Man, am I glad you made this video! I've had an empty hilt for a year now, only empty due to fear and lack of knowledge. This clear, well-made video has shed light upon the topic, and now I feel ready to begin! Thanks, Avery :D
Thank you! That’s awesome to hear, hopefully this helps you with finally building your own! It’ll probably be a struggle at first, but if you push through it you’ll gain even more than just an awesome lightsaber. Good luck!
@@averycastillo Thanks! I ended up taking an electronic assembly class in college, so now I'm totally primed! With all due gratitude and respect to your knowledge, the only thing my prof would tell you is to have mechanical connections when possible, like threading the wire through the speaker tab holes, or wrapping the joined wires together before soldering them (lineman's splice). Thanks again, cheers!
Hey again Avery! I was directed here from your comment (Thanks again!) and had a few questions. Can I do installs with pre build cores? My living situation at the moment doesn’t allow me much space for hobbies, so I’m wondering if using a pre built core already installed with Xeno or Proffie that I could achieve similar results. Now for my more important question, I’ve heard you refer to your “customers” on multiple occasions and was just wondering if you do installs! Like if I sent an Empty hilt, blade and board I was wondering if you installed? I hope I’m not too much of a bother asking these things in the comments. Always been a fan of your work and for a thorough fan like myself your attention to detail is second to none! So if you do installs for a price, I’m probably payin’! Thanks for your time.
Hello again! I think to answer your first question I’d need more info, mainly what specific results you’re looking for. You can put those pre-built ones in any saber that accepts those specific pre-built chassis systems, but not any lightsaber. As for your second question, yes I do installs for people 😁 Feel free to hit me up on instagram, link at the bottom of the description of the video here, and we can discuss it more if you’d like!
@@averycastillo My man! Thorough and direct replies, I really appreciate it! I haven’t used insta in forever but I’ll definitely contact you! Thank you again!
Bruv, you are a legend. Absolutely love you. I want such a saber but as an electrical engineer and star wars Fan, I want the feeling of having built my own saber and not just buy one finished. If I can also save some money through this I would be absolutely happy. Finding the links alone would've been difficult so yeah. Thanks G
Thank you! Glad you found this helpful! After the initial equipment costs, you’ll be saving hundreds by building your own sabers. Plus you can often set it up to be even better and with more unique features. It’s a highly rewarding hobby on all fronts 😁
Thanks for the great video. I haven't done a thin neck saber yet but I plan to do one next. I have a comment though: I know you've used two 24 awg wires for this build but you don't need to split a 22 awg wire with the proffie. You can also just use one single 22 awg wire and solder it onto two neighboring pads, thereby bridging the mosfets together so they will share the load. I like to strip a slightly longer part of the cable and put the end into one of the pads. Then I bend the cable in the direction of the second pad and combine both adding more solder to the cable and the pad. Not sure if this is also true for a CFX.
I like to go with the safest and simplest option for the most part unless it’s absolutely necessary for space saving, so while you can use less negatives on both proffie and CFX it’s always safest to use the higher number of 24awg wires. So 2 on Proffie and 4 on CFX. It’s also just more straightforward, less to think about and less potential for accidents. (I know it’s super simple to bridge or bend the wire, but when builds get complicated the small extra steps tend to lead to more potential for accidents 😅). But in the end, if it works for you and things don’t break or put the saber at risk, in my view whatever method you use isn’t wrong!
Ordered everything followed the exact instructions as a newbie you did absolutely amazing explaining everything thank you will def be building more in the future
Definitely! Got most of the parts in. Just waiting for my hilt it’s the Revanted from warsabers. So I knew it was going to be awhile coming from Russia. Have you ever done an install with that hilt? Also are the Npixel Holders usually small? I bought a chassis specifically designed for it but the holder looks way smaller than I thought it would be. Anyway thanks for the content and keep it up!!
Absolutely loved this content. Just used it to get all my supplies ready for my first build. Would love to see your process for choosing a chassis or designing one based on manufacturer of hilts and electronics like OLED, Bluetooth, or crystal chambers etc.
Is building something quality from scratch cheaper in general than buying one outright of high quality? I’m interested in possibly building as a hobby. No problem going with proffie being a programmer myself.
Building your own will always be cheaper than buying the exact one someone else made 😁 Since you won’t be paying for labor costs, you often save a couple hundred at least
Great video, lots of detail which is exactly what’s needed when setting out to build your own Saber so brilliant job. Do I sense abit of JerryRigEverything?
