TOPIC: Upgrading a Warrior-level hilt with sound

Possibly getting a little ahead of myself, but I'm really really good at that, so here we go -

Is it possible to install a soundboard into a SF Warrior-level hilt? I am 130% clueless about what goes into this sort of upgrade, so treat me gently. Are the Warrior-level hilts built differently, or will they have the same amount of space that Champion- or Hero-level hilts do? Are there cutouts or hardpoints included on those levels that aren't present in Warrior-level hilts?

I want to space out putting this together over a year or so (so as to be kind to my wallet), but I'm too excited at the prospect of getting my hands on one of these to put off ordering one.

Hi there! It is definitely possible to install your own soundboard into a Warrior hilt. To do so, there are a few things you should consider:

-You will need a 12mm AV momentary switch instead of the latching switch that comes with the Warrior hilts.
-If you want to install a recharge port with kill key, then you will need to drill another 12mm hole into your saber for this feature.
-The hilts have the same amount of space inside, however the pommels on the Warrior hilts probably won't be vented. In other words, the pommel will be solid because there's no sound on the warrior hilt. So you will either have to drill holes in the pommel yourself to allow for sound to come out, or you can send it in to SaberForge and they can vent it for you for a small fee.

I should also mention at this point, if you're not already aware, that SaberForge offers upgrades from the warrior level to the champion level for $180 for a 12W setup, $150 if your warrior has a 12W LED already. So if you're not feeling too comfortable about doing the upgrade yourself, this is a great deal to have it done professionally by SaberForge, since you'll end up spending about the same amount in buying a soundboard, speaker, recharge port, new switch, and then the time and energy of drilling and assembling.

Hope this is helpful!

That's.... pretty much everything I wanted to know. Thanks!!!

Hello everyone!!! I have a question regarding the charging time for a new SaberForge saber.How long should I charge the saber for the first time? Just got mine but nothing on the manual......Thank you.

Jonsdu9 I've seen that at least 12 hours on the charger is what people go for a nice charge!

Thank you very much for the info GreenLighting!!!! Do you think I should go out and buy a smart charger so I won't overcharged and burn something???

@Phoof

Mario pretty much covered it. Warrior battery holders (I'm pretty sure) take up more space than a rechargable battery pack, but along with a rechargable pack, you need a recharge port which occupies additional space.
And then swapping the switch from latching to momentary.

@Jonsdu9

Did you install the recharge port yourself? If you ordered a Champion/Hero tier hilt it should have come with a charger. Also, the chargers that coming with SF hilts have an indicator to tell you when it's fully charged. So I would leave it on the charger til the light turns green. (If you have that charger)
If you didn't get a SF charger, yeah I would buy a smart charger.

So leaving the saber plugged in too long can actually cause issues?

I think with most rechargable cells, leaving them plugged in isn't considered to be especially harmful. But if you're using an unprotected battery and unprotected charger you would probably run into problems. I'm no battery expert though.

Until you know for sure, I'd say don't leave it plugged in once it's charged. Bettery safe than sorry.

Thank you for all the Infos guys!!!!

Here's a question: why do you have to drill another hole? I noticed that most SF hilts have two 12mm holes drilled in the front, why not just use that extra hole?

The only reason I can think of to drill another hole would be for 2 switches and a recharge port.

Why would you need 2 switches?

A main and an aux, for triggering other effects. It's pretty common.

I know this is a little older post and I'm pretty new to forums, but I was looking to upgrade my warrior to have sound. the pommel has vents and it is a 12w. What size speaker would I need? I would get a 2W but what diameter would be best?

Either the premium or 2w bass speaker TCSS sells will work. For sound and longevity I'd recommend the bass one.

BTW what SF hilt is this for?

It's the arbiter hilt. I got it from their etsy shop and thought I could just add sound later. I got this switch to replace the original.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/12mm-Anti-Vandal-Momentary-Green-Ring-Switch-P917.aspx

What kind of resistors do I need, and how do I go about the swap?

I'm super new at this and want to try my hand at this before trying to do a full build.