Saber Forum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3khHs0h2AII# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3khHs0h2AII#)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BazhFnV0Fq4# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BazhFnV0Fq4#)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H3y2v7R51c# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H3y2v7R51c#)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCsQ2z7n4UI# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCsQ2z7n4UI#)

I hope this helps anyone who wanted to know how to do this, thanks for watching.

I should have my dark prophecy stunt on monday. Might make it into my first semi build by doing this. Thanks for the videos, they should help a fair bit.

I just finished watching all four videos and I must say bravo good sir! besides the bird and telephone in the background you did a fantastic job making this video. Very clear and easy going.   8) I also believe you are the first person to ever to make a full video of how to wire a sound board not just here, but in the entire saber community! With the four videos adding up to about 40 mins its apparent  why no one has  attempted such a tutorial. I will be moving this thread to the ultrasaber customization section and it will be stickied. This tutorial is too vital to be lost over time in various other threads.  :)

also one thing I noticed is you didn't install a resistor? I know some higher end sound boards drive the amount of power driven to the led, thus having some sort of resistor/ buck puck device within the board. Is this the case with the qui gon board? or  will i need to calculate for a resistor if i want to use a red or blue led  or some other color.? We don't want people blowing up their leds  :D

EDIT:
I also changed the title of the thread slightly so people know your installing it in an ultrasaber. Hope you don't mind  :)

I don't actually know about the resistor or how in specific they will play into this. I have done this on 2 different guardian blue sabers, a dark violet amnythest saber, and now a consular green saber and I haven't resistored any of them and they seam to all work fine. Mabey I'm just lucky, but like I said I don't know. O and the saber with the DVA has a quick disconnect that I use to switch between the DVA, AB, and AS. They all seam to work just fine with it as well.

Hmm then it is quite possible that the sound board does have an ability to drive the led on its own without a resistor then... Possibly even overdriving the led slightly without blowing it up, much like how  a red p4 can be over driven with two AA batteries without any ill effects. You could also be under powering the led as well too..... How long have you been running theses sabers with this kindof setup? have you noticed any excess heat? Also what led types have you been using? Are they all P4's from ultrasabers or have you been using other leds for theses sound boards? what power source have you been using with each of these leds setups? Do you use the same one for each led?

u can run multiple type setups off these boards and NO it does not act as an LED driver it works more like pass thru meaning what ever voltage supply u run will be run to the LED.  So if u run 3.7V that what will be run to the LED. With 3.7V u dont need a resistor or puck when running single color LED i have not run multicolor setups on a hasbro, but i know from running GB LED with LED AV switch in parralel off board my main blade wasnt as bright as it should be so it is somewhat limited. U can get around this by wiring AV switch pos+ off battery with the neg- going to board.  You can use a 7.4V battery pack if that what u have but u need to get a 5V voltage regulator to not fry components on board, if you do this just know that the board will supply 5V to the LED so if running red or amber P4 be careful. U could run a LUX V if done right.  I have even wire LED AV switches to the neg- on speaker to give my LED switch a flickering effect to the idle hums and swing effects, so like i say u can really do alot with these boards for the price and u can add recharge ports and accent LED as well

I loved the videos.  This has to be hands down the very best how to tutorial I have seen thus far.  To keep from burning yourself with a lighter, I have found that some of the older model hair dryers work wonders for shrink tube.  If you can find a hobby store that provides supplies for Card Stocking, you can get a nice hand held model that works wonders.  Just don't mind the colors as they are usually pink or light purple. 

After watching this video I am really glad I didnt execute the plans for my original summer project which was going to be hasbro Obi econo sound for all my sabers. This is a much better board. Im officially going to use this tutorial for future econo - sound builds

Thanks a million Big Andy!

I have run this setup for quite some time now like 6 months or so. I have always used the $25 led modual from ultra for these. I have not notices any excessive heat at all. I also always power them with 4 1.2watt 700mAh Energizer recharge AAA's. I have not noticed any issues with any of them.


I have never run an AV switch off of one of these boards so I wouldn't know about that, however I have never had any issue with the led being dim as it were so my guess is it was because of the AV switch.


I'm a cook actually so I'm used to being burned and it doesn't really bug me, however that is great advise for anyone who doesn't want to be burned or would rather not be burned.


