Saber Forum

UPDATED 05/21/2015: The new and improved v4 Launcher now works with v3 soundboard, v4 soundboard, and the Emerald Driver.  If you are trying to connect to any of those devices please use the v4 Launcher and NOT the v3 Launcher.  NO LONGER USE THE V3 LAUNCHER FOR ANY OPERATIONS.  

The Mac version of the v4 Launcher can be found HERE (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=23236.0)

The Windows version of the v4 Launcher can be found HERE (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=23237.0)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvyRd6NuCJw&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJORRyxxR5Q&feature=youtu.be

I just downloaded the new launcher but it wont let me do anything cause im using a mac and it says I need windows. Is there a version for mac users

is it mac friendly ?

The Obsidian Launcher is only supported with Windows XP and up, unfortunately.

There have been those able to make the saber communicate with a Linux rig and use the launcher accordingly, but Mac won't work for now, as far as I know.

ah that is unfortunate :( i currently dont have access to windows my old laptop is history ah well fingers crossed someday its mac compatible ^_^

I have some Obsidian USB and USB2 boards, as well as a new Obsidian 3 board.  Can I not have both versions of the launcher installed if I install to different directories?  so that I can work with all of my sabers?

For some reason the download stops after downloading a little bit.  is there something wrong with the server that the file is on?  Is there any other way to get this file? 

Does this work on Mac?

Nope sadly not dude i have the same problem lol if you check further up you;d have seen i asked the same thing haha :P

haha my bad my friend!

Just a question...

With the obsidian 2.2.2 version, there is the LSU convertor.

This feature is implemented on the 3.0.4 or i still need the convertor to customize my sound?

Just not to make serious mistakes...

Thanks

^Just use the converter from 2.2.2, Those will work fine in the new Boards

So i just received my Gaurdian and i pluged it into my laptop and it doesn't  see the driver?? i Dl the Launcher and did what was instructed. Did anyone else that owns a Guardian have this Challenge??IF you have any solutions please do get back to me  ;D

Turn your saber on, then plug cable into saber. then usb end into laptop. wait for it to detect everything.  Also use a different usb or restard pc then  follow the steps I gave you.  let me know if that works!

Hi, I'm a newb, and I have a Mac as well.  But that's okay, I have VMWare Fusion and so I can run Windows 7 on my Mac, so no problem.  If it's really important to you, it'll cost you the price of Fusion (about $40) plus whatever a copy of Windows is going for, but you should be able to get your SoundFonts onto your lightsaber that way.

Downloaded this version of the program on my computer & it's letting me assign sounds but when I try "Write To Device", it starts then stops & my saber turns on but with the default sounds.  What's this dopey newb doing wrong?  :-[

Nevermind.  Figured it out!  Got Dark Star soundfonts rockin'!

Ultra noob question here so here we go! Is the the full launcher? It reads like it is.

What you download here is the full version, but it doesn't contain the LSU editor (for making your own fonts from wav files). If you download, unzip, and install the software package from this thread, your Obsidian 3 board will be customizable.

If you do wish to create your own LSU files from wavs, you'll find the LSU editor in the Obsidian Launcher 2.x.x thread.

thanks Eerockk

You're welcome. Standing by for more questions if they arise! :)

SO if I install my old launcher for my older sabers on one drive and the new launcher for any sabers I buy after mentioned serial number to another drive it I should be able to change all my sabers fonts right?

I had to do this too.

Uninstall all launcher versions. Reboot. Install the v3 launcher first (no matter where). Then, install the v2 launcher on the same drive but in a different folder, or on another drive like you suggested (I do that too).

As long as you install v3 first on a clean computer (no previous launcher installs present), the v3 and v2 launchers will respond to the appropriate sabers, and both will work as expected.

So I recently got my first saber and decided it was time to play around with some of the sounds and effects. Bought the saber 2 weeks ago so I assume this is the launcher I want. Is there no read me file in this download? I can't seem to find one

Wow... that just kind a makes me sad that it is not Mac Compatible.. I guess another reason to run refit or something and look for a windows copy...

"If your purchased your soundboard after February 2013 then you have a 3.x version."  So yes you want this version of the obsidian launcher.

ok we have to delete the old versions so will my saved fonts be deleted?

They might if they're saved in a folder with the program. Just copy all your fonts to a temporary folder on the desktop, then after the uninstall/reinstall, copy them back, or even save them anywhere you like. When the new launcher is installed, you can browse to the files wherever they might be.

My V3 launcher is installed on C, my V2 launcher on D, and my fonts are on my E storage drive. Everything works because I installed 3 first, then 2, and my fonts are safe and sound on another drive if anything happens to either drive.

ok the title saysV3.0.4 but when you click the download button it still says V3.0.3? So is there a 3.0.4 or what?

It is definitely the 3.0.4 version, they just didn't change the name of the zipped file ;)

Just make sure so select run as administrator, it works well.

What do I do if I forgot to uninstall the old version before installing the new version 3.0.4.?

Just make sure to run the right one. I still have the older one on mine.

Ok, newb question,

i can't figure out how to listen to the .lsu files without putting them on the saber, i can see there are play buttons next to every file in the obsidian software, but pressing them does nothing. I would just like to be able to listen to sound fonts before i put them on the saber.

thx

Mine's doing this to me now and it has worked in the past. I'll see if I can figure out what's going and get back to you. I'm going to try uninstalling both launchers (I need both), and then reinstall the V3 Launcher, THEN the V2 one to see if this issue clears up.

I have Win 7 and will run each install as administrator. I shall report back!

i have windows 7 also, but don't have and have never had any older version, i just tried a reinstall as admin to no avail

thanks for the trouble shooting

It must have been a Windows Update that caused this as the Launcher was never changed by Ultrasabers. The launcher(s) worked before, and then just stopped - both of them. More to come; I'm done work in 15m.

hmmm.. silly windows

I'm using V2.2.2 and its still working for me.

OK, just reinstalled both Launchers and neither of them will preview sounds. I'm at a loss as to why this no longer functions. I'm going to try re-downloading the packages from the link above and hopefully that will sort it out. Maybe my installer corrupted itself from being on my desktop for so long. It won't take too much time, so I'll post an edit to this post here with the results.

Edit: Obliterated all instances of the Launcher, re-downloaded the 3.1.4 version above. Ran the install as administrator, opened the program as administrator, and NOTHING! The launcher works, but clicking on the play icons does not preview the sounds. I got nothing, guys! If I can't hear the sounds first, there's no way I'm even going to plug a saber in to my computer.

In the meantime, I'm going to try this on another computer and see what happens there. There's no logical reason for this as the launcher was working before. Again, this has to be a Windows update that did something to the launcher; Ultrasabers hasn't made any updates since the one above, and the 2.2.2 launcher does the same thing. It's Windows for sure, but I'm not sure how to fix this one.

Hopefully Deep has another suggestion for us.

Another update and double post, sorry.

I installed 3.1.4 on another computer I have and it DOES preview the sounds. The 3.1.4 Launcher works perfectly and as expected. This means that my problem is local though. Poop.

I will now debug my non-working computer to see if I can find what went wrong.  All of the other programs I have can play their sounds. Something is keeping my Obsidian Launcher from being able to access the computer's sound devices. Uninstalling, rebooting, and reinstalling didn't help either. I suspect it has something to do with the .NET Framework 4.0. I'm going to start there and see what I can find.

If anyone else finds out what's wrong, please post away!

EDIT: To avoid a triple post... hehe

The Obsidian Launcher (both versions) do preview sounds, but only to one of my two sound cards. I have an external soundcard and the motherboard's soundcard, and for whatever reason, the sound outputs properly to the external sound card (through my headphones which is what I want anyway), but not to the speakers.

nsgallup, does your computer have multiple sound devices? If not, have you ever plugged one in, such as USB speakers or headphones/mic combos? If so, plug them puppies back in and see if that allows you to hear the devices. I'll see if I can dig around for the settings and see if I can switch them back to system default rather than point to a specific card. It might be in the registry or an .ini file. Cross your fingers! (Edit: and no dice. The config file was in XML and gave the access tokens to allow Windows to use certain systems and resources, but all of them are encrypted. There is no way to tell the system to use default settings).

Thanks for the info, I'll try that when I get home

GAH! Now everything works. I performed a CLEAN INSTALL of the latest audio drivers, (included in the GeForce package for my video cards), and everything works as expected.

Solution: Make sure all drivers are up to date! Run Windows Update to do the system first, then update all video and audio drivers using a "clean install" option to install the drivers as per the updated configuration. (Or uninstall your audio drivers, then reinstall them after a reboot).

Nekesus, I'm working on your files now. :)

Awesome-sauce!!!  Can't wait to hear it. 

Looks like I can get it to work with headphones :)
Thanks! Lightside points for you!

Well, good thing the hubs is a windows hold out :) would still be nice to be Mac friendly. Might still use my old laptop to install some annoying sound fonts before I give it to him.

ok so i downloaded the new launcher on my windows 8 laptop and all was fine, but now it wont open when i click on the icon, i have tried removing the program and re-installing it but still not working, has anyone else had this problem ? any ideas what i can try next ?

