Build a Lightsaber

So you have decided to take the final step to embracing the force. Does your path follow the Light or the Dark side? (I hear the dark side has cookies).

What ever side you are on, what follows is how to make a Duel-Worthy Lightsabre. That means, you should be able to wield this sword and bash it against things and other lightsabers with little fear of actually breaking the lightsaber. You may end up breaking other things, but the lightsaber will remain intact.*

Total cost of this project is $60 to $1,000 USD. The wide range in cost all depends of how crazy you get with your design. The cost of lightsaber I built for this instructable is about $160.

The Video: 



NOTE 1: This Instructable is very TEXT intensive.

NOTE 2: Most of the parts used in this tutorial came from The Custom Saber Shop (TCSS). I am not affiliated or employed with them. I am just a customer.

* The author of this instructable is not responsible for property damage, personal injury, amputation of limbs, decapitation, and/or death resulting from the building and use of the lightsaber prop. All legal responsibility or resulting civil action due to said property damage, personal injury, amputation of limbs, decapitation, and or death belongs solely to the builder. The author is also not responsible for anyone falling into the Dark Side. The author will also not be held responsible if an agent of the Dark side decides to fry you with lightning coming out of his/her fingertips*

Step 1: Gallery - My Past Creations

These were my past creations and experiments.
I used to own a 7x12 metal lathe. 
I sold the lathe

Comments

[heliophobiant]

ok how do you make the crystal chamber because i cant find out how you did it

[MrTinkerer]

I took apart a dead hard drive and a dead CD drive. I took the center motor of the CD drive and stacked metal on top to make a pillar to hold the crystal. I found a clear tube big enough to contain the pillar and crystal. The crysal chamber is really a collection of broken junk (motors, drives, bits of wire) glued together. The only new thing in it is the piece of quartz in the middle.

[pmial]

MrTinkerer : how can i buy you one of these wonderfull lightsaber ?

i'm from France ;)

[i own airsoft]

could you guide me through the el wire lightsaber as i only have 50$ and can pull it off if i use el wire

[minecrafttnts]

i have a spyder kryton wicked laser.it's more realistic than that lightsaber

[JoeWraith]

Whoa nice!

[zytyxx]

"The author is also not responsible for anyone falling into the Dark Side. The author will also not be held responsible if an agent of the Dark side decides to fry you with lightning coming out of his/her fingertips"

Mr. Tinkerer, you have just been marked as an assassination target by the great Emperor Palpatine for renunciation of the Dark Side.

jk lol. :)

[nevia]

Can anyone tell me whether it is possible to use block comments in LEd? I would like to insert % signs in front of a series of rows in one time.

[darthdredge]

How much does all of this cost?

[sup3rj3d!]

It can range from 75 to 200 dollars depending if you have accessories on. It can also depend on the quality and where you buy it. For example, Lowe's sell the sink tube for 10 dollars and the Home Depot sells the tube for 7 dollars.

[darthdredge]

It took three years for someone to reply to my comment...

[Genises]

easily the funniest comment on instructables... :)

[sup3rj3d!]

well, 2 days ago

[sup3rj3d!]

i signed up 3 days ago

[jedi awsomness]

dude were can u get the lightsaber u created?????

[SG1Oniell]

You do know there's a free pdf published that shows the board in extreme detail right? Blurring it at this point doesn't accomplish anything, although its thoughtful of you to do so.

[sup3rj3d!]

Did you use a 350 mA BuckPuck, i found a 350 mA, 500, and a 700 mA and what store did you buy them too?

[MrTinkerer]

i used 700 mA. The way i have it wired up and the voltage I am supplying, each LEd is getting around 620-650 mA. It all depends on what your LED needs. If your LED works best at 350 mA, buy that buck puck, if it can tolerate 700 mA, buy that. Please read your LED whitepaper for mA requirements.

[SnakesOfDeath]

I am speechless with the awe of you skill as a craftsman......

[MrTinkerer]

Thank u

[87Jarod]

Can you tell me how to get ahold of those parts for yours ( the brighest/ KOOLEST one) and it cost about 160??? How much would it cost me to buy that one from you cuase I want one of those soon for halloween please reply soon :D ty :D

[MrTinkerer]

there was a lot of time spent on ebay for the right deal. The hardest part it the sound. happened upon a used MR FX saber for $30. The next hardest is the LED. Can't get it anymore. Best solution is 3 white rebels at about 600 lumens. Then use a colored filter. White LED is about $18. I dont really want to part with my lightsaber, Sorry.

[87Jarod]

ty any ways :)

[MrTinkerer]

If sound is not the main focus and brightness is, here is what u do: Get a brass sink tube at hardware store ($9), Sink tube adapter at TCSS and blade holder ($6 and $25), 3-up Rebel star white and optics from luxeonstar ($30 for 600 lumen), blade from ultrasaber ($19, thanks memoriable), sound board from cheap hasbro toy ($20), battery pack and buck puck ($30).

Total $139.

Use color filters to change the white to what ever color you want. my super bright pure green  lightsaber is pumping out around 360 lumens, the white star can put out 600 lumen.

