Lightsaber Soundboards Explained: Proffie, Xenopixel, CFX, GHv4
A lightsaber soundboard is the control board in the hilt: it reads motion, plays sound from an SD card and drives the blade lights. The main families are Xenopixel (cheap, ready-made), Golden Harvest v4 (mid-range), CFX (Plecter, closed) and Proffieboard (open source, most flexible). Board prices run from about $45 to $85.
On this page8 sections
A lightsaber soundboard is the electronics in the hilt that decides how the saber sounds and lights up. It reads a motion sensor, plays sound files from an SD card and tells the blade what colour to show [1]. Four families cover most sabers: Xenopixel (cheap, ready-made), Golden Harvest v4 (mid-range), CFX from Plecter Labs (closed, polished) and Proffieboard (open source, most flexible). Standalone boards cost roughly $45 to $85 [2][3][4].
The choice matters less for looks than for what you can change later. For the head-to-head with prices in finished sabers, see Xenopixel vs neopixel. For the wider topic, visit the Tech hub.
What a lightsaber soundboard does
A board has a few jobs. It senses motion through an accelerometer, so it can tell a slow turn from a swing or a clash. It plays sound through an amplifier into a speaker. It also switches the light source: a single LED in the hilt for a baselit saber, or a strip of pixels in the blade [1][2].
Some boards also charge the battery over USB, run a display or connect to a phone. The Proffieboard V3.9 lists a 6-axis motion sensor, a class-D amplifier and a USB battery charger on one board [2]. The Crystal Focus X Mk3 lists a 3.2 W digital amplifier and support for a small OLED screen [4].
| Spec | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Motion sensing | Accelerometer, often with gyroscope [2] |
| Sound storage | microSD card [2][4] |
| Amplifier | 3 W to 3.2 W on the boards listed here [4][5] |
| Light output | LED drivers, pixel strip outputs, or both [2][4] |
| Power | One cell (3.7 V) or two cells (7.4 V) depending on board [4] |
Lightsaber sound fonts: what they are
A sound font is a set of sounds for one saber: hum, ignition, retraction, swing, clash, blaster block and lockup. You copy a font to the SD card and the board uses it [1]. Fonts differ by format, so a font made for one board family may need conversion for another. GHv4’s maker advertises automatic conversion of third-party fonts [6].
Two terms come up often. A monophonic font plays one sound at a time, the style associated with Plecter. A polyphonic font can layer sounds, as with NEC-style boards [1]. Proffieboard lists polyphonic playback of up to five simultaneous samples [2].
SmoothSwing is an algorithm that changes the hum with swing speed rather than triggering a separate swing clip. A forum discussion credits an individual enthusiast for the idea, and says CFX was the first mainstream non-Proffie board to ship it, around mid-2019 [1][7]. CFX Mk3 lists SmoothSwing today [4].
Fonts are widely shared and sold. A 2016 forum post put prices near $6 per font, a figure that is dated and needs a fresh check (unverified) [1].
The main families
Xenopixel
Xenopixel is the name used for low-cost, ready-made boards in mass-market sabers. Ultrasabers states that its Xenopixel sabers use the Xeno3.0 board and ship with 16 or 34 preset sound fonts [8]. It is the entry point: little to set up, a phone app for colours and fonts, and few ways to go deeper. It is rarely sold as a bare board. Who makes it is not stated on the vendor pages we read (unverified).
Golden Harvest v4 (GHv4)
TCSS lists GHv4 at $55 with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, an Android app (ForceSync), a Wi-Fi web app (Golden Harvest Commander), wireless SD card access and automatic conversion of third-party sound fonts [6]. The listing was in stock when checked, as of November 2026. A 30-day warranty applies and improper soldering voids it [6]. It sits between Xenopixel and Proffie in customisation.
CFX (Crystal Focus X)
CFX descends from Plecter Labs’ Crystal Focus line. Plecter calls itself a pioneer of glowing replica technology since 2005 and since 2017 has routed most sales through partners [7]. TCSS lists the Mk3 at $84.99 with one- or two-cell power, SmoothSwing, 14 preloaded fonts, two LED strip outputs and OLED support [4]. It is closed source and configured through files rather than code.
Proffieboard and ProffieOS
Proffieboard is an open-source lightsaber controller created by Fredrik Hubinette, running ProffieOS [5]. Artekit, the maker of the V3.9 board, lists 100% open source under GPLv3, an STM32L452 chip, six LED drivers and a price of EUR 45.90 to 50.90 (the higher price includes a 32 GB microSD) [2]. The ProffieOS releases page shows 8.10 as the latest version [9]. Community tools such as the Fett263 style library let users build blade styles without writing code [10].