Just curious if there are any plans in the works to port or update the LSU converter for the latest version of the obsidian launcher. I understand that there are some work around possibilities for people to make things work, but for us new folks who have never worked with the earlier versions, and may be a bit uncomfortable with having  many versions of the launcher on one system.   .... long story short, perhaps it is time for  a new version of the LSU converter that works properly out of the box with the latest version of the rest of the software.   I think I have sorted out how to make things work with my setup but it is far from elegant.  I hope this doesn't in any way sound like a rant, it is intended as merely an observation and gentle suggestion.

 All the same I look forward to taking some samples from my electric guitar to create some new Hum effects, and make a sound collection that is both unique to my saber, and still faithful to the spirit of the star wars sabers.   also I look forward to my own Boot effect just some electronic chirps and beeps  with perhaps a brief energy build,  I love the obsidian board, but that boot intro kinda creeps out my girl friend and for me isn't very  light saber immersive.

Good feedback.

The solution to creeping out your lady is to go to the Saberforum member-generated soundfont thread where there is bound to be something you'll like. http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?board=36.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?board=36.0) :)

About the launcher: She may not look like much, kid, but she'll do point 5 past lightspeed... Sorry, that was Han.

Having both launchers is a necessity for me and except for the recent issue I had where an unupdated audio driver on my computer was causing me problems, either launcher works perfectly. Just install the latest one first, then the version 2 launcher afterward, and you should be able to mod sounds and create them yourself as well. I agree with you that I've seen more sophisticated software out there, but I can promise you that what this lacks in elegance, it makes up for in effectiveness.

Ok i need some help/advice
i have downloaded the new obsidian launcher on two different computers Win 8 and Win 7, after first installation all worked fine
but when returning to the program it can not be opened? on the Win 7 it was after a full shutdown and restart and on the win 8 it was after leaving the launcher and trying to re open it a while later what am i doing wrong ???

I have removed and and reloaded the installation and its still wont open  :(

Try updating your audio/video drivers and then running the Launcher installs again after but 'run as administrator'. That should get you back in.

Thanks for the advise got it working in the end after cleaning off some malware, well got seven days out of it now it refuses to open again...Odd thing is if i try and open it ( nothing happens) and then go to uninstall i get a message saying the following programs must be closed first, and it lists obsidian as the open program !!! must be Jedi mind tricks.   

Ok, so I just got my first saber, installed the launcher, and everything is fine until I try to download the sounds to my saber and I have no idea why. Can anyone help? I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Could you give us information about any error messages? That would make it easier for us to isolate and solve your problem :)

So I JUST installed V3.1.4, went smooth as butter, I am able to open and close the launcher with no problems.  I can also preview sound files over speakers/headset, so far so good.  I haven't connected the launcher to any of my sabers yet, so if I run into issues with that I will report in.  On a side note, I "accidently" saved all my configured fonts in a folder on my laptop, not realizing I did so before I uninstalled/installed the new launcher (I know, rookie right!).  I think I would have lost them other wise, so i'm really fortunate there! 

ok ive done a full system refresh and ran compatibility manager used win 7,vista even xp compatibility modes  and now have this Message "Issues found incompatible program detected Obsidian is not compatible " Odd it used to work? but guess its not going to work anymore on  :( if you know a fix please let me know

I've actually managed to figure it out. Thanks though  :)

OK, Very Newb issue.
I have installed the 3.1.4 version followed all the instruction and the launcher will not run for me.

running Win 7 Home Premium SP1
I check the task manager and i find the obsidian process and it has between 4xxx k and 14xxx k of memory, yet it isn't listed in the programs on the task manager and no window pops up... I'm a bit at a loss on this.

Help, please?

Try uninstalling, but then reinstalling as Administrator. (Right click the install file and choose run as Admininistrator). That should allow the program to run as expected.

Thanks...
Tried that. no joy
uninstalled, downloaded new copy of installer, installed it as Administrator, no joy
ran program as admin, no joy.... 
becoming frustrated

Well, you're doing it right. The only other thing that I can think of is perhaps an Antivirus program stopping it from installing properly, or maybe the computer has some spyware on it which I've seen cause problems for a few.

Perhaps you could try disbling the AV software for the install, or if that doesn't work, try running a spyware scan to see if there's something annoying on the computer. We all pick them up from time to time.

Please let us know!

Plus one point to you sir for the very "helpdesk" answer!

Hehe, thanks man. I'm often the Helpdesk for my friends and family as well. Glad I could extend that here as well!  ;D

Once the computer issues have been neutralized, there will be nothing to stop us this time...

Always glad to pass on the points, especially when the advice was actually helpful

hi guys. Ingo here. first time user and forum post. my wife got me the manticore emerald lightsaber with sound for christmas! making all my nerd friends jealous. i have been trying to change the sound and i get "Device Configuration Failed". just so you know the order in which i have done things and where it failed. if the steps seem elementary thats because i want to make sure im doing it right.

1. turned pc on
2. cut lightsaber on
3. connect lightsaber
4. opened obsidian launcher
5. find desired sound
6. dragged desired sound over to the right side
7. clicked read parameters
8. clicked write parameters
9. clicked write sound files

and when i click write sound files i get "Device Configuration Failed". any and all help would be appreciated. i am at a loss. thanks in advance ultrasaber community.

Please make sure this is being uninstalled and re-installed as administrator.  If you have multiple accounts on your computer operating system, please make sure that you are logged in as an administrator.  And please uninstall any past installations of the Obsidian Launcher or any sort or type or version whatsoever as the administrator and re-install it as administrator from here: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=11988.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=11988.0) (this is always the latest version of the Launcher).  

Make sure the saber is turned on and then while the saber is already on plug it into your computer with a Mini USB cable.  Then run the program and when you run the program please right click it and select "Run as administrator"

Then when you go to upload the soundfont please make sure that you fill each soundbank (boot, power on, power off, etc) yourself, do not leave whatever was in there, even if you are putting the same font in its place be sure that you manually fill each and every bank yourself and then see if it allow you to download the soundfont onto the soundboard. [THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, YOU NEED TO EMPTY EVERY BANK FIRST AND THEN FILL EACH AND EVERY BANK YOURSELF]

Also, don't click read or write parameters, that is only for changing the sensor settings.  Just click write sound files after you have done the above steps, that's it.

did a delete, and clean install of the program. works now thank you!!!!!!

i dont know if this is the right place to post, but i have two ultrasabers without sound, and i really want to add sound to them. is there a way to get the sound board and hook it up? does ultrasabers put them in for you if i sent my sabers back for installation? is it possible to add sound to my saber?
i have the standard battle saber and the  Initiate v3.

I don't think so. I know you can buy the soundboard seperately, but you'd either have to buy a lightsaber with one already installed or risk disassembling yours and put it in yourself.

Also, thank you Deep for the instructions you gave Ingo_krieg, it helped me out too

Sure, you can always ask the US team to upgrade your sabers via [email protected] . They can add almost every component you want unless you have a wish that is impossible due to limited space in the sabers ^^

you are my hero!! I kept getting the device config failure....and I removed all the sound fonts and put them back, and bam now it works thanks so much!!

Just wanted to check my hardware settings and copy them for my new saber. Followed the usual procedure (turn saber on, connect to PC, open launcher). Now every time I connect my Aeons (and only my Aeons) the launcher keeps saying "Connection to the device was lost" after 1 or 2 seconds where it tries to connect (LED went off, sound was muted as normal). The saber then returns to normal function - LED on, sound on. This doesn't happen on my Manticore...
Both Aeon soundboards still work fine, FoC, motion and clash sensors all operational. Only thing is that it won't connect to the launcher. Tried another port and another cable - no way.
Also tried to uninstall the driver and re-install it - doesn't solve the problem. OS is Win 7 Pro 64 bit.

Any ideas what to do?

Hi Racona,

That sounds unusual. Do you have any other USB devices plugged in that you don't normally have connected?

Only reason I ask is because I was using my phone to take some photos, and disconnected it while I had a saber plugged in and in the middle of testing a colour. When I unplugged my phone the launcher seemed to stutter for a second before returning to normal. I did have to click the test colour button again, but it worked fine.

The other thing to suggest is the old IT standby 'have you tried turning it off and on again?'. I've noticed - and it may well be just a problem with my system - that if I try connecting and disconnecting sabers to the launcher a few times then my system starts acting up. Yesterday my pointer would freeze periodically and stick on a non-arrow pointer (like the one for adjusting column widths). Anyway, I figured there was some sort of memory corruption and just rebooted my PC, which resolved the glitching.

I'm using the same Win 7 OS.

Hi Brian,

thanks for your reply. I currently have a Thrustmaster F1 Wheel, an external HDD, a WLAN dongle, a Bluetooth dongle, my Microsoft keyboard and my Logitech mouse plugged in (for charging)...all were plugged in when I changed my sound fonts the first time, together with my saber. Everything was fine that time. And as I said, the Manticore also works fine, even with the devices plugged in :-\

I thought of uninstalling and reconnecting the saber, too, but that didn't work. Also rebooting my PC was unsuccessful. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I suspect the boards not working correctly with the newest launcher. I think my Manticore has a newer board than the Aeons (what I saw from the Serial No.), so could that be a problem with the new launcher? Are the Aeon boards already outdated so that the launcher won't communicate with them properly?

I suspect that as long as the serial numbers are above #12120000 then the latest launcher is the right one to use.

