Found Old MR Vader - Need Help

[navajas]

Hey folks,

Bought what I THINK is a pretty old model Vader MR and a garage sale type of thing. The end cap is missing, and it hitches when trying to power on. I confess I mostly got it for the sound board contained therein, but, I'd obviously like to get new batteries in their and make sure it's low power that's causing the thing to hiccup when I try to flip the switch. It plays the VERY beginning of the ignition sound and then stutters. Every once in a while the bottom of the blade tries to light.

How. The. Hell! Do you open this thing up? If the batter pack is supposed to fall out, it doesn't. Like I said, end cap gone, and the black, what I assume to be, battery pack / speaker combo is stuck in the hilt. There's some give to pressure, but nothing coming back out. I wanted to ask advice of some experts before I start just jamming stuff up this poor thing's ass.

I found some pictures and videos on the net, but they don't look exactly like this one. It has more wires near the emitter, the 'E', being covered by two of them.  Pictures follow.

'B' Side:


'E' Side:


Pommel:


I saw one video where a kid had to get in to change the batteries by swinging the switch to one side and loosening a screw hidden underneath it. I don't see that happening here. In the pictures I've been able to find of Master Replica Vaders they all have some sort of metal attachment on the side of ignition block. I note that is not here. Am I missing something or is this more evidence of an old model.

Any help answering these questions would be greatly appreciated. Actually, if you have answers to questions I didn't ask but should have, I'll take those as well. Seeing how old I think this thing might be also makes me start to worry it's too old for the sound board to be useful regardless of condition. Is that just pessimism and ignorance, or might I be screwed wither way?


Thanks to everyone for their time!

[Caine]

Sounds like the battery pack is stuck. It should fall right out, as the end cap is supposed to hold it in via pressure (that is how the pack makes a connection with sound module and powers on).

[navajas]

That's what I'm assuming, but I was made understandably hesitant by this kid's video mentioned above and linked below. Granted, different saber, but similar:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEAe2sDGGbg" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">Battery changing video.</a>

[navajas]

I was able to pry the battery pack out of the hilt doing minimal damage. Just some scratches. Weird thing was, I could find no reason for the situation to have occurred. I think the three Energizers in the pack must have just swelled over time. There was a very tiny bit of corrosion on the springs, but nothing that would have hampered it coming out.

Weird note: I put in some brand new rechargeable I just got at CostCo. They feel really neat in your hand, sort of silky. BUT, they are ever so marginally larger than they should be. When put in the battery pack and inserted into the hilt it quickly became obvious it would no longer fit without being forced. I got out some older rechargeable AAs and the whole pack slid in easily. In fact, as Caine mentioned, the pack now falls out without the retention ring.

These batteries did not have a full charge though so still not a good test for the card or blade. Will do so tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have an MR sound board on the cheap to send to Ultra Sabers. Then I can force my friend to try and wire back up the MR with a cheap sound board for practice. Any of this sound particularly stupid or delusional to experience ears?