Saber Forum

 How hard would it be to modify a stunt saber to function with a small airsoft gun type battery? I've been thinking of doing this instead of burning money on batteries over and over again.

Why not just use rechargeable batteries?

I'm not a huge fan of rechargeable batteries. Plus I also kinda wanna do it just to see if I can. Plus, the thinner battery would allow me to place small rare earth magnets in the hilt as a retention system for my costume.

Aren't those too powerful for the LED?

It is suppose to be powered by four 1.5V AAA batteries or two Li-Ion 3.7V batteries.  They when setup for lights and sound an Ultrasaber is designed to be run on 7.4 Volts of power and with a less power hungry setup can run as low as 4.8 V using four 1.2V AAA rechargeable batteries.

Most Airsoft style battery pack I can find put on more volts than that, or would have seriously less milli-amps to put out per hour.  I did see one that provides 7.4 Volts exactly, but has a 500 mAh rating.    Another 7.4V one has a 1300 mAh rating, but it is also around 5 inches long.  A high end one might get you a 2000 mAh or even 2200 mAh rating, but I don't know if that will help or hinder the LED.  These are LiPO batteries I think.

The 3V Li-Ion batteries would be shorter I guess than the ones Ultrasaber uses, but are not rechargeable. They put out 1400 mAh.

It can likely be done, just I don't know if it will be worth it and have the space for your magnets to hold through the Aluminum saber handle.

The battery I've got on hand is a 7.4 volt, 350mAh. What's your opinion on that? I ask cause I'm not too proficient on electrical systems. I've only got a rudimentary knowledge.

If I understand correctly, it might not provide enough power over time needed for the LED to be very long.  AAA batteries tend to provide around 1000 mAh while the Li-Ion batteries Ultrasabers provides putout I think 900 mAh.

Your single battery will likely power the LED, but you'll need to recharge it more often.   If I understand mAh correctly.  The higher the mAh number, the longer the batteries will last with a consistent charge.  If I understand.

That what I was thinking as well. I honestly don't mind changing a battery or having to carry an extra one if dueling or doing cosplay. My main motivation for this is mainly yo see if I can and to provide room for the magnets for my mounting system. I'll probably do a bit of research and maybe shoot an email to ultrasabers.

The issue isn't the listed mAh, which is a measure of how long the battery lasts at low current, but rather how high the max max current draw is, since the LEDs run at about 1000mA (note the lack of an "h").

Running a Google search, this value can be guessed at if you know the C-rating of your battery. A safe formula is roughly:

[mAh rating] * [c-rating] / 1500

So a c10 350 mA has a safe max draw of about 2300 mA, which is more than enough to run a single LED. Don't worry of that looks a bit high, as the system will only ask for as much current as it needs.

If you've already got a lithium-ion setup in your saber, your 7.4v lithium-polymer should be a drop in-replacement.

If your saber's running on the 4xAAA standard setup, you'll need to replace the resistor with a higher resistance model or a buckpuck, or you'd risk blowing out the LED.

Yeah, I'm running a standard 4x AAA setup. I sent US an email regarding the subject and I'm trying to get in touch with an electrician friend for more info. I appreciate all of the help and will let you know if I able to accomplish this. I think it would be a neat project in addition to allowing the placement of my magnets.

So, I was putting new batteries in my saber when I tripped and snapped the wires connecting the battery pack. After trying and failing to reattach the wires, I grabbed the airsoft battery I was talking about and attached the connector to the wires. I plugged it in and it worked! Right now, I have the battery disconnected from the saber out of caution but I'm pretty optimistic about it.

What color LED are you using? You might be able to drop it in as-is in a Tri-Cree setup, since those are wired a bit undervolted anyway, but I'd be wary about leaving it in too long on any other LED.

I'm using a red standard led.

Mmm~ you could wire in a 1000mA Buckpucks from this store in place of the current resistor, or you could go online and find a new resistor with ~4.7ohm and minimum 5W.

I plan on picking up a 1000 mA buck puck. How and where do I wire this up?

The buckpucks will have four wires which will be labeled.

LED+ (white wire) goes to the red wire or positive pad on your LED.

LED- (blue wire) goes to the black wire or negative pad on your LED.

VIN+ (red wire) will go to the battery connector positive.

VIN- (black wire) will go to your switch, then from the switch to the battery connector negative.

Seems pretty simple. I appreciate the assistance.