Broken Battery Holder/Speaker

[Kannik]

Heyo everyone, I sent this to US customer service but as they're swamped right now I thought I'd also check in here...

Unfortunately I recently discovered that the battery holder/speaker assembly on my newest sabre (Archon v3 body) has split apart at the bottom, the speaker ripping away from the battery holder.  Some pics:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1anHcoQxesLBCy38PnKHu9yLlH0SS4Tng

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QHLBApArTHu5yJhiAXLTN0vA7Fj4iXpD

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eHhMx8bLiYs-NjWSOZ10LhnQzMkguXs-

I'm not sure when or how this happened -- I only noticed it when I went to put in the batteries for a recent sabre meetup I hosted.  I tried gluing it back together using superglue, but it split apart again almost immediately when I inserted batteries as a test about 20h later.

Does anyone have any ideas on something I could do on this end to repair it, or does it need a replacement assembly?

Thanks!

MTFBWY,

Kannik

[Arcinsaw]

That looks pretty rough. Since it broke where the frame takes all the stress of the battery, the only way to really fix it without just replacing the battery pack would be to wrap it vertically with something that can hold the force of the battery and springs, and the glue the speaker on the bottom?

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[Arcinsaw]

That looks pretty rough. Since it broke where the frame takes all the stress of the battery, the only way to really fix it without just replacing the battery pack would be to wrap it vertically with something that can hold the force of the battery and springs, and the glue the speaker on the bottom?

Sent from my Redmi Note 7 using Tapatalk

Actually scrap that. After looking closer the pack is part of the speaker housing. I'm not sure how I would go about it beyond just getting a new pack/speaker. It might be more trouble than it's worth to try and fix it

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[Infinit01]

You're right, Arcinsaw. You can attempt to glue the piece back but the question will remain if it will hold up since once plastic breaks, that point where it broke off will never be as strong. Sure you can use glue or some type of adhesive to keep it together but it may break again.  I say replace it and if this is a new saber, UltraSabers will contact you back.  Contact Marlena@UltraSabers.com, she'll take care of you.

[Sakura No Kaze]

Until you hear back from US, there are a couple of things you can do, though neither are great, and neither are long term/permanent solutions.

First, you can wrap it in electrical tape. Yes, that means wrapping over the speaker. No, I don't really recommend it, but it will work.

Second, you can put a zip tie or two, pulled extra tight around it. This is probably the better option since it won't interfere with the speaker. Put the zip ties on with the batteries out, and as I said, make them as tight as you can without cutting into the speaker. I'd probably put some electrical tape around it going the other way over the zip tie and across the batteries, which will also help hold them in. Just one strip around should do it to hold everything in place.

As I said, not a long term solution, but it will let you use the saber until you hear back from US, and you're not doing anything that would void the warranty either (if it's still under warranty).

[firehand10k]

If  your saber is under warranty I recomend waiting for them to reply. They covered mine that did this very easily and pretty quickly.

If it is not under warranty the best solution is to get a new battery hold and speaker mount from TCSS. The speaker mount I recommend has an upright portion and glues on two faces onto the battery holder. It can be gotten as parts that you assemble or a preassembled unit. The preassembled unit comes with either a premium (about the same as US uses) or bass speaker and has wires that can be just clipped and connected to the existing saber wiring.

I do have US packs that have been the same for years with no breaks, but a few that broke I put the TCSS one into.

This one is attached to an Obsidian V4 in a US Shock body. The green wires are original US wiring the black and red are the leads from the new speaker I put in.

[Karmack]

I had the same thing happen on my Emerald/Obsidian V4 saber a while ago.  Nothing worked to fix it, though I was able to use a combo of glue and electrical tape to hold it together until a replacement battery holder/speaker came.

Replacing the battery pack and speaker was very simple and easy, it took me about 20 minutes.  Due to the backlog at US, I would highly recommend TCSS as a source for a replacement part.

[Kannik]

Great, thank you all!  I got the sabre in July of 2017, so unfortunately it’s out of the 1 year warranty.  The replacement you all suggested from TCSS looks nicely sturdy with the added vertical bit that secures things together.  Would you recommend getting the bass speaker?  And any suggestions for how best to (safely) remove the sound board from the current battery holder and what to use to affix it to the new one?

Also, I’m assuming once I remove the electrical tape at the top of the soundboard/battery holder all the wiring is pretty clear on what to do? 

Thanks again!  This I my newest and most favourite sabre (Tri-Cree for brightness and with a custom milled neck going to a Menace head) so it was quite the shock and disappointment to find it broken when getting ready for the meet. 

MTFBWY,

Kannik

[firehand10k]

To get the board off the battery pack just carefully pull/pry it off. It's just held on with double sided tape which is exactly how I put them on the new one. After you peel the electrical tape you will clearly see the wires. You only need worry about the 2 from the battery pac and the two from the speaker all of which come right out of the top of the battery pack.

[Arcinsaw]

You can use a heat gun or alcohol to loosen the adhesive and make it easier to get it off

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[Kannik]

Sweet, thank you everyone.  Off to order the part. 

MTFBWY,

Kannik

[janx]

if it's under-warranty, contact US.

Both my sabers I ordered last may had this break within weeks of each other.  No problem sending them back.

When you do get them back, get a piece of ribbon and lay that across the battery slot BEFORE you put the battery in.  That way you can pull up on the ribbon and it will pop the battery out with less stress on the plastic frame