NationStates Jolt Archive

In another thread someone mentioned that their teacher said that it was impossible to build a lightsabre. Now, personally, I think that building a light sabre is a bloody stupid thing to do. I mean, can't you think of anything more useful to build? But often when someone says something is impossible I take it as a challenge, so I thought I'd share my ideas.

1. Use an extremely tough flexible plastic. When you activate your sabre it is inflated under extremly high presure and extends from the handle. Coloured gas and a light inside give it that glowing light sabre effect. If you're a mean bastard, make the plastic conductive and make it give a tazer like shock when you hit someone. Simple.

2. What? You want one that can cut through metal and stuff? But then the light sabre could be used to really hurt people. Are you sure? Oh all right then. Make a chain of diamonds, and an interlocking diamond rod. When you activate your sabre the diamonds spring out and lock into place. Then you use it as a diamond chainsaw, powered by a small jet engine in the handle. The diamonds also give a nice sparkly effect when you shine a light through them.

3. What do you mean that's impracticle? Well then invent some super strong material, heat it up to a couple of thousand degrees and cram it under pressure into your very well insulated light sabre handle. When you activate your light sabre, it pops out and you can use it to cut through stuff until it cools down. Making it stay hot would be difficult. It's hard to think of any chemical reactions that are up to the challenge.

Well those are my basic ideas. I'm sure an engineer could come up with something more practical. What are your ideas on how to make a light sabre?

Crack open a few dozen glow sticks and pour them in some hollow plastic tube?

Use a hollow polycarbonate 'blade' with an electroluminescent wire embedded inside. Then, when the power is turned on at the 'hilt'(a 9 volt battery powers it), the blade glows brightly. Best part is, the blades can even be constructed to be removable so you have the hilt alone.

I'd like to take credit, but that's how some fans actually construct their own lightsabers. And I've fount three sites that sell EL(Electroluminescent) Lightsabers or kits to make your own. :)

I can't possibly think of any "real" lightsaber engineered that would stop after about a meter long. Not even in the distant future. To me, blasters are more realistic. Infact almost all the star wars weapons (handheld, not super weapons) seem creative enough to be possible. A real lightsaber would just be a gun, I have no idea how it would work any other way. Of course, I don't know the first thing about science, so don't take my word for it.

Me? I prefer to just play KOTOR and live it. Lightsaber customization:

Single-bladed, orange crystal, customized stats to be less of a "weapon" and more of a sophisticated deflector. I let my two blasters do what my lightsaber can't (and deflection is just as good a weapon as a defense)

Someone tried with etrol and went kaboosh in flames.....

If Lightsabres are impossible then science is pointless. ;)

Let's assume that a lightsaber really IS a blade of light. Unlikely. It's most likely plasma. But for gits and shiggles, let's start with light.

There is one known force that can alter the direction that light travels. Gravity.

As each pulse of light is sent from the unit, a timed pulse of current is sent to an assembly that creates a sudden pulse of superintense gravity designed to force that beam of light to reverse direction and return to the hilt. Through precise timing of the gravitational and light pulses, the energy blade's length is determined. Between the intense laser, and gravitational shear stresses, a lightsaber can cut through anything. Except another lightsaber. The gravitational fields of two lightsabers repel eachother upon contact.

The second idea involves superconductive plates. Again, precise pulse timing is critical. As each pulse of electromagnetic energy is sent out, vaporizing the atmosphere along it's narrow beam and creating a shaft of high energy plasma, a timed pulse is sent to superconductive plate that creates an inverse wave that literally draws the electromagnetic pulse back to it's source. Two differing frequencies of coherent electromagnetic energy would repel eachother, hence lightsabers repel eachother. Such a lightsaber wouldn't work in the vacuum of space, however.

Warning!
Important safety information:
A lightsaber is not a toy! Keep it out of reach of children at all times. Lightsaber locks are required in most states.

There are two ends to any lightsaber -- one end has the belt ring, while the other end houses the blade arc tip and blade emitter. NEVER point the blade emitter of a lightsaber toward your own body. NEVER look down the "barrel" of a lightsaber, even if you are "sure" it is in safe mode. If you accidentally activate the lightsaber, serious injury could result.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-3.jpg
A Light Saber may convince an assailent that 'no means no.'

