TOPIC: DIY Help

Hey guys, as I am planning to install a NBV 3.0 soundboard into my warrior chosen I ordered, what additional parts and steps will I need to successfully install it e.g do I need a kill key and a new switch? Thanks

A kill key isn't necessary, though you will need a 12mm momentary switch.

As for the Nano Biscotte itself, as far as I'm aware, it still has a 2A/6W limit on the main LED channel, so I'd only recommend it for use on a 6W+ LED. If you purchased a 12W+ LED with your saber, I'd instead recommend an Economy Board with Tip42C transistor (6A/18W limit) or Spark board with two LEDs per channel.

Thanks for the reply... Why isn't a kill key necessary? I though you needed it to power on? And I ordered the 12w and are you sure that the nbv won't be compatible because I don't know anything about those last things you said

I believe the NBV3 can now drive a 12W LED without a PEX - you may need to check, though.

If you want a recharge port in the hilt, you want a kill key. Otherwise, if you plan to take the battery out for charging, you can just do that. Otherwise, the saber will slowly drain the battery while it is "on".

Great thank you, just awaiting email confirmation from tccs

You can wire in and install a recharge port in the chassis as well so you can remove the pommel and pull out the chassis and plug it in to charge. Or install the charge port somewhere on the hilt similar to the champion tier. You can also just do the removable battery and charge it like the warrior tier. A kill key is not necessay as the NB boards have a deep sleep function. Some just prefer to have it, but it's not required as the deep sleep function initiates within 5mins or so of not being in use and has no battery drain.

Whether or not anyone else has managed to wire a 12W LED to a Nano Biscotte, the board isn't *designed* to handle the electric current that LED unit requires. You do so at your own risk, with a decent chance of swing sensor issues.

Kill keys aren't for turning a saber on - they're to cut power to a soundboard. They're meant for high-end boards with idle features like lit crystal chambers, LED bargraphs, shake-to-wake, magnet-wake etc. NB doesn't have any of those features and enters a minimal-draw deep sleep, as NeBosa mentioned. There's no need for a key on the NB board.

Avalanche, if you didn't understand my previous post, I'm not sure you should be experimenting with pricey saber electronics. I was recommending using other boards that *can* handle the current of a 12W+ LED unit.

If all you want is sound, a cheap soundboard would be the boards inside of the $20 Hasbro sabers. With a transistor wired to read from that board's LED- signal, and the 18650 battery that comes with SF LEDs, you'd have no problem powering the LED, while also saving yourself a few dollars. It's also less of an investment in case something goes wrong. TCSS has tutorials on wiring up this sort of soundboard.

Ok so I've read that the new 12w+ is fine with the NBV 3 so my other question is does the soundboard power the LED? I thought that is what the battery is for? Can someone clear this up? Sorry for all the questions guys but I know all of you are great so much appreciated

Avalanche210500 wrote: The soundboard powers the LED with power from the battery. It controls the power flow to the LED for things like FoC and flicker. It also powers the speaker with power from the battery.
EDIT: And it probably isn't fine with the 12w+ module, a safer option would probably be a Tri-Cree LED. I haven't tried it, but it isn't rated for quad-cree. Where exactly did you read that?

Ok so the soundboard basically is the middle man, thanks for the clarification. I read that it should be alright on the tccs forums... Still unsure tho. I ordered a chosen warrior edition so what should I do now because if I need a tri- Cree I need to do something right?

Rob Petkau/TCSS has a ton of videos on YouTube, all of which will both explain the basics and show you how to assemble a basic saber. I'd start with those, and then read up on what parts you still don't understand.

It's only just hit me that you've already bought the NBv3, which is why you're so adamant to get it to work.

It should be possible to drive the LED a the 2A that's safe for the soundboard - you'll just need to replace the resistors. If your 12W+ LED unit has two negative leads, wire a single 0.5ohm resistor onto each lead. If there's only one positive and one negative, wire two 0.5ohm resistors in parallel to either wire.

For future reference, the Spark2 is built for these high-current LED units and offers a few more features without costing too much more than an NB: http://www.saberigniter.com/spark2.aspx

The manual even includes a diagram for wiring up the old 12W LEDs to the board (the X4 LED in documentation). Best practice would be to wire up two LEDs per channel, but it's entirely possible to stick all four on channel 1 (and might be useful on a saberstaff or crossguard if you want to run a second 12W+ blade or two 6W+ blades off channel 2)

Sorry for the confusion, I haven't purchased the soundboard yet, but I have been in contact with shameem and Jordan moll and they both said to put a extra 1 ohm 2w resistor along with the resistors already on the SF 12w, and also I can change the configuration file from 50 to 70 or something. In regards to your last point, is this regarding the NBV or the spark? Thanks

Last paragraph was about the Spark. Naigon's boards (Spark, Spark Color, and Igniter) are built to handle SF LEDs and include diagrams on how to make them work.

To make a 12W work with a NanoBiscotte, you basically have to run it at 1/2 power and 2/3 brightness. That's what the extra resistor is for. If that's an acceptable loss, go for it.

^What he said. Or if you're set on the NBv3, just change the LED to one meant for that board and be nice and bright. Tri-Crees are nice.

Kouri, would you recommend going for the spark 2? Also, it would be my first time installing any of this but I would have someone to help me out who knows his stuff so is it user friendly and would I be able to do it?

I'd say the Spark 2 is pretty user friendly. I'm planning to use it for my first install once my ASP arrives.

Here's the manual if you haven't seen it yet. The wiring diagrams are pretty well done and easy to understand: http://www.saberigniter.com/downloads/Spark%20S2-R2.pdf

As someone who's spent the last year studying saber construction and built several hilts from scratch:

None of this is going to be user-friendly - not the first time. This is going to appear quite complex the first time around. Parts will need to be secured and insulated to prevent shorting. Some sort of chassis ought to be purchased/constructed.

As far as soundboards go, yes, I will recommend the Spark2 for a Saber Forge build. Electronically, it's designed to drop into a Saber Forge circuit right in between the battery, switch, and LED. You can keep the latching main switch that comes with your Warrior Chosen, but you'll need to pick up a second 12mm Momentary switch for Auxillary functions (your hilt will have a dummy switch covering the second switch hole).

Here's a basic wiring diagram for putting all LED power on channel 1:


And Here's a Purple 12W with Royal Blue on Channel 1 and Red on Channel 2:


A note that Red and Amber LEDs need a resistor when hooked into the board, but Blue, Green, and White can be wired straight to the board with the board handling drive adjustment.

I don't know the Inner Diamater of a Chosen hilt off-hand. As far as I can tell, SF IDs are somewhere between 1"-1.18". Apprentice hilts might have a smaller ID because of their smaller size. Can anyone verify?

A 1" ID hilt will need a 20mm speaker. A 1.18" ID hilt can use a 28mm speaker. 1" blade stock or 3/4" Class200 PVC pipe can be used to construct a chassis to mount the board and speaker to. Darth Ryo also offers 3D-printed chassis here: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/goth-customsabers?s=0

I personally started out with Economy boards I ripped out of $20 Hasbro sabers. I also destroyed the first two or three with mistaken wiring or improper mounting. The new Blade Builder boards are apparently 1" x 1" and would be a great learning tool before moving up to a $70-80 soundboard.