Battery pack stuck (Azure Savior)

[Zwetschge14]

So, I recently bought an Azure Savior (my first ever saber) and I just wanted to make sure I knew how to remove the batteries so I could change them out without any problems when it came to that. But as the title says, the battery pack seems to be stuck. I tried all three methods explained in the video on US's FAQ page - tapping on the hand, tapping flat on a table, and pushing it out from the top. The pack doesn't seem to move at all. I even pressed against it with a chopstick as forcefully as I dared, but nothing happened.

Any ideas how I could solve this? I'm very much a noob when it comes to tinkering, so I'm really scared I'll break something in my attempts to get it out.

[Infinit01]

Hey there, Zwetschge14. You can point the bottom end of the saber towards the floor and aggressively shake it out, don't worry, you won't hurt it. You can also lightly tap the hilt on a carpeted floor to break the battery pack loose

[Maestro Jones]

I had the same problem with my wife's Fulcrum when she first got it.  None of the methods on the video worked.  So I did a modified version of the 3rd method.  I had a long wooden dowel (1/4") that I inserted CAREFULLY through the emitter end of the hilt.  Then I lightly tapped it with a rawhide mallet (though any implement would work).  I was careful not to hit it too hard as I not only didn't want to break anything inside the saber (such as the battery pack or the sound card) but I also didn't want to break the dowel and have the stuck in the hilt amongst all the wires.  After a few taps it came out.  You might want to give that a try.  The speaker (I assume yours has sound as though are the ones that are more likely to get stuck) fit very tight in the hilt.  If they aren't put in straight (mine wasn't when it was shipped) it can get wedged in there.  I've sanded down the sides of all of my speakers housings so there is a little more tolerance when sitting inside the hilt.  I don't recommend that within the first year of owning the saber as it may void the warranty.  

[Tazflyr]

US put out a video on how to remove a stuck battery pack if you want to check the holocron but basically, what the other guys suggested but if you try tapping the end on a table, make certain there's a piece of cloth down first and tap it square on...do NOT tap it on it's side/lip.  US swears that will break it loose! Good luck!

[Zwetschge14]

Hmm, I've tried all of that now and it's still solidly stuck in there. I've shaken and tapped for at least 2 hours and i've done the dowel method and "tapped" firmly for probably 10min. It does seem to not be entirely straight in there, so i'm  thinking i might have to push the side that's further out back in a little, to get the whole thing straight. which is going to be tricky with the speaker membrane right there.

[Tai Chi Chuan Wijchen]

Can you pull it out?
Using some metal-wire-thingie-something... (English word I don't remember/brain-not-working)

[Zwetschge14]

Can you pull it out?
Using some metal-wire-thingie-something... (English word I don't remember/brain-not-working)

I'm not sure I know what tool you mean but to pull it out from the bottom I'd have to grab it somewhere, and there's nothing to grab onto. and even pushing from the top down didn't work (or maybe i didn't push hard enough, but i was scared the plastic of the battery pack was gonna break if i tried it any harder)

[Tazflyr]

Can you pull it out?
Using some metal-wire-thingie-something... (English word I don't remember/brain-not-working)

I think he may mean needle nose pliers?
If none of the other options have worked for ya, you may be stuck (no pun intended) sending it back to US for work. Try contacting [email protected] and explain what's going on and that you don't want to void the warranty by messing with it too much. I'm sorry you're having this much trouble with your first saber!

[Zwetschge14]

I think he may mean needle nose pliers?
If none of the other options have worked for ya, you may be stuck (no pun intended) sending it back to US for work. Try contacting [email protected] and explain what's going on and that you don't want to void the warranty by messing with it too much. I'm sorry you're having this much trouble with your first saber!

hahaha i appreciate the pun Yeah, i was worried i'd have to send it back right away, just thought I'd ask here for advice first, since I'm in Europe and sending it back is gonna cost me a noticeable amount I guess that's the pay-off of receiving the saber 1 ½ weeks after ordering it instead of the expected 5 - 6  

Thanks for all the help though!!

[Tazflyr]

Make sure to contact US first...they may feel that bc it's overseas and they're still so swamped, it would be ok to go ahead and get a little rough with it. I'm sorry I don't have a better option for ya than "get a bigger hammer."  Let us know what they say, please? Now I'm very curious bc this is the type of thing that would happen to me!

[Zwetschge14]

Make sure to contact US first...they may feel that bc it's overseas and they're still so swamped, it would be ok to go ahead and get a little rough with it. I'm sorry I don't have a better option for ya than "get a bigger hammer."  Let us know what they say, please? Now I'm very curious bc this is the type of thing that would happen to me!

Just sent an email to Marlena. I'll definitely keep you updated, hopefully it'll help someone else in my situation somewhere down the line.

[Zwetschge14]

Update:
I haven't heard back from US yet, but my brother (who's a carpenter and generally very skilled with technical tasks) said he'd take a look at it, and he got the battery pack out!! Looks like the problem was that the velcro strap wasn't around the batteries but around the inner part of the speaker, making the whole assembly a bit too thick and causing it to catch on the thread. We've moved the velcro to the batteries and now i can shake out the battery pack without any problems.

[Galef]

Glad to hear that!  Out of curiosity, the Velcro was put in by US?  I've heard some people use Velcro around the battery pack, but I thought that was a mod they did, not a standard assembly method from US

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[Zwetschge14]

Yes, the velcro was put in by US. I didn't even know they did that, so I definitely didn't ask for it. My boyfriend didn't have a velcro on his, so maybe it depends on the hilt model?

[Tazflyr]

I've seen velcro on the hilts with "normal"/non rechargable batteries only.  There's no internal chassis for the card and battery pack to sit in in US sabers so they will put a piece of velcro around it to keep them from popping out when you're dueling.