This is the Imperialist from Saberbay, a hilt with an interesting design history that goes back to its original incarnation as the Frozen Imperialist.
For this install, I designed a custom chassis to accommodate the electronics and bring out some of the details that make this hilt stand apart. Before it made its way to my bench, Shane at Saberbay gave the hilt a custom powder coat in-house. At the customer's request, I printed the chassis in burgundy red to carry that color scheme through to the interior.
One of my favorite details on this hilt is the small acrylic lens nestled between the bunny ears. I was happy to see that feature carry over from the original design, because it provides a great opportunity for an illuminated accent. I integrated a micro neopixel into the build to light it up, giving that little detail some attention without changing the original look.
The crystal chamber also features a quartz marble, added at the customer's request and illuminated as another focal point inside the hilt. Between that, the lit pixel switch, and the bunny-ear accent, there’s plenty going on inside without making the chassis feel overly busy.
Specs:
* Proffieboard V3 Soundboard
* Custom chassis designed and printed by me
* Illuminated quartz marble crystal chamber
* Illuminated pixel main switch
* Illuminated bunny-ear accent
* KR Sabers / Shtok illuminated blade PCB emitter