Hey ur welcome and honestly I prefer the old MR soundboards to these but they are hard to find and aint nearly as inexpensive. On that note however I strongly suggest against using the MR yoda sound card, I used one in this saber in the video and it went out on me which is why I installed this one into it. The yoda soundboard is so small it is very weak and can't take as strong of an impact as these. And of course these are no where as durable as obsidian. However these are way cheaper than obsidian so therefor a good option if you don't have a ton of money.   

That's surprising that the yoda MR one went out on you, and these ones do not. It's a testament to how well these will work for  budget - builds. After I watched these vids I was thinking about it.. and I just might buy an empty consular hilt when I get the money and this soundboard to make an affordable, quality Qui Gon hilt.

What is the width of the 4AAA battery holder?  I am curious as I am looking to install this on a custom-made 1" I.D. hilt.

Thank you. You just saved me a few hours! thanks for sharing.

I'm not sure the of the exact measurement however I know the 4-AAA without a speaker will fit into any saber and the 4-AAA with a speaker will only fit into V3's or other sound capable sabers. For example: While the sound card from the ultimate FX will fit into a Aeon V2 the battery pack with the speaker attached will not so you would need to find a different speaker and way of installing it.

The speaker is .315 inches in diameter, and .520 inches high. You can "trim" some plastic off the side to get to about .225 in diameter.

the 4 AAA battery holder is .885 by .960, with batteries in it.

sorry the speaker is 1.315 inches in diameter, and .520 inches high. You can "trim" some plastic off the side to get to about 1.225 in diameter. little different.

So if I wanted, I could do a Consular Green single color led and AA battery set up with no resistor or anything? I want to try this out. Though would the Ultimate-FX Anakin board work good? There isn't anymore Qui-gons as of late. Thanks. I do have a Luke Ultimate-FX. Had to get one. :P Can't go wrong with the classics.

Well the only battery packs I have seen with a speaker mounted on it are either AAA or the Li-lon, if you could find a AA, well I don't know. Anyway I haven't restored any of my sabers, and yes I have used the Anakin sound board and it works just fine. The only reason I suggest the Qui-Gon is because the sound board is shaped different in all the different sabers and the Qui-Gon is the narrowest of the bunch. What ever you do though don't use a Vader. It's divided into two sound boards one to control the clash and one to control the hum/on off. It's a big pain in the butt to install. The Anakin works great and I have never tried the Luke so I don't know how that would work out.

So, lemme get this Straight. Can I use this on My Initiate V2? Cus I have an Anakin Ultimate FX, with really no more use except the Sound board.

Well MrJediMan yes and no, the speaker/battery combo packs that ultra sells will not fit into any of the V2 sabers, however with parts from other places and with a Grand Master of cram-fu doing the install then yes it should be possible. However it is easily done on any of the V3's or the high end sabers. So say buy a grab bag and get a Liberator V3, then yes it is more than doable, but with the V2 initiate like I said its a yes and no.

I see... Well I have been Planning on Getting a new saber. but I'm also saving for a new laptop, AND stuff for Cosplay. But atleast now I have a good soundcard. Thanks Though!

Do you know if the Anakin or Vader sabers can be used for their soundcards?

Woops nevermind question already answered lol

One comment I might add is to leave one of the original LEDs still attached to the soundcard bit until you're all finished wiring. This helps a lot with testing because it lets you know if the power is on, etc. I've also discovered that the circuit appears to be able to light the Luxeon LED as well as one of the original LEDs at the same time, so that's an option that could allow one to create something like a ghetto crystal focus, or something of that sort. Any ideas?

For heat shrinking, especially smaller shrink, I just use my soldering iron actually. I run it underneath it, but obviously do not touch the heat shrink or it can damage it. But just running it fairly close usually does the job. Hair dryers also work great, but I try to keep my work area as clean of extra tools as possible, especially ones with cords since I have an unlucky tendancy of dragging a cord across something and knocking it off of my desk.

I bought and tore apart an Anakin UFX today.
Not that Big Andy needs to be confirmed, but the guts are practically identical to the Qui-Gon one. The only differences are the larger momentary switch (possibly useful for graflex-style activation boxes?) and the fact that the motion sensor is a little (3 mm, maybe?) further bladewise down the LED PCB, so it seems like the Anakin is a good substitute.