I know it's an obvious thing but are your batteries charged? I overlooked that when I tried changing my Raven shortly after receiving it and it wasn't pretty. :)

There was a Windows update not long ago. I don't even check what gets updated any more, but I'm pretty sure one of my recent updates over the last few weeks updated my .Net installation. I just looked, and there's another .Net update pending as well. I think the Launcher uses the .Net framework, so maybe that has something to do with it? I'm kinda clutching at straws here.

I didn't check my updates, there were quite much since I connected my saber the last time. Will have a look at that.
The batteries were charged, just unplugged the saber from the Port Charger...so it wasn't a power problem either.
It's curious...I might try connecting my saber to my notebook later and see if the problem persists. If not, then it's my PC or any of the connected devices.
Anyway, thanks so far :)

EDIT: Had a .NET Framework update to version 4.5.1 on 12/08/2013...but I didn't check if the launcher still worked from that date on. Didn't thought of any problem that might occur :-\

So, just got my brand new Archon, and its soundboard is not accessible, too. The Driver works fine, so it's not a problem of the cord (tried another one which doesn't work either with the soundboard). Must be a problem within the soundboard->launcher communication - which must come from the launcher, since it's very unlikely that I have three corrupt soundboards (the Aeons worked well up to now).

Uninstalling and reinstalling the launcher didn't help either :-\

So, latest update: the launcher on the notebook doesn't connect to the soundboard either, and reverting to an older NET Framework version didn't help...it's annoying, can't change the soundfont, and the Emerald section only shows the Emerald serial when connected, but no preview of the chosen colours (testing colours works, but they don't show up in the diagrams) -.-

Problem solved! Just downloaded the v3.1.4 launcher again, installed it and noticed that file dates and sizes are slightly different from the v3.1.4 I had installed previously. Now the launcher connects to the soundboard without any problems...will try that with the Emerald, too, and see if the preview problem is also solved. Simple solution for a complex problem...

EDIT: Just solved the soundboard problem, the Emerald problem persists. Colour picking isn't possible, it just switches back to black. Only colour mixing via the sliders is possible :-\
EDIT 2: Works like a charm now. Tried the workaround and changed the local settings to United States and it solved all my Emerald problems :D

It work 2 times good. Now i cant write 0,25 seconds, it automically pust it in whole seconds on flash on clash. HELP!

Have you tried both the dot and comma separator? For me, it now only works when I use a dot instead of a comma for separating seconds and milliseconds.

Yup, like i posted in other thread, dot does the trick. US need to update this driver for world wide users... eh.

Until I read some posts here, I didn't even realise that there were places in the world that didn't use a decimal point to show decimal numbers. If I'd been coding the software, I wouldn't have even thought about checking the inputs for something like commas - and I also wouldn't have even thought about what the Windows localisation settings might (or might not) be doing to the entries in those input boxes. Just as well I didn't code it! :D

Therefore an internationalized launcher like Smo suggested would be a great improvement...we should write that down in the Wishlist thread :D

With freshly installed 3.1.4 launcher I can't write any soundfiles to my saber, it says "device configuration failed", and changes the focused window. Are there any ways of fixing that?

Unplugging batteries helped with other issue

I assume your batteries are charged and you followed the recommended procedure? If so, then try another USB cord or another PC...what OS do you use? Win 8/8.1 is known to cause several issues with the Launcher...mostly it's a driver problem.

Win 7, 64 bit, tried several batteries and cables.

Okay...have you installed and run the Launcher as an administrator? I'd also try a reset, just take the batts out for 10 secs and put them back in.

I'm getting an error "Unexpected error occured. Please contact the support if the error repeats" when I launch the launcher.
So I beleive this to be the launcher problem.

As I said, try installing and running it as administrator. It often happens that the program doesn't get all permissions from the OS to operate and communicate properly if it hasn't the appropiate rights  ;)

I just received my new manticore today and i'm trying to configure the sounds in my obsidian launcher. I installed it as system admin and I'm running it as system admin and i always get that "unexpected error occured" i can save parameters on my launcher, but if i try to write sound files, it always says "Device configuration failed". I have tried everything that is said in the forums and I have tried uninstalling and re-installing and rebooting and everything. Nothing seems to work. I can see my serial and everything, but I just get the error messages. I have tried all 8 usb ports in my computer and I have tried them with 3 different cables and no help there. I also tried another computer with another os and nothing.

Please, i definetly need help.

I had to use a different port in order to force my computer to recognise my soundboard - I did the Emerald Driver first.
The other thing I noticed is the soundboard only seems to 'receive' the changes while the Saber is turned on.

Now the fun begins! Great news!  :D

hmm, this far i have tried to use 3 different computers and tried absolutely everything and yet I'm not able to get new sounds to my saber or get rid of the "unexpected error occurred..." text on the launch... If i'd only knew if it's my sabers obsidian or the launcher.

Indeed, and I may have discovered a 'quirk' that may warrant some investigation...
My soundboard will only "talk" to the launcher by a USB2.0 port whereas My Emerald Driver is fine on a 3.0 port.

Notices a lot of "uninstall and reinstall as administrator" on the thread here.  I was having a similar issue, I had installed 3.1.4 and it would not accept the update.
However, rather than uninstall and reinstall, I went to the start menu, clicked on the properties of the program, and clicked a box next to "Run as Administrator" and then clicked "Update."

Worked like a charm and a lot easier than reloading everything!

Enjoy!

Did you manage to get your problem resolved ? Cause i have exactly the same problem...I did everything I've seen on the forum (boot, reboot, install, reinstall, run as administrator...) and nothing changed. I keep having the same message "an unexpected error bla bla bla...".

I'm using a Windows 7 Pro PC if that can help....

Where do I download the new Launcher 3.1.4? I reformatted my machine & I'm so frustrated in finding the download for this. Anyone?

Did you try the download link on the first post in this thread?

First, the version that is downloaded from the link in original post is labelled 3.1.4 but is really 3.2.1.

I've purchased two Emerald Sabers with sound that arrived in the last day.  I've followed instructions to install Obsidian Launcher as admin and to execute the program as admin.  I've turned the saber on, plugged in the USB cable, started the launcher as recommended.

Issue #1: Changes to sound will not work. When writing changes saber comes on with original settings.
Issue #2: LED Options are all grayed out, I am unable to do anything with changing colors.

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit.

Half the time device manager shows an issue with the USB input device driver for the saber saying it cannot be started.  When this is an issue, Obsidian Launcher does not detect the saber.  When the driver IS working, the issues above are apparent. I've uninstalled, rebooted, reinstalled the program as well as try different USB ports both 2.0 and 3.0.  When there has been a driver conflict, I have uninstalled it so that it could try and reinstall successfully.  It never installs successfully on first attempt.  I will try another computer tomorrow.

I have to say I am very dissatisfied so far with my experience with the Obsidian Launcher.  This tech is supposed to be the best of the best, but the program seems to be incredibly buggy.  Maybe it's release 3.2.1?  I would love to try 3.1.4 but there are no downloads that I can find for it.

Any help would be appreciated, thank you for reading.

To change colours you need to plug in your Driver, not your Obsidian soundboard. To access the Driver you have to pull out the battery pack far more than for the soundboard. The Driver's USB port sits near the end of the battery pack where the wires are.

As for the sound issue: did you try another USB cord? Maybe the one you have used is faulty. I can't think of another issue so far, normally the driver included in Win 7 should work fine...I have it myself, and no issues so far (only when I had a faulty version of the launcher which didn't recognize my soundboard at all).

Alrighty, let's see if I can help with some of those.

Firstly, the 3.1.4 archive is the same one I'm using on my own Win 7 64 bit machine. I checked the help about box, and sure enough, it shows v3.2.1. Colour me surprised! On the other hand, it works fine for me, so I don't think you need to find a 3.1.4 version of the 3.1.4 zip.

My experiences with the launcher have usually been successful. Couple of nights ago I changed the colours and options on about 6 emeralds in a row, without a single problem.

The one time I had problems was when trying to change colours on a new saber - I could not get it to save the colours and FoC settings the way I liked - eventually I realised the problem. I'd forgotten to charge the saber first. Yep, that was the problem as it worked flawlessly after being charged.

I had the same problem you did with my first emerald saber - couldn't work out why I couldn't adjust the colours. Then I realised, there are two usb ports for a reason. One is for sound (the pommel end of the board), and the other is for the emerald driver. Are you using a fully wired USB cord (eg, one for a disk drive?) Some usb cables are just for charging...

Hope this helps.

Assuming it doesn't though, there are a few threads that go through some step by step 'this nearly always works' processes you can try.

Let us know how you go.

Well I feel silly for not realizing there are two ports to plug in, one for sound and one for color.

Both Sabers were fully charged before I began to fiddle with them by the way.  The USB cable I am using is the one that was included by Ultrasabers that I chose when selecting the various options for my Emerald saber purchases.

The program does seem incredibly sensitive, I wonder if there is some kind of issue between my other peripheral drivers and the saber drivers.

I am going to try another USB cable as I have a ton of these (some for external drives and Playstation controllers). Will report back.

Thanks so much for the fast responses, unfortunately I passed out last night right after posting.

