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Lightsabers, what are they?
Lightsabers, what are they?
Elegant weapons from a galaxy far, far away.
What kind of lightsabers do we make?
What kind of lightsabers do we make?
As a club, we design and build custom model lightsabers. They are similar in quality to those found online for a couple hundred dollars. Ours are much cheaper though, since we only buy the parts and build them ourselves.
Our lightsabers use a custom-designed chassis that slides into a 1" inner diameter metal pipe. We create unique hilt designs and build them using 3D printed parts or aluminum.
We use off-the-shelf lightsaber components such as Golden Harvest/Proffieboard soundboards and NeoPixel/TriCree blade lighting.
How much does it cost?
How much does it cost?
VT STUDENTS
Prices fluctuate each semester! We go over exact prices during meetings, but entry-level sabers usually cost around $140 (various add-ons can add to this value).
The club provides all necessary equipment like soldering irons, sand paper, and 3D-printing for free.
NON-VT STUDENTS
Responsible for all parts costs, equipment, and supplies. This can vary wildly depending on what you already have. $150-$250.
The Lightsaber Building Process
The Lightsaber Building Process
We walk through the entire process from beginning to end during club meetings.
Those who attend the weekly meetings finish their first saber in under two semesters. The more often you attend meetings, the sooner you will finish. You may dedicate time outside of meetings to catch up or work ahead.
If you are not a student, or are unable to attend meetings, you may follow these steps and the rest of the documentation to the best of your ability. We are always happy to help and answer questions via discord or email.
Step 1. Design the Hilt
Step 1. Design the Hilt
Draw a simple sketch of your hilt. Plan out the rough dimensions and locations of key features. Experiment with various designs, have fun, and be ambitious. This is your opportunity to design a fully unique lightsaber.
Time to Complete: 1 meeting
Depends on detail of sketch.
Step 2a. Choose the Parts
Step 2a. Choose the Parts
There are a few key decisions to make when designing your lightsaber. The specific parts you choose will determine your lightsaber's capability, cost, and complexity to build.
Step 2b. Purchase Parts
Step 2b. Purchase Parts
VT STUDENTS
The club purchases everyone's parts as a group once a semester. Each member fills out a form selecting the parts they would like to add to the group buy. Once the form closes, we send emails to everyone with their individual cost due. The typical individual cost is around $140-160. Payments are due the following week after the form closes. We do NOT order your parts if you do not send your payment in time.
NON-VT Students
We provide links to our vendors in the parts breakdown page. Reach out to us if you have questions on where to find specific parts.
Time to Complete: 1 meeting
We go over the group buy early in the semester.
Step 3. 3D Model the Hilt
Step 3. 3D Model the Hilt
You are free to use whatever CAD software you want. We teach OnShape in our workshops and use it in the examples.
SolidWorks, AutoCAD, etc. work fine, as long as you can follow the design criteria and export it as an .stl for printing.
Reference the Hilt Design Rules as you go.
Time to Complete: ~4 meetings
Those with previous CAD experience will finish sooner. More complex designs will take longer. Take time outside of meetings if needed. Watch online tutorials for more assistance.
Step 4. 3D-Print the Hilt
Step 4. 3D-Print the Hilt
We use generic PLA to print the hilt parts. PETG is also great for extra durability and use outdoors. We recommend using black filament to help the paint stand out.
VT-STUDENTS
After finishing your hilt model. Review the Hilt Design Rules page for final checks and exporting.
We have a set of club printers that board members use to print parts for members.
Email parts to vt.lightsaberclub@gmail.com, subject name:
“F25 3D Printing - [First Name] [Last Name]”
Include a screenshot of your CAD model.
We will print parts and hand them out at the next meeting.
The sooner you send us your parts, the sooner they get printed and the sooner you can start painting them. Painting takes a couple meetings (weeks).
NON-VT STUDENTS
You will have to use your own 3D-printer or find a local library/makerspace with one. If you are in Blacksburg, Newman Library provides free 3D-printing services at the Prototyping Studio.
Time to Complete: 1 meeting
We will do our best to print your parts and hand them to you at the next meeting. Give us a couple of days to do this. Do not send us your parts Saturday night and expect them to be ready for the meeting Sunday.
Step 5. Prepare Inner Pipe
Step 5. Prepare Inner Pipe
We use steel pipes with a 1 inch inner diameter for the inside of our hilts. The 3D-printed parts are glued around the pipe.
VT STUDENTS
Once the steel pipes have been ordered and cut to size, we will hand them out at club meetings. Mark the following on your pipe using your printed parts as a reference:
Button hole (Circle & shade the inside)
Blade Retention Hole
Any additional holes
Crystal chamber
Belt clip hole
Return your pipe once the holes have been marked to have them cut out.
NON-VT STUDENTS
You are responsible for purchasing and cutting your own inner pipes. If you do not have the tools to cut steel pipes, you may try other materials such as aluminum or PVC.
Time to Complete: 1 meeting
We cannot cut the holes in your pipe until you mark them. Do this as soon as your pipe is cut to size.
Step 6. Painting
Step 6. Painting
3D-printed parts require 3D-printed parts require a lot of sanding and filler primer to remove any visible layer lines and imperfections. After sanding, apply your spray painted design and finish with a clear coat.
Time to Complete: ~4 meetings
Painting (and sanding) takes a while no matter what. Do not put this off. We do not hold paint meetings when it's cold out.
Step 7. Electronics
Step 7. Electronics
After all of the parts have arrived, you may begin work on soldering and assembling the electronics. If you participated in a club group buy, we will hand out bags with all of your parts at meetings.
Time to Complete: ~8 meetings
Soldering the electronics takes a while and typically most of the spring semester. Especially if it is your first time soldering, there will be a learning curve and you will make mistakes. Give yourself plenty of time to fix issues that come up.
We host supplemental paint meetings in the spring. You'll want to have your electronics in good shape to take advantage of them.
If you fall behind on electronics, reach out, and we will help you catch up. The Prototyping Studio at Newman Library has a soldering station open to anyone.
Step 8. Configuration & Programming
Step 8. Configuration & Programming
Follow the right guide depending on your soundboard to configure your lightsaber.
Time to Complete: 1 meeting
Proffieboard Programming can be complicated and requires setting up some software.
Golden Harvest comes with built-in gesture controls along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features.
Typical Meeting Schedule
Typical Meeting Schedule
This is the rough timeline of meetings and group buy deadlines we follow. The exact dates and meetings change each year. Monitor the announcements in the Discord server to stay up-to-date.
Paint meetings depend on the weather.
Fall Semester
Fall Semester
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Meeting
-
-
Introduction
Design
CAD
CAD
CAD
Painting/CAD
Painting
Painting
Painting
-
-
Painting/Electronics
Notes
Recruitment & Gobblerfest
Recruitment
-
-
-
Group Buy Starts
Group Buy Ends
Group Buy Payment Due
-
-
-
Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving Break
-
Spring Semester
Spring Semester
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Meeting
-
Electronics
Electronics
Electronics
Electronics
Electronics
-
-
Electronics
Electronics/Painting
Electronics/Painting
Electronics/Painting
Electronics/Painting
Electronics/Painting
Notes
-
-
-
Group Buy Starts
Group Buy Ends
Group Buy Payment Due
Spring Break
Spring Break
-
-
-
-
-
May 4th Meetup
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