Saber turns off unexpectedly

Proffieboards Padawan Area
#1

I’m a newbie to lightsaber building, and looking for some help troubleshooting my first saber.

I am using:
Proffie V2.2 with ProffieOS version 6.7
3-channel Cree XP-E2 LED star
CK TS01CQE kill switch
3.6V battery (I have tried two of these, fully charged)
I don’t remember what type of speaker I have, but it seems to be working fine.

Whenever I swing the saber too aggressively (which isn’t much) or lightly tap the saber, it turns off (both the sound and LEDs) and does not turn back on when the button is pressed. Specifically, this happens when I tap the board itself, but sometimes it seems more random. Regardless of if the saber is moved/tapped again, it functions normally once I toggle the kill switch, at least until it is jostled.

I tried using the standard config file from the configurator instead of my own, but am still experiencing the same problem. I really hope this is not a soldering
issue, but again, I’m a beginner, so its not unlikely. If someone can help me figure out what’s going on here, it would be much appreciated.

#2

Sounds like either your battery is too loose on it’s spring contacts (is it a removable battery?) or something is shorting when jolted.
I’d guess it’s certainly non-software related.

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#3

Yes, the battery is removeable. It just occurred to me to try without the battery, using the serial monitor, and the saber works great that way (but no LEDs of course). I think you’re right that the battery being loose is the problem (one of the spring contacts is slightly bent). If not that, then its probably something with the kill switch. I will secure the battery better, and hopefully that should fix the issue. Thanks for the help!

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#4

Yeah, I know on a couple of my sabers that have an excessively large battery compartment and a large spring, a stab is enough jolt to compress the spring, make the battery lose contact with the positive, and the board shuts off.
However, not turning back on with the power button, happening when tapping the board itself, and then kill switch toggling to bring it back are not symptoms of loose battery necessarily. So, investigate and see what you come up with.

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#5

That makes sense. While I was inspecting it earlier, one of by button wires came loose, so I will have to re-solder that this weekend and investigate some more.

#6

Most often, when the board won’t re-start until you kill-switch it, it’s because the protection circuit on the battery was triggered somehow. Could mean that there is a loose cable causing a short somewhere. Of course, it could also be something completely different.

If it is the protection circuit, you could test it with a multimeter, the battery would read as essentially zero volts until the kill switch is put in.

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#7

I fixed the wire that came loose the other day, so that wasn’t the problem. The battery was loose, and I think I fixed that (its not visibly moving anymore, but I don’t know how to tell for sure). I also tested the protection circuit with a multimeter, and you’re right that its being triggered. I can’t figure out why though. Nothing looks like it’s loose or causing a short, and I don’t have the issue when using the serial monitor (no battery). Is there something I can test or a way to find if/where there is a short?

#8

Also, would the battery amps matter in this case? The proffie website says to make sure the battery can provide enough amps to power your blade. I will admit I don’t know how to figure that out, but I didn’t think it would cause problems just using tri-cree.

The two batteries I have now are identical 3.6V 18650s that say they have 2600 mAh and 9wh.

#9

Yes, the battery amps matters.
The amperes specifies how quickly you can pull power from the battery without damaging the battery or triggering the protection circuit. For batteries that don’t list their limits, this limit is usually pretty low, like 1-2A.

Unfortunately, neopixels draw at least 3A, and sometimes as much as 10A. A battery which can handle 10A is the minimum requirement for a neopixel saber. 15A is recommended.

#10

That makes more sense about the battery, thank you. However, I’m using a tri-cree to make a base-lit saber, not neopixel. I don’t know exactly how much that would draw, so I wasn’t sure if the amps would be enough to make a difference in this case. Would it be enough to trigger the protection circuit and make the saber turn off on clashes?

#11

If properly resistored, a tri-cree draws 3A.
The battery would need to be able to deliver at least 5A.
White draws the most power, which could explain why clashes triggers the circuit.

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#12

Ah, yes that would be a problem. I just ordered a 15A battery, but unfortunately it’s unlikely to arrive in time for May the 4th😢. Thank you again for the helpful info. I will update if the new battery solves the problem.

#13

The KeepPower 15A battery arrived today. (15A might be a bit overkill but this way I can also use it with neopixel later.) I put it in my saber and it is working perfectly. Again, thanks so much for all the help! My first lightsaber is finally working and I couldn’t be happier.

May the force be with you.

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