** UPDATE **
I have no issues whatsoever with adjusting the LED Driver to my liking.  Sound adjustments refuse to save still.

Have you tried this with windows 8.1? That's what I'm using, and I can get it to connect, but I always have to restart the computer each time when trying to connect again. Why would this matter? I have no idea.

Also, when attempting the uninstall, I've found that the easiest way is to just go back to the site and click on install. When you do that, the install wizard asks if you would like to uninstall the program (or do some other stuff). Click on uninstall, and then after that the reinstall should (in theory) work fine...

When will the down load be ready for the Mac i do not have access to a pc that i can down load stuff to and i really want to start working on my settings?

There won't be a Mac version for the time being. Only way is using a Windows PC (or a Mac running Windows via Parallels or a similar virtual machine software) :-\

thank you ill look into that :)

Hi everybody,

Do you know which usb is necessary it for emerald driver ? usb 2.0 or 3.0 ?
Which configuration have on your computer?

bye

Some of us have problems with the USB 3.0 ports, especially when plugging in the soundboard. So better use a USB 2.0 port on your PC. These are known to work well.

thank you Racona Nova

You're welcome :)

I've been trying constantly to get this launcher to load up and I'm at a loss.

I'm running Win 7, the saber is brand new and I'm using the 3.1.4 launcher in this thread.

Whenever I double click the launcher, whether it's through the desktop shortcut or the actual exe file in the folder, nothing happens. I can see the Obsidian program in the processes on my task manager so I know it's loaded up in some capacity but it refuses to show. The saber itself is recognized by the pc and the drivers install just fine. That part's actually the least of my concern.

I've re-downloaded, uninstalled, re-installed. All multiple times and all both as an administrator and just normally. Still nothing. I tried it once on another computer and it actually worked the first time. Then after I closed it, the same problem occurred and it won't start up again. I'd done literally nothing to the computer in that time between.

I'm not sure what else there is I can do at this point.

I don't succeed in opening the ZIP file with 7zip.
Is this normal?

I've got an error message from 7-zip : "Can not open file '....\v3.1.4.zip' as archive"
How can I solve this issue?

Any help will be welcomed.

Perhaps the archive didn't fully download? You could try downloading it again, or using a different program to unzip it. I can't see why 7zip wouldn't work though.

The file I downloaded on 15 December 2013 is 31.7mb (33,301,026 bytes) if that helps.

I am having problems with getting the default obsidian sound board back on to my saber. I can get the file to run ok, but i somehow saved a file on the saber that makes the saber have no sound.
I have tried downloading the default obsidian sound font, then extracting the file into a folder, and then putting each of the sound files under motion/impact/lockup, ect. After that I click "write sound files to device". Once it is done, the saber goes silent but still lights up.

- I downloaded version 3.1.4 and have a saber with a serial number of greater than 12120000. I watched the video for How to Use Obsidian Launcher v2.2.2 and heard that i should read the readme first, but could not find it.

 It is my fault entirely for this issue, i tried to download the sith font and messed it up. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea that i am here to blame ultrasabers. I appreciate any help.

Hey im having problems saving sounds to my saber it keeps coming up with an error message is there something wrong with my sound board? or the cable that came with the saber? every thing else works on the program.

I have found the small "write" button near the bottom errors out - I don't get why it might.
Try the one up at the top it doesn't error for me

I have tryed all the save bottons and nothing.

Have you emptied all sound categories before putting in the original font files? Try that and then click "Write files" with ALL sections emptied. Disconnect the saber, close the Launcher, take out the batteries to reset the saber and then try again writing the original fonts. It works in most cases...

Ive downloaded the launcher from the first page 5 times, everytime it tells me its finished but when i open the .zip i get a "unexpected end of archive" error with my winrar, and it wont let me run the launcher because of it...idk what to do

it does the same thing with my Novastar compilation soundfont i tried to download, all the rest worked fine.


HELP

Hey guys I have tried to download the launcher a few times and keep getting the error saying "cannot open file. It does not appear to be a valid archive." Has anyone had this before? Do I need the full version of winzip to do it? Thanks in advance.

My message just above states I'm having the same problem :/

my bad, thought id ask the question after reading 4 pages.

No appology needed, it appears to work for some and not others, I'm too scared to use older version of the launcher ( which do work ) in case I damage my saber

Those of you having the unexpected end of archive error. Please post the exact file size of the archive you have downloaded.

I think you'll find it is not the full 31.7mb file, no matter what your download manager tells you. It means your download failed and you'll need to try downloading it again.

Edit: I just tried downloading the file and found Windows had a lot of problems trying to download the file. I used a download manager (JDownloader) which allowed me to resume the download until it completed successfully.
 

Hi, I have the same problem with downloading 3.1.4 archive. Please, re-upload this file/fix it.

I used jdownloader like the above post and it worked

Yes, it also helps me after second attemp. However, now I get already described "unexpected error". Did anybody solved this problem?

Install and run the Launcher as administrator. That should solve the "unexpected error" problem.

Thank you! But problem resolved in other way - pls read http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=17534.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=17534.0)
Point is that international users should change system format/locale to USA, and then this error dissapear.
Anyway, we all hope that obsidian will solve this issue in soft.

Hm, okay...for me it solved like that :D Anyway, good to hear that you solved it.
But it's curious - I only have to change the locale when I want to change Emerald settings :P

Have you emptied all sound categories before putting in the original font files? Try that and then click "Write files" with ALL sections emptied. Disconnect the saber, close the Launcher, take out the batteries to reset the saber and then try again writing the original fonts. It works in most cases...

I did this and now i have no sound on my sabe,r I tryed to add sound when I go to write new file to the saber the same error message keeps coming up that it can not wright the files to the saber, what am I doing wrong?

What does the error message say in detail? It's an "unexpected error", "device configuration failed" or anything else? That might help us to narrow down the possible reasons and solutions for your problem :)

device configuration failed is what it says

Have you already tried what Deep suggested in this (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=16288.0) thread?

I did as you and Deep suggested, which was to remove all sound fonts off the saber, then unplug, remove the batteries, put batteries back in, then manually selecting and placing each sound font from the default obsidian sound font on the saber.

Now if i put my ear very close to the bottom of the saber where the sound comes out, i can hear the noise but only faintly. I made sure that it was not muted or set at a lower volume. Would this suggest that i pulled a wire too hard or something? (I checked the box saying "check crc" because i thought maybe it would tell me if i had a disconnected wire or something)

Also, I am not sure how to boot a saber. I assumed it just means to hold the power button for 10 seconds? I used the search function but i could not find out how to do it. Maybe rebooting the saber will help some.

I tried installing the entire sith font onto my saber afterwords to check and see if maybe the default setting i downloaded were giving me problems. I was able to get the sith sounds onto the saber, which i could not do before :). However,  i could only just barely hear it if i put my ear next to the saber speaker.

I realise that this is probably one of the first things you did, but maybe double check that the master volume is set to 100 as well as each of the individual sounds.

Rebooting a saber just means taking the batteries out for 10secs and then putting them back in.
As for the sound, it can indeed be a loose or damaged wire. I'll try to find something on that issue and how it could be solved, the most obvious thing would be sending it back to US for repair.
The "Check CRC" only recognizes issues on the board itself regarding the sound files, but not wire or speaker problems.

EDIT: I would definitely tell Emory first, but I found out that it could definitely be a bad speaker or a wire problem.

The only suggestion I would have before sending it in for repairs is to ensure that you are writing the correct parameters to your saber and not overwriting the new sound font with the old parameters.

When you plug in your saber it may be recognizing the device and the parameters that you are working on presently but I just want to make sure you are clicking on Write Parameters and Sounds not just Sounds.-

You know, it has been asked of me to create a video tutorial on the V2 and V3 launchers. Perhaps it's time I got to work...  ;)

That would definitely be a great idea! Looking forward how it turns out at the end!

Is the new version windows 8 compatible?

Yes, but you may run into issues like no proper detection of the saber - it's probably an incompatibility between the saber and Win8, a Windows driver problem so to speak. The program itself is working under Win8.

Ok thanks that helps me decide whether or not I get sound

It's not said that it never works, though ;) There are people who don't have probs, there are people who have. If you have a Virtual Machine capable computer, it might be worth trying to configure the saber under a Win7 version running on a virtual PC.

There also seems to be an issue with the USB drivers as well on Win 8 machines.  In my experience the USB 3 ports do not like communicating with the saber but I have seen one that worked and one that didnt. 

Dont let it turn you off as its doable you may just have to try all USB ports and different USB cables. 

Generally speaking when it something that works but doesnt work it is not always the OS itself but the peripherals and the other components used.

For example I trouble shooted a person on facebook who said I HAVE WINDOWS 8 AND IT WONT RECOGNIZE

I had him try a USB2 port with a usb cord and it didnt work... He tried another cord and it worked fine. 

Dont let it turn you off from sound as it seems to be like Racona said something to do with the drivers and what not. I have seen several issues but none that do not have an eventual work around. 

I admit that I avoid Windows 8 for two reasons: I do not want a tablet, and I'm afraid to lose my ability to change sounds.