Since I don't have my saber yet (tomorrow!), I just skipped to the last video to see it in action after gutting the UFX. It was hard to tell from the end of your video Andy, but does the flash-on-clash function still work when wired to a Luxeon, or is the soundboard just spliced in providing only sound and no LED control?

Also, I should note that, for those in a hurry to do this mod, you can just unscrew the white plastic base (where the contacts are) of the stock plastic toggle switches, then remove only the small translucent white cylinder inside. That'll convert your toggle to a momentary. The contact holder is kinda fragile though. Mine broke as if it were glued on. Be careful and keep superglue handy if you want to try this.

So this mod works with Qui-Gon and Anakin fx. The only sabers I have seen at my wally mart latley are Luke ROTJ and Vader. Does anybody know if this mod will work with a Luke fx? If not I suppose I could shop online or see if I can order a Qui-Gon.

It might look quite different from the qui - gon, but like the MR versions, and speaking from an electronics standpoint, they should all be the same, this is just the only ultimate fx tutorial I know of, aside from a few Anakin versions ive seen on youtube or elsewhere, and vader too I think. You cold gut one and see what you find though :)

Ive had strong urges to gut an anakin or vader just to see if I could figure it out myself

Just chiming in to say thanks for the bad ass tutorial. I "happened" to stop by walmart to see what UFXs' they had and left empty handed. Perhaps I can get an anakin or qui gon in my possession prior to my grabbag arriving later this week. Points for you.

Dude you rock I just found one at the store!

Great videos! This is great info. I got me a star killer saber and i believe the hole is 1 inch wide. I wonder if the ultrasabers speaker combo would fit in that and if not what other options are there? because i want to have sound. The saber itself already has led in it.

I believe I read earlier in the thread that the speaker\battery pack combo is a bit more than 1", so you'd have trouble I'm thinking. On the other hand, the speaker that already in the qui gon saber used in the video's is tiiiiny and will likely fit. I reused it for my dominix v2.

hmmm sounds like i might have to find someone who can get ahold of one and install it for me. is there anyone willing to do that here?

This is just what I needed to finish my saber, thank you! But I do have a question, is it possible just to use a 4 x AAA battery pack and speaker from radioshack instead of the ultrasabers one? I do love ultrasabers quality, but $18.50+$17.50 shipping is a little much for me right now for just a battery pack.

As far as I know the radio shack one should work just fine.

Hey mate im planning on doing this mod to 2 V2's i know stupid but anyway lithium ion with the 4watt speaker will this work ok ? i know the voltage is almost identical but will the 4watt speaker be ok with the ultimate fx board? thanks for the videos mate they are awesome and people like you make people with my income be able to own the toys / weapons that made us fall in love with the star wars universe

The Ultimate FX board will not go into a V2 hilt.

he states in the video that he wired up an initiate. i was assuming that it would ?

If im using the lithium ion with speaker combo i will have the spot for the soundboard on the battery pack wouldn't i ? im not in anyway trying to be an ass or argue with you.

Ive been trying for weeks to get this crammed into a V2. Im not willing to say its impossible yet. I will say there's a high degree of difficulty. Its pure space limitations.

You're not going to be able to use the same speaker\battery pack combo he used, its too big. You'll have to find a different speaker, even if you use the really crappy one that comes in the UFX saber.

The initiate V3 is darn near impossible to fit the sound board in unless your using the lithium li-lon setup, I can only imagine how difficult the V2 is. That is why I suggested either the liberator or the shock bodies. The libby still requires a little cram-fu but is doable, the shock is easy peasy that why I used a shock in the tutorial video. 

i want the v2 simply for its size and i think with claws and sound i would be something special and different and in a set of 2 the will be awesome for my sith assassin getup. i need a smaller saber i like 1handed sabers and the bigger hilts just feel wrong in one hand.