[tinker234]

hey could i make a working one using plasma in the handle that came out of liltle holes in the blade that retracts so a real dnagreas lightsaber i love the waring

[memoriable]

Hey tinker234,
MrTinkerer is right on, we currently don't have a reasonable way to build a lightsaber.
If you'd like, you can check out an article I wrote all about it here: Real Lightsabers

[tinker234]

using high tech ceramics you can have the clash

[tinker234]

thanks you know a magnetic field can hold a stable plasma maybe the light club perhaps it is possable

[MrTinkerer]

no

[tinker234]

why not

[MrTinkerer]

Because there is currently no plasma generating and containment technology that is small enough to fit in a hilt. Also, plasma has a very localized effective area, the longest plasma "cone" is less than 10 inches long and the machine that makes it is probably the size of fridge. Plasma also requires a constant stream of high pressure gas. When the gas is used up, the plasma stops.

Wiki... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_cutting

[acoleman3]

michio kaku has figured out how to make one.

http://science.discovery.com/videos/sci-fi-science-designing-a-light-sabre.html

[tinker234]

well magints acn manuplat plasma and any way rhe batterys wois the only thing that needs work

[memoriable]

Ultrasabers Has A Whole Section Dedicated To Getting You The Parts You Need For Building Your Custom Lightsabers. Visit It Here.

    -Custom Lightsabers

[memoriable]

The Most Commonly Used Battery To Build Custom Lightsabers With Can Be Found: Here (Also Comes With A Charger To Make Things Easier) 

   -Custom Lightsabers

[StArwArsN3rd]

Is there any way to make the hilt from scratch from buying the parts from a hardware store or is that the point of the last "Or" section in this step? i like to no so i dont go buy expensive parts that i could possibly find for cheaper else were.

[memoriable]

For All The People That Dont Have The Equipment Or Know-How To Fashion A Fancy Hilt. You May Be Interested To Know Of The Premade Hilts Made By Ultrasabers Which Are Stylish, Easily Assembled, And Can Also Be Added On To For More Originality. 

     -Custom Lightsabers

[MrTinkerer]

Yes, you can just buy a chrome sink tube and an assortment of PVC couplers, joints and pipes. We some creative engineering you can shape the PVC to hold the blade securely on the chrome sink tube.

[memoriable]

IMHO, The Corbin Blades Dont Light As Even As iWould Like. The Only Blades That Have Ever Done It For Me Are The Ultrasaber's UltraEdge Blades. I Just Like The White Core Effect With These Blades. And If You Look At The Movies, Youll Find That The White Core Is Actually There With Every Lightsaber So iFind Its More Realistic Also.

  Hope I've Been Some Help,
              -Custom Lightsabers

[DELETED_kage_no_akiri]

(removed by author or community request)

[memoriable]

Here is the link for the Ultrasabers soundboard: Obsidian USB Soundboard

[acoleman3]

oh bang on! thanks a lot.....

kenkou ooku no seimi
good health and long life

[Rikudara]

im sorry for the trouble but could you please explain what you did with the end cap and the reflective disk ? did you use the round cut out of the adhesive foil , fix it to the end cap and then stick that part to the pc tube ??

[brainiac120]

Just added it up. gunna buy one from ultrasabers instead since it's in my budget.

[MrTinkerer]

Cool. What you gonna buy? I have been considering buying one of their pre-assembled blades.

[brainiac120]

One Question: can you make this on a budget of $60?

[MrTinkerer]

it will be a little over 60. Hardware parts only, maxed out at 180 lumen, no sound. The most expensive part would be the polycarbonate blade.
Parts list for a ~ $60-$75:
Chrome sink tube $7-$9
1 LED Luxeon or Cree $6-$9
LED lense - $4
assorted PVC couplers and fittings (to hold the blade)$4
push button switch $2
polycarbonate blade $15
diffussion film $6
blade tip $4
battery holder $1
assorted screws $5
I'm sure I forgot something...
Good luck

[brainiac120]

Thanks for the help!

[thats mr sonic to you]

that is so cool thanks wiz kid in a nice way

[lord vader]

how do i get lightsaber sounds onto a sound board because i found one in my toy car {3

[MrTinkerer]

dont know

[fight4gipper1]

The end cap you used looked very alien compared to the blade tubing. Have you found an alternative since???

[MrTinkerer]

nope

[whisper199]

id totally be on the DARKSIDE (dont forget the cookies) NOT!!!

[xXRRAAWWRRXx]

i'm totally gonna do this for a no more heroes prop :3

[pman123]

Hey I was wondering about something...if I buy a pre-made and working lightsaber from ultrasabers.com, can I install sound? if so, where would I buy the supplies and how would I do it?
I would buy a lightsaber with sound from them but they are about $400...

[dcatalystmx]

I have been looking into building my own lightsaber for some time now, and so far this looks very helpful, I have one question though, where did you purchase the LEDs? I can't seem to find them except in bulk from future lighting solutions.

