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Novastar
03-25-2008, 02:43 AM
Ok all... this is the UNOFFICIAL troubleshooting thread for CF.

I'm doing this to not only help Erv but to help the CF users. Now read this carefully... this DOES NOT mean that you shouldn't ask Erv questions if need be! I realize most people are aware of this, but... if you are not... now you are! :)

This is just a general "Order of Operations" and a decent guide to HELP you if some custom sound you have made... some custom configuration change you've made, or whatever... doesn't work, and renders CF inoperative!

Crystal Focus Troubleshooting & Order of Operations
A.K.A. "BUTTERING YOUR TOAST"...
--------------------------------------------------------------------

INITIAL WIRING -- if you get absolutely no sound, light or any indications that CF works from the beginning... check your wiring against the wiring guides, and test all solder joints. If you have a multi-meter, check to see that the batteries are indeed providing current to the board.

POPS & CLICKS -- To some small and inocuous extent, this is NORMAL when using CF. BUT... if it is simply RIDICULOUS and you are getting pops & clicks during transitions and "weird" sounds left and right... you might need to check your sound font. Chances are, you are using a sound font that is not designed correctly. Try a default sound font to see if it corrects the problem.

FORMATTING the SD -- ALWAYS format your SD card prior to copying any files over. Use the basic FAT table (FAT16, not FAT32). If you need to change a file... as a general rule: FORMAT THE SD CARD! Yes... format you must! ALWAYS format your SD card prior to any file changes, copies, editing or alterations! If possible, try to avoid Windows marking any files as "archive" or to be "indexed".

NOTE: If you are using a Macintosh computer, you will need to contact technical support, or be certain to prevent "extra" files from being placed onto the SD card. This is being worked on, and if a solution exists that you know about... let us know!

TOP ISSUES WITH UNRESPONSIVE CF SETUPS...

#1 -- Configuration file/package mismatch!

Remember to get the CORRECT set of configuration files!

v1.x (somewhat rare now) requires 8-bit sounds, and there is only ONE "sound font", not 4 or 6!
v2.x requires 16-bit sounds, the config.txt values are unique vs. v3, and it has FOUR sound bank folders.
v3.x requires 16-bit sounds, the config.txt values are different from v2, and it has SIX sound bank folders. Additionally, there is a special file "menubgnd.raw" that allows menu background music.

#2 -- Battery cell(s) are bad, low on energy, or have wiring problems!

Test your battery cells and their wiring. It's an easy check, and batteries with issues can cause a MULTITUDE of "false symptoms" that will sometimes point you elsewhere when trying to troubleshoot. IF YOU HAVE CF PROBLEMS... TRY A 100% COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SET OF CELLS, or use a dedicated power supply. If you can rule the cells out... moving forward in the troubleshooting process makes sense!

#3 -- Files copied improperly, amount of total files is incorrect!

Copy all the files over to the SD card ALL AT ONCE. Doing things differently may cause problems.

File amounts in each directory must be correct:
15 (v2.x) or 16 (v3.x) objects (files) in the root directory.
25 objects (files) in any given "bank" folder. That means all four banks in v2 and all six in v3.
"Tracks" folder will vary depending on music you've added, but the minimum is 2 files, the maximum is 17.

OTHER TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS...

Check for "duplicate" entries in all config.txt and leds.txt files.
Check for bad entries in setup files as well (such as switchpolarity=7 or something akin to this).
Check for any invalid sound file details (such as being 8-bit instead of 16, or signed instead of UNsigned, etc.).
Check to be certain that no config.txt file in any directory stores over 512KB of data. You should be well under the limit if you do not add a multitude of long comments/remarks.

Novastar... you jerk! It still doesn't work!!!! :)

If your sound packages/choices STILL fail after all of this... try the ENTIRE PACKAGE of default sound files obtained at plecterlabs.com one last time using no modifications of any kind other than adjusting the LED current if need be.

A last ditch effort: Optimize/defragment your hard drive. Then try a fresh format of the SD and re-copy the default CF sound package. This is unlikely to be the cause of CF issues, but... it certainly can't hurt! :)

If all of the above fails--NOW is a good time to contact PlecterLabs and mention that you have indeed "buttered your toast" at least once or twice... but you are still having problems!! :)

At this point, Erv will know that you have TRIED adhering to how CF functions, but the problem is more severe.

Telling him that you have "buttered your toast" will alert him to the fact that YES, you have a serious problem, and it's a lot less likely to be a simple "missing file" or battery voltage issue.

Thanks, and I hope it helps!!!

--Novastar

erv
03-25-2008, 03:03 AM
I love it !
especially the code name "I've already buttered my toast".... like if your capture by the enemy and they want you to contact the CTU for an exchange of prisonner, this can be used as a secret phrase to indcate somethine :mrgreen:

my appologize to nova, he sent me a guide of this sort a while ago... still haven't got the time to make a version for my website (french + english)... => todo list

thanks again, it's really helpful !
Erv'

Vazan Maceu
03-25-2008, 07:49 AM
Nice one Nova, really helpful... This way we´ve got plenty of reference literature to revise whenever our CFs act weird ;)

eastern57
07-23-2008, 07:19 PM
<Bump> shouldn't be forgotten :)

Novastar
08-01-2008, 12:12 AM
Although I could add many things to this guide... one more in particular has reared its ugly head enough to warrant attention (even despite it not being directly related to CF itself):

CANON 2.1mm RECHARGE/KILL PORTS

Sometimes, the port will arrive defective... whether you bought this from TCSS or anywhere else. Don't shoot the messenger (and don't shoot Tim!!!)... this is most likely at the factory level... which is pretty unable to detect until the port is in your hot little hands to test.

WHY does it fail? Well... I've found that the little "kill switch pin" inside--NOT to be confused with the central, cylindrical pin--can simply be out of specification, glitchy, or just plain easy to damage with an improvised or machined plastic/PVC kill plug.

Sometimes your kill plug will push the port's pin aside... and cut the circuit (correct!!)... and sometimes it won't! (incorrect!!! SUCK!!!)

Sometimes your kill plug will push the port's pin DOWN and bend the thing... and this will mess the switch up permanently--resulting in an "always-killed" switch... no matter if you have the pin in or not.

This isn't really a "CF" troubleshooting thing so much as it is the jacked up port/plug. And again... this has NOTHING to do with TCSS or whatever... it's just the quality of the machine-made port sometimes.

I've bought five of these (from differing vendors) and 2 have been "bad" right from the start. Even the two that I'm using at present are sort of... well... glitchy! They sort of work correctly 75% of the time. :confused: This is even with their "charger head" counterpart... so it's NOT just the machining of a kill pin by us "single biz" folks... I'm talking about the charger PORT and saber JACK not always "meeting" properly.

Anyhow... some of you already know this I think... :)

Kal El Rah
08-01-2008, 02:07 AM
Hey Novastar,
I got 1 from TCSS and the plastic kill plug didn't fit so I had to sand it down, well it seems to work correctly with it now(Checked with a DMM), Still awaiting batteries so I can make my pack(7.2v-2100mah)should be just fine with the P4 I am also waiting for to install in my Modded Aniken ROTS. It should be an awesome set up with my CF 4.0,and I can't wait to show it off here.:D

Hootini
08-28-2008, 07:04 AM
My CF 4 comes back on upon pressing the button to turn it off. It turns off and then just comes back on upon releasing the button. However it works fine for novastar only. It does this on all the other configurations. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks

Malaki Skywalker
08-28-2008, 07:24 AM
What type of switch are you using? Sounds like your switch configuration is set for the wrong type of switch in your sound font configs :?