I had this exact same issue with my Graflex SE. Prior to contacting Emory and sending it in for repairs, I took a risk and used the Launcher to load Lord Vane's Vader soundfont onto my new Chosen One SE (I thought it might have been the software corrupting the soundboard somehow, so I was wary), but there were no problems; the new soundfont files were written to The Chosen One's soundboard just fine. There was no loss /drastic drop of audio. Everything was in order. That's what made me conclude that my Graflex's problems were likely hardware related.

For the life of me I can't figure out how I could've done damage to it, though. I'm always very careful when working with the internal components, since I don't have the skills to repair them.

I hope you're able to solve the problem, Bue. Keep us posted.

I have a tablet. I still don't need Win 8 :P

Tried to download the launcher several times. Always stopps after about 11 Mbytes (though archive size is about 30 Mbytes).
Get an error-message when I try to open the archive...

Anybody else got that problem?
Please help!

What browser do you use? If you're using Firefox, then try installing the download manager add-on "DownThemAll!", it worked for me. Otherwise PM eerockk, he has uploaded the zip file to his Dropbox account AFAIK.

I do, and I'll ensure that it's always up to date with the link on the site. But it should be a last resort only. I do believe it's a wifi thing, as in if you're on wifi and not next to the router, it may force a server timeout. It downloads very quickly on my wired desktop with Chrome and no add-ons.

Same here. I'm using the newest Chrome, on a Desktop wired connection, and I've tried downloading it several times now, and still doesn't extract. I think wherever the file is being hosted might have a problem. Needs a mirror or if somebody has the zip somewhere on their computer, they can uploaded for us in the meantime.

Hey, this is probably a stupid question, but when i download the launcher the zipped folder says v3.1.4 on it, but then when I install it and run the Obsidian launcher, the top of the launcher window says v2.2.2   Am i doing anything wrong?

I've got the same kind of issue but mine is 3.2.1

I see I'm not the only one having an issue with the new download for obsidian...

I too am unable to extract it as when I attempt to extract the folder, I get an error stating that the archive is either in an unknown format or damaged.

I second the user that suggested that any user who has a working 3.1.4 should put up a DropBox link or something.

As has been posted already, if anyone has trouble downloading the file directly, then try using a download manager like JDownloader which can resume downloading it if it is interrupted.

It's the interruptions that cause the file to appear damaged as Windows thinks it's finished when it isn't.

While I'm sure there are many members willing to host the file, it then becomes an issue of what happens when there is an update, where the link is stored that people can find, will newcomers be able to trust links that aren't hosted by UltraSabers directly, etc...

I'm sure others have found a solution, but I've been having trouble getting my obsidian launcher to actually launch. For reference, I have a Raven with RGBW Emerald and Obsidian drivers. I downloaded the latest version (v3.1.4) and installed the driver. I turn the blade on, plug the usb into it, and then into my computer. The notice appears and it's recognized. I click the Obsidian Launcher icon, and nothing happens. However, when I open up my task manager, I see that there is an Obsidian process running. I'm really hoping someone has found a solution to this.

If you right click and Run as Administrator, all should work. It takes a second or two to load.

I did as you suggested. When I tried to open it again, I got an administrative message asking me if I wanted this program to open, which I replied "Yes". The launcher didn't open, but once again created a process that is visible in my Task Manager.

Was having trouble downloading the file, but thanks to some suggestions for like Downthemall for Firefox, downloaded asap. So thank you =D

Hz modify your sabers. Pitch is high with them also.

After many attempts to download the launcher using different browsers, download managers and using a Linux laptop I am unable to get the launcher file downloaded with out a error. Is there another site or mirror that the file is located on.

Shoot eerockk a PM, he has the file on his Dropbox account. Maybe he can help you...but it's curios that Download Managers don't work for you - all of the current download error issues were resolved by using them :-\

As I had to upgrade my laptop from windows XP for college it is running windows 8 I will let you know how it works:).

Felt this deserved a separate post.
It worked great I believe that the update to windows 8.1 and with changes made to the launcher to include the Emerald Drive have made both more congenial:). Will post if problems occur.

ok wheres this run admin feature everyones talking about

Right click

Right click on the Obsidian Launcher icon, left click "Run as Administrator". That's all :)

I tried downloading this version of the launcher and when I go to unzip it my computer tells me that the folder is empty. I've been trying to figure this out for a few hours and haven't had any luck. Can anyone help? I'm extremely new to all of this.

I had downloaded the launcher, and it worked once or twice, came home from work and refused to work, or even officially open. I've uninstalled, restarted and re installed the whole thing to no positive result.
its all on my computer, all the files , but when I go to launch it, it wont launch, no msg or anything just an hourglass for a moment then nothing. ( running windows 7)

Is it still not compatible with Mac?

No, unfortunately it's not supported yet :(

i got it downloaded started putting different stuff into the list i just get a error message when i go to download the stuff to the saber

when i connect my saber to my laptop it says it doesn't recognize the usb device... the obsidian launcher can't seem to find it either... i got windows 8, btw...

Win 8 is known to have issues with the Launcher. Do you have access to a Win 7 PC, too? It doesn't have these driver and recognition problems.

I'm going to uninstall everything and reinstall

I will point out that the obsidian windows 8 has no problem doing the Emerald driver.

i don't, no... is there any way i can get around this?..

You can try to set up a virtual PC (e.g.  that runs with a legal Win 7 copy or you set up a dual boot system with both Win 8 and Win 7. Using the virtual PC is easier, although the commonly used recent version "Windows Virtual PC 6.1" is not working with Win 8. You will need a virtualization program that is compatible with Win 8. That's what I can suggest as a work-around so far :)

And Jedijosh is right, only the soundboard seems to have that problem. The Emerald Driver works fine with Win 8.

Are you turning saber on the plugging the USB cable in to saber then plugging into computer?

Also does your laptop have USB 2 and USB3 ?

I've seen quite a few issues with USB 3 connectivity

Huh? I could use some layman terms.

The new version of USB on Windows 8 seems to have issues with devices that are plugged into them - sometimes.

Win 8 is frustrating but cool, once you get the hang of it (I say as I've repaired a few comps with 8 on it). I have no problems with my Win 7 computers. If you don't want a PC that acts like a tablet though, stick with 7.

Ok thank you Eerockk:). +1

Does anyone have a problem running this on Windows 7 Home?
Regardless of how I run the program I get a USB Device not recognized.

From everything I have been able to find the board should run as a standard USB device and not require a driver.  However I just cannot get the device to recognize.  Two different computers, 6 different USB ports, nothing...   I have read through the thread here and just have not gotten a good feeling on how to get this to work.

I've only had the saber a day now; but would really like to get this working!

FYI: connecting to the sound board gives the same results...

You follow the usual procedure "Turn saber on - Connect cable to board - Connect cable to PC - Run Launcher as Admin"? I rarely heard about issues with Win 7...

I had trouble downloading the launcher with Firefox 30 on Windows XP, until I installed the DownloadThemAll extention.

When running the launcher, it got stuck on installing the .Net 4.0 framework. I ended up killing it with Ctrl-Alt-Del and then rebooting.
After that it seemed to work, and I can now connect to my saber.

UPDATE:  I thought this was in the Technical forum - was bouncing around the forum looking for updates to my issue or a solution.  I will move to a different thread if I find one applicable that is not an old thread.  Or Moderator, feel free to remove or move if you know of a proper location.

I've done a number of tests on different hardware and operating systems.  The issue I have experienced, like others have stated, is specific to the Obsidian Sound / Obsidian Launcher (different 3.x versions) losing connection to the saber - when you execute the launcher initially connects, shuts off the sound on the saber, and then immediately comes up with the Lost connect... Dialog box.  I have experienced this with both Win 7 and Win 8/8.1.

I have no issues when connected to a Win 8.1 desktop with a motherboard that only has USB 2.0 ports.  I have not yet been able to test the difference between xHCI and EHCI controllers/modes.

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=17747.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=17747.0)

I hope to make time to test that myself.  But to date, I have been able to successfully run the sound side of the launcher on the Win 8.1 hardware (USB 2.0 ports) without issue.  I've tested in native running as admin and running under compatibility mode using different older OS and have been successful.  I will also repeat that connected to a USB 3.0 port using either Win 7 or Win 8, I can get it to recognise and add the HID device, labeled as Lightsaber in Devices, and get it to connect to the saber on Obsidian Launcher execution, then it drops the connection as soon as the app/routine shuts off/disables the sound on the saber.  Then, like others have stated, the USB cable must be disconnected (Emerald driver/LED still lit), saber powered off, and a battery removed/replaced before it will operate.

I will continue to test as time permits, because I am also having issues were in a param write is sometimes 'killing' my motion sounds.  I've successful had the Old Republic font downloaded to the saber, but in changing sensitivity params, somehow smacked some of the previously written sounds.  I'm not certain yet, but that issue is probably just self inflicted after frustrations of numerous lost connections in middle of sound writes.  That too, was self inflicted, because I had forgotten to disable OS power management on one of the USB 2.0 ports I was testing on.

ive had problems with the last version of this program on my Alienware Desktop windows 8, i havent tried this version yet but after not being succesful with the last version on that PC i tried it on a older PC and it worked great.

Not sure what the problem is.

Just got my New saber and was having fun changing the color and now the sound font, then I found I could not load any sounds, then accidentally loaded no sounds which it was happy to do.

