Saber Forum

Sometimes, pretty randomly, my UltraSaber with Obsidian Lite soundboard shuts off with the usual 'Obsidian' message. Sometimes it's on impact, sometimes just while swinging. I can think of two things, either it's a battery issue or is it a technical issue (i. e. something loose in the hilt, though I couldn't find anything once I opened it). Is randomly shutting off a sign of low batteries? Or is it something that's harder to fix?

When the batteries are low it normaly shutts down in the Obsidian v4 setup...try with new batteries or charge them if you've bought rechargeble ones. If it's not that, it could probably be the batteries being loose inside the pack...try putting electrical tape around the battery pack so they don't get loose. If nothing of that works maybe someone else can help you better, or maybe be a technical problem...good luck and May the force be with you...

Change the batteries. I have a Manticore with Obsidian Lite that did the same thing when the batteries were low. Fresh ones fixed it.

Thanks for the help. Tried some fresh batteries, seems to work fine so far.

Definitely tightly wrap your battery pack in electrical tape.

I like to use 2 layers of velcro, it holds tightly and prevents the battery pack from shaking. Also unlimited reuse, whereas the tape's adhesives will wear out.

What happens if this happens to a saber without sound? My saber is a duel saber with the sunriders destiny on both. It's a stunt saber and heavy blades. When I hit them together, one of the sabers cuts off or changes to a color closer to consular green... If I hit it again it'll come back on or change back to normal color. Any reason for this? I don't see any broken wires or anything like that... Thanks in advance!!

Definitely email US about that it sounds like a wiring issue.

Also, go and acknowledge the rules before further posting.

Why? It was a simple question, dealing with an already posted problem... Difference being sound bs no sound... It's very relevant...

Because we are all expected to read, acknowledge, and abide by the rules. It's how we keep each other accountable and this forum civil. You may encounter people who may choose to not answer your questions if you refuse to acknowledge the rules. When you do, and you follow them, we will be very helpful.

Thank you Landen.

Ok... Read the rules. I haven't done anything outside of the rules. I contacted US and posted here, on a post that was already existing for a similar prob. And (for the record, if wondering) I have to get more batteries for saber number 2 but it seams the batteries were old in both... After changing the batteries in 1 saber, it was noticibly brighter. So, tomorrow I will be getting all brand new ones. I haven't had a chance to hit it hard... But, on a light tap... Doesn't cut off anymore. This was advice given by US and seems to have worked for now...

Thank you for reading and acknowledging the rules. We weren't accusing you of any rule breaking, but we were simply reminding you of one of our expectations. It happens a lot where people get excited or nervous and begin posting without reading the rules, and that's when things might go off the rails, and we want to avoid that. No harm. No foul.

Back to the topic at hand, I'm glad the fresh batteries seem to have fixed the issue you were having. Also, be sure to secure the batteries in the pack with electrical tape, velcro, or a rubber band. Stunt sabers have a bit of a reputation for having batteries come loose while dueling, which will affect your blade.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Hi. My saber did the same thing today. I did listen to the advice at the top of the chat and I replaced the batteries with some new ones just 5 or 6 hours ago (I have the AAA configuration). But, it's doing it again! I don't know how long the batteries are supposed to last because this is one of my first sabers, but it's probably supposed to last longer than 5 or 6 hours. So I don't know if it's a low battery problem or something that's probably harder to fix. Also, it hasn't been shutting off randomly with the "obsidian" voice for the five or six hours spent. But I did accidentally bang the saber against the wall a moment back and it didn't feel like I hit the saber too hard at all. My saber is a Dominix v4 with obsidian lite sound and a heavy grade blade. And I did hit it on the blade, not on the hilt. Could someone help me? It's happening more often than it did 5 or 6 hours back and, as you could understand, I love my saber very much. I would not like it shutting off on me randomly. (I didn't change the batteries yet nor checked if anything inside the saber is damaged. Plus, even if I did check the saber, I probably wouldn't recognize if anything is damaged or how to reverse the damage) I greatly appreciate any help. (P.S. I think it was probably more than five or six hours ago.)

Again, as with some of the earlier posts - the rules. Main page, big red letters at the top. Please read them and acknowledge them. Thanks.

It's probably your batteries. If left on continuously, your saber will last about 1.5-2 hours. Also, the obsidian lite has a reputation for the batteries becoming loose with contact. You can use velcro, electrical tape, or rubber bands to wrap around the batteries to help keep them in place. What's probably happening is that your hit just barely wiggled one of the batteries, and the contact is inconsistent combined with your batteries draining, which is why you're getting the shut off followed by the reboot obsidian noise.