Thank you! Hopefully this helps a lot of people 😁 Funny enough I hadn’t heard of JerryRigEverything until a couple years ago, a little after I started making these kinds of videos. I definitely take it as a compliment, he makes awesome content!
Do u think you will make an updated one for the new V3? Or is it kinda the same, the only part im confused on is the charging, do i charge the battery with the board?
The only difference would be that some of the proffie v3 pads are located in different spots. So you just use the proffie v3 wiring diagram generator instead of the proffie v2. Then with the v3 you also get the benefit of faster speeds and much larger storage. For charging it depends. The way most builds are set up, and how this one is set up, they use a removable battery. Then you just take the battery out and charge it in a li-ion battery charger. The only time you charge the battery while it’s in the chassis is if you also have a recharge port installed
Hopefully it helps! I’ll work on short videos in the future, focused on certain elements of building sabers. I’m not the greatest at video making, but I’m trying my best to help people get into the hobby hahaha
Good job. One thing, those solder could be cold solder joints. You should not melt the solder on the Iron tip, you should heat the pad enough so the solder melts when the pad reaches temperature. Maybe use a grounding strap to ensure you don’t degrade any of the electronics. Overall I enjoyed watching and learning. Thanks for sharing
Thanks! I always try to make sure to heat the pad during the process so the solder flows, but it sounds like it’d be better to only heat the pad and put the solder directly on the pad? So the iron shouldn’t touch the solder from the spool at all? I appreciate the input, especially because I’ve had to learn all this on my own 😂 So far I don’t think I’ve come acceoss any issues from my soldering, but what do cold solder joints do so I can look out for it?
@@averycastilloIdk if you can tell if they're cold by looking at em, but cold joint it means there is no electrical connection. If you've got your method down, carry on, but I've been taught to place the iron at an angle on the pad, with the tinned tip touching but the wire and the tab. It helps if you bend the wire and put the iron's tip under the acute angle you've just formed. After a few seconds, (less time if you solder at 750*F) touch both the wire and the pad with the solder
Loved the video. I’m trying to fix 3 2005 Master Replicas sabers. Only one has sound. One the blade doesn’t fully light up. Do you know what would be the best thing to do?
This video is going to help me so much! Thank you for this! I do have a question. I have what appears to be either a master replica or Hasbro Darth Vader saber (which ever ones were introduced at Borders Books) that I have since gutted and want to convert into a Neopixel saber. After watching this video, it seems that I'm going to need to modify this hilt to hold the chassis in place since the saber is essentially a hollow metal tube now. Are there conversion kits that can allow me to convert this saber? Thank you!
I’m glad it’ll help! And I do believe I might be able to help with that, from what I remember there are conversion kits over at TheCustomSaberShop. I just looked it up to make sure, and it looks like they have a “MR or Hasbro FX Vader Conversion Kit”. Hopefully that’s what you’re looking for!
Hey Avery! Amazing video, can't wait to use the knowledge here to build my first NPXL saber. I had a few questions on the PCB connectors. I already purchased a finished blade from Korbanth Sabers for their "The Lost Spectre" saber, how do I know if the PCBs from Saber Armory will be compatible?
Hello! Good luck with your first build! With neopixel connectors, luckily they’re all compatible with each other. I’ve never come across any that are incompatible, it’s an industry standard that they all work the same. The neopixel connectors used on the bottom of neopixel blades are all the same, 3 circle contacts. Middle is data, then negative around that, then positive on the outside. All hilt-side neopixel connectors are made the same so it’ll all work together
@@averycastillo Oh okay, good to hear. I was conversing with a friend of mine who has experience with NPXLs and he mentioned that "the hilt end connector depends on the blade contact connector". My blade was purchased from Korbanth/Shadowfoil Props and I saw that their PCBs have fewer pins than the Saber Armory ones, so just wanted to know if i could use either or. With that being said, then woudl I need to purchase 2 hilt end connectors and one blade end? One hilt end at the top of the chassis to touch a blade end at the top of the hilt which is soldered to another hilt end at the top of the neck of the saber? Which then comes in contact with the other contact already installed on the blade? Sorry if that last question is a bit confusing! hahaha
Amazing video!! just confused, did you make the blade yourself or did you buy it? I know Saber Armory sells led strips for Neo pixel blades but how would one make it himself
Thank you! The blade you see is one I bought a long while ago, but you can make one yourself too and it’s super easy and fun. Thesaberarmory should also sell a kit for blades, that include all the parts you need to make one. You just need the pixel strip, blade side neopixel connector, blade tube, blade tip, blade side neopixel connector holder, foam tube, and blade film. Then you just solder the strip to the connector and put everything in the tube and you’re pretty much set!
