Biscotte design / configuration issues

[DarthZero]

Just got my nano Biscotte and wow, is it small. Spent 4 hours building up my saber for sound, and i'm pleased to announce i managed to solder it without any screwups. With that said, i have a few adjustments to make on top of my questions that the manual couldn't answer:

1. How do i get the blade to stay on without holding the button in?
- I have a red ring AV switch and used NC1 and C1 as the switching posts. I have the LED working (i doubt that matters).
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/16...itch-P412.aspx

2. Swings aren't registering well. I have the biscotte fixed in place with Tim's new biscotte acrylic chassis disc. Clash seems to work fine.

3. Sound seems quieter. Volume is at the default setting of 4, but nowhere near as loud as Petit Crouton.

The AV switch was the source of much frustration, i found a post on wiring it and thought i understood, but apparently not. Any tips on "locking" it in place are appreciated as well.

Thanks as always, sabersmiths.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Just got my nano Biscotte and wow, is it small. Spent 4 hours building up my saber for sound, and i'm pleased to announce i managed to solder it without any screwups. With that said, i have a few adjustments to make on top of my questions that the manual couldn't answer:

1. How do i get the blade to stay on without holding the button in?
- I have a red ring AV switch and used NC1 and C1 as the switching posts. I have the LED working (i doubt that matters). Move the wire from NC1 to NO1 and you are set.
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/16...itch-P412.aspx

2. Swings aren't registering well. I have the biscotte fixed in place with Tim's new biscotte acrylic chassis disc. Clash seems to work fine. That, my man is in the manual

3. Sound seems quieter. Volume is at the default setting of 4, but nowhere near as loud as Petit Crouton. What does your resonance chamber look like? It is not as loud as a PC, but it should not be "soft" either. If you have good resonance, it ought to sound great.

The AV switch was the source of much frustration, i found a post on wiring it and thought i understood, but apparently not. Any tips on "locking" it in place are appreciated as well. The easiest way to do this is to use one of hte switch bezels INSIDE the hilt. It will allow you to tighten the screw down to a flat surface (because the bezel will match up to the inner radius of the hilt by simply flipping it 45 degrees).

Thanks as always, sabersmiths.

Answers in green.

[Caine Drathul]

What sound font you using? Certain sound fonts are set louder than others, too.

[DarthZero]

First off LDM, THANK YOU! You solved all of those problems. And @ Caine, its the default font.

Now, assembly is 95% complete and would have worked if.... i didn't have an electrical ghost. I narrowed the problem down to the recharge port in the pommel and something in the top half of the saber.

Pics:




When i touch the pommel to the top half, it completes a circuit... somehow. I had put electrical tape around the AV switch inside. Can i cut out my unused posts? Not crazy about butchering it, but...



Note the kill plug is inserted in the recharge port. I checked the documentation THREE TIMES, i wired the recharge port correctly.

I can draw out a wiring schematic if it helps. I heat shrinked and used electrical tape on all the wires.

Help! again!

[xl97]

try to remove the recharge port from the equation..and see if you have any problems..

[Caine Drathul]

That is a sign of a short somewhere and what is happening is that you are causing it to ground out. Electrical tape on the wires is no bueno. Whatever areas you have electrical tape on, replace with heat shrink.

Also, do you have anything protecting the board from the inside of the hilt? That can also cause issues as well. If ONE little piece of that board touches the inside of the hilt, you can experience this problem or something else.

Many of us use thin plastic tubing to protect the board.

[DarthZero]

try to remove the recharge port from the equation..and see if you have any problems..

Unfortunately, i chose to solder it to the biscotte, so i'm not crazy about that idea. I'm thinking maybe there's a short in my switch AND recharge port grounding it to the pommel. Still not sure how that circuit is completing.

[DarthZero]

That is a sign of a short somewhere and what is happening is that you are causing it to ground out. Electrical tape on the wires is no bueno. Whatever areas you have electrical tape on, replace with heat shrink.

Also, do you have anything protecting the board from the inside of the hilt? That can also cause issues as well. If ONE little piece of that board touches the inside of the hilt, you can experience this problem or something else.

Many of us use thin plastic tubing to protect the board.

That would make sense... except the biscotte is affixed using the acrylic chassis disc and isn't touching metal. See my last picture, 4th post.

[DarthZero]

Think i may have figured it out... battery is grounding to the pommel, which is traversing the body to the switch LED, which may be touching on the inside of the body. It rides the wire all the way back and powers the biscotte.

http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/...psc8cf3b4f.jpg

[Xevious]

That switch is long and that bezel looks short. I was going to ask if your HS tubes on the switch solder points were adequately isolating the contacts from the body.