Hi all. Im a member of the 501st as an ANH Vader. I had my original saber that was built by a member back in 2016. it overheated and melted the board/wires etc. I have decided to built a more updated saber myself.
Here is what I have so far.
1 of: NPXL V3 Hilt side PCB connector - Long Pins
1 of: 1" NPXL V3 Hilt Side Adapter
1 of: MHSv1 NPXL Hilt Side Adapter
1 of: 1" Quantum Show Blade Builders Bundle
1 of: 1" Proffie v3.9 Pixel Core
I am 3D printing an adapter since I am retrofitting this into what was once a Black Series saber . been doing my online reading for circuit diagrams and will be starting the build soon.
will have a Kill switch and momentary switch
With a Quantum blade, be sure to include enough power–so you don’t melt anything.
I over-power my builds for power-hungry blades, so you may not need to go as big as I do… but…
I use 2x20awg from the battery + connectors to the hilt-side NPXL connector
2x20awg wire from battery - connector to the proffieboard
2x20awg wire from LED234 to the hilt-side NPXL connecotr
2x20awg wire from blade-side connector NEG to the quantum PCB-
2x20awg wire from blade-side connector POS to the quantum PCB+
2x20awg should give you up to 22amps.
Sometimes I use 1x18awg (16amps).
Most people use 2x22awg (14amps–probably enough?) or 1x20awg (11amps–I don’t think that’s enough). Many mass-produced chassis/installs use 1x24awg (I’ve taken some apart and measured).
The NPXL manual from ShtokCustomWorx is a great resource for wiring gauges. There are links to the manual on saberbay and thesaberarmory.
Thanks for all the info. I have a 21700 3.7v battery and was gonna go 20-22 on the wire.
Additional question. With the core i am using the profile is deep inside the hilt. Any thoughts on how to run a microUsb to USBC female to a place where i can plug in a charging cable? There is potentially enough room near the speaker.
I would just like to minimize having to remove the whole core every time i want to charge. I would need to add a ton more wire that would need to be tucked up inside the hilt… unless you guys dont see any issues with doing that?
Thoughts?
I couldn’t sleep so i drew a quick sketch of what i think the wiring should be. Two switches are momentary one for blade and one for adapter leds.
I think i am going to add a kill switch as well so i will have to revise this drawing but wanted to see if i am on the right path.
If you are using dual 22AWG from the proffie to the PCB, you need to use dual 22AWG from the Battery - to the board. And thus, the switches GRD solder them to GND.
I often run wire from the proffieboard to a USB-C in the pommel that doubles for programming and charging. The v3.9 has onboard USB charging, but it is slow. A charging module would make it faster–but the big point for me is to be able to program the board without removing the chassis, so I have not yet installed one with a charging module. The v3.9 has pads on the board so you can wire direct.
Here is one example I posted on FB, linked here to save server space. There is a kill-switch and a USB, as well as a crystal, in front of a 27mm speaker–which is a big speaker and it is loud, even with the volume set at 1500 (my wife complains it’s too loud).
If you search FB, you can find a post from Dmitry with a wiring diagram for a Revan hilt that uses a USB-C for programming and charging with a charging module.
If you are adding an USB-C port, you can always solder a second +/- wires to the port, and rout it to a TP4056 module. The new small ones (like the this one) can be put almost anywhere and you get a full 1A charging speed. Which is double of V3.9 500mA.