Mysterious Lights

[Inquartata]

OK, I'm fencing sabre. I beat my opponent's blade, and my scoring light goes on. We test, and he's not grounding to his lamé anywhere. I change weapons, same thing happens. I change body cords, same thing happens.

When I am on the opposite side of the strip, everything works properly.

What is going on? The scoring box ( St. George ) was swapped out and the problem still occurred sporadically. Is a reel grounding wires internally at a certain spot? Is my gear possessed? Are the gods trying to confer victory upon me? ( I lean toward the latter, myself. )

[larkmaj]

Sounds like there is an intermittent short between either the A and B lines or the A and C. Most likely the A and B as they are most often right next to each other. This could be either on the reel or floorcord. What type of reel?

[Beowulfman6]

Originally Posted by larkmaj

Sounds like there is an intermittent short between either the A and B lines or the A and C. Most likely the A and B as they are most often right next to each other. This could be either on the reel or floorcord. What type of reel?

I agree, but this is probably happening in his opponents bodycord for it to cause Inq's valid light to come on. Did you test your opponents gear?

Admittedly I don't have any sabre fencers in my club so I never do any sabre armory, but I believe this is the case- and it should cause your opponents grounding light to come on.

[mrbiggs]

There was a thread a few months ago that discussed a problem similar to this. I think that the solution was that the clip that connects the reel to the lamé was grounded to the C-line. Since one of the fencers had a lamé whose clip was electrically connected to the lamé, he had shorts, but his insulated opponent did not.

I don't know if that makes any sense, but could that be the problem?

[Inquartata]

At my end of the strip, an Uhlmann; at the other, an old Leon Paul.

But why did it stop when I was on the Leon Paul end of the strip? Why didn't my opponent's light go off when our blades came into contact?

[Beowulfman6]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

At my end of the strip, an Uhlmann; at the other, an old Leon Paul.

But why did it stop when I was on the Leon Paul end of the strip? Why didn't my opponent's light go off when our blades came into contact?

Was it the same opponent? Did he/she change body cords? If not, I don't know what it is unless the short is just intermitent and the act of unplugging and plugging in on the other side twisted the body cord in such a way that is temporarily went away.

[Inquartata]

First we checked the opponent's stuff. His sabre wasn't shorting to his lamé anywhere, the ref let it hang by his bodycord and it still lit. He changed his bodycord, no help. I changed weapon then body cord, I still got the light afterward. We switched to another strip. Later other people had the same problem, so the box was exchanged for another. The problem abated but did not go away entirely. Has to be either the reel or floor cord, but then, again...why did the same thing not happen when I was on the other end of the strip? Must have been a really intermittent short...

[rcmatthews]

Another issue is that different setups have different tolerances. For instance, on one strip at the club, I get a white light on one side, while on the other, no white light. So I always have to make sure Im on the correct side. None of my opponents have this problem.

[KD5MDK]

Most intermittent shorts are (after bodycord and weapon are eliminated) probably in the reel. Floor cords don't move that much.

[larkmaj]

I would say it's the LP that is the problem. Check the commutator to see if they're all parallel. Check the connection on the fencers end. Check solder connections. Otherwise it's the wire IMO. I wouldn't be surprised if you could read a finite but high resistence between the A line and either B or C on the reel.

[sabreur]

Were you on a grounded strip? I've noticed that you can get some really strange things happening in sabre if the strip is grounded--if you pull the grounding wire from the back of the machine, it solves the problem (and you don't need the strip to be grounded anyway).

Also, if the reels are touching the strip, it can cause all kinds of weirdness to occur.

MR

[penguin_2000]

Originally Posted by rcmatthews

Another issue is that different setups have different tolerances. For instance, on one strip at the club, I get a white light on one side, while on the other, no white light. So I always have to make sure Im on the correct side. None of my opponents have this problem.

that usually means your body cord isn't matched up with socket too well. a fencer at my club has the same problem... on one specific reel/socket, he always gets off-target lights, so he holds the socket with his off hand if he fences on that side of that strip.

[rcmatthews]

See, thats what I thought at first, but no, no matter what you do to the socket, off target lights. My theory is that that side's floor cord has a higher resistance than the other, and my body cord also has some resistance, and the two combine to make a bad connection.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by sabreur

Were you on a grounded strip?

Nope. Plain old floor.

The part that had me nonplussed is that it didn't happen to my opponents when they were on that reel/end of the strip...

[sabreur]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

Nope. Plain old floor.

The part that had me nonplussed is that it didn't happen to my opponents when they were on that reel/end of the strip...

Then it is weirdness beyond my ken--I like electric sabre as long as it all works, but as soon as the system starts to have problems, I want to take off the space suit and fence dry.... Which I suppose shows my age.

[DJ Apostrophe]

Inq,

Compare the D-rings that you and your opponents are using to attach yourself to the reel. If you have a plastic D-ring that the reel clips to and your opponent has a metal one, then chances are the metal clip that is attaching to the lame is connected to the B or C line, thus electrically connecting your opponents lame (A line) with his sabre (B&C lines) as though he was holding the bell against his lame.

otherwise, i suspect gremlins.

-w

[Ramrod]

Sounds like a mental condition caused by prolonged exposure to sabre. Switch to Epee!

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by DJ Apostrophe

Inq,

Compare the D-rings that you and your opponents are using to attach yourself to the reel. If you have a plastic D-ring that the reel clips to and your opponent has a metal one, then chances are the metal clip that is attaching to the lame is connected to the B or C line, thus electrically connecting your opponents lame (A line) with his sabre (B&C lines) as though he was holding the bell against his lame.

otherwise, i suspect gremlins.

-w

I hook the clip to the ring on my jacket, not the one on the lamé, though...

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

Sounds like a mental condition caused by prolonged exposure to sabre. Switch to Epee!

Sorry, couldn't make any sense of that incomprehensible gibberish. :

[KD5MDK]

Same effect. You are insulated from the short, and he is not.