The four major components inside any lightsaber include:

* The power cell and associated components
* The crystal energy chamber
* The energy channel and blade arc tip
* The controls

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-1.jpg


Obviously a lightsaber contains a tremendous amount of energy -- far more than a blaster, for example. Any device that can melt its way through a three-foot-thick reinforced blast door in a matter of minutes obviously has access to tremendous energy reserves. Estimates range as high as several megawatt-hours of stored energy.

The source of this energy is a diatium power cell -- a device no larger than a roll of LifeSavers®. Diatium power cells are available from a variety of military and some civilian sources.

Surrounding the power cell is a power field conductor and the power vortex ring. These two devices work in concert with one another to move the available energy toward the energy gate. The energy gate controls the flow of energy into the crystal energy chamber.

The Crystal Energy Chamber
Really the heart of any lightsaber, the crystal energy chamber is responsible for primary energy conversion. At least two crystals (typically of the Adegan variety) are used in the energy chamber.

The first crystal is known as the primary crystal. It converts the energy channeling from the power assembly and then transfers its output to one or more focusing crystals. The focusing crystals are held in place by the focusing crystal activator.

The crystal energy chamber is the reason why all lightsabers are built by hand, and then only in the latter stages of Jedi training. The builder must align the crystals perfectly or risk detonation of the lightsaber upon activation. Only through the use of the Force can the proper alignment be guaranteed.

With several megawatt-hours of energy on tap, detonation is of course a catastrophic event. For this reason, initial activation is normally done remotely with an inexpensive droid.

The Energy Channel and Controls
The energy channel is where the actual lightsaber blade is generated. Energy flowing from the crystal energy chamber is converted to the arc wave that will become the blade. The arc wave flows up through the blade energy channel and past the cycling field energizers. These energizers are responsible for the gyroscopic effect discussed earlier in the article.

The refined arc wave makes its way to the blade arc tip and from there becomes visible as the glowing blade of the lightsaber that is so familiar.

The on/off switch, also known as the activation matrix, as well as the blade length and power adjustment controls are typically located near the cycling field energizers. Using these controls, the lightsaber's owner can tune the blade for specific applications.

Double bladed light sabers
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-12.jpg
[b]Photo from Park Sabers (http://www.parksabers.com)

Although they are rare, you will occasionally see a double-bladed lightsaber. There is no magic here -- it is simply two normal lightsabers mounted back-to-back in a single hilt.

The risk of personal injury is much higher with a double-bladed lightsaber, and their practical applications around the home are limited. Therefore, it is probably best to save your money and stick with the single-blade version.

Although a lightsaber is typically used as a defensive weapon by Jedi knights, the availability of lightsabers on consumer sites such as eBay is growing. It is a sad fact of life, but if a Jedi knight falls on hard times, his lightsaber is one source of quick cash. He can always build another one.

If you are lucky enough to acquire a lightsaber, you are probably purchasing it for personal defense purposes. A lightsaber completely blows away a can of pepper spray as a deterrent in muggings or robberies. However, many new owners are pleasantly surprised by the many domestic uses of a lightsaber around the home or office. Let's examine a few of the more common applications here, and then you can use your imagination to come up with others.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-5.jpg
The big advantage of using a lightsaber, of course, is that you can both cut and toast the bagel in one stroke.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-6.jpg
Hedge Trimming (not recommended for trimming bush girls)
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-7.jpg
Lighting a cigarette
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-8.jpg
Cutting PVC pipes
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-9.jpg
Reheating coffee
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-10.jpg
Serving cake
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-11.jpg
Tree lopping

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lightsaber-5.jpg
The big advantage of using a lightsaber, of course, is that you can both cut and toast the bagel in one stroke.

That's awsome, and it also reminds me of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Movie (if I'm thinking about the right thing).

In another thread someone mentioned that their teacher said that it was impossible to build a lightsabre. Now, personally, I think that building a light sabre is a bloody stupid thing to do. I mean, can't you think of anything more useful to build? But often when someone says something is impossible I take it as a challenge, so I thought I'd share my ideas.

