TOPIC: Plug & Play Champion and Hero Kits Now Available!

Screw it, I'll commit myself to checking one of these out. Would you guys be more interested in hearing about the champion kit or hero kit?

Eddlyss64 wrote: I reckon it's hardly enough to become a deterrent. Think back in-the-day with gaming consoles and their associated remotes/controllers and then when the dual-shocks were introduced with PS and then Xbox and every other. Does it intensify the experience? a little bit, but it's still kinda meh IMO. Not much different to having a sub installed in your rides boot or just dialling up the bass with your stereo at home. Specific to Saber Hilts, doesn't really add much and if anything, becomes annoying after a while..

OvrcAHst wrote:
Exactly. I don't want to be annoyed by that vibrating while I'm doing freeform or some screw-around dueling. I want an option to turn it off, just in case.

OvrcAHst wrote: I had metal gear solid it was one of first games that utilized vibration but I didn't have a dual shock controller never see the need like you mentioned. Than I visited a friends house with some ps games on hand and he said he has a dual shock so we plug metal gear solid in and man was I ever wrong about anything. Of course today the vibration does not give that much excitement either I got used to it or they drop vibrations intensity but I can't forget how ı felt when I first felt that vibration. I had the game for years and I cursed my self for not getting a dual shock sooner.

Kouri wrote:
This is a very interesting thought. I didn't think of that but that does make sense. I guess it depends also on how strong this motor is. It is on a chasis, so maybe that would help?
Snakeeyz99 wrote:
My vote would be hero....go ALL the way. Plus, if you can turn it off I'm sure it could be done in the settings of the NEC Spark Color 2...and we can see if there are any additional features. However, it's your money my friend. Do what is best for you and your family.

I agree with the comments on the video game feedback. I totally take that feature for granted now when playing a game. I am not sure yet that this vibration feedback would be something I would build into my collection, but I'd also love to tinker with it just to see what it can do. Its not so much the allure, but more just something to build an play with for a little while...before the fun wears off.

Eddlyss64 wrote: Question that remains is whether the imitated vibration is a constant buzz or if triggered my motions. Regardless of former or latter, it will require further fine-tuning of the sensitivity settings to minimise the effect of ghost-swings and/or the random sounds that often happen when battery juice runs low. There's no mention of adjustability in the product description and because it is still effectively running from a Sabercore2.0 board, I'm inclined to think it can't be switched off (padded gloves may lessen the noticeability) . Sabercore2.0 primarily gets edited via the on-board Menu. I really doubt an extra menu option will be added to the lineup for Champion Tiers.

Higher tier boards i.e. Petite Crouton, Prizm are wired with the extra feature of the rumble motor. Specific to these, you can toggle the sensitivity and intensity so quite possibly with Hero setup using SC2, maybe.

Even on default setup when a rumble motor is present, it's not really that intense to the resulting effects of numb hands much like operating a hammer-drill or high pressure trigger. It's really more a subtle, low-intensity hum, kinda like using electric clippers or those rechargeable shavers. The annoyance comment was more on the gaming side and the sound, more like standing near a bees nest.

ukyavuz wrote: and then there's those times (like playing 1080 on N64 or Rally on X360) when a glitch happens and from a responsive vibration becomes a full-time vibration like the spin-cycle of a toploader.

Alright, placed an order for a Hero kit today. Can't wait to get my hands on it!

One thing I noticed from the store page: The SD card appears to be mounted on the outside of the assembly, facing into the hilt. This means you would need to remove the battery assembly to access your configs on a PC or change sound fonts. slightly more inconvenient than before, but definitely okay due to the nature of the ASP system. As long as I can remove it without tugging out the QC's for the switch and charge port every time I'll be happy.

Snakeeyz99 wrote:
Here's hoping your thrilled with it!

Can I use a plug and play kit in an empty Maater Replicas hilt or my Graflex 2.0 kit??

So I gots me a Champion PnP V2 Kit with this new vibration add-on. There's definitely no extra Menu Option to the default 4 and the buzz.. is constant and not dictated by motions or swings (well on mine during initial tests anyway). Doesn't look like there's any obvious way to disable/switch off since the battery sled with board and battery is shrink-wrapped in blue plastic.

The little 3-Pin connector for the charge port is quite fiddly (compared to the micro-deans) and the pins themselves are smaller and finer (in gauge) which may lessen the durability of repeated change-in/change-out.

As for the constant buzz, it is pretty subtle and personally... *meh*. It definitely influences motion and sensitivity and encourages ghost swings. Fully charged and juiced (if your thinking it) .

Maybe the Hero setup returns more favourably but I didn't get it so IDK.

OvrcAHst wrote:
That's what I hope to confirm when my kit arrives! Just waiting on the shipping notice before I can give a time estimate, though.

Snakeeyz99 wrote: I'm waiting for reply verification from SFCS after delivery receipt yesterday. I got a Pro Assembled Hilt too in addition to the PnP V2 Kit (which I was led to believe also included the vibration effect for the PA) and the PA'd doesn't have it and the PnP feedback is temperamental. Just hoping for some kind of an elaborated description/explanation specific to its function and what to expect to determine if feedback is normal or not.

I am surprised (although not doubting you) that there is no way to control the vibration and it just vibrates. I've got a saber with a bass in it that vibrates just from the loudness = poor man's vibration.

from what I understand about the vibration function, it is controlled by the flicker settings.

perhaps more flicker (setting 5), more vibration / no flicker (setting 1), no vibration?

Just got a message from Saberforge today:


The email isn't specific, but I'm willing to bet it has something to do with either the vibration motor, the 3-pin connectors, or the SD card position/settings (If their SD cards were programmed with the same settings used in other hero-tier electronics, the SD card position setting would be inverted. Changing the settings of all of their PnP kits would definitely take some time to do). The delay's not a terrible hassle for me, I just can't wait to get my hands on it to see it!

Received my kit today, here's an album of the unboxing for those curious:

Imgur Album

It's a bit curious that the board didn't have an SD card, but I can deal at the moment. Right now I'm just too pumped to get it charge up and tested so I can install it! Later on I'll probably void the warranty so I can get a better look at the electronics. Might as well make sure it works first

Ran a few tests with the rumble motor, seems like it's powered on regardless of the color of the blade unless it's completely off. Also, color strength seems related to motor strength. Vibration follows the pulse. I had a feeling I knew how it did this, but I decided to confirm.

NSFW (Not Safe For Warranty) Warning

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Yep, SF is powering the motor using simple diodes connecting to each of the LED pads on the board. The positive pad used is most likely the accent LED pad. This means the motor will receive the battery voltage minus 0.7V with current contributions proportional to each of the die strengths in the current color set. On the plus side this means you will have vibration regardless of color, on the negative side it means you can't disable vibration without turning all colors off. The motor might also leech some current from the LEDs, potentially making the blade slightly dimmer, but since the overall power draw will be the same I don't see any decrease in battery life.

You might be able to install a small switch on the leads going to the motor if you really want the choice to have it on or off, but the current way it's wired up you can't control it from a settings point of view.

My first impression of this is "Gimmicky", and I have to wonder about long term wear and tear based on your tear down.

I'd like to see where this goes as it matures as a product offering. I personally think I'd wait for a version 2.0 before buying.

I honestly like the effect much more than I thought I would. Despite the motor's location at the base of the battery you can feel the vibration throughout, even at the tip of the blade, and I'm not getting a significant amount of phantom swings. It makes me wonder if there would be a difference if you were able to fasten it directly to the aluminum somewhere near the switch section.

Not much air going to the board with that shrink-wrap...
Did you test it enough beforehand to see how hot this setup gets?