Now with no sounds on my new saber that was all of a few hours old I was getting worried.  Lucky computer literate (day job) I was able to determine that the Obsidian Launcher REQUIRES you to run it in Admin mode to copy the files - but not just writing parameter data (something that would be on the front page and help in BIG BOLD LETTERS - and looking here on the forum a few people seems to have also said as much) At least for win 7-8.

Also a possible workaround for People with USB 3.0 ports on a new laptop/desktop as they may find that there USB driver may not like talking to this sound Boards (and a few other USB devices - adafruit trinket is another) .  A easy workaround if you do not have any other USB 2 ports to use would be any USB 1-2 hub.  This will allow the device to be recognized and used etc. (correctly forces the USB 3 to go into legacy mode and not get confused on this device)

I am up and running again after that WTF moment :P

Taerog,

Glad you got your sound issues worked out.  I, too, had one of those WTF moments within an hour of having my saber.  In the limited time I've had to perform additional tests, the immediate disconnect after launching Obsidian sound launcher seems specific to USB 3.0 ports or permission related during a write, as you are aware.

People need to understand the need to run as administrator and possibly in compatibility mode if required.  Those two things should solve all but the port version issues.  Also, people should be aware of power management settings for their USB ports.  While normally not an issue, if you are messing with sounds or colors (Emerald) long enough, that can be an issue - as I found out.

Those familiar with device manager shouldn't have an issue checking the properties of their USB ports.  I won't go through steps in this post.  But if their are folks who continue to have sound issues, please feel free to email me and I can help you work through them.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Hi,  I am sorry to ask this question or make this comment as it has been in the 13 pages of post multiple times already.....  So I have a Mac... And I would like to know exactly what I have to buy to get this obsidian launcher working...  I have heard of virtual PC.... If this works then I guess I have to buy that and then do I still have to buy a windows program?  I suspect it may be cheaper to buy a cheaply cheap laptop already preloaded....  I wish there was a Mac version of this launcher...  In almost ten years this is the first time I have actually regretted switching to a Mac....  Thanks to any for the advice...  I have one techno guy at work who may be able to help so I will hit him up when gets back from vaca (figuratively speaking... Not actually wacking him with saber :)

Show him saber,  and he will come:).

I'm having trouble with this since the new version.  I cannot get the launcher to load no matter what I do.  I run it as administrator and install it as administrator but it never loads.  I uninstalled and re-installed but still nothing.  I'm turning the saber on, plugging it in, and then running launcher but the launcher does not come on.  I've had zero problems with the previous version.  Any insight?

I'm on Windows 7 64bit.

Am i the only one with major issues with the New Obsidian Launcher?

I just got my Emerald Belicose and i ordered it with Blazing red, but then i wanted to try to mess arround with it.
I followed the instruction videos on how to use this program, but when i start it it says "An unexpected error has occured. Please contact support if the problem persists". Now when i turn my blade on it does'nt lit up, it on lits up if you clash it and if i do, it lights up as blue :s?

Somebody explain to me how to get the program working beacuse i can't do 1 single thing with it and every time i press a menu that error message pops up...

Someone please, i want to use my saber so badly!

I get a lot of errors when running this program. Even when I have not connected any saber in the USB slot, it tells me that an unexpected error has occured. When I plug the USB in, I also get an error, but I get an obsidian USB serial number. When I try to "Write Sound Fonts" I get an "Device Configuration Failed" error.

Where can I download previous version of this launcher?

@kakaduan: If you're following the instructions, did you also pay attention to the "run it as admin" thing? Also, be sure to change cour locale settings to US (if you're not an US resident) before running the program. Otherwise you'll encounter even more problems than only that message.
How did you order your saber? Did you choose any blue shade for FoC? If not, then it's probably an Emerald board issue. Try to remove the batteries in order to reset your saber. After that your saber should be working again. This can happen if you have communication problems between the Launcher and the saber, especially when using a faulty USB cord or when your batteries are not charged completely.

@Akimoto: For the error at the Launcher startup, try the "run as admin" option and change your locale settings to US (if you're not an US resident). The other errors can occur if you have either a faulty USB cord or, which is more possible, batteries that are not charged completely. Always charge them before you make changes, otherwise you'll encounter errors or damage your boards

Does not change anything. Installed as admin and run as admin. My computer is English. I have tried two different USB cords, a long and a short one. The batteries have been fully charged as well.
The symptoms indicate faulty software as I get an error just by running the software, regardless or not having an ultrasaber connected.

/praise

1st shot!

After spending a full week, Sat to Sat, trying every solution on all of the "problem" threads, (and there were a alot of them, none of which helped my issue)

I pulled out the old POS alienware and ran the launcher like a dream... ???

.....hmph, never woulda guessed it

Similar story but different ending...  I tried continuously to get boot camp running on my Mac for a virtual PC... No luck... My Mac air may be too old or has had to many updates... Anyway I got a cheaply dell laptop with windows XP and loaded the launcher as well as required updates and it worked like a charm on the first try.  Way to go US for keeping PC alive...  :P. Seriously though, the launcher  works perfectly and the product is fantastic...   Now to work on next orders... Hmmm...

I have som trouble with FoC in the Obsidian Launcher every time i change the number to 0.5 seconds and write pulse and color it jump's back to 5 seconds

Easy to solve: change your locale to US, then you should have no problem with the times and colour previews in the Launcher :)

Hello guys

I've been searching this topic's pages for a while and have noticed this problem above coming up a few times. I havent yet found an answer to this that solves the problem. I too have a new emerald saber and tried the launcher. Worked fine. shut down the program. all good. then tried again, program wont pop up at all. process is running but doenst actually seem to do anything, regardless of a saber being connected to the pc at all. Tried re-installing, running installer and program as admin, and even in various compatability modes (winxp, win7), but no success. I myself am running on win8.
It seems to be a problem with the software program, and not with the saber or anything between the saber and the software.

I just ordered my emerald and downloaded the driver but not working for mac. Whats up with that?

There's no Mac version available right now. You can only run it on a Windows PC until there's a final Mac version available. Or you use Bootcamp to run a Windows copy on a Mac and run the Launcher that way.

Bought the emerald saber with sound but i have a mac. When will you make the obsidian launcher for mac? Coz i paid a lot of dosh for this and i can't utilize it.

Not the answer you will want to hear, but right now you can use a Virtual Machine to run a virtual Windows Operating system, or you can use something like WineBottler (http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/)

Does anyone know if the new obsidian launcher runs in windows 8.1?

Yes, it does, but only on USB 2.0 ports. It also happens that even then the communication between saber and Launcher is not always consistent. A possible workaround is using a USB 2.0 hub.

Thanx for the quick reply. Where do I download v3.1.4? It's been awhile for me:)

Just download the latest version from the very first post here in the thread. It should be the 3.2.2 version which also includes the Emerald config panel.

I just downloaded the Obsidian software to test it out.  Looks good and works good.  So that gives me the first idea for my concept saber.

The new launcher is available for mac now and it works on my V3 Obsidian board on my Manticore.

Here is the link to the Mac launcher: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=23236.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=23236.0)

is it mac compatible yet?

Yes, the new v4 launcher is Mac compatible. As for now it only supports the Obsidian v3 (limited to v3 capabilities) and v4 sound boards and not the Emerald Driver, but this will be added in a future update.

The Mac Obsidian Launcher works superb.  I just adjusted 3 sabers with no issues.  Very cool to be able to load personalized sound fonts into my kids sabers for their birthday this weekend.  My son idolizes Yoda, calls him "Master Yoda" only ( he is 3 ), I can't wait to se him power of his Initiate v4 in CG and hear Yoda's voice.  Camera will be at the unwrapping to take pictures :D
r/
Ark

If I had an older saber with older drive (V3) is there any advantage to upgrading V4?

Unless you want more sound fonts you can load on the board and change between fonts on the fly - no, there is no advantage. Except for the two features mentioned the Obsidian v4 provides the same features as the v3 :) According to some reviews it's a bit faster than the v3, though ;)

Any possibility that future versions of the software and installer will be signed using a code signing certificate issued by a trusted certificate authority?

I wonder if anyone online can help me out I already contacted ultra sabers but haven't heard anything back yet. so the issue I am having is when I downloaded and installed the Ultra Saber Launcher (run as admin) the Emerald driver section the color part was coming up white I was able to click on a white section and change the color but it was still showing as white. so I tired to go into the easy mode and try to changed colors from there but even that was coming up white. after that I unplugged the saber and reinstalled the software but I notice now my light wasn't working but when I power it on and plug it in it keeps giving me a device connected please wait reading device info and the hum of the same is still on I have had it plugged in on and off for the last hour or so. I have rebooted the computer reinstalled the software but nothing I do seems to work. when I plugged in the usb cable it did recognize as a Light Saber. if anyone at all have any info or could help me out please I would love to hear back soon. this is my first ultra saber i just got it today i hope this is a simple fix something that im over looking im a computer technician so if you need to use tech lingo go for it.

Take the batteries out of the saber and put th em back in to re-set the boards.

DUR im dumb.... Thanks that help with the light coming back on and the connection to the Laucher. but i am still having the Emerald driver section is still white  i don't see the colors

The first rule of thumb is to always have fully charged batteries(ideally) before plugging into the software. This may be a silly question: are you plugging into the sound port or the emerald port? If when the emerald program pops up, do you see four sliders representing each colour(RGBW)? Do you have a 2 or 4 channel emerald saber?