1. Use an extremely tough flexible plastic. When you activate your sabre it is inflated under extremly high presure and extends from the handle. Coloured gas and a light inside give it that glowing light sabre effect. If you're a mean bastard, make the plastic conductive and make it give a tazer like shock when you hit someone. Simple.

2. What? You want one that can cut through metal and stuff? But then the light sabre could be used to really hurt people. Are you sure? Oh all right then. Make a chain of diamonds, and an interlocking diamond rod. When you activate your sabre the diamonds spring out and lock into place. Then you use it as a diamond chainsaw, powered by a small jet engine in the handle. The diamonds also give a nice sparkly effect when you shine a light through them.

3. What do you mean that's impracticle? Well then invent some super strong material, heat it up to a couple of thousand degrees and cram it under pressure into your very well insulated light sabre handle. When you activate your light sabre, it pops out and you can use it to cut through stuff until it cools down. Making it stay hot would be difficult. It's hard to think of any chemical reactions that are up to the challenge.

Well those are my basic ideas. I'm sure an engineer could come up with something more practical. What are your ideas on how to make a light sabre?

I read somewhere that an elongated figure '8' shaped magnetic field that was so elongated as to appear to be a straight line could duplicate the effects of a light sabre, but the power cost would be tremendous. Much greater than the 4 D batteries that would fit in the handle.

I once made a light sabre out of a potato and some garden hose. No wait.... That was a bong. Never mind. I am so wasted.

When you activate your light sabre, it pops out and you can use it to cut through stuff until it cools down. Making it stay hot would be difficult. It's hard to think of any chemical reactions that are up to the challenge.

Well those are my basic ideas. I'm sure an engineer could come up with something more practical. What are your ideas on how to make a light sabre?

Have you thought of thermite?
Fe2O3 + Al ==> Fe + Al2O3 + heat sufficient to melt concrete

Have you thought of thermite?
Fe2O3 + Al ==> Fe + Al2O3 + heat sufficient to melt concrete

That's a good idea, and probably much more practical than the barely subcritical mass of plutonium I was thinking of.

Let's assume that a lightsaber really IS a blade of light. Unlikely. It's most likely plasma. But for gits and shiggles, let's start with light.

There is one known force that can alter the direction that light travels. Gravity.

As each pulse of light is sent from the unit, a timed pulse of current is sent to an assembly that creates a sudden pulse of superintense gravity designed to force that beam of light to reverse direction and return to the hilt. Through precise timing of the gravitational and light pulses, the energy blade's length is determined. Between the intense laser, and gravitational shear stresses, a lightsaber can cut through anything. Except another lightsaber. The gravitational fields of two lightsabers repel eachother upon contact.


You have to create a standing wave. The gravity required would probably create a black hole that would first suck the jedi in, then the people around, and finally swallows the earth..and the effects would be much cooler... :D

Have you thought of thermite?
Fe2O3 + Al ==> Fe + Al2O3 + heat sufficient to melt concrete

OMG u anarchist. Thermite is used be anarchists to put on car bonets. It burns through the engin block.

Also, it is a powder. your idea is shot. Sorry. It would be impossible to get it into that shape. I would know, having burnt through my friends back patio with the stuff. (U need to use magnesium to light it!!!)

Someone tried with etrol and went kaboosh in flames.....

If Lightsabres are impossible then science is pointless. ;)

Here here!

Here here!

It takes too much energy to sustain...However, a 1 sec lightsabre might be possible...

To create a lightsabre, you have to also remember that it should give a 'zzing' sound when being swung about...:D I'm poundering if we could use carbon-nanotubes...since they could be filled with certain elements to make them great conductors of electricity...maybe, set it to passive (luminous) mode, until it hits something to conserve energy. If it's 'hot' all the time, it would heat the air and burn the jedi's hand....

get a metal rod and paint it the desired colour,
then when fighting your foes and friends, it never breaks and always hurts

<snip>
It'd be cool if light sabers were actually real :D

get a metal rod and paint it the desired colour,
then when fighting your foes and friends, it never breaks and always hurts

Good idea. Coating it with diamond paticles might enable the 'Jedi' to cut through steel...slowly...:D

Have you thought of thermite?
Fe2O3 + Al ==> Fe + Al2O3 + heat sufficient to melt concrete
takes formula to next science lesson and trys to make lightsabre.

update on lightsbare high school science next time folks

You'll have to powder them very finely before the redox reaction can take place I think...

