MR FX sound modules schematics and discussions

[Strydur]

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/scripts/lukesoundwiring.jpg

2005 MR Luke

Should be ran off of 4.5-6v. You do not need to use the LED output of the board. If you do use the output the LED may be ran at too high or too low of amperage.

Tim
The Custom Saber Shop

[Anavrin]

If you happen to have a caliper or a ruler and sharp eye ;) could you give me the dimensions as close to exact as possible for this board, Length, Width, Depth? I'm working on a fairly small blade and I'm hoping there's a board out there that'll fit, but not too many places (er, /none/ that I've found) have sound board dimensions, and no one else has been able to help me.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

I happen to have one on my bench along with a set of calipers:
0.95" wide
2.285" long
0.8" tall...this measurement can vary though, depending on how you set it up.

I took this with the way I use it, with the clash sensor hot glued to the top of the board. This measurement also included the solder points on the bottom of the board.

[Anavrin]

I happen to have one on my bench along with a set of calipers...

Thank you so much. I may still be able to use a sound board if I alter my design now, but it seems unlikely. Course, I might just alter my design a bit more radically. All will be seen. Thanks again!

[Obi-Ben]

Why so many LED wires? Which negative wire would you chose to go to the Luxon? Are the shock sensors just springs?

[Rhyen Skytracker]

Why so many LED wires? Which negative wire would you chose to go to the Luxon? Are the shock sensors just springs?

All the negative wires are for staging the string of LEDs in the original blade, that is how it looked like a ramp up/down effect. You put all the negative wire together for a Luxeon LED. You can see how it is done here: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=3 it is toward the bottom.

[Darth Siggious]

Are the shock sensors just springs?

Basically yes. It's housed inside a small cylinder that's wired to the board marked Hit. You'd use this and the one marked VDD from the board as your positive LED leads.

The rest as Rhyen says are the negatives that you'd need to combine to get your negative lead.

[Matt Thorn]

I won three MR FX sound modules in the silent auction, but am not sure of the identity of one of them. Here are some pics.

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[url=http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rFTlD_kjjHvWZS9f4fddIQ?feat=embedwebsite]http://lh4.ggpht.com/_THBqz9vPciU/Scpb9m-3nsI/AAAAAAAAAo0/oes9TZiXbww/s400/IMG_0475.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wWEos0Jq0L3MWRpRMsLGXg?feat=embedwebsite http://lh4.ggpht.com/_THBqz9vPciU/Scpb89MWT5I/AAAAAAAAAow/jJo7pAS8_TM/s400/IMG_0474.JPG[/img)
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_THBqz9vPciU/Scpb-q12c2I/AAAAAAAAAo4/5iGb8iI-sRg/s400/IMG_0478.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UrNTDR9XfQe-HnJYp5EqbQ?feat=embedwebsite)
I believe it's the first Mace Windu board, from 2004. The back of the board has the code "RL-547B", and the date "2004\MAY\07". It's different from the Mace Windu I used here (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?p=115325). I believe this board used a 6AA battery pack, which would be 9 volts. Can anyone confirm the identity, and tell me if there's anything I should be careful of in using it? For example, this sounds like one of the boards LDM was talking about here (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=7313#8), since the switch has four wires instead of two, so I'm assuming that means it is split into two circuits, but I'm not sure how that would affect the way I use it. Thanks in advance.

[Novastar]

9v... No... that's not right. :)

Although it is true that some MR sabers had a 6AA pack, none of them ever ran 9v (unless it was EL, and that was back in the DAY).

All stock MRs run off of 4.5v. It just so happens the 6AA packs "double up" on the current with this setup, so they will have more runtime (or "autonomy" as Erv says, heheh)... 3AA + 3AA.

