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Post by fett263 on Jul 13, 2020 11:04:32 GMT -5
I'm starting my KRORSSGUARD build and wanted to document for anyone installing. I got the heat-treatment and painting option from theProplicator which looks amazing, BUT because it's so nice I'm working super delicately and probably giving myself a little more work to install so I don't mess up any of the finishes.   Parts list: - KR Sabers KRORSSGUARD hilt (theProplicator TLJ heat-treatment and paint option)
- Proffieboard v2.2
- Shtok neopixel PCB short-pin connectors with 7/8 holders
- Goth3D Chassis with removeable battery
- KeepPower 18650 15A batteries
- theProplicator quilions and main blade sleeve
- High amp killswitch
- Neopixels and main blade parts (not shown - on order)
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Post by fett263 on Jul 13, 2020 11:28:57 GMT -5
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Post by fett263 on Jul 13, 2020 11:30:11 GMT -5
I tapped the set screw hold in the upper engine to support the chassis, I won't assembled until I route the wires but it was much easier to drill and tap separately than after everything is run.  Before routing the quillion wires through the engine I put a piece of heatshrink to both "hide" the wires but also to keep them together.  I also recommend taping the groups of wires together as you route, especially if you have same colors, it makes it much easier to keep track.  Next I routed through chassis and secured with the set screw in the engine.   Up next is the switch assembly   Then I slid the support ring up, the screw to secure the ring will pass through the switch PCB to hold it in place once it's fully assembled.    That's the progress so far, will be test fitting the shroud and buttons, Khal recommends sanding the back of the clear buttons to allow movement to press the buttons so I'll need to test them out and get it "just right" before closing up the top half. I should have the neopixels and blade parts this week to, so I'll be working on it some more as I get time.
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Post by sa22c on Jul 13, 2020 12:16:38 GMT -5
Hey fett263No pics show up beyond the first one. Checked on PC and mobile, same result.
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Post by fett263 on Jul 13, 2020 12:31:22 GMT -5
Hey fett263No pics show up beyond the first one. Checked on PC and mobile, same result. Thanks, fixed.
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Post by ghostboybe on Jul 15, 2020 10:20:59 GMT -5
Hi Fernando, was hoping to ask 2 things, as I too have received my KRORSSguard and am slowly working on it and doing disassembly exploration to figure out best install path. Curious what you used to fasten the pommel cap? Additionally how have you put the blue wire in? I am having difficulty figuring that one out?
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Post by fett263 on Jul 15, 2020 16:30:16 GMT -5
Hi Fernando, was hoping to ask 2 things, as I too have received my KRORSSguard and am slowly working on it and doing disassembly exploration to figure out best install path. Curious what you used to fasten the pommel cap? Additionally how have you put the blue wire in? I am having difficulty figuring that one out? I haven't gotten to that point yet. Hoping to get sometime later this week.
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Post by fett263 on Jul 21, 2020 8:35:21 GMT -5
So I spent a while having to troubleshoot a simple mistake, I wired my main data line to TX instead of Data1 which was a simple mistake, no damage except to the lost time I spent testing everything and taking the saber back apart to check the main PCB, but once I figure it out and put it back together she fired right up. Definitely a "DUH!" moment but at least it wasn't a costly one. Definitely double check the pads when wiring TX is a "safe" pad to make a mistake with at least. Back to the build... When inserting the battery contacts you'll want to insert the negative into the chassis first and then wire to it, I had tried pre-wiring and feeding but it was just too tight a fit so I undid it and just soldered in the speaker section and it was much, much easier.   For the positive contact you will have to pre-wire it before inserting as there's no way to access otherwise.  I wired up the kill switch and inserted.  I wired up and installed the speaker.  I glued the "grenade" in place wile I have easy access.  Then wired up the board (ignore the data on TX)  I tapped the M3 hole in the collar to hold the buttons in place   I included a piece of Kapton tape just as a precaution when sliding the lower half of the hilt up and down. And after testing everything twice and taking it apart to check the PCB I figured out the TX pad mistake, fixed it and put it back together a second time and it worked! I plan to build the blades next and test them as well BEFORE putting the rest of the hilt back together.
