How to make Light Sabers -- CF Wiring Guide (part I)

[thedylan725]

Can you find a crystal focus board at a hardware store??

[greytale]

@thedylan725 Unfortunately, no--they are singularly designed and built by a gentleman named Erv Plecter of Plecterlabs. :) Check out his site to learn more.

[SwordMasterz2]

This music sounds familiar. Deus Ex?

[chaos09king]

plz do a tutorial about how to make a lightsaber using the petit crouton sound board

and by using parts from tcss that is a challenge!!

[chaos09king]

can u do a petit crouton sound board video tutorial on how to make a lightsaber with a working kill switch plz

[EbayEuron]

can you wire a cf 5 the same way?

[greytale]

@EbayEuron Good question. The answer is... yes and no.

Many of the foundational wiring will remain the same, however the "component orientation" on the CFv5 is very different in many cases, and--for example--the indicator LEDs need to be wired entirely differently as well.

Still... the general wiring of the board remains mostly the same, and you can also compare this wiring guide to the "Petite Crouton" board as well.

--Novastar

[EbayEuron]

@greytale great I use this vid and the manual for wiring so the saberaction can start!!! baBOOOM!!!

Btw.: Saw your Balance of power vids and I have to say its really professional and awesome to watch! :)

[greytale]

@EbayEuron Glad ya like both the guide and the BOP productions, mah man... :)

Don't forget to post video of your saber(s)!

[EbayEuron]

@greytale I will, btw. I am m4rco on fx sabers and Marco on tcss forums and saberforum from ultrasabers ;D

[superdude5007]

does he have a schematic, or did he just buy it?

[greytale]

@superdude5007 Who "he"? And buy what? I'm not certain what you're asking about.

In terms of the tutorial I made here with Brian... we do go off of a general schematic which labels what solder points affect what actions (i.e. on-off switch, aux switch, batteries, LED, etc. etc.).

Otherwise, if you feel confident with soldering, wiring, layout and planning... you can just refer to the .PDF that Erv has on his website.

--Novastar

[shadow7945]

where do u get the crystal focus board from

[greytale]

@shadow7945 Plecterlabs website... although the gent who makes the board (Erv) is on a hiatus right now, as... he just a new child and is super busy with his regular line of work.

[SpaceMasterRahel]

Heheh. "Strippers" XD

[markisswong]

What version of CF is that with the larger flash card? I just secured a CF4.0 and that uses a micro SD correct?

Also, I've seen one of your older videos when I was first getting onto the saber scene. It's the video that is similar to the Disney film Aladdin's "bazaar." I thought to myself, who is this joker. Now I realize, this "joker" is Novastar. Being in the know, totally had me in a paradigm shift. You do great work.

[greytale]

@markisswong Thanks, hahah... yup, many people could watch "only one" of my videos and "miss the point" entirely... VERY easily! :)

As to the version of CF you see in this video--I don't recall the exact one, but it was likely v3.

V3 boards and earlier used SD cards. V4 and forward have been using micro SD cards (uSD)... :)

Finally, the video you mean is "Prince LED"... a joue de mots on "Prince Ali" of course. :)

--Nova

[arialrave212851]

hey man i want to make a quick one but make it do the effects like you do but not blow big money XD

[willj78]

kewl same iron as me

[jummpingjackflash]

i still think it cool as hell and would pay that lol

[jummpingjackflash]

How much is it all toghether to make one of these??

[greytale]

@jummpingjackflash there are many ways a saber can be built, but I'd say you're looking at a minimum of $250 when you consider what is seen here in the video. It could easily be $300 to $1000 though... depending on how detailed and fancy you get.

To answer your questions and a few others... sorry... at this time, I cannot build sabers for others as a product to sell: I've no time for it, unfortunately!

[zXDaishiXz]

how do you make or buy a crystal focus board?

[OblivionKisame]

would u make a lightsaber fo some one if they paid u and paid for shipping and stuff

[greytale]

@ Amarian & Sood1200... thanks and--this tutorial is to build a fairly involved & expensive one. However, you can make it as simple or complex as you like.

I have other videos explaining how to make a very very simple LED saber as well.  So it all depends on your needs or what you can afford.

[Amarian86]

YES! Tutorials! :D hehe, didn't see this. but awesome, now i can try and make a lightsaber. :)

p.s. prepare yourself for a bombardment of questions in the near future. lol xD

[Sood1200abhi]

yea me 2 but it mihgt be 2 expensive for me =(

[StarWarsFan7891]

Where do you get these materials,espically the cyrstal focus board.