I can't confirm if it's a Mace, but... as far as I recall, only the Mace and Luke were released in a 6AA setup. And yes, also as 3AA setups as well. In general, you should be pretty safe giving the board a "temporary" 3v just to test it without the light... and I'm sure you'll figure it out. I heard about those weird switch setups though.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

Are those the ones with the 4 wire switch? Those are fun to get to use with a SPST switch. It can be done.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

VA & VB are wired in parallel (together) to the battery (+). Use the stock switch or another DPDT switch, or maybe rhyen can post how to use a spst switch...;)

[Clockwork]

I can't confirm if it's a Mace, but... as far as I recall, only the Mace and Luke were released in a 6AA setup.

I can confirm that the Episode 4 Vader were also released with a 6AA setup.

[Matt Thorn]

Thanks for the responses, all.


VA & VB are wired in parallel (together) to the battery (+). Use the stock switch or another DPDT switch, or maybe rhyen can post how to use a spst switch...;)

So in layman's terms, I just have to connect both the red wire (labeled "VA") and the orange wire (labeled "VB") to the positive post of the battery pack, yes?

I was trying to figure out why this felt like déjà vu, and, then I recalled that the later Mace board (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?p=115325) (RL-547G1, 2005\JUL\20) has an identical setup, despite the fact that that board uses a 2-wire, SPST switch. Now I'm wondering if the DPDT set-up on this board is actually controlling two different circuits or if it can be simplified. Judging from what LDM said, it sounds like Rhyen knows the secret. :p

[Novastar]

I'm not for sure, but... it is not controlling 2 separate circuits as far as I know. The MR board is a single circuit.

For reference--the switches on MR boards are "hard cuts" to one power line, just like when you do a latching switch on a "direct drive" or resistor-only saber. The only difference I've ever been able to make out is... on the MR board, the switch leads also must pass through some capacitor or something that triggers the final sound (poweroff).

If you cut the power "REALLY hard"... that is... right at one of the incoming lines from the battery... it will (naturally) shut the saber off (duh)... but you'll get no powerdown sound.

The MR boards do not seem to draw power when idle... so again, I assume the switches to be hard cuts.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

thanks for the responses, all.



So in layman's terms, i just have to connect both the red wire (labeled "va") and the orange wire (labeled "vb") to the positive post of the battery pack, yes?



yes...;)

[PhanTomCZ]

Here I post some pictures of a soundboard from a 2003 FX Luke's ROTJ saber by Master Replicas (EL blade). I bought it from one of my friends recently to use it in an MHS Luxeon 3 LED saber that I'm working on.

It differs from the 2005 model in some details and there are few things that I'm not very sure about and really could use some advice... (even though it seems similar to what you have been going over in case of that Mace Windu soundboard)

-First thing is the battery/speaker wiring (picture 2 and 3), those transposed cables on the battery counterpart and speaker cross-wired to the original battery holder flustered me a little, would it be ok to re-wire it separately (for stand-alone battery packs)? The red and brown cable (pic. 2) is for the battery, orange and yellow one for the speaker... am I right?
-The second thing is the switch- what about these four cables? How to wire them to an SPST Latching Guarded switch (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SPST-Latching-Guarded-switch-with-red-button-P256.aspx) that I originally bought for my saber?

[Matt Thorn]

Here I post some pictures of a soundboard from a 2003 FX Luke's ROTJ saber by Master Replicas (EL blade). I bought it from one of my friends recently to use it in an MHS Luxeon 3 LED saber that I'm working on.

It differs from the 2005 model in some details and there are few things that I'm not very sure about and really could use some advice... (even though it seems similar to what you have been going over in case of that Mace Windu soundboard)

-First thing is the battery/speaker wiring (picture 2 and 3), those transposed cables on the battery counterpart and speaker cross-wired to the original battery holder flustered me a little, would it be ok to re-wire it separately (for stand-alone battery packs)? The red and brown cable (pic. 2) is for the battery, orange and yellow one for the speaker... am I right?
-The second thing is the switch- what about these four cables? How to wire them to an SPST Latching Guarded switch (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SPST-Latching-Guarded-switch-with-red-button-P256.aspx) that I originally bought for my saber?

