Modified Darksaber Emitter for Adafruit project by hicsvntdracones

Last crawled date: 2 years, 11 months ago

I made the DarkSaber from Adafruit, but it just didn't feel right as it was missing the 4 open vents on each side of the emitter that usually glow white. Since I see these as a major trait of the DarkSaber, I edited the Emitter model to include them. It should print out as a direct drop-in replacement. I also created a little window that can be printed in transparent PLA/PETG and glued into the opening to diffuse the light some more. You will want to modify the thickness to match your led output. this will require the LED strip to start in the blade setcion that is inserted into the pommel.
I am printing this right now and will update with info and images soon. This is still an unfinished work in progress, please treat it as such.
Update. If you want a better build, the method I found that works great is to coat the blade in CTC 3D, which covers the LED strip, then airbrush the area where you would have placed the blade covers. I used Badger black primer and no light escaped after 3 quick coats. I then applied two more coats of xtc 3d to create a solid blade with the paint encased. My last coat didn't go as well and ended up with some drips, and now I need to sand and polish it, as evident by the picture :) Depending on your airbrushing and Epoxy/Resin skills (which I lack), this method can create a saber very comparable to a Light Saber blade that you might purchase or build at Galaxy World. If you want to take it even further, print the blade, then make a mold in Silicone and cast in a plastic resin like smoothcast 325, which will be more durable than epoxy and will look 100 times better than a diy acrylic build, and possibly even an expensive blade. I also bypassed the neopixel and got a 1 meter white led COB strip that is a faux neon, where the diodes are longer and touch each other to make a constant strip of light rather than dots, I was able to get 600 lumens for $9.99 on Amazon.