Step 1: Tools & Materials
Tools:
-PVC cutter
-hack-saw
-drill
-soldering set-up (you can probably get by without this, but it'll make the electronics section way easier.)
Materials:
HANDLE:
- 1.25" diameter PVC or larger, roughly 8 - 12 inches (any length that's comfortable.)
- push on push off button, or switch
- battery pack (between 2 - 4 AA batteries)
(optional):
- silver spray paint
- bike inner tubes
- small motor (for making vibrations in the handle, and thus the awesome lightsaber sound effects!)
BLADE:
- polycarbonate tube. The outer diameter should be at least .75" and less than the inner diameter of the handle. Should be roughly 2.5 ft. long, scaled to size of future Jedi.
- 25 to 35 LEDs of desired color
- solid wire (22 gauge).
Total length = length of handle + length of blade + 3 inches
Notes on using different materials:
There are lots of different materials that can make this project work!
For handles, any tubular material of the right length and comfortable thickness will work. One padawan at camp used a handle from a scooter and it worked great. We also figured that tennis racket handles could work, and that we could make handles out of clay if we needed to, but we never tried these out.
For blades, opaque is better than clear because the light
must be diffused. So, basically any long, light, and stiff material that allows light through would work well for a blade.
-PVC cutter
-hack-saw
-drill
-soldering set-up (you can probably get by without this, but it'll make the electronics section way easier.)
Materials:
HANDLE:
- 1.25" diameter PVC or larger, roughly 8 - 12 inches (any length that's comfortable.)
- push on push off button, or switch
- battery pack (between 2 - 4 AA batteries)
(optional):
- silver spray paint
- bike inner tubes
- small motor (for making vibrations in the handle, and thus the awesome lightsaber sound effects!)
BLADE:
- polycarbonate tube. The outer diameter should be at least .75" and less than the inner diameter of the handle. Should be roughly 2.5 ft. long, scaled to size of future Jedi.
- 25 to 35 LEDs of desired color
- solid wire (22 gauge).
Total length = length of handle + length of blade + 3 inches
Notes on using different materials:
There are lots of different materials that can make this project work!
For handles, any tubular material of the right length and comfortable thickness will work. One padawan at camp used a handle from a scooter and it worked great. We also figured that tennis racket handles could work, and that we could make handles out of clay if we needed to, but we never tried these out.
For blades, opaque is better than clear because the light
must be diffused. So, basically any long, light, and stiff material that allows light through would work well for a blade.
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Ask for florescent light sleeves. They come in 48' Lengths, 1 1/2" diameter. They cost between $3 to $4 each.
Check this guy out. He makes super high quality lightsabers with sound fonts and super-bright LEDs...and uses them in staged duels. His are much more complicated and expensive though.