Canobi: You can make it even shorter by chopping off the two ends in the centre to make a duel cell holder.
but then you have to have something now like a sleeve clip or retention clip to hold the center of the 2 batts tight together. No?
that will save a cm or so tho. i thought about it. i also thought about printing a custom holder with retension tabs for both batts, and just rape the metal connections parts from the batt holders to epoxt into the ends. that is a RAD costume by the way! Sweet. plus a good looking lady can sell water in a rain storm!
I understand it will not work in PVC. i am a 1" PVC hater. if you are gonna go cheap, then do it all the way and buy a walmart lightsaber $9 clearance, and pull its guts for the speaker, sound and LED button. add a mosfet, and LED, and 3 1.2v NiMH and your fave LED,.. done. cheap done cheap, and done cheap right. Cheaper than an arduino and WT buy about $25 me thinks.
All this arduino WT talk for PVC, im my mind is like slamming a Corvette Engine into a Cobalt. sure, you can talk about it, and maybe even do it... but you could just buy the corvette. Do saber builders really not have the $95 to buy the TCSS parts? If not? then it is by far cheaper, and VERY VIABLE to use the Hasbro method.
there is also 1 1/4" PVC, how come no one uses that? too fat on the OD?