[MrTinkerer]

small quatity orders are possible from MANY internet sources. thecustomsabershop.com, DealExtreme.com, luxeonstar.com, ledsupply.com. Google is your friend.

[Sergnation]

So are these clash able, like some ones you can buy in store. just these are so bright.

[MrTinkerer]

Yes, my lightsaber makes a clash and woosh sound when swinging and hitting, just like the $120 lightsabers in the store. Difference is that my blade will not break or crack from a heavy impact.

[StArwArsN3rd]

Other than a buckpuck, what can u advice me to buy on a cheaper scale, and if you did buy it cheap where did you go if it's online?

[MrTinkerer]

If you do not want to use a buckpuck, you can use the correct resistor control current and voltage to your LED. Resistors from radioshack is 3 bucks? If you want to go EVEN cheaper, figure out the voltage requirement of the LED and build a battery pack at or below that voltage. Example, if your LED requires 3.2 volts, two Alkaline AA batteries would deliver 3.0 volts, there you go.

[StArwArsN3rd]

Thank you but i think the 3 dollar resistor at Radioshack shall work, I'm cheap, just not that cheap.

[MrTinkerer]

It is also a matter of efficiency. 3 volt battery pack powering a 3.2 volt led means all the voltage goes into powering the led. But 4.5 (3xAA) volts going into a resistor to drop voltage to 3.2 v for the led means the voltage difference is converted into heat in the resistor. The bigger the voltage difference, the more heat generated.

[mikethemaster123]

what lens did you use for the tri-star?

[MrTinkerer]

10 degree with an extra large opening at the bottom. Not sure where it came from. I got it as a kit with the star.

[lockhead sr-71]

is the double sided lighsaber assenbly there 2

[mikethemaster123]

what website or do you have somewhere you could tell me about that has instructions on how to make a lightsaber with a metal lathe?

[MrTinkerer]

yahoo has a 7x12 lathe group. i learned a lot from them, but nothing specific to lightsabers. I am still a member of the group.

[mikethemaster123]

any links?

[MrTinkerer]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/7x10minilathe/ -- less moderated http://groups.yahoo.com/group/7x12minilathe/ --- Moderated.

[MrTinkerer]

hi Sasq23. Yeah, some of the old timers have moved on to other things since the market has cooled a bit. Right now Crystal Focus is is the only option. Some of the other sound board projects have died as well and never saw the light of day. Sorry, no isntructables on the crystal chamber as I feel is should be a total custom job. Basically, make it out of found objects around the house. On LEDs - Lambertian is a domed emitter lense so the light emission is conical. Side-emitting is just as it sounds, the light is redirected sideways, so the light looks like a donut when the LED is viewed from above.

[Sasq23]

So I should go with a Lambertian then? or does it matter once you get the focusing lens on it?

[MrTinkerer]

use lambertian. side emitting and bat-wing will not work.

[Sasq23]

I was looking at the different Lux III LEd's and was wondering what's the difference between Lambertian and side side-emitting?

[Sasq23]

And it looks like Xwingband AKA incomsabers.com is out of business as well. Does anybody make this cool stuff anymore?!!

[Sasq23]

They also stopped making the Ultra sound board 2.5. So what do we do if we don't want to settle for ripping the guts out of a toy?

[Sasq23]

Can you/will you post instruction on how to build the crystal chamber? Or do you sell them?

[Applerust]

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/ is down. Any other places we can get reliable parts?

[MrTinkerer]

The website was hacked. The owner of the store is working with his ISP to get the site restored.

[MrTinkerer]

The site is fixed.
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/default.aspx

[MrTinkerer]

(removed by author or community request)

[Joeduke545]

I really really want one but it is too complex for me, You did an insanely good job with it

[amando96]

"The author of this instructable is not responsible for property damage, personal injury, amputation of limbs"

So it works like the one in starwars?

[MrTinkerer]

Yes, yes exactly like the one in Star Wars. I also have a Delorean in my garage that I just installed a Flux Capacitor in. jk ;)

If I write an instructable about how to swing a broom handle around your well furnished living room, I would give the same disclaimer.

[Verga]

This is a must build, great pictures, and isntructions, going right intothe favorites

[techturtle2]

NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO SPELL LIGHTSABRE!!! L-I-G-H-T-S-A-B-R-E that is how to spell it. -the grammar nazi

[rciafardone]

If you were a real spell Nazi, you would know about the re-er thingy that happens in American English and British English. You come out instead as someone that does know neither Starwars lore nor proper english.

[Snapshot]

First off, Sabre and Saber are used interchangeably these days, unless you're talking about a specific given name. It's a British English vs. American English thing...

Secondly, a Lightsaber is a created work of fiction, given that name with that spelling by its creator, so it is in fact spelled Lightsaber.

Here's the Star Wars wikipedia entry:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lightsaber

[rcisneros]

LOL.
You are absolutely correct. It's a name. If you want to spell your name with a Q and U and V, it's up to you.

[MrTinkerer]

L-I-G-H-T-S-A-B-E-R is how it is spelled in a galaxy far, far away ;).

