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Graflex Lightsaber V0

Highlights

This install will feature the following:

Blade Assembly

Most 1 meter strips will be 2 half meters soldered together. The length of this joint may vary between vendors/manufacturers. For best results, select LED strips with minimal length for this solder joint.

Start by unsoldering the pre-soldered wires. Be quick doing this, you do not want to damage the adjacent LED. Solder the lead wires as shown. Use 22 gauge solid for ground and positive, and 30 gauge for signal.

By soldering the positive wire to the opposite end of the LED strip, current will be distributed evenly. This will remove any “brown out” effect, where the first LEDs in the chain are brighter than the last LEDs. I find it best to heat the pad from the front and poke through from the back of the pad.

Once all lead wire are in place, you can peel back the adhesive strip and run the positive wire down the adhesive back. Try to place the wire slightly to the left of the center. After repeating this for the other strip, match them up back to back, and stick them together.

Work out any kinks, make sure everything matches up nicely, and wrap the assembly with heat shrink tubing.

Tap and slide the 3D printed mater onto the LED strip prior to soldering the wires to the GX16 connector. I find it best to solder the ground and positive wires first to hold the connector in place, then solder the signal wire.

  • Pin 1 -> Ground
  • Pin 2 -> Signal
  • Pin 3 -> NC
  • Pin 4 -> Positive
  • Pin 5 -> NC

Slide the foam diffuser tube into place. Do not cut this foam to length yet. It may compress and shift as you insert it into the hard diffuser tube.

If you do not have access to a drill press, the 3D printed straight drill guide can be used to drill perfectly aligned holes on the polycarbonate tube. You’ll want to drill through the polycarbonate tube first. Then, drill through the inner diffuser tube from both sides. This will avoid tearing the inner diffuser tube.

Finally, it’s time to pack the foam wrapped assembly into the inner diffuser tube. You’ll find the foam is easy to slide in at first. Once there is more resistance, you may need to tap the tube on the ground to slide the foam assembly in farther.

Once this is done, you may want to cut the tube to length before attaching the blade tip, and the blade is complete!

Electronics and Software

Please check the Installation and Software Tabs on the ENCHANT product page.

Hilt Install

89Sabers Graflex
Parks Graflex 2.0
89Sabers Graflex

Chassis Upper

The inner assembly can be thought of as a complete module, so long as we select a small surface mount switch for the Red Button Switch.

Start by test fitting your inner chassis. Include the GX16 connector when test fitting. This may change the fit. Some edges may need to be sanded.

Tap the holes on the 3 pieces of upper chassis, using 2-56 thread.

Solder the GX16 connector with pins matching the blade side. 22 AWG wire is rated a current carrying capacity of 5-7 amps. For this reason, it is recommend that 2 wires be used for the power and ground lines. 18-20 AWG wire could be used here as well.

  • Pin 1 -> Ground
  • Pin 2 -> Signal
  • Pin 3 -> NC
  • Pin 4 -> Positive
  • Pin 5 -> NC

Replacing the Aux switch with a narrow width switch will allow for a more secure chassis fit. Enlarge the holes on the PCB mount. Careful not to drill too close to the edge. Replace the switch and solder the wires.

Choosing a small surface mount switch for the Red Button switch will allow the installed inner chassis to operate independently from the outer chassis. Solder lead wires to the small surface mount switch which will be used under the Red Button Switch.

Thread the wires. Place the first battery, and install the switches.

Use the 3D printed spacers to keep the 2 switches in place.

Chassis Lower

Optionally install the Bluetooth module: Start by wiring the Bluetooth module, and placing it into the chassis. (A small kill switch for the Bluetooth module would be ideal here. This will be fixed in a future update.

Install the 2nd battery and push the lower chassis into the assembly. Make sure to pull all the wires out through the top opening accordingly.

Tighten the set screw on the upper chassis, and the 3 socket head screws to hold the lower chassis.

Collect and separate all the power wires accordingly. If you followed the color coding shown here, red and white should be positive, and black should be ground.

You may choose to color code the switches, or simply mark with some tape to keep the the red button switch, and auxiliary switch distinct.

Careful, The battery wires are live, be sure not to short the 2 terminals of the batteries. Clip the wires. I use a 2 fingers length rule to ensure there is enough length of wire to work with. Use some heat shrink tubing to prevent shorting the 2 groups. Again, the battery wires are live, carefully strip and solder the wires.  You will see the orange LED on the Teensy blinking as it is powered.

Tuck the battery wires into the side with the Bluetooth module. Room on the other side is used by the speaker wires.

Solder the signal wire from the LEDs to PWM0. I find it easiest to fill the hole with a small amount of solder, and then heat the pad while poking the wire through it.

Continue soldering the switch wires on the controller side. Again, I find it easiest to fill the hole with solder and poke the wire through it as it is heated.

Red Button Switch -> Pin 13
Auxiliary Switch -> Pin 18

Bluetooth Module:

Bluefruit TXO -> Pin 0
Bluefruit RXI -> Pin 1

Assemble the speaker as shown in the pictures. The speaker should turn lock onto the lower chassis.

A piece of foam tape is used to keep the board from contacting the exterior chassis.