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Post by fett263 on Jul 21, 2020 9:59:05 GMT -5
Just an update Travis asked about accessing screws for the cover on the shroud (I admit I totally forgot) but luckily I left enough slack to access. If you're building and don't leave slack to be able to pull engine down it would be an issue so keep that in mind during your build, you either need to attach the shroud and cover BEFORE running the wires into the engine and chassis or you need slack to be able to access. 
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Post by adeadcurrent on Jul 25, 2020 0:09:05 GMT -5
Thanks for documenting your build! I picked up an installed variant from Korbanth and the Proplicator blade set as well, I'll be watching for your blade build as I'm jumping into building my first blade to substitute the original blades that came with mine.
When you have the hilt assembled as full do you notice any wobble between the two pieces? Trying to figure out how to alleviate that on my saber.
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Post by fett263 on Aug 10, 2020 15:06:24 GMT -5
Finally finished this build so have to catch up on documenting. I had a few set backs and a little bad luck and didn't get time to finish as I was juggling a lot of projects. Hopefully, for those working or planning to work on theirs, some of the difficulties can be avoided if you know to watch out. I love this hilt, it's beautifully built, but there are a few things that I realized as I was installing so keep these in mind as you work on yours it may save you some headaches and frustration: #1 - you will definitely want to glue and reinforce the chassis and engine connection point, this is a weak point in the design. I drilled the tap hole through the chassis to add support but I ended up having to take it half apart after thinking I was done to glue the chassis with E-6000 because when you're taking the bottom half on and off that thin neck is taking a lot of stress and I could tell it would break, especially if not handled delicately. I do wish there was metal supporting the chassis, even with the glue this is a definite weak point in the saber particularly if you're updating the board or replacing the battery and have it resting on a desk and try to put any pressure on the lower half, the top is much taller so there's an incline for the bottom half to rest and it wants to pull away from the engine, the thin neck and single set screw is not that strong and I know others have already reported breaking at this point, I'm hopeful the glue reinforces a bit but you will need to handle with care if you don't want to break the chassis off #2 - I had to sand the greebles/button covers a LOT to get them to work, I disassembled that section 3 times to get the buttons to actually work (which is why it took so long to finish, it was a bit demoralizing thinking your done 3 times only to have to disassemble the entire middle section to sand the buttons down further. In the end the bottom of the buttons had to be sanded to half the thickness for me to allow the buttons to actually be pressed, particularly the lower button, do yourself a favor and sand the part and get it done FIRST before you even wire up anything else, because once your board is hooked up it makes it so much harder #3 - I used the SHOTK short pin connectors as recommended, I found that if you push them all the way into the side blades the pins are a hair too short to make contact with theProplicator blades, which was a major headache. Since I got thePropicator's finish work I could not unscrew the quillions to access the side connectors without destroying the beautiful finish. Unfortunately, I had pulled the slack completely through to the chassis for the wire so as I was trying to back the connectors out delicately so I didn't scratch anything I ended up separating a wire and having to tear it all apart and start over, another very frustrating point. If you get the hilt finished it adds additional trouble trying to take things apart for fixes so take more time and check everything so you only have to do it once. When I reassembled I lined the connector up with the set screw hole rather than pushing it all the way in. OK, now that that's out of the way here's the continuation of the build. My original plan was to just get the blades built to test, then close everything up but between the connectors not making contact with the side blades and the the issues with the buttons and reinforcing the chassis it feels like I built this saber 4 times over, some was just bad luck but some I had no way to foresee so I'm hopeful this helps a few with their undertakings. Side blade assembly (before realizing the connectors were too deep): I use skinny 3535s to be able to insert as deep as possible and illuminate the tips of theProplicator blades. For diffusion I only use blade film from TCSS (I've done this same technique since originally getting theProplicator to open up the insides for neopixels on my first CG2 build).   Since the tip of the blade is very tight I wrap the end of the strips tightly with the blade film and tape it in place to diffuse the last 5/6 pixels   Then I wrap the blade film along the rest of the blade but leave it looser so it will actually unwind in the blade a little   Once inserted the film will unwind a little to fill the cavity and provide better diffusion, if you have it too tight it will cause corn-cobbing.   For the main blade I use a clear tube, the diffusion tube and foam only, I don't wrap the pixels myself I prefer the look with just the foam and diffuser.   Continued...