Isn't lightsaber a made up word? Kind of like saying that Nissan made a spelling mistake when they created their luxury brand cars I-N-F-I-N-I-T-I?

[bricabracwizard]

It is a made up word but using conventional artifacts - Sabre (a sword) and made of light.

[Snapshot]

It's using the American English spelling, "Saber," not the traditional British English "Sabre."

[dudeguy1234]

All of the books, comics, and other extended-universe literature (as well as the scripts for the movies) spell it "Lightsaber".

[brandon9271]

and If you Google "lightsabre" it says "Did you mean: LIGHTSABER?" I think that pretty much settles it ;)

[bricabracwizard]

True, saber, not sabre, even on spellcheck it will not show sabre. I forgot how Americanized we all are, and it was an American film

[Aeshir]

My brother and I each have a Darth Maul lightsaber from when we were kids when The Phantom Menace came out (*spits on floor*), a couple years ago I took the blades out and duct-taped the hilt to a Daisy pop-gun I have, under the barrel like a grenade launcher, but even with the end. The lightsaber has two buttons, one to turn it on for general use, and one to only charge up the capacitors so the next time you hit it, the lights will flash. So when I charge it up and fire my pop gun, I get a bang from the gun and a blinding flash of light out of the unshielded light. Not to mention the awesome whine of it capacitors being charged up before that.

By the way, awesome instructable, broseph. I should turn that previous paragraph into an instructable. WOO SUNDAY! :D

[lord vader]

(removed by author or community request)

[MrTinkerer]

I am not sure. Is there a hardware store there that carries plumming parts? Specifically, chrome sink tubes for bathroom sinks.

[MrTinkerer]

The specialty parts would be a harder to find. Things like the LED, polycarbonate tube, circuit board, film, and lense.

Just to give you an ideas of where the electronics come from - Crystal Focus is in UK, Ultraboard is in US, Makoto is in Japan.

These guys are hobbiest who took their electronic skills to build lightsaber specific electronics to sell to us.

[Luziviech]

i looked for most of the stuff on ebay; i found a seller for "plexiglass"-tubes (which is the german word for polycarbonate-tubes, then there are several sellers for hi-power-led and -equip plus the guys from china/hongkong and several low-bidding starwars immitate-lasers that i'd use for the soundboards. I guess things become harder only for the film (dunno where to get that cept from your seller).

[frankha]

Plexiglass is acrylic, also known as Perspex, which is a trade name, polycarbonate is is most commonly known under the trade name of Lexan and chemically is totally different to Plexiglass/Perspex.

[MrTinkerer]

Ahh, the film. your in luck. it just so happens I took part some film testing along with a bunch of folks in the lightsaber forums. An idea I came up with worked very well and was implement in many lightsbers made by other folks. Basically, you can use that shrink wrap film you find in hobby stores. The kind used to wrap gift baskets. You cut up four sheets to that will be roled into a tube and slipped into the blade. But before you role it up you run a scouring pad over it diagonally Top LEFT to Bottom RIGHT on one sheet and Top RIGHT to buttom LEFT on the next sheet. Alternate like this on all four sheets and then role it up into a tube. If there is such a concept as shrink-wrapped gift baskets in your area, region, country, you can use this method to make your film.

[Arx]

Do you have a link to this thread? I'm going to try it anyways, but it would be interesting to see.

[Mirime]

mmmm cake

but cookies are much better!
besides the light side is all "oh we protect the weak"
dark side says "sc**w the weak"
light side "but they want to be safe and to be treated like little kids that can't fend for themselves"
dark side "if you can't handle the power then give it to me or else"

[doughnutguy1]

i steal all, of your baked goods and lysol!>:D

[Mirime]

Porque Lysol?

[doughnutguy1]

I D K :O

[Mirime]

why Lysol baked goods fine they have whole wheat


the dark side is strong in me

[doughnutguy1]

your monitor has hole wheat. 

[ElvenChild]

don't join the dark side the cookies are raisin but join the dark side and you get a free toaster you know it makes sense

[bricabracwizard]

The sword you have created is a work of art - the detail and accuracy of your cutting of the sink tube is superb - well done

[lord vader]

dont worrry anymore i found me a lightsaber to buy it is darth vaders exact replica for R1 951.00

[Luziviech]

hmmm, i'm "observin" this tut for several months now and i think, it's the best tut bout laser-swords here on instructables (no matter what ppl say bout dark lit rooms, probably never seen 300lms or maybe been starin into the sun for too long, dunno). I'm plannin to make sum "Maul"-sword for my room-mate who is one local jugglers and i want to make it splittable and rite now i'm checkin out where to get the materials and its costs: On ebay i found sum SSC and i wonder, if that wouldn be a great LED (900 lms max.!), but i dunno bout the termal thing. I can buy a passive-cooler there onto which i can screw the star, but how do i put the cooler into the future sword? Doesn't the cooler have to be connected with the outside to be able cool the star? Don't really know much bout electronics and sry, if my endlish is crappy - but would you gimme a hint how to implement the cooler correctly to the sword? Thanks in anticipation.

