FX Lightsaber help

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I'm trying to replace the switch on an ANH ESB Luke FX lightsaber from 2004. It's got a switch with four wires and the board with the switch attached is labeled like this:

1 4
3 2

It seems to be wired correctly, but I'm not getting anything out of it when it functioned before. Does anyone know how, or which wires, I would check the switch to see if power is going through it? I don't know anything about electronics, but I know my dad has one of those testers with the two probes and a bulb in the middle. He might have a tester that is more advanced as well. No idea what they are called because like I said no electronics experience.

 

[Ridire Firean]

Hey Sluis Van Shipyards ! The type of tester you're looking for is a Digital Multimeter.

Can you post up a photo or two of the switch and the board?

 

[thegnome]

Have you checked the other forums here? They probably already have the answers.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Search is the first thing I tried. Here's a pic:

 

[Ridire Firean]

Hey Sluis Van Shipyards ! Is it one like this?.....

MR ESB Luke Skywalker Force FX Conversion Tutorial

The following is my disassembly and conversion tutorial for the Master Replicas ESB Luke Skywalker Force FX lightsaber. This tutorial assumes basic familiarity with electrical soldering and the general process of Force FX conversions, as outlined in more detailed conversion tutorials in this...

forums.thecustomsabershop.com

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

That looks similar, but mine doesn't have the blue filter on the blade, it looks white/clear when it's off. I did go check and my dad does have a digital multimeter. I just need to know what to probe.

 

[Ridire Firean]

Hey Sluis Van Shipyards ! Without seeing the rest of the switch, and not being an expert, this is just a guess, but it seems to be a Dual Pole, Dual Throw Switch.

In the OFF position, no current should pass through any of the wires attached to the board.

In the ON position, current should pass through the wires.

The tricky part in the ON position, is whether the wires are in pairs (two positive, two negative), or I suppose it could be three positive and one negative wire.

If it's pairs, I would guess it's 1 and 3 as one pair (a positive and a negative) and 4 and 2 as the other pair (a positive and a negative). With the switch in the on position you could probe 1 and 3. If current passes through it, it's likely a pair. If you then probe 4 and 2, and current passes through them, then it's another pair. If it doesn't pass through 4 and 2, test 4 with 3, and 2 with 3. If current passes through them now, then 3 is your negative and the other three wires are your positive.

Remember, it could be that 1 and 4 are a pair, 3 and 2 could be a pair, 1 and 2 could be a pair, and 4 and 3 could be a pair, and any one of them could be a negative and the other three could be positves.

Hopefully you took photos of the board while the other two wires were attached to it so that you can trace back to whatever devices all the wires were attached to.

Knowing that should help you create a wiring diagram. Once you have that, and you know what direction the energy is flowing in, you can then begin to diagnose why it isn't flowing properly.

Also, if you know what the exact brand and model of lightsaber it is, it will help you search for other threads where people may have had the same problems in other boards like TheRebelArmory, FX-Sabers, and TheCustomSaberShop forums, or even videos on YouTube.

I hope this helps some, even if it is just moral support. I know electrical wire problems can be very frustrating, just keep testing, and keep good notes on your results!

Good Luck! And May The Current Be With You!

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Thanks! I'll give that a try. I did actually forgot what wires were what since it's been sitting around, but I found a wiring diagram so I'm pretty sure I got them sorted.