Lightsaber Teardown
By Geoff Wacker • Difficulty: Moderate
Introduction

No, we're not having delusions of grandeur—this is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. And we're dying to see how it works. Today, we tear down a lightsaber.

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Step 1
  • Listen up, nerfherders: We've got a lightsaber on the teardown table. Before we dive in, let's take a look at the specs:
  • Manufacturer: Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • Crystal: single blue Adegan crystal
  • Production date: 22 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin)
  • Length: 15.8 cm
  • While historians debate which was the most effective saber design, our teardown unit hails from the old school: single blade, fixed length. No fancy crossguards here.
Step 2
  • Do you have the death sentence on twelve systems? Do you frequent wretched hives of scum and villainy? Then you probably don't want to see this saber firing up.
  • If only we were Force adepts, we could release this interior clasp with a simple wave of the hand. Instead, we nudge it free with the tip of a spudger, revealing the crystal chamber.
  • Seeing as this is his third lightsaber, Master Kenobi must have had long-term repairability in mind during its construction—it's incredibly easy to access the crystal chamber, with its single Adegan crystal.
Step 3
  • We'll get back to that crystal chamber a bit later. For now, we set out to open the saber itself.
  • Let's start by unscrewing this clamp pin that secures the switch housing cover.
  • With the pin removed, we're able to lift the clamp brackets out with no trouble.
  • It seems Obi-Wan saw fit to include a charging port on his lightsaber. Lucky for us, he decided to use a standard DC barrel jack connector.
  • Unscrewing this small retaining ring loosens the port from the housing cover.
Step 4
  • We quickly dispatch a few tiny set screws securing the clamp to the body of the lightsaber.
  • With the set screws removed, we extract the activation stud.
  • Pro tip: Sith happens. Fortunately, it's now impossible to ignite this saber by accident. For safety's sake, those of you tearing down a lightsaber at home should follow a similar procedure.
Step 5
  • Turning our attention to the top of the saber, we release the emitter shroud for inspection.
  • The shroud appears to contain some sort of magnetic stabilizing ring.
  • We're not 100% sure what a non-magnetically stabilized lightsaber beam does, but we're guessing it would be wise to put this back when we're done.
Step 6
  • At first, we're a bit stumped by the crystal chamber cover. Turns out it's quite easy to remove with a half-twist and some well-targeted pressure.
  • We subject the cover to a small battery of tests; it's made of an unknown material that is both nonmagnetic and nonconducting.
  • With its smooth inner surface and segmented exterior, this looks designed to protect the wielder from the saber's extreme energy output, while possibly providing a small measure of cooling for the internals.
Step 7
  • With the shroud removed, the blade emitter comes into full view.
  • Some say this ancient weapon is no match for a good blaster at your side. Whichever view you take, you have to respect this kind of craftsmanship.
  • At this point, we've cleared the way to slide the clamp free and expose the switch housing.
  • Being photography buffs, we can't help but notice this clamp bears a striking—but entirely coincidental—resemblance to a 3-cell Graflex flash handle.
Step 8
  • We carefully remove the activation stud control bar.
  • Stay on target...stay on target... We use our tweezers to make a trench run and take out a few nuts, loosening the next stage of the cylinder.
Step 9
  • You won't find any regular old lithium ion batteries here! This lightsaber features a diatium power cell.
  • The Force is strong with this one—the recharge port seems a tad redundant, as a properly-maintained diatium power cell will last indefinitely.
  • The parabolic blade continuously recycles the power cell's energy output whenever the saber is not in contact with other objects.
Step 10
  • We had a slight weapons malfunction, but everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine—we're all fine here now, thank you.
  • In case of any more surprises, we get a hand from a friend.
  • Lightsabers are the leading cause of dismemberment in the quadrant; be sure to take precautions during repairs.
  • Next we unscrew the pommel cap, hoping to find a backup power cell.
  • No luck—we're able to remove an intermediary collar, but we don't find a reserve power cell.
  • Time to get a closer look at that crystal chamber.
Step 11
  • That's no moon—it's the focusing crystal.
  • We gingerly remove both the cycling field energizer and the focusing crystal activator from atop the crystal chamber.
  • Misaligned crystals could cause a lightsaber to explode the instant it's powered on.
  • Excited to get an unobstructed view of the primary crystal, we pull back the energy modulation circuits—and lift away the crystal chamber cooling fins.
Step 12
  • We finally arrive at the heart of the lightsaber, the primary crystal.
  • This particular lightsaber uses a blue Adegan crystal, typical of a Jedi. Sith lightsabers are commonly made with synthetic red crystals.
  • Arguably the most important component, Adegan crystals are known for their Force-sensitive properties. Once properly attuned to the Force, a crystal is built into the lightsaber. Over time, the crystal will form a special bond with its wielder.
  • We peel away the three neatly packed crystal energizers from the primary crystal housing.
Step 13
  • We slide the rear grip and inert power insulator from the hilt.
  • Though the rear grip resembles a heat sink, this design avoids the dramatic overheating problems seen in early lightsabers.
  • Looks like the extra space down here might be for upgrades, or possibly for the expert balance Obi-Wan surely requires of his saber.
  • With the disassembly complete, how will this beautifully crafted weapon fare in the repair arena?
Step 14
  • Lightsaber Repairability Score: 10 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)
  • Extremely durable components make the need for repair unlikely outside of severe combat damage.
  • Robust diatium power cell lasts the life of the device.
  • Recharge port allows for topping up the power cell in extreme circumstances.
  • No adhesive anywhere; all components are removable with basic tools.
  • Replacing the rare Adegan crystal requires a trip to remote star systems, or paying a hefty fee to an enterprising smuggler.
  • Lack of published repair documentation means you'll have to rely on your Jedi abilities to figure all this out. (But the Force has a strong influence on our weak minds, so we're still giving it a 10/10.)
Step 15
  • And now for the bits we didn't show you—because while lightsabers exist in a galaxy far, far away, this particular piece of Jedi kit was built by a true sabersmith here on Earth.
  • Many thanks to the amazingly talented Brad Lewis, who generously loaned us one of his hand-crafted, better-than-movie-accurate lightsaber replicas for this teardown. You can see his complete build log for this lightsaber, and many others, at SlothFurnace.com—or, check him out on Facebook or Twitter!
  • Thanks Brad! And may the Force be with you—always.