epee question

[glowstix]

one of my epees went dead. i checked the wiring and nothing seems to be broken anywhere. i also checked the connections in the socket and it too seems to be fine. what else could be the culprit??? if i dismantle the tip what should i be looking for as the possible cause of the fault???

[CvilleFencer]

Check your point. Make sure that the barrel is tight, that your contact spring is reaching the conectors and that it is straight and has not gotten tangled in your tip spring. Also make sure there is not gunk that could be blocking the contacts and that the cup is well seated. You can stick a small screwdriver down to touch the contacts and it should give you a light. If not the culprit is in the wires or the socket connection. It is possible to have a wire break behind the cup but inside the barrel to where it is not obvious but my fist geuss would be a contact spring not reaching or a break around the socket. Make sure the wires a in good shape down there and are not haning on by a thread so to speak.

[keith]

one of my epees went dead. i checked the wiring and nothing seems to be broken anywhere. i also checked the connections in the socket and it too seems to be fine. what else could be the culprit??? if i dismantle the tip what should i be looking for as the possible cause of the fault???

so visual inspection or electronic - if everything is fine by eye it means nothing.

for an electrical test (test box or hand meter);

1. press the tip to make sure the weapon suddenly hasn't fixed itself.

2. check contacts to the socket in the guard fix if broken.

3. remove the tip; can you get a short using a screwdriver to make the circuit between the contacts in the barrel?

Yes - then lengthen the contact spring in your tip; problem fixed.

No - probably a broken wire. But first carefully dissasemble the weapon (handle, guard socket) and check that a wire hasn't snapped in a fixable place.

if you can't find a fixable break in the guard area then its time to rewire.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

check your body cord and the box also.

[great bowyer]

from my very limioted experience, that sounds about right, i also use the multimeter and check each wire individualy, then you can get a clearer picture of what is wrong. i found if the wire looks intact on the blade, then your problem would most likely be in the tip, or in the guard. usually, i find the wire is broken in the tip if the tip is loose. another problem i have seen is that the wire that is in the socket is wraped around the post several times before screwed down, if screwed too tightly this will break the wire. i have also seen the guard is loose and cuts the wire where it enters the guard. you may also check that the contacts in the tip are level with each other, if not, the spring may only be touching one, and not both. if all fails, rewire.

[neevel]

Another possibility to consider is that, in addition to being compressed too short to reach, the end of the contact spring could have some dirt or corrosion that will insulate it and prevent it from closing the circuit across the contacts. Gently sanding the contact spring with fine-grit sandpaper will clear this up.

The contacts themselves can also become insulated by dirt & corrosion. Plastic safe spray contact cleaner will cure it, or just scraping the contacts with a small screwdriver.

-Dave

[glowstix]

Another possibility to consider is that, in addition to being compressed too short to reach, the end of the contact spring could have some dirt or corrosion that will insulate it and prevent it from closing the circuit across the contacts. Gently sanding the contact spring with fine-grit sandpaper will clear this up.

The contacts themselves can also become insulated by dirt & corrosion. Plastic safe spray contact cleaner will cure it, or just scraping the contacts with a small screwdriver.

-Dave

i failed to mention that the problem started AFTER a DE bout. i was curious that it occured at the start of my next bout since i scored the 15th point with it and it was fine. when i wired up for the next bout it was dead. i'm thinking it was in the tip since i fleched pretty hard/fast to get the final touche.

[keith]

i failed to mention that the problem started AFTER a DE bout. i was curious that it occured at the start of my next bout since i scored the 15th point with it and it was fine. when i wired up for the next bout it was dead. i'm thinking it was in the tip since i fleched pretty hard/fast to get the final touche.

chances are then either the contact spring got knocked back pretty hard - fixable, or that one of the contacts got driven down into the plastic (rewire). But take out the tip clean it and adjust the contact spring first and you might get lucky. Epee wires are pretty hard to snap, they tend to last far longer than foil wires in that regard.

[The Armourer]

one of my epees went dead. i checked the wiring and nothing seems to be broken anywhere. i also checked the connections in the socket and it too seems to be fine. what else could be the culprit??? if i dismantle the tip what should i be looking for as the possible cause of the fault???

I know its obvious but it could be that the contact spring is too short and not touching the contact within the barrel - lengthen the spring and try that first.
It could also be a break in the cable within the barrel - if the barrel was loose at some stage and its been tightened, this could introduce a break.
It could be a break in the cable along the blade - visually check for damage. I always take the blade to pieces - i.e. have just the blade (no handle etc) and then try electrical continuity checks. If it fails it will need rewiring. Hope this helps.

[wbowman]

It's also possible for a wire to get pinched within the tip and ground out. Doesn't sound likely from your scenario, but it can happen. If that's happened (if memory serves) it won't set off a machine but it will light up BOTH lights on a test box.

[shlepzig]

Check the compression spring the tip, sometime these can get tweaked so they ground out the tip. Tip gounded... no touch. Grounding can occur lots of ways though.

Sometimes on disassembly this problem fixes itself if the spring bounced off of the cup or soemthing. Reassemble and see if the problem is gone.

Shlep.

[glowstix]

thanks for the help guys. i took apart the epee (not rewiring) and put it back together again and it seems to work now...in fact i it works so well i got waxed a few days ago by higher level fencer while i was using it...it should have played dead at that time to save my a$$ instead at the tournament i fenced well at...