Heat shrink over resistor? (AV switch)

[ItsXenomorphinTime]

Is it a good idea to completely heat shrink the resistor, or just over the soldering points? I've read pros and cons to doing the former, but I was wondering what you all have in your sabers. Thanks!

[eerockk]

Is it a good idea to completely heat shrink the resistor, or just over the soldering points? I've read pros and cons to doing the former, but I was wondering what you all have in your sabers. Thanks!

It's safe to cover the whole resistor and not just the solder joints.

[ItsXenomorphinTime]

Awesome, thank you!

Also, does it matter which one is NO and which is C1? The only ones marked are the "+" and "-". I assume the other two are interchangeable...?

[eerockk]

Awesome, thank you!

Also, does it matter which one is NO and which is C1? The only ones marked are the "+" and "-". I assume the other two are interchangeable...?

As far as I know, the resistor's direction doesn't matter so long as it touches the circuit somewhere along the loop to the battery feeds. As long as the resistor is hooked up to one side of the switch, the laws of current conservation will apply and the resistor will do its job.

[ItsXenomorphinTime]

Much appreciated! 

[eerockk]

Much appreciated! 

You are very welcome! Good luck on the build!

FYI: If you order said switch from Ultrasabers, it comes pre-wired!

[Racona Nova]

Mine did come unwired...should I have told them before ordering?

[ItsXenomorphinTime]

Just finished the build today and it's working great! It's an Archon v2.1 in AB, silver FoC, blue AV, with a 32" Ultraedge. Everything went smoothly with the exception of one minor mistake - I cut the switch wires too short so that there wasn't enough slack to access the batteries. So I had to go back and splice in some length. I'll post pictures in the appropriate thread very soon!

I used this diagram: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=8667.30

So if anyone else out there is doing a build, definitely check it out^^. (And many kudos to Vex for creating that diagram!  )

On a side note, there's practically no room inside the hilt. Can the wires and components get damaged or weaken over time from all the bending?

[ItsXenomorphinTime]

Mine did come unwired...should I have told them before ordering?

I'm not sure if you should have said anything because I specified to have my Archon sent disassembled. (However, they did assemble the buckpuck-Obsidian-battery for me because I was unsure how to secure the three)

Did you add the illuminated AV switch option when buying, or did you order the AV switch separately? I would think it all comes ready to go. The only issue I had with the AV was that the hilt wasn't drilled to fit it because they weren't sure what my plans were for mounting it. But Emory was super helpful and told me to send it in and they would take care of it asap. Thoroughly pleased by their excellent customer service.    Next time I know to communicate all specifications.

[Racona Nova]

I ordered two separate AV switches in order to swap the guarded ones on my Aeons.

I'm not sure if you should have said anything because I specified to have my Archon sent disassembled. (However, they did assemble the buckpuck-Obsidian-battery for me because I was unsure how to secure the three)

Did you add the illuminated AV switch option when buying, or did you order the AV switch separately? I would think it all comes ready to go. The only issue I had with the AV was that the hilt wasn't drilled to fit it because they weren't sure what my plans were for mounting it. But Emory was super helpful and told me to send it in and they would take care of it asap. Thoroughly pleased by their excellent customer service.    Next time I know to communicate all specifications.

I indeed ordered the two AV switches separately.

[ItsXenomorphinTime]

Ah, I see. If you didn't want to do it yourself, try emailing them and ask if you could send them in. I'd be surprised if they wouldn't. But if you're doing it yourself, this community is awesome and will help you out. Just completed a successful build, so I feel pretty confident I could help you out too.  Definitely use Vex's diagram!

[Racona Nova]

Thanks for your offer helping me Already looked for topics dealing with modding, DIY etc. and found a lot of useful information ^^

I have just one prob doing it - there's nobody I know who has some sort of drill machines for the switch hole, everything else should be fine (my father did a lot on the field of electrics and electronics so he has the equipment). Oh, and I still couldn't figure out if there's any risk in damaging the switch when wiring the No and C1 wires to the wrong pins (+ and - plus a resistor are for the LED, I think)...how did you wire it?

PS: These are also important questions for me: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=8667.msg259785#msg259785 (Replys #55 and #56) I would be very pleased if you have an answer ^^

[ItsXenomorphinTime]

I just tried pulling my switch out to take a picture, but it's in there pretty good (which I guess is a good thing). But I do remember how I wired it (using this diagram http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=8667.30):
The "+" pin is for the positive-battery/vin (Obsidian)/vin+ (buckpuck) wire. That little resistor acts as a bridge between the "+" pin and said wire. I completely covered it in heat shrink as recommended. As for the numbers of the resistor, I'm not sure. I just used the one that they send in the little baggy that held the switch.
The "-" pin is for the vin- (buckpuck)/led (Obsidian) wire.
The other two remaining C1 and NO pins are for the negative-battery/gnd (Obsidian) wire and the btn (Obsidian) wire, respectively.
I had the same confusion about which is which, but seeing as they are not marked "NO" and "C1", it doesn't matter - as I was similarly advised - because the current will do it's thing automatically. You would only have problems if you had, for example: the C1 opposite the "+".
And that diagram does work with the Obsidian 3.0 (because that's what I have )
**An additional note regarding switch wiring: make sure you have about 6 inches of wiring coming out of the switch hole when the speaker/Obsidian/buckpuck is fully inside the hilt, so it will give you the slack you need to access the batteries once the switch is fully installed (I learned the hard way! lol).

Regarding the switch hole, I sent Emory an email and he had me send only the hilt and a copy of the email to their repairs department. They drilled it to 9/16" and sent it back in about 1.5weeks time. If you didn't receive a switch resistor, I would include that bit of info in your email as well and I'm sure they'll take care of that too. The resistor is VERY tiny, so double check that it isn't hiding between the pages of the info paper that came folded with the switch, or elsewhere.

You're very welcome and I hope this helps! 

[Racona Nova]

This is the most informative post about my switch swapping problem I have read so far All other also had a lot of information, but yours is the best so far.
On the resistors' problem: I thought of using the 20mA DynaOhm resistors instead of the "normal" resistors (there weren't any between the info papers btw) which are safer from what I've heard so far.
And the holes...well, I'm not very happy with sending it back since I live in Germany and this means more two weeks of shipping...one week to the USA, one or two days for drilling, and another week shipping back to Germany (not to mention the shipping costs and propably paying new customs) You can't just buy 9/16" drills that are suitable for this kind of aluminium and use them with a normal power drill, can you? It would be the best solution for me

[eerockk]

This is the most informative post about my switch swapping problem I have read so far All other also had a lot of information, but yours is the best so far.
On the resistors' problem: I thought of using the 20mA DynaOhm resistors instead of the "normal" resistors (there weren't any between the info papers btw) which are safer from what I've heard so far.
And the holes...well, I'm not very happy with sending it back since I live in Germany and this means more two weeks of shipping...one week to the USA, one or two days for drilling, and another week shipping back to Germany (not to mention the shipping costs and propably paying new customs) You can't just buy 9/16" drills that are suitable for this kind of aluminium and use them with a normal power drill, can you? It would be the best solution for me

You definitely can, and the original hole makes a great pilot hole. The bit you need should be no more than €5.