Open source vs closed
Open means you can read the source, change the behaviour and keep the board alive after a vendor stops selling it. Proffie also has a large public support forum, The Crucible [11]. Closed boards trade that for a smoother out-of-box setup and vendor-run support.
| Xenopixel | GHv4 | CFX Mk3 | Proffieboard V3.9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Closed | Closed | Closed | Open (GPLv3) |
| Board price | Not sold alone | $55 [6] | $84.99 [4] | EUR 45.90 to 50.90 [2] |
| Phone control | Bluetooth app | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth | No app listed | No official app |
| Pixel blade support | Yes | Not listed by TCSS [6] | Yes, 2 strip outputs [4] | Yes [5] |
| Best for | First saber | Step up from Xeno | Plecter fans | Tinkerers |
Prices are a single vendor snapshot as of November 2026.
How to pick a board
Start from how much you want to change after the purchase.
If the answer is “nothing”, buy a finished Xenopixel saber and use the app for colours and fonts. You get a working saber with the least effort, and the buyer’s guide for the best lightsaber lists where to look.
If you want to swap fonts freely and adjust colours from a phone or browser, GHv4 is the middle path. It adds Wi-Fi file transfer and font conversion without asking you to edit code [6].
If you already own Plecter hardware, or you prefer a config-file system with a display option, CFX fits [4].
If you want to rewrite blade styles, remap buttons or follow the code on GitHub, choose Proffieboard. Expect to read documentation first. The Proffie forum and the style library exist because the board is so configurable [10][11].
Whichever you pick, check the SD card size and who supports the board after sale. Artekit lists a 32 GB card option on its Proffie page [2], and TCSS includes a preloaded card with GHv4 and CFX [4][6].
What it costs overall
A bare board is the smaller part of the bill. Premade Xenopixel sabers start at $320 on the first page of Ultrasabers’ category, as of November 2026 [8]. A board-only Proffie costs about as much as a bare GHv4, but you also need a hilt chassis, speaker, battery and blade, which is why most buyers pick a finished saber. For DIY builds, see our parts list and battery guide.
FAQ
What is the best lightsaber soundboard?
There is no single best. Xenopixel suits a first saber, Proffie suits people who want to customise, GHv4 and CFX sit in between [2][4][6][8].
Can I use any sound font on any board?
Not always. Formats differ, so fonts may need conversion or renaming [1][6].
Is Proffieboard hard to use?
It has a learning curve, but community style tools lower it [10].
Do soundboards work with every blade?
Boards drive either LEDs or pixel strips, and the blade must match. Check the listing [2][4].
Sources
- Handbook, what lightsabers are, handbook/what-are-sabers.md and handbook/glossary.md (rest on 2016 forum threads)
- Artekit, Proffieboard V3.9, https://www.artekit.eu/products/devboards/proffieboard-v3-9/ (accessed 2026-11-06)
- Superneox, all about lightsaber soundboard cores, https://superneox.com/blogs/guides/all-about-lightsaber-soundboard-cores (accessed 2026-11-06)
- TCSS, Crystal Focus X Mk3, https://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Electronics/Sound-Modules/Crystal-Focus-Sound-Module-X-MK3 (accessed 2026-11-06)
- Proffieboard V3 page, Fredrik Hubinette, https://fredrik.hubbe.net/lightsaber/v6/ (accessed 2026-11-06)
- TCSS, Golden Harvest V4 sound module, https://thecustomsabershop.com/Electronics/Sound-Modules/Golden-Harvest-V4-Sound-Module (accessed 2026-11-06)
- The Crucible, Timeline project, https://crucible.hubbe.net/t/timeline-project/4456, and Plecter Labs shop, https://www.plecterlabs.com/shop (accessed 2026-11-06); summarised in handbook/sabers/generations.md
- Ultrasabers, premade Xenopixel sabers, https://ultrasabers.com/product-category/premade-xenopixel-sabers/ (accessed 2026-11-06)
- ProffieOS releases, https://github.com/profezzorn/ProffieOS/releases (accessed 2026-11-06)
- Fett263, https://fett263.com/ (accessed 2026-11-06)
- The Crucible, https://crucible.hubbe.net/ (accessed 2026-11-06)
Editorial team
Writes for Saber Forge Forum. Every guide is checked against the maker's specs and dated, so you know how fresh it is.
Read next
Neopixel Lightsaber: What It Is and Which One to Buy
A neopixel lightsaber has an LED strip inside the blade, so the glow is even from hilt to tip and the blade can animate. Entry models start around $180, mid-range around $320 to $400, Proffie sabers from about $400. Duelling needs a tougher blade.
Best Lightsaber to Buy in 2026: Picks by Use and Budget
There is no single best lightsaber, so this list picks one per use: Xenopixel for a first serious saber, baselit for duelling and kids, a licensed Hasbro replica for the shelf, Proffieboard for DIY. Specs, price bands and warranty terms from vendor pages.