[MrTinkerer]

If using the custom saber shop "modular hilt system" blade holder and plumming parts, the whole hilt is one giant heatsink. All you have to make sure of is that there is good thermal contact between the star and the star holder which comes with the blade holder. It looks to be made of copper which is a great termal conductor. The star holder is then in contact with the blade holder made out of aluminum which is also a good termal conductor. The blade holder is then connected to the hilt body which could be chromed sink tube made out of brass or more copper. So, as you see, the whole lightsaber hilt will heatsink your LED.

[Luziviech]

yea, thanx, that was, what i expected, but didnt know for sure.

[MrTinkerer]

Also, on the subject of the video being dark, out of 100K+ views here, 40K+ views on youtube, and 160+ comments here, only one person said the "well lit room" looked dark.

And I do admit, my living room does in fact look dark in the video.

[Luziviech]

well maybe make a video of an argon-laser and wait for users' "too dark"-comments, that can be fun, too, i guess...

[kakarot1234]

the video said you were in a well lit room and the room was very dark.

[MrTinkerer]

ahh! Well two things. 1. youtube for some reason makes my videos darker when it converts it after upload. 2. go into a well lit room and aim your video camera at a bare lightbulb and see what happens. Or another experiment, stand in front of a window when it is sunny day outside and have someone take a picture of you with the flash OFF. Just to let you know, I had two 15 watt CFL above me (ceiling fan) and window with blinds open with it very sunny outside (as seen from the video). That to me constitutes a well lit room.

[andyraslan]

Hey, that's the Short Lightsaber model from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

[kakarot1234]

and i am in a well lit room and its super dark lol XD

[MrTinkerer]

did i say it is "super dark"? OOPS! can you tell me where I said that so I can correct it. I probably meant to say the blade is "super bright."

[builder968]

If I had the money, or the parts, I'd be making right now. Awesome, 5*.

[aguerette]

as nice as these are, i would like to be able to completley fold the blade into the hilt, and was wondering, is there a way i could make a blade out of polycarbonate that would collapse like the spring action models made by hasbro?

[MrTinkerer]

Anything is possible. But becuase of the nature of this saber build your blade will have really bright rings where the segments meet and the overall brightness will be very much diminished.

There is a saying - "There aint no such thing as a free lunch."

You want bright = the blade will NOT retract/fold/collapse/stow into the hilt.
You want folding/retracting/etc = it will NOT be bright and will look like a toy.
You want lights that scroll up and down = you can NOT duel with it.
You want it to cut through anything = you have to move to a galaxy far, far away.


You can't have it all. You just have to pick what you want and know you WILL be sacrificing something else.

[Luziviech]

kinda ironic, that i cant watch the movie, cos it apparently contains content of Sony entertainment "imperialists".

[yo man]

crazy cool man!

[minime12358]

lol when you turned on the most powerful one in the video, firefox crashes.

[MrTinkerer]

lol. my lightsaber force choked firefox. oh, the power! i had no idea. 

[depotdevoid]

Hi, great instructable!  I've got a couple of questions about sourcing the parts though. 

I am a total cheapskate but was planning on making a couple of blades--finding the polycarbonate tubing from mcmaster or grainger was easy, but what is an alternate source to TCSS for the tip and the film?  I'm having trouble finding those, do you have any ideas?

Thanks for your help, and again, great instructable!

[MrTinkerer]

Tap Platics has the domes made out of acrylic.  Works great.

[depotdevoid]

Thanks, I've poked around on their site just now and come up with this:

Acrylic Cabochons

They look right, but the page specifies that, "The bottom of the 1/2 cabochons are not flat."  Is that alright, or is there a different product I'm missing?

Also, did you have an alternate source for the light diffusing film, or is TCSS the only option?

Thanks again!

[MrTinkerer]

If the bottom is rounded, just sand it flat. if the domes have a lip at the bottom, then just let it be and glue it on.

[depotdevoid]

Okay, I'll give it a shot, thanks for your help!

[janpogi09]

pls. dont teach it to children under 3years old

[Mirime]

What don't you want taught rugrats under the age of 3

[oud25]

dude i saw your cqb
u should make a energy sword insead of a lightsaber 

[MrTinkerer]

I abandoned the CQB. The Spartan armor is too much work.  I am working on ODST instead. Energy sword is in the plans...

[Iridium7]

 ahh hell yeah!

[happybuilder]

I'm building a lightsaber with live wire and a sink tube, and also the parts of an old plastic lightsaber.  because I'm using livewire, it will be very bright and the light will be perfectly even throughout the whole thing, and I'm going to own yours, but still, nice lightsaber.

[Reece 24]

hey! that was my idea! he and i are building it together and i thought of the idea. 

[happybuilder]

 we both thought of it and both of us were building it, but we decided not to.

[MrTinkerer]

after your is built, it would be great if we can do a side by side comparison. But logistics would hinder such things. Will there be sound? good luck on your build, hope to see it soon.

[happybuilder]

yes, and it will also sense movment, when it turns on, and clash.  All of those features will have different sounds.  Like I said before, they are parts of an old plastic lightsaber (the ones that are around 20 dollars).

