Note: This is an ongoing project that will be updated as significant progress is made in the future

Project Overview

After having constant videos go through my social media feed, I wanted to try to take on building a prototype lightsaber that can not only take heavy damage but can also change colors based on user input and the motion of the lightsaber.

Development of First Iteration

For the first iteration, I ran a 3D-printed hilt to house all the electronics. I used an Arduino Nano to execute code, an MPU6050 Gyro + Accelerometer to input movement, and a lithium-ion battery to deliver a high current. All of the electronics are mounted and wired via a PCB.

A Neopixel LED strip travels through the polycarbonate blade and has a 3d printed mount that is transparent which acts as both a diffuser and an attachment method for the LED Strip.

The main challenge with this project is designing a small enough electronics hub so the hilt does not become too thick. Circles are inherently bad for optimizing space, and having a rectangular circuit board fit in that circle means that you have to optimize space efficiency as much as possible. This engineering challenge was a big reason this project was so much fun for me, as I got to design the electronics assembly in the image to the right.

Final Results of First Iteration

Top Skills Utilized

Rapid Prototyping

Computer Aided Design

Product Design

Embedded Systems

Beetleweight-Combat-Robot

40% Scale R2D2