Working prototype
I’m building a retractable Yoda-inspired lightsaber with Hirotech’s retractable saber work as an inspiration. In the video below, the blade extends out of the hilt and lights up.
Design
The CAD defines the hilt’s exterior, the upper assembly, and the space available for the deployment mechanism.
Mechanical layout
The CAD views let me check how the exterior housing and internal volume line up from multiple directions. The next design work is to resolve the blade’s travel path, the deployed and retracted stops, and how the mechanism can be assembled and serviced inside the hilt.
Open questions
- How much deployment travel fits inside the hilt without making the grip too large?
- How should the moving parts be guided and stopped at both ends of travel?
- What clearances and material choices will keep the mechanism reliable after repeated cycles?
- Can the assembly be opened for adjustment or repair without damaging the exterior?
The design is still being developed, and durability over repeated cycles has not yet been tested.