Hootini
08-28-2008, 07:29 AM
What type of switch are you using? Sounds like your switch configuration is set for the wrong type of switch in your sound font configs :?
Many thanks for help! Tim made it for me. I have to ask him. Sounds like I would have to futs with the SD card. EeeK!

erv
09-01-2008, 12:50 AM
by default, the switch parameter on each sound bank is set to 0, for a normally close switch, means that when the contact is open (or if nothing is soldered) the board starts the blade, this allows to test and enjoy the board immediatly after opening the box.
The switch parameter is then generally set to either 1 (normally open switch, most of latching are like that) or 2 for a momentary one.

Novastar
09-01-2008, 01:13 AM
My CF 4 comes back on upon pressing the button to turn it off. It turns off and then just comes back on upon releasing the button. However it works fine for novastar only. It does this on all the other configurations. Any insight would be appreciated. ThanksStrange that one of the fonts works and the others don't... which leads me to believe that the switch settings for Novastar (on the default v4's sent out) was set to (let's say) "switch=X" whilst the other fonts were all "switch=Y".

Whatever the switch is set to in Novastar (which works for YOU)... that is what the other fonts need to be set to for your configuration. So, you can try this:

* Remove the SD card from CF
* Plug it into your computer, access the files
* Copy the files to a folder on your computer
* Edit the config.txt files and make them all reflect the same switch value (the correct 'Novastar' one)
* Format your SD card. It's safe now, since you made a copy of its contents!
* Copy all of the files from your folder on the computer EN MASSE to the newly formatted SD card
* Replace the SD card into CF
* Done. Test. Joy! :)

Good luck!

Hootini
09-01-2008, 05:20 AM
Thanks Erv and Novastar, I figured it out. How do you convert an audio file to a raw file so that CF 4 can see it? Novastar do you have a program to do this on your CD? Thanks

erv
09-01-2008, 05:40 AM
you can use goldwave (free) or sound forge.
you'll find a tutorial here
http://www.plecterlabs.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=48&language=en

and here
http://www.plecterlabs.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=47

and I think novastar has made some tutorial videos on his compendium CD !
Erv'

Hootini
09-01-2008, 05:47 AM
Many thanks! You guys are the best!!!!!

Novastar
09-01-2008, 04:44 PM
...and I think novastar has made some tutorial videos on his compendium CD ! --Erv'Indeed I have. :) The CD contains a *TON* of helpful materials, all of which make using CF a lot easier for "new-to-electronics" folks, or people who are also new to sound in general.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CXqVDgz3woQ

Hootini
09-01-2008, 08:15 PM
Novastar, looks like I need your CD. Will buy ASAP. No luck with Goldwave. Saves it as AU file, no matter what I do and just doesn't work. Thanks!

SpectreT65
09-05-2008, 11:34 AM
Okay, I have well and truly "buttered my toast" - gone so far as to rewire everything (changing parts out for different parts as well), including the battery, piece by piece, to eliminate possibilities one by one. There remains exactly one thing I haven't tried yet, and that's setting the configs to momentary and hooking a momentary up to the ignition switch pads. I suspect I may have damaged the "number one" pad in my initial soldering, based on everything I've done so far, but I lack the three extra arms I'd need to hold the multimeter and card :D

Novastar
09-05-2008, 01:37 PM
Keep me posted, Spec... :) If not by the threads, by e-mail--I'll see what I can do to help.

Although--if you're getting NOTHING from CF even when there IS indeed voltage coming from the cells (did you meter to see if the board is receiving ANY current)... that's a bad sign right there.

One thing--even if you get "nothing"... listen CLOSELY to the speaker when everything is "silent", but the cells are hooked up. You SHOULD hear a light "hiss" from the speaker.

You should also get a little "pop" from the speaker when you first hook up voltage to the board as well.

Finally--if there is a problem with the SD card/SD card pins... you will get exactly the above: silence + faint hiss from speaker and CF will do absolutely nothing.

Novastar
10-01-2008, 02:33 PM
These are all some GREAT things I'm adding to the CF Troubleshooting thread, due to it being discussed in a different thread:

* SD CARDS Use only quality brands for SD (AVOID "PNY")... Kingston and Sandisk are two good examples

* BATT CELLS Try a fresh or "known to be good" set of battery cells... believe me--it's happened to me before, and I chased it all over the place until trying such a simple thing.

* XP FILE TWEAKS Don't allow windows to make any special "check marks" on the files (as in 'ready for archive' or whatever)

* XP FILE STUFF, cont. Look out for extra "hidden" files like "thumbs.db" sneaking in there

* HDD CLEANING Defrag your hard drive, because if it's REALLY bad... you could have some copy issues when going to the SD

* TOO MANY FILES!! Do NOT let more files than are supposed to be there get into your directories

* Watch for the extra text files in Erv's default settings

* When in doubt, use my compendium CD... I'm 99.8% positive everything on it is spot on

* Copy all files "en masse" to the SD. If problems occur, check to be certain that the files themselves don't have some kind of CRC error (for example, you downloaded it partially from a site)

* When all else fails, go back to the basics and try the DEFAULT packages with no frills. If this STILL doesn't work--now you can be fairly certain you have some bigger problems

Hootini
10-01-2008, 05:11 PM
Even my high quality kingston cards mess up. I had to reformat 5X before those nasty beeps went away!

eastern57
10-01-2008, 07:08 PM
Dude ;) I reformat 10-15 times every time I change my load... just as standard practice

Novastar
10-02-2008, 12:35 AM
You should *NOT* have to do this.

I consider myself lucky in that I've pretty much never had a major "tough to track down" type of issue with either of my CF setups, although I've worked on a few with Yoda (from FX-sabers), and believe me... you can chase some errors around for MONTHS before realizing it's not what you expected. I chased what we THOUGHT was an SD problem for a long time... turned out it was a hardware failure all along!!!

That being said--it is RARE that you'd have to format more than once (a FULL format, not a "QUICK" one!!!!!)... otherwise, it could be something more deep-seated.

Other things of note:

* SD CARD ON THE LOOSE!!! I've encountered issues when the SD card (v3, not v4--I don't have a v4) isn't seated properly or simply comes loose a tiny bit from the sheer punishment it goes through. To remedy this during the "early + short-lived" BOP III rehearsals... I always added a little elec. tape to lock the SD down onto the board so it could not move no matter what earthquake attack it endured...

* LATCH 'EM!!! Micro SDs MUST be "latched" in... they sort of have a finicky "spring" fit to them. It must be correct or the pins could give poor contact.

Making sure to kill the power to the board prior to installing the SD is always a good idea (a.k.a. avoid hotswap as much as possible). It doesn't mean hot swap is BAD... it just means that it's a good standard practice to kill the power to the board so that if it *DID* get bad information/data to read from the SD... the next time you install the "freshly formatted + copied sound folders" SD into CF... CF has no possibility of still holding a bunch of "bad data".

Hope it helps.

But again... you should NOT have to format an SD more than once or twice... MAXIMUM!

Roy's Blues
10-02-2008, 09:54 AM
I am hoping for some tips on this one.

I finished this saber a few days ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grt-9NMSqpg

Now when I take out the kill switch. I either get nothing or a series of beeps.
I have trouble shoot the SD card, soundfonts and config files.
It does this one two different set ups.

Now this is where it gets weird. If I take out the KS and put it back in a few times, trying the power button on and off as well. The saber starts up and functions just fine. And it will be fine for a few hours after that. next day the problem starts all over again.

My guesses are:
The recharge port has gone bad.
one of the little tactile switches is grounding out.
The ground port in the middle of the six holes is "goofy"

Anyone else have this issue?

eastern57
10-02-2008, 11:19 AM
I've had similar problems with a 2.63, but never with 3.0+ (knocks on wood).

