have a little wiring mystery

[morpheus1977]

(man I have been posting alot lately LOL) Ok I finally have my LED wired with a MR sound board. I have all connections soldered and wraped with electrical tape. I placed some of the foam insert (cut in half length wise) from the MR blade on either side of the sound board and wraped with electrical tape.( I included a pic so you can see what I mean.) Ok here is my mystery when I dont have everything inside my saber everything works fine. BUT once I stuff everything inside my MHS saber, the clash start to act funny. I will go to hit something with the blade and the power will cycle really quickly.. Could that be the two leads on the clash sensor touching when I pack it into the saber???

[Novastar]

Do you have the same spring batt pack + speaker that MR made? I will assume that answer is "NO" since the MHS will not accommodate the size of a standard MR speaker + batt pack.

If you are using some kind of "generic" spring batt pack (and the batteries are not "soldered in"... what will happen is... when you initiate the shock of a hit... the batteries temporarily separate from the battery springs, and essentially KILL the power for about a millisecond.

This is not enough to initiate the power DOWN... but... enough to shut the saber off quickly and cycle the power ON sequence. Great, huh.

Don't feel bad. One of my idiotic conversions does that too. I didn't seat the MR pack properly, and the saber is paying the price for it. Arg.

[Hasid Lafre]

Its prolly your swich, When you have it on bump the plunger of the switch, if it does it then you need to get this switch to keep it from happening.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SPST-Push-onoff-Mom-switch-with-black-button-P44.aspx

My saber did that when it was MR powered.

Please heatshrink your connections atleast, eletrical tape is nothign but a bandaid that will fail.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Sounds like Nova and Hasid have some good suggestions for you there. I have had the same problem, caused by both sympotms they mention.

And I agree with Hasid, heatshrink tubing is way better than electrical tape. Tape will eventually come loose, and leave all your components sticky. here's what I do when using an MR board:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/My%20Brass%20Sabers%202%20and%203/000_0609.jpg

Use a bit of hot-glue to attach the clash sensor to the board, right on top of the blade connector. I got this idea from a board that I bought from Gelu-khan Garr, and it works very well for impact detection, and keeping the board in a tighter, smaller package. I then shrink wrap the board in a large 1" heatshrinK tube:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/Jay-gon_Jinn/100_2087.jpg

you can larger diameters of heatshrink tubing at most online electronics stores.

[morpheus1977]

Its prolly your swich, When you have it on bump the plunger of the switch, if it does it then you need to get this switch to keep it from happening.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SPST-Push-onoff-Mom-switch-with-black-button-P44.aspx

My saber did that when it was MR powered.

Please heatshrink your connections atleast, eletrical tape is nothign but a bandaid that will fail.

dont worry the electrical tape is a temporary thing I just wanted to get every thing into the saber just to see if it works and work out any kinks, which I obviously have.. I tried just flicking the shock sensor and it does not cycle the power that way. So it must be the battery holder I am using. I am using a generic 4AAA battery holder so how should I fix that?? stretch the contact springs a little??? ALSO that is the switch I am using...

[Tomoyo]

I had a similar problem before and all it was for me was that the battery inside the AAA holder would come loose for a split second and would turn the blade off and on. All I did was stretch out the battery springs in the AAA holder and now it works fine.

[Hasid Lafre]

Well I never had a problem of my battery pack causing the cycle, the only way thats gonna happen is if the switch wires are contacting something metal.

When my switch fubared on me I took the switch wires and pulled them thru the switch hole and etapted the wires to the hilt then with a slight pressure of the wire leads to the hilt body it would turn on, strangly enought doing this also caused it to stay on when I let go of the switch wires but I wouldent suggest doing this.

Are you sure that is the switch your using and not the one from an eletronics kit cause the one in the eletronics kit isent the switch in the link I posted.

This is the switch in the eletonics kits.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Push-onpush-off-switch-with-black-button--P40.aspx

[morpheus1977]

Well I never had a problem of my battery pack causing the cycle, the only way thats gonna happen is if the switch wires are contacting something metal.

When my switch fubared on me I took the switch wires and pulled them thru the switch hole and etapted the wires to the hilt then with a slight pressure of the wire leads to the hilt body it would turn on, strangly enought doing this also caused it to stay on when I let go of the switch wires but I wouldent suggest doing this.

Are you sure that is the switch your using and not the one from an eletronics kit cause the one in the eletronics kit isent the switch in the link I posted.

This is the switch in the eletonics kits.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Push-onpush-off-switch-with-black-button--P40.aspx

I am pretty sure thats what I have.. I will have to check when I get home. So when I check tonight and I turn on my saber if I slightly press down on the switch it should not turn off correct. But if I slightly press it with it turned off it should turn on..

[Hasid Lafre]

Ok if you lightly press it and it turns on then you got the switch thats used in the eletronics kits, but if you have it on and lightly press it it should turn off.

[morpheus1977]

Ok if you lightly press it and it turns on then you got the switch thats used in the eletronics kits, but if you have it on and lightly press it it should turn off.

ok I could be having a DUH moment here but seems backwards from the one that I should have.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/SPST-Push-onoff-Mom-switch-with-black-button-P44.aspx

[morpheus1977]

Ok if you lightly press it and it turns on then you got the switch thats used in the eletronics kits, but if you have it on and lightly press it it should turn off.

*update* Hasid I am using the switch you told me about... I double check all of my solder points I stretched the battery springs a little and now it runs perfectly.... Thanks every body for your help.