TOPIC: Questions from newcomer

Hi all - I am new to this gig. I have a few questions.

1.) If you order parts with which to build your own saber, what is the turnaround typically for the parts? Days, weeks, months?

2.) How difficult is it to hook up the plug and play stuff? How do these items fit in the hilt and how are they secured to the hilt?

3.) Is the saber plug just what you use when the blade is not actually inserted into the hilt? Or is it basically what houses the LED?

4) With the rechargeable battery, about how much dueling time do you get with a full charge (and assuming sound and light options on the saber)?

Any responses are appreciated.

Anyone?

1. I am hearing 2-3 weeks from folks who have ordered recently.

2. There are videos posted on the SaberForge youtube channel that walk you through it.

3. Blade Plug is pretty much a place holder for the blade, and is also decorative. The LED actually sits under the emitter.

4. About 3-4 hours according to reputable sources.

Hope that helps.

deke76 wrote:
1 - My orders have usually arrived within 2 weeks, but it really depends on what parts are in the highest demand. Ship times may be a bit longer after the holidays have passed.

2 - It's not too hard. There's some videos on it, but the best way to do it is to pass all the wiring from the battery holder/soundboard through the body so the wires come out of the opposite end, but the kit itself is still at the pommel end of the body. Then thread the LED wires through the switch section and attach the LED to the LED quick connects. Once you've done this, you can pass the button and/or charge port through the switch holes (which is a bit tight on some switches; on switch 04 I needed to remove the bit held on with an alan wrench screw and then pass it through both pieces almost independently). I didn't secure the switch in mine with epoxy, but if you want to you can dab a little loctite around the base of the switch before you press it flush to the switch hole. After the switch(es) is/are filled you can attach the QCs you threaded through the body to the switch/charge port QC's at the components. Then, with the battery bit hanging loose outside the body, you can secure the switch section to the body; with the battery hanging loose, the wires shouldn't twist and potentially break. Then you can put the LED module into the emitter and thread that to the body; do not tighten the LED retention screw, though, or the wires will become twisted. Once the switch, emitter, and body are all together you can secure the LED via the retention screw and place the sound module fully in the body section of the hilt. Vanilla-wise it should be hanging a bit loose, but some tape or velcro around the module should allow it to stay fairly secure. Then you can attach the pommel and blade/plug as normal and go about your day.

While it sounds complicated, it's actually fairly simple. The whole goal is to get the pieces into the hilt and assemble it without twisting the wires needlessly.

3 - The blade plug sits on top of the LED module, much like the blade does. While it serves a decorative purpose when the blade is absent it also protects the LED lens from dust that can damage the optics. In terms of how it's used you can think of it as a small, ~2" blade that ends with a decorative topper.

4 - Assuming sound and light options, and that you won't be running the saber unless dueling, around 3-4 hours.

The battery used by Saberforge has 3400mAh capacity, which is very high for it's kind. However, with a properly driven 12W [4 die] LED the saber will be consuming somewhere between 2.8A and 4A for light alone, depending on whether it's driven for 1A or 700A per die. This means, theoretically, that you'll have between 51 minutes and 1 hour, 12 minutes of continuous saber runtime per complete charge.

Thanks folks.