The conclusion that I drew, was that it was "cold". This was during the winter months and it seemed all I had to do was let it "warm up". If I got nothing or beeps, I would leave the plug out and let it sit for a minute or two or turn it over in my hands a bit, replug, and it was okay.

Whether or not this was an accurate diagnosis - I still don't know, but I did have those similar problems and this is how I got it to work.

--------------------------

Novastar
10-02-2008, 03:22 PM
In an earlier part of this thread, I mention how the Canon 2.1mm coaxial port/jack... can get quite glitchy if you're not VERY gentle with it and if you don't use kill pins that go easily into the port.

There is a little pin in there (not the central one) that... if it gets bent a little strangely... it's pretty much all over.

Not to mention they have a grounding problem like you wouldn't believe.

In all honesty, I actually *DO* semi-wish that I had stayed with using my old "5-pin stereo jack" little part... but... anyhow.

valeon
10-02-2008, 10:31 PM
Got a new one for you. Crystal focus boots up, I can browse the fonts in config, but when I actually load and turn on the saber, it will make the ignition sound and than completely stop sound, but the LED stays static. No flicker, no nothing. I have to press the ignition button a few times before it will turn off, and when it does, it sounds like the CF reboots. WIERD!

Novastar
10-03-2008, 12:42 AM
Do you have the 'hum' sound in there?

It may sound weird to ask, but I've forgotten to add that very important sound in after mixing a font. Basically, I'd copied everything over but the hum!

Granted, I don't know about the static LED thing in this case... in mine--the LED would function strangely, but flicker, and other sounds would indeed occur.

valeon
10-03-2008, 01:19 AM
Naw, all the files are there. Sometimes when I boot it, it makes strange beeps and funny noizes.

Hootini
10-03-2008, 05:04 AM
reformat 10x and try again. My solution to every beep problem.

valeon
10-03-2008, 12:30 PM
You should *NOT* have to do this.----
----But again... you should NOT have to format an SD more than once or twice... MAXIMUM!


Yeah, so that ones out, but thanks anyways lol

eastern57
10-03-2008, 05:14 PM
The whole thing with that is: yes, you shouldn't have to -- but it does work. That's all I'm going to say on this subject.

Hootini
10-03-2008, 05:15 PM
The whole thing with that is: yes, you shouldn't have to -- but it does work. That's all I'm going to say on this subject.
Agreed!!!

valeon
10-03-2008, 09:37 PM
But yeah, I'm at a loss. I just want this freakin thing to work.

valeon
10-04-2008, 10:38 PM
I'm at the point of giving up, anyone want to buy a CF?

eastern57
10-04-2008, 10:42 PM
Hey guy - don't give up... and you'll regret selling it ;) Erv is back in action, now that his move is slowing down a little - maybe he can help you out. Email him and see what he can offer. :)

Novastar
10-04-2008, 11:40 PM
Valeon... so this is the default sound package? With absolutely no edits whatsoever to things?

If you haven't tried that... give it a shot.

I'm doing my best--troubleshooting via "invisibility" has never been one of my strong suits, heheheh

valeon
10-05-2008, 12:04 AM
Only things edited are switch to 2, for my momentaries, and the voltage for the LED to 65 for a lux 3 red.

erv
10-05-2008, 01:18 AM
one of the main difference between 2.x and 3.x is the reset of the board. You have to ensure that the board power totally goes down before powering it up again, get the right reset.
It means :
- that if you plug then remove the kill key immediatly, even on a working saber, it does not work, especially if the luxeon was off. The power supply capacitor stores voltage and since the board is taking very low current in idle mode, the capacitor will take like 1 or 2 sec to discharge. Then you can remove the kill key.

- if everything worked fine before then now It's in the hilt and does not work, it's "shoving the whole thing in" that is the problem.

usual questions :
- is the luxeon backplate isolated from the rest of the saber (using thermal tape or cool tape, NOT grease).
- which color is the luxeon

if the saber doesn't reset properly, it's because the power is never really "cut". Defective recharge port (remove the port, wire a rocker switch and test), grounding of various sort creating a ground path : the battery ground is making its way to the board despite the recharge port properly cuts the power.
Email me so that we can try to troubleshoot this,
don't give up,
don't sell your CF,
and finish what you started (did you really consider building a saber without sweating ? ;) )

Erv' - yes I'm baaaaaaack.... oooohoooohhhoohé, oooohoooohhhoohé, back in black.... yes I'm baaackkkk in BLACK !

killphil
10-05-2008, 02:35 AM
lol. johnny cash w/ a lightsaber! Scary thought, indeed...

valeon
10-05-2008, 03:48 AM
It hasn't been installed yet, just a test fire. That's a good suggestion, but I had it powered down for a while. I still don't understand the static LED and the sound cutting out. It did this before too, on the first fire. I'm so confused!

Novastar
10-05-2008, 07:29 PM
Well, at least you're not without support. I cannot tell you all how many questions a day *I* get about CF (via e-mail... PM on TCSS... PM on FX-Sabers... PM on Y-tube, etc.)... and I answer about 97% of all the questions. Even stupid ones.

Just not the REALLY stupid ones. ;)

This makes me wonder how many questions *ERV* must get... and why we don't charge $19.95 an hour like the corporations, hahahah... jk.

Hootini
10-05-2008, 08:02 PM
You guys are indeed the best like many other members who really go the extra yard to help. I am amazed how much help I received and also very fast I might add. I can't thank you guys enough!

rdricks
10-06-2008, 11:12 AM
When I ordered my CF last year I e-mailed Erv with a couple basic questions on the schematic. He answered promptly with additional suggestions. When I assembled the saber, I did sweat. But I love the result, and the CF really makes it stand out. Novastar's fonts help too - I keep 2 banks for dark (red) sabers and 2 for light (green k2) sabers, and end up going to Novastar's fonts for both.

Thanks to both of you for an excellent product!

Novastar
10-06-2008, 04:01 PM
You're welcome, rdricks... I can also suggest a second or third SD card if you want to further "pimp" things out.

It takes 3 SD cards to hold all of the fonts on the Sound Compendium CD (less maybe two you don't like or need)... and therefore, no one TRULY has to "choose" if they don't wish to do so. You can have it all!

You can have yer cake and eats it too. Er, I mean toast...

Hasid Lafre
10-08-2008, 08:06 AM
Ok I got one for ya.

Now I dont know what the major component differances were between versions but.

I have a 2.5 version and I have a resonance chamber and a premium speaker and I have to have the volume pot up all the way darn near just to get this thing louder than an MR.

Batteries are fully charged with a little bit of off and on messing around.

eastern57
10-08-2008, 10:53 AM
The premium speaker isn't "louder", just more clear and better quality in general. If anything, the MR speakers are actually louder when powered the same - as far as sound quality, the MR boards aren't that great, so they don't need that extra umph... an MR board with the 1w 8ohm speaker sounds the same as with the lower quality speaker.

It's the CF that brings the quality, the 1w 8ohm speaker is better at displaying that quality.

Hasid Lafre
10-08-2008, 11:01 AM
Ok then how come on my brothers saber when his speaker was at teh very botem like an mr was was louder than mine with a chamber?

I thought wiht a chamber it was susposed to help with the "volume".

eastern57
10-08-2008, 11:20 AM
Ask him how he has his configured.

What a "resonator" does is assist with the reverberation or "re-vibration". In other words, it carries the sound waves through the hilt or it focuses them so that you get the optimal point of focused waves right at the end of the hilt.

There's a lot of factors to consider: length, material, position, fit... it's kind of like a lens for sound in that respect. Or it assists in carrying those sound waves to the whole hilt - more surface area, more sound.