Did you load the Obsidian launcher V2.2.2, the Obsidian Launcher v3.1.4 or the obsidian v4 launcher?

I ask as you are posting on the Obsidian 3.1.4 thread.

Version 3.1.4 is outdated, The Ultrasabers launcher v4 has provisions to control both the soundboard, and the emerald driver.

I have noticed that some of the colors in th elauncher don't match the colors you actually get on the saber, therefore always hit the {test} button and check the actual color on the saber to ensure you have the color you want.

As an aside; what kind of emerald saber are you running RGBW RGBA or a 2 color emerald?

Batteries are fully charged. I have a 4 channel and I think its the v4 I followed the link that was on the webpage under driver downloads brought me to this thread. but I am able to control sound when I plug it into the obsidian board with no issue. but when I plug it into the emerald board I see where the sliders and the easy tool are but they come up as blank all white bars. (http://i60.tinypic.com/14lkpc7.jpg)

Ok, you have the correct v4 launcher, That is definately not the way the Emerald control sliders are supposed to look.

Do the colors and sliders appear if you run the launcher without a saber connected?

no they do not. the picture shows the sliders and the easy mode of the color changer. when in advanced mode I can see the color and change it so I am able to change the color but its a hassle. plus I have to keep pulse off because I'm not sure how long the transaction time is set to as I can not see it.

What computer are you using to run the launcher?

(at this point I'm just wondering aloud as this is about the limit of my knowledge with the launcher) I'm wondering if it is an error in the program as it loads, or if the graphics card on the computer is having trouble displaying the easy mode color palette.

I have noticed even in my computer (Wibdows 8.1 Hexacore Pentium Multimedia) The colors on the advanced mode don't quite match what the saber will display (I set the saber almost exclusively through advanced mode as I like the sliders ability to control each color diode )

press the test button after evry adjustment to see the saber run through one cycle of whatever color you are setting.

As far as fixing th eprogram, I know Ultra, Deep and a couple of our Obsidian Admins frequent this thread regularly and will be able to much better troubleshoot the software for you, sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Im running a win 7 amd fx 8core with evga gtx 750. its a gaming computer built for maximum display optimization. ill try it on my laptop and see if it works on that. thanks for your help

I'm thinking it must be something with the download, or with the admin permissions when you loaded the program because your rig should be able to handle the colors in the launcher with no problems as you are running WAAAAY better graphics capacity than I am.


Racona Nova: over to you, this is beyond my skill set (Racona is our resident expert on the Obs/Emer launcher, you can try sending him a PM as well)

This is a display driver issue with the computer.  Please try this on a different PC. 

This wouldn't be a matter of the video card handling the color, but some error in compatibility.

Let us know if you have the same results when you try this on a different computer.

Thanks, Roband :D But Deep already posted what I would suspect, too. Sometimes a driver update can solve many display issues - or a roll-back to an older driver. I have an older nVidia GTX 570 and no problems with the launcher, so it's not really a hardware issue.

I re-downloaded the software drivers and on another computer and it worked so I put the software installer on a USB and put it on my main computer and installed it and it is working now.

How do I add more sounds to the different sections?

Sorry, let me rephrase.

I purchased a couple of sound fonts from SaberFont and did all of the tedious converting from .wav to .lsu but I'm only allowed to add on a maximum of 12 Motion/Impact/Lockup sounds but the fonts that I purchased include at least 20.

I am using an Ultrasaber with Obsidian V3 so using multiple sound fonts is out of the question.

I still have a good 42% of memory size left, so a lot isn't being used.

It seems the older Obsidian Launchers, as finicky as they were, allowed me to upload as much as space would allow whereas the new Obsidian Launcher only allows a maximum of 12.

Any thoughts on this?  Possibly for a future update?
I'd hate to use an older model but it looks like I may have to.

I think it's to allow for larger files in the other sound banks, such as the boot up, the hum ect. I have purchased fonts from the "other guys" too. One of the hum files was extensive and it took up like 30% of the memory on it's own. Based on playing around with the V3 obsidian this is what I've concluded; but I don't know for sure. Anyone else?

I have just received my lightsaber (2nd), with Emerald driver 4 channel; and when I get it loaded up in the ultrasaber launcher (Obsidian Launcher), the buttons that says "Read from board", "Write to Board", "Driver config", "Test pulse" and "Test pulse"(bottom) are unclickable. The lightsaber is also dark (viewed the video showing how to use it).

Any ideas for solutions?

- Tried different USB ports
- Tried to change the order you do it in (start program, plug saber, reverse, etc.)

It is worth mentioning that I am able to configure the sound board; but not the emerald LED driver. Makes me wonder if I actually GOT it... !! :S

EDIT:
I'm a dumbdumb. Separate board! xP Ignore this...

Okay, noob question... I just downloaded the launcher from the link that was for the windows v4 launcher, but when I open it and update it, it says its version 1.03, not version 3.1.4, am I doing something wrong or do I have the right version?

That's absolutely correct. The "v4" launcher has actually been renamed to UltraSabers Launcher, with the v4 only referring to the new v4 Obsidian sound board. So this "new" launcher has the version no. 1.03 whereas the "old" v3 launcher for v3 boards has the version 3.2.2 (still named 3.1.4 here).

The obsidian/emerald V3 launcher will always say 3.X.X. ect.

The V4 launcher is capable of software updates. So the very first V4 launcher would've said something like V4 1.0, then after uploading updates to it...it would then say V4 1.01 ect. Plus the V4 launcher has 3-bar tabs in the very top L.H. corner. The V3 doesn't have that.

Just got my Ultrasaber Archon v3, Emerald Edition Custom LED Saber. Going thru the Windows setup with the v1.0.3 launcher, as instructed...it would appear did not install the driver pack for the sound board. It does recognize the LED driver. Is there a drive and inf I can get to manually update the drive on the discovered unknown USB device it detects when connecting my sound board?  Windows 10 Pro 64bit.

Did you try to use a USB hub on a USB 2.0 port? Win 8 and Win 10 have some problems with the Obsidian sound boards when they're connected directy to the PC.

EDIT: Never mind, just found the second USB port. Cheers, guys!

hello guys, I have a little problem. A friend give me his ultrasaber, I put it the obsidian launcher on my PC and works correct but I try so many times to conect de saber and... nothing. I prove on another PC and the same, conect the Mini USB Wire and nothing happens. Please I need to know if the obsidian soundboard uses a special miniUSB because Im from Spain and I conect it with wires buy it here, the original wire I dont have it.
thank you

First, please reply to the rules section. It's in big, red letters at the top of the main page.

Second, your saber must be turned on to connect.  Open the launcher on your computer, turn on the saber, and then connect it.  See if that does it.

I know, I always put it on.
Sorry If I miss putting here the post. Im New and spanish, my inglish Its not 100% perfect.

Hi, fro here.

Something here has been bugging me alot. I want to access Obsidian soundboard and alter the sound so it doesnt blow my ears out.
But i cant since it doesnt detect my saber, emerald driver works fine!

Is there a fix for this? Im using Windows 8.1

Dumb question one:  Are you plugging it into the correct board, there are two mini-USB ports, or should be two as long as it isn't an Obsidian LITE.

Other than that, I got nothing entirely useful to add.  For all I know I'll have the same issues in a few days.

It doesnt matter which port i plug it into on the saber. It detects the emerald drive flawlessly.
The other one it just says it doesnt recognise the device. I figured that is the obsidian board.

How do i fix this issue?

Sometimes it's either: Batteries are too low(ideally should be fully charged before connecting), USB cable has a break in it and won't connect, order of operations isn't followed for connecting your board to the program(ie: saber on, connect cable, open program).  If I think of anymore issues that could occur I'll drop in again. 

Is it still possible to download v3.1.4?  I have an older board (SN#1164xxxx) and neither v2.2.2 nor the new v1.04 will work.  The v1.04 software tells me that it's an older board, and the v2.2.2 software keeps saying it can't find a updLED.bmp file.  The v2.2.2 software works fine with my V1 saber.   ???

Does v1.03 work without upgrading to 1.04 for your older saber?  Or is it something else?

Your board should only be used with the v2.2.2 launcher because the first three numbers of its s/n are smaller than 121! You may need to re-install the launcher with administrator rights. Any other launcher will NOT work!

I am not at all sure what the problem is.  Neither v1.03 nor v1.04 work with the sn#116 board, other than saying it is an older board.  Whenever I try to run 2.2.2 with the board plugged in and powered on, it errors out with the "can't find updLED.bmp file" message.  If I plug in the sh#111 board, everything works fine.  I'm sort of at my wit's end with this.  If I start 2.2.2 in offline mode and plug in the sn#116 board, it detects it, but I can't do anything.

Alright, have you contacted Ultrasabers regarding that problem? I never used the v2.2.2 launcher, all sabers I ordered already came with the v3 sound boards that need either the v3.1.4 launcher or -now- the UltraSabersLauncher (latest version v1.04).