Well all I can say is to add sound to a initiate V2 is beyond my skill. The initiate V3 is doable (I know from experience) but difficult because you have to be a master of the ancient art of cram-fu, as far as smaller hilts go the shock can be small if you go with a different pommel and/or emitter, also the prophecy is a smaller hilt although I don't know what the internals look like because I myself don't have one so I don't know how crammed it would be inside. Back to the shock, it really isn't all that big, my 5 yr old nephew has no problem using mine as long as he uses both hands and I have a 24" (heavy grade) blade on it.

i pulled my sons Vader saber apart today. he has no interest in it anymore because mines cooler lol but i think ill be able to make it fit im an electrician so hopefully i can rewire the lot minimize the cable and get a neat clean finish. i understand the task but i think i can make it work if not there is always hammers  ;D

Question. Andy i didnt see if you used a resistor/buckpuck anywhere ? do you not need one with the sound board. or have your cram-fu'd it out of sight

Sorry I've not checked this thread for awhile. No i didn't use any resistor or buck puck. I don't know how they would affect the set up actually.

I would do this but I want to keep my Qui-gon as a collectible. =] Thanks for the info though. I might get another Qui-gon though or two and wire them to some V2s.

so i did this with a moderate amount of success, two points of interest one a suggestion and the other a question.

1) if you splice the two white wires that head to the "demo switch and attach battery to red wire directly you can eliminate the need for demo switch

2) Im running a red led and its is sadly pale pink until full dark after adding sound card. have played with several pathways trying to brighten it. can the quality of solder be the cause or is the sound card just not letting enough juice through ? suggestions would make me quite happy as the pink makes my inner sith weep inside.

Hey guys, new to the forum. I want to do this to my dominix v2 LE blazing red. Although its only powered by 2 AAA batteries, don't know if that's normal but it's how I got it. Will this mod still work?

Hey guys, ill answer my own question. The 2x AAA battery pack that came on my dominix v2 LE is too weak to power the led and and soundboard. The sound does not work and the led is extremely dim. When I connected my setup to the stock force fx battery pack ( 3x AA ) it worked just fine. However with the small hilt that the dominix has, I don't think it's possible to run AA batteries. I also tried a 3x AAA battery pack from an led flashlight, the led was dim and flickering and the soundboard made a ticking sound.  I used a force fx anakin for this btw, not the qui gon

Great vid's. Anyone done anything an Anakin 2005 MR? I opened mine up thinking it would be the same... its a bit more complex lol.

I really want to do this mod to a Dominix V2. Does anyone know of a speaker that will fit?

Hello All.

Hope this thread is still being followed by the powers that be. I am new to this stuff, but have a pretty some background in electronics (even though I am about 20 years removed), so here is the deal.

I bought a LED with forum color BH, with standard setup from US. I tried this guide because I can't afford Obsidian, and had no issues with the sound working, but an issue with the LED. When I tested the BH LED on the Darth Maul Ultimate FX board, the color was BH for a moment, but then turned red. I am assuming that since the original LED was red, the board setup for the previous LED was at a lower voltage than what is required to run BH.

With that said, I was thinking about options and wanted some experienced opinions as to how I could go about this? My initial thought was to introduce a LM317 to the soundcard to decrease the voltage to the card and run it in parallel with the LED, then I read in the other place that the board can handle 6V, so I could possibly connect the board in parallel without any heating. I understand that with either of these option I lose the LED flash that the Ultimate FX provides, but I would still get the sound, which is my only real objective here. 

See my proposed design and check please. I have not done this type of stuff in quite some time. :)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/io1rt9zh49zxczc/WIRING%20BANE%27S%20HEART.pdf (https://www.dropbox.com/s/io1rt9zh49zxczc/WIRING%20BANE%27S%20HEART.pdf)

First question: Will this work and which one would the most efficient for battery preservation?

Second: Is there any alternative to this without giving up the flash?

Third: Is it a board issue at all (i.e. the combination of Economy Sound and BH LED power requirements are too high for a 4AAA battery pack)?


Insight and Opinions Wanted.

Thanks Peeps.

Ok  noob  here  trying  to do what the tutorial say's. i took out the sound card  made sure  not to  hurt anything and  try to strip the wire's and satter them. my only thing i can think of that i did wrong  was use the power pack  that wasn't the speaker combo... I was hoping to use the speaker that was already on there... here are some shots of what ive done
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/MBDMK/IMG_20140225_001420_zps6096d14e.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/MBDMK/IMG_20140224_032129_zps44ed327e.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/MBDMK/IMG_20140225_001430_zps814ab7a2.jpg)

So i might need to get that battery pack combo..... cause everything else isnt working .... im not sure what i did wrong?