Using an improperly configured "resonator" can actually hurt your sound - it's something that you have to play with... "fine-tune" if you will.

EDIT: resonator is in quotes, because that's how we've come th know it as... but it's been pointed out (by Novastar) that vocally speaking, this is actually adjusting the timbre - where is the sound coming from in your mouth - front of mouth, back of throat...

Novastar
10-09-2008, 07:02 AM
I do not really see how this is a "Crystal Focus" troubleshooting thing, but... whatever! :)

Hasid, I think we've had this conversation before, and... although I believe you, I have no idea how you have both sabers set up. Video might help... photos maybe... and listening to the sound from both sabers would as well.

I can't honestly say a ton about the 28mm premium speakers (with CF) because I use 36mm ones, 45mm ones, or thes other weirdo heavy heavy magnet ones that are 32mm or something.

I've used the 28mm ones in several MR conversions that did not end up keeping the MR 3AA packs (and instead were powered by a single Li-Ion)... and I can't say that any one MR conversion I have is or was louder than the next. The timbre is different on most all of them, but... none of the "MR stock" speakers outshine the 28mm... and vice-versa. At least... neither do in a BIG way.

However, Eastern is right when he says that the speaker's quality is higher. That is proven in the specs--these speakers have a FAR better dynamic range for sound. Swapping out a "stock MR" speaker on CF when it used to have a 28mm premium has yielded poor results for me.

This is where it gets more complex: the MRs speakers (and sound) were made for one another. Yes, that's right, a match made in LFL heaven or whatever. That is to say--the sounds were contoured for the speakers best ranges, and vice-versa.

The sounds *I'VE* released... do not have any kind of dynamic range "bias" to them. They are full dynamic range (for the mostpart). If people want to throw all the sounds through a batch processing filter... take out some "wimpier" wavelengths that simply don't matter (or Hz sections that screw up the speaker they use)... well, voila... they'd have the perfect sound set for THAT speaker.

Why don't I just "do that". Well, everyone is going to use their OWN favorite speaker. Sure, one day I *MIGHT* get around to "dialing it in" for the 28mm, but... maybe by the time I do, ya never know. Maybe some OTHER speaker from manufacturer #2 will be like hot cakes.

Anyhow... sorry for the long story, but... friggin' sound is COMPLICATED. Moreso than I *EVER* hoped to get into (but crossed into that country when I started making the sound CD)... but... here we are today.

And don't feel bad. Yoda (from FX-sabers) and I have been over this kind of thing before regarding the new Ultrasound. It's a lot of questions, sound brings.

But... as GL might say to Ewan: "It's none of it real..." :) :P

Luke-SkyMarcher
10-30-2008, 05:03 PM
I'm having a bit of trouble with a CF 3.1. When I first got it, it sounded great. I did a simple setup to test some resonation chambers. It has been put away for most of the summer, as I have been working on and off on the saber it will be going into. I finally got it back out this week to test a new resonation chamber, and it sounded horrible! (As in, the font "Novastar" sounded almost like a Hasbro!) This is what I have checked/tested thus far, to no avail:
1. solder connections
2. Speaker
3. potentiometer
4. SD card
Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
-Luke

eastern57
10-30-2008, 05:27 PM
check battery next.

MaverickJsmith
10-30-2008, 05:36 PM
Yes, always check the battery if abnormal performance appears.

I was going to show off my Ultra converted Anakin EPIII one night and I threw the batteries in. I thought it was broken, it would start then die in the span of a strobe light, turn off and on many times a second.

We threw new batteries in and voila! (that was for you Loreen :wink:)

Always check batteries, even if you don't think it is. You might be surprised.

Maverick 8)

Novastar
10-30-2008, 06:30 PM
When you put it away:

* did you disconnect the cells? Either physically, or essentially via a "kill switch"?

if not, CF was pretty much "on" the whole time (albeit only draining something like 5mA, if that)... and your cells are completely exhausted.

Crystal Focus PRETTY much has a "brown out" voltage of <3.3v or around there. So as long as the batteries provide more voltage than that, it will go ON... but... the cells may be so far drained that... sure, it goes ON... but performance is completely wrecked.

With the audio amp, CF needs some power to give the speaker what it needs (especially when the audio potentiometer/trimmer is turned way the heck UP). It's another reason why I recommend using something like 6v to 9v to power it.

My big hint here was "I put it away for most of the summer"... :)


I'm having a bit of trouble with a CF 3.1. When I first got it, it sounded great. I did a simple setup to test some resonation chambers. It has been put away for most of the summer, as I have been working on and off on the saber it will be going into. I finally got it back out this week to test a new resonation chamber, and it sounded horrible! (As in, the font "Novastar" sounded almost like a Hasbro!) This is what I have checked/tested thus far, to no avail:
1. solder connections
2. Speaker
3. potentiometer
4. SD card
Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
-Luke

erv
10-30-2008, 10:44 PM
time zone difference, couldn't add my words to that in time :rolleyes:
yes, battery voltage, sort of fine until you reach 4.5V, crappy and distorded under that.
Check also that the potentiometer hasn't been turned in the meanwhile, too high input signal leads to audio saturation.
Matt, about the "I put it away for most of the summer", it's normal, everybody needs a vacation break CF builder and CF themselves ! ;)

Luke-SkyMarcher
10-31-2008, 12:33 PM
Thanks for the response guys. After re-soldering the speaker (again) and using fresh batteries (7.4v) the sound quality improved, but it's still not quite normal. (This is most noticeable in the menu and isaber modes) Sometimes, even when the board is quite still, the sound will cut out to a very low level (regardless of how high or low the potentiometer is). There is also static at times ( even with the pot turned down) Any more ideas?

Novastar
10-31-2008, 05:16 PM
Luke... mmm... if I had to take a GUESS (based on what we've been confirming here so far)... it could indeed be that the audio amp cap is:

* no longer seated correctly (whether by usage/damage/otherwise)
* somewhat faulty
* just not making good connection

This would not have to do with ANY of the wires YOU'D be messing with... it's basically a cap on the board. Am I wrong Erv??? As... I SEEM to recall that back in the v1.2 days (my God, has it been that long), you had a tantallum cap attached to a chip in a fairly innocuous way... and I DID have an issue where the pins to the cap had come loose. I fixed them thanks to your help! :)

Now... since LukeSMer's is a v3.1... I can't envision in my mind how it's set up now. Hmm, I wonder. I don't have any "project CF" boards sitting here that I can look at--I'd have to pull apart my sabers to have a look, but... hmm, I will look at some CF photos.

Luke, it would help if you took a photo of the board... we might be able to point to a (possible) part that could be the culprit.

REMEMBER: This is a guess. It's an EDUCATED guess, but... understand that we're essentially fumbling around in the dark here. It's like me trying to find my saber when it's off and the room is pitch black...

... ....IRONIC, isn't it??!?!? :D :shock:

erv
11-01-2008, 12:43 AM
Checking the output capacitor is an idea, me I'm guessing for bad wires if the sound tends to disapear (an "almost broken stranded wire").
Or the pot wiper is damaged.
Erv'

Luke-SkyMarcher
11-02-2008, 05:45 PM
After more testing, it's almost always on the lower volume (though it still jumps back and forth) - and it only seems to have static when it's on the loud (normal) volume. I don't think it's the potentiometer, because turning it still adjusts the volume - it's just at a lower level.
I have checked and re-checked all wiring, I am sure it is not that, and nothing on the board appears to be abnormal. "Output capacitor" sounds promising. How would one check that? Thanks for all your help guys.

Madcow
11-02-2008, 08:53 PM
Two ideas..

1. Are you using a red lux 3? I noticed when I had a red lux 3 hooked up with an aggressive flicker setting - it made for interference in the sound.