You know proffie basically has deep sleep if you just time active functions out. That uses so little power that The battery should last for 6 months in that state. The Killswitch is still a good feature though. But if you know what you're doing... It totally does have deep sleep!
best installation video ever！love your videos❤❤, my question is could I use other blade connector pcb,not npxl brand.(the one for making neopixel blade)to instead of normal 6-trace rotary pcb connector for thin neck sabers? So the saber has two emitter pcb just like your video shown.
Thanks! You can use any blade connector pcb that is offered at any saber parts shops, whether it’s a shtok pcb or not. You just have to make sure it works with your build
Short pins for this saber 👍 For a non-thin neck saber, if you only need the emitter npxl connector for your build you’ll want to go for long pins. As long as they’re protected with the appropriate holder
I'm sorry but I can't wrap my head around it. Does the saber itself only get illuminated by those "tiny" LEDs in the hilt. Like yes, they might be powerful enough but do they also make the extend and retract light effect? Does that mean one is able to dismount the saber rod at any time without problems?
I have a video (a short) on this very topic 😁 So if you want a short version with visuals, hopefully you can find it! It’s what we call “neopixel” technology. We use “neopixel” as a general term to describe a lightsaber setup with led strips inside the blade tube. The name “neopixel” used to refer to the brand of led strips that were used, but better and more specialized led strips have been developed specifically for lightsaber blades since then. So “Neopixel” is now just the generalized term encompassing all lightsabers with led strips in the blade, not anything brand related. Since the led strips are in the blade, they allow for the scrolling effect, high levels of brightness, and are able to be programmed with different colors and animations. The connection system between the blade and the hilt involves small spring pins and contact pads to transfer power and data from the saber to the blade. So the pins from the hilt-side connector come into contact with the metal pads at the bottom of the blade, allowing for easy and quick connections and disconnections
For most thin neck lightsabers you use 2 neopixel connectors, because it allows for the chassis to be removed from the saber. You only need one neopixel connector if there aren’t any chassis separations, where the blade will make direct contact with the neopixel connector on the chassis
Not yet! I’ve really wanted to but the charging stand is too expensive for me to justify atm. It should be a very easy setup though, the wiring diagram is on thecustomsabershop’s listing page
im currently doing my own build, but installing on a cfx with bluetooth and oled, i got everything working… except the accent neopixel led and NPXL connector. no clue why but taken it apart and going to retry tomorrow
Did you try checking the config? With CFX, oftentimes I found that when I first started working with them I’d build everything correctly just to find that none of the neopixels lit up. Then I discovered I needed to set up the config to tell the board that it’s a pixel setup, and tell it how many pixels it needed to light up
@@averycastillo oh damn really, wish i had checked before 😂 will give that a go then tomorrow. i thought because it was turning on and off and the bluetooth app was working etc i’d just missed something
I think I read somewhere that people have thought about or tried it, but it isn’t that feasible for some reason. Maybe it would interfere with the hilt too much or something? No idea, but it would be nice not to have to use set screws
Hey bro I’m Looking for a soldering station. The one you have listed is based in the u.s. I’m based in Australia, I’m sure I can find a similar alternative, what specs would I need to do the job? There’s ones ranging from $50-$500 😅
You don’t need anything fancy! I used an $8 soldering from amazon for like 5 or 6 years before I got this one hahaha Just any soldering iron that can hit 300-350 degrees celsius or so. You’ll want to get a stand for it, and some brass wool to clean the tip
I have the Weller soldering station and it is fantastic! I think I paid around $100 for it, but it has the adjustable heat like Avery's. But like Avery said, any decent one will do.