This was the actual post I intended to make.  Incoming wall of text.



First: Thanks for the videos.  They were extremely useful.

Second: Some notes on changes/modifications I wanted (and in some cases) needed to make due to some differences.

1) The story.  I got a grab bag saber while I was deciding on which US pimped out saber style I wanted.  I received a Liberator v3.  I chose the Adegan Silver option with some colour discs for variety.  After getting a Scorpion with Emerald colour and Obsidian sound and finding this thread I decided to budget upgrade the Liberator v3 and gift it to my son for his 4th birthday.  My wife has a background in electronics and had most of the gear, this thread had the videos, away I went.

2) Couldn't find the Qui-Gon saber at my local shop.  All they had was an Anakin/Darth Vader saber which alternates red or blue.  I made it work with the following modifications.
a)  The switch wires were really short, needed to extend them.
b)  The switch in normal usage mode alternates.  Press the button once, get a blue LED and a slow hum. Turn it off, it is... off :)  Turn it on again, get a red LED and a fast hum (fast is apparently evil).  From a sound perspective this is a non-issue, technically speaking, as there is bugger all you can do about it.  From an LED perspective though see the next bullet.
c)  The switch activates two separate positive LED nodes at the end of the board (one for red the other for blue in the original toy) but uses the same negative node.  I soldered two wires, one off each node, and then spliced them together.  No matter which hum turns on (slow or fast), the LED lights up.  Incidentally (read "unplanned but happy with") I also have flicker on clash.

3)  I didn't want to burn through a bunch of AAA batteries and I like the idea of Li-Ion setups.  I also wanted to this saber to have a bit more colour options in the long run.  Yes, Adegan Silver + colour discs is fine but let's add some quick disconnects so we have the option to swap out LEDs properly for the future.
a)  I figured on using 2 Li-Ion Battery Holder/Speaker Combo to allow for more room in the hilt.  I also figured on using the 1000mA Wired Buckpuck so I could swap any old LED in there.  I may not know much about LEDs and required current by colour but the bits I read on this forum made me believe that this was the smartest option for swapping things in and out.
b)  Problem 1 occurred here.  I wired up my battery pack, put in the 2 Li-Ion batteries and then went to test which speaker wire went where as per the video.  I got nothing.  Nothing.  After much troubleshooting and searching the forums I found I fried the board.  I missed Ninja-Jedi's (very important) post which, truncated, says:
c)  First important bit: If you use the 2 Li-Ion Battery Holder/Speaker Combo with Li-Ion batteries (7.4V) you need to do one of two things. Either wire in a 5V voltage regulator before the board or use a Dummy Cell and one Li-Ion battery (3.7V).  The board can't take more than 5V.
d)  Second important bit: If you are doing simple single colour LED swaps with quick disconnects you won’t need the 1000mA Wired Buckpuck.  I have yet to verify this but I'll take his word for it he seems to have done loads with this board.
e)  Result:  Since the 1000mA Wired Buckpuck requires a minimum forward voltage of 5V, if you want to use it you will need 2 Li-Ion batteries (to be above the minimum for the Buckpuck) and the 5V voltage regulator before the board (to not fry the board).  However, for this simple setup used a single Li-Ion battery and a Dummy Cell.

4)  I followed Jhaka's splicing suggestion to get rid of the demo switch.
This freed up some more space and made things a bit cleaner.  With the Li-Ion Battery pack the board can fit nicely in the back-space.

5)  Wiring the quick-disconnects was a non-issue.  Finding the quick-disconnects, however, required me to go outside of US.

6)  I wrapped the sound board with electrical tape for basic protection.  I tried to do it gently but I think it is a bit tight and as such has affected the swing motion sensor in a negative way.  The board, unless completely still, will make the swing sounds.  Now this is for my 4 year old’s (birthday tomorrow) and he won’t care, but it is something I want to address when he isn't looking.

7)  When installing the press-to-fit Momentary Switch, I suggest doing it with the wiring extended out either end of the hilt.  I didn't and now I can only get the battery pack/speaker/board out enough to replace the battery.  This is fine for now, but I am unable to re-wrap the board at this time and could have potentially impeded the replacement of the battery.  I will need to remove the switch or at least lift it a bit to correct this issue.