2. The speaker is a magnet - once I had a small peice of metal stuck to the cone of the speaker - that was my whole problem!

MC

DizzyKungFu
11-03-2008, 03:35 PM
Does the vertical orientation of the Crystal Focus Saber Core 4.1 in the saber hilt matter at all? In other words, can the microSD card face either the pommel or the blade without making a difference?

xwingband
11-03-2008, 04:07 PM
Yup, no difference, though I'd say most put the SD card down to the pommel because we want easier access (not always easy, but easier!).

Novastar
11-03-2008, 04:37 PM
LukeSm... post a photo of your board and maybe I could "circle" what it is to check--or at least Erv or someone else could...

BTW, X-wing is right to the point that... you want your SD card facing the way that is best for easy access (if possible). In the cases of the Flange III sabers I made--yup, the orientation of the board is "strange" if there is such a thing... the LED contacts are closer to the speaker (in the back/pommel), but the SPK contacts are closer to the LED (nearer to the emitter). That is b/c my saber is easiest to access the SD via 4 screws up front... but the batteries, speaker and a bunch of other things would block that in the rear / at the pommel. However, this way, I'm able to change many things easily without having to completely dis-assemble! :)

Regarding what Madcow said... yup, that could be it--I've had similar things occur. Granted, if LukeSM just tries a totally new/different speaker and gets different results, that should tell him something.

Luke-SkyMarcher
11-03-2008, 06:59 PM
PROBLEM SOLVED!
After reading madcow's post, I figured I'd better re-check the speaker. So I hooked up a different one, and it sounded fine. :rolleyes: I guess the batteries were too low when I checked the speaker before. But I'm still going to need a new speaker. So, is the TCSS premium speaker the same as Erv's?
Thanks for your patience and help guys!

Madcow
11-03-2008, 07:32 PM
PROBLEM SOLVED!
After reading madcow's post, I figured I'd better re-check the speaker. So I hooked up a different one, and it sounded fine. :rolleyes: I guess the batteries were too low when I checked the speaker before. But I'm still going to need a new speaker. So, is the TCSS premium speaker the same as Erv's?
Thanks for your patience and help guys!

That it is.

I'm glad you got to the bottom of it! Feels good eh?

MC

Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie
11-03-2008, 07:38 PM
Regarding orientation of the board, I put mine in backwards too. Like Novastar, with my design, it made it easier to get to the card. I e-mailed Erv at the time, and he said that, if anything, it might work better because it places the motion sensor near the pommel, even further from the point of rotation.

erv
11-03-2008, 10:56 PM
yep, "my" speaker is identical. Great it works now !
orientation : no real matter, if at least the motion sensor is not centered on the rotation point of the hilt, the furthest, the the swing sensitivity.

Novastar
11-04-2008, 03:54 PM
Regarding orientation of the board, I put mine in backwards too. Like Novastar, with my design, it made it easier to get to the card. I e-mailed Erv at the time, and he said that, if anything, it might work better because it places the motion sensor near the pommel, even further from the point of rotation.Concur with this I do... getting the acc sensor a bit further from the center is helpful. :)

Also, glad all this helped LukeSM! And glad I'm not just "bringing on the 'suck'" (See above, hahahah). :)

Some good things to touch on for those coming to read:

GENERAL T-SHOOTING GUIDELINES (not just for CF either, really)

* If your device behaves strangely... meter/check/charge the cells
* If you can't meter/check/charge the cells... try some other cells. Doesn't even matter if they are the same cell chemistry--as long as they provide like 4.5v or more is a good test
* If it's a sound thing--check the speaker and REPLACE it if possible to test. There's no harm in trying 3 speakers!!
* If it's a light thing--check the LED and REPLACE it if possible to test. You could even quickly touch + & - from a battery to the + & - of the LED as long as the cells are below or = to the LED's fwd v. You'll know for almost CERTAIN if there is a CF (or device) problem if the cell lights up with the "direct to cell" setup... but not when hooked to CF.

* SO... whenever swapping out a part gives you DIFFERENT results (good or bad)... you know that this component is at least a part of the problem--or maybe the entire problem.

It's basically deductive reasoning coupled with repairing. I used to repair laserjet printers (fancy that, huh?), and although this is not totally the "method of attack" on repairs... it certainly becomes a huge portion of it (logic & deductive reasoning) once you get a "tough" repair that you can't deduce in 30 seconds.

Again... you are essentially ruling out EVERYTHING... until there are only one or two things left. At that point... as Holmes would have said--"it's elementary, my dear Watson". :)

Evonacvhett
07-14-2017, 06:10 PM
So I have a CF 8 and one of the colors in my RGB led doesn't work. I tested the led with the battery and all the colors works fine! But not when it's hooked up to the CF. Also a bigger issue I'm having with it is when I turn it on an then hit something like I'm dueling, the saber cuts off. Anyone know what the issues could be? I'm not using a color xtender either. Any help is appreciated and sorry if this is posted in the wrong place!

hapki
12-22-2017, 02:37 PM
I hooked up the CF 7.5 in my Sith hilt. All works fine except for the accent LEDs. Sound is good and main LEDs are good (using CEX). I hope there’s something I’m missing in a configuration file. I keep checking with the manual, but no luck so far. When I hook a coin battery up to the wires, the accent LEDs work fine. Suggestions? Thanks.

Forgetful Jedi Knight
12-22-2017, 06:22 PM
I hooked up the CF 7.5 in my Sith hilt. All works fine except for the accent LEDs. Sound is good and main LEDs are good (using CEX). I hope there’s something I’m missing in a configuration file. I keep checking with the manual, but no luck so far. When I hook a coin battery up to the wires, the accent LEDs work fine. Suggestions? Thanks.

Did you bridge the pads right before the accent pad?

hapki
12-22-2017, 09:02 PM
Yes. I bridged them with tiny 0603 LEDs.

Forgetful Jedi Knight
12-22-2017, 09:16 PM
Yes. I bridged them with tiny 0603 LEDs.

Did you return the LED to a ground?

hapki
12-23-2017, 09:14 AM
Yes, and when I touch a wire from a coin battery negative to the CF ground, and then the positive to the LED positive on the CF, the accent LEDs light up.

hapki
12-23-2017, 09:25 AM
I just tested it again with the coin battery, and three LEDs are lighting up at the same time. Only one should light up. I clearly have some wiring problems. I'm going to detach all the accents and start over again. Thanks for helping me troubleshoot.

Forgetful Jedi Knight
12-23-2017, 10:39 AM
Yin could also have a programming problem. Make sure you check the files that controls the accent LEDs

Blackbird629
04-23-2019, 05:38 PM
So I had my CF wired up. Just added the battery, the speakers and the six and ignition switches. It worked great. Didn’t add any LEDs yet. Just testing. Now. It doesn’t do anything. All the sudden. I didn’t even change anything. I noticed if I attach an LED to the power pins on the board it lights up. But when I attach it to the LED pins on opposite side, nothing happens. No sound overall. Nothing. Boggling my mind...it all worked. Then just didn’t. Help?

Noyl Wendor
11-29-2019, 07:34 PM
Sorry to butt in.
Not sure if this has been covered, but I seem to have some sort of issue with the CFx.
I'm all wired up (except LED's) I can change sound fonts, but when I go to power on the board I get a message "diatum cell missing". I'm not sure why its saying I have no power cell.
So could it be
Low battery?
No LED hooked up?
Switch mode?
Has this been encountered yet?

Forgetful Jedi Knight
11-29-2019, 10:11 PM
Usually, that means it’s a (near) dead battery as I recall.