PhantomCZ, everything you are looking for is here (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=6934).

But before you get your hopes up, read through to the end of the thread where you will learn (spoiler alert) that I eventually gave up. In theory, it should be doable, but in practice, it's a nightmare. I was never able to get a reasonably loud enough sound from it (although it's great for dueling in libraries ;)), and in the end, it just wasn't worth the time, energy, and parts. Maybe someone with more electrical expertise than I could do it, but since you're not even sure what to do with the four wires from the switch, I'm guessing you are biting off more than you can chew.

But if you want to bang your head on that wall anyway, I hope my thread on the topic proves useful, and that you have better success than I did.

[PhanTomCZ]

That electronics from '02 AOTC Anakin is something quite different than the one I have (obviously separated EL driver and soundboard, in my '03 Luke it is together on one board and that round thing is just a connector to batteries)... but thanks a lot anyway, I will take a look on it too. I already have some ideas about how to work this out, just wanted to know if someone in there already worked with this particular type of soundboard (because I didn't find much about it in the other threads...).

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Here's a diagram for a 2007 Yoda FX soundboard:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MR%20Sound%20Board%20Pictures/101_5205-1.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MR%20Sound%20Board%20Pictures/101_5206.jpg
Here it is with the clash sensor attached....if possible, solder the clash directly to the board on the bottom of the header for the blade connector. It'll make it much easier to install.

Here's a diagram for a Vader/Maul/Anakin ROTS/Obi-wan ROTS/Luke aNH:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MR%20Sound%20Board%20Pictures/21ccc4b8-1.jpg

Pic of a Luke ANH/Obi-wan ROTS w/better wiring diagram:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MR%20Sound%20Board%20Pictures/101_5187-1.jpg

(That's what this topic is for, guys! ;))

[thejedilestat]

thanks to LDM im inspired to add an accent led to my Luke V2 im going to be useing one of TCSS accent leds and i dont know what Resistor to use

LDM said to use a 220 Ohm 1/4 Watt Resistor but he used a diff led and idk what v the mr board puts out to run the led so alittle help here would be hott

i already have the 150ohm 1/4w resistor would this work?

this is my wireing guide thanks to LDM who placed the photos up to help
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/picture.php?albumid=131&pictureid=989


thank you all
Lestat

[sfer1]

Today, I got a MR Mace Windu board in an auction. It looks pretty much identical to the 2005 Luke board.

A have a couple of questions. How many mA does this board output?

I assume it's less than the 1000mA. In that case, can I use a 1000mA BuckPuck with the board?

I intend to run it off 4.8V battery pack.

Would this work?

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss85/sfer1_album/MRBPwiring.jpg

Sorry if this has been asked before. I did look, but I didn't find any wiring diagram that shows how to properly wire a BuckPuck to a MR or Hasbro board.

[Lord Maul]

The board does the job of a 1000mA buckpuck. Just run it right off the board.

[DJMoonbass]

okay quick question... i have a vader board.... i know how to wire it an all but i dont have a multimeter so i dont know the volts and amps it puts out when driven by 6 volts (4AA) and i am wanting to wire a small green 5mm LED to the main LED leads. does anybody know this? thanks

[Matt Thorn]

okay quick question... i have a vader board.... i know how to wire it an all but i dont have a multimeter so i dont know the volts and amps it puts out when driven by 6 volts (4AA) and i am wanting to wire a small green 5mm LED to the main LED leads. does anybody know this? thanks
Use the "Resistor Chart (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/wiringbuilder/wiring.aspx)" to find the right resistors, but I'm guessing you will want a 2.2-Ohm, 5-Watt resistor for the main 3-Watt LED, and a 220-Ohm, 1/4-Watt resistor for the accent LED. Just be sure to hooks the LEDs up in parallel, not in series.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

It also depends on the main LED you use. I usually drive Blue and green CREE LEDs straight off of the board. They are rated at 1000 mA and most of the MRs I use with 4 AAA (6V) is around 1200mA which is overdriving them just a bit. You definitely need a resistor for your accent LEDs.

