter labs to see when theyll have more v3's in stock just waiting for the email

It's a real nightmare here in the UK at the moment. I managed to snag a NB V2 from TCSS but the postage was crippling and I'm still waiting for it and a few other bits arrive. JQ sabers are a great resource for electronics here in the UK but as they source there parts from TCSS they are also struggling with stock aswell . I'm thinking i'll be going with the NB V3 for my next build, not sure of the differences though?
Another frustration I've found as I was planning on doing a Luke ESB DL44 Blaster to go with my ESB Graflex, the stupid UK laws won't let me buy a Denix for £50 because i'm, not part of a reeanactment group even though it's a non working, sodding replica. The only other few Denix options will cost £90-£100 and would either have to be painted a bright colour or come with bright coloured sticky tape, the later option would be fine but yep you guessed it, it's the most expensive!
Apart from my pleasant experience with folks such as Korbanth, Jordan and JQ sabers I've found this new hobby of mine very frustrating so far, I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end though.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2016, 01:17:37 AM by Scottm2815 »

Offline Yubnub

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2016, 05:59:09 AM »
It's a real nightmare here in the UK at the moment. I managed to snag a NB V2 from TCSS but the postage was crippling and I'm still waiting for it and a few other bits arrive. JQ sabers are a great resource for electronics here in the UK but as they source there parts from TCSS they are also struggling with stock aswell . I'm thinking i'll be going with the NB V3 for my next build, not sure of the differences though?
Another frustration I've found as I was planning on doing a Luke ESB DL44 Blaster to go with my ESB Graflex, the stupid UK laws won't let me buy a Denix for £50 because i'm, not part of a reeanactment group even though it's a non working, sodding replica. The only other few Denix options will cost £90-£100 and would either have to be painted a bright colour or come with bright coloured sticky tape, the later option would be fine but yep you guessed it, it's the most expensive!
Apart from my pleasant experience with folks such as Korbanth, Jordan and JQ sabers I've found this new hobby of mine very frustrating so far, I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end though.

Dude! Agree with everything you just wrote! ...so much so that last month I opted for the Doopydoos resin kit of the Greedo Killer...allong with a tonne of gunmetal paint options and some graphite powder for weathering! If i can make that look real, i think it'll be more pleasing than having spent £100 on a Denix and $250 on a conversion kit from DarkEnergy.

There are some good options out there on Plectorlabs, Etsy and eBay ...it would just be nice to have it all in one convenient place like TCSS

I guess the US being nearly 2.5x bigger than the whole of western Europe, the interest in and resources of an incredibly niche hobby has to be much less for the UK. So, we must put up with it. Hey ho...

NBv3 seems to have an on board power extender for flash on clash and some stability tweaks.

Offline Scottm2815

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #18 on: January 20, 2016, 07:54:58 AM »
It's a real nightmare here in the UK at the moment. I managed to snag a NB V2 from TCSS but the postage was crippling and I'm still waiting for it and a few other bits arrive. JQ sabers are a great resource for electronics here in the UK but as they source there parts from TCSS they are also struggling with stock aswell . I'm thinking i'll be going with the NB V3 for my next build, not sure of the differences though?
Another frustration I've found as I was planning on doing a Luke ESB DL44 Blaster to go with my ESB Graflex, the stupid UK laws won't let me buy a Denix for £50 because i'm, not part of a reeanactment group even though it's a non working, sodding replica. The only other few Denix options will cost £90-£100 and would either have to be painted a bright colour or come with bright coloured sticky tape, the later option would be fine but yep you guessed it, it's the most expensive!
Apart from my pleasant experience with folks such as Korbanth, Jordan and JQ sabers I've found this new hobby of mine very frustrating so far, I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end though.

Dude! Agree with everything you just wrote! ...so much so that last month I opted for the Doopydoos resin kit of the Greedo Killer...allong with a tonne of gunmetal paint options and some graphite powder for weathering! If i can make that look real, i think it'll be more pleasing than having spent £100 on a Denix and $250 on a conversion kit from DarkEnergy.

There are some good options out there on Plectorlabs, Etsy and eBay ...it would just be nice to have it all in one convenient place like TCSS

I guess the US being nearly 2.5x bigger than the whole of western Europe, the interest in and resources of an incredibly niche hobby has to be much less for the UK. So, we must put up with it. Hey ho...

NBv3 seems to have an on board power extender for flash on clash and some stability tweaks.

