TOPIC: Adding to a Champion level ASP saber.

Hello, everyone. I have a Champion level ASP saber that I ordered via the KickStarter launch, and absolutely love it. I am, however, considering replacing the normal momentary switch with one of the lighted switches, and wanting to add a recharge port. I'm curious if anyone has done this, and how to go about it. I have plenty of experience with soldering and electronic assembly, but am not sure about the actual layout that would be required. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I'm installing a recharge port in mine as soon as the rest of the parts show up, and plan to post a howto with pictures. Tracking says it should be here this week so I expect to have it posted within a few days.

I also have a lighted AV switch (and some non-lighted low-profile switches) showing up, but I'm leaning toward not wiring up the switch light. I considered it, but the DynaOhm resistors at TCSS are out of stock at the moment and I don't know enough to pick the right regular resistor. Mostly I just want a switch I won't keep bumping by accident.

The recharge port is by far the most important to me, since the SaberCore boards have really high standby current (~200mA) and they keep a chip rather hot all the time when connected to power. So, a kill key would help. And with a charge port I don't have to keep taking the chassis out and risk damaging the internals every time.

Meanwhile, here's the layout from JeffVader's post:


If I opt for the switch light, I'll probably connect it to PWR instead of LED, so I can more easily tell when power is connected.

Edit 2016-07-30: The rest of the parts arrived today and I completed the upgrades (lighted switch, charge port, fake battery adapter). It was a pain, but I took pictures along the way and plan to post a thread with details soon. I really hope I never have to open up this hilt again. I didn't have anywhere near enough room for quick-connect adapters, so it's all hardwired now.

TCSS just got more DynaOhm resistors in last night, should you still want one.

I might have to play with one of these boards now that ASP has them available...

Picked some up at LEDSupply as well and had a good experience. I'm looking forward to seeing your tutorial. I've almost completed a Spark Color 2 / Z6 Install in an ASP saber. I'm just waiting on the battery, which TCSS is out of.