For building a blade I always recommend using the KR Pixelstick. Because it’s already double sided, and the pixels are staggered so it helps get rid of more shadows between pixels. They also tend to be brighter than standard pixel strips from what I can tell from the types I have. Plus they are way easier to use
@@KKennyy-i3xNot really! The main things I’m aware of that affect blade brightness is the amount of power it gets and the types of pixels in the blade. As long as you directly connect the battery positive to the NPXL positive you’ll have the most efficient wiring for power, then it’s only matter of what kind of pixels are used in the blade. I’m not 100% sure how all that works, but you’ll want to use whatever saber parts stores are using. KR pixelstick, plecterpixel, etc
I'm starting a conversion of the ESB master replica Darth Vader saber to neopixel, and I have a few questions if you don't mind. Is it necessary to have 2 neopixel connectors? I'm curious to why didn't you just go from the neopixel connector on the blade, and directly soldered the wire to the sound board. Was that so you didn't have the chassis tethered to wire? If so, I can see why the 2 connector setup, but for the Darth Vader hilt, I'm finding it difficult to set it up the same way. I hope this makes sense! Thank you!
Good luck with your conversion! And it’s not necessary to have 2 neopixel connectors, unless you want to have a removable chassis like what I have here. If you go directly from the emitter Neopixel connector to the soundboard, then the chassis is not able to be removed from the hilt since there’s a wire there connecting them just like you guessed 👍 That setup is mainly only ever used in thin-neck lightsabers like the obi-wan and luke rotj sabers. With most others without a thin neck, like your vader saber, it’s not necessary to have 2 connectors
Ive tried to do this twice now and I keep frying the mosfets whenever I connect the blade. Am I missing something? I'm trying to follow your instructions exactly but I'm a noob and don't have any experience with this.
Hello, this video is really helpfull but i want to ask does the proffie board have smooth swing on its own or does it require som adittional motion sensors? (Im new to this stuff don’t judge pls)
I’m glad you find the video helpful! The Proffie board does have smooth swing built in, no need for any additional sensors or anything else 😁 You just need to have smooth swing fonts and you’re pretty much all set! These days pretty much all fonts are made with smooth swing in mind, so you rarely ever have to worry about that
Hi can I ask you how would you wired a button and a kyber crystal light im planing to make a custom chassis with only a kyber crystal light accent for a txq obiwan episode 3 or tv saber also what is the diameter of the chassis section for the grenade section I need it for my custom chassis build but txq won't answer
the only change i would make is the solder. I use Kester 44 60/40 .8 mm it's pricey at around 40+ USD per pound but like him i still have over half after several years. It flows like butter and leaves strong shiny solder joints well worth the cost.
I would like to upgrade my triton rgb saber to neopixel from saberforge it has 3 blades and a crystal do you think it's possible? If yes how to do with the connections Since there are 3 blades and a crystal please?
Thanks! It’s always going to be cheaper to build your own (after initial purchase of the tools and stuff). You can make the exact same saber as a pre-built one, for less cost and probably with better parts and a nicer hilt! The main reason is that you don’t have to pay for labor fees when you make it yourself, and those can cost a couple hundred dollars at least
I've been sitting on my empty Roman Props Graflex for years and now I feel like I can finally get started! All this info in one, easily accessible spot is extremely helpful! It's exhausting trying to find info like this that isn't overwhelming.
That’s awesome! I’m happy this helps! Good luck with the build, Roman’s Graflex was my first lightsaber build too 😁 No neopixels existed back then though hahaha, so yours will turn out way cooler than mine!
This is so helpful 🙏🏼 even better than the KR Sabers demo. Everyone keeps saying it’s important to follow the manual and I’m like WHAT MANUAL? Didn’t get one with my kit. The chassis guide link I was given has no detail (just ‘install this/that’), and the proffieboard guide isn’t updated for version 3 Any chance I can send you my proffie configuration to check based on what I have? I’m a complete amateur at this.
Glad you like it! And the manuals will almost always be linked in the product page for the soundboard. Chassis listings don’t need manuals, so you won’t find any there. I mainly find them by just searching online “CFX manual” or “Proffie Manual”, but if you can’t find them you can always ask in the proffie support group or the official cfx group on facebook! As for proffie v3 manual, I believe it’s still being worked on so it won’t be out for a bit. But there isn’t too much difference between proffie 2.2 and proffie 3 for installs. Just pad layout and speed/memory. All you’ll need to install a proffie v3 is the wiring diagram generator on fredrik’s website, the same one I show in the video but the proffie v3 section. If you’d like you can send me an email with your config and I can have a look when I have time
One of the best videos I’ve ever seen bro honestly so in depth a noob like me could just do it, infact I am, my goal is to build every lightsaber lol gonna start buying equipment soon anyway thanks for the quality vid g all the best.