NBV3 sounds good, lets hope prices aren't too high. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my frustrations lol. Softmiliary sell the Denix for £50, £50!! It's just these xxx laws man.
Will check out Etsy for some parts aswell, bought my heatsinks from there.
I've considered resin Dl44's, are they good for adding electronics to aswell?


Offline Yubnub

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #19 on: January 20, 2016, 09:10:55 AM »
I'll PM you a couple of interesting shops for C96 replicas... Sounds like you've done your research but they might be interesting.

I figured, if I was machining it and then weathering it after the build; being supplied in bright colour really isn't that annoying.

The resin kit is surprisingly good quality. will need filler primer for really tiny bubbles all over it though. It's an exact resin pull of the Denix so will have all the nooks and crannies that it does but not hollow. However, resin is easy to machine and dremel. If you need a thread, just bond in a brass insert! ...I'm liking it so far. (wait until i drop it though)

It actually came with a broken hammer. I drilled out opposing faces along the break and bonded it back together with epoxy and half a brass screw as a support bridging the break internally.

Back to the Graflex 2.0: have you striped it down yet? just ordered an imperial allen key set... (these projects mean you always end up with twice as much stuff than you originally thought!)

Offline ken

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #20 on: January 20, 2016, 09:20:39 AM »
Yubnub check out Socalsabers guide on facebook, Jordan is a great guy and has posted pics of his build log, however I'm not sure there is a piece by piece guide to striping the Graflex down. Should be fairly simple to do though and mainly involves removing the brass pins and an Alan screw I think?

I'll take a look thanks! seen a few builds of the 2.0 now (still no one mentioned the hex size) one using the TCSS discs and one from DarthRyo on shapeways. He's got loads of printed chassis' and a reveal chamber option too! looks great but i'm trying to keep it simple (and cheap) however...none of that matters as there are no sound boards to buy anywhere!!


also, shipping to UK...wow!  ...anyone know of EU or UK palces?

Will probably go with chassis components from Shapeways and source most of the other stuff from here. But that NBv3 is looking very enticing!

the NBv2 was in stock at tcss yesterday but ehy sell like hot cakes! i managed to pick one up i was going to pm you about it but i looked at the page again an hour later and they were sold out sorry dude  :cry: :cry:
looking like im going to do the same and get a NBv3 from uk i emailed plecter labs to see when theyll have more v3's in stock just waiting for the email

It's a real nightmare here in the UK at the moment. I managed to snag a NB V2 from TCSS but the postage was crippling and I'm still waiting for it and a few other bits arrive. JQ sabers are a great resource for electronics here in the UK but as they source there parts from TCSS they are also struggling with stock aswell . I'm thinking i'll be going with the NB V3 for my next build, not sure of the differences though?
Another frustration I've found as I was planning on doing a Luke ESB DL44 Blaster to go with my ESB Graflex, the stupid UK laws won't let me buy a Denix for £50 because i'm, not part of a reeanactment group even though it's a non working, sodding replica. The only other few Denix options will cost £90-£100 and would either have to be painted a bright colour or come with bright coloured sticky tape, the later option would be fine but yep you guessed it, it's the most expensive!
Apart from my pleasant experience with folks such as Korbanth, Jordan and JQ sabers I've found this new hobby of mine very frustrating so far, I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end though.

Offline Scottm2815

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #21 on: January 21, 2016, 01:36:12 AM »
I'll PM you a couple of interesting shops for C96 replicas... Sounds like you've done your research but they might be interesting.

I figured, if I was machining it and then weathering it after the build; being supplied in bright colour really isn't that annoying.

The resin kit is surprisingly good quality. will need filler primer for really tiny bubbles all over it though. It's an exact resin pull of the Denix so will have all the nooks and crannies that it does but not hollow. However, resin is easy to machine and dremel. If you need a thread, just bond in a brass insert! ...I'm liking it so far. (wait until i drop it though)

It actually came with a broken hammer. I drilled out opposing faces along the break and bonded it back together with epoxy and half a brass screw as a support bridging the break internally.

Back to the Graflex 2.0: have you striped it down yet? just ordered an imperial allen key set... (these projects mean you always end up with twice as much stuff than you originally thought!)

I haven't stripped my down yet, just waiting for my Graflex pin tool and rest of the electronics and chassis to get started.
On a good note my 35W ESD Soldering iron arrived yesterday:)
Will keep you posted on my build, planning on taking detailed pics of the strip down.