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Post by fett263 on Aug 10, 2020 15:26:46 GMT -5
After testing the blades, fixing the side connector depth, taking it apart multiple times for issue in last post I finally was able to close it up once and for all. Before sliding your shroud on you'll want to hook your blue wire here (it's easier to do first but if you forget you can do it after as I learned from doing it 4 times)  I slid the shroud on and connected  Then I pulled the blue wires through  I was so frustrated with the buttons I don't have pics unfortunately, you have to have the greebles sanded and inserted BEFORE you slide the button assembly into place, if they aren't sanded enough there's no room to actually press and depress the buttons. After accessing the inner screws to put the cover on the shroud from inside I inserted the buttons and slid the collar up and connected. Sorry no pics, this was probably the most frustrating part so I kept taking breaks and leaving it for days and didn't get any pics of this portion of the assembly. Once it all closed up and the buttons could actually be pressed, I measured the blue wires and cut to length and heat shrank them together at the bottom  Then I tucked the wires in with a small piece of double sided tape on the heat shrink to keep it in place but still be able to remove easily.  Continued...
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Post by fett263 on Aug 10, 2020 15:33:11 GMT -5
I am using Goth's Eco chassis from KR Sabers, I ended up having to sand the chassis a little, the bottom half was not sliding easily, again something that would have been easier to do before installing so definitely check it and and first. Once I got it fitting better so the bottom would slide freely it's time for the red wire.  Khal recommends cutting the wire at the second holder so you can split it to remove the lower half, be sure to leave enough to glue the lower half into the connector but leave room for the top half to be fully supported   Then the top half of the wire is inserted in the wire holder in the engine, for now it's just a friction fit, no glue JUST IN CASE ;-)  Continued...
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Post by fett263 on Aug 10, 2020 15:44:26 GMT -5
And FINALLY it's done. I'll shoot a video later on showing it off properly. As noted it's a beautiful hilt but it's not without it's challenges, first having it so beautifully finished by theProplicator before install added a lot of challenges, I had to handle it gently I couldn't remove the side ports, etc. I typically wouldn't do finish work on a hilt until it's all done but with the heat treatment for the steel side ports, etc. this wasn't an option. So that complicated parts of the build. I made some silly mistakes trying to rush initially which also didn't help, so take your time. But there are a few things that in all honesty no level of patience would have prevented, it was only through failure that I learned so hopefully you can avoid. The chassis will definitely need to be glued to reinforce it, do this BEFORE you try to assemble, you cannot easily get to it once you have the middle portion put together and taking this hilt back apart is not easy. If at all possible, only do it once not 4 times. Sort the button greebles out BEFORE you wire up, I had to sand them down to 50% of their original thickness to allow the buttons room to be pressed but it took 3 tries to get it right which as just noted is less than ideal. Now that it's finally done I can appreciate how great it looks but I went in thinking it was going to be a simple install but it was a little more challenging than I originally thought so take your time and plan it all out to avoid the pitfalls I ran into.      