Thanks very much for uploading this. Yes please continue. This is a huge help for the beginner community. Would you happen to have a tutorial on the Vaders vault ( Rey ) blaster ? Regards
Thank you for your input! I’m glad it’s helpful, I want to make the hobby as accessible to people as possible. Just need to figure out how to make better and better videos hahaha I do not have a tutorial on the Rey blaster, I actually haven’t had the opportunity to work on a blaster yet. I’ll look into possibly learning the ropes, and if I do I’ll try doing some tutorials
For this build? It was likely around $150ish. You can try the link I have in the description for the Desert Wanderer DIY Kit! It’ll basically give you the price of the hilt on it’s own, and the cost of the hilt along with all the parts needed for the install. Plus right now thesaberarmory is having a 10% off everything black friday/chber monday deal
There are even more affordable options! You can make a saber with the same electronics but with a cheaper hilt, and you can get the price a couple hundred dollars lower even. For instance the KR Flagship hilt aand DIY kit from TheSaberArmory: you can make that one for around $350 including the blade. That’s a proffie 2.2 neopixel saber, one of the best sabers you can have
glad you mentioned splitting the negatives for CFX, you will fry it if you do not do that. I did that myself, but replaced the mosfets and fixed the board for cheap just like new. This video is very informative!
Only difference with 3.9 would be the pin layout of the board, but you can find the proffie 3.9 Wiring Diagram generator on the same website that I showed the 2.2 diagram. So the whole process of the saber build is the same, just use the 3.9 wiring diagram instead! It’s also a way better generator, more options and such
It mainly depends on the hilt you want to go with! If you want to go for a super cheap hilt, you can make a proffie or cfx neopixel saber for $250-$300. Not including the initial cost of the equipment/tools. If you want a good replica hilt, on average it’d be $450ish. Then of course cost changes based on chassis types (crystal chambers, eco, etc). But if you want to make it as cheap as possible, just find the cheapest hilt/electronics kit on thesaberarmory and build that
Wonderful video! I am getting ready to build my first lightsaber and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. After watching this video I feel much more confident heading into this project. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Thank you! I hope it all goes well! Building one for your son would be an amazing gift. Maybe you could build one with him one day too! When I first wanted to learn how to make lightsabers, my dad helped me out with a lot and it was a great bonding experience
See I'm the type of person that can do all of this, but it's always w the help of a detailed video like such. Notice how he's telling you things from experience lol He broke things, so you don't have to. Great video! May the force be with you good sir.
This is the best install video I've found anywhere. Easy to understand and follow along, I think I've watched it about four times now. It gave me the confidence to try my first install months ago.
Wow! That’s a lot to sit though! I hope it helps, good luck building the mpp 😁 I built it once before, I made a series of shorts for that build which might be helpful to watch
This is awesome, your content is great! I have the same neopixel connector as you. For whatever reason the negative pads are giving me difficulties - the solder isn’t sticking. All other pads I can solder easy. Have you ran into those?
Hm… I haven’t run into any issues like that with the npxl v3’s. A couple things I can think of off the top of my head: maybe your iron isn’t hot enough, or maybe you need more flux?
Can the hilt be any hilt you purchase or make and still use the same electronics as you’re showing? Granted making sure the chassis fits inside whatever hilt you use
Typically every hilt requires their own chassis, so a chassis that fits one saber won’t work with another. So whenever you get a hilt, you’ll need to buy the chassis that is made for that specific hilt. Even if they are both obi-wan ep 4 sabers for example, if they aren’t made by the same company or manufacturer then their chassis solutions won’t work with each other. You will need to always make sure your chassis is designed specifically for the hilt you purchased. And so with the electronics, the chassis will always determine what electronics you use. But typically most use the parts I showed here. There are variations of course, like sometimes a hilt can’t fit a 28mm and only fits 24mm. Or sometimes it can’t take an 18650 battery and needs a smaller size. So always check with the chassis product page, or contact the maker of the chassis, to see what parts will work
@@averycastillo That’s such great info. Thanks. I’m wanting to make my own hilt to customize it to my liking. But the insides I thought I can get and just build my hilt around the chassis. Is that possible or even recommended? Sorry I didn’t clarify that earlier 😁
@@joelthompson4801You can definitely do that! You can find a chassis from somewhere you like, or design and print one yourself like I do. If you’re making your own hilt, you can adjust it to fit what chassis you want. I’d recommend checking out thecustomsabershop, they have a ton of parts and materials more suited to that kind of thing
