Ultrasaber upgrade using Nano Biscotte?

[Warborg]

I was considering upgrading my US Dominix LE v3 to have sound, and was considering Nano Biscotte sound board to do so (although I see it's out of stock on TCSS... :( )... Soldering and such don't pose a problem, I've done this enough modding XBoxes and stereo installs and whatever, but I'm not sure of the components that are in the US at this point and haven't tried to pull it apart for fear of breaking something.

So basically the saber is a basic combat saber; green LED, latching switch, and 4x AAA alkaline batteries. I don't know the specs as far as if it is a resistor or a buck puck or whatever, or the voltage/current requirements of the LED so I'm hoping someone else is familiar with the electronics used in Ultrasabers could point me in the right direction as to what I would need for the upgrade outside of the sound board?

[JediCarpet]

To convert to the NB you're really only going to be able to use the LED and the case. You'll want to swap that switch out for a momentary, and if you still want to use the batteries you may need to put a dummy cell in to lower your voltage. Check the manual - I think 6V is too high, but it's been a while since I checked. If you do drop the voltage you'll need new resistors (calculations are in the manual.) Alternatively you can go to a lithium ion 3.7V and add a recharge port, which adds a layer of complexity and more wires to it. You'll need the speaker, the holder, probably a chassis configuration to hold everything in. I think that's about it. Oh, and if you do have a buckpuck in there, you can't use it with a nano biscotte. Need to use a resistor.

[Warborg]

Thanks for that, that's kind of what I thought... As far as the recharge port, I wouldn't think that would be necessary? Just like the sabers you can buy from US, why not just pull the battery and recharge externally? The other question will be to find out what the voltage/current requirements for the LED...

[Miraluka]

Yes 6V is too high. Voltage range on the NB is 3.4 - 5.5V.

Recharge ports may not ne a necessity, but I think you may be underestimating how convenient they are. IMHO, always worth installing. But that's just me.

[Silver Serpent]

No, recharge ports aren't necessary. You just need to be mindful of how difficult it will be to remove the battery, as well as the wear and tear on the threads when you're removing the battery. For a saber that's rarely used, the recharge port can be omitted. If you're using it a lot, then the recharge port is a godsend.

Unless you intend to use it for long periods at a time, like at a convention. Then you want to be able to swap battery packs to keep on trooping. Nobody wants to leave their saber in the hotel room for an hour or two while it recharges. It's also possible to have both removable packs AND a recharge port. Best of both worlds!

[apollyonus]

I just did this with my son's initiate v3 hilt. Easy enough. You can indeed use the same resistor, as the manual states. You can also use a 12mm AV momentary switch; but since US press-fits their switches in, you'll have to drill or dremel the switch hole out little bit. Also, if you want to build a chassis using the acrylic chassis disks, you can do that, too. They'll fit.