V2 Lightsaber
V2 Lightsaber
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My V2 lightsaber iteration was my first major redesign, and second design iteration to include electronics. Again, proper location of the center of gravity was a major design goal.
My V2 lightsaber iteration was my first major redesign, and second design iteration to include electronics. Again, proper location of the center of gravity was a major design goal.
This iteration is the first iteration to place the electronics internally, and placing the aesthetic features directly into the metal body. This removes the 3D printed shell, resulting in a greatly improved exterior finish, but significantly increases the complexity of manufacturing. The electronics consisted of the same trinket microcontroller and 9V battery as the V1.1 iteration. However, the neopixel ring was replaced with 2 neopixel strips.
This iteration is the first iteration to place the electronics internally, and placing the aesthetic features directly into the metal body. This removes the 3D printed shell, resulting in a greatly improved exterior finish, but significantly increases the complexity of manufacturing. The electronics consisted of the same trinket microcontroller and 9V battery as the V1.1 iteration. However, the neopixel ring was replaced with 2 neopixel strips.
The LEDs of the neopixel strip are individually addressable, allowing them to be turn on or off sequentially, producing the visual effect of the blade extending or retracting. This design decision results in a higher quality product, at the expense of mass added to the blade. Since the LEDs are individual points of light, a diffuser is needed to even out the illumination of the blade. This design incorporates both an external polycarbonate tube and an internal Delrin tube. The internal Delrin acts as the diffuser. Unfortunately, this significantly increases the mass of the blade, requiring a lot of mass to be added to the hilt to compensate. To do this, the hilt was designed to be made from steel, copper, and aluminum achieve the needed weight.
The LEDs of the neopixel strip are individually addressable, allowing them to be turn on or off sequentially, producing the visual effect of the blade extending or retracting. This design decision results in a higher quality product, at the expense of mass added to the blade. Since the LEDs are individual points of light, a diffuser is needed to even out the illumination of the blade. This design incorporates both an external polycarbonate tube and an internal Delrin tube. The internal Delrin acts as the diffuser. Unfortunately, this significantly increases the mass of the blade, requiring a lot of mass to be added to the hilt to compensate. To do this, the hilt was designed to be made from steel, copper, and aluminum achieve the needed weight.
On concern with placing the electronics inside a full metal body is the potential for short circuits. To prevent this, all electronics were inside a 3D printed casing, providing both a mounting point and an insulation from the metal body.
On concern with placing the electronics inside a full metal body is the potential for short circuits. To prevent this, all electronics were inside a 3D printed casing, providing both a mounting point and an insulation from the metal body.
This iteration was abandoned before it was finished due to cost. This design was determined to cost nearly as much as other commercially available lightsabers, yet lacked many of their features. I decided that if I was going to put that much money into my own lightsaber, it should have more features, many of which were outside my skill level at the time. For this reason, I shelved this design with the intent to return when I better understood how to add those features. The overall lightsaber project was shelved for a few months, and when I resumed I decided to start a new iteration from scratch instead of returning to this one.
This iteration was abandoned before it was finished due to cost. This design was determined to cost nearly as much as other commercially available lightsabers, yet lacked many of their features. I decided that if I was going to put that much money into my own lightsaber, it should have more features, many of which were outside my skill level at the time. For this reason, I shelved this design with the intent to return when I better understood how to add those features. The overall lightsaber project was shelved for a few months, and when I resumed I decided to start a new iteration from scratch instead of returning to this one.
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