[MrTinkerer]

On talk of "ownage" please note that I  have been building lightsabers since 2001.  My first SIX (6) lightsabers were EL wire. Note also that "Live Wire" is a store, the actual brand of the EL Wire is LyTec, made by a company in China called Elam.

Some tips and tricks on getting the brightest output on from EL, it's not about the input voltage, it is about the OUTPUT voltage and the FREQUENCY that the voltage is alternating at. If you really want your EL wire to be bright, try to get an inverter that can put out as HIGH an AC frequency you can afford.

Example, a 100VAC @ 3KHz will only be half as bright as an inverter with an output of 120VAC @ 6.5KHz..

Also, you will still need to use a diffuser unless you want people to see the bare EL wires inside the blade. Diffuse too much and you get an evenly lit dim blade. Diffuse too little and you get a bright but blotchy blade.

Good luck.

[happybuilder]

OK, thanks for the information.

[O_Kodama]

OWNED!!!

[happybuilder]

you like to spz don't you

[KahlZun]

Looks more like the sword from "No More Heroes"

[darman12]

 That is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Radke22]

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-an-ice-fishing-rod/

[Hydronium]

Should try a Dooku hilt. You know, the curved elegant one.

[guydie5]

i wish dooku died in a cooler way.......

[Hydronium]

Every lightsabre duel ends in a lame way even the two epic duels at the end of star wars III are ended really badly

[guydie5]

great point.

[hi111]

 You should use Electro Luminescent wire (www.elbestbuy.com/)

[MrTinkerer]

While Electroluminescent (EL) wire can provide an even light distribution for the length of the blade, the light output is dim compared to LED. If you look at the very first picture, you will see that the two shades of "Blue" are actually EL.
I started making EL lightsabers in 2001. I switched to LED a couple of years later.  EL wire has a lifespan far shorter than LED. My first EL blade was half brightness after only 1 year of use. LED takes 50,000 hours before diminishing in brightness. EL is an old technology that is cool, but the future is LED and OLED.

[spenfisher12]

play both vids at once its funny

[007dna]

 Yes, the Dark side has cookies, but the Light side has cake!  :)

007dna

[keastes]

come to the dark side we has cookies (and candy)

this is a public service announcement brought to you by basement cat

[doughnutguy1]

i steal all your baked goods and lysol!>:D I WIN FOREVER

[reubenq]

Actually, I'd like to see Achmed the dead terrorist play with one of these.... :-)

[reubenq]

Nice project. On even light diffusion.... Since the light source is base emitted, could we secure a round mirror reflector at the end of the tube to help fill it full of light waves?

[skaterqwertyuiop]

 Hey, great instrucatable, I had an idea- I could use an Ultra Saber Initiate as a base lightsaber and then built a custom hilt around it.

[MrTinkerer]

That is a great idea.

[skaterqwertyuiop]

 Thanks, I'll be starting on it after the holidays, when I am done, I'll upload some pictures.

[kylelleonard]

Weak, the one to the left of it seems much more practical. If you suddenly find yourself lacking the Force or Swartz what ever your calling is, you could probably do some damage to an eye ball with it.

[ranmawolf]

As far as the polycarbonate goes, how's the strength? I mean, can ya whack the crap out of it without it breaking, or is there a low threshold for that? Any way to illustrate this point? Like, yeah, I imagine it'd shatter if a car ran over it, but what about two blades smacking together in a hellaciously high-spirited sparring session? And past its stress threshold, is it more apt to bend, snap-break or shatter into a b'jillion pieces? 

[MrTinkerer]

Heavy duty dueling??? Check out dueling vids by Greytale Novastar in youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/greytale

Polycarbonate tends to bend to extremes before shattering.  Safety glasses are made of polycarbonate, as is bullet proof glass.  Safety glasses tend to be 1/16th of an inch thick or less. The blade wall thickness is 1/8th of an inch. The small diameter curve also adds strength. 

The blades are practically indestructable.

[ranmawolf]

Great - thanx! ^_^ 

I had wondered much about the strength... even pondered putting two of different diameters inside each-other, with the light diffusion film in between... but I guess it wouldn't be necessary - thanx again! ^_^ 

[Dathan]

Can't wait to see how you make the limited plasma beam.

[ranmawolf]

Hehe YEAH lol 

[teamcoltra]

Have you contemplated using El Wire to run up the blade?

[MrTinkerer]

Check out the first picture in the intro page. There is 1 EL Aqua and 1 EL Blue.  I have made 6 EL lightsabers in the past (including the two mentioned above). I switched to LED becuase it is a LOT brighter.

[racoondawg]

too hard

[tizart7]

Awesome !!!! keep it coming

[Skinr]

I really like the one all the way on the right.

[nivekcizia]

 aww sketchup. that's cute

[nate71173]

whered you get the polycarbonate tube??

[MrTinkerer]

I provided three(3) online sources in the instructable. If possible, buy it locally to avoid shipping cost. I was lucky enough to have a Tap Plastics in my city. Google your city for polycarbonate or plastic. If you live in a big city you are bound to get a result of a local company. If not then you may need to buy it online. 