[pissnitch]

Deus Ex FTW

[greytale]

hell yah Deus Ex FTW! The first game. Not the 2nd, lol... :)

Warren Spector = win ... Ion Storm (back in the day) = win. :D

[ffcloude]

cn u tell me how do u add those sound effects into e chip??or smth like a memory card?wad if i use smth like a PSP memory card??

[magicman957]

if i was to pay you could you make me a custom light saber

[greytale]

Please see my "FAQ" video regarding this...

[ssfire8]

cool vid

[GutteralRetch]

Which song from Deus Ex is that?...I was attempting to look through the tracklist on another channel and I couldnt find it..

[greytale]

I think it's called "Chateau", and it's the music you hear when you visit Nicolette DuClare's home... when J.C. and Nico are trying to figure out what clues her mother left behind.

The 2nd music is just the "NYC Streets" stuff. I loved Alex Brandon's music. It was brilliant, and perfect for Deus Ex. Too bad the 2nd one was just a fluckin' waste... :(

[EngZerJun]

where can buy those materials?

[queensis]

my bro used eletric tape in his saber so it won't short out

[greytale]

This can work in lieu of shrink-tube sections, but it's not quite as ideal for easy repairs, rewiring and for longevity. Over time, the tape gets old and can come off... but... yup--it will work! :)

[kingbro2]

i'm the guy who used eletric tape i taped all exposed wires the tap and i did use heat shrink on the out side of the tape

[DoominTict2009]

you're awesome graytale! ! ! !

[BoB1ohya]

wow you guys are much better at soldering than me but i geuss that makes sence uv got more experiance

[greytale]

There was one for November 8th... :) I try to release a video every time a batch of CF goes out...

But yup, my vids (and the forums/threads) are a good place to watch for upcoming CF...

[greytale]

The Crystal Focus board made by Erv @ Plecterlabs comes with some pre-installed sound fonts on the SD card. You are not required to buy the Sound CD that I sell.

However, the Sound CD contains 20 sound fonts, extra configuration files, easy-to-use tutorials, a staged combat tutorial... and a MYRIAD of other things that some saber users would find to be quite invaluable! :)

Still... it is not required. :) Good question!!

[deathdevil46]

if i wanted to buy one of u sabers how much would i have to pay

[helios5868]

Love the Deus Ex music. Anyone who has made it to Hong Kong will know how appropriate it is (there would be spoilers if I said more)

[iLightsaber]

coool

[irvinplecter]

oh, btw, I've finally linked this tutorial and playlist on my website (bad, bad and late studient I am, bloody "cancre" ! :p

[greytale]

That's perfect... hopefully it will help for the next batch of CF which is coming soon merci a toi!! :)

[irvinplecter]

little addon from the electronic troll I am : 22 AWG is great for the luxeon side, and maybe from the batt pack to the recharge port and to the board, then for the rest, accent LEDS, motor, switches : 26 or 28 AWG is better, and ribbon cable is nice too. Like Greytale mentioned : stranded wires, not solid single core, the more flexible the better.

Again, fantastic tutorial !

Erv'

[greytale]

All good notes on the wire gauges!!  Thanks...

[greytale]

I agree, the 2nd DX pretty much lost the entire feel of what was so great about the first one. I never did exactly figure out EXACTLY what it was about DX II that killed the feel... but... there it is.

Besides, I've been having trouble giving a shot at replaying it... it completely goes psycho on my newer dual core and has already blown up a power supply. No joke. Sparks. Smoke. Pop. Dead PWR supply... (!!!)

[greytale]

I would DIE to do any work on DXIII. I've been contacting the company for ages, but... hmmm... nothing.

And I do NOT mean the (now defunct) Ion Storm... I mean the torch carries to put it simply...

[greytale]

You are correct sir!  :) Best. Game. Ever.

[angelraily]

iw ant to make my own saber but i cant get the parts in sweden :(

[greytale]

Well, I think Tim ships parts almost anywhere. Visit thecustomsabershop. You know what to add at the end.

[TANAKASAGARA]

where would I get one of those nifty CF chip doo-dads?

[greytale]

Check out the guy who posted just prior to you: irvinplecter.

[irvinplecter]

awesome video guide, you guys can be proud ! better than I would ever explain. Good pre tinning stuff, clear explanations, tons of knowledge highlit in 10 minutes : thanks for all the CF owners !

Erv' Plecter

[greytale]

As always, it was ma plaisir, ami... and Brian's as well!! :)

--Novastar

[IrishCinema7]

awsome

[ImperialSith]

So here`s the HTML Expert tutorial... very good Nova/Matt