Offline Scottm2815

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #22 on: January 21, 2016, 06:13:10 AM »
Yubnub and other UK builders,

If your looking for 4-40 threaded rod for chassis, I've just found this UK online store
Lynxmotion Threaded Rod - 12" x 4-40 (6) TROD-02 - RobotShop

You get 6 rods in a pack at a reasonable price:)

Unfortunately I've just purchased their remaining stock however they will have new stock shortly. They are also out of 4-40 steel nuts so I couldn't get any of those.

Ordered my padawan Graflex 2.0 chassis from safeways courtesy of Darth Ryo, with shipping it cost more than I thought but it will be very convenient for a first build. For future builds I'm going to start designing my own chassis I think, should be simple to fashion some chassis discs etc. this will be a little side project of mine to create simple cheap chassis. I need to find far cheaper solutions for my future builds! (not saying Ryo's chassis are over priced, far from it, they are nicely designed and cut out a lot of work)
So far waiting on electronics some from TCSS but most from JQ sabers. JQ sabers are the way to go for us UK builders, very friendly and helpful service from Susan. JQ also sell 7/8" blades which is another bonus:) They are a life saver!
« Last Edit: January 21, 2016, 06:43:24 AM by Scottm2815 »

Offline Yubnub

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #23 on: January 21, 2016, 12:18:11 PM »
JQ is looking very much THE place to be for these builds. But, with bandwagoners like me jumping into this in the wake of TFA, it's baron out there.

1/8 X 60 driver and a fine set of Imperial Allen keys from RS today... Let the strip-down commence! (Famous last words)

I'm terrible with tracking progress with photos and write ups... I'll see how it goes.

Thanks for the tips though chaps!

Offline erlomd

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #24 on: February 29, 2016, 11:48:36 AM »
Great Job Yubnub! looks killer!!!

Offline The Force Is Strong

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #25 on: February 29, 2016, 07:44:56 PM »
Couple of mods done to get it more TFA (short grips etc) and a few burrs here and there.



How did you cut down the grips? Got a chance to see the "Hero" saber at the Launch Bay at Disney World in Florida, and I can confirm the grips look just like this.

Offline Yubnub

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #26 on: March 03, 2016, 04:38:34 PM »
How did you cut down the grips? Got a chance to see the "Hero" saber at the Launch Bay at Disney World in Florida, and I can confirm the grips look just like this.

On the grips I trimmed off 4mm from the top (clamp) end and razzed off the screw bosses underneath. Then cut most of the thread off the screws, so nothing pokes through, and glued them in the grips. Lining up the grips around the base, using the holes as a guide, i was then able to move them up 3.5mm from the pommel,  to get the gaps just right.

quick tip: Use a nice sharp and sturdy kitchen knife (cleaver) to trim the grips after marking the top ridge with a pencil. Get it in position and push straight down. It will give a near perfect finish that you can quickly tidy up with wet'n'dry paper with no loss of maerial like a saw or grinder would.

Enjoy!  ...and mind your fingers!
« Last Edit: March 08, 2016, 05:58:55 AM by Yubnub »

Offline Yubnub

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #27 on: March 03, 2016, 04:46:29 PM »
Here's a quick couple of wiring diagrams i mocked up. One shows JST and Micro JST connectors i'm considering, so i can swap out batteries and LED units if i feel the need...




Please let me know if anything looks wrong!

Thanks guys!

Offline erlomd

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #28 on: March 03, 2016, 06:49:57 PM »
You know, thats some fancy photo editing done there...great job on the graphics

Offline Scottm2815

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Re: Graflex 2.0 complete!
« Reply #29 on: March 04, 2016, 02:22:30 AM »
Those are fantastic diagrams Yubnub, I could have done with those a few weeks ago when I was trying to get my head around some bits of the wiring.

I should have mine finished the weekend all being well. Had a few hold ups along the way waiting for my Torx kit to take my Graflex apart. Now have my LED module and clamp switch all in the top half of my Graflex. My wired up battery connector/ recharge port and speaker are already to go in my chassis so then I can start soldering everything to the board once in position.
I just need to cut my chassis down to size because the grip pegs stick out preventing my chassis from going all the way in. I see this as a plus point now because it will mean I can position my recharge port to sit in front of my speaker where I can simply unscrew the pommel to recharge the saber.

I'm a little nervous about soldering everything to the board but as long as I take my time it should be ok.

 

retrousse