[allan12345]

cmmon a lightsaber
is it really that dangerous and hard to make

[MrTinkerer]

Hard to make? It could be. It really depends on your design as to how easy or hard this can get.

Dangerous? Well... Not really. It's about as dangerous as swinging around a broom handle in the living room  :p

[Paulkartking25]

seems kind of hard and confusing

[MrTinkerer]

Yes, yes it is.

I accidentally fried one Li-Ion battery on the lightsaber last Monday.  I took it a apart to make sure the rest of the electronics was OK. It is.

On putting it back together, it took me an hour. Keep in mind this is the lightsaber I assembled.   I had hemostats holding wires in place while I used a needle nose pliers to manuever the connectors and plug parts together. While working I looked at my wife and asked her "Why do you let me do nutty things like this?!" She just laughed...

It is tricky and is is confusing and it can get frustrating.

Just step back, take a deep breath and try again when you have cooled off.

[qwertyboy]

Do not attempt to sharpen blade...

lol

[bingo115]

i didnt try it yet but it must be awsome.

[toogers]

about how much would this cost if i painted pvc pipe in stead of a metal hilt, and no sound? i don't want to spend so much because i just think it's cool.

[MrTinkerer]

You can go with PVC and spend about $30-60 depending on how bright you want to make it. The hardest part with using PVC is making something that will hold the blade securely and also center the LED under the blade. it can be done with a combination pvc adapters, solvent glues, washers and hot glue.

[waterboy44221]

I know you want the length of the Corbin sheet to equal the length of the blade, but how wide of a sheet do you need? Are there many layers rolled up inside the blade?

[MrTinkerer]

Good question. I will edit my instructable.
Answer: Corbin film is pre-cut when purchased from TCSS. You simply specify blade diameter and wall thickness. Then you select Single wrap(1 layer), Double wrap (2 layers), or Quad wrap (4 layers).
I find double wrap to be just fine.
Thanks for asking, this will help me improve the instructable.

[jord1000000]

mmm cookies

[revelae]

nice. lightside ftw

[Pie Ninja]

Darkside get cooler force abilities though.

[Wesley666]

And cookies!

[bounty1012]

But lightside can heal themselves.

[Countryboy7239]

Umm, The difference between light and dark is the person, not the force or abilities. Jacen Solo (Darth Caedus) was more powerful than the Emperor and Darth Vader combined and he was able to use the healing trance. The Force is The Force whether you're good or evil. The only true difference is HOW you use it, not what you use.

[Pie Ninja]

Yeah? Well, we've got cookies, so, HA!

[mariome101]

cooookiiess!!!

[Pie Ninja]

Yesssss, join us...

[Shredder543]

Ya, I've been to the dark side.... But they lied about the milk and cookies =P

[Pie Ninja]

No we didn't.

[Serpentine]

The light side has cake. :D And no, it's not a lie. (Portal references ftw!)

[Shredder543]

I love portal =D

[bounty1012]

exactly why I'm all in for the light side.

[Stephen D. Alverez]

Well, the blue side has Phun! (Phun is a physics program now called Algodoo, but no-one likes that name!)

[DELETED_madscientist167]

(removed by author or community request)

[bounty1012]

Rofl.

[Sparkplug]

And darkside has cookies!

[bounty1012]

But what if youre allergic to cookiez?

[eggyeggyeggy]

HOW CAN U BE ALLERGIC TO COOKIEZ!!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_{OOOOOOOOoooooo..}

[bounty1012]

If youre infected with fail, it is possible to be allergic.

[eggyeggyeggy]

HAHA
New worldwide epidemic - Epicus Failus - EP1(FA1)
Do u have it

[eggyeggyeggy]

Symptoms:
1. You are allegic to cookies.
2. You stub your toe on everything in the middle of the night
3. None of your instructables projects work
4. You accidentally glue your hand to stuff
5. You smell like weed
6. You cant keep focused
7. youstop beng abl 2 tipe s tuff prRLY


Oh noes!!! i hav itt :(

[bounty1012]

Nah, I'm fine. But dont go reading fail posts, or else you shall become infected.

[eggyeggyeggy]

I think the antidote is icecream

[foxtrot4697]

nope it's cookies, but if you have EP1 then you are allergic to the antidote and you are too fail to be cured.

[necropolian]

icecream, perhaps?

[bounty1012]

hmm, that sounds gud.

[Pie Ninja]

But darkside can electrocute people

[bounty1012]

But when you electrocute people, your life force deminishes. When Darth Sydious uses lightning on mace windu he gets older and more wrinkly.

[Pie Ninja]

Wasn't that 'cause Windu was blocking it with his lightsaber?

[Shadow13!]

Yes your right. Darth Sydious only got older looking when he was shocked by his own lightning reflected by Mace Windu's light saber.

[pocketspy]

I alway though it odd how the Emperor looked and sounded like Simon Barsinister. Do you think they could be related? Not to mention how they even remind me of Mr. Potter of 'A Wonderful Life'. Perhap it could be considered as the evolution of the Ultimate Movie Antagonist. LOL

[bounty1012]

No I dont think it was.