[DJMoonbass]

im using a force fx Vader ESB board. i called you about it today rhyen. what i want to know is how many volts are coming out of the other end of that vader board. i got that its 1200mah. but no volts. lol

[Jay-gon Jinn]

im using a force fx Vader ESB board. i called you about it today rhyen. what i want to know is how many volts are coming out of the other end of that vader board. i got that its 1200mah. but no volts. lol

the voltage will be about 6 volts. I usually use a 1/4 watt, 220 ohm resistor for accent led's on an MR board with a 6 volt power supply.

[Novastar]

Better yet, DJ needs to invest in a multimeter and learn about metering for current, voltage, and all kinds of good stuff.

Also... FYI, DJ... "mAh" and "mA" are *NOT* the same thing.

For any other n00bz reading:

* Batteries that read "1200mAh" (or xxxxxmAh) ... do NOT equate with "1200mA". The "mAh" value has very little reflection on what the cells are capable of outputting current-wise.

If you think about it--it makes sense. 10 miles is NOT the same as 10 miles per hour.

[xl97]

If you think about it--it makes sense. 10 miles is NOT the same as 10 miles per hour.

one of the best ways Ive seen it put..

you should re-cycle that analogy for later use.

[sfer1]

The board does the job of a 1000mA buckpuck. Just run it right off the board.
What if I wanted to use a white Seoul P4 LED (Forward Voltage: 3.25V)?
I would need a 1.5 Ohm 5 Watt resistor in that case, wouldn't I?

[Rhyen Skytracker]

You don't need a resistor, you can drive it directly from the board.

[Matt Thorn]

What if I wanted to use a white Seoul P4 LED (Forward Voltage: 3.25V)?
I would need a 1.5 Ohm 5 Watt resistor in that case, wouldn't I?
I don't think so. Running it off the board at 4.8V (Is that right?) should work fine, but maybe someone with more experience working with P4s can chime in.

EDIT: Oops. The man with probably the most experience chimed in while I was typing.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

The last time I measured the output voltage and current from a MR board with 6V input it was 3.2V and 1200mA. That was with an Anakin board. I have a Vader and Yoda that I can test too.

[sfer1]

Thanks!

[sfer1]

The last time I measured the output voltage and current from a MR board with 6V input it was 3.2V and 1200mA. That was with an Anakin board. I have a Vader and Yoda that I can test too.
Have anyone measured the output voltage from a Mace FX board? I believe I used the correct resistor, but my led got hot really fast.

Mace FX board
4.8V battery pack
Red Seoul P4 (Forward Voltage: 2.5V, mA: 800)
1 Ohm 2 Watt resistor

[Matt Thorn]

Have anyone measured the output voltage from a Mace FX board? I believe I used the correct resistor, but my led got hot really fast.

Mace FX board
4.8V battery pack
Red Seoul P4 (Forward Voltage: 2.5V, mA: 800)
1 Ohm 2 Watt resistor
Dumb question, but I assume your LED is fixed to a heatsink, right? You might want to try a 2.2 Ohm resistor.

[sfer1]

Dumb question, but I assume your LED is fixed to a heatsink, right? You might want to try a 2.2 Ohm resistor.
Yep, it's fixed to a copper heatsink.

[Matt Thorn]

Yep, it's fixed to a copper heatsink.
Then it sounds like you need more resistance.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

The problem you are having is that the red and amber LEDs run at a lower voltage (2.85V), so it is getting very hot with 3.2V going to it. Adding a little more resistance should do the trick. Try adding a 1 to 1.5 ohm resistor.

[sfer1]

I had added a 1 Ohm 2 Watt resistor, but the voltage output from the Mace board might be higher than 3.2V. I'll try adding a 2.2 Ohm resistor as Matt suggested.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

Also keep in mind that when installed in the saber the hilt is part of the heat sink too and every LED will get a little hot.