Third: Here are the parts I used for this budget upgrade.
- Ultimate FX Anakin/Darth Vader toy lightsaber
- Guarded Momentary Switch
- Li-Ion Battery Pack/Speaker Combo
- One 14500 Lithium Ion Cell
- One Dummy Cell
- Quick Disconnects
- Extra Wire
- Shrink Tube
- Solder
- Soldering Iron/Gun

Hi all, I'm new to the place but have been following the site for awhile now. Been reading up on a lot of stuff and lurking in the shadows. ;-) But I had to post to this topic because it has been a huge help to me and answered some of my remaining questions. Thank you SO much for these videos, it has been exactly what I have been searching the forums for. I do have one final question though.

My first saber believe it or not is going to be a custom build your own. The only thing holding me back is everyone talks about soldering the wires. But based on the pictures and the videos I've seen, couldn't you skip the soldering part? When splicing the wires together, couldn't you just use a small wire connector after twisting the wires and put some electrical tape around it to keep it together? I do this all the time when installing ceiling fans. I also found http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Electronics-Butt-Splices-Vinyl-22-18-AWG-10-Clam-CPGI-2-1838199-0-10/202204283 (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Electronics-Butt-Splices-Vinyl-22-18-AWG-10-Clam-CPGI-2-1838199-0-10/202204283) which look very similar to the tubes he used in the video, I just don't think they shrink. They seem like they would be perfect. So do you really NEED a soldering iron for anything? My first saber won't have sound so I won't have to deal with that. For the sound card it does seem like you need to sodder though if I'm seeing it right.

I would not suggest using electrical tape.  I have done what you are talking about with ceiling fans but you have a good deal more room than you do in some of these setups.  The main reason you should solder and use heatshrink is the fact you are dealing with DC and not AC.  DC will short on these hilts quicker than you can imagine.  I have seen plenty of soundboards other than Obsidian do just that. 

Last year, I had a guy argue with me about using electrical tape over soldering.  He bought $200 worth of equipment and then fried the soundboard.  Now he just runs around Facebook and other forums complaining that Obsidian and another soundboard are complete crap. 

Even if it is a soundless model, you still should use the heatshrink and solder the joints.  The only time I would imagine someone could get around this is if they made a model to just sit on their shelf but what fun is that. 

You can check out some of my tutorials over at www.youtube.com/bluespike1974 (http://www.youtube.com/bluespike1974).  I can walk you through just about any install you want to do.  Big Andy's video challenged me to find a way to get around that pesky on/off/try me switch and I have finally found a way to do it.  It will be included in an upcoming video soon.

Can this be done with other Lightsaber soundboards? I don't want to advertise, but there is a $40 Hasbro Darth Vader/Anakin Color changer which is rather small and has a plastic hilt. Since it is more affordable than buying a Qui-gon FX soundboard, I was wondering if it can be dismantled and placed into an Ultrasaber.

It can be.  I have not worked with one yet so I am not sure how to use the color change option. 

Xevarin used one in a pos on the previous page, Blue.

Could you link that post here?  It might be helpful to others to get there from here since it is stickied.

Here it is, Blue

Thanks Blue. It actually would be more for personal enjoyment and less for actual use but still, the note about it being DC instead of AC worries me either way since I don't want to risk it dropping on the floor or something and having a problem. I did see that other thread with all your videos which was also worth the watch. Guess I'll add a soldering iron to the list. Luckily some don't seem to be too much.

Point awarded to Sandtracker for that super awesome update to this. 

Assassino, Walmart is where I purchased mine for a remote car starter install in 2006.  Still working today. 

Great info here! Thanks to this and a dying UFX Vader saber my stunt Sentinel LE saber now has sound.
Just finished the mod. The boards on the Vader are almost the same as the one demoed. Removed the demo switch and added a plug from an old computer fan as a quick release for the switch. I reused the Vader speaker by hot gluing it to the bottom of the standard 4 AAA battery pack. It fit perfectly.

A little cram-fu and I'm good to go.

On a side note, the Vader emitter shroud fits almost perfectly on the Sentinel I may just keep it there.