I shot them an email a couple of days ago, but haven't heard anything back.  :(

You need patience in recent days, they're still flooded with orders and emails, so it might take some time to get through all of them. I'm sure they will react to your email ASAP :)

I've tried changing my emerald driver with both mac and windows.  With both it told me how to update the software. When I try to it still proceeds to tell me to update the program.  What do I do

Did you run the MaintenanceTool with Administrator rights? If not, try again with Admin rights, this could solve your problem.

I want to confirm with everyone else after the firmware update to the Obsidian Launcher v1.04 to get the Obsidian V4 sound board to be recognized be my Windows 7 computer using one of my USB 2.0 ports that I must run the Obsidian Launcher and then turn on my saber with it already plugged in to get my board read by my computer. I've tried resetting my board by unplugging the Li-ion batteries, same result.

Thank you.

Well, after a long and ultimately fruitless discussion with Ultrasabers, I'm sort of back where I started.  They're saying that my board is a V1, and the serial number does seem to indicate this.  On the other hand, the board is giving me the same error when trying to connect it to the v2.2.2 software (can't find updLED.bmp) that a v2? board would give (based on some earlier posts in this thread).  Is there any chance someone on here has a copy of the v3.0.4 Launcher?  I would like to try and see if I get a different result than with the newest v1.04 Launcher.

my launcher doesn't work. the compressed (zipped) folder is invalid

That's right you can't use a zipped folder, you need to create a regular new folder(unzipped) and transfer contents from the zipped one to the new open one. Then you can use the contents within the obsidian launcher.

Just took my saber out of it's box.
Installed the new 1.04 launcher given in the link provided.
Running Windows 10.
Installed everything as admin
Saber gives off a burning electrical smell
Current status: Plugged in power adapter and charging, USB plugged in to desktop PC. Lightsaber turned on.

Now here's the problem:
Driver installed, driver information shows:

This device cannot start. (Code 10)

{Operation Failed}
The requested operation was unsuccessful.

Tried uninstalling the driver and re-installing the driver.
Tried uninstalling the Launcher and reinstalling the launcher.
Restarted PC twice.

Still not working.
Exhausted Google

Guess Conclusion: My sound card is faulty or the driver used to connect with windows 10 is out of date.

HELP!!

If you notice an unusual smell, you should definitely email Ultrasabers and ask for replacement. You're under warranty, so you won't pay anything except your shipping costs.

Nonetheless, Win 10 is really touchy when it comes to the Obsidian sound boards. Emerald is okay, but Obsidian has problems since Win 8 came out...many users report that a USB 2.0 hub between the PC and the saber often solves that problem.

Maybe Ultrasabers should start prompting it's buyers to order USB hubs then since those aren't a normal everyday thing people just have lying around...
I spent almost $700 with my purchase and I feel not just cheated, but destroyed. It's shameful to make people pay this much for all the bells and whistles when the bells and whistles won't even work....

I see your point. However, it's not that much US's fault but rather Windows' driver which causes these problems. Of course, it would be "easy" to update the software to work as intended, but since this involves working deep inside the Windows OS to analyze the actual problem and adjusting the right files and code lines, it might be very time-comsuming if not impossible for the software developer (not US) to solve the issue. And even if they succeed, there's no guarantee that the new version is still working with Vista and 7 - which are still the most prominent OS's used among UltraSabers customers.

So I finally got the Launcher to work. I can change my sound but the emerald driver does not work and will not allow me to do anything with that tab.
It's the V4 laucher, I did buy the Emerald driver with sounds so... whats the deal here?

There are 2 boards. The black one is the obsidian. Carefully pull the battery pack out further, and you should see a green board. That's the emerald. Find the port and plug in there when the saber is on.

I'm glad you got it to work.

I found it. It's really tight, makes me nervous pulling the battery pack out that far.
I tried plugging it in though. It gave me the error I had before saying the driver is unrecognizable.
My guess is that I have to use a windows 8.1 or older for the sound and a 10 for the emerald driver.

hello everyone just got a guardian with an emerald driver and when I try to change the color of my blade none of the colors show on my screen when i hit the easy button any reason for this or a way to fix it im running on windows 8

Make sure you've plugged into the correct mini USB port for Emerald. If you got the Obsidian V3 or V4 sound, too, to then you'll have two mini USB ports inside your saber. The one on the lower left is for the Emerald board and the one on the upper right is for the Obsidian sound. You wouldn't be the first to not pull the speaker/Obsidian/Emerald board unit out far enough to see that second USB port.

I'm plilugged into the correct spot it allows me to change my color just doesn't show what color i chose until I hit the test button must be something with my computer gonna try another computer tomorrow
 

That's actually normal if you mean the LED on your saber doesn't change to the color you chose in the software until you click on TEST.

I've been on saber hiatus for a long while and wanted to play with my toy a bit but lost the US programs I used to use a few hard drives ago and can't remember what versions I had and I can't see anything on the boards but the ser#'s.

I've got an early Chosen One from early 2014 with obsidian and emerald, both serial#'s start with 140.

If anyone can assist it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

The UltraSabers Launcher is the one you need. It's the newest launcher available and should work with both the sound board and the Emerald Driver.

Hey guys,
Bought my first saber, Dark Prophecy v3 with Obsidian v4, and it is beautiful.
I wanted to play with some custom fonts, so I downloaded the launcher, updated it, plugged in my saber and....nothing. My computer recognizes that SOMETHING was plugged in, but it won't show up in the launcher or anywhere else.
I'm running Windows 10, if that helps with the problem solving.
Thanks in advance.

You may have done this, but just trying to help you trouble shoot. Is your saber on after you open the launcher? If so try unplugging the cord while it's on and launcher is open and plugging it back in and see if it will work. I have had to do this before so the launcher knows it's there. The computer will recognize it by a beep when the cord is plugged in.

Yup, I did the usual tech support basics: unplugged, plugged back in, turned off, turned on, and every combination of. No luck.
My computer DOES beep, saying it recognizes that something connected, but nothing shows up in my explorer and nothing shows up in the US launcher.

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=23237.msg498898#msg498898

Adrian posted this, maybe you can try to reinstall. It's at the end of the page.

No change :'(

UPDATE
I got bored, plugged and unplugged the saber a dozen times and....it finally connected!
Ugh, this blade is finicky!

Hey guys, just got my new saber today. It was a mystery saber, specifically an Electrum Wind with premium sound and rechargable batteries, however I'm having some troubles accessing the soundboard. I'm assuming I have obsidian v3 sound because I cannot cycle sounds through the saber itself, so I tried installing the mac version of the launcher and I want to go ahead and plug my saber in to change fonts, but I'm not sure if this is the current version of the launcher. What I have is the v2.45 launcher, but this thread says to use the v4 launcher... I just don't know how to access the v4 launcher, and I don't want to plug in my saber because I heard plugging in to old launchers can actually mess up the board. Any help would be appreciated.

It's not just you; we all have to do that.  :(

For me, sometimes, the connection will happen on the first try.  Next time, I may have to quit the Launcher, restart the board, start the Launcher again, and plug/unplug it 10 times while using different ports before it will connect.  The problem may be caused by a power issue with the board itself (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=23237.msg578478#msg578478), and you may have better luck using fully-charged batteries when you want to use the Launcher.

I think you're confusing the version number of the Launcher software (v2.45) with the version number of the sound board (v4).  v2.45 is the latest version of the Launcher software (which is known as the "Obsidian v4 Launcher").  And yes, it does work with the v3 sound board (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=23237.msg358435#msg358435).

Yeah, I did confuse those two things. Ended up figuring everything and couldn't be happier with my saber. Thanks for the reply!

My launcher says V2.45, any fix?

is there any way to change the size of the font in the application itself? just too small for my aging eyes... Also curious about the options.XML file, is there a guide for tweaks?

Anyone know if there are sound fonts that we can download? or do we have to purchase that $999 Obsidian sound font item???

i vaguely recalled seeing this so had to look again - yeah, 999.99 for fonts :) - https://ultrasabers.com/product/obsidian-usb-sound-fonts/ (https://ultrasabers.com/product/obsidian-usb-sound-fonts/)  i think it is set so no one will actually purchase it.
be sure to read the description - it has some you can download for free.  they are also available in other places in this forum.
Some members have created and shared unique sound fonts right here in this forum.  Check around with the search option.

They’re actually free… I “purchased’ them, and there was no charge.

thanks for confirming!  it was one i did not want to risk actually going through to the bank - it difficult enough explaining why i need a $100+ empty hilt ;D

Yup… I know that feeling.

Anyone using Windows 11?
I am having trouble with with the launcher saying that I do not have any fonts on my sabers.
I have used an older PC with Windows 10 and everything works fine.
Trying to see if it Windows 11 or if it maybe the USB ports on my main PC.
EDIT: These are Dimond sabers. 

I'm so sorry if this is a super noob question:

May I ask what the latest launcher version is, and where the link to it is?

I have downloaded the launcher from the link, which gives me 2.89. I cannot find a link to the (I think the newest is 3.2.2 or something?) newest version. I'm unable to change my emerald saber colors. "Test Pulse" box is also greyed out/non functional.

The saber indicates that it is connected, I was able to update to the latest firmware, I am able to change sounds in the obsidian tab. I am just unable to change the colors in the emerald tab. (Yes, it is an emerald saber haha).

Don't know what I'm missing, but I am a little on the older side and not so tech-savvy. Thanks for any help in advance.