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Post by downtherabbithole on Mar 24, 2021 20:30:46 GMT -5
And FINALLY it's done. I'll shoot a video later on showing it off properly. As noted it's a beautiful hilt but it's not without it's challenges, first having it so beautifully finished by theProplicator before install added a lot of challenges, I had to handle it gently I couldn't remove the side ports, etc. I typically wouldn't do finish work on a hilt until it's all done but with the heat treatment for the steel side ports, etc. this wasn't an option. So that complicated parts of the build. I made some silly mistakes trying to rush initially which also didn't help, so take your time. But there are a few things that in all honesty no level of patience would have prevented, it was only through failure that I learned so hopefully you can avoid. The chassis will definitely need to be glued to reinforce it, do this BEFORE you try to assemble, you cannot easily get to it once you have the middle portion put together and taking this hilt back apart is not easy. If at all possible, only do it once not 4 times. Sort the button greebles out BEFORE you wire up, I had to sand them down to 50% of their original thickness to allow the buttons room to be pressed but it took 3 tries to get it right which as just noted is less than ideal. Now that it's finally done I can appreciate how great it looks but I went in thinking it was going to be a simple install but it was a little more challenging than I originally thought so take your time and plan it all out to avoid the pitfalls I ran into. Just wanted to thank you for this tutorial. I’ve been studying it over and over, using it to guide me through my construction of this saber. I’m still waiting on another 7/8” pcb holder to come before I can wire it up but I’m getting excited to finally have it done. I will definitely agree that it is a little bit of a frustrating design but it definitely looks beautiful. Anyway you’d be willing to share your config file?
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Post by fett263 on Mar 24, 2021 20:40:05 GMT -5
And FINALLY it's done. I'll shoot a video later on showing it off properly. As noted it's a beautiful hilt but it's not without it's challenges, first having it so beautifully finished by theProplicator before install added a lot of challenges, I had to handle it gently I couldn't remove the side ports, etc. I typically wouldn't do finish work on a hilt until it's all done but with the heat treatment for the steel side ports, etc. this wasn't an option. So that complicated parts of the build. I made some silly mistakes trying to rush initially which also didn't help, so take your time. But there are a few things that in all honesty no level of patience would have prevented, it was only through failure that I learned so hopefully you can avoid. The chassis will definitely need to be glued to reinforce it, do this BEFORE you try to assemble, you cannot easily get to it once you have the middle portion put together and taking this hilt back apart is not easy. If at all possible, only do it once not 4 times. Sort the button greebles out BEFORE you wire up, I had to sand them down to 50% of their original thickness to allow the buttons room to be pressed but it took 3 tries to get it right which as just noted is less than ideal. Now that it's finally done I can appreciate how great it looks but I went in thinking it was going to be a simple install but it was a little more challenging than I originally thought so take your time and plan it all out to avoid the pitfalls I ran into. Just wanted to thank you for this tutorial. I’ve been studying it over and over, using it to guide me through my construction of this saber. I’m still waiting on another 7/8” pcb holder to come before I can wire it up but I’m getting excited to finally have it done. I will definitely agree that it is a little bit of a frustrating design but it definitely looks beautiful. Anyway you’d be willing to share your config file? My current config is running OS6 and in constant flux as I develop and test, so it wouldn't do you much good unfortunately.
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Post by downtherabbithole on Mar 24, 2021 21:50:37 GMT -5
Just wanted to thank you for this tutorial. I’ve been studying it over and over, using it to guide me through my construction of this saber. I’m still waiting on another 7/8” pcb holder to come before I can wire it up but I’m getting excited to finally have it done. I will definitely agree that it is a little bit of a frustrating design but it definitely looks beautiful. Anyway you’d be willing to share your config file? My current config is running OS6 and in constant flux as I develop and test, so it wouldn't do you much good unfortunately. Alright thanks. I’m looking forward to OS6. Two questions though. One, the button pcb. Can you tell much which color wire is ground and which goes to button 1 (I assume black is ground and the button 1 color can be fixed later but I thought I’d ask). And two, Is there any benefit to wiring up the cross guards to separate data pads verses combining their led pads and data pads into one parallel blade? It seems to be the normal way of doing it on the config generator but I don’t know why it couldn’t be done as one blade.