Noyl Wendor
11-29-2019, 10:47 PM
Thanks for the reply. I'm currently looking for the entry in the manual. I seem to recall having read it not sure where. As well I'm charging the battery.

AngelOmega
01-27-2020, 05:29 PM
Hey all, I’m in the middle of an install, and seem to have hit a problem. My board doesn’t detect swing sounds. I’ve talked with Erv and he said it is most likely a bad capacitor, and told me how to find it on the board voltage map.
Only problem is... I’m not sure what exactly the board voltage map is. I had figured it was something in RICE, but for the life of me I can’t find it. Anyone know how to access that?

RavenXp
01-27-2020, 06:01 PM
Hey all, I’m in the middle of an install, and seem to have hit a problem. My board doesn’t detect swing sounds. I’ve talked with Erv and he said it is most likely a bad capacitor, and told me how to find it on the board voltage map.
Only problem is... I’m not sure what exactly the board voltage map is. I had figured it was something in RICE, but for the life of me I can’t find it. Anyone know how to access that?

17700

I believe he was referring to that smaller yellow cap just to the right of the back side of the micro USB port.

scott
02-03-2020, 05:47 PM
There is a voltage map picture early on in the manual, the one to replace is the one with the 14V arrow.

neromir
02-03-2020, 11:41 PM
I picked up a CF-X last week along with most of the electronic components. As a test, I wired everything up to a breadboard; I'm getting some really weird behavior and I'm about stumped.

I have: CF-X, RG Royal Blue Tri-Cree, 2 momentary switches, a cheapo .5 W 8 ohm speaker (haven't ordered the real thing yet; just for test). There is no battery involved, and no recharge port (yet). Right now I have the whole thing connected up on a breadboard and using a variable benchtop power supply to provide 3.7v.

I'm using the SD-card as it came with the only tweak being that I fiddled with the "valsnd" a bit to see if I could get something more intelligible. I can get the board to boot up, but then it starts acting strangely-- First, the bootup sound is sometimes unrecognizable-- I think I've tracked it down to one of the Nightfall boot sounds (boot3, specifically), but it cuts off after about half a second or so. It always plays this same cut-off boot sound. I can get into the soundbank selection menu by holding the aux switch when starting to applying power, and it plays the "soundbank selection" voice, and then the menu background sound just fine. However, as soon as I let go of the auxiliary switch, it goes back to the boot sound. From what I can tell from reading the manual, holding the aux switch at power up should put me into the soundbank menu where I can then release the aux switch and then press the activation or aux switches to navigate and hear the font title sounds; however pressing the activation switch seems to just play the boot sound, and as mentioned letting go of the aux switch also plays the boot sound, then subsequently does nothing unless I hold it.

I can get it to beep at me if I hold the aux switch for 1.5 seconds, and the "click to confirm" on the aux switch appeared to be working when I had "valsnd=1".

I tested all of the voltages on the voltage map and the one that says +14v is actually reading about +8v for me. The others appear to be fine, from what I can tell (tiny contacts makes it a little hard).

Any thoughts?

neromir
02-09-2020, 04:30 PM
All right, an update. I finally got some time to do some USB debugging on the card and got back some errors (see below). Having seen a number of notices about formatting the SD card around, I figured I'd give that a try. Fresh (non-quick) format to FAT32, and copy of the prior contents of the SD card back on, and it's still doing it.


Init SD failed - Insert valid SD card
SDHC init
Init SD failed - Insert valid SD card
SDHC init
high speed turbo mode clock = 50000000
SDHC turbo clock mode
File System Mounted OK
SDHC Init success
SPECS:Sectors 15523840 (7680MB)
SD Clock (CSD) 25000000 Hz
SD Clock 50000000 Hz
Type SD
SD Version 3.0
High Speed
Card Installed
Initialized
Plecter Labs Crystal Focus
v 10.001 - 11/2019
Init Motion Sensor
WHO_AM_I_M = 3D - WHO_AM_I_XG = 68
Success
Allocating DMA channel...DMA Ch# 0
Status: OK
I2S DMA Ch=0
I2S CLOCK source = 90312500
Setting up audio DMA transfer
Adding Audio DMA callback
[BOOT] Scanning SD contents:
Found 14 FONT(S)
Found tracks folder : /tracks
(Last) Selected Sound Bank : 1


Special Settings File Found

[ERROR] : Problems were found during boot
[ERROR] : Boot diag value = 0b1
[ERROR] : Error Counter = 0
Lookup font #1 on path /1-NIGHTFALL
Check font sanity on path /1-NIGHTFALL
[FONT] file humM1.wav not found
[FONT] max Boot: 4
[FONT] max Power on: 4
[FONT] max Clash: 16
[FONT] max Swing: 16
[FONT] max Hum: 1
[FONT] max Blaster: 4
[FONT] max Spin: 4
[FONT] max Stab: 4
[FONT] max Pre-ON: 0
[FONT] max Post-OFF: 0
[FONT] max End Lockup: 4
[FONT] max Combo: 4
[FONT] max SmoothSwing High: 0
[FONT] max SmoothSwing Low: 0
[FONT] max Local Tracks: 0
[FONT] max iSaber Tracks: 1
[FONT] is monophonic
Config load & parse time = 128 ms
DMA read didn't complete
[DISKIO] error
[DISKIO] error
[FILE] extra/UI/beep.wav not found
[DISKIO] error
[DISKIO] error

I immediately notice a couple of things:


[ERROR] : Problems were found during boot
[ERROR] : Boot diag value = 0b1
[ERROR] : Error Counter = 0
...
...
Config load & parse time = 128 ms
DMA read didn't complete
[DISKIO] error
[DISKIO] error
[FILE] extra/UI/beep.wav not found
[DISKIO] error
[DISKIO] error

There is definitely a file located at extra/UI/beep.wav that sounds like a beep to me. Incidentally, the speaker does play a beep sound, but not the same beep (more like that loud annoying beep your computer makes when it boots), about when it complains about that file missing.

Fourmethylhexane
03-15-2020, 12:40 PM
Hello Everyone. I recently completed a build using CFX, and everything has been working well except for the recharge port. The audio keeps indicating that the battery charge is low, but when I plug in the charger into the port, the charger still indicates a full charge. I am using the switchcraft 2.1 power jack which is threaded into the body of the saber and the smart charger from TCSS. I can confirm that the charger is making full contact with the port, but it results in the board accent LED and the external accent LED to flicker regularly and occasionally the charger will flash red. I double checked the wiring and soldering, and everything seems good. Has anyone had experience with this happening? Also the battery is a 18650 3.7 3400 mAh battery.

Forgetful Jedi Knight
03-15-2020, 02:27 PM
You either have a faulty recharge port, charger OR there is a wiring issue with your recharge port.

MahdFaces
03-17-2020, 11:16 PM
Hey hello fellow saber builders! I got crystal focus x and wired everything up. Testing it everything works except the main led. The leds are good and working. The accent light lights up too. Can someone advise and help me out here? Please thank you!

Forgetful Jedi Knight
03-18-2020, 05:57 AM
Please post your main configuration file.

MahdFaces
03-18-2020, 06:43 PM
Please post your main configuration file.