Wouldn't the simplest way to have a device which can generate and ingite plasma and contain it in some kind of EM field?

Why not just have a shaped mirror on a very fine metal rod protruding from the hilt? And a similar mirror set into the hilt....then an intense laser beam is fired up at the tip, and is continuously reflected back and forth.

The impossibility of lightsabres is just proof that God doesn't exist. Or if he does, he's seriously uncool.

(Patent Pending - text (c) me, written about, oh, 10 years ago at a Con.)

Electromagnetically Charged, Negative Polarity Ionizing Positive allignment MonoMollecular Wire cutting device
(Light Saber - TM (C) SM Lucasfilm)

Take a spool of magnetically aligned superconducting monomollecular wire.

Put the spool into an automatic-feed device that looks like a torch and contains a powersupply sufficient to negatively charge the positively alligned crystiline stucture into a state of rigidity.

On activation, the powersupply and spool servo act in conjunction to extrude rigid monomollecular wire to a desired length - usually 1m.

Secondary Ionization effects of the hypercharged wire cause an electroluminiscent effect modified in color by the chemical composition of the wire, aural "high-voltage hum" and plasma-state thermal contact effects on cut materials. If the wire is damaged to the point of nonconductivity at any point, a resistance module senses the length of the blade to the break and immediately extrudes more wire to compensate.

Steady-state EM charge must be maintained inversly to the planetary ground polarity to prevent inadvertant and undesirable attractive-grounding. However, the salutory effect of this requirement is that all other EMW blades are non-destructively repulsed by other EMW blades on contact - usually accompanied by rather spetacular ionization/plasma flare at the point of contact.

On power-down, the servo retracts the charged wire as onbord circuitry reduces the charge by steps as sufficient to maintain both blade stability while allowing re-spooling.

Simple. See?

If anyone here is interested in making a fake lightsaber, this is a great link...

http://bigyellowbox.tripod.com/index.htm

I think it's all possible, but maybe not in our time. I want one still ...

Wouldn't the simplest way to have a device which can generate and ingite plasma and contain it in some kind of EM field?
The problem with any light/plasma device is deflectability. Two sabers would simply pass through each other. I think my spec handles this relatively well.

A small controlled singularity. Light would be bent by it and theoretically could be controlled to give a "blade". It would also emit heat radiation as it absorbs energy focused along the blade.

Problem is, it would weigh a trillion tons. but Hey, this is from a civilisation that can hyperdrive across the galaxy in a few days. :p

And how does the light sabre deflects lazers?

A highly accurate light sabre is highly improbable it seems ..and not to mention, useless.

Or, alternatively, fill a couple of flourecent tubes with petrol a la two bright sparks who live in Hertfordshire, UK.

Or, alternatively, fill a couple of flourecent tubes with petrol a la two bright sparks who live in Hertfordshire, UK.

lol. Don't try this one at home folks... :p

So wait a minute, its a sabre made of light. Hmmm, I think Mr Torch already thought of that one.

And how does the light sabre deflects lazers?
A highly accurate light sabre is highly improbable it seems ..and not to mention, useless.Well, since IIRC SW blasters/lasers are actually pulsed ionized plasma, to function without being drawn to the planet's surface the plasma would have to be the same polarity as the ionization field of the monomolecular blade and would thus be deflected.

As for real Lasers? The best it could do is cause a paralax deflection as the light passed through the ionized plasma corona.

You guys are all so stupid.

Haven't you heard of borrowing it from a REAL JEDI or REAL SITH LORD?

In another thread someone mentioned that their teacher said that it was impossible to build a lightsabre. Now, personally, I think that building a light sabre is a bloody stupid thing to do. I mean, can't you think of anything more useful to build? But often when someone says something is impossible I take it as a challenge, so I thought I'd share my ideas.

1. Use an extremely tough flexible plastic. When you activate your sabre it is inflated under extremly high presure and extends from the handle. Coloured gas and a light inside give it that glowing light sabre effect. If you're a mean bastard, make the plastic conductive and make it give a tazer like shock when you hit someone. Simple.