WI think these sabers, when in doubt, try replacing the batteries. It really is the solution the vast majority of the time.

Thank you so much for helping me! I greatly appreciate it. My saber looks fully functional at the moment (hopefully it stays that way for a long time). I secured some tape tightly around the battery pack and added a strip of Velcro to it for support. Thank you so much for the advice! ;D (I also read the rules and I acknowledge them now. Thank you for telling me.)

You're welcome. I'm glad it works for you.

As for the rules, please be sure to post a quick acknowledgement in that thread, too.

Hi it's me again! My saber is doing it again (again :-[)... I turned it on probably more than ten times today and spent about five or more minutes swinging it around each time it was turned on. I know Landen told me that if the saber was left on continuously the batteries would last for about 2 hours, but by saber wasn't left on too long (or continuously), and with all the minutes added up (the minutes it was on) the saber would have only been left on an hour and ten minutes! I'm very concerned about what's going on. Are the batteries' life in my saber being drained faster than normal? Is it a battery problem (But I did change the batteries and it did help this morning)? Do you think it's a problem with my wiring? I'm sorry if I sound too concerned or if I sound like I'm asking too much. Thanks for helping in advance. Any advice would be awesome.

Thanks for posting in the rules.

Relax a little bit. I said they would last 1.5 to 2 hours, because that's the average time people report getting. The majority of users get somewhere around 1.5 hours, though. So, if you're getting about an hour and ten minutes, you're getting close to the average.

There are a lot of factors that influence your run time. The type of battery, the color of your blade, whether or not it's tri cree, etc. can all make a difference. I really wouldn't worry about it too much.

Is your saber operating correctly? Does it sound good? Does it look good? Does it do all the things you paid for? If sk, then it's working right, and everything seems to be ok. You should now know you can expect about an hour and ten minutes of use from your saber with the batteries you are using.

If you'd like to get more usage out of a single set of batteries, do a search of the forums (the little magnifying glass at the top) to see if you can find some threads devoted to which type of batteries last the longest.

Ok. Thank you so much for the information :D. I feel a better knowing that it really isn't something with the wiring and it's not just accelerated battery consumption. I did a bit of research and some people said that the AAA battery configuration's life may vary for different options. People with my options, or something similar, have reported that their sabers' life lasts about an hour to an hour and a half (on Duracell batteries). Thanks Landen!

You're quite welcome.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, and happy sabering.

Hey guys :)

Another thing for people to keep in mind- never hear anyone talk about it but it's a pretty huge thing if you're a dueler.  If you have a saber WITH SOUND, wether it's obsidian v4, v3, lite, other guys board, whatever, just any saber with sound- than its 99% likely you've got a MOMENTARY switch of some kind, wether it's illuminated, guarded, AV, whatever- and MOMENTARY switches are known for cutting out on harsh impact/ jarring.  It's because of how they operate compared to a latching switch.  Really seems to vary from switch to switch, even amongst switches of the same kind, but I have 2 sabers that are like that really bad- anything above moderate contact and there's a 50/50 chance the saber's shutting down instantly. Funny thing is, I also have one saber that seems absolutely impervious to this phenomenon lol- no matter how rdiculously hard you smash it it just won't fail. I plan on replacing the switches and trying my luck with new ones.  It's not even really a defect in the switches I don't think, just an unfortunate side effect of the way they work they're vulnerable to false contacts/ triggering if you know what I mean- I don't really have the vocabulary for this stuff yet:). 

But that's always a big possibility if you've got saber shutting off problems (and you've got momentary).  But US is super helpful via email with tech problems I can say that from experience- so never hesitate to give them a shout if worried. 

I sent my son's back to US cuz it was just shutting off as soon as it started up, with tape and new batteries. It's expected back today. My saber and my other sons saber started rebooting but I'm gonna chalk that up to batteries getting low. Good info on this thread though

I am having the exact same issue with my dark savior (obsidian lite sound board) I tried to keep the batteries in with tape as well as small rubber bands. The only other thing I can think of it go try brand new batteries.  I don't think it will make a difference though because it will turn right back on after it powers off but only stays on for about 20 seconds

Hey there, Rule0F2.  So that you won't re-open old threads, just open up a new thread like you did asking for help.  A few of us has already responded.   :D