Thanks


//CF-X Configuration
debug=0
logport=0
vol=90
menuvol=100
menugest=0
beep=20
muteb=0
muteoff=0
sleep=50000
deep=0
qkignite=0
orient=0
valsnd=0
switch=2
offp=0
offd=200
onp=0
ond=20
swing_flow=360
clash_flow=300
spin_flow=400
smooth_flow=1000
lockup=300
loop=1
shuffle=2
plilh=3400,4200
omnisabers=1000
bladepower=30
ledstrip=0
auxstrip=0
tridentstrip=0
accentstrip=0
dragstrip=20
strippower=1111
ls1_timings=340,700,24,1,3
ls2_timings=340,700,24,1,3

## Motion Settings
gate=50
smooth_gate=50
hswing=450
hhybrid=550
hslash=400
hforce=300
hfclash=650
hclash=850
hstab=500,-20,20
hspin=750
htwist=350
hdrag=500,-90,0
htemp=40
spectrum_mode=0
spectrum_axis=0
field=10,10,10


[profile=0]
wakeup=1
randc=0
blastp=0
random=2
pom=0
pof=0
poi=0
magic=0
saberlock=0
blastm=0
randb=2
shmrd=150
shmrp=12
shmrr=24
shmr%=60,99
focd=200
focp=20
focr=28
foc%=60,99
focl=1
focb=1
focf1=1
focf2=1
focf3=0
fade=0
flks=6
flkd=25
tridentflk=0
flkon=1
flkoff=1
pulsed=0
pulsel=0
on_fade=1
off_fade=1
unstable=0
style_pon=0
style_poff=0
style_lockup=1
style_drag=2
style_blaster=2
style_flicker=1
style_clash=1
style_stab=0
over_pon=0
over_poff=0
mapping_unstable=1
mapping_lockup=1
mapping_drag=1
mapping_flicker=1
mapping_color=0
pos_lockup=60
size_lockup=40
hcool=70
lcool=0
sparkf=120
sparkd=10
drift=1
mapb=100
mapc=70
refreshfx=12
omnisabers=0
sbolt=8,20
dbolt=40,810
lbolt=15,30
fbolt=1
rbolt=10
qbolt=50

Forgetful Jedi Knight
03-18-2020, 08:18 PM
Make the following change: strippower=0000

MahdFaces
03-18-2020, 08:21 PM
thank you

MahdFaces
03-18-2020, 08:48 PM
Thanks a lot that was a great help

blue81bowtie
03-20-2020, 07:45 AM
Make the following change: strippower=0000

I'm having the exact same problem with mine (wired it up Sunday) I'm trying this as soon as I get home. ;)

Will post the results. Thanks!

blue81bowtie
03-21-2020, 10:32 AM
I'm having the exact same problem with mine (wired it up Sunday) I'm trying this as soon as I get home. ;)

Will post the results. Thanks!

It worked beautifully. Thanks MahdFaces and Forgetful Jedi Knight for bringing this up and solving it. I was freaking out b/c this was my first saber build and wasn't finding anyone with the same issue.

MahdFaces
03-28-2020, 04:46 PM
It worked beautifully. Thanks MahdFaces and Forgetful Jedi Knight for bringing this up and solving it. I was freaking out b/c this was my first saber build and wasn't finding anyone with the same issue.

Your welcome but that the credit goes to Jedi Knight thanks again and I hope this will help many others as it did for me and blue81bowtie

MahdFaces
03-28-2020, 05:43 PM
Hi! Again.
I’m having trouble with my second cfx everything seems ok but will not ignite or light up it boots but nothing else please help again thank you.


//CF-X Configuration
debug=0
logport=0
vol=100
menuvol=100
menugest=0
beep=40
muteb=0
muteoff=0
sleep=50000
deep=0
qkignite=0
orient=0
valsnd=0
switch=2
offp=0
offd=200
onp=0
ond=20
swing_flow=360
clash_flow=300
spin_flow=400
smooth_flow=1000
lockup=300
loop=1
shuffle=2
plilh=3400,4200
omnisense=2000
bladepower=65
ledstrip=0
auxstrip=0
tridentstrip=0
accentstrip=0
dragstrip=20
strippower=0000
ls1_timings=350,700,24,1,3

MahdFaces
03-28-2020, 07:30 PM
Now it’s not working nothing is turning on now getting power but nothing

Forgetful Jedi Knight
03-29-2020, 07:30 AM
Now it’s not working nothing is turning on now getting power but nothing

What kind of build is this one? Another Tri-Cree?

MahdFaces
03-29-2020, 09:12 AM
What kind of build is this one? Another Tri-Cree?

Yes it is another tri-cree

Forgetful Jedi Knight
03-29-2020, 11:13 AM
Sounds like you have some type of switch issue (not wired properly, misconfigured, etc).

gggLITCH
05-27-2020, 02:46 PM
I helped my son install a cfx and everything works but we are getting an overheating warning while everything is in the hilt. Any suggestions on what I can do to, thanks for any help. He has a tri-cree LED and I believe that the resistor is the issue for the red LED but I don't know.

erv
05-27-2020, 09:43 PM
I helped my son install a cfx and everything works but we are getting an overheating warning while everything is in the hilt. Any suggestions on what I can do to, thanks for any help. He has a tri-cree LED and I believe that the resistor is the issue for the red LED but I don't know.

adjust your htemp settings to a higher temperature

Veridianhavik
06-05-2020, 09:33 AM
I'm looking to make LED pucks to wire to a PCB neopixel disk for CFX to adapt a neopixel saber into a more combat capable saber for sparring purposes. What kind of power output do I have to accommodate for when choosing my resistor?

SonOfRevvan
06-06-2020, 10:31 PM
I can't find out how to change fonts in single switch mode on the CFX.

I must be missing something glaringly obvious, but I can't seem to find anything about it in the Crystal Focus 10 manual!

EDIT: After hours of troubleshooting, I finally discovered the secret.

If anyone else has the same question and comes across my post, hopefully this can help. In order to enter the soundbank selection and change fonts without an auxiliary switch, you must be holding down the activation switch while the saber is booting.

The easiest way to do this is by holding the activation switch while removing the kill key; however, you can also restart the saber by holding down the activation switch for about 10 seconds (while the saber is already deactivated). Basically, just hold down the button until you hear the words: "soundbank selection". From there, a tap on the button will cycle the fonts forward, while holding the activation switch will select that font.

Huge.eug
07-26-2020, 03:57 PM
Have a CFX I've installed in a Korbanth AS2, with an RGB Tri-Cree. Everything seems wired together correctly. When powered up, everything works fine, except LED not lighting up. I had a similar problem when I installed a Quigon saber recently, and changing strippower=0000 worked, but it's not with this install. LEDs are good - tested prior to install. Any help is greatly appreciated. Config:

//CF-X Configuration
debug=0
logport=0
vol=100
menuvol=100
menugest=0
beep=40
muteb=0
muteoff=0
sleep=50000
deep=0
qkignite=0
orient=0
valsnd=0
switch=2
offp=0
offd=200
onp=0
ond=20
swing_flow=360
clash_flow=300
spin_flow=400
smooth_flow=1000
lockup=300
loop=1
shuffle=2
plilh=3400,4200
omnisense=2000
bladepower=100
ledstrip=0
auxstrip=0
tridentstrip=0
accentstrip=0
dragstrip=20
strippower=0000
ls1_timings=350,700,24,1,3
ls2_timings=350,700,24,1,3

## Motion Settings
gate=50
smooth_gate=50
hclash=850
hswing=450
hslash=400
hhybrid=550
hforce=300
hfclash=650
hstab=500,-20,20
hspin=750
htwist=350
hdrag=500,-90,0
htemp=40
spectrum_mode=0
spectrum_axis=0
field=10,10,10

[profile=0]
wakeup=1
randc=0
blastp=0
random=2
pom=0
pof=0
poi=0
magic=0
saberlock=0
blastm=0
randb=2
shmrd=150
shmrp=12
shmrr=24
shmr%=60,99
focd=200
focp=20
focr=28
foc%=60,99
focl=1
focb=1
focf1=1
focf2=1
focf3=0
fade=0
flks=6
flkd=25
tridentflk=0
flkon=1
flkoff=1
pulsed=0
pulsel=0
on_fade=1
off_fade=1
unstable=0
style_pon=0
style_poff=0
style_blaster=2
style_lockup=1
style_drag=2
style_flicker=1
style_clash=1
style_stab=0
over_pon=0
over_poff=0
pos_lockup=60
size_lockup=40
mapping_color=0
mapping_unstable=1
mapping_lockup=1
mapping_drag=1
mapping_flicker=1
hcool=70
lcool=0
sparkf=120
sparkd=10
drift=1
mapb=100
mapc=70
refreshfx=12
omnisabers=0
sbolt=8,20
dbolt=40,810
lbolt=15,30
fbolt=1
rbolt=10
qbolt=50

## [profile=1]

## [profile=2]

## [profile=3]

## [profile=4]

## [profile=5]

Forgetful Jedi Knight
07-30-2020, 05:39 PM
Please post the Color profiles you have also.