2. What? You want one that can cut through metal and stuff? But then the light sabre could be used to really hurt people. Are you sure? Oh all right then. Make a chain of diamonds, and an interlocking diamond rod. When you activate your sabre the diamonds spring out and lock into place. Then you use it as a diamond chainsaw, powered by a small jet engine in the handle. The diamonds also give a nice sparkly effect when you shine a light through them.

3. What do you mean that's impracticle? Well then invent some super strong material, heat it up to a couple of thousand degrees and cram it under pressure into your very well insulated light sabre handle. When you activate your light sabre, it pops out and you can use it to cut through stuff until it cools down. Making it stay hot would be difficult. It's hard to think of any chemical reactions that are up to the challenge.

Well those are my basic ideas. I'm sure an engineer could come up with something more practical. What are your ideas on how to make a light sabre?

I'm sorry but you are thinking of creating a bad subsitute that is NOT a lightsaber.

I do believe it is impossible. If through some possibility you are able to create a blade of super hot plasma or whatever such a saber would consist of you could not use it as a light saber.

1. If such a blade is able to be created, you probably could not retract it into the handle.

2. If such a blade is created, you need to have a force field contain the extreme heated substance into the shape of a blade. If such a field is created you can not really cut with it could you?

3. You could not create something of that power with such a small handle.

When we or ANYBODY is talking about lightsaber, we are talking about a plasma blade (or other type of blade... diamonds.. whatever) that needs to retract inside a handle. Needs to cut by burning and NOT burn up the holder while wielding, and be sturdy to withstand another lightsaber blade and cut through almost any material.

With all those requirements, I believe it IS impossible to create a lightsaber.

Well, back in the 1950's, scientists didn't even think that computers could become as small as they can be today. So, maybe it can become possible...but I doubt it'll be any time soon with the current technology we have now.

Well, back in the 1950's, scientists didn't even think that computers could become as small as they can be today. So, maybe it can become possible...but I doubt it'll be any time soon with the current technology we have now.

You don't understand. The energy it takes to produce such a blade is phenominal. And the blade's energy is never to return to be recycled. Not only is the physics of it improbable, but keeping it on for as long as it is needed, whenever it is needed is basicly impossible.

What if you could harness zero-point energy?


(Post and leave, Steve, post and leave.)

What if you could harness zero-point energy?


(Post and leave, Steve, post and leave.)

Well if your leaving... whats the point? But then again I got to go to a graduation anyway so...

How would you make zero-point energy have THAT much power, able to withstand against another lightsaber all while burning through other material like steel or alloys like butter?

Wouldn't the simplest way to have a device which can generate and ingite plasma and contain it in some kind of EM field?
instead of useing a em field why not shape the plasma in a magnetic field though you would need multiple magnets and geting them in that tiny little handle would be difficult

instead of useing a em field why not shape the plasma in a magnetic field though you would need multiple magnets and geting them in that tiny little handle would be difficult
You do know that EM stands for "electromagnetic", right? So you just said the same thing that he meant.

There is one known force that can alter the direction that light travels. Gravity.


actually, a change in temperature or medium can cause light to bend or change direction.

I'm sorry but you are thinking of creating a bad subsitute that is NOT a lightsaber.

I do believe it is impossible. If through some possibility you are able to create a blade of super hot plasma or whatever such a saber would consist of you could not use it as a light saber.<snip>ith all those requirements, I believe it IS impossible to create a lightsaber.
Did you even read my post? It is entirely within the realm of probable physics to do it my way...

Wait! Wait! I've got it! I know how to make a lightsabre! What we need to do is create an alternate reality where where lightsabres are possible. We will create this artificial reality by providing sensory imput to our eyes and ears that mimics real life. Anything will be possible and I will call these alternate realities - movies!

You guys are all so stupid.

Haven't you heard of borrowing it from a REAL JEDI or REAL SITH LORD?Great idea!

Or you could borrow one from George Lucas...He had to use about 5 of them for the movies...then study one and design more like it! We shall all be brave warriors of space! <insert Star Wars® catchphrase here>

~Czardas, Supreme Ruler of the Universe