Blade will not light up

[Stormcastle]

I bought my saber in May, the Spectre, and went to show it to a friend on Friday night and it would not turn on. I took out the batteries to charge and after a couple hours later reinstalled them but it seems one of the batteries is not making contact so I swapped it out with a durcell real quickly and the sound module said "I am an idiot" and while the sounds come the blade will not light up. It will however make the flash to clash sound and that lights up for a second or two. My blade it a white one if that helps any. I have looked down the inside from the battery pack and all wires seem to be connected. Before I send a message to customer service does anyone have an idea if I am doing something wrong?

[Cyclops942]

Good news / bad news... you’re doing something wrong, and it can be fixed.

More good news... your saber did not call you an idiot, it said, “Obsidian.”

That Duracell will NEVER, EVER have enough power to do you any good; those are not AA cell batteries, in there, they are 14500 Lithium-Ion rechargeable cells, and they EACH put out 3.7 volts, which is more than TWICE the voltage put out by a regular AA cell.  Yes, they’re the same physical size, but they ARE NOT the same.  If you charged the batteries in a typical battery charger, STOP NOW!!!!!  This is not a good mix.

You need to use a charger that is specifically made to handle the voltage and amperage requirements of Lithium-Ion cells, or you’re asking for disappointment at best, and flaming, fuming disaster at worst.  No, I’m not kidding, and I’m not exaggerating.

If you used the charger that you got from UltraSabers (because you DID order the charger, right??), then you need to leave the cells on there longer and let them get a full charge.

[Stormcastle]

I did get the charger and had put the the battery I had thought was causing the issue in it overnight. When I have the one that did not have the red dot and a single duracell that is when the power came on and said what it said. So should I put them both in overnight and then try again in the morning?

[Cyclops942]

Get both the original batteries and put them in the charger overnight.  Heck, it’s Sunday night, so put them in the charger overnight tonight and all day tomorrow; it won’t hurt them a bit.

PLEASE, PLEASE do not use alkaline AA batteries (or even Lithium AA batteries, like Energizer Lithium) in your saber; it’s made for the 7.4 volts provided by properly charged Lithium-Ion 14500 batteries (14mm diameter, 50mm height, and I don’t know what the last 0 is for, but somebody else on here probably does), as well as the amperage they can deliver, and using the comparatively puny output of regular AA cells (which have the same diameter and height as the proper cells) will NOT make you happy. 

[firehand10k]

I just recharged and reinstalled the batteries in my Shark. It has an Obsidian V4 in it so I cycled it through the fonts  back to the Obsidian font. Both with and without the pommel I heard clearly "Obsidian". As often as it is heard I'm starting to wonder if maybe it does say that other phrase when people prove themselves insufficiently informed enough to install the incorrect batteries  while there are multiple places on the site that inform us of the difference.

[Cyclops942]

Point for the laugh, firehand10k.

[Tai Chi Chuan Wijchen]

Point for the laugh, firehand10k.

idem

[MVHI JEDI]

I can't.  I just... CAN'T.  

Instructions and warnings on the website...

Instructions and warnings in the videos...

Instructions and warnings on the forum...

Instructions and warnings on the paper you received WITH your saber...

Instructions and warnings ON THE BATTERIES for crying out loud...

So in short, YES... you're doing something wrong.  You're completely ignoring all the redundant Instructions and warnings to NOT do exactly what you're doing.

Maybe the board does (and should!) play that phrase when it detects the wrong voltage because all the Instructions and warnings have been ignored.  

Or maybe you just heard what you needed to hear! 

[Stormcastle]

After charging both batteries overnight it seems one of the batteries is not working properly. One of the batteries when loaded with a duracell will in fact turn on sound and make the flash but not the other. I have charged them both for an extended time Sunday night and all day Monday. It does not show up as red in the charger. I have tried it in both slots so the best I can conclude is one of the batteries is bad. Again I can put the other in the saber and change it's slot with a single new battery to show it does work.


Also after listening again after the first reply I can hear "Obsidian". It seems the way the sound file loads it can sound as either if you listen for either.

[Stormcastle]

I can't.  I just... CAN'T.  

Instructions and warnings on the website...

Instructions and warnings in the videos...

Instructions and warnings on the forum...

Instructions and warnings on the paper you received WITH your saber...

Instructions and warnings ON THE BATTERIES for crying out loud...

So in short, YES... you're doing something wrong.  You're completely ignoring all the redundant Instructions and warnings to NOT do exactly what you're doing.

Maybe the board does (and should!) play that phrase when it detects the wrong voltage because all the Instructions and warnings have been ignored.  

Or maybe you just heard what you needed to hear! 

What I was doing with the batteries was to troubleshoot and see if it was a power issue or something else. My intent was not to run the thing long term just to get power into it. If I had not after charging the batteries I would think the issue was the blade itself while I now suspect a battery issue. And if you listen to the power up you can get either phrase out of it.

[firehand10k]

What I was doing with the batteries was to troubleshoot and see if it was a power issue or something else. My intent was not to run the thing long term just to get power into it. If I had not after charging the batteries I would think the issue was the blade itself while I now suspect a battery issue. And if you listen to the power up you can get either phrase out of it.

This is a dangerous way of trouble shooting. The batteries will try to self balance and since they have very different capacities can quickly overheat. The possibility of fire outweighs (or should) the few dollars it would cost to get a volt meter and test the cells properly.

[Cyclops942]

This is a dangerous way of trouble shooting. The batteries will try to self balance and since they have very different capacities can quickly overheat. The possibility of fire outweighs (or should) the few dollars it would cost to get a volt meter and test the cells properly.

YES!!!!!!!  THIS!  SO VERY MUCH THIS!!!!!!

Look, folks, Lithium-Ion batteries have a LOT of energy stored in them, and you do NOT want it to be released all at once!  TREAT THEM LIKE THEY ARE DANGEROUS... because they can be. 

[MVHI JEDI]

This is a dangerous way of trouble shooting. The batteries will try to self balance and since they have very different capacities can quickly overheat. The possibility of fire outweighs (or should) the few dollars it would cost to get a volt meter and test the cells properly.

YES!!!!   

[Stormcastle]

Anyone have an idea where I can get a replacement battery at? Honestly most likely best if I get a pair. I am not sure if Radio Shack (yes we have one that still exists nearby) would have them

[Cyclops942]

Anyone have an idea where I can get a replacement battery at? Honestly most likely best if I get a pair. I am not sure if Radio Shack (yes we have one that still exists nearby) would have them

Get a pair, and recycle those old ones.  Rip Shack (aka Radio Shaft) likely won’t carry them, unless they’ve SERIOUSLY expanded their battery selection since I worked there.  Order them from UltraSabers, to make absolutely sure you’re getting the right cells, or go to a REPUTABLE seller (not the cheapest seller on Amazon or eBay), like BatteryJunction.com and get some XTAR, Nitecore, Olight, or Trustfire protected cells.

Again... lithium-ion cells are VERY powerful, and low-quality or off-brand cells can result in fire and/or explosions.  Don’t skimp on these.