[Aloysius.Ayoub]

bounty1012, that's /exactly/ what it was. Simply electrocuting Mace Windu would not have affected Palpatine. Mace Windu's reversal of the lightning back towards Palpatine is what caused his appearance to change so drastically.

[Darth-Vader]

that is cool

[MrTinkerer]

I figured out how to get around the bugs in the editor. Kinda sad when I have to rely on windows notepad to finish my instructable. 

This instructable is complete enough to help you build your own. I will keep adding content as more stuff comes to mind or if the same question keeps coming up.

[PBoerst]

 dude can i have it?
lol it's freaking amazing. :D

[MrTinkerer]

Well I guess I can not finish this till the bug in the Editing Function is fixed.  I just added a ton of new contents and pictures and lost it all plus half the instructable. i had to revert back to a version from last night.  All the new contect is gone <sigh>....

[SlashmasterAeoniX]

That. Is the coolest thing I have ever seen.

[auzio]

SO BAD ASS

[DELETED_madscientist167]

(removed by author or community request)

[MrTinkerer]

ahh! but see, that will not make it look more realistic, that would make it more dim. Besides, the example lightsaber does have a crystal and a cut-out in the hilt so you could see the crystal.

[DELETED_madscientist167]

(removed by author or community request)

[MrTinkerer]

The optics most commonly used for prop lightsabers are called collimator. These are specially shaped so that the LED dome is actually inside the lense. They are made of acrylic. Making a collimator out of ruby or an emerald would bump this project well into the thousands of dollars range.

[DELETED_madscientist167]

(removed by author or community request)

[DELETED_madscientist167]

(removed by author or community request)

[airecrist]

oh so your the one who stole supermans fortress of solitude! lol

[MrTinkerer]

Hmm. Editing seems to be broken.  I have more content to add but every time I try to edit, all the text goes away and the auto-save makes the instructable blank.  I'll add the more content tomorrow.

Coming up: How to wire a Hasbro board, how to wire a MR board, Adding a new step - Enhanced Mid Level.

[fungus amungus]

Those editing problems have been fixed. It should work now.

[MrTinkerer]

Still can not edit. Something is broken.  Tried rebooting my computer and running updates.  I don't think it is my computer but i'll try a different one tonight.  I have a lot more material I need to add to this instructable.

[fungus amungus]

It shouldn't be your computer. We added a new editor and there have been a couple of issues. What browser are you using?

[MrTinkerer]

IE 8.  let me try Firefox...

[MrTinkerer]

Firefox does not work either.  Looks like the new line (eol, carriage return, or whatever you wanna call it) is lost.  All the text gets lumped into one unreadable super-paragraph.

[Ortzinator]

Some of these parts, like the PC tube would be cheaper from somewhere like McMaster-Carr <a href="http://www.mcmaster.com">www.mcmaster.com</a><br />

[MrTinkerer]

Good point.  I'll add the link and item number to the instructable as soon as the editor works again. Also, got my PC tube at a local Tap Plastic store and saved myself shippng cost.

[sitearm]

Totally geek cool - as good as working model battleships that shoot; and working model bombers that drop rocket-motored model x-1's. Those are my highest standards so far of modelry except here you've modeled something not even real (yet)! :)

[Superfreeze]

Utterly cool. Ridiculously better in comparison to the shop-bought one! I may have to make one of these... ;)

[confusias]

downloading your pdf doesnt work for me... whats going on??

[MrTinkerer]

can't download pdf either. However, the instructable is not complete yet.  I have a lot more info I am putting in but the Edit function seems to be broken.

[MrTinkerer]

pdf download is working now, but I still can not edit without all the text going away or my paragraph formatting going all crazy. this is weird.

[confusias]

btw kudos on the real crystal... wootsauce

[confusias]

oh i didnt realize it wasnt finished. carry on :)

[yokozuna]

 Win.

[ToddR]

I see you have constructed a new light saber. Your skills are complete. Indeed you are powerful as the Emperor has foreseen.

[snelpiller]

This is awesome! =) 5/5

[jackatronix]

very good instructable
have u got a cheaper one that i could easily build
thanks

[revelae]

vadeblade? dev id 147 8100 rd? lightsaer device? *shakes head*

[MrTinkerer]

I did not think anyone would actually take the time to translate the Aurubesh. I modified the picture, so I signed it. But what matters is the joke, not the details. Did I spell lightsaber wrong? ...

[revelae]

lol, its fine

[bounty1012]

is that the translation from Aurebesh? I was too lazy to translate it lmfao.

[blah12344321]

i got a kick from the the HP wand being one of the pieces of the master light saber

[bounty1012]

Lulz, Aurebesh ftw.

[bounty1012]

Haha, Nigahiga.

[MACKattacksnipe]

get a mini plasma ball and put it in the tube careful though

[BgRdDragon]

Awesome! Looks bettter then all the other ones out their! gonna try

[Tape-structable]

Wow that is BRIGHT. Great job.