Finishing Up

The installed inner chassis can operate independently before being installed into the exterior chassis.

Use some electrical tape to keep the switch wires in place before sliding on the exterior chassis.

A 3/8″ head thumb tack works very well to act as a spacer on the bottom of the Red Button Switch.

The grips can be installed using the 3D printed grip guide.

Parks Graflex 2.0

Preparing the Kit

The hole for the clamp handle must be widened to allow the handle to turn without removing the clamp.

Drill a hole through the blade adapter in the location shown. Wires for the clamp card switches will pass through here.

Grind down the “beer tab” screw by about  1/8 inch, so it does not interfere with the blade.

You may need to sand the inner ring of the auxiliary switch plate in order to be able to press in the auxiliary switch. Test fit this for now, do not press it in tight all the way. The auxiliary switch is fragile, so it is recommended that you modify the plate.

Optionally bore out the glass eye screw hole if you are interested in doing a real glass eye mod.

You may want to refer to another tutorial series, such as this one to familiarize yourself with assembling and disassembling the kit.

Hilt Install

We will complete as much as possible of the inner chassis, before installing it into the Graflex hilt. For the most part, the inner assembly can be thought of as a complete module, however once the switches are connected, the inner assembly will not be removable.

Start by test fitting your inner chassis. Include the GX16 connector when test fitting. This may change the fit. Some edges may need to be sanded. Ensure that the lower half of the inner chassis can spin freely in the lower half of the Graflex hilt.

Tap the holes on the 2 pieces of upper chassis, using 2-56 thread.

Solder the GX16 connector with pins matching the blade side. 22 AWG wire is rated a current carrying capacity of 5-7 amps. For this reason, it is recommend that 2 wires be used for the power and ground lines. 18-20 AWG wire could be used here as well.

  • Pin 1 -> Ground
  • Pin 2 -> Signal
  • Pin 3 -> NC
  • Pin 4 -> Positive
  • Pin 5 -> NC

The components are ready to be placed inside of the inner chassis. Place the batteries with the terminals facing each other. Once all components are in place the socket head screws can be set to keep the inner chassis assembly together.

You can clip the wires are this point. Careful, the battery wires are live be sure not to short the 2 terminals of the batteries. I use a 2 fingers length rule to ensure there is enough length of wire to work with. (Note: the green wire could have been left longer, although there was just about enough length to work with, in the picture shown.)

Collect and separate all the wires accordingly. If you followed the color coding shown here, red and white should be positive, and black should be ground.

Again, the battery wires are live, carefully strip and solder the wires. Use some heat shrink tubing to prevent shorting the 2 groups. You will see the orange LED on the Teensy blinking as it is powered.

Do not shrink the heat shrink tubing yet, you will need to solder additional wires to the ground node later.

Solder the signal wire from the LEDs to PWM0. I find it easiest to fill the hole with a small amount of solder, and then heat the pad while poking the wire through it.

Now the inner chassis can be placed inside the blade adapter. Insert the 2 set screws if you haven’t already, and tighten them to lock the inner chassis down in place.

Make sure the 2 wire channels on the inner chassis are aligned with the blade holder. The same channel used for the blade connector will be used for the red button switch. The other smaller channel should be align with the auxiliary switch and the hole drilled for the clamp card switches.

Feed the wires for the switches. Keep the assembling the top section of the external Graflex chassis in mind as you feed the wires. Check the images for details.

You may choose to color code the switches here. I did not. As long as the red button switch, and auxiliary switch are distinct, the clamp card switches will not be too important.

Red Button Switch – Feed this down the same channel as the blade connector wires. Keep the switch side in the saber as you slide on the Graflex upper section.
Auxiliary switch – The Auxiliary switch should be solder on first. Tape these wires to the side, or mark them otherwise to distinguish them from the clamp card wires.
Clamp card switches – These will wrap around the narrowed in part of the blade adapter. Do not go through the screw hole the clamp will use.

Once the Graflex exterior is installed, I recommend using the single screw shown to hold it in place.

Solder the ground wires together. Now the heat shrink wrap can be set. Tuck the 2 clumps of wire away in the inner chassis.

Solder the ground wires together. Now the heat shrink wrap can be set. Tuck the 2 clumps of wire away in the inner chassis.

Now for the switch side.

Thread the wires through the threaded Red Switch retainer and screw it in place. Solder the push button switch as shown, keep the rim of the circuit board clear. A small piece of double sided foam tape can be used to adhere the Red Button cover to the inner push button switch.

The Auxiliary Switch Plate can be pressed in.

We can now slide on the clamp. Solder the clamp card switches as shown. Place them in the mount.

Program the controller before screwing on the bottom section of the Graflex.

We can also assemble the speaker at this time. The speaker should be seated flush in it’s mount. Solder the wires as shown. Use an addition layer of heat shrink tubing to add rigidity to the entire length of the wires. This will help when inserting the speaker into the chassis.

Remember, you can pull up the clamp, as well as dismount the 3D printed switch holder, before screwing on the lower section, so that the wires are not pinched in the process.

Turn the lower Graflex section until the USB port is in between the notches from the grips.

Done!

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