Is this easy to do? Next time I get a V2 I might wire my Qui-gon board into it. Not sure how exactly this would work though. Can you still use the stock latching switch? Are there any other resistors needed or anything?

If you can solder, it's not too hard. You just need to be meticulous and take it step by step.
Keep the wires straight in your head. Be sure not to cut wires too short. You might need some additional wire beyond what's in the Sabers already.
Getting a quick disconnect for the led and switch wouldn't hurt.

I found my stock switch works fine, I just don't press the button far enough for it to click. It makes contact before the latch engages. If it does latch it just takes two clicks to get it to turn off.

Oh and I'm sure it goes without saying,  you need an open pommel so the sound can get out.

Great tutorial! Given me the inspiration I needed to give diy a crack :)

I followed these instructions, but I am having a problem. I did wrap the soundboard in tape, but if I leave it on for more than 5 or 10 minutes or if I actually use it to hit things, it starts making a scratchy sound that quickly deteriorates into pure static. Leaving it off for an half hour resets it. Any ideas what I could have done wrong?

It might be overheating. I have found that the plastic tubes used to protect fluorescent lights come in quite handy for these types of builds. The end cap of those things makes a really nice speaker holder also.

Can anyone help with putting a soundboard into a stunt blade? Can't find anywhere with help, especially with parts, taking things apart and rebuilding??
Thanks.

Can someone link which UFX saber to purchase? There are alot of options ranging from $10 to a few hundred.

Thanks.

ok, I may be missing something here, but what resistor is he using for this and is it possible to use a buck buck in this. I am not electronically inclined in any way and I need a diagram or something.

Hi there, ive just finished watching all of Your videos, and I must say, they are awesome Man, I have been looking for a tutorial like this for some time now, i have an ultimate fx yoda saber that i want to take the sound card out of and use in my saber.

I have a couple questions tho, you could probably tell me,
my saber is an utrasaber INITIATE V3 stunt, but i want to put sound in it, would i be able to using this method, or is the hilt to small?
Also, my LED doesnt have quick connect, can it still be use for it?

I would love to be able to use this method to add sound to my hilt. my kiddos were using the yoda saber, but a few of the leds have gone out near the top of the
blade, and i happened to only pay $5 dollars for it at walmart last year, so i want to put the sound card to good use in my ultrasaber if possible :)

thank you

I just want to say hi hank you Big Andy, your tutorial helped me.
I installed the yoda sound card into my initiate v3, yes you were totally right about there not being much room,
But I used your art of kram fu, and it did the trick, pit in perfectly, and now I have sound, and it's awesome.
So thank you again, May the force be with you, ALWAYS

Joshie, was that a Yoda card from one of the current sabers I've seen at Wal-Mart and other places?  I'm thinking about getting one of these and trying to add it to my own stunt saber...

Hi there, no it was one of the ultimate fx ones that were out a few years ago
Don't try with those newer bladbuilder hilts, the soundcards are way to big.

OK, that's what I was afraid of.  Thanks for the info!

You're welcome, sucks too, cause I bought a hilt today thinking it would work, and found out the hard way that doesn't :-/

I've removed the sticky on this.
While still helpful if you come across an older soundboard, it no longer holds enough significance to maintain the sticky.

I've just changed the blade tube on an Anakin/Vader color changer in hopes it will endure my nephew's use. And, I wanted to try to fix the LED strip on an old Luke Ultimate FX. I got it apart, expecting to find what I might solder. But, I found that just flexing the strip at the cracked part got the LEDs working again. Pinching it in place and trying to find something to hold it made it snap further, so that didn't last. This would be the last missing saber from my Ultimate FX collection, if I can get the last 5 LEDs working.

Anyone know of a way to repair the existing LED strip?

The existing LED strip on an Ultimate FX toy has a brittle support with thin flat wire that runs along the strip. If there's a break, simply scratching the white coating with a razor blade can expose the metal surface. I only needed to solder the break to reclose 3 points. I suspect it would be easy to take advantage of that and add several inches in on the last section and keep the scrolling effect. It would just jump the last foot faster than the first.

I can mod an ultimate fx Kylo to full size. Now that I know how to swap for stronger blades and repair the LED strip, I just have to decide if I want to use this post's method of wiring the sound card to a single LED or extending the strip length on an existing toy and an ultrasaber blade.