[sfer1]

I know, this is my sixth custom saber. The led was getting unusually hot. Using a 2.2 Ohm 2 Watt resistor solved the problem.

[winring]

Hello guys, question to this sound module:


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http://lh3.ggpht.com/_THBqz9vPciU/Scpb-q12c2I/AAAAAAAAAo4/5iGb8iI-sRg/s400/IMG_0478.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UrNTDR9XfQe-HnJYp5EqbQ?feat=embedwebsite)


Does anyone get this type running? I wired it classic way: Brown to positive LED all others to negativ LED. I used original 5 connector/6 batteries battery pack.
But when I connected any combination of switch wires nothing happend. I'm sure the LED is working. Any hint?

8721

[Ari-Jaq Xulden]

What board is that? Where did you get it? I need a bit more info to help. Just to hazzard a guess at this point, there should probably be a clash sensor hook up somewhere in the bunch for the led. That is likely one of your issues.

[winring]

I bought it in auction. Im not sure what exact type it is. It should be Master Replicas because it is using 5 connector battery pack and I recall it should be master Windu. Clash sensor is hooked up so no problem here. For complete assembly look on photo:

8727

(Dont look for brown colored wire for positive led, I replace it.)

[Ari-Jaq Xulden]

Ah, now we are getting somewhere. Okay the diagram for the link is broken. Here (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?11171-Switch-Wiring-Diagram-for-MR-board-with-4-wire-switch) Is the link to the thread. Maybe some one will chime in and re-post the picture. IIRC you use the two purple and the grey wires, but you may try a different combination of the four, say 2 purples and green. You need either a latching SPDT or DPDT switch. That particular board requires a NO and NC contact to work. Hope that helps.

[winring]

Ok It looks that the board is dead. Still nothing even after I connected switch according to diagram. If I have exact same model I would try to find if there is some demaged part but I dont. So thanks for help.

[Ari-Jaq Xulden]

Pm Zook. He does repairs.

[lemonbomb]

Hi guys, i have the board of an MR LUKE ANH 2007 which looks like this;

13242

And it doesnt run. I suspect that when I took my multimeter to the batter/speaker housing i only got 2.4volts coming from it. Is that why it isnt working? Should it be 4+volts?

13243
13244
13245

[a213jf]

Couldnt find exactly where to put this...but I have a yoda lightsaber that lit up but made no sound. Thanks to this fourm I was able to disassemble and troubleshoot my issues. I was able to get sound to the speaker but the problem is, the sound is very very faint/weak. Why would that be? Poor connection somewhere or a power issue?

[lemonbomb]

Hi guys, i have the board of an MR LUKE ANH 2007 which looks like this;

13242

And it doesnt run. I suspect that when I took my multimeter to the batter/speaker housing i only got 2.4volts coming from it. Is that why it isnt working? Should it be 4+volts?

13243
13244
13245

It works!!!

There were some disconnected wires in my batter pack!

[imagehunter]

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/sabers/scripts/lukesoundwiring.jpg

2005 MR Luke

Should be ran off of 4.5-6v. You do not need to use the LED output of the board. If you do use the output the LED may be ran at too high or too low of amperage.

Tim
The Custom Saber Shop

I notice the switch wires are the the same color, does that mean there is no pos/neg?
Can I use one of these, but not illuminated?
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/16mm-Anti-Vandal-Latching-Blue-Ring-Switch-P720.aspx

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Yes, you can use that switch, but you can also wire the led in the switch to come on when the blade is activated by wiring it in parallel with one of the blade segments. Resistor appropriately, of course.

[imagehunter]

Yes, you can use that switch, but you can also wire the led in the switch to come on when the blade is activated by wiring it in parallel with one of the blade segments. Resistor appropriately, of course.

Thanks Jay.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

No problem! Here's a visual reference for accent led wiring on these old boards:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/MR%20Sound%20Board%20Pictures/104_5382.jpg
The green(neg) and white(pos) wires go to the led in an anti-vandal button, like the ones in the store here at TCSS.