Huge.eug
07-31-2020, 04:50 PM
Sorry, it was a long day at work. I had basically wanted first color to be blue, 2nd red. Maybe I messed this up. Thanks, FJK!

[color=0]
color=0,0,1023,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=1023,0,0,0
mcolor=1000
tridentm=0000

[color=1]
color=1023,0,0,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=1023,255,0,0
mcolor=1100
tridentm=0000

[color=2]
color=1023,660,0,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=1023,660,0,0
mcolor=1100
tridentm=0000

[color=3]
color=340,1023,0,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=40,1023,0,0
mcolor=1100
tridentm=0000

[color=4]
color=145,1023,0,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=145,1023,0,0
mcolor=1100
tridentm=0000

[color=5]
color=0,1023,0,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=0,1023,0,0
mcolor=0100
tridentm=0000

[color=6]
color=0,1023,340,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=0,1023,340,0
mcolor=0110
tridentm=0000

[color=7]
color=0,1023,635,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=0,1023,635,0
mcolor=0110
tridentm=0000

[color=8]
color=0,1023,1023,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=0,1023,1023,0
mcolor=0110
tridentm=0000

[color=9]
color=0,0,1023,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=0,0,1023,0
mcolor=0010
tridentm=0000

[color=10]
color=115,0,1023,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=115,0,1023,0
mcolor=1010
tridentm=0000

[color=11]
color=355,0,1023,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=355,0,1023,0
mcolor=1010
tridentm=0000

[color=12]
color=1023,0,1023,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=1023,0,1023,0
mcolor=1010
tridentm=0000

[color=13]
color=1023,0,50,0
fcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
lcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
bcolor=1023,1023,1023,0
xcolor=1023,0,50,0
mcolor=1010
tridentm=0000

Forgetful Jedi Knight
07-31-2020, 07:28 PM
Unless you have strips specially set up that way, the normal sequence is RGB. Color 1 would (should) be a straight red blade. You’re likely on Color 0 right now, but you’re not likely seeing anything because the header says [Color] and NOT [Color = 0]

Huge.eug
08-01-2020, 06:10 AM
Unless you have strips specially set up that way, the normal sequence is RGB. Color 1 would (should) be a straight red blade. You’re likely on Color 0 right now, but you’re not likely seeing anything because the header says [Color] and NOT [Color = 0]

I'm not sure why, but the Color = 0 did not copy and paste correctly. It's always been Color = 0. Sorry about that. I just double checked and tested it again, still no light.

Forgetful Jedi Knight
08-01-2020, 09:53 AM
I’d then check your wiring. And do it outside the hilt.

Huge.eug
08-01-2020, 12:09 PM
I’d then check your wiring. And do it outside the hilt.

*sigh* Turns out my (+) wire going out to the LED was fractured, and I couldn't see that as it was buried within the chassis. All good now. Thanks for your help!!

Dark_Antz
08-16-2020, 11:14 PM
cfx purchased august 2020. ive wired up one as per manual ( no stranger to installs) however the board will not respond. when kill key is removed i get the solid red light on the board for about 5 seconds then it goes out. power button and aux do nothing. removing the SD and rebooting gets a blinking red that stays on until the sd is inserted then it goes solid then dark after 5 seconds...still no response, no sound nothing. i soldered all connections an used a solder wick and solder sucker to ensure everything was clean wired only the speaker, power leads and a wired to the negative pad for the switches. when powered up same behavior. will not respond to input. formatted sd card and reinstalled sd contents from plecter site, same results....purchased a new card from TCSS only to have the exact same results on both cards!!please tell me im doing something wrong. im sure at this point both boards may in fact be dead and im the one who killed em but for the life of me i dont know how i killed em. multi meter reads power across the board...is there anyone who repairs cfx? have i wasted a couple hundred? any help appreciated

ScooterDeLobos
09-25-2020, 05:21 PM
Hey guys, I could use a little help with a first time CFX neopixel build I'm doing:

I am using two, 1 meter LED strips wired per the manual directly to the board (no hilt/blade connector). Each strip's negative line breaks off into two and both strips fill up all four negative pads on the board, while using the shared positive to go to the battery +. The data line is shared between the two strips and also share a resistor before going to the board. I am having a few problems
]
The strips both light up, but do not mirror each other despite sharing a data line. On one of the strips there are random colors that blink unevenly along throughout the set length. The other strip only lights up when clashing. It's very peculiar. Upon inspection, no LEDs appear blown and they do all periodically light up, and my soldering work is solid. When I test each strip individually, they both function the same way. One strip only randomly blinks (doesn't change on clash), and the other blinks brightly only when it clashes. I have no idea how the same data coming through could translate to two different expressions of the LEDs, and I'm really not getting something. Does this point to bad strips? Are the default .cfg files setup so that the colors could do something like this? Is there a way to individually address each strip even through they're wired through the same cable?

Can someone lead some insight into what's going on here. I would very much appreciate it!

Forgetful Jedi Knight
09-25-2020, 06:02 PM
Is there a resistor on the data line?

ScooterDeLobos
10-09-2020, 08:45 AM
Just realized I forgot to reply to this! The problem was stupid and simple: forgot to configure the led power channels to be open [1,1,1,1]. Things are working perfectly now!

Jordandau
01-16-2021, 02:07 PM
I pulled a cf 6.10 out of an old saber and am trying to transplant it. Got it all worked up and have this sound happening

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YvkLWLyhQkLeqEo0GVAfoxZ3t0cM2Ocx/view?usp=drivesdk

What does the sound mean error wise?

ShawnMiks
05-23-2021, 03:13 PM
Hi,

I recently completed my first saber successfully, which lasted all of about 1 hour. Unfortunately, the chassis bound up inside the hilt while disassembling, and multiple issues occurred before I could get everything loose. Thankfully everything seemed mostly operational, it was just the LEDs that got messed up.

With everything apart, I decided I'd completely rewire/resolder the board to polish it up a bit and ensure that nothing would cause me trouble down the line. I did so pretty quickly, and everything is much cleaner than my first attempt.

I booted up the board without the speaker attached (just wanted to verify my buttons and LEDs). The onboard LED acted like expected, but I couldn't activate the saber. Wanting to learn more, I soldered the speaker up and rebooted. I got a boot noise, which is good. But when trying to activate, I got the boot noise again, then a loud beep, and then boot noise again.

I inserted the kill key and rebooted, but this time the board LED just blinked repeatedly, as if there was no SD card inserted. That's the behavior I get every time now. I tried reformatting the SD card and replacing the files that were originally on there (everything is unchanged from the base configuration). And yes, I moved stuff over two folders at a time.

Any ideas? I'm having trouble finding clear instructions on reconfiguring the SD, and I'm also wondering if maybe the board itself is the issue?

Thanks in advance for the help.