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Post by fett263 on Mar 24, 2021 22:04:29 GMT -5
My current config is running OS6 and in constant flux as I develop and test, so it wouldn't do you much good unfortunately. Alright thanks. I’m looking forward to OS6. Two questions though. One, the button pcb. Can you tell much which color wire is ground and which goes to button 1 (I assume black is ground and the button 1 color can be fixed later but I thought I’d ask). And two, Is there any benefit to wiring up the cross guards to separate data pads verses combining their led pads and data pads into one parallel blade? It seems to be the normal way of doing it on the config generator but I don’t know why it couldn’t be done as one blade. If I recall ground was the center pad, you can check continuity with a multimeter to confirm with the buttond. I set my Crossguards up as 3 blades for flexibility but you could share for the crossguards if you wanted.
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Post by builder on Jun 14, 2021 18:38:37 GMT -5
I tapped the set screw hold in the upper engine to support the chassis, I won't assembled until I route the wires but it was much easier to drill and tap separately than after everything is run.  Before routing the quillion wires through the engine I put a piece of heatshrink to both "hide" the wires but also to keep them together.  I also recommend taping the groups of wires together as you route, especially if you have same colors, it makes it much easier to keep track.  Next I routed through chassis and secured with the set screw in the engine.   Up next is the switch assembly   Then I slid the support ring up, the screw to secure the ring will pass through the switch PCB to hold it in place once it's fully assembled.    That's the progress so far, will be test fitting the shroud and buttons, Khal recommends sanding the back of the clear buttons to allow movement to press the buttons so I'll need to test them out and get it "just right" before closing up the top half. I should have the neopixels and blade parts this week to, so I'll be working on it some more as I get time. Hi does anyone know which of the switch pads works for each button? I’m sure I could test them all out, but it’d be great to have a guide
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Post by fett263 on Jun 14, 2021 18:57:05 GMT -5
I tapped the set screw hold in the upper engine to support the chassis, I won't assembled until I route the wires but it was much easier to drill and tap separately than after everything is run.  Before routing the quillion wires through the engine I put a piece of heatshrink to both "hide" the wires but also to keep them together.  I also recommend taping the groups of wires together as you route, especially if you have same colors, it makes it much easier to keep track.  Next I routed through chassis and secured with the set screw in the engine.   Up next is the switch assembly   Then I slid the support ring up, the screw to secure the ring will pass through the switch PCB to hold it in place once it's fully assembled.    That's the progress so far, will be test fitting the shroud and buttons, Khal recommends sanding the back of the clear buttons to allow movement to press the buttons so I'll need to test them out and get it "just right" before closing up the top half. I should have the neopixels and blade parts this week to, so I'll be working on it some more as I get time. Hi does anyone know which of the switch pads works for each button? I’m sure I could test them all out, but it’d be great to have a guide You mean the KR buttons? The outer pads are each respective button and the center pad is GND.
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Post by builder on Jun 15, 2021 7:59:09 GMT -5
Hi does anyone know which of the switch pads works for each button? I’m sure I could test them all out, but it’d be great to have a guide You mean the KR buttons? The outer pads are each respective button and the center pad is GND. Thank you so much!!!
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Post by megtoothsith on Jan 11, 2023 11:33:06 GMT -5
I missed this build Fernando, I wish I'd have read through it before I installed mine, but mine still came out ok. I videoed the build, and I think I'll add some notes about it, as I think your build did a better job of routing and hiding the quillion wires than mine did. Pretty cool!
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Post by fett263 on Jan 11, 2023 18:39:29 GMT -5
I missed this build Fernando, I wish I'd have read through it before I installed mine, but mine still came out ok. I videoed the build, and I think I'll add some notes about it, as I think your build did a better job of routing and hiding the quillion wires than mine did. Pretty cool! Thanks, yeah